Announcing: IAMA Theatre Company Presents ‘The Recommendation’ by Jonathan Caren – February 8 thru March 9

IAMA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
THE RECOMMENDATION
BY JONATHAN CAREN
DIRECTED BY LAURA SAVIA

OPENS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8
AT THEATRE ASYLUM FOR FIVE WEEKS ONLY

IAMA Theatre Company (Becca Wolff, Artistic Director, Cymbre Walk, Producing Director) has announced the Los Angeles premiere of The Recommendation, written by Jonathan Caren and directed by Laura Savia, at Theatre Asylum in Hollywood. There will be two lower-priced preview performances on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, February 8 at 8pm. The Recommendation will play a limited engagement through March 9 only.

The Recommendation is the story of Aaron Feldman — smart, privileged, and liked by everyone — and his college roommate Iskinder, who is modest, unconnected, and from a middle-class immigrant family. They become best friends in college and Aaron shares his world of favors and fortune with Iskinder. Once out in the real world, however, Aaron is thrust into a terrifying situation without his familiar safety net. As he is forced to rely on an accused felon to keep him safe, Aaron and Iskinder are forced to rethink the meaning of friendship and where loyalty has its limits.

The cast of The Recommendation will feature (in alphabetical order) Malcolm Barrett, Brandon Scott, and Adam Shapiro. The set design is by Rachel Myers, lighting design is by Carolina Ortiz, sound design is by Jeff Gardner, and costume design is by Melissa Trn. The stage manager is Josephine Austin.

Jonathan Caren’s other plays include The Morning The Sun Fell Down, Let Me Go, Catch the Fish, and The Venerable Raman Gupta. His work has been developed at theatres across the country including Manhattan Theatre Club, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ars Nova, The Roundabout Underground, The Pasadena Playhouse, The Keen Company, Woodshed Ensemble, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, The Lark, New York Stage and Film, The Jewish Plays Project, The Samuel French OOB Festival, and The Old Vic in London. Caren is a 2013 MacDowell Colony Fellow, a 2012 Dramatist Guild Fellow, the 2011 New York Stage and Film Founder’s Award Winner, a two-time recipient of a Fellowship to SPACE @ Ryder Farm, a two-time Lecomte du Nouy Award-winner and a recipient of the Theatre Publicus Prize for Dramatic Fiction.

Laura Savia’s directing credits include The Mnemonist of Dutchess County, Letters to Santa, The Glass Menagerie, House Strictly Private, The Color of Justice and The Lover, as well as numerous short plays for Ars Nova, Partial Comfort, At Play, and The 24-Hour Plays. She has directed workshops and readings for The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, Second Stage, and Ma-Yi Theater Company, among others. Savia is the workshop director at the Williamstown Theatre Festival where she serves as artistic producer for 12 late-night and outdoor productions each summer.

There will be two lower-priced preview on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, February 8 at 8pm. Admission for previews is $13 in advance with code RECIAMA or $15 at the door, and regular tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through March 9 only. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.iamatheatre.com or by calling (323) 645-0134.

Theatre Asylum is located at 6320 Santa Monica Boulevard (just west of Vine), in Hollywood, 90038. Street parking is available.

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01-30-14

Announcing: World Premiere of “Alabama Baggage” Opens March 9 at Theatre Asylum in Hollywood

WORLD PREMIERE DRAMA
ALABAMA BAGGAGE BY BUDDY FARMER
DIRECTED BY PAUL MESSINGER
SET FOR SIX-WEEK RUN AT THEATRE ASYLUM
OPENS SATURDAY, MARCH 9

LuluBelle Productions is set to present the world premiere of Alabama Baggage, a new drama written by Buddy Farmer, and directed by Paul Messinger, at Theatre Asylum in Hollywood. There will be one preview on Friday, March 8, and opening is Saturday, March 9 at 8pm, and Alabama Baggage will play a six-week engagement through April 14 only.

