NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” BY LAUREN GUNDERSON ▪︎ OPENS 8/26

COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY
LA’S PAY WHAT YOU WANT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
EMILIE: LA MARQUISE DU CHÂTELET DEFENDS HER LIFE TONIGHT
BY LAUREN GUNDERSON
DIRECTED BY JULIANNE DONELLE

OPENS SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
AT THE GREENWAY COURT THEATRE

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA’s Pay What You Want theatre company, has announced the second production of its eighth seasonå, Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Coeurage company member Julianne Donelle, there will be one preview performance on August 25 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, August 26 at 8pm. Emilie will play through September 17 at the Greenway Court Theatre.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Kari Lee Cartwright, Marc Forget, Nardeep Khurmi, Kim Reed, and Sammi Smith. Scenic design is by Tim Paul Vordtriede, lighting design is by Azra King-Abadi, costume design is by Tania Mustafa, sound design is by Joseph V. Calarco, and choreography is by Carly Wielstein.

Passionate. Brilliant. Defiant. Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet is back and determined to answer her unresolved question: love or philosophy, heart or head? In this highly theatrical, fast, funny, and sexy rediscovery of one of history’s most intriguing women, the French physicist and mathematician defends her legacies — both scientific and romantic — and the groundbreaking work for which she was denounced until after her death.

Lauren Gunderson was America’s most produced living playwright in 2016. She is also a screenwriter and short story author. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her plays have been commissioned, developed, and produced at South Coast Rep (Emilie, Silent Sky, I And You), the Kennedy Center (Dr. Wonderful), the O’Neill Playwrights Conference (Fire Work), and her revenge comedy Exit, Pursued by a Bear was produced in a multi-city rolling premiere. Gunderson writes for the Huffington Post and Wall Street Journal.

Julianne Donelle is a founding member of Coeurage Theatre Company. She directed Assassins and served as assistant director on Cannibal! The Musical and The Yellow Boat. Her acting credits with the company include The Trouble With Words, Head Over Heels, The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love–Suicide, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and The Woodsman. Donelle is the creator/writer/director of the web series No Pillowfights, for which she received a Discovery Award nomination for direction at the Raindance Film Festival in London. The series also garnered multiple nominations including Best Director and Best Comedic Series at LA Web Fest in 2016. More info is available at www.juliannedonelle.com.

Coeurage Theatre Company exists to make impassioned theatre accessible for all audiences through Pay What You Want admission and fresh, challenging productions. The company’s name is inspired by a re–imagining of the word courage — coeur is French for heart, and rage, meaning fervor; on fire. Together, Coeurage (pronounced “courage”) is a heart enflamed with passion, which the company strives to bring to every production.

There will be one preview performance of Emilie on Friday, August 25 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, August 26, at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm through September 17. There will be additional performances on Wednesdays, September 6 and 13 at 8pm. The final performance is on Sunday, September 17 at 7pm. All seats are available on a Pay What You Want basis and may be reserved online at www.greenwaycourtheatre.org/emilie or by calling (323) 944-2165.

The Greenway Court Theatre is located at 544 N. Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, 90036. Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the theatre.

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07-28-17

NEWS RELEASE — COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY BENEFIT READING FOR KPCC RADIO HOST STEVE JULIAN — SUNDAY 1/17 at 7:30pm

COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES BENEFIT READING OF
HEAD OVER HEELS
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ERIC CZULEGER
In Honor of KPCC Radio Host Steve Julian

ONE NIGHT ONLY
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 AT 7:30PM

Coeurage Theatre Company (Jeremy Lelliott, Artistic Director; Nicole Monet, Managing Director), LA’s only Pay What You Want company, has announced a special one night only reading of Head Over Heels, a play written and directed by Coeurage resident playwright Eric Czuleger, on Sunday, January 17 at 7:30pm at The Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood. Proceeds from the event will go toward the ongoing medical care of Steve Julian, host of ‘Morning Edition’ on KPCC Radio and Coeurage board member.

