Archived entries for John Paul Karliak

Announcing: John Paul Karliak’s “Donna/Madonna” Will Play 2 Perfs at Chance Theatre in Anaheim, August 6 & 13

DONNA/MADONNA
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK
SET FOR TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
AT CHANCE THEATRE IN ANAHEIM, AUGUST 6 & 13

Donna-Madonna GraphicRizzo 39 Productions has announced a two night only engagement of Donna/Madonna at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim on August 6 and 13. Written and performed by John Paul Karliak, Donna/Madonna is directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Curtain time for both performances is 8pm.

In this hilarious and poignant autobiographical one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local boy, he seeks answers from a very different source: his fashion journalist, married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and finding acceptance, told through stories, songs and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul’s unforgettable mothers.

Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man Show Award (2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York), Best of Fringe Award (2011 New York International Fringe Festival), Overall Excellence in Solo Performance Award (2011 San Francisco Fringe Festival), and Best Solo Performance (2011 StageSceneLA.com Awards). Last year, the show enjoyed a successful run at Hollywood’s Lounge Theatre.

John Paul Karliak’s LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays which have been produced in various locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production.

Tickets for Donna/Madonna at the Chance Theatre are available now, online at www.chancetheatre.com, or by calling (714) 777-3033. All seats are $20. The Chance is located at 5552 E. La Palma Avenue in Anaheim, 92807. For more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com.

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07-31-12

“Donna/Madonna” Set For 2 Perfs (July 24 & 25) in LA, 2 Perfs in Anaheim (August 6 & 13)

DONNA/MADONNA
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK
SET FOR LYRIC THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES, JULY 24 & 25
AND CHANCE THEATRE IN ANAHEIM, AUGUST 6 & 13

Donna-Madonna GraphicRizzo 39 Productions has announced two night only engagements of Donna/Madonna at the Lyric Theatre in Los Angeles (July 24 & 25), and at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim (August 6 & 13). Written and performed by John Paul Karliak, Donna/Madonna is directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Curtain time for all performances is 8pm.

In this autobiographical one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local boy, he seeks answers from a very different source: his fashion-writing, married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and finding acceptance, told through stories, songs and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul’s unforgettable mothers. Hilarious and poignant, this cross-country journey from Scranton to Los Angeles shows that sometimes you have to meet a “Material Girl” to truly appreciate “America’s Sweetheart.”

Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man Show Award (2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York), Best of Fringe Award (2011 New York International Fringe Festival), Overall Excellence in Solo Performance Award (2011 San Francisco Fringe Festival), and Best Solo Performance (2011 StageSceneLA.com Awards). Last year, the show enjoyed a successful run at Hollywood’s Lounge Theatre. Said the LA Weekly, “GO! Karliak’s execution is top-drawer. His delivery is brisk but unrushed, his sense of humor, contemplative but unsentimental. Inhabiting the skin of his drastically different mothers, Karliak’s range is gleefully apparent.”

John Paul Karliak’s recent film and TV projects include Ringer (opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar), Marvel Mash-Ups for Disney XD, Dante’s Inferno and Little Black Dress for AFI. LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays which have been produced in various locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production.

Tickets for the Lyric Theatre performances of Donna/Madonna are available online at http://bit.ly/DMinLA, or by calling (800) 838-3006. Tickets for the Chance Theatre performances are available online at www.chancetheatre.com, or by calling (714) 777-3033. All seats are $20. The Lyric is located at 520 N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, 90036. The Chance is located at 5552 E. La Palma Avenue in Anaheim, 92807. For more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com.

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07-03-12

Announcing: J.P. Karliak’s “Donna/Madonna” For One Night Only, Tuesday 6/21 at The Marsh San Francisco

DONNA/MADONNA
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK
DIRECTED BY TIGER REEL AND MATTHEW CRAIG
SET FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
TUESDAY, JUNE 21 AT THE MARSH SAN FRANCISCO

Rizzo 39 Productions has announced a one night only presentation of Donna/Madonna at the Marsh San Francisco. This new solo show, written and performed by John Paul Karliak, is directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Donna/Madonna is set for Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30pm.

In this autobiographical one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local boy, he seeks answers from a very different source: his fashion-writing, married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and finding acceptance, told through stories, songs and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul’s unforgettable mothers. Hilarious and poignant, this cross-country journey from Scranton to Los Angeles shows that sometimes you have to meet a “Material Girl” to truly appreciate “America’s Sweetheart.” Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man Show Award at the 2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York.

John Paul Karliak’s recent film projects include Dante’s Inferno, Little Black Dress for AFI, L.T.D. (web series), and Delusions of Grandeur (TV pilot). LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays produced in locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production.

Between them, co-directors Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig boast impressive credits in both theatre and television. Reel is the Founding Artistic Director of the Action! Theatre Company, where his directing credits include Slaughterhouse-Five (West Coast premiere), The Tempest, and Inherit the Wind, among others. He has also directed regionally and internationally. Craig has performed nationwide with The Second City Touring Company, and most recently has appeared on episodes of According to Jim, Mobbed, and The Office. He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Proceeds from Donna/Madonna will benefit Kinship Center©, a California non-profit agency dedicated to the creation, preservation and support of foster, adoptive and relative families for children who need them. Since 1984, Kinship Center© has helped create and support families for thousands of children of all ages. Kinship Center© is headquartered in Salinas, California, with facilities and services in eleven Southern California, Central Coast and Northern California counties.

The doors will open on Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm, and curtain is at 7:30pm. General admission seating is $15-$20 (pay-what-you-will, does not change seating location), and tickets can be purchased by visiting www.themarsh.org/rising.html or by calling (415) 282-3055. The Marsh is located at 1062 Valencia Street (near 22nd Street), in San Francisco’s Mission District. For more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com.

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06-17-11

 

PHOTO OF JOHN PAUL KARLIAK BY AARON BENDELE.