In a small town, in the wee hours of the night, a chance encounter between two strangers in a graveyard will forever change their lives. When buried secrets are unearthed, shattering revelations have them questioning what they each thought they knew to be true. Alabama Baggage draws a fine line between life and death, as it examines mercy, forgiveness, revenge and redemption.

Playwright Buddy Farmer made his living as an actor in theatre, film, and television for over 20 years, and began writing and directing plays in 2003. His first play, Coaches: Off the Bench with Knute, Vince, and The Bear received critical acclaim in Los Angeles and on its subsequent tour. Farmer later adapted the Knute section of that play into a TV mini-series; that adaptation became the basis for the book he wrote for the new musical Knute Rockne, All American, which opened last year just outside of Chicago, garnering rave reviews and several Jeff Award nominations. His next project is a musical adaptation of his one-act play The Viagra Monologues.

Paul Messinger has worked as a director in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and various places in between. He has worked on children’s shows (The Christmas Princess), high dramas (Gentle Passage), and comedies (Ledge), among others. He also has an active career as an actor in episodics and commercials. Messinger serves as the director’s unit head for Fierce Backbone.

The cast of Alabama Baggage will feature (in alphabetical order) Will Blagrove, John Combs, Jody Fasanella, William Jones, and Ashley McGee. The set design is by Bill Cole, lighting design is by Leigh Allen, and costume design is by Shannon Kennedy. The stage manager is Ashley Koenig. Alabama Baggage is presented by LuluBelle Productions, and produced by Theatre Planners.

There will be one preview performance on Friday, March 8 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, March 9 at 8pm. Admission is $15 for the preview, and $25 for all regular performances. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm through April 14 only. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/baggage, or by calling (323) 960-7711.

Theatre Asylum is located at 6320 Santa Monica Boulevard, in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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02-20-13

“Love Sick” Re-Opens at Elephant Stages/Theatre Asylum on Friday 11/18

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY’S SMASH HIT PRODUCTION
LOVE SICK BY KRISTINA POE
RE-OPENS AT ELEPHANT STAGES/THEATRE ASYLUM
12 PERFORMANCES ONLY, NOVEMBER 18 – DECEMBER 17

Due to ongoing popular demand, the Elephant Theatre Company’s smash hit world premiere production of Love Sick by Kristina Poe, directed by David Fofi, will re-open at Elephant Stages/Theatre Asylum for 12 performances only, beginning Friday, November 18 at 8pm. Theatre Asylum is next door to the Elephant Space, where the show completed its original run on November 5.

Love Sick is a graphic tale which follows one woman’s dark and comic quest for revenge. When Emily’s happily ever after comes crashing down, she embarks on a journey of seduction, power, coercion and self-discovery which quickly descends into a riddled web of mysterious and alluring encounters. Playwright Kristina Poe wrote Love Sick, her first play, as a member of LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City.

The cast of Love Sick (in alphabetical order) is Robert John Brewer, Etienne Eckert, Michael Friedman, Christopher Game, Laura Harman, Alexandra Hoover, Kate Huffman, Melanie Jones, Nikki McCauley, Tara Norris, Charles Pacello, Dominic Rains, Kenny Suarez, Caryl West, and Salvator Xuereb. The set design is by Elephant Stageworks, lighting design is by Matt Richter, costume design is by Louis Douglas Jacobs, and sound design is by Joseph Slawinski. The stage manager is Rebecca Schoenberg, and Love Sick is produced for the Elephant by Lindsay Allbaugh, Cheryl Huggins, and Tara Norris.

The additional performance schedule is as follows: Thursdays, December 1 and 15 at 8pm; Fridays, November 18, December 2, 9, and 16 at 8pm; Saturdays, November 19 and 26, December 3, 10, and 17 (final performance) at 8pm; and Sunday, November 27 at 7pm. Tickets may be purchased by calling (877) 369-9112 or by reserving online at www.elephanttheatrecompany.com.

For more information, go to www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Visit the Elephant on Facebook, and follow us on twitter @elephanttheatre. Elephant Stages/Theatre Asylum is located at 6320 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood, 90038. Street parking is available.

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11-9-11