Archived entries for Blank Theatre Company

Announcing: Blank Theatre Opens 21st Season with “Dusk Rings a Bell” by Stephen Belber, Opening Oct. 8

HOLLYWOOD’S BLANK THEATRE WILL OPEN ITS 21st SEASON WITH THE
WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
DUSK RINGS A BELL
BY STEPHEN BELBER
FEATURING THEA GILL AND JOSH RANDALL
DIRECTED BY DANIEL HENNING

PREVIEWS BEGIN OCTOBER 1, 2011
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

Dusk Rings a Bell Table Read

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director) kicks off its 21st season with the West Coast premiere of Dusk Rings A Bell by Stephen Belber, directed by Daniel Henning, with previews beginning on October 1 and opening night set for Saturday, October 8 at 8:00. The engagement will run through Sunday, November 13.

Dusk Rings A Bell will feature (in alphabetical order) Thea Gill and Josh Randall. Originally presented by the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City, Dusk tells the story of Molly and Ray, who spent a romantic summer afternoon together when they were teens, but went their separate ways. They meet, by chance, 25 years later. Both begin to romanticize their reunion, but a renewed connection is disrupted when Ray reveals the sordid details of a crime that left him incarcerated for 10 years. Their encounter reveals two vastly different paths taken, and two lonely souls attempting to reclaim a moment of possibility, when they were young and probably at their very best.

Stephen Belber’s plays have been produced on Broadway, as well as in over 25 countries. His plays include Match (Tony Award nomination for Frank Langella), Tape (Naked Angels, New York/Los Angeles/London), McReele (Roundabout Theatre), A Small, Melodramatic Story (LAByrinth Theater Company), Geometry of Fire (Rattlestick), Fault Lines (Cherry Lane), One Million Butterflies (Primary Stages), and Carol Mulroney (Huntington Theatre Company). He was an associate writer on The Laramie Project (Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations), and co-writer on the more recent Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. Movies include Tape, directed by Richard Linklater, The Laramie Project (associate writer/Emmy Award nomination for screenwriting), Drifting Elegant, and Management, starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn, which he also directed. Belber is currently developing screen adaptations of both Match and McReele. Television credits include Rescue Me and Law & Order: SVU (staff writer). He is a member of both Tectonic Theater Project and LAByrinth Theater Company.

Set design for Dusk Rings A Bell is by Kurt Boetcher, lighting design is by Stephanette Smith, costume design is by Michael Mullen, and sound design is by Warren Davis. Caitlin Eckstein is stage manager.
Preview performances of Dusk Rings A Bell are Saturday, October 1 at 8pm, Sunday, October 2 at 2pm, and Tuesday, October 4 – Friday, October 7 at 8pm. The Friday 10/7 performance is available for press review, and opening night is set for Saturday, October 8 at 8:00. The regular performance schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through November 13. All preview seats are $26; regular performance prices are $26 on Thursday and Sunday, $30 on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood. Secured valet parking is available.

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09-07-11

Pictured: THEA GILL and JOSH RANDALL at first rehearsal, Tuesday 9/6/11.

Release: Stars of “Defenders,” “Modern Family,” “Dexter,” and More to Act in the Blank Theatre Company’s Young Playwrights Festival

STARS OF THE DEFENDERS, MODERN FAMILY,
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, GENERAL HOSPITAL,
DEXTER, AND NURSE JACKIE
SET TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY’S
19TH ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Jerry O’Connell (The Defenders, Crossing Jordan), Jennifer Stone (Wizards of Waverly Place, Harriet the Spy), Lenny Jacobson (Nurse Jackie), Ariel Winter (Modern Family), Michael J. Willett (United States of Tara), Scott Lowell (Queer as Folk), and Larry Poindexter (The Hard Times of RJ Berger on MTV) will join soap opera stars Billy Miller and Greg Rikaart (The Young and The Restless), and Megan Ward (General Hospital) in The Blank Theatre Company’s 19th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Twelve winning plays by teen playwrights aged 15 -19, from five different states, will be presented during this year’s festival at The Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, running from June 2 – 26, 2011.