In November 2015, Steve Julian was diagnosed with stage four Glioblastoma Multiforme cancer, a brain tumor that grows aggressively and spreads quickly. All proceeds from this benefit reading will go directly to assisting with Julian’s medical expenses and ongoing care. A friend of Coeurage since its founding, his enthusiastic review of its inaugural production of Head Over Heels in 2010 was the first media recognition for the company.

The play: women on the verge of a hysterical breakthrough. Love letters we never thought we’d read, plus rants and raves from women you know and some you don’t. They’re all Head Over Heels.

All actors in the reading appeared in the original production. They are (in alphabetical order) Kay Aston, Julianne Donelle, Aimee Karlin, Selin Mehrabian, Nicole Monet, and Sammi Smith.

Eric Czuleger is a journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and returned Peace Corps volunteer (Albania, 2011—2013). Head Over Heels and its male companion piece L.A. Lights Fire recently finished a three-month run at 13th Street Rep in New York City. Czuleger’s novels include Immortal L.A. and Eternal L.A. He is currently at work on a graphic novel with artist Ange Cox.

Tickets for the Coeurage Theatre Company benefit reading of Head Over Heels are available on a Pay What You Want basis online at www.coeurage.org or by calling (323) 944-2165. To donate directly to Steve Julian’s medical care, go to https://pages.giveforward.com/medical/page-qkl56r3/.

The Historic Lankershim Arts Center is located at 5108 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, 91601. Street parking is available.

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01-06-16

ASSISTANT DIRECTING: COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS “THE WOODSMAN” — OPENING MAY 8 & 9 AT LYRIC-HYPERION THEATRE & CAFE

COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY
LA’S ‘PAY WHAT YOU WANT’ THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
THE WOODSMAN
BY STEVEN FECHTER
DIRECTED BY JEREMY LELLIOTT

BEGINS PERFORMANCES MAY 6
AT LYRIC-HYPERION THEATRE & CAFE

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA’s ‘Pay What You Want’ Company, has announced the second production of its 2015 season, The Woodsman by Steven Fechter, directed by Jeremy Lelliott. There will be two preview performances on Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7 at 8pm and opening will be split between Friday, May 8 at 8pm and Saturday, May 9 at 8pm. The Woodsman will play through June 13 at the Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe in Silver Lake.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Venny Caranza, Tim Cummings, Julianne Donelle, Mark Jacobson, Nardeep Khurmi, John Klopping, Gregor Manns, Katie Pelensky, Cesar Ramos, Christopher Salazar, Erin Sanzo, and Joey Nicole Thomas. Scenic design is by Sammi Smith, lighting design is by Michael Kozachenko, costume design is by Heather Korn, sound design is by Joseph V. Calarco, and the movement coach is Donna Eshelman. The stage manager is Emily Goodall.

Having just been released from prison after 12 years for molesting young girls, Walter is determined to find a ‘cure’ for his disease. In order to keep his desires from turning back into damaging behavior he must face down his demons once and for all. Having isolated himself from his loved ones, Walter relies on unexpected sources to help him move on with his life.

Playwright Steven Fechter’s theatrical works have been produced throughout North America and Europe. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film version of The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick and was nominated for the Humanitas Prize in screenwriting. Fechter’s other plays include The Land-Surveyor, The Commission, The Golden Aurora, The Artifacts, The Mentee, Lancelot, and Shakespeare’s Slave. He is a member of EST Playwrights Unit, Resonance Ensemble, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, and the Dramatists Guild.

The Woodsman will play two preview performances on Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7 at 8pm and opening will be split between Friday, May 8 at 8pm and Saturday, May 9 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm through June 13 only. All seats are available on a Pay What You Want basis, and may be reserved online at www.coeurage.org/tickets or by calling (323) 944-2165.

The Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe is located at 2106 Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles, 90027. Street parking is available.

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04-08-15