Press

the profound World Premiere of award winning playwright Judi Ann Mason’s … How Katrina Plays.

Write Act Repertory (currently in their 11th season) and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce their newest World Premiere production with acclaimed award-winning playwright Judi Ann Mason’s profound dramatic piece How Katrina Plays, as their 2009 mainstage season continues. This multi-media docu-play is a compilation of dramatic stories about Hurricane Katrina. These stories were documented through letters, emails, phone calls, newspaper articles and personal family accounts of what has been termed the storm of the century.

How Katrina Plays is dedicated to Judi Ann Mason's brother, BJ Mason, who died helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This is not only BJ Mason's story, but the story of a national calamity. We commemorate the bravery of those involved, observe their sacrifice, and try to understand, through their stories.

This production, the last play written by the award winning playwright, will be published by Sam French, after its world premiere. The play tells the true stories of Hurricane Katrina victims from 1st hand descriptions told to BJ Mason, Judi Ann's brother, who died while helping victims relocate. This play is in honor of those who were lost 4 years ago and to all of those who are still struggling to survive today.

(Note - Judi Ann Mason, whose precocious success as a playwright brought her to network television as one of the first female African-American sitcom writers and one of the youngest television writers of any race or either sex, died on July 8 in Los Angeles, after attending the final callbacks for the production of How Katrina Plays. She was 54.)

This celebration of her new work will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from Thursday September 10th to Saturday October 24th, 2009. Additionally there will be two special engagement Sundays October 11th and 25th, 2009.

There will be a Gala Sneak Preview Friday and Saturday August 28th and 29th, 2009 with an Art Auction and Live Entertainment, honoring the victims of Katrina on its anniversary weekend. There will be moments of reflection and celebrity reading of monologues from How Katrina Plays during the Gala Event.

Produced by John Lant and Anne Mesa & Write Act Repertory Theatre Company. Directed by Tchia Casselle with Set Design by Thomas Brown. Video Design by Nathan Cheney and David Akin. The cast includes Zora Bikangaga, Wil Bowers, H. Chris Brown, Christopher Carrington, Diane Chernansky, Barika Croon, Melanie Cruz, Danny DeLloyd, Wallace Demarria, David Doman, Bob Ebinger, RJ Farrington, Asunta Fleming, Barry Ford, Justin Galluccio, Maggie Grant, K-von Harris, Samm Hill, Marc McHone, Chas Mitchell, Elizabeth Noone, Kim Niccole, Lucia Solares, Jimmy Walker Jr, Jacob White, and Shoshannah.

“This project was Judi Ann's gift to her brother BJ who passed away while trying to help victims of Katrina,” said Tchia Casselle, Director of How Katrina Plays. “It was so very important for her to tell the stories of these people. To see that they receive help because most of their circumstances have not gotten better in the last four years and so many are still suffering. She was determined to get this project produced. I am blessed to have been entrusted with her words and I’m determined to have them come to fruition.”

To have an opportunity to present something of this magnitude is extremely exciting,” states Producing Artistic Director John Lant. “I am very proud of this production and look forward to the continued collaboration between all of the artists that can make a special project like this happen even after the death of such an important figure, honoring her talent, vision and perseverance to get this story out, is what I admire most about everyone involved thus far,” states Producer Anne Mesa.

How Katrina Plays launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower Avenue and Franklin Boulevard off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Street. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments preceding and following the show.

8 PM, Thursdays through Saturdays from Thursday, September 10th, 2009 – Saturday, October 24th, 2009.

*Gala Sneak Preview and Art Auction with Live Entertainment. Friday and Saturday August 28th and 29th, 2009 @ 8:00 PM

**Press Opening Saturday, September 12th, 2009. Cocktail reception preceding and following the show.

For reservations, call (323) 469 – 3113. General Admission. Reservations Suggested.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

How Katrina Plays – Mainstage Event

Write Act Rep’s 2009 season, our 11th season, continues with acclaimed playwright Judi Ann Mason’s dramatic piece How Katrina Plays. This multi-media docu-play is a compilation of dramatic stories about Hurricane Katrina. These stories were documented through letters, emails, phone calls, newspaper articles and personal family accounts of what has been termed the storm of the century. How Katrina Plays is dedicated to Judi Ann Mason's brother, BJ Mason, who died helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This is not only BJ Mason's story, but the story of a national calamity. We commemorate the bravery of those involved, observe their sacrifice, and try to understand, through their stories.

Judi Ann Mason, whose precocious success as a playwright brought her to network television as one of the first female African-American sitcom writers and one of the youngest television writers of any race or either sex, died on July 8 in Los Angeles, after attending the final callbacks for the production of How Katrina Plays. She was 54.

How Katrina Plays is a multi-media docu-play, the last play written by the award winning playwright, Judi-Ann Mason before her death, to be published by Sam French. The play tells the true stories of Hurricane Katrina victims from first hand descriptions told to BJ Mason, Judi Ann's brother, who died while helping victims relocate. This play is dedicated to all of those who were lost 4 years ago and to all of those who are still struggling to survive today.

(All Performances will feature a “Meet and Greet the Artists” Reception preceding and following.)

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

Free Ample Parking on the south side of St. Stephen's Church on 6125 Carlos Street.

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.howkatrinaplays.org or www.writeactrep.org

     Judi Ann Mason, a trailblazing African-American writer who spent more than three decades creating for television, film and the stage, died July 8 of a ruptured aorta in Los Angeles. She was 54.
     As a 20-year-old, Mason was hired by Norman Lear for the hit CBS sitcom "Good Times," and her film credits include co-writing "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (1993). The Shreveport, La., native penned more than 25 published and produced plays, many still in production. When she joined the WGA West in 1975, Mason continued the legacy begun in 1953 by Helen Thompson, the guild's first black member. Many black and female writers over the years said they were inspired by Mason.
     "So many of us are here as writers because she was there first willing to assist our journeys," said Tina Andrews, a WGA Award winner for TV's "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal." "I thank God I had her powerful shoulders to stand upon."
     Lear said he never saw Mason without a smile. "She brought it to her writing, and her writing brought the rest of us to laughter," he said. "She was the ultimate upper."
     Mason's other TV writing credits include work on primetime shows "A Different World," "American Gothic," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Sanford" and "I'll Fly Away" and the telefilm "Sophie & the Moonhanger." In addition, Mason led the writers development program at the CBS soap opera "Guiding Light," later becoming associate head writer on NBC's "Generations," the first daytime serial to revolve around an African-American family. The show ran from 1989-91.
     The Grambling alumna was one of the youngest playwrights ever to be produced off-Broadway. Her work for the stage include "Living Fat," for which she won the Kennedy Center's Norman Lear Award for comedy writing at 19, and "A Star Ain't Nothin' but a Hole in Heaven," which earned her the first Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award in 1977.
     Last fall, she served as inaugural national honorary chair of the First Southern Black Theatre Festival in Shreveport.
     At the time of her death, Mason was working on "Motherland," her independent film about a college history instructor who takes middle-class black students to Africa. The movie was scheduled to shoot in December.

