Announcing: Melanie Jones Joins The Little Flower of East Orange

MELANIE JONES JOINS CAST OF ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY’S
WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE LITTLE FLOWER OF EAST ORANGE
BY STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS
DIRECTED BY DAVID FOFI

OPENS NOVEMBER 12 AT THE LILLIAN THEATRE

Former artistic director of Little Fish Theatre Melanie Jones has joined the cast of The Little Flower of East Orange by Stephen Adly Guirgis, it was announced today by Elephant artistic director David Fofi. Ms. Jones replaces the previously announced Katherine Helmond, who has left the production due to prior contractual obligations. Opening night is set for Friday, November 12, and The Little Flower of East Orange will play a strictly limited engagement through December 19.

Said Fofi, “Losing Katherine was devastating news for us, but we couldn’t be more thrilled that Melanie, a highly accomplished and respected actress, was available to step in so we could accommodate Katherine’s unexpected schedule shift.”

Melanie Jones began her professional career at age 16 with the Hartford Stage Company. A graduate of Brown University, she acted and directed for 10 seasons at Trinity Rep in Providence, RI. While artistic director of Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro, she appeared in productions of The School for Scandal, Hay Fever, Deathtrap, and Tooth and Nail. Directed by Fofi, and along with Jones, the cast of The Little Flower of East Orange features Michael Friedman, and (in alphabetical order) Mark Adair-Rios, LeShay Tomlinson Boyce, Kim Estes, Alejandro Furth, Kate Huffman, Timothy McNeil, Marisa O’Brien, Tom Stanczyk, and Tim Starks. The production design is by Joel Daavid, costume design is by Louis Douglas Jacobs, and sound design is by Matt Richter. Shannon Simonds is the production stage manager, and Little Flower is being produced for the Elephant by Lindsay Allbaugh and Tara Norris. Executive producer is Greg Borrud.

The Little Flower tale begins as Therese Marie (Jones) arrives in the emergency room of a small hospital in the Bronx. The nurses and doctors assume she is just another faceless charity case; abandoned, elderly and unable to even tell them her name. But Therese Marie’s dementia is not all that it seems and when her prodigal son Danny returns to New York, Therese Marie must fight to maintain her dignity as he imposes upon her the ugly secrets of their past. In this inter-generational ghost story, we observe a searing portrait of a mother and son who must face a long family legacy of abuse in order to find the true meaning of grace. The Little Flower of East Orange is part of the recently announced Elephant Theatre Company/LAByrinth Theater Company partnership.

Opening night is set for Friday, November 12 at 8:00. Seats are available to the public for that performance at $40, which includes a reception with the cast following the show. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through December 19 only. All tickets for regular performances are $25 and $30. To purchase tickets, call (877) 369-9112 or reserve online: www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Also, visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on twitter @ElephantTheatre.

The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 N. Lillian Way (one block west of Vine, just off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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11-06-10

Announcing: Katherine Helmond to Star in West Coast Premiere of The Little Flower of East Orange

TONY AWARD NOMINEE AND SEVEN-TIME EMMY AWARD NOMINEE
KATHERINE HELMOND SET TO STAR
IN WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE LITTLE FLOWER OF EAST ORANGE
BY STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS
DIRECTED BY DAVID FOFI

FINAL PLAY OF ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY’S 2010 SEASON
OPENS NOVEMBER 6 AT THE LILLIAN THEATRE

Following the much acclaimed west coast premiere production of Parasite Drag by Mark Roberts,  the Elephant Theatre Company concludes its 14th season with the west coast premiere of The Little Flower of East Orange by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Elephant artistic director David Fofi.  Performances begin Thursday, November 4, and opening night is set for Saturday, November 6.  The Little Flower of East Orange will play a strictly limited engagement through December 19.

The cast of The Little Flower of East Orange will feature Katherine Helmond and Michael Friedman, along with (in alphabetical order) LeShay Tomlinson Boyce, Kim Estes, Alejandro Furth, Kate Huffman, Timothy McNeil, Marisa O’Brien, Mark Adair-Rios, Tom Stanczyk, and Tim Starks. The production design is by Joel Daavid, costume design is by Louis Douglas Jacobs, and sound design is by Matt Richter.  Shannon Simonds is the production stage manager, and Little Flower is being produced for the Elephant by Lindsay Allbaugh and Tara Norris.

Katherine Helmond received a Tony Award nomination in 1973 for her performance in Eugene O’Neill’s The Great God Brown.  She then gained international recognition with her portrayal of the ditzy Jessica Tate on 1977’s most controversial sitcom, the much celebrated Soap.  Ms. Helmond received four Emmy Award nominations for her performance, one for each season  the  program was on the air.  She  went on to co-star with Judith Light and Tony Danza in Who’s the Boss? for eight seasons, receiving two more Emmy nominations along the way.  She starred in the ABC sitcom Coach for three seasons, and then from 1996-2004, she had a recurring role as Ray’s mother-in-law on Everybody Loves Raymond, picking up her seventh Emmy nomination.

The Little Flower of East Orange is part of the recently announced Elephant Theatre Company/LAByrinth Theater Company partnership. The Little Flower tale begins as Therese Marie (Helmond) arrives in the emergency room of a small hospital in the Bronx. The nurses and doctors assume she is just another faceless charity case; abandoned, elderly and unable to even tell them her name. But Therese Marie’s dementia is not all that it seems and when her prodigal son Danny returns to New York, Therese Marie must fight to maintain her dignity as he imposes upon her the ugly secrets of their past.  In this inter-generational ghost story, we observe a searing portrait of a mother and son who must face a long family legacy of abuse in order to find the true meaning of grace. Stephen Adly Guirgis is the co-artistic director of the LAByrinth Theater Company in NYC. His plays have been produced on five continents and throughout the United States.  Guirgis is the author of such plays as Our Lady of 121st Street, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, which was produced by the Elephant in association with VS. Theatre Company in 2008. That production won four LADCC Awards, two Back Stage Garland Awards, and received two LA Weekly Award nominations.

