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

NEWS RELEASE — “I♥99 THE MUSICAL!” ENCORE PRESENTATION — TUESDAY, MARCH 24 AT 8PM AT THE DRAGONFLY IN HOLLYWOOD

SIXTH AVENUE PRESENTS
AN ENCORE (PLUS!) EVENT
“ILove99 THE MUSICAL!”
DIRECTED BY DANIEL HENNING
AT THE DRAGONFLY IN HOLLYWOOD
TUESDAY, MARCH 24 AT 8PM

Sixth Avenue has announced an encore of its “ILove99 The Musical!” cabaret event to save Los Angeles intimate theatre. Produced by Adam Silver and directed by Daniel Henning, the curtain will go up once again, featuring returning and additional performers, on Tuesday, March 24 at 8pm at The Dragonfly in Hollywood.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Tisha Terrasini Banker, Burglars of Hamm, Parvesh Cheena, Deborah S. Craig, Frances Fisher, Sandra Mae Frank, Tom Lenk, Kelly Lester, Constance Jewell Lopez, Austin McKenzie, Rebecca Metz, Nicole Parker, Jeff Perry, Amy Pietz, French Stewart, Kirsten Vangsness, and more. All performers are subject to availability.

Of the premiere “ILove99 The Musical!” event on March 10, Paul Birchall of StageRaw.com said, “[This show was] held together and bolstered by love, talent, and passion. It was also a program that crackled with fierce intelligence, with sketches and songs that melded irony, humor, and a smattering of rage, as performers from many of our local stages tried to make sense of a union that seems to want to pull the plug on an entire culture.”

Birchall continued, … “the philosophical core of the show turned on French Stewart’s commonsensical appraisal of Los Angeles small theatre. ‘The theatre is like farming,’ Stewart noted. ‘You don’t get paid for the seeds. You get paid for the fruit.’”

Pro99 is a collection of thousands of individual theatrical artists that have become a community choosing to work in intimate theatres (under 99 seats) in Los Angeles. The community includes professional actors, directors, writers, designers, stage managers, and producers. Many are proud members of Actors Equity Association and most are members of other unions as well. The Pro99 community believes it has the right to perform its crafts in an intimate and non-commercial setting and volunteer its talents in search of creative fulfillment. To learn more: www.ILove99.org.

Admission to “ILove99 The Musical!” is free, but reservations are strongly suggested at www.6avenue.org. The Dragonfly is located at 6510 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, 90038.

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03-18-15

PRESS RELEASE — SIXTH AVENUE’S TOWN HALL READING SERIES BEGINS WITH “THE AVENUE OF SAINTS” TUESDAY 8/12

SIXTH AVENUE
KICKS OFF TOWN HALL:
A BACK ROOM PLAY READING SERIES
WITH THE AVENUE OF SAINTS BY WILLIAM NEDVED
AT AKBAR IN SILVER LAKE
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12 AT 8PM

Sixth Avenue has announced that its Town Hall: A Back Room Play Reading Series will begin with The Avenue of Saints by William Nedved. The play will be read one night only, Tuesday, August 12 at 8pm at Akbar in Silver Lake.

Directed by Casey Kringlen, the cast will include (in alphabetical order) Christian Levatino, Scott Victor Nelson, and Melissa Stephens. In The Avenue of Saints, Brett returns home to rural Iowa and befriends his enigmatic childhood classmate Kami. He is shame-spiraling. She is soaring the heights of excess. Welcome to their Field of Dreams.

Sixth Avenue was founded by Adam Silver in 2011 with a focus on creating bold and boundary-pushing theatre experiences that continue the conversation long after the event. Past productions include the world premiere of William Nedved’s Fact & Fiction directed by Dámaso Rodriguez, and the Los Angeles premiere of Adam Szymkowicz’s Nerve directed by Michael Matthews.

Town Hall is Sixth Avenue’s new monthly play reading series and will take place on the second Tuesday of every month at Akbar. Following The Avenue of Saints, readings are currently scheduled for September 9, October 14, November 11, and December 9. The plays to be read will be announced soon.

Akbar, Silver Lake’s “neighborhood oasis,” is located at 4356 W. Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Admission is free, but reservations are suggested at www.6avenue.org. For more information on Sixth Avenue and Town Hall, visit www.6avenue.org.

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08-07-14