Ms. Mason was just 19 and a student at Grambling State College in Louisiana when she wrote “Livin’ Fat,” a comedy about a struggling black family in a Southern city whose members find their lives changed and values challenged when one of them accidentally discovers a cache of stolen money from a bank robbery.The play was produced off Broadway in 1976 by the Negro Ensemble Company, but even before that, it won a comedy award sponsored by the Kennedy Center and the television producer Norman Lear. Mr. Lear then hired her as a writer for the series “Good Times,” a broad comedy spinoff of “Maude” about the family of Maude’s former housekeeper, Florida Evans. It starred Esther Rolle, John Amos and Jimmie Walker.

Ms. Mason went on to write for a number of popular television series, including “Sanford,” a vehicle for Redd Foxx that was a sequel to “Sanford and Son”; “A Different World,” the “Cosby Show” spinoff set at a black college; the popular prime-time soap “Beverly Hills 90210”; and “I’ll Fly Away,” a dramatic series set in the 1950s South that focused on a successful white lawyer (Sam Waterston) and the black woman (Regina Taylor) who cares for his children. For the movies, Ms. Mason was a writer of “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. She was also a playwright whose works received several Off Broadway productions, including “The Daughters of the Mock,” and “Jonah and the Wonder Dog.” Her 1977 play, “A Star Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hole in Heaven,” about a small-town Southern girl and the life she will leave behind if she takes a college scholarship, focused on the conflict between the opportunities afforded young blacks by the civil rights movement and the cultural values that were consequently diminished. It was the first winner of the Kennedy Center’s Lorraine Hansberry Award for plays about the African-American experience.

“Miss Mason fills her play with laughter, but her exploration of loss and gain is as serious as it is in any of the works about the ’60s being written by a growing number of black playwrights,” D. J. R. Bruckner wrote in The New York Times about a 1987 production of the play. He added: “Miss Mason has created captivating characters and given them wonderful lines to express familiar emotions.”

“She was an exuberant, very positive character,” said Theodore Mann, the artistic director of Circle in the Square Theater, a friend of many years who said the biggest influence on Ms. Mason’s work was Tennessee Williams. “She used to quote him. When she was angry, she’d quote the mother’s line from ‘Glass Menagerie’: ‘Go to the moon, you selfish dreamer!’ ”

Ms. Mason was born on Feb. 2, 1955, but sources differ on her birthplace, citing either Shreveport, La., or nearby Bossier City. She is survived by a daughter, Mason Synclaire Williams; a son, Austin Barrett Williams; and three siblings. - Published: July 18, 2009

"Everyone seems to pay attention in February," Judi Ann Mason, the playwright and television writer, said of Black History Month. But what Mason, who died July 8 at age 54, wanted people to understand was that black history happens every day. She once said that as a child growing up in the 1960s South, she failed to appreciate the strides black leaders were making for racial equality--Thurgood Marshall wearing the robes of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Shirley Chisholm legislating in Congress, Martin Luther King Jr. toiling tirelessly in the struggle for civil rights.

Mason did her own part to blaze a trail for African Americans. Tapped by legendary television producer Norman Lear to write for the sitcom Good Times, she went on to amass writing credits for shows like A Different World and Redd Foxx's Sanford--programs that brought to viewers an as-yet-unseen depiction of black lives.

But Mason's lingering impact will be felt most strongly through her more than 25 plays about the black experience in America. One of her most highly regarded works, A Star Ain't Nothin' but a Hole in Heaven, portrayed a college-bound woman as she becomes aware of the price civil rights activists paid for the opportunities she is afforded. In 1977 the drama earned Mason the first Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award.

A Shreveport, La., native, Mason wrote about the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in her play Storm Stories, which chronicled the tragedy that befell her community. Through her work, Mason made certain that African-American history was always on display--even if it wasn't February.

Write Act Rep Calendar Listing

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

Write Act Repertory’s Producing Artistic Director John Lant and Producer Playwright Robert Beiderman are proud to announce a tribute for the American Armed Forces with our one-acts plays series production of Squeezing Lemons.

This innovative production showcases the distinctive voices of Los Angeles writers and the diverse talent of Write Act Rep artists, in an impassioned evening for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. This celebration of works will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from Monday July 27th through Wednesday July 29th, 2009.

SYNOPSIS:
Write Act Repertory and Bobby Boone’s Production Company (headed by Robert Biederman), will co-produce a night of live theatrical one-acts to raise funds and awareness for our troops returning from the Middle East and the VFW Services. We will feature a selection of plays that is sure to fill you with pride and remembrance of the sacrifices of all of our Veterans, past and present. Please come to commemorate the men and women who have been risking their lives over these past few years and across the last century to preserve our country's independence as all proceeds will go to the local VFW. With each vignette, this production explores what happens when people are willing to cross barriers, when artists choose to create bridges that lead us to each other around the world and here at Write Act Rep.

Our play line-up will include Aaron Sorkin’s Hidden in This Picture, Directed by Dan Spurgeon, Robert Beiderman’s Skipper, Directed by Susan Eiden, Dan Spurgeon’s Bugbaby, Directed by Becky Lorenne Doppelt, Mark Levine’s The Rental, Directed by Will Ahrens, and Mark Levine’s A Case of Anxiety, Directed by Darren Mangler.

The cast for this benefit includes, McCready Baker, Robert Beiderman, Josh Fanaroff, Lara, Fisher, Dave Hanson, Jomathan Harrison, Alan Heitz, Chris Higgins, Matt Jones, Dain Kloner, Jared Martzell, Mark McHone, Maria Paris, Marietta Putignano, Trey Teufel, and Jacob White.

Squeezing Lemons launches at the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Street. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments preceding and following the show.

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Rep Calendar Listing

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

Write Act Repertory’s Producing Artistic Director John Lant is proud to announce the production workshop of KARMA – the Musical, part of the Book, Music and Lyrics Series. This evening will feature an intimate musical showcasing the sounds of Los Angeles Author Susan Eiden and Composer Les Oreck. Sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of awesome music, complete with cheap drinks and home baked goodies! This celebration of work will have a limited production workshop engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from Monday July 20th through Wednesday July 22nd, 2009.

SYNOPSIS:
Karma tells the story of a middle-aged woman who travels through time to convince her younger self to change her karma by making different choices. The two are at odds as they move through the decades, but by the end they come to terms with the path they have chosen.

Our featured artist of this series and production of KARMA include Libretto by Susan Eiden, Direction by Michael Eiden, Music, Lyrics and Musical Direction by Les Oreck and Choreography by Liz Heathcoat.

The cast for this production includes Wil Bowers, Sarah Brandon, Lalanya Gunn, Harreld, Patricia Harrison, Judy Ho, Alex Hunter, Lauren Paff, Matt Pick, Daniel Romero, and Angela Stewart Starks.

Karma - The Musical launches at the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Street. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments preceding and following the show.

