Announcing: ‘L.A. Deli’ Opening Night (Sat 3/22) Will Benefit the Nancy Painter Home for Mothers with Children

OPENING NIGHT OF
L.A. DELI
A NEW COMEDY BY SAM BOBRICK
DIRECTED BY WALTER PAINTER

SET TO BENEFIT THE NANCY PAINTER HOME
FOR MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN

SATURDAY, MARCH 22 AT 8PM
MARILYN MONROE THEATRE

The opening night performance of L.A. Deli, a new comedy by Sam Bobrick, will benefit The Nancy Painter Home for Mothers with Children. L.A. Deli, helmed by award-winning director Walter Painter, will open Saturday, March 22 at 8pm at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood. The limited engagement is set to run through April 27 only.

The Nancy Painter Home for Mothers with Children, operated by experienced Salvation Army staff, is a community-based grass roots transitional housing program devoted to single mothers and their children who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. Hundreds of single mothers with children in the Los Angeles area find themselves without any financial support and facing homelessness due to loss of a job, a medical emergency, spousal abuse, or lack of child support. The Nancy Painter Home provides a stable and loving home environment for mothers and their children who find themselves in this situation. For up to two years these moms and their children will have the opportunity to bring stability and peace of mind to their lives. For more information, visit www.nancypainterhome.org.

Tickets for the opening night benefit performance of L.A. Deli are $100, which includes the performance, parking, and a post-show reception with the cast and creative team. To purchase tickets for this special performance only, call (818) 985-0111 or send an email to danrothblatt@ aol.com. The Nancy Painter Home is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and a portion of the ticket price is tax deductible as allowed by law.

L.A. Deli is a series of comedic sketches that take place in a Hollywood delicatessen giving the audience a wicked and hilarious look inside show business. The cast of outrageous, shameless, and sometimes certifiable characters includes movie and TV producers, writers, directors, actors, their wives, ex-wives, and a very patient waitress named Kathleen. Some of the events portrayed actually happened to the playwright, some to his friends, and some to people he just happened to be sitting next to at lunch.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Rachel Boller, Scott Kruse, Jeffrey Landman, Gail Matthius, Phil Proctor, and Darrin Revitz. The set design is by Jeffery P. Eisenmann, lighting design is by Michael Gend, costume design is by Michael Mullen, music is arranged and supervised by Larry Grossman, sound design is by Chris Moscatiello, and the stage manager is Liana Dillaway. L.A. Deli is produced by Theatre Planners.

For regular performances of L.A. Deli, general seating admission is $30. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm through April 27 only. Tickets for all regular performances may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/ladeli or by calling (323) 960-7738.

The Marilyn Monroe Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is located at 7936 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Fairfax), in West Hollywood.

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03-11-14

Announcing: Charitybuzz.com Auction Now in Progress to Benefit The Blank Theatre

Charitybuzz.com
AUCTION NOW IN PROGRESS
TO BENEFIT THE BLANK THEATRE

The Blank Theatre, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, has announced a Charitybuzz.com auction to raise funds for the 24-year-old critically acclaimed company in Hollywood.

Charitybuzz raises funds for nonprofits around the globe through online auctions with the world’s most recognizable celebrities and brands. Featuring access to acclaimed actors and musicians, business and political leaders, sports stars, luxury travel, couture fashion, rare memorabilia and more, Charitybuzz brings its online community of bidders exclusive opportunities to live their dreams and make a difference. Since launching, Charitybuzz has raised more than $100 million for charity. To learn more, visit www.Charitybuzz.com.

Lots in The Blank auction include —

Spending a day with Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever from Castle
Lunch with Bellamy Young, Katie Lowes and Jeff Perry from Scandal
Lunch or dinner with Gale Harold and other cast members from Queer As Folk
Lunch or dinner with cast members from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Backstage tour and live taping of Hot In Cleveland
Tickets and backstage tour of Buyer and Cellar in NYC or Los Angeles
A script consultation with Darren Bousman (Saw 2, 3 & 4) or David Rambo (Revolution, CSI)
ER scrub signed by George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, Alex Kingston, Eriq La Salle, Laura Innes, Anthony Edwards, Gloria Reuben, and Kellie Martin
Lunch with Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, The Following)
Signed set of drumsticks and cymbal from Alex Van Halen
Set visit to Major Crimes with executive producer Adam Belanoff
Tickets to 2014 Paleyfest at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre
A show poster from The Late Henry Moss, directed by Sam Shepard and autographed by Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, Sheila Tousey, James Gammon, and Cheech Marin.

