NEWS RELEASE – LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER PRESENTS “THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE: REVISITED — OPENS SATURDAY 10/8 at 8pm

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s
Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center
Presents
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited

By Jane Wagner
Directed by Ken Sawyer

PREVIEWS BEGIN OCTOBER 4
OPENS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8 AT 8PM

For the first time in the 35-year history of Jane Wagner’s iconic play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, the author and her creative and life partner Lily Tomlin have given their approval for it to be reinvented as a fully staged production performed by a company of 12 actors as opposed to its original solo format. This first-ever fully cast production will be directed by Ovation Award-winner Ken Sawyer with previews beginning October 4. Opening is set for Saturday, October 8 at 8pm at the Davidson/Valentini Theatre at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Over the last four years, the Center’s Cultural Arts Program’s creative collaboration of Artistic Director Jon Imparato and director Ken Sawyer has presented the critically-acclaimed hits Deathtrap; The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later; The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?; and Hit the Wall (which won Sawyer LADCC and Stage Raw Awards for Best Director and a Best Production of the Year Award for the Center). The new staging of Wagner’s play is titled The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited. Said Imparato, “It was important to give our production a new name so that audiences are aware this is not a solo performance but a reimagined version of the play with different actors playing the many roles.”

In The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited audiences will embark on a hilarious, tender, and profound journey through the streets, across the world, and far beyond. The cast will include (in alphabetical order) Julia Aks, Charlotte Gulezian, Joe Hart, Julanne Chidi Hill, Kristina Johnson, Kimberly Jürgen, Bellini Logan, Jeremy Luke, Ann Noble, Sasha Pasternak, Anny Rosario, and Rachel Sorsa.

The design team: Stephanie Kerley Schwartz (set), Matt Richter and Adam Earle (lighting), Paula Higgins (costumes), Matt Richter (sound), Nick Santiago (projection design), Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey (original music and underscore), Yusif Nasir (choreography), and Mo Gaffney (mime instruction). The producer for the Los Angeles LGBT Center is Jon Imparato, and Rebecca Schoenberg serves as stage manager.

Preview performances begin on October 4 at 8pm and continue on October 5, 6, and 7 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, October 8 at 8pm. The engagement will run through December 11 with no performances over Thanksgiving weekend. General admission tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre or by phone at (323) 860-7300. Net proceeds from all ticket sales will support the full range of free and low cost programs and services offered by the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre is located at 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. Free onsite parking is available.

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09-06-16

About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s more than 500 employees and 3,000 volunteers provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, and Leadership and Advocacy. The Center is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world — a world in which LGBT people can be healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at http://lalgbtcenter.org

NEWS RELEASE — LA LGBT CENTER/SIXTH AVENUE PRODUCTION OF “HIT THE WALL” WINS 7 STAGE RAW THEATRE AWARDS

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s
Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center
and Sixth Avenue production of
HIT THE WALL
By Ike Holter
Directed by Ken Sawyer
WINS SEVEN STAGERAW.COM
THEATRE AWARDS

Hit the Wall, a play by Ike Holter, which was presented from September 2015 through January 2016 by the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue, took home seven StageRaw.com Theatre Awards from the second-ever awards ceremony on Monday, April 25 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. It was the most wins for any nominated production.

The winners were Edgar Landa (Fight Choreography), Matthew Hancock (Leading Male Performance), Anna Waronker & Charlotte Caffey (Original Music), Ken Sawyer (Direction), Production Design, Ensemble, and Production of the Year.

The award-winning ensemble included (in alphabetical order) Jason Caceres, Burt Grinstead, Charlotte Gulezian, Matthew Hancock, Kristina Johnson, Kenneth Lopez, Maggie Marx, Dan Middleditch, Roland Ruiz, Shoniqua Shandai, Adam Silver, Donnie Smith, Jess Weaver, and Blake Young-Fountain.

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04-27-16

NEWS RELEASE — WEST COAST PREMIERE OF “HIT THE WALL” BY IKE HOLTER — OPENS FRIDAY 9/18 AT DAVIDSON/VALENTINI THEATRE

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s
Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center
and Sixth Avenue present

the West Coast Premiere of
HIT THE WALL
By Ike Holter
Directed by Ken Sawyer

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go’s), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 Extended Through November 15 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Jason Caceres, Burt Grinstead, Charlotte Gulezian, Matthew Hancock, Kristina Johnson, Roland Ruiz, Shoniqua Shandai, Adam Silver, Donnie Smith, and Blake Young-Fountain.

Revolution starts with a hot night out. Hit the Wall focuses on the wild and enigmatic first night of the riots, placing the audience right in the center of the conflict. With an imaginative and theatrical blend of history and mythology, Hit the Wall shines a contemporary light on the legacy of Stonewall. Playwright Holter introduces characters who archetypically represent some who took part in the historic uprising. The show’s producers and director will completely redesign the Center’s black-box Davidson/Valentini Theatre, making the production as immersive as possible. Hit the Wall was originally performed at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, with a subsequent production at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York City.

The scenic design is by Desma Murphy, lighting design is by Matt Richter, costume design is by E.B. Brooks, and sound design is by Ken Sawyer. The production will also feature original music by Anna Waronker & Charlotte Caffey, choreography by Yusuf Nasir, and fight choreography by Edgar Landa. The stage manager is Kathleen Jaffe. The producers for the LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue are Jon Imparato and Adam Silver.
There will be three preview performances of Hit the Wall on Tuesday, September 15, Wednesday, September 16, and Thursday, September 17, all at 8pm. Opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. The engagement will run through October 25 Extended Through November 15 with performances on Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm. Preview seats are $20 and admission for regular performances is $30. Tickets are available online at www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre, or by calling (323) 860-7300.

The Davidson/Valentini Theatre is located at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. Free onsite parking is available.

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08-04-15