NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ ALEXANDRA BILLINGS SET TO HOST 27th ANNUAL LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS ▪︎ TUESDAY, JAN. 17 at 7:30pm

ALEXANDRA BILLINGS
SET TO HOST
THE 27th ANNUAL LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS CEREMONY
AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 AT 7:30PM
PRESENTERS ALSO ANNOUNCED

Alexandra Billings has been set to host the 27th Annual LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, January 17 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. Red carpet arrivals begin at 6pm and the ceremony begins at 7:30pm.

Actress, singer, author, teacher, and activist Alexandra Billings stars as Davina on Amazon’s multi-award-winning series Transparent. She played Donna in the ABC film Romy and Michelle: A New Beginning, one of the first times a transgender actress played a transgender character on television. Other TV credits include guest starring appearances on How to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, and Nurses (with Lynn Redgrave). She stars in the upcoming feature film Valley of Bones. Billings has been acting since 1968 and has performed in hundreds of plays and musicals across the United States. Her autobiographical solo show Before I Disappear toured from Chicago to Boston to Los Angeles and then off-Broadway where it received rave reviews and ran for over 10 years. She recently performed her newest solo piece, S/He and Me at Cal State Long Beach. Billings’ activism stretches across the continent. In 2016 she moderated a panel during Transgender Awareness Month at the White House. She has won the TPA Award and the Rainbow Spirit Award and was inducted into the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in Chicago. Living with AIDS since the mid-80s, Billings chronicles her life’s journey in her blog Stilettos and Sneakers, and she is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. From Schoolboy to Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story, aired on PBS and received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Documentary.

“The great gift of what we do as artists is to celebrate the human condition,” said Billings. “I am so excited to be in the room with so many humans who believe that what we do is attempt, in the best way we can, to replicate the history of where we’ve been so that where we’re headed can be brighter, more beautiful, and more glorious than we ever dreamed. And then to hand that story to as many other humans as we can. And I’m thrilled to do this with as much hope and as many sequins as possible.”

Los Angeles theatre notables scheduled to be presenters are (in alphabetical order) Luis Alfaro, Michael Arden, Randall Arney, Jon Robin Baitz, EB Brooks, Sara Ryung Clement, Paul Crewes, Dale Dickey, Sheldon Epps, Marilyn Fox, Beth Grant, Elizabeth Harper, Rajiv Joseph, Richard Montoya, Oanh Nguyen, Mitch O’Farrell, Bill Pullman, Diane Rodriguez, Ric Salinas, Del Shores, Herbert Siguenza, Jimmi Simpson, Ali Stroker, and Kitty Swink. All appearances are subject to change. Musical numbers will be presented by DOMA Theatre Company.

Sponsors for this year’s Ovation Awards ceremony are Wells Fargo, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, F&D Scene Changes Ltd., UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, Goldstar, USC School of Dramatic Arts, Ken Werther Publicity, Bakers Man Productions, Time Out Los Angeles, TheaterMania | OvationTix, Performances Magazine, Variety, and Peter Konerko Photography. The Ovation Awards are presented in partnership with the New York Drama Desk Awards.

For more information and details on how to attend the Ovation Awards ceremony on January 17, visit www.OvationAwards.com. #OvationAwards

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01-05-17

Announcing: Virginia Madsen and Steven Weber Perform Pulitzer Prize Finalist Stephen Karam’s First Play (Written at Age 17) at The Blank Theatre’s YPF Benefit, Sunday 6/3

VIRGINIA MADSEN AND STEVEN WEBER
WILL PERFORM 2012 PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST
STEPHEN KARAM’S FIRST PLAY (WRITTEN AT AGE 17)
AT THE BLANK THEATRE’S BENEFIT EVENING
20 Years of Winners: Scenes, Songs and Speeches from 20 Years
of the Young Playwrights Festival
SUNDAY, JUNE 3 AT 6PM AT AVALON HOLLYWOOD

Virginia Madsen and Steven Weber have been set to perform A Work Of Art, Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Karam’s first play (which he wrote at age 17), at 20 Years of Winners: Scenes, Songs, and Speeches from 20 Years of the Young Playwrights Festival on Sunday, June 3 at 6pm. A Work of Art was produced in The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival in 1997.

Karam, a three-time YPF winner, was a 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his critically acclaimed play Sons of the Prophet. His other plays include Speech and Debate (presented on The Blank’s mainstage in 2008), Columbinus (with PJ Paparelli), Emma, and Dark Sisters. In a recent Los Angeles Times story on the history of the YPF, Karam, now 32, said of his experience, “When you see people taking your work seriously at that age, it makes a big impression. For the first time, I thought of myself as a real writer.”

Additionally, Vanessa Williams has joined the cast of stars of stage, screen, and television scheduled to participate, which, along with Madsen and Weber, includes (in alphabetical order) Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, Nicholas Brendon, Brianna Brown, Dale Dickey, Daisy Eagan, Kat Foster, Thea Gill, Peri Gilpin, Lenny Jacobson, Michael E. Knight, Tom Lenk, Scott Lowell, Justina Machado, Allison Mack, Angel Parker, Jessy Schram, Rex Smith, DB Sweeney, Kirsten Vangsness, Gedde Watanabe, Virginia Williams, Noah Wyle, Bellamy Young, and Constance Zimmer.

The 20 Years of Winners event will take place at Avalon Hollywood, 1735 N. Vine Street, in Hollywood. Tickets for the benefit evening, which range in price from $50-$250, may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com, or by calling (323) 661-9827.

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05-30-12

Announcing: The Blank Theatre Presents “20 Years of Winners,” A Benefit for The Young Playwrights Festival

THE BLANK THEATRE PRESENTS
20 YEARS OF WINNERS
SCENES, SONGS, AND SPEECHES FROM 20 YEARS
OF THE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
ONE NIGHT ONLY: SUNDAY, JUNE 3 AT 6PM

Benefiting The Blank Theatre, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization, honorary host Jennifer Garner will welcome (in alphabetical order) Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, Nicholas Brendon, Brianna Brown, Gordon Clapp, Dale Dickey, Daisy Eagan, Thea Gill, Peri Gilpin, Gale Harold, Lenny Jacobson, Michael E. Knight, Tom Lenk, Scott Lowell, Allison Mack, Virginia Madsen, Angel Parker, Rex Smith, Jennifer Stone, DB Sweeney, Kirsten Vangsness, Gedde Watanabe, Virginia Williams, and Noah Wyle as they perform scenes, songs, and speeches from 20 years of The Blank’s Young Playwrights Festival. Artists subject to change. This one night only event will take place on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 6pm, at Avalon Hollywood.

About The Blank Theatre
Started in 1990 by Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, The Blank Theatre is Hollywood’s regional theatre, consistently offering some of the most high quality and entertaining productions in the area. In its 21-year history, The Blank has won hundreds of awards including every major award in Los Angeles for Outstanding Production, such as the LA Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP, and Back Stage Garland awards. The Blank has been at the forefront of providing high quality productions with a risk-taking sensibility and entertaining experiences. The Blank Theatre is committed to developing excellence in artistic talent, and providing the opportunity for artists to take bold risks. For more information, please visit www.TheBlank.com.

BENEFIT PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

DATE/TIME:  Sunday, June 3, at 6pm

ADMISSION:  $50 – $125. VIP packages available for $250-$350 (includes post-performance reception with the cast).

TICKETS:        Online at www.TheBlank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.

LOCATION:    Avalon Hollywood, 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood, 90028.

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05-08-12