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

PRESS CONTACT: Rebecca Lorenne Doppelt (818) 276 – 5332 Victory409@gmail.com

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce their production of …Keep The Ball Rolling! as the Freeway Series 2009 continues. This innovative production showcases the distinctive voices of Los Angeles writers and the diverse talent of Write Act Rep artists, creating a provocative and impassioned evening. This celebration of new work will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from Friday June 26th to Saturday August 1st, 2009 (dark on the July Fourth weekend).

…Keep The Ball Rolling! journeys through the familiar settings of any big city and reveals a glimpse into the lives of the people all around us. Their stories can be found in apartments around you, hotel rooms, local discothèques, the cafes down the street, on rooftops above you, in an unknown locale… a second later, or a moment sooner. Life, and sometimes death, continues.

What happens when man’s best friend comes back as a man in Robert Beiderman’s Skipper directed by Susan Eiden, pass by a very dead sordid affair Dale Andersen’s Dead Angel directed by Rebecca L. Doppelt, savor sweet flirtations in Thomas J. Misuraca’s Cupidity directed by Bennett Cohon, stop for a bittersweet lunch in Hindi Brooks’ Table For One directed by Bennett Cohon, take a moment to question the great heights of love in Mark Harvey Levine’s Up On The Roof directed by Louise Kroot-Haukka, and plummet headlong into darkness in a profound play written and directed by Herman Poppe called Dear John.

With each vignette, this production explores what happens when people are willing to cross barriers, when artists choose to create bridges, and the freeways of Los Angeles lead us to each other here at Write Act Rep.

“Each year, hundreds of playwrights write thousands of plays. Some are never read by anyone other than the playwright,” said Bennett Cohon, Play Coordinator of The Freeway Series. “Many plays are given a table reading, and some are lucky enough to have a staged reading with 2 or 3 rehearsals and the actors still on book. A few plays are ‘workshopped,’ where the play is rehearsed for about a week, with minimal lighting, costumes and sound effects. For the most part these plays never receive a full production.”

Cohon continued, “Write Act Repertory has given me the opportunity to enable playwrights to see their works as complete productions. We have contacted local playwrights, requesting them to submit their plays for consideration to be produced at Write Act Rep. New playwrights can see the fruits of their talent, and sharpen their playwriting skills. Other times, as in this collection, we present plays by some of the most skilled local playwrights. We select works that we hope will touch the audience, engage them, and offer critical feedback to the playwright.”

To have an opportunity to produce something of this magnitude is extremely exciting,” states Producing Artistic Director John Lant. “My desire is Write Act Rep can offer a place of safety for the playwrights indigenous to the Los Angeles Community, affording them an atmosphere to challenge themselves. The goal of this long term project is to hear the theatrical voices of the Los Angeles playwrights living in the motion picture capital. This has always been one of the things that make Los Angeles attractive, the diversified culture and diversified artistry. We hope to bring these two things together on stage. I am very proud of this series and look forward to the collaboration between all of the writers, directors, actors, designers, patrons and the Write Act Rep staff that make a special project like this happen. ”

The Freeway Series launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Street. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments preceding and following the show.

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood and the Valley

(All Performances will feature a “Meet and Greet the Artists” Reception preceding and following.)

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce their Spring mainstage production of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. This revealing production crosses all barriers of gender and sexuality, joining steamy scenarios with hot politics for a sensual evening with a strong statement. Directed by Laurie Johnson, this show will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from April 16th through May 23rd.

Write Act Repertory examines the sanctity of love and the twisted nature of oppression with its re-imagination of Measure for Measure. The story’s seemingly outdated theme resurges with new hope and relevance when seen through the production’s modern visionary perspective. Characters fight passionately for a world where race and class, gender and sexuality, fear and boundaries no longer exist, and all that’s left is the freedom to discover a love that transcends all oppression.

This production is a daring and gut-wrenching fight against hate – especially topical in today’s emotionally charged political climate. Measure for Measure has never been more provocative with volatile characters, racy situations, magnetic relationships, and controversial themes. As it was during Shakespeare’s time, the play once again promises to be powerful, heartbreaking, and ultimately profound.

"I’m always thrilled to work with Shakespeare,” states director Laurie Johnson. “I am especially thrilled to be able to utilize a classic piece to make a profound statement significant to current events and to present it in an entertaining way. Our theme is transcendental love and how it cuts across all barriers: social, political, and gender. I hope in taking our audience on the journey of the characters, they come away with a deeper understanding of what a powerful presence love can be in the world."

Join the fight. Defy the establishment. Question everything you thought was true. Write Act Repertory’s Measure for Measure challenges the audience to look beyond the surface and see each other for who they are – without judgment, expectation, or labels. It is a resounding cry that no one should be punished for loving who they love.

Write Act Repertory continues its regular season in June with the next installment of the 2009 Freeway Series, a series of original One Act plays from playwrights across the LA theatre community.

Measure for Measure launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Avenue. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, and the Valley

Spring 2009 Mainstage event – William Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure

Produced by Andrea Pandazedes, Rich Wong, John Lant, & Write Act Repertory Theatre

Unhappy Claudio! Wretchéd Isabel! Injurious world! Most damnéd Angelo! No one should be punished for loving who they love. Write Act Repertory examines the sanctity of love itself with its re-imagination of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. A seemingly outdated story resurges with new hope and relevance when seen through this modern visionary perspective. Join the fight for a world where race and class, gender and sexuality, fear and boundaries no longer exist, and all that’s left is the freedom to discover a love that transcends all oppression. As it was during Shakespeare’s time, this play once again promises to be dangerous, provocative, and ultimately profound. Defy the establishment. Question what is right. The fight is on. And hate is the enemy.

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre.)

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Press Release Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, and the Valley

LOS ANGELES -- BLUES FOR CENTRAL AVENUE, a play (with music) about life on LA's Central Avenue during its heyday right after World War II, will have its world premiere at Write Act Repertory Theatre Thursday Feb. 12 – Saturday March 7, 2009. Produced by John W. Lant III for Hollywood Civic Light Opera, the show's book is by Willard Manus, with music by Lou Briggs. Ken Cosby directs.

The production has been scheduled to honor the celebration of Black History Month.

L.A.'s Central Avenue flourished from 1920-1955. By day it served as the economic, religious and social center of black, segregated L.A. By night, it was a magnet for those looking to enjoy some of the finest, most exciting music in the country. Central Avenue was an entertainment mecca on a par with Bourbon Street and Beale Street, a place where headliners like Louis Jordan, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Slim Gaillard performed in the dozens of clubs lining "The Great Black Way."

BLUES FOR CENTRAL AVENUE is set in front of the elegant Dunbar Hotel, where such famous intellectuals and movie stars as W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes and Paul Robeson resided. It tells the story of a returned vet who launches L.A.'s first Black record company and ends up having to do battle with Hollywood over the electrifying young singer he has discovered, nurtured and loved.

