Announcing: Benefit Play Reading for Celebration Theatre Starring Wendie Malick and Robert Forster – Mon 11/25 at 8pm

Celebration Theatre
Presents a Benefit Reading of
A KIND OF KIND
A New Play By Miles Brandman
Starring Wendie Malick and Robert Forster
Directed by Michael Matthews

Monday, November 25 at 8pm
Atwater Village Theatre in LA
Proceeds to Benefit Celebration Theatre

Celebration Theatre has announced a benefit reading of A Kind of Kind, a world premiere play by Miles Brandman, starring two-time Emmy Award nominee Wendie Malick and Academy Award nominee Robert Forster on Monday, November 25 at 8pm at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. Directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, proceeds from the reading will go to support Celebration Theatre.

A Kind of Kind: When two liberal parents learn that their adult son has been hiding his homosexuality from them, they engage in a hunt for any clue as to what could have caused their son not to trust them. Now suspecting each other guilty of the same discrimination they’ve spent a lifetime looking down on, they must reconcile their own transgressions to save the family.

Wendie Malick starred on the smash NBC comedy series Just Shoot Me from 1997—2003, earning two Emmy Award nominations for her work. Currently one of the stars of TV Land’s wildly popular Hot in Cleveland, Malick is also well known for her many guest starring appearances on such shows as Frasier, Reba, Seinfeld, Cybill and Jake in Progress among many others.

Robert Forster is perhaps best known for his film performances in Medium Cool and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, which brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Featured Actor. Also acclaimed for his performances in such films as Reflections In A Golden Eye, The Stalking Moon and Mulholland Drive, he has most recently been seen in The Descendants and Olympus Has Fallen.

Playwright Miles Brandman is a writer and director for film and theatre. In the fall of 2010, Brimmer Street Theatre Company produced the world premiere of his play Summer in Hell at studio|stage in Hollywood. Brandman also wrote and directed the independent feature film Sex and Breakfast. Other plays staged in Los Angeles include Ladies of the State, An Old Problem and All Your Hard Work (also produced by Brimmer Street).

Director Michael Matthews is Co-Artistic Director of Celebration Theatre, where he helmed Celebration’s most recent production, the West Coast premiere of The Homosexuals by Philip Dawkins, now running at the Atwater Village Theatre through December 21. For his work on Celebration’s production of The Color Purple he won the Ovation Award for Best Director of a Musical. His most recent directorial credits include Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at The Blank Theatre, Funny Girl for 3-D Theatricals and Rabbit Hole for McCoy-Rigby Entertainment.

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. The theatre endeavors to challenge society’s perception of the community and give a vibrant voice to its evolving identity.

The benefit reading of A Kind of Kind is being produced for Celebration by Michael C. Kricfalusi, Rebecca Eisenberg and Todd Milliner. Tickets are $35 each, and may be purchased online at www.celebrationtheatre.com or by phone at (323) 957-1884. There will be a reception immediately following the reading. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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11-21-13

Announcing: ‘One Starry Night’ Benefit for ALS Association at the Pasadena Playhouse – January 13, 2014

ONE STARRY NIGHT
Hollywood and Broadway Stars Come Together to Fight ALS
at The Pasadena Playhouse

One Night Only Benefit Performance
Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8pm

Co-Producers Juliana Hansen and Jonathan White will present a one night only benefit performance, ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS, on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8pm, hosted by The Pasadena Playhouse. The evening will also include a silent auction and VIP post-show meet-and-greet. Proceeds will provide critical funding for The ALS Association Golden West Chapter’s mission priorities in care services, public policy, and cutting-edge global research toward treatments and cure.

ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS will be directed by Grammy Award-nominee Bruce Kimmel, with musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Allen. The evening will feature performances by (in alphabetical order) Obba Babatunde, James Barbour, Kay Cole, Daisy Eagan, Crow Garrett, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Juliana Hansen, Melora Hardin, Jean Louisa Kelly, Jason and Nolan Livesay, Gary Morgan and The Flying Morgans, Karen Morrow, James Mulligan, Reagan Pasternak, Jonathan Pendragon, Christy Carlson Romano, Joan Ryan, Rex Smith, Charlene Tilton, and Terri White, with more to be announced.

“The ALS community is grateful to Juliana Hansen and Jonathan White for their creativity and dedication in the fight against ALS,” said Fred Fisher, President and CEO of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. “While there has been significant progress in recent years, people with ALS and their loved ones still have far more questions than answers. Today, the groundbreaking work of scientists continues to inspire confidence that there will soon be greater advancements in understanding the causes of the disease, developing new treatments and ultimately finding a cure.”

“As often as possible, we open the doors of our beautiful theatre in support of worthy causes,” said Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse. “I am sure that this will be an entertaining and exciting evening that will raise funds for vital research in an important area. All of us at The Playhouse are happy to participate in this noble effort.”

“I am so excited to be working on an event supporting The ALS Association,” said co-producer Jonathan White. “My inspiration to do so came many years ago when a member of my extended family left college to be the primary caregiver for her father when he was diagnosed with ALS. Years later, I became more aware of Lou Gehrig’s disease and the incredible support network of people it takes to manage it. The opportunity to collaborate on a charitable event with brilliant performers, as well as compassionate human beings with a hearts of gold, was irresistible.”

Said co-producer Juliana Hansen, “When the idea was presented to me of creating an event that would bring both Hollywood and Broadway entertainers together to give a stronger voice to such a worthy cause, I was instantly, wholeheartedly on board. My childhood friend lost her father to ALS, another dear friend lost his aunt, and my colleague’s mother is battling it right now. To be even a small part of helping spread the word and to raise money to continue to find a cure is truly important to me.”

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS eventually lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. There is no cure, and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration modestly extends survival.

The mission of The ALS Association is to lead the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig’s disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. The Golden West Chapter serves people with ALS and their families in 31 counties throughout California and in the state of Hawaii. For more information visit www.alsagoldenwest.org.

ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Coming Together to Fight ALS will take place on Monday, January 14, 2014 at 8pm at The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, in Pasadena, 91101. Tickets are on sale now, and prices range from $25—$100, with premium seating available at $250. The VIP post-show meet and greet is available for an additional $75. To purchase online go to www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org/onestarrynight. Tickets are also available via phone at (626) 356-7529 and in person at The Pasadena Playhouse box office (visit website for hours).

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10-30-13

Announcing: ‘Riding the Midnight Express’ Will Benefit The Blank Theatre – 2 Perfs Only – August 5 & 12

THE BLANK THEATRE PRESENTS
RIDING THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY BILLY HAYES
DIRECTED BY JOHN GOULD RUBIN

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
AUGUST 5 & 12 AT 8PM
AT THE SECOND STAGE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE BLANK

The Blank Theatre has announced two benefit performances of Riding the Midnight Express, written and performed by Billy Hayes and directed by John Gould Rubin (with assistant director Zoe Aja Moore). All proceeds will benefit The Blank Theatre and its programs. The performances will take place on Mondays, August 5 and 12 at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood. The curtain will rise at 8pm for both shows.

Riding the Midnight Express is the true story behind the Oscar-winning film Midnight Express, told by the man who lived it. Billy Hayes’ astounding story of survival and endurance, and the tales of Hollywood, happiness and what happened next, are truly unforgettable. Hayes tells of his leap from prison isolation to international notoriety when his worldwide bestselling book about five years in a Turkish prison became an Academy Award-winning film written by Oliver Stone and directed by Alan Parker. Following the two ‘sneak peak’ performances for The Blank, Riding the Midnight Express will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in late August.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or via phone at (323) 661-9827. The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox) in Hollywood.

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07-31-13