NEWS RELEASE — “NO HOMO” BY BRANDON BARUCH, DIRECTED BY JESSICA HANNA, SET FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENT 7/30—8/23

NO HOMO
BY BRANDON BARUCH
DIRECTED BY JESSICA HANNA

BE FLAT PRODUCTIONS AND PRAXIS LIMITED
ANNOUNCE LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OF AWARD-WINNING COMEDY

FIVE WEEKS ONLY
JULY 30 — AUGUST 23
OPENS SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 AT 8PM

The smash hit Fringe comedy NO HOMO by Brandon Baruch will receive its first full run with a new production at the Atwater Village Theatre, it was announced by Be Flat Productions and Praxis Limited. There will be two preview performances on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, August 1 at 8pm and the strictly limited engagement will run through August 23.

NO HOMO had its world premiere in the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it swept the Closing Night Awards with nine nominations and five wins including Best World Premiere, Best in Ensemble Theatre, Best Director, and the Encore! Producer’s Award. The production then moved to the New York International Fringe Festival where it was met with similar acclaim and quickly became an audience favorite.

Directed by Jessica Hanna, the cast of this new production will feature (in alphabetical order) Elizabeth Ellson, Lauren Flans, AJ Jones, Michael Lutheran, Henry McMillan, and Jonny Rodgers. Scenic design is by David Offner, lighting design is by playwright Baruch, costume design is by Laura Wong, and the sound design is by Corwin Evans.

NO HOMO tells the tale of Luke and Ash, two 20-something Los Angeles urbanites who identify as heterosexual even though their friendship is totally gay. Their friends and families refuse to acknowledge the platonic nature of their relationship, and eventually the men themselves start to question their own sexual identities, leading to a drunken evening that their friendship might not survive.

Playwright Brandon Baruch is a writer, director, producer, and lighting designer. His plays have been seen on both coasts, and he has designed lighting for productions in Southern California, New York, and Chicago. Director Jessica Hanna is a Los Angeles- based theatre artist. She is Co-Founder, Producing & Managing Director of Bootleg Theater. She has directed at Abundant Sugar at the Brewery and at Occidental College, and since 2006 she has produced over 100 productions and events at Bootleg.

Preview performances of NO HOMO are on Thursday, July 30 at 8pm and Friday, July 31 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, August 1 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through August 23 only. General admission tickets are $15 for previews and $20 for regular performances and may be obtained online at www.nohomo.brownpapertickets.com, www.nohomoplay.com, or by calling (800) 838-3006. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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07-14-15

“Top That!” Set to Premiere at Hollywood Film Festival

TOP THAT!
SET TO PREMIERE AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL

The team behind last year’s Fringe hit, Deicide: a Sorta Musical, presents a new ensemble-created dark comedy about rivalry, regret, and cheesy children’s television. Theatre and film elements are used in Top That! to tell the story of nine former child actors attending a cast reunion party of the TV show Pancakes, Ah YES! The reunion takes on a life of its own as it transforms into a weekend of nostalgia, bromance, and enlightenment.

Darkly comedic and subversive, yet also sincere and heartfelt, Top That! strikes close to home for its creators, inspired by the transition from college into adulthood (and the new weights and responsibilities that inevitably ensue) while also mining pathos from the difficult struggles we endure to remain working artists in Hollywood.

Directed by Brandon Baruch and Courtney Dusenberry, Top That! is written by Brandon Baruch along with the cast. In alphabetical order, they are Lizzie Adelman, Sandy Brody, Richie DeMaria, Courtney Dusenberry, Claudia Gomez, Mike Heshel, Emily Ingersoll, Daniele Manzin, and Henry McMillan. The costumes are by Daniel Mahler and Laura Wong, original music is by Bob Lydecker, and original art is by Gabriel Flores.

Top That! is a creation of Be Flat Productions, an ensemble of friends and working artists who strive to produce fun, creative, edgy, and original new works. For more information, visit www.TopThatPlay.com.

There will be seven Fringe Festival performances of Top That! as follows: Thursday, June 9 at 9:30pm (Fringe Central/ArtWorks Theatre), Monday, June 13 at 8pm (Open Fist Theatre), Saturday, June 18 at 3:30pm (ArtWorks Theatre), Sunday, June 19 at 9pm (Open Fist), Tuesday, June 21 at 10pm (Open Fist), Saturday, June 25 at 3pm (Celebration Theatre), and Sunday, June 26 at 5pm (Open Fist). The press preview will be on June 13 at 8pm at the Open Fist Theatre. Admission for all performances is $12, and tickets may be purchased by visiting www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/351.

The Artworks Theatre is located at 6567 Santa Monica Boulevard, the Open Fist Theatre is located at 6209 Santa Monica Boulevard, and Celebration Theatre is located at 7051 Santa Monica Boulevard, all in Hollywood, 90038.

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5-16-11