Willard Manus has had numerous plays produced in L.A. including JUNK FOOD and THE LOVE BOUTIQUE. He is also a novelist (Mott the Hoople) and journalist. Lou Briggs is an LA-based actor/writer/composer whose original musical, Hollywood! Hollywood! was performed at Write Act Rep in 2005. His music-director credits include stints in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Ken Cosby has directed Yasmine Rana's M and the sketch-comedy troupe LIVE! LIVE! NEWS! NEWS! He is a USC Screenwriting Professor, a Lucille Lortel Playwright Award winner, and was a Blacksmyths Playwrighting Fellow at the Mark Taper Forum.

February 12th – March 7th, 2009. 8:00 PM – Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

General: $25 Door / $20 with Reservations / Discounts $15 (Seniors / Students / Groups/ Unions)

Call: (323) 469 – 3113 / Reservations Suggested / General Admission Seating

Visit: www.hollywoodciviclightopera.com or www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood and the Valley

October 2008 Halloween Event – Gruesome Hotel

They arrived. They knew he’d be there. And they all want him dead. Welcome to the Grusim Hotel…

where you’ll find chocolates on your pillow and a corpse in the lobby. Write Act Repertory puts a new spin on the interactive murder mystery with this spooky Halloween event that’s sure to make your spine tingle with hilarious fun. Howl with laughter and match wits with your friends as you uncover the clues that will lead you to the killer. Consider everyone a suspect and ask questions thoroughly. If you solve the mystery, you may just get out alive!

Cocktail Reception nightly at 7:35 PM, serving the Grusim Hotel’s signature libation Bloody Murders

(All Performances feature a Q & A with the characters to aid audiences in solving the mystery!)

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre.)

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce their Halloween murder mystery event Gruesome Hotel. This hilarious production of the popular genre combines murderous mayhem with farce to create a frightfully fun-filled evening. Directed by Richard Wong, this holiday event will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from October 23rd through the 25th.

Gruesome Hotel opens on nine possible suspects, surrounding a corpse in the hotel lobby. Amidst the hysterical trickery and bloodthirsty bedlam, it’s up to the audience to uncover whose sinister motive drove them to murder. A hotel lobby has never been busier with zany characters, sticky situations, outrageous secrets, and bone chilling screams. Howl with laughter and match wits with your friends as you uncover the clues that will lead you to the killer. Consider everyone a suspect and ask questions thoroughly. If you solve the mystery, you may just get out alive!

To aid in their sleuthing, audience members will be given the chance to ask questions of the hotel guests and debate the circumstances surrounding the murder. After coming to a final decision as a group, the audience is shown what really happened, and this time, it’s the audience’s turn to die – laughing.

“This show takes the typical murder mystery and pokes fun at its usual conventions,” said Richard Wong, Director of Gruesome Hotel. “I wanted to infuse it with the silliness of the Halloween season and create a theatrical experience that was both fun to perform and to watch.”

The Dramatis Personae consists of Timothy Bell, David Doman, Beth Fisher, Greg Horos, Alicia Lara, Jackie Marriott, Marc McHone, Jennifer Mims, Jason Parsons, and Andrea Pandazedes.

Write Act Repertory continues its regular season with the upcoming mainstage production of the 2008 Freeway Series: …Of All Places in November.

Gruesome Hotel launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Avenue. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

Tickets are $15 or 2 for $20; $10 discount tickets for Seniors, Students, and Groups.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

November 2008 Freeway Series Event – …Of All Places

Written by Hindi Brooks, Richard Martin Hirsch, EM Lewis, Jim McGinn, Herman Poppe, Dan Roth

Produced by John Lant, Andrea Pandazedes, Rich Wong, & Write Act Repertory Theatre Company

Come celebrate the inaugural run of Write Act Repertory’s Freeway Series, a captivating fusion of Los Angeles writers and Write Act Rep artists. Wander into the familiar settings of any big city and take a glimpse into the lives of the people around you. Their stories are charming, funny, difficult, haunting, and ultimately beautiful. You’ll find them in the coffee shop down the street, the apartment above you, the park where you picnic – a second later, a moment sooner. This series explores what happens when people are willing to cross barriers, when artists choose to create bridges, and the freeways of Los Angeles lead us to each other.

(All Performances will feature a “Meet and Greet the Artists” Reception preceding and following.)

(Off Vine Street – two blocks east of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building)

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce their production of …Of All Places as the opener of its 2008 Freeway Series. This innovative production showcases the distinctive voices of Los Angeles writers and the diverse talent of Write Act Rep artists, creating a provocative and impassioned evening. Directed by Bennett Cohon, this celebration of new work will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from November 15th to December 20th.

…Of All Places journeys through the familiar settings of any big city and reveals a glimpse into the lives of the people all around us. Their stories are charming, funny, difficult, haunting, and ultimately beautiful. They can be found in the coffee shop down the street, the apartment above you, the park where you picnic – a second later, a moment sooner.

Hop on the raucous newlywed joyride in Hindi Brooks’ You Did What?, savor the sweet flirtations in Richard Hirsch’s Confection Perfection, pass by a sordid affair in Jim McGinn’s The Joggers, take a moment to question a senseless death in EM Lewis’ Edge of Ross Island, stop for a bittersweet cup of coffee in Dan Roth’s Who Do You Like, and plummet headlong into a profound encounter with a woman who claims to be God in Herman Poppe’s Loony Bin.

With each vignette, the production explores what happens when people are willing to cross barriers, when artists choose to create bridges, and the freeways of Los Angeles lead us to each other.

“Each year, hundreds of playwrights write thousands of plays. Some are never read by anyone other than the playwright,” said Bennett Cohon, Director of The Freeway Series. “Many plays are given a table reading, and some are lucky enough to have a staged reading with 2 or 3 rehearsals and the actors still on book. A few plays are ‘workshopped,’ where the play is rehearsed for about a week, with minimal lighting, costumes and sound effects. For the most part these plays never receive a full production.”

To have an opportunity to produce something of this magnitude is extremely exciting,” states Producing Artistic Director John Lant. “My desire is Write Act Rep can offer a place of safety for the playwrights indigenous to the Los Angeles Community, affording them an atmosphere to challenge themselves. The goal of this long term project is to hear the theatrical voices of the Los Angeles playwrights living in the motion picture capital. It is one of the things that make Los Angeles attractive, diversified culture and diversified artistry. We hope to bring these two things together on stage”

The Freeway Series will produce its next installment of new work from February 9th through March 4th, 2009.

The Freeway Series launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Avenue. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

8 PM, Thursdays through Saturdays from November 15th – December 20th, 2008. (Dark Thanksgiving weekend)

This scripted Commedia dell'arte production, mocks hierarchical society and parodies different social stereotypes which still holds modern-day relevance.

Write Act Repertory and Producing and Associate Artistic Directors John Lant and Joe McClean proudly announce the production of A Company of Wayward Saints as the first show of Write Act Repertory Company’s Mainstage 2008 Series.