There will be two lower-priced preview performances of The Little Flower of East Orange on Thursday, November 4 and Friday, November 5 at 8pm, and opening night is set for Saturday, November 6 at 8:00. THE MEDIA IS INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY 11/6, BUT IS ALSO WELCOME AT ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE AFTER THAT DATE.  Opening night seats are available to the public for $40, which includes a reception with the cast following the performance. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through December 19 only.  All tickets for regular performances are $25 and $30 (previews are $15). To purchase tickets, call (877) 369-9112 or reserve online: www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Also, visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on twitter @ElephantTheatre.

The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 N. Lillian Way (one block west of Vine, just off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood.   Street parking is available.

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10-22-10

Announcing: Bi-Coastal Partnership Announced Between Elephant Theatre Company and NYC’s LAByrinth Theater Company

LA’s ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY AND
NYC’s LAByrinth THEATER COMPANY
ANNOUNCE BI-COASTAL PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP KICKS OFF IN NOVEMBER WITH THE
WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE LITTLE FLOWER OF EAST ORANGE
BY STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS
AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF INTRÍNGULIS
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY CARLO ALBAN

The Elephant Theatre Company (David Fofi, Artistic Director, Lindsay Allbaugh, Producing Director), and LAByrinth Theater Company (Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O’Donnell, and Yul Vázquez, Artistic Directors, Danny Feldman, Managing Director) have announced a bi-coastal partnership between the two acclaimed ensemble-based companies.

The partnership will begin in November when the Elephant Theatre Company presents the west coast premiere of The Little Flower of East Orange by Stephen Adly Guirgis, which had its world premiere at LAByrinth Theater Company in a co-production with The Public Theater in 2008.  Simultaneously, LAByrinth will present the world premiere of Intríngulis, Carlo Alban’s solo show, which was also developed by LAByrinth. In addition, ensemble members from both companies will be working together participating in writing workshops, play readings and master classes.

The two companies became acquainted in 2006 when Fofi directed the Elephant’s west coast premiere of In Arabia We’d All Be Kings by Guirgis, garnering four Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, including Best Production and Best Writing, and two Back Stage Garland Awards, for Best Direction and Best Ensemble.

Said Elephant Artistic Director David Fofi, “The idea for this collaboration began to take shape when Stephen and I were riffing about our aspirations for our companies, and about our desire to work together and have a presence in each other’s cities.  Why not help each other achieve our goals and give our respective companies a home-away-from-home?  LAByrinth’s artistic vision and strong ensemble mirrors our company – they get us.  We have a lot to learn from them.  Their trajectory is one that we would like to follow.”

Said LAByrinth Co-Artistic Director Stephen Adly Guirgis, “We are big fans of Dave Fofi and his ensemble’s stellar work at The Elephant, and as an ensemble driven company ourselves, LAByrinth is excited to explore opportunities to work together with The Elephant to host and present vibrant new work and home-grown theatre that bridges the gap between New York and Los Angeles.”

The Elephant is currently in rehearsal for The Little Flower of East Orange; this will be the first production of the play outside of New York.  Opening is set for Saturday, November 6, and the engagement is scheduled to run through December 19.  LAByrinth will be presenting Intríngulis mid-week, opening on November 9 and running through December 9. The productions will run concurrently in the Elephant’s largest space, the Lillian Theatre.

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY (David Fofi, Artistic Director, Lindsay Allbaugh, Producing Director). In 1995, The Elephant Theatre Company was formed in downtown Los Angeles by a group of Cal State Long Beach alumni. In 1997, the company moved to Hollywood and eventually broke ground on their current home: the Elephant Stageworks building at the east end of Theatre Row (a four-theatre complex). The company is comprised of more than 100 actors, directors, designers, and playwrights, and over the last 15 years has produced over 50 productions, including 33 world premieres and numerous west coast and LA premieres. As the Elephant approaches its 15th season in 2011, it remains committed to bringing new work to Los Angeles theatre audiences. Recent productions include Parasite Drag and Supernova (both Ovation Recommended), Block Nine (LA Weekly Awards for Best Production, Best Direction, and Best Performance by a Lead Actor), The Idea Man (Ovation Award, Best New Play), Asleep on a Bicycle, Tooth and Nail, Anything (4 LADCC Awards including Best Production), One Fell Swoop, and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings. For more info, please visit  www.ElephantTheatreCompany.com.

LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY  (Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O’Donnell, and Yul Vázquez,  Artistic Directors, Danny Feldman, Managing Director) was  founded in 1992 by a group of actors who wanted to push their artistic limits, hone their craft, and create new plays that truly reflected their experience. Today, LAByrinth is comprised of more than 120 established and emerging theatre artists from a wide array of cultural perspectives. The inclusive, multicultural ensemble encourages all members to write, act, direct, and design, and supports multidisciplinary growth and exploration in the creation of daring new work that celebrates the diversity of its New York City home.  Now in its nineteenth season, LAByrinth has developed over 300 new plays and staged 51 productions, including The Little Flower of East Orange and UNCONDITIONAL (2008), A View from 151st Street and Jack Goes Boating (2007), A Small, Melodramatic Story and School of The Americas (2006), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (2005), Sailor’s Song and Guinea Pig Solo (2004), Dutch Heart of Man and Dirty Story (2003), Our Lady of 121st Street (2002), Where’s My Money? (2001), Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (2000), and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (1999).  For more info, please visit www.LABtheater.org.

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10-18-10