Announcing: Benefit Play Reading for Celebration Theatre Starring Wendie Malick and Robert Forster – Mon 11/25 at 8pm

Celebration Theatre
Presents a Benefit Reading of
A KIND OF KIND
A New Play By Miles Brandman
Starring Wendie Malick and Robert Forster
Directed by Michael Matthews

Monday, November 25 at 8pm
Atwater Village Theatre in LA
Proceeds to Benefit Celebration Theatre

Celebration Theatre has announced a benefit reading of A Kind of Kind, a world premiere play by Miles Brandman, starring two-time Emmy Award nominee Wendie Malick and Academy Award nominee Robert Forster on Monday, November 25 at 8pm at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. Directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, proceeds from the reading will go to support Celebration Theatre.

A Kind of Kind: When two liberal parents learn that their adult son has been hiding his homosexuality from them, they engage in a hunt for any clue as to what could have caused their son not to trust them. Now suspecting each other guilty of the same discrimination they’ve spent a lifetime looking down on, they must reconcile their own transgressions to save the family.

Wendie Malick starred on the smash NBC comedy series Just Shoot Me from 1997—2003, earning two Emmy Award nominations for her work. Currently one of the stars of TV Land’s wildly popular Hot in Cleveland, Malick is also well known for her many guest starring appearances on such shows as Frasier, Reba, Seinfeld, Cybill and Jake in Progress among many others.

Robert Forster is perhaps best known for his film performances in Medium Cool and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, which brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Featured Actor. Also acclaimed for his performances in such films as Reflections In A Golden Eye, The Stalking Moon and Mulholland Drive, he has most recently been seen in The Descendants and Olympus Has Fallen.

Playwright Miles Brandman is a writer and director for film and theatre. In the fall of 2010, Brimmer Street Theatre Company produced the world premiere of his play Summer in Hell at studio|stage in Hollywood. Brandman also wrote and directed the independent feature film Sex and Breakfast. Other plays staged in Los Angeles include Ladies of the State, An Old Problem and All Your Hard Work (also produced by Brimmer Street).

Director Michael Matthews is Co-Artistic Director of Celebration Theatre, where he helmed Celebration’s most recent production, the West Coast premiere of The Homosexuals by Philip Dawkins, now running at the Atwater Village Theatre through December 21. For his work on Celebration’s production of The Color Purple he won the Ovation Award for Best Director of a Musical. His most recent directorial credits include Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at The Blank Theatre, Funny Girl for 3-D Theatricals and Rabbit Hole for McCoy-Rigby Entertainment.

Now in its 31st season, Celebration Theatre is a community of artists dedicated to presenting innovative, provocative and relevant work that examines the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer experience. The theatre endeavors to challenge society’s perception of the community and give a vibrant voice to its evolving identity.

The benefit reading of A Kind of Kind is being produced for Celebration by Michael C. Kricfalusi, Rebecca Eisenberg and Todd Milliner. Tickets are $35 each, and may be purchased online at www.celebrationtheatre.com or by phone at (323) 957-1884. There will be a reception immediately following the reading. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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11-21-13

Announcing: Brimmer Street Theatre Company Presents World Premiere of “All Your Hard Work” by Miles Brandman – Opens July 21

BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
ALL YOUR HARD WORK BY MILES BRANDMAN
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

OPENS JULY 21 AT THE LILLIAN THEATRE

Brimmer Street Theatre Company has announced it will present the world premiere of All Your Hard Work by Miles Brandman, directed by Michael Matthews, at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, with performances beginning on Thursday, July 19. Opening night is set for Saturday, July 21 at 8:00. All Your Hard Work will play a strictly limited engagement through August 25.

In All Your Hard Work, Mary-Ellen reconnects with Jim, a college boyfriend in town on business, and they end up back at her apartment. When Jim asks for a potentially dangerous favor, Mary-Ellen is forced to choose between her old affections and a long-simmering need for revenge. Playwright Miles Brandman is a writer and director for film and theatre. In the fall of 2010, Brimmer Street Theatre Company produced the world premiere of his play Summer in Hell at studio|stage in Hollywood. Brandman also wrote and directed the independent feature film Sex and Breakfast starring Macaulay Culkin and Eliza Dushku. His other plays produced in Los Angeles include Ladies of the State at Working Stage in Hollywood, and An Old Problem at Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Amy K. Harmon and Michael Grant Terry. Amy K. Harmon is a founding member of Brimmer Street Theatre Company. She can be seen this fall co-starring on the new FOX comedy Knights of Glory.  Past BSTC credits include Summer in Hell, <3, Leiris/Picasso, and Flower to Flower. Other TV credits include Scandal (ABC), Kings by Night (Comedy Central), Private Practice (ABC), The West Wing (NBC), and American Splendor. Michael Grant Terry is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Wendell Bray on the FOX television series Bones. His LA stage credits include Lobster Alice as well as many appearances in the Young Playwrights Festival at The Blank Theatre, and Stupid Kids at Celebration Theatre. Michael’s other TV credits include The Closer, CSI, Criminal Minds, and Castle.