This production weaves Commedia dell'arte to exaggerations beyond naturalistic theatrical convention with its crude and often slapstick irreverent comedy, mirroring commedia’s exaggerated nature. This play’s deft mixture will provide any audience member with a fast-paced and richly enjoyable theatrical experience.

Directed by Joe McClean, Written by George Herman, Masks Designed by Wendy Gough Soroka and Assistant Direction by Rich Wong, this production will have a 7-week engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre with Previews Friday June 20th & Saturday June 21st, 2008 @ 8:00pm. Officially Opened; Thursdays, June 26th, 2008 through Saturdays, August 2nd, 2008 @ 8:00pm, with Sunday Performances beginning July 13th through August 3rd, 2008 at 5:00pm. (There will be no Sunday performances before July 13th and no performances of any dates during July 4th weekend)

George Herman's A Company of Wayward Saints follows a nomadic troupe of amateur dramatists who attempt to put on ‘The History of Man’ in a last ditch attempt to buy their way back home by gaining the patronage of a wealthy Duke. But to a group of actors far too selfish, self-important and self-indulgent to work together this proves to be quite a challenge, one they may never overcome. Their production parodies various events in the history of man, from Adam and Eve to the assassination of Caesar, before falling out and falling apart as their squabbles endanger their ability to return home. They overcome their differences coming back together to focus on the more insightful aspects of human life as they explore 'The History of A Man' to the delight of the Duke and the audience, alike, thus ensuring a passage of another type of journey into the enrichment of their souls.

“In our production, we didn't want to lose the historical value of Commedia dell'arte, understanding that this is a play about actors, real people, who play comedians, on top of that is their commedia archetype” states Director Joe McClean.

These archetypes have been performed for hundreds of years but are most recognizable to a modern audience in roles like Groucho Marx, playing the archetype of Harlequin, Ginger from Gilligan's Island, playing an aspect of Ruffiana, and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, very much playing a Capitano.”

Commedia dell'arte, which dates back to 16th century Venetian society, is traditionally performed in masks, with each stock character representing different social stereotypes, including the learned doctor who knows everything and nothing, to the worldly tart who flirts incessantly with the audience, with the army, the law and the clergy all being ridiculed by its parody of social comment. Its influences on today’s society are profound too, from Punch and Judy, the Circus to the very popular Blackadder, mocking society in a very sophisticated fashion of modern commedia dell’arte.

Herman’s play A Company of Wayward Saints won the McKnight Foundation Humanities Award in Drama in 1963, and has remained in print for more than 35 years. More than 100 of his 132 radio, TV and stage plays have been produced by 38 universities, several regional and semiprofessional theaters, in all 50 states and Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, the Virgin Islands, Australia, Germany, Egypt and Senegal, probably accounting for a large part of world unrest.

The Dramatist Personae consist of Harlequin (manager), Pantalone (the old man), Tristano (the lover), Isabella (the sweetheart), Colombine (the nag), Scapino (the acrobat), Dottore (the learned), Capitano (the warrior) and Ruffiana (the tart), played by Write Act Rep Actor members Candace Brown, Tchia Casselle, Beth Fisher, Jonathan Harrison, Samm Hill, Marc McHone, Chas Mitchell, Andrew Mueller, Aurora Nibley, Sarju Patel, Andrea Pandazedes, Jason Parsons, Justin Radford, Joseph Ruzer, Jack Seal, Sean Spann, Sarah Yahr Tucker and Jack Zullo.

A Company of Wayward Saints launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Avenue. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited and reservations are greatly suggested.

DATES AND TIMES: *All Performances will feature a Meet and Greet the Artists Reception following.

Previews begin Friday, June 20th – Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 8:00pm (pay what you can)

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm (no performances July 4th Weekend)

Special Event Closing BBQ and Performance Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 5:00pm

Discounted Rates found online for Seniors/Students/Groups – www.writeactrep.org - Starting 6/16/08

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Rep will continue during the summer & fall season with the inaugural installment of our next series Best In Show, a competition of writing and acting, followed by the Freeway 2008 Series, a submission based series featuring Greater Los Angeles Playwrights not in Write Act Rep beginning in September 2008.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood, The Westside and The Valley

Mainstage 2008 Season Event

A Company of Wayward Saints

Follow a nomadic troupe of amateur dramatists who attempt to put on ‘The History of Man’ in a last ditch attempt to buy their way back home by gaining the patronage of a wealthy Duke. But to a group of actors far too selfish, self-important and self-indulgent to work together this proves to be quite a challenge, one they may never overcome. Their production parodies various events in the history of man, from Adam and Eve to the assassination of Caesar, before falling out and falling apart as their squabbles endanger their ability to return home. They overcome their differences coming back together to focus on the more insightful aspects of human life as they explore 'The History of A Man' to the delight of the Duke and the audience, alike, thus ensuring a passage of another type of journey into the enrichment of their souls.

DATES AND TIMES: *All Performances will feature a Meet and Greet the Artists Reception following.

Previews begin Friday, June 20th – Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 8:00pm (pay what you can)

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm (no performances July 4th Weekend)

Special Event Closing BBQ and Performance Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 5:00pm

(Off Vine – Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Discounted Rates found online for Seniors/Students/Groups – www.writeactrep.org - Starting 6/16/08

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory and Producing and Associate Artistic Directors John Lant and Joe McClean proudly announce their production of Reservations for 2 as the first show of its 2008 Black Box Series.

This innovative production weaves together live jazz music with six original one-acts to create a sultry and involving evening. Directed by Dan Green, Susan Hunter, and Rich Wong, this celebration of new work will have a limited engagement at the Write Act Repertory Theatre from Tuesday, May 20th through Thursday, May 22nd, 2008.

Reservations for 2 transforms the everyday theatre performance into a lively lounge experience. From pieces including Rich Wong’s racy film noir parody Wrong Kind of Woman to Susan Hunter’s twisted portrayal of the classic birds and bees in Heart-to-Heart – from Brad Kayl’s charming relationship episodic Love As We Know It to Steven Korbar’s sexy role-playing games in Mrs. Jansen Isn’t Here Now, the production sizzles with fresh takes on familiar themes, leaving the audience to revel in the inherent truth, present in each piece. With Chris Glik at the piano and a cocktail in everybody’s hand, live jazz casts a spell on the room to complete the already lush mood.

“The most universal theme is love,” said Andrea Pandazedes, Producer of Reservations for 2. “This collection of vignettes spotlights how important our relationships are to each other and encourages us to reflect on our own experiences with laughter. The show is exciting, fun, beautiful, sexy, bittersweet, heartbreaking, and inspiring . . . just like love.”

Reservations for 2 is followed by the Mainstage production of A Company of Wayward Saints, with previews starting Thursday June 19th, Opening on Saturday June 21st, and running through Sunday August 3rd, 2008, the story of a bumbling troupe of commedia del arte actors who have lost their passion.

Write Act Rep will continue during the summer season with the next installment of the Black Box Series Best In Show, a competition of writing and acting, followed by the Freeway Series 2008 in September 2008.

