Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Presents ‘Love Bites’ February 8 – March 7

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
LOVE BITES
An Evening of Dysfunctional, Not-So-Romantic Short Plays

OPENS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
FOUR WEEKS ONLY, THROUGH MARCH 2

ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY EVENT, FEBRUARY 14 AT 8PM

The Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced it will present the 11th edition of LOVE BITES as a prelude to the Elephant’s much anticipated 2013 season of plays, which will be announced shortly. LOVE BITES will have one preview on Thursday, February 7, and opening is set for Friday, February 8 at 8pm. Over the years, the LOVE BITES short play festival has become a local ‘cult’ favorite.

LOVE BITES is a delicious assortment of short plays that explore love in all its miserable glory with humor and irreverence … the irresistible passion, the humiliating pitfalls, the euphoria, the anguish, and everything in between. The plays, which will be performed at the Elephant Space in Hollywood, are written by both company members and writers from around the country, and will be performed and directed by members of the Elephant Company.

The casts will include (in alphabetical order) Darryl Armbruster, Ben Belack, Eric Bunton, Colin Day, Nelson DelRosario, Etienne Eckert, Amelia French, Corby Griesenbeck, Laura Harman, Cheryl Huggins, Nikki McCauley, John Charles Meyer, Marco Naggar, Tara Norris, Maya Parish, Patricia Rae, and Sal Xuereb. The writers are (in alphabetical order) Deana Barone, John C. Davenport, Brett Hursey, Louis Jacobs, Mark Harvey Levine, Gloria Calderon Kellett, K. Alexa Mavromatis, and Nikki McCauley. The directors are (in alphabetical order) Lindsay Allbaugh, Brendan Farrell, David Fofi, Amelia French, Chris Game, Tony Gatto, Marisa O’Brien, and Max Williams.

Of an earlier production of LOVE BITES, Back Stage said, “… not for the faint of heart … superbly acted and ably directed. These pieces, whether surreal or true to life, make for a crisp evening of outrageous fun … leaves one exhausted and guiltily anticipating next year’s production.”

LOVE BITES will play one preview on Thursday, February 7 at 8pm, with opening set for Friday, February 8 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday and Friday at 8pm, and Saturday at 7pm. There will be two 10pm performances on Saturdays, February 9 and 16. The run ends March 2. General admission tickets are $20. There will also be a special Anti-Valentine’s Day event on Thursday, February 14 at 8pm, including sweet-and-naughty goodie bags and a champagne after party. Tickets for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event are $30.

To purchase tickets for regular performances and for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event, and for a complete listing of the festival plays, visit www.ElephantTheatre.org or call 855-663-6743. The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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01-22-13

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Announces ‘Poker Royale’ Benefit – Saturday 8/18 at 6pm

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES POKER ROYALE BENEFIT
ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 18
★ FIRST ANNUAL TEXAS HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT ★

The award-winning Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Artistic Directors, has announced its first annual Poker Royale benefit. The Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament will be held on Saturday, August 18, beginning at 6pm. All proceeds will go toward shows in the highly anticipated 2013 season of the critically acclaimed company.

Poker Royale will be a star-studded night of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Blackjack, raffles, food, drink, and surprise celebrity guests. The tournament will be a World Series of Poker style event, coordinated by West LA Poker, and valuable prizes for top winners include gift cards valued at hundreds of dollars, tickets to various shows, restaurant gift cards, and much more. Food at the event will be provided by Big Wangs, beer provided by Black Star, and cocktails by Karma Tequila and Devotion Vodka.

The Elephant Theatre Company is a staple of the Los Angeles theatre community. Known for developing and producing new work, the company has been named three years in a row by Back Stage as ‘Favorite Theatre Company to See and Work With,’ as well as receiving multiple Ovation, LADCC, and LA Weekly Award nominations and wins. Last season’s west coast premiere of Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You Should Know was nominated for four LA Weekly Awards, winning Best Supporting Female Performance (Kate Huffman), and was also nominated for one LADCC Award. The Elephant concluded its very successful 15th season in December 2011, with the world premiere play Love Sick by Kristina Poe, and the rarely produced Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams, both of which had extended, sold-out runs.

The doors for Poker Royale will open at 6pm on Saturday, August 18. Poker lessons begin at 6:30pm, and the tournament starts promptly at 7pm. (Players can enter the tournament up to 8pm.) Tickets are $80, including poker tournament entry and all you can eat and drink. Spectator tickets are available for $25, which include Fun-Play Blackjack along with food and drink. Admission prices will be $10 higher at the door. Tickets are available now at www.ElephantTheatreCompany.com. For information on sponsorship opportunities, email rick@elephanttheatre.org.

Poker Royale will take place at 6314 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), two doors down from the Elephant Theatre. Valet parking will be available. Visit the Elephant on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @elephanttheatre.

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07-31-12

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Announces Planning Initiative for 2012 Season

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, AWARD-WINNING
ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES PLANNING INITIATIVE FOR 2012 SEASON

Elephant Theatre Company Artistic Directors David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh have announced that the company will be taking one year off (the 2012 season) from mounting productions, with the intention of using the year to strengthen the company, and restructure the management and membership, as well as the Board of Directors. The Elephant also plans to hire a Managing Director, and to focus on the development of sustainable fundraising initiatives.

Said Allbaugh, “Although this is a very difficult decision, it is a necessary one for the future and health of our company. There is no doubt that we can produce a high quality show with our ensemble of award-winning actors, designers, and playwrights. However, it has become very clear to us that over the past couple of seasons that in order to achieve greater stability in this economy, and to rise to the next level, it takes more than ‘putting on a great show.’ Our administrative capacity, our fundraising initiatives, and even our developmental programming is often neglected due to the immediate production needs and deadlines. In this upcoming year we will strengthen the core of our company and our mission, we will focus on creating a strategic plan which will support our artistic endeavors, and we will continue to develop new work with our ensemble.”

The Elephant Theatre Company, now entering its 16th season, is a staple of the Los Angeles theatre community. Known for developing and producing new work, the company has been named three years in a row by Back Stage as ‘Favorite Theatre Company to See and Work With,’ as well as receiving multiple Ovation, LADCC, and LA Weekly award nominations and wins. Last season’s west coast premiere of Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You Should Know is currently nominated for four LA Weekly Awards, and one LADCC Award. The Elephant concluded its very successful 15th season with the world premiere play Love Sick by Kristina Poe, and the rarely produced Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams, both of which had extended, sold out runs.

Hollywood’s Elephant Theatre Company will return in early 2013 with an exciting new season of plays. A job description for the position of Managing Director will be posted in March. For more information, visit www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Visit the Elephant on Facebook, and follow us on twitter @elephanttheatre.

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02-28-12