Director Michael Matthews most recently helmed the smash hit production of The Color Purple for Celebration Theatre, as well as the West Coast premiere of Steve Yockey’s Very Still and Hard to See at The Production Company. Matthews is the winner of two 2011 NAACP Image Awards for his direction of The Women of Brewster Place and Take Me Out, both at Celebration Theatre. For The Blank Theatre, he has directed The Jazz Age, The Temperamentals, and The Santaland Diaries. Matthews also served as assistant director on Dead End at the Ahmanson Theatre and The Cherry Orchard (starring Annette Bening and Alfred Molina) at the Mark Taper Forum.

The set design for All Your Hard Work is by Stephen Gifford, lighting design is by Tim Swiss, costume design is by Christian Svenson, sound design is by Cricket Myers, Rebecca Eisenberg is stage manager, and All Your Hard Work is being co-produced for Brimmer Street Theatre Company by Ken Werther and Michael Bulger. The play was developed as part of the 2011 Brimmer Street ‘Blueprint Series,’ and is a guest production at the Lillian Theatre.

Brimmer Street Theatre Company creates and produces new works of theatre to cultivate artists and engage audiences in Los Angeles. By working from a select core of talented artists, the company is able to produce a unique brand of American theatre that is rooted in our common experience and driven by our commitment to building better theatre that is challenging, extraordinary, and inspiring. For more, visit www.BrimmerStreet.org.

There will be two lower-priced preview performances of All Your Hard Work on Thursday, July 19 and Friday, July 20 at 8pm, and opening night is set for Saturday, July 21 at 8:00. The regular performance schedule will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm through August 25 only. All seats for regular performances are $20 (previews are $15). To purchase tickets, visit www.BrimmerStreet.org or call (213) 290-2782. The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 N. Lillian Way (one block west of Vine, just off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. Street parking is available.

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06-25-12

Announcing: World Premiere of Summer in Hell

BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
SUMMER IN HELL BY MILES BRANDMAN
DIRECTED BY DAVID JETTE
PERFORMANCES BEGIN NOVEMBER 11 AT STUDIO|STAGE

The Brimmer Street Theatre Company has announced it will present the world premiere of Summer in Hell by Miles Brandman, directed by David Jette, at studio|stage in Hollywood, with performances beginning on Thursday, November 11. Opening night is set for Saturday, November 13 at 8:00. Summer in Hell will play a limited engagement through December 18.

Summer in Hell tells the disturbing tale of cousins Milton and Patricia, who, behind the closed doors of their family’s summer estate, are enjoying a less than savory relationship. Their secret is threatened when a local boy stops by for an impromptu visit, setting into motion a battle royale of treachery and deceit.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Dan Gordon, Amy K. Harmon, Tyler Jenich, and Melissa Powell. The set design is by Sarah Krainin, lighting design is by Ian Garrett, costume design is by Fabiana Pigna, and Joseph L. Roberts is the production stage manager.

Summer in Hell is being produced for Brimmer Street Theatre Company by Michael Bulger, along with associate producer Marie Lively. Summer in Hell, which is the final production of BSTC’s 2010 season, was developed as part of the 2009 Brimmer Street ‘Blueprint Series.’

Brimmer Street Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based performance company with a commitment to develop original theatre artists whose work challenges established forms and expectations, and to assemble a close ensemble of these artists, craftsmen, students, and benefactors to produce work of exceptional innovation and character. The mission of BSTC is to entertain, inspire, challenge, astound, and empower audiences and artists in the Los Angeles community. For more, visit www.BrimmerStreet.org.

There will be two lower-priced preview performances of Summer in Hell on Thursday, November 11 and Friday, November 12 at 8pm, and opening night is set for Saturday, November 13 at 8:00. THE MEDIA IS INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY 11/13, BUT IS ALSO WELCOME AT ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE AFTER THAT DATE. The regular performance schedule will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm through December 18 (no performance on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25). All tickets for regular performances are $15 (previews are $10). To purchase tickets, visit www.BrimmerStreet.org or call (213) 290-2782. A portion of the ticketing fees for all Brimmer Street productions goes toward supporting LA Stage Alliance through their partnership with Patron Technology. studio|stage is located at 520 N. Western Avenue, in Los Angeles, 90004. Street parking is available.

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10-27-10