Reservations for 2 launches in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building near Gower and Franklin off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located one block away in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Avenue. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

Tickets are $15 or two for $20; Cocktail reception preceding and following the show!

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and The Valley

May 2008 Black Box Series Event – Reservations for 2

Written by Steven Korbar, Susan Hunter, Rich Wong, Andrea Pandazedes, and Brad Kayl

Produced by Andrea Pandazedes with John Lant, Joe Mc Clean and Write Act Repertory Company

Step into our speakeasy, sip on a cocktail, and enjoy the sultry mood of live jazz. Then Lounge . . . Listen . . . and Laugh your way into an evening of six original 10-minute one-acts about love, sex, and the mysteries of relationships – written, directed, and performed by Write Act Rep members – that boldly explore the age-old question, “What Is This Thing Called Love?” Get sauced and get saucy!

*All Performances will feature a Meet and Greet the Artists Reception preceding and following.

(Off Vine – Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Coming off the tremendous success of its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce the opening of Juana as the third show of its 2007-2008 Main Stage Season. This historical tale from the late Paul Casey will be directed by Andrew Moore and performed with the help of 40 puppets and 14 of Write Act’s most talented performers at the newly refurbished Write Act Repertory Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from November 29 – December 15.

An epic play, a pageant that reveals the hidden truth behind history’s most maligned and misunderstood monarch, Juana tells the real story of the Queen of the World. Suffering the treachery of three men she loves most - her father, husband, and son – Juana has to fight their attempt to drive her insane. Liberated by an uprising of the common people who love her, she launches the first democracy to shed its glow of freedom upon the Western Hemisphere.

This final play from the late Paul Casey is a massive tale, spanning 30 years and all of continental Europe, with a simply story of strength at its heart. The use of over 40 puppets in Andrew Moore’s production helps the audience experience Juana’s world, a nightmarish mad house filled with monsters meant to do her in.

“I’m very fortunate to have met with Paul, a true Renaissance man, not long before he passed. I showed him the sketches I had done for the show, such as Fernando as enormous, imposing puppet, and he just lit up,” said Moore. “Paul was so passionate. As he recounted her story – the betrayals, the conspiracy to keep her off the throne – this passion just enveloped me. I was determined to help him tell her tale.”

Moore is an accomplished puppeteer who has not only performed on stage and screen, but also directed everything from children’s theater to adults-only comedy. He has in part meant this production to be a tribute to Casey, who not only served as past director of the Los Angeles Playwright’s Group, but also worked as an engineer in alternative energy and championed for animal rights.

Juana closes this portion of the Write Act’s season. The company is currently planning Main Stage shows for 2008. Plus, Write Act Repertory will produce a showcase of One Acts from the Los Angeles Playwright’s Lab, its own Comfort Food Reading Series, the widely popular Improvable Cause improv show and the return of the Dead Beat Poets Society.

Juana is mounted in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave., one block away. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Burbank, West Hollywood and The Valley

Main Stage Show – Juana

Based on a true story, Juana tells the story of the "real" Queen of the World. In the Cards of the Mystics, her destiny is foreshadowed by the prophecy of insurmountable obstacles, a war between love and money. Queen of half the world by default, Juana the First of Spain, suffers the treachery of three men she loves most; her father, her husband, and her son. Imprisoning her in a room without light, foreign captors attempt to drive her insane. But she beats them at their own game. Liberated by an uprising of the common people who love her, she launches the first democracy to shed its glow of freedom upon the Western Hemisphere.

(Off Vine - Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Burbank, West Hollywood and The Valley

Improv Comedy Lab – Improvable Cause

This Improv Comedy Lab is sponsored by Write Act Rep and is directed by premier Improv-Master Darren Yalacki. Darrin began his improv career as a performer and instructor at Comedy Sportz San Jose as well as being a founding member of Blue Blanket Improv in San Francisco. While in Hollywood, Darrin has continued his improv studies at IO West and with Comedy Sportz Los Angeles. Improvable Cause features some of Write Act’s funniest tackling scenes, classic improv techniques and hilarious situations with crowd participation!

(Off Vine - Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Main Stage Show – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Write Act Repertory presents this re-telling of a Shakespearean classic with a Nature vs. Man twist. The romantic paths of two sets of couples are complicated by their entrance into the fairyland woods where the King and Queen of the Fairies preside with the impish folk character of Robin Goodfellow – or Puck as he is more commonly known - plying his trade. When a bumptious band of "rude mechanicals" stumble into the action, the supernatural world collides with the real world…and Nature decides what is best used or discarded when, and if, its blessings are bestowed upon mankind.

(Off Vine - Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory Play Selection – Comfort Food Series

These two readings will focus on the works of Los Angeles premiere writer Hindi Brooks and 10-minute adaptations of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, or stories relating to the prolific author, as considerations for the upcoming 2008 Production Schedule.

**All performances will feature a Q&A session as well as a Meet and Greet the Artists Reception.

(Off Vine - Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant welcome the West Coast Premiere of the hysterical (Loosely) Lysistrata to kick off its 2007-2008 Season. The show, which opened to great success in Houston, will be directed by Will Aaron and debut at the newly refurbished Write Act Repertory Theatre on July 19 and run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until August 25.

Based on the writings of Aristophanes and the popular gay graphic novel “Lysistrata” by Ralph Koenig, writer Stewart Zuckerbrod adds a unique twist to the story of Lysistrata. It’s ancient Greece and the Athenians have been at war with the Spartans for so long that no one even remembers why it started. Together with her lover, the Spartan singer Lampito, lesbian activist Lysistrata convinces the women of Athens to go on a sex strike to stop the men from fighting. This results in painful…ahem…hardship for the soldiers and the gay men of Athens, led by the drag queen Hepatitos, are all too happy to lend a hand. What happens when the homophobic army institutes “Operation: Buddy Relief” is the subject of this madcap romp through “Life! And death! And Sex! And…(sigh)…love…”

(Loosely) Lysistrata is the first of three Main Stage shows that are sure to generate quite a buzz in the local theatre community this year. The other two include a dark, edgy and earthy presentation of the Shakespeare classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sept. 20 – Oct. 27) and the world premiere of Juana (Nov. 8 – Dec. 8), the real story of the legendary Queen of Spain, which will incorporate puppets in the dramatic telling of her troubled life. Plus, Write Act Repertory will produce a showcase of One Acts from the Los Angeles Playwright’s Lab, its own Comfort Food Reading Series, the widely popular Improvable Cause improv show and the return of the Dead Beat Poets Society. Celebrating its 9^th anniversary, Write Act Repertory will also host a Gala in the fall that will highlight the company and raise money for the local arts. This season, the company will also launch its inaugural Season Flex Pass, giving patrons a season-long discount to Write Act shows.

“This is a very exciting time at Write Act,” said Associate Artistic Director Colleen Reilly. “Our season includes a world premiere, a west coast premiere and a highly original take on a beloved classic. All three shows deal with the human reaction to adverse circumstances and to some of the troubling, yet hopeful, realities of our own nature. I am thrilled to be part of this multi-talented company of artists, committed to producing top notch theatre in Hollywood.”

