Announcing: Chromolume Theatre Presents Steven Cagan’s ‘LOVE SONGS — A Musical,’ Directed by Kay Cole, June 22-July 28

CHROMOLUME THEATRE AT THE ATTIC
PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
LOVE SONGS — A Musical
BOOK, MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEVEN CAGAN
DIRECTED BY KAY COLE

JUNE 22 – JULY 28, 2013

Chromolume Theatre has announced its next production, the world premiere of LOVE SONGS — A Musical with book, music and lyrics by Steven Cagan, and directed by Kay Cole. Featuring orchestrations and arrangements by Doug Walter and music direction by Richard Berent, there will be one preview performance on June 21, and opening is set for Saturday, June 22 at 8pm. LOVE SONGS — A Musical will play a limited engagement through July 28 only.

Filled with gorgeous songs and a timeless story, LOVE SONGS — A Musical follows the journey of six friends and colleagues through the vagaries of love and marriage. Jeremy is out of town, trying to get home in time for his nuptials to Gaby. Sarah, engaged to Ben for six years, can’t get him to commit. Longtime lovers Roy and Rose are happy just the way they are. The unexpected ways in which the three couples act and interact combine to achieve the the all too often, all too elusive, happy ending.

Composer and book writer Steven Cagan has served as composer, arranger, and conductor for Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler, Diahann Carroll, and Georgia Brown, and has worked with Michael Bennett, Lester Wilson, Michael Peters, Bob Avian, and Joe Layton, among others. Cagan is a classically trained musician, and has studied with Elie Seigmeister, David Diamond, Lukas Foss, George Rochberg, Kermit Levinsky and Tommy Newsom. He wrote and arranged popular jingles for Chevrolet, Ford, State Farm Insurance, Coppertone, and many others; he composed a number of ballet scores for Tony Award-winning choreographer/director Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Theatre Dance Collection. Cagan has scored countless films, television series and specials and he appeared as guest musical director on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson numerous times. He has been guest conductor for the Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Honolulu Symphony Orchestras, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Houston Pops, and others.

As a director/choreographer, Kay Cole’s credits include No Strings, And The World Goes ‘Round, BARK!, Judy’s Scary Little Christmas, A Year with Frog and Toad, A Chorus Line, I’m Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road, The Robber Bridegroom, The Grass Harp, and many more. Her choreography and staging credits include Assassins, The Pirates Of Penzance, Cabaret, South Pacific, Triumph of Love, Dancing at Lughnasa, Take Me Along and The Baker’s Wife. Cole has brought her considerable experience and talents to productions at The Pasadena Playhouse, the Hollywood Bowl, Reprise!, the Geffen Playhouse, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the Falcon Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Company, Playwrights Arena, Shakespeare LA, London’s West End, and Broadway. Cole recently moved into television and film, and her most recent assignment was choreographing the film of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks which is scheduled for a Christmas 2013 release.

The cast of LOVE SONGS — A Musical will feature (in alphabetical order) Eduardo Enrikez, Kurt Andrew Hansen, Jean Kauffman, Craig McEldowney, Jean Altadel Ruiz, and Sara J. Stuckey. The scenic and sound design are by James Esposito, lighting design is by Lynn Downey, and costume design is by Darby Gray. The production stage manager is Chad Parker, and James Esposito produces for Chromolume Theatre.

There will be one preview performance on Friday, June 21 at 8pm, and LOVE SONGS — A Musical opens on Saturday, June 22 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm, through July 28. Tickets are $34, with discounts for students and seniors ($31) and children 12 and under ($29), and may be purchased online at www.crtheatre.com, or via telephone at 323-205-1617. Chromolume Theatre at the Attic is located at 5429 W. Washington Boulevard (between the 10 freeway and Hauser Boulevard), in Los Angeles, 90016. Ample street parking is available.

For more information on LOVE SONGS — A Musical visit www.crtheatre.com/lovesongs.html or call 323-510-2688.

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06-05-13rev

Announcing: West Coast Premiere of ‘The Katrina Comedy Fest’ by Rob Florence, Directed by Misty Carlisle

BAYOU PLAYHOUSE AND FLAMBEAUX PRODUCTIONS
PRESENT THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE KATRINA COMEDY FEST
BY ROB FLORENCE
DIRECTED BY MISTY CARLISLE

FEATURING
PEGGY BLOW, JUDY JEAN BERNS, DEIDRIE HENRY,
TRAVIS MICHAEL HOLDER, JAN MUNROE, L. TREY WILSON

PREVIEWS BEGIN JUNE 5 AT LOUNGE THEATRE
OPENS THURSDAY, JUNE 13 AT 8PM
AS PART OF THE 2013 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL

Bayou Playhouse and Flambeaux Productions have announced the West Coast premiere of The Katrina Comedy Fest, written by Rob Florence, directed by Misty Carlisle, and featuring video projections by Jeff Teeter, at Hollywood’s Lounge Theatre as part of the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Previews begin on June 5 with the official opening set for Thursday, June 13 at 8pm. The Katrina Comedy Fest will play Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays at 8pm through June 30 only.

