Announcing: Karen Black Stars in “Moses Supposes” at Zephyr Theatre

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE AND GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER
KAREN BLACK AND DAVID PROVAL (THE SOPRANOS)
SET TO STAR IN MOSES SUPPOSES
A NEW COMEDY BY ELLEN MELAVER
DIRECTED BY LEE SANKOWICH

PRODUCTION WILL ALSO FEATURE
ELIJAH KRANSKI AND SARAH SANKOWICH

PERFORMANCES BEGIN OCTOBER 8, 2011
AT THE ZEPHYR THEATRE
OPENING SET FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, AT 8PM

The Zephyr Theatre has announced the world premiere production of Moses Supposes, a new comedy by Ellen Melaver, starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Karen Black, along with David Proval (The Sopranos, The Shawshank Redemption), and directed by Lee Sankowich. The cast will also feature Elijah Kranski and Sarah Sankowich. Moses Supposes will play four preview performances, on October 8, 9, 13, and 14, and opening night is set for Saturday, October 15 at 8:00. The limited engagement will run through Sunday, December 4, 2011.

In Moses Supposes, Cookie and Marvin Green’s adult children, Cece and Raymond, have returned to their Southern Jewish home to throw their parents a 35th wedding anniversary party. But everyone has chosen this same weekend to reveal their own surprises, and the ensuing mishegas turns the celebration upside down. There are non-stop laughs as the Green family discovers that after 35 years, maybe they don’t know each other quite as well as they thought they did. Just as “Moses Supposes his toeses are roses” … the entire Green family supposes erroneously.

Karen Black has appeared in over 150 films throughout her career. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and won the Golden Globe for her performance in Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson. She won another Golden Globe for her role in The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford, and was nominated for a third Golden Globe as Best Actress in John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust. Black has appeared in numerous other iconic films, including Easy Rider, Airport 1975, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Nashville, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Family Plot. She launched her stage career in The Playroom, earning a NY Drama Critics Circle Award, which she followed with the original Broadway production of Come Back to the Five and Dime… as well as The Vagina Monologues off Broadway and on tour. She has written two plays of her own, Mama at Midnight (La Mama in NYC), and Missouri Waltz (Blank Theatre, Los Angeles).

David Proval received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his Broadway debut in Requiem for a Heavyweight with John Lithgow. Other memorable stage performances include A Normal Heart (Long Wharf), Glengarry Glen Ross (Arena Stage), and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, directed by Jon Voight. Proval has many films to his credit, including Mean Streets, Romeo is Bleeding, Hollywood Dreams, Cinderella Liberty, and The Shawshank Redemption. On television, he has appeared on Picket Fences, The West Wing, Everybody Loves Raymond, and perhaps most famously, as the menacing Richie Aprile on The Sopranos.

Director Lee Sankowich was the Artistic Director of the Marin Theatre Company for 16 years. His career began when he directed the now legendary One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which ran in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Israel, for a combined total of more than 10 years. Sankowich has worked at regional theatres around the country, including Baltimore Center Stage, the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, Florida Stage, Geva, Jewish Repertory Theatre, City Theatre, Theatreworks, and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was also an Associate Professor of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University.

The design team for Moses Supposes includes set by Adam Hunter, lighting by Matt Richter, costumes by Joanna Leskow, and sound by Norman Kern. The stage manager is Elizabeth Hernández, and Margie Mintz is co-producer.

There will be four preview performances of Moses Supposes on Saturday, October 8 at 8pm, Sunday, October 9 at 3pm, and Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14 at 8pm. Opening night is set for Saturday, October 15 at 8:00. The limited engagement will run through Sunday, December 4, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Admission for the preview performances is $15, and regular performances are $25. To purchase tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/202027 or www.goldstar.com, or call 800-838-3006. The Zephyr Theatre is located at 7456 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, 90046.

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09-22-2011

Announcing: TUTA Theatre West Presents “Stones in His Pockets” at Zephyr Theatre for 5 Weeks Only

TUTA THEATRE WEST PRESENTS
STONES IN HIS POCKETS
WRITTEN BY MARIE JONES
DIRECTED BY ZELJKO DJUKIC

OPENS AUGUST 19, 2011 AT THE ZEPHYR THEATRE

Tuta Theatre West has announced their production of Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones, featuring two actors, Andrew Friedman and Jerry Richardson, playing 15 roles. Directed by Zeljko Djukic, Stones in His Pockets will play one preview performance on August 18 and is set to open on Friday, August 19 at 8pm. The engagement will run for five weeks only, through Saturday, September 17, 2011.

