Archived entries for Christopher J. Raymond

NEWS RELEASE — THE BLANK THEATRE’S 24th ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL CHOOSES WINNERS

THE BLANK THEATRE’S 24TH ANNUAL
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
CHOOSES WINNERS
12 PLAYS BY THE NATION’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS
WILL BE PERFORMED AT
THE STELLA ADLER THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD
JUNE 2 — 26, 2016

Young Playwrights Festival 2016Now celebrating its 24th Anniversary, The Blank Theatre’s Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival has chosen 12 plays by playwrights aged 16—19 from seven different states. These plays will be presented by professional actors and directors in this year’s Festival at The Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, June 2—26.

Said Noah Wyle (star of television’s ER and Falling Skies), Artistic Producer at The Blank, “Each Spring for the past 23 years, The Blank has found the freshest, most original voices in the American theatre, invited them to Los Angeles, and promoted their work during a month-long festival in June. This thought provoking work, performed and directed by seasoned professionals, has entertained thousands of audience members over the years. While these authors are often as different as the states from which they come and the subjects with which they deal, they share something truly improbable. They’re teenagers.” Wyle continued, “These are not only the voices of today’s theatre — they are the voices of tomorrow’s as well.”

Producing Director Heather Provost added, “I am especially pleased that 11 out of 12 Festival winners this year are female. Gender parity in our industry is so important and I’m happy that we are contributing to the balance.”

This year’s winning plays are: VICTIMOLOGY by Rachel Linton, Washington, DC, Age 18; AGE-SEX-LOCATION by Honor Levy, Los Angeles, CA, Age 18; MIND GAMES by Sarah Holland, Austin, TX, Age 18; SUPERMARKET OF LOST by Casandra Hsiao, Walnut, CA, Age 16; ABOUT ART by Alexa Derman, Westfield, NJ, Age 19; BITING ELEPHANTS by Sarah Steuer, Memphis, TN, Age 19; LAZY BOY by Charlotte Leavengood, St. Petersburg, FL, Age 16; GWENDOLYN by Dylan Schifrin, Sherman Oaks, CA, Age 17; LOVELY MADNESS by Ariella Carmell, Chicago, Age 16; DOESN’T THAT SOUND LOVELY? by Gabrielle Poisson, Boonton Township, NJ, Age 17; OVEREXPOSURE by Lani Kording, Costa Mesa, CA, Age 18; and STICK AND POKE by Johanna Stone, Altadena, CA, Age 17.

A panel of theatre professionals chose from 200 plays submitted by young writers across the nation. Winning playwrights are next assigned a mentor, and then a professional director who will help them hone their scripts for four public performances with professional actors. This year’s mentors include David Rambo (Revolution, Empire, CSI), Dave Holstein (Weeds, Raising Hope), Ellen Byron (Just Shoot Me, Wings), Gary Tieche (Medium), Kit Steinkellner (four-time YPF winner), Beth Bigler (The Real Housewives of Atlanta and three-time YPF winner), Bert V. Royal (Dog Sees God), Austin Winsberg (five-time YPF winner), Adam Lapidus, Robert L. Freedman, Scott Damian, and Adam Belanoff. This year’s directors are (in alphabetical order) Barbara Bain, June Carryl, Guillermo Cienfuegos, Warren Davis, Bjørn Johnson, Doug Oliphant, Loni Peristere, Christopher J. Raymond, Michael A. Shepperd, Laura Stribling, Richard Tatum, and April Webster.

Over the past 23 years, The Blank has produced 272 plays by young playwrights. Eleven of those plays or playwrights have gone on to be presented on The Blank’s mainstage. Additionally, many of the plays have been nominated for LA theatre awards, including an Ovation Award for Best Writing—World Premiere, and an LA Weekly Award for Best One-Act Playwriting. Other alumni playwrights are populating the nation’s theatres and sound stages with their work. Many YPF winners have gone on to successful writing careers on Broadway, are filling regional stages, and have created network TV shows. Alumnus winner Stephen Karam has been a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is currently Tony Award-nominated for Best Play for The Humans, a hit on Broadway this season.