(Loosely) Lysistrata is mounted in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave., one block away. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited.

Dead Beat Poets Society: Beach Blanket Bingo

Write Act Repertory welcomes back the Dead Beat Poets Society, this time for a little summer fun! Beach Blanket Bingo will feature some of the company’s top performers showcasing their performance skills as they tackle lyrics to some of the best summer-themed songs in rock and roll history…dead beat poetry style! That’s right, there’s no singing here, but rather a serious (and hilarious) “reading” of songs with sunshine, beaches and Summer Lovin! Think William Shatner meets the Beach Boys or Mike Myers (So I Married an Axe Murderer) does Summertime Blues. Plus, Write Act Repertory will actually run an interactive game of bingo with audience members during the performance, featuring a variety of prizes!

(Off Vine - Two Blocks East of the Historic Landmark Capitol Records Building).

Refreshments included (refreshments may be taken into the air-conditioned theatre).

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Announce the World Premiere of Peril: Noir as Part of Its 2007 Spotlight Series.

Write Act Repertory presents an evening of murder, mystery, mayhem … and miscommunication, directed by Write Act Rep members. The world premiere of Peril: Noir, which features four shorts with a Film Noir feel, will run from March 15-24 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the newly refurbished Write Act Repertory Theatre.

Write Act Rep's Spotlight Series shines again on its mission to the development of theatre artists in the Los Angeles community. The Spotlight Series is dedicated to new directors showing the potential, focus and dedication needed to promote the vision of stronger author voices needed in Los Angeles theatre. This program works in conjunction with Write Act Rep's Writer's Lab and Improv Lab. The latest installment, Peril: Noir features Paul Eppleston directing both Loose Ends and Along Comes Mary from Harry Shannon, Carlos Martinez directing My Heaven, Your Hell by Lorenzo Buford and acclaimed director Bennett Cohon directing Finders Keepers by Hindi Brooks.

"I am pleased that the ensemble wanted to develop a program like this," said Producing Artistic Director John Lant. "I ran a successful program at my last two theatre companies, in which we developed over 40 plays with 17 new directors. Some of these directors have gone on to do film and television. I was lucky enough to be chosen to work at CBS RADFORD in a two-year program designed for new directors where I was able to work with Howard Storm, and hopefully I have provided a sliver of leeway and the environment of safety I was given. I am pleased to present these directors as new creative visionaries to the Los Angeles theatre community."

Peril: Noir is mounted in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave., one block away. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments included. Reservations are recommended.

Contact: Jim Martyka

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce Write Act Repertory's Spotlight Series Compass Points - New Directors Series. Direction by Susannah Myrvold, Greg Crafts, Colleen Reilly, Tracy Peyton This world premiere event features Los Angeles theatre artists performing as part of Write Act Rep's 2006-2007 Season. Produced by John Lant & Write Act Repertory Company.

Write Act Repertory's Spotlight Series Compass Points - New Directors Series.

Write Act Repertory presents a dramatic evening of new directorial artistry with Write Act Rep's acting fellows. This world premiere will be opening Monday December 11, 2006 through and Wednesday January 17, 2007 at 8pm. Performances will be in the wonderfully refurbished Write Act Rep Theatre with outdoor patio reception area, on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave., one block away. The theatre is air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Reservations are recommended. Concessions available. Produced by John Lant and Write Act Repertory.

Write Act Rep's Spotlight Series shines again on our mission to the development of theatre artists in the Los Angeles community. The New Director Series is dedicated to new directors showing the potential, focus and dedication needed to promote the vision of stronger author voices needed in Los Angeles theatre. This program works in conjunction with Write Act Rep's Writer's Lab and Improv Lab. This show features the directorial artistry of Greg Crafts, Susannah Myrvold, Tracy Peyton, and Colleen Reilly with the written works of The Call by Willard Manus, Q.E.D. by Lisa K. Wyatt, Happy Hour by Jim Blanchette, and The Human Chair by Joan Silsby, respectively.

"I am pleased that the ensemble wanted to develop a program like this," states Producing Artistic Director John Lant. "I ran a successful program at my last two theatre companies, in which we developed over 40 plays with 17 new directors. Some of these directors have gone on to do film and television. I was lucky enough to be chosen to work at CBS RADFORD in a two-year program designed for new directors for TV. Even though I had shot films, commercials, and music videos, television 3- camera format was very different. I was lucky enough to work with Howard Storm, and hopefully I have provided a sliver of leeway and of the environment of safety I was given. I am pleased to present these directors as new creative visionaries to the Los Angeles theatre community."

December 11, 2006 through January 17, 2007. All shows at 8pm. Mondays and Tuesdays @ 8pm.

*Special added performance on Wednesday January 17 @ 8pm to raise money for this important programming to Los Angeles Theatre.

Tickets may be purchased at (323) 469-3113. For further information please check our website at www. writeactrep.org or with our press contact Jim Martyka at 818-497-3701.

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce the revival of the comedy/mystery The Devil's Bride as the next show of Write Act Repertory’s 2006-2007 Main Stage Season.

Write Act Repertory Company presents an Elizabethan fantasy, The Devil's Bride — the sequel to William Shakespeare's classic Much Ado About Nothing as the next show in its 2006-2007 Main Stage Season. The Devil's Bride will run from Dec. 7-16, 2006 and Jan. 11-20, 2007, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Directed by Jim Blanchette and written by Joan Silsby, The Devil’s Bride marks the revival of this successful world premiere at the newly refurbished Write Act Repertory Theatre.

The Devil's Bride, a romantic comedy-mystery, takes place a week after the events in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with the villainous Don John the Bastard still languishing in Messina's jail after attempting to thwart his rival's wedding. Don John is given a chance to redeem himself…if he consents to marry Signore Benedick's sister, Allegra. But Lady Allegra is under a Gypsy curse. She has already been engaged three times, and all three of her intended grooms have died before reaching the altar. Will Don John be next?

"I'm excited that we found this talented author in our midst; first as a patron and then as a new artist in residence,” said Producing Artistic Director John Lant. “I read her book of the same title and knew that it had to be a play. Development of any new project, adaptation or new work, is one of the most fascinating aspects of the theatre. Whether you are the writer, director, actor or on the design team, there is a delicate balance that a producer must create for the nurturing of each discipline so that no piece of the puzzle outweighs the strengths of the other…especially when producing a sequel to one of the greatest plays from one of our greatest playwrights. I admittedly love the mission statement of Write Act Repertory and the ensemble of artists that have the guts to take this journey. I am sure you will be as impressed as I am."

The Devil’s Bride is mounted in the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Repertory Theatre on the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave., one block away. The theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Refreshments included. Reservations are recommended.