The award-winning and critically acclaimed cast includes (in alphabetical order) Peggy Blow, Judy Jean Berns, Deidrie Henry, Travis Michael Holder, Jan Munroe, and L. Trey Wilson. In 2006, the Mayor of New Orleans proposed celebrating Hurricane Katrina’s first anniversary with a fireworks display and comedy hour – which was canceled due to public outrage. Through the words of five New Orleans residents, experience the heartbreak, humanity, and ‘comedy’ of those who rode out the storm.

The Katrina Comedy Fest received Best of the Festival and Overall Excellence in Production of a Play honors at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. Said the New York Times, “The evocative true stories assembled are full of fear, courage, and resilience. But they are also rich in the flavorful humor, inextinguishable identity and civic love that characterize the inhabitants of America’s most battered city.”

Preview performances begin Wednesday, June 5 at 8pm, and continue on Thursday, June 6, Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9 at 8pm. Opening is set for Thursday, June 13 at 8pm. General admission seating is $15, and is available online at www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1350. The running schedule is Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8pm through June 30 only. Performance length is 80 minutes. For more information, visit www.KatrinaComedy.com.

The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro, one block east of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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05-29-13

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Presents ‘The North Plan’ by Jason Wells, Opening April 27 at 8pm

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
THE NORTH PLAN BY JASON WELLS
DIRECTED BY DAVID FOFI

SECOND PLAY OF 2013 SEASON
OPENS APRIL 26 AT THE ELEPHANT SPACE

The critically acclaimed, award-winning Elephant Theatre Company continues its 17th season with the Los Angeles premiere of The North Plan by Jason Wells, directed by Elephant Co-Artistic Director David Fofi. Preview performances begin Wednesday, April 24, and opening night is set for Saturday, April 27. The North Plan will run through June 1.

When a ruthless splinter group seizes power in Washington, a bureaucrat for the State Department runs off with the new regime’s top-secret Enemies List. With Department of Homeland Security agents trailing him, he finds himself trapped in a police station in a small Missouri town. His last hope for survival is in the people around him: an unsympathetic police chief, an ambivalent administrative assistant, and a fellow prisoner ­ a motor-mouthed local who’s turned herself in for drunk driving. The North Plan is a sharp, dark, dystopian comedy set in the here and now.

Playwright Jason Wells is a winner of the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award, and a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/New Play Award, both from the American Theatre Critics Association. His other plays include Men of Tortuga and Perfect Mendacity. The North Plan debuted at Steppenwolf’s First Look in Chicago in 2010, and had its official world premiere at Portland Center Stage in Oregon. Of the play, the Chicago Tribune said, “A black and darkly entertaining comedy … fun, smart, involving, and just disturbing enough for a Saturday night on the town.”

The cast of The North Plan will feature (in alphabetical order) Kerry Carney, John Forest, Chris Game, Gregory Hoyt, Dominic Rains, Stan Roth, Bernadette Speakes, and Salvator Xuereb. The design team includes Joel Daavid (set), Matt Richter (lighting and sound), and Michael Mullen (costumes). Rebecca Schoenberg is the production stage manager, and Lindsay Allbaugh serves as producer.

There will be three lower-priced preview performances of The North Plan on Wednesday, April 24, Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26 at 8pm, and opening is Saturday, April 27 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, through June 1 only. Tickets for previews are $20, regular performances are $25, and opening night tickets are $35 (which include a post-performance reception with the cast). The Thursday, May 2 performance will be ‘Pay What You Can.’ Also, there will be an added ‘Play Care’ performance on Saturday, May 25 at 2pm, at which parents can bring their kids, who will be looked after by experienced child caregivers (at no extra charge), while the parents watch the show.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.ElephantTheatre.org, or via phone at (855) NO-FORGET [663-6743]. For more information on the Elephant Theatre Company, visit www.ElephantTheatre.org. Visit the Elephant on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @elephanttheatre.

The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of Vine, in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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04-08-13