This year’s YPF is made possible in part by The Bloomberg Philanthropies, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Rosenthal Family Foundation, The Plum Foundation, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Blank Theatre’s 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival runs June 2—26 at the Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Each week’s program includes three plays, and admission is $20 for adults and $14 for students. Festival passes, which are good for one ticket each week of the festival, are $68 for adults and $48 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.TheBlank.com, or via phone by calling (323) 661-9827.

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05-03-16

NEWS RELEASE — THE BLANK THEATRE PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE — “A SINGULAR THEY” BY ALIZA GOLDSTEIN, OPENING SATURDAY 3/26 at 8pm

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CAST & DESIGNERS SET
FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S
WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF
A SINGULAR THEY
BY ALIZA GOLDSTEIN
DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER J. RAYMOND

PERFORMANCES BEGIN MARCH 19
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE

A Singular TheyThe cast and designers have been set for The Blank Theatre’s world premiere production of A Singular They by Aliza Goldstein, directed by Christopher J. Raymond. Performances begin March 19 with opening night set for Saturday, March 26.

In alphabetical order, the cast will feature Wes McGee, Lily Nicksay, and Hannah Prichard. The design team includes Aaron Lyons (set), Donny Jackson (lighting), Allison Dillard (costumes), and Rebecca Kessin (sound). Nic Dressel is the stage manager. Producers are Daniel Henning, Noah Wyle, and Sarah A. Bauer.

Burbank is your typical high school student — worried about new haircuts, biology exams, losing one’s virginity, and whether to take the estrogen the doctors keep prescribing. Burbank was born “off the binary,” neither entirely male nor female biologically. “He” and “she” just don’t work to describe who Burbank is. “They” is the only appropriate label — A Singular They. They strike up a rapport with their Biology teacher who offers a sympathetic ear and opens Burbank’s eyes to a world outside their conservative suburban community. But after wrecking their social standing with their classmates, Burbank makes a request of Mr. Mazer that goes far beyond what is considered “normal.”

The opening of A Singular They will mark The Blank Theatre’s 20th anniversary at the 2nd Stage Theatre on Hollywood Theatre Row. The Blank took up residence in March of 1996 and in April of that year the LA premiere of Breaking the Code starring Dennis Christopher was a sold-out hit winning LA Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly, and Drama Logue Awards and two Ovation Award nominations. Since that time, The Blank has produced multiple award­-winning productions at the 2nd Stage, including David & Amy Sedaris’s The Book of Liz, and most recently the critically acclaimed Sons of the Prophet by Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Karam.

The Blank Theatre is committed to developing new plays and new artists. The Blank’s mainstage production of A Singular They is the culmination of its new play development program. This play was first presented in The Blank’s Living Room Series, a staged reading series of new plays. It was then produced in the new Living Room Series Plus, a process which takes a play further into development with more rehearsal time and a few performances in front of an audience. Author Aliza Goldstein, who makes her professional debut with this production, was a four-­time winner in The Blank’s Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, having her first play produced in the YPF at age 15.

Aliza Goldstein is a playwright and video game writer based in Orange County, CA. Her work has been produced at theatres across the country including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She is a two-time finalist in the International Thespian Society’s Playworks Program (2008, 2009), a four-time winner in The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), and a 2009 finalist in the Young Playwrights Inc. National Playwriting Competition. Goldstein is also the recipient of the 2007 VSA Playwright Discovery Award, the 2013 John Golden Prize for Undergraduate Playwriting, and the 2015 Ebell of Los Angeles Playwright Prize.

Director Christopher J. Raymond is a graduate fellow of the American Film Institute and currently serves on The Blank’s Living Room Series Artistic Committee. He directed the world premiere of Michael Shaw Fisher’s rock opera Doomsday Cabaret at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In addition, he has directed numerous plays for the Living Room Series and the Young Playwrights Festival. He is currently in development for his directorial feature film debut of his adaptation of D.M. Thomas’ novel Flying Into Love. His award-winning screenplay and finalist for the Nicholls Fellowship, Daughter of Heaven, is also in development.

Preview performances of A Singular They begin on Saturday, March 19 at 8pm and continue on Sunday, March 20 at 2pm, and Tuesday through Friday, March 22—25 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, March 26 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through May 1. Tickets are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances 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 (on Theatre Row at Wilcox), in Hollywood, 90038.

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02-02-16