Among the 70 actors who will appear in this year’s festival, WEEK ONE (June 2-5) will feature Larry Poindexter and Greg Rikaart, along with Gale Harold (Hellcats, Queer As Folk, Desperate Housewives), and Susan Park (The Unusuals). WEEK TWO (June 9 –12) will feature Jennifer Stone, Megan Ward, and Ariel Winter, along with Dale Dickey (My Name Is Earl, Breaking Bad). WEEK THREE (June 16—19) will feature Lenny Jacobson and Jerry O’Connell, along with Julia Campbell (Dexter), Scott Lowell (Queer As Folk), Eric Nenninger (Generation Kill, Glory Days), and Marcia Wallace (The Simpsons). WEEK FOUR (June 23—26) will feature Billy Miller, along with Parvesh Cheena (Outsourced), and Tessa Thompson (Detroit 1-8-7).

Winners were chosen by a panel of theatre professionals from plays submitted by teenagers from across the nation. Winning playwrights were next assigned a mentor and then a professional director who has helped them hone their scripts for four public performances. In the past 17 years, The Blank has produced 196 plays by teenaged playwrights. Eleven of those plays or playwrights have gone on to be presented on The Blank’s mainstage, including Speech & Debate by Stephen Karam, a three-time winner in The Blank’s YPF. Additionally, many past plays have been nominated for LA theatre awards, including an Ovation Award for Best Writing—World Premiere, and a LA Weekly Award for Best One-Act Playwriting.

The Blank Theatre Company’s 19th Annual Young Playwrights Festival plays Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm, beginning June 2 and running through June 26 at The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood. Each week’s program includes three plays. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for students. Festival Passes, which include one ticket for each week, are $56. Tickets may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com, or by calling (323) 661-9827.

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05-27-11

Announcing: See What I Wanna See

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY’S
PRODUCTION OF MICHAEL JOHN LaCHIUSA’S
SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE
DOUG CARPENTER, JASON GRAAE, LESLI MARGHERITA,
PERRY OJEDA and SUZAN SOLOMON WILL STAR IN WEST COAST PREMIERE

PREVIEWS BEGIN APRIL 10, 2010
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

Casting is complete and rehearsals have begun for The Blank Theatre Company’s third and final production of its 19th season, Michael John LaChiusa’s See What I Wanna See. Directed by The Blank’s Artistic Director Daniel Henning, See What I Wanna See will begin preview performances on Saturday, April 10, 2010 and is set to open on Saturday, April 17 at 8pm.  The engagement will run through Sunday, May 23.

The cast, in alphabetical order, is Doug Carpenter (Life Could Be A Dream at the Hudson Mainstage and Camelot at the Pasadena Playhouse), Jason Graae (original casts of Forever Plaid and Forbidden Hollywood), Lesli Margherita (winner of the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in Zorro at London’s Garrick Theatre), Perry Ojeda (On the Town, Imaginary Friends and Blood Brothers on Broadway), and Suzan Solomon (Bubbling Brown Sugar, Let My People Come at New York’s Village Gate).

See What I Wanna See is about lust, greed, murder, faith, and redemption.  It is based on three short stories that unfold like a Japanese screen painting.  In “Kesa and Morito,” set in medieval Japan, two lovers sing of the ecstasy and torment of their affair.  “R Shomon,” set in 1951 New York City, follows the investigation of a crime of passion and the witnesses’ contradicting versions of the event.  “Gloryday,” set in present day New York, presents a priest during a crisis of faith after a terrible tragedy strikes the city.  This fascinating musical asks the question, “What Is Truth?” You’ll be amazed by the kaleidoscope of answers.  “This smoky, sexy saga, enhanced by LaChiusa’s muscular, jazzy score flecked with Japanese influences and tough, punchy lyrics, make See What I Wanna See a highly original, innovative journey,” said the Associated Press of the original 2005 off-Broadway production at New York’s Public Theater.

The set design for See What I Wanna See is by Ginnie Ann Held, costume design is by Dana Peterson, and the lighting design is by Jeremy Pivnick.  The production stage manager is Ramon Valdez, and the producers are Stacy Reed, Noah Wyle and Jon Van Middlesworth.

Preview performances of See What I Wanna See are Saturday, April 10 at 8pm, Sunday, April 11 at 2pm, and Tuesday, April  13 – Friday, April 16 at 8pm.  Opening night is set for Saturday, April 17 at 8:00. THE MEDIA IS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL PRESS PREVIEW ON FRIDAY 4/16, BUT IS ALSO WELCOME AT ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE AFTER THAT DATE. The regular performance schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through May 23.  All preview seats are $30; regular performance prices are $30 on Thursday and Sunday, $34.99 on Friday and Saturday.  Tickets may be purchased by calling (323) 661-9827 or online at www.TheBlank.com.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood. Secured valet parking is available.

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03-05-10