Link to these items — https://www.charitybuzz.com/support/2290

The auction ends on Tuesday, March 4 at 1:15pm PST.

Started in 1990 by Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, The Blank Theatre is Hollywood’s regional theatre, consistently offering some of the most high quality and entertaining productions in the area. In its 24-year history, The Blank has won hundreds of awards including every major award in Los Angeles for Outstanding Production (LA Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP, and Back Stage Garlands). The Blank has been at the forefront of providing high quality productions with a risk-taking sensibility and entertaining experiences. With programs such as its Living Room Series and its annual nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, The Blank Theatre is committed to developing excellence in artistic talent and providing the opportunity for artists to take bold risks. For more info, please visit www.TheBlank.com.

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02-19-14

Announcing: Linda Lavin: Portrait of an Artist – One Night Only Benefit for Celebration Theatre – Sat, Feb 1

Celebration Theatre
Presents a One Night Only Benefit Event
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST:
AN EVENING WITH LINDA LAVIN
Featuring Lavin’s Husband and Artist Steve Bakunas

Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 8pm
Atwater Village Theatre in LA
Proceeds to Benefit Celebration Theatre

Celebration Theatre has announced a one night only benefit event — Portrait Of An Artist: An Evening With Linda Lavin, featuring Lavin’s husband and artist Steve Bakunas, on Saturday, February 1 at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. The curtain rises at 8pm, and proceeds from the evening will go to support Celebration Theatre.

In an intimate setting, actress Linda Lavin shares in detail the story of her life and career as her husband, artist Steve Bakunas, paints her portrait while conducting the interview. Always spontaneous and revealing, Lavin opens up about her early years as a chorus girl, a cabaret singer, Broadway star and television icon. Bakunas, a multi-talented renaissance man, mines for the gold with humor and sensitivity, providing an entertaining and insightful evening.

Linda Lavin, a six-time Tony Award nominee, won the 1987 Tony for Best Leading Performance By An Actress In A Play (as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Helen Hayes Awards) for her performance in Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound. Lavin’s other widely acclaimed stage appearances include Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Collected Stories, and most recently The Lyons. She is well known to television audiences for her portrayal of the title role in Alice, which ran for nine seasons (1976-1985) on CBS, and she currently co-stars on Sean Saves The World with Sean Hayes on NBC. Lavin’s recent film credits include roles in The Back­Up Plan and Wanderlust.

Steve Bakunas has worked in a traveling circus, as a used car salesman, a mechanic, a bellhop, a bartender, a carpenter, a limo driver for The Grateful Dead, a taxi driver in San Francisco, a school bus driver, a Fuller Brush man, a house painter, a furniture upholsterer and designer, a carpet salesman, a truck driver and bulldozer operator, and a telegram singer. His acting credits include Doubt, Rabbit Hole, Dinner With Friends, Art, Speed The Plow, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Proof. Bakunas’s directing credits include Collected Stories, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Lobby Hero, and God Of Carnage. He is currently a jazz drummer for his wife’s cabaret act, and a self taught painter.

Founded in 1982 and now in its 31st season, Celebration Theatre is a community of artists dedicated to presenting innovative, provocative and relevant work that examines the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer experience. It provides a supportive forum for professional and emerging writers, directors, designers and performers, giving voice to the full experience of gay culture. The theatre endeavors to challenge society’s perception of the community and give a vibrant voice to its evolving identity.

Tickets for intimate onstage seating (with bottle service) for Linda Lavin: Portrait Of An Artist on Saturday, February 1 at 8pm are $100 each. Premium seating is $75, and general seating ranges from $30—$50. Tickets may be purchased online at www.celebrationtheatre.com or by phone at (323) 957-1884. Celebration’s temporary home, the Atwater Village Theatre, is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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01-24-14