Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company presents Love Bites – Volume 10

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

LOVE BITES – VOLUME 10
THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 YEARS TOGETHER … AND STILL NO RING
An Encore Presentation of Some Not-So-Romantic and Dysfunctional
Short Plays From the Past 10 Years, Presented in Two Separate Programs
OPENING NIGHTS FEBRUARY 17 & 19

ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY CELEBRATION
WITH SPECIAL PLAY LINE-UP
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 AT 8PM

The Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced it will present this year’s annual short play festival as a “best of” encore anthology. THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together … and Still No Ring will be split into two separate evenings of short one-acts that will run in repertory from Thursday, February 17 through Sunday, March 20. The two programs (‘Round One’ and ‘Round Two’) represent the best original short plays produced by the Elephant Theatre Company over the last ten years during its annual one-act festival, which has become a local ‘cult’ favorite. All of the plays, which will be performed at the Elephant Space in Hollywood, are written, performed and directed by members of the Company.

Kicking off the Elephant’s 15th Season, THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together… and Still No Ring is a delicious assortment of short plays featuring dark humor, grand delusions and outright goofball shenanigans, all examining that elusive thing called love. Though it never bows to the conventions of a Hallmark greeting, LOVE BITES has become a hallmark of the Elephant Theatre Company’s distinctive excellence.

Various past festivals have garnered much praise. “Love Bites demonstrates that the Elephant Theatre Company can produce original material with depth and quality. The level of writing, acting and direction is above many of the company’s peers,” said LA Metro. And from Back Stage, “… 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.”

THE BEST OF LOVE BITES will run as follows: Round 1 opens Thursday, February 17 at 8pm, and then plays Thursday and Friday at 8pm through March 18. Round 2 opens Saturday, February 19 at 8pm, and then plays Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through March 20. General admission tickets are $20. There will also be a special Anti-Valentine’s Day (or, as Ken Werther likes to call it, Singles Awareness Day) Celebration on Monday, February 14 at 8pm, featuring a one-time lineup of plays, along with other surprises. Admission on Valentine’s Day is $25. [A COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYS FOLLOWS THIS RELEASE.]

To purchase tickets for regular performances and for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event, visit www.ElephantTheatreCompany.com or call (877) 369-9112. The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together… and Still No Ring

ROUND 1 (Thursday & Friday at 8pm)

THE ASCENT
Written by Jonathan Caren
Directed by David Fofi

MUPPET MAIDEN
Written and Directed by Alexandra Hoover

STRINGS
Written by Tony Foster
Directed by Amy French

EVERYTHING I DO
Written by Noelle Leiblic
Directed by David Fofi

BAGGAGE
Written and Directed by Kerry Carney

BLUFF
Written by Tony Foster
Directed by Amy French

WICKED CITY OR HUSH MY LOVE
Written by Dan McCoy
Directed by Tom Stanczyk

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ROUND 2 (Saturday at 8pm & Sunday at 7pm)

REALITY ROMCOM: DAY 98 WITH MY ATTAINED PIXIE DREAM GIRL
Written by Kerry Carney
Directed by David Fofi

SOME MOLES AND OTHER COWLICKS
Written by Jonathan Caren and Zibby Allen
Directed by Lindsay Allbaugh

WEDDING LAMENT
Written by Louis Douglas Jacobs
Directed by Gina Garrison

NIGHT TRAIN
Written by Gena Acosta
Directed by Tom Stanczyk

CLOSE
Written by Tom Stanczyk
Directed by Edgar Landa

KARININAED
Written by Timothy McNeil
Directed by David Franco

PASTA AND LOVE
Written and Directed by David Franco

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02-02-11

Announcing: Block Nine

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, AWARD-WINNING ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
TO STAGE WORLD PREMIERE OF
“BLOCK NINE” BY TOM STANCZYK

ROTATING CASTS OF NINE MEN AND NINE WOMEN WILL PERFORM IN REP
OPENING AUGUST 14 & 15 AT LILLIAN THEATRE

The critically acclaimed, award-winning Elephant Theatre Company will continue its 13th season with the world premiere of Block Nine by Tom Stanczyk, it was announced today by Elephant artistic director David Fofi.  Preview performances of Block Nine begin on Saturday, August 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, September 20.  Two casts, one fellas and one dames, will perform the play in rotating rep. Opening nights are set for Friday, August 14 (dames) and Saturday, August 15 (fellas), both at 8:00.

Block Nine is an unapologetically same-sex, retro-noir 1930s gangster homage.  An exploration of sexuality, gender, stereotype, romance and aggression, this new dark comedy tells the story of an undercover cop’s journey into an underworld full of guns, jail breaks, booze and bodies.

The cast of dames will feature (alphabetically) Kerry Carney, Amy French, Laura Hess, Alexandra Hoover, Cheryl Huggins, Dylan Jones, Nikki McCauley, Marisa O’Brien, Maya Parish and Julie Weidmann.  The cast of fellas will feature (alphabetically) Darryl Armbruster, Josh Breeding, Colin Michael Day, Jeremy Glazer, Louis Douglas Jacobs, Ryan Radis, Dominic Rains, Matthew Rimmer, Kenny Suarez and Max Williams.  The multiple award-winning design team for Block Nine includes Danny Cistone (set), Joel Daavid (lighting), Jack Arky (sound) and Sara Ryung Clement (costumes).

Tom Stanczyk is an actor, director and writer whose other plays include Close, The Ceremony and Fertile Ground (coming soon).  Emilie Beck (Chicago ‘Jeff’ Award-winner for Because They Have No Words, which was originally produced in Los Angeles at the Lounge Theatre), directs the dames; Pete Uribe (North American tour of The Who’s Quadrophenia) directs the fellas.  Block Nine is being produced by David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh (who also serves as producing director of the Elephant Theatre Company).

Preview performances of Block Nine will run as follows:  the dames on Saturday, August 8 and Thursday, August 13 at 8pm; the fellas on Sunday, August 9 at 7pm and Wednesday, August 12 at 8pm. THE MEDIA IS INVITED TO ATTEND OPENING NIGHTS ON FRIDAY 8/14 AND SATURDAY 8/15 AT 8:00, AND IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SEE BOTH GENDERS PERFORM THE PLAY. The regular performance schedule is Thursday through Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm through September 20.  All tickets for regular performances are $25 (previews are $15) with a special $35 ticket available for viewing both versions of the production.  To purchase tickets, call (323) 960-4410 or reserve online:  www.plays411.com/blocknine.  For more information on the Elephant Theatre Company, visit www.elephantstageworks.com.

The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 Lillian Way (off Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of Vine), in Hollywood.  Street parking is available.

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07/24/09