Stones in His Pockets chronicles what happens when a big budget Hollywood film descends upon a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, and two down-on-their-luck locals (Jake and Charlie) get the chance of a lifetime, playing extras. Can they go from milking cows to living high on the hog? Hilarious, poignant, dark, and invigorating, this Olivier Award-winning play features two actors playing 15 roles, pulling back the veil on the complicated relationship between Tinseltown and its subjects. Witty banter blends with self-doubt and frustration as Jake and Charlie try to find a sense of reality in a world where glitz and glamour and easy money are only temporary.

Andrew Friedman has been a main company member at The Groundlings Theatre, where he has performed for the last six years. His television credits include The Big C, Men of a Certain Age, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, and Six Feet Under, among many others. Film work includes Live Free or Die Hard, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and others. Jerry Richardson has worked at many theatres around the country, including The Atlantic Theatre, 2nd Stage (Last Call, The Jude’s Law), Indiana Repertory Theatre (This Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Anniversary, Last Exit to Hollywood) and many others. TV credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Guiding Light, and Homicide: Life on the Street). Director Zeljko Djukic studied stage directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, completed his graduate work in the United States, and received his Master’s Degree in 1994. He has taught acting and theory of theatre at several American universities. In 2002, he founded TUTA (The Utopian Theatre Asylum) in Chicago, where he currently lives and works. Djukic’s directing credits at TUTA include Baal, The Wedding, Romeo and Juliet, Uncle Vanya, Tracks, Still Life, The Little Prince, and Mozart and Salieri, among many others.

The design team for Stones in His Pockets includes set by Zeljko and Natasha Djukic, lighting by Keith Parham, and costumes by Natasha Djukic. The stage manager is Shaunessy Quinn, and Liza Fernandez produces.

There will be one preview performance of Stones in His Pockets on Thursday, August 18 at 8pm. Opening night is set for Friday, August 19 at 8:00. The strictly limited five-week engagement will run through Saturday, September 17, with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm. There will be no performance on Saturday, August 27. Admission for the preview on August 18 is $12, and all other performances are $18. To purchase tickets, visit www.plays411/stones, or call (323) 960-7822. The Zephyr Theatre is located at 7456 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, 90046.

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07-20-11

Announcing: Caught Extends One Final Time, Until June 26, 2011

CAUGHT EXTENDS ONE FINAL TIME
SMASH HIT WORLD PREMIERE PLAY BY DAVID L. RAY
AND DIRECTED BY NICK DEGRUCCIO
ENDS SOLD OUT EIGHT-MONTH RUN AT ZEPHYR THEATRE
ON JUNE 26, 2011

TICKET PURCHASES NOW BENEFITTING
THE NOH8 CAMPAIGN & AID FOR AIDS

David L. Ray’s world premiere play, Caught, presented by Buttermilk Productions in association with Drumfish Productions, and directed by three-time Ovation Award-winner Nick DeGruccio, has extended its run one final time through Sunday, June 26.

For the remainder of the run, patrons may use special codes (either NOH8 or AID4AIDS) when ordering tickets at www.CaughtThePlay.com and the production will donate 25% of the ticket price to either the NOH8 Campaign or Aid for AIDS.

The story of Caught centers around the upcoming wedding of Kenneth and Troy, a committed gay couple living in Los Angeles. Kenneth’s estranged, culturally-conservative sister, Darlene, and her daughter Krystal unexpectedly visit the couple’s home from south Georgia only days before the event. Through this set of circumstances, Caught explores the meaning of ‘marriage,’ and how the family can find a way to meet in the middle while navigating long-standing religious values and staying true to each’s core beliefs.

The cast features (in alphabetical order) Mackenzie Astin, Will Beinbrink, Richard Jenik, Amanda Kaschak, Micah McCain, and Deborah Puette. The design team includes set by Adam Flemming, lighting by Lisa D. Katz, sound by Elizabeth Rhodes, and costumes by Katherine Hampton Noland. Casting is by Raul Staggs, and the production stage manager is Darlene Miyakawa.

The Ovation Recommended production of Caught will end its run on Sunday, June 26. Regular performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased by visiting www.CaughtThePlay.com or by calling (800) 595-4849. The Zephyr Theatre is located at 7456 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, 90046.

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05-03-11