Announcing: 2nd Annual Poker Royale Texas Hold ‘Em Event Benefits Elephant Theatre Company

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES 2ND ANNUAL POKER ROYALE BENEFIT
ON SATURDAY, JULY 13
★ SECOND ANNUAL TEXAS HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT ★

The award-winning Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced its second annual Poker Royale benefit. The Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament will be held on Saturday, July 13, beginning at 6pm. All proceeds will benefit the current 2013 season of the critically acclaimed company.

Poker Royale will be a star-studded night of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Blackjack, prizes, food, drink, and surprise celebrity guests. The tournament will be a World Series of Poker style event, coordinated by West LA Poker, and valuable prizes for the top nine finishers include gift cards valued at hundreds of dollars, tickets to various shows and sporting events, restaurant gift cards, and much more. Food at the event will be provided by Big Wangs with cocktails by Karma Tequila.

The doors for Poker Royale will open at 6pm on Saturday, July 13. Poker lessons begin at 6:30pm, and the tournament starts promptly at 7pm. (Players can enter the tournament up to 8pm.) Tickets are $80 prior to July 6 ($100 thereafter), which includes poker tournament entry and unlimited food and drink. Spectator tickets are $25 before July 6 ($30 thereafter), which include Fun-Play Blackjack and ways to win great prizes, along with food and drink. Tickets are available now at www.ElephantTheatreCompany.com. For information on sponsorship opportunities, email info@elephanttheatre.org. The Poker Royale event will be at 6314 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), two doors down from the Elephant Theatre. Valet parking will be available. Visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @elephanttheatre.

The Elephant Theatre Company is a staple of the Los Angeles theatre community. Known for developing and producing new work, the company was named three years in a row by Back Stage as ‘Favorite Theatre Company to See and Work With,’ as well as receiving multiple Ovation, LADCC, and LA Weekly Award nominations and wins. Having just closed a very successful run of the LA premiere of The North Plan by Jason Wells, the company will next be producing the world premiere of Samuel Brett Williams’ dark comedy Revelation, set to open July 19. The 2011 West Coast premiere of Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You Should Know was nominated for four LA Weekly Awards, winning Best Supporting Female Performance (Kate Huffman), and the show was also nominated for an LADCC Award. The Elephant concluded its very successful 15th season in December 2011, with the world premiere play Love Sick by Kristina Poe, and the rarely produced Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams, both of which had extended, sold-out runs.

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06-25-13

Announcing: Special Performances of “The Vagina Monologues,” Directed By LA Talk Radio’s Sheena Metal, Will Benefit the V-Day Movement and Protect.org

All-Star Cast Will Perform
The Vagina Monologues to Benefit V-Day
and Protect.org

Popular LATalkRadio Host Sheena Metal Produces and Directs
the Eve Ensler Play at the Atwater Village Theatre
3 Performances Only, February 14-15-16

More than 50 film and television stars will perform Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues in an intimate theatrical setting for three performances only, February 14, 15, and 16 at 8pm, at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. Produced and directed by Sheena Metal for Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles, all proceeds will benefit V-Day, A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls, and Protect.org, a national pro-child, anti-crime association committed to building a powerful, nonpartisan force for the protection of children from abuse, exploitation and neglect.

“It is exciting to work with so many great actresses, all of whom are graciously donating their time and talents,” said Metal, whose popular LATalkRadio show, The Sheena Metal Experience (M-F, 5-7pm) is only one of four programs she hosts on LATR each week. “I salute every artist, onstage and off, who is contributing to this special presentation of The Vagina Monologues.”

Among the long list of luminous actresses who will perform in the three benefit performances are (in alphabetical order) Alison Arngrim, Ilene Graff, Geri Jewell, Gates McFadden, Susan Olsen, Angel Parker, Eve Sigall, Barbara Tarbuck, Ann Walker, Dee Wallace, Allee Willis, and Kim Yarbrough. A complete cast list is available at www.vdayla.com.

To date, the V-Day movement, founded by playwright/actress Eve Ensler, has raised over $75 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it. In 2006, the V-Day movement was named one of Marie Claire Magazine’s Top Ten Charities, and in 2010, over 5400 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. In 12 years, the V-Day movement has reached over 300 million people.

These special performances of The Vagina Monologues are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, February 14, 15, and 16, at 8pm. Tickets are $25, and may be purchased online at www.vdayla.com. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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02-07-13

Announcing: Former ‘Jersey Boys’ Cast Member John Michael Coppola Releases Digital Single to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief

FORMER JERSEY BOYS CAST MEMBER
JOHN MICHAEL COPPOLA
RELEASES DIGITAL SINGLE NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
TO BENEFIT HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF

Former Chicago Jersey Boys cast member John Michael Coppola has announced the release of his new digital recording, Billy Joel’s New York State Of Mind. All proceeds from the sale of the single will benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the American Red Cross. Coppola’s New York State Of Mind can be purchased at www.cdbaby.com. Backed by a five-piece band featuring some of Chicago’s top musicians, the track includes musical contributions by Paul Langford (piano), Bob Lizik (bass), Kraig McCreary (guitar), Bob Parlier (drums), and Tom Van Kanegan (sax).

Said Coppola, “Jersey Boys brought my family from New Jersey to Chicago. As much we love it here, a large part of my heart will always belong to New Jersey and my original stomping grounds of New York. Being so far away from the devastation, without being able to physically help, I went to my band here in Chicago with the idea of recording the single to raise desperately needed funds. Everyone donated their time and talent for this cause, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The only things bigger than their talent are their hearts.”

John Michael Coppola appeared in the Chicago and Las Vegas companies of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, where he was understudy for and performed the role of Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons. For the past 17 years, Coppola has appeared at many of the top regional theatres in the US and Europe in productions such as She Loves Me, 42nd Street, Flight Of The Lawnchair Man, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Forbidden Broadway and Singin’ In The Rain. In addition to his time in Jersey Boys, Coppola’s Chicago stage credits include the world premiere of the musical For The Boys, The Original Grease, and Annie Get Your Gun. He currently performs his own solo concert, A Jersey Voice: Sinatra to Springsteen … and Everyone in Between, at venues throughout the United States.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, (CFBNJ) a member of Feeding America, distributed close to 40 million pounds of food in the last year, to help feed 900,000 people in need in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Its staff and volunteers provide food, help and hope through the distribution of food and grocery products, by education and training, and by creating new programs to meet the needs of low-income people. The Community FoodBank recently earned Charity Navigator’s highest honor, a four-star rating, for the fourth consecutive year. For more information on the FoodBank and its services, visit www.cfbnj.org.

With its Disaster Relief program, the American Red Cross responds to approximately 70,000 disasters in the United States every year, ranging from home fires that affect a single family, to hurricanes that affect tens of thousands, to earthquakes that impact millions. The Red Cross provides shelter, food, health, and mental health services to help families and entire communities get back on their feet. Although the Red Cross is not a government agency, it is an essential part of the response when disaster strikes. For more information on the American Red Cross and its services, visit www.redcross.org.

Coppola’s digital single of New York State of Mind is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnmichaelcoppola. For more information on John Michael Coppola, please visit www.johnmichaelcoppola.com.

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11-30-12