Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company’s “Baby Doll” By Tennessee Williams Opens 11/11/11

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
CONCLUDES 15TH SEASON WITH RARELY PRODUCED
BABY DOLL BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
CAST AND CREW SET; REHEARSALS UNDERWAY

OPENS FRIDAY, 11/11/11 AT THE LILLIAN THEATRE
EXTENDED THRU JANUARY 22, 2012

The Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, in association with Double A Productions, has announced its production of Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams, directed and designed by Joel Daavid, at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood. There will be one preview performance on November 10, with opening night set for Friday, November 11 at 8:00. Baby Doll will play a limited engagement through December 18 – extended through January 22, 2012.

Adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, the film was released in 1956, directed by Elia Kazan. At that time, it was labeled “notorious, salacious, revolting, steamy, lewd, suggestive, provocative, and morally repellent.” It was also nominated for four Academy Awards, including best adapted screenplay. Baby Doll is an effort to decode modern sexual politics; it is also a timely rehashing of the familiar struggle of America’s “everyman.” The story centers around the arranged marriage of a doltish and passionate owner of a Southern cotton gin, and his stunningly beautiful and tenacious virgin bride who stubbornly refuses to consummate their marriage until the day of her 20th birthday. Compounding this fiery battle of wills is the arrival of a crafty and dark Sicilian gin mill magnate who covets both the dolt’s wife and his business.

The cast of Baby Doll is Lulu Brud, Tony Gatto, Ronnie Marmo, and Jacque Lynn Colton, along with (in alphabetical order) Josh Benton, Dave Metz, Chloe Peterson, Bernadette Speakes, Yecenia Torres, Carl Wawrina, and Michael Wilkie. With set and lighting design by Joel Daavid, the costume design is by Noelle Raffy, and sound design is by Matt Richter. Original music is composed by Nick Block and movement choreography is by Adam Haas Hunter. The stage manager is Rebecca Schoenberg, and Baby Doll is produced for the Elephant and Double A Productions by David Fofi, Anita Lee, and Sean Thomas.

There will be one preview performance on Thursday, November 10 at 8pm. Opening night is Friday, 11/11/11 at 8:00. Admission is $15 for the preview, $25 for regular performances, and $30 for opening night, which includes a post-performance reception with the cast. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7pm, and the engagement will run through December 18 – extended through January 22, 2012. There is no performance on Friday, November 25. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased by calling (323) 960-4420 or by reserving online at www.plays411.com/babydoll or www.elephanttheatrecompany.com.

For more information, go to www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Visit the Elephant on Facebook, and follow us on twitter @elephanttheatre. The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 N. Lillian Way (just west of Vine, off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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10-12-11
Updated 12-06-11

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Announces 2011 Season

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2011 SEASON

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, AWARD-WINNING COMPANY
SET TO PRESENT WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
“100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW” BY KATE FODOR,
WORLD PREMIERE OF “LOVE SICK” BY KRISTINA POE,
AND THE RARELY PRODUCED
“BABY DOLL” BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

The much lauded Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced its 15th season, which will kick off on May 20 with the West Coast premiere of 100 Saints You Should Know by Kate Fodor, followed by the world premiere of Love Sick by Kristina Poe, and concluding with the rarely produced Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams in the late fall of 2011.

In 100 Saints You Should Know, a priest who must reconcile his desires with his role in the church, a teenage boy confused about his own sexual identity, and a young woman desperate for spiritual validation, are all brought together on one fateful night in which they will discover the tenuous common ground they share. 100 Saints You Should Know is a compelling and heartbreaking journey in search for self in a discriminatory and alienating world. Playwright Kate Fodor is a recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Roger L. Stevens Award, the Nation Theater Conference’s Barrie Stavis Award, and a Joseph Jefferson Citation. 100 Saints You Should Know was originally produced off-Broadway in 2007 at Playwrights Horizons. Directed by Lindsay Allbaugh, this West Coast premiere opens May 20 and runs through June 26 at the Elephant Space.

Up next, and continuing the Elephant’s bi-coastal partnership with New York City’s LAByrinth Theater Company, is the world premiere of Love Sick by Kristina Poe. Love Sick is a graphic tale following one woman’s dark and comic quest for revenge. When Emily’s happily ever after comes crashing down, she embarks on a journey of seduction, power, coercion and self-discovery which quickly descends into a riddled web of mysterious and alluring encounters. Playwright Kristina Poe spent the first 20 years of her theatre career as a stage manager off-Broadway and regionally, and as a production manager for companies in San Francisco and New York. As a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City, she wrote her first play, Love Sick, which, along with the Elephant production, will be presented later this year by AirPort Bar Productions in New York. She is currently at work on her new play, The Restlessness of Desire. In November, 2010, The LAByrinth and The Elephant announced a bi-coastal partnership between the two acclaimed ensemble-based companies. At that time, Elephant Co-Artistic Director David Fofi said, “The hope is that the two companies can find a home away from home with each other and bring their work to the opposite coasts.” Love Sick, directed by Fofi, will open on September 9 and run through October 16 at the Elephant space.

Closing out the year-long celebration of Tennessee Williams’ 100th birthday, the Elephant Theatre will present the seldom-produced tragicomedy Baby Doll. Adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, the film was released in 1956, directed by Elia Kazan. At that time, it was labeled “notorious, salacious, revolting, steamy, lewd, suggestive, provocative, and morally repellent.” It was also nominated for four Academy Awards, including best adapted screenplay. Baby Doll is an effort to decode modern sexual politics; it is also a timely rehashing of the familiar struggle of America’s “everyman.” The story centers around the arranged marriage of a doltish and passionate owner of a Southern cotton gin, and his stunningly beautiful and tenacious virgin bride who stubbornly refuses to consummate their marriage until the day of her 20th birthday. Compounding this fiery battle of wills is the arrival of a crafty and dark Sicilian gin mill magnate who covets both the dolt’s wife and his business. Concluding the 2011 season, Baby Doll will be a co-production of the Elephant Theatre and Double A Productions. Joel Daavid directs, and the run will be from November 11 through December 14 at the Lillian Theatre.

The Elephant’s 2010 productions of Supernova by Tim McNeil and Parasite Drag by Mark Roberts were nominated for a total of four LA Weekly Awards, and two LADCC Awards, winning one of each for actress Agatha Nowicki in the category of featured actress for Parasite Drag. Nowicki also won a Back Stage Garland Award, and was nominated for an Ovation Award for her performance.

Tickets for 100 Saints You Should Know (opening May 20) are on sale now, and may be purchased by calling 877-369-9112 or by reserving online: www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard and the Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 Lillian Way (off Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of Vine), both in Hollywood. For more information on the Elephant Theatre Company, visit www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on twitter @elephanttheatre.

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04-06-11