JOAN SILSBY (Writer) is a native of Washington, D.C. who escaped the cold, wet winters by moving to Los Angeles, and who has no intention of going back. In 1996, she began her association with John Lant by stage managing The Jewel Box Theatre's production of Eight Part Harmony. Joan published the novelization of The Devil's Bride in 2004; she adapted the novel as a play the following year. She has written one screenplay, is working on two more and has also written three plays for Write Act Repertory; The Blue Mule, The Human Chair and The Devil's Bride. Joan can be found on-line at www.ZombieQueen.com. Her website features her stories, a portfolio of her Photoshop, Flash and traditional artwork and a web comic starring her undead alter-ego, the Zombie Queen.

JIM BLANCHETTE (Director) has primarily worked as an actor for the last twenty years. Jim gladly returns to the director's chair for The Devil's Bride. Jim recently directed Power in the Blood, the critically acclaimed hit for the award-winning Alliance Repertory Company. Jim directed Martini Shots at the Matrix Theatre in 2002, as well as An Evening for the Dear Departed at the Jewel Box Theatre Center. Also at the JBTC, Jim was the co-director of The Last Laugh, the story of the infamous trial of Fatty Arbuckle. Other directing credits include an original version of Peter Pan that he co-wrote with Jewel Box producer John Lant at the Melodrama in Bakersfield, The Magic Flute at his alma mater, South Dakota State University and touring productions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Jim also wrote, directed and musically directed Capers at SDSU, a campus variety show with a cast of over 100 singers, dancers and actors. Jim currently coaches at The Garage, offering affordable acting craft training in “The Mechanics of Believability,” the tried and true acting techniques of Lieux Dressler. As an actor, Jim starred in the festival film Twinkle Toes with Sally Kirkland, co-starred on the television movie Jane Doe: The Wrong Face, and has appeared in numerous commercials. Los Angeles theatre audiences may remember Jim as a delusional super-hero in The Further Adventures of Captain Neato-Man, a tyrannical farmer in Mr. Jacob's Farm and a homicidal couch potato in Your Taxe$ at Work, all at the Jewel Box Theatre, as well his saucy performance as Queen Elizabeth II in Chuck and Di: The Tabloid Musical! at the Long Beach Playhouse. An accomplished writer, Jim has written several plays, including the award-winning one-act play Happy Hour, a black comedy soon to be performed at the Write Act Repertory Theatre. Jim wrote the book, the lyrics and co-wrote the music for a full-length musical version of Rumplestiltskin. Jim's first feature film script is in the process of securing its financing and Jim is busily completing his second and third feature scripts.

JOHN LANT (Producing Artistic Director) is a 26-year veteran in the entertainment industry and has been involved in over five hundred television, film and theatrical productions as a creative entity and/or production manager. John professionally apprenticed at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and in New York with the Lincoln Center, Julliard, Carnegie Hall, Circle Rep, Circle in the Square, WPA, Hudson Guild and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He participated on several national tours including Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Singin' in the Rain, One Mo' Time, Gypsy and Aeros. He has worked with such musical touring artists as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Morris Day, Canadian Brass, and The Irish Rovers. John is an award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting and set designer in New York and Los Angeles with over three hundred productions to his credit. His productions have played at Cal Arts, The Odyssey, Ivy Substation, Powerhouse, Glendale Center, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, the Jewel Box Theatres and Write Act Repertory, garnering ten Dramalogue awards, twenty-five Diamond awards, one ADA Award, over twenty LA Weekly awards, Garland, ADA, NAACP, Ethel Casey nominations and several LA Weekly and Backstage Picks of the Week & Recommends. He received a California Service Award from the State Legislature for his Community Outreach and Service to the Arts in 2000 and recently received Award of Excellence in Direction in Long Beach. John is on Several Boards for the Arts including Grow and Learn Inc., American Indian Scholarship Fund, California Public Interest, L.C. and is the President of The Little Company L.L.C. He is a member of IFP West, Theatre LA, Interlochen Alumni Association, International Association of Jazz Educators Senior Staff, the National Tony Award voters and ALAP. He is the Artistic Director of JBTC Productions and the Producing Artistic Director of Write Act Repertory and Hollywood Civic Light Opera in Los Angeles.

Wil Bowers, Sarah Brown, Paul Eppleston, Redetha Deason, Sean Fitzgerald, Wendy Gough, Lilo Grunwald, Jonathan Harrison, Phillip Kelly, Carlos Martinez, Jenn Scuderi, Randy Springer, Matthew St. James and Kate Van De Goor.

Dead Beat Poets Society - 80's in Verse

EVENT TITLE:

Dead Beat Poets Society - 80's in Verse

Fundraising Event. Fun-filled interactive evening of expressionistic spoken word using 1980's song lyrics. You choose the song. You choose the beat. Write Act Rep will provide the forum, the mic, and the bongo. Bring your beret; bring your shades and your favorite coffee cup for an unlimited caffeine fix. Prizes will be given out throughout the evening.

Refreshments included with Open Bar and unlimited fun in an air-conditioned theatre. Refreshments may be taken in the theatre.

Full priced tax-deductible tickets of $20 will include a 1980's album of your choice from our record bin.

Or E-mail: www.writeactrep.org

John Lant is a 25-year veteran in the entertainment industry and has been involved in over five hundred television, film and theatrical productions as a creative entity and/or production manager. John professionally apprenticed at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and in New York with the Lincoln Center, Julliard, Carnegie Hall, Circle Rep, Circle in the Square, WPA, Hudson Guild and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He participated on several national tours including Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Singin' in the Rain, One Mo' Time, Gypsy and Aeros. He has worked with such musical touring artists as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and The Beach Boys. John is an award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting and set designer in New York and Los Angeles. His productions have garnered ten Dramalogue awards, twenty-five Diamond awards, one ADA Award, over twenty LA Weekly awards. He received a California Service Award from the State Legislature for his Community Outreach and Service to the Arts in 2000 and recently received the Award of Excellence in Direction in Long Beach. John is on Several Boards for the Arts and is the President of The Little Company L.L.C. He is a member of IFP West, Theatre LA, Interlochen Alumni Association, International Association of Jazz Educators Senior Staff, the National Tony Award voters and ALAP. He is the Artistic Director of JBTC Productions and the Producing Artistic Director of Write Act Repertory and Hollywood Civic Light Opera in Los Angeles.

The Write Act Repertory Company is a membership-based organization whose member Writers, Actors, Directors, and Artists–in-Residence dedicate themselves to development and production of original plays, lesser known works by established writers, as well as adaptations and musicals. Currently, the Write Act Repertory Company's resident professional playwrights create original scripts developed exclusively for the resident professional actors, directors, designers, and artists-in-residence. Along with our repertory season, Write Act enriches the lives of the multi-cultural community of Los Angeles through our outreach programs with several other non-profit organizations, creating a positive educational and artistic impact within the community.

Write Act Repertory and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce the second installment of the 2006-2007 Main Stage Season with the Los Angeles Premiere of the dark comedy The Justice Box.

Write Act Repertory presents The Justice Box as part of the opening of its 2006-2007 Main Stage Season. This Los Angeles Premiere will run October 23^rd through November 14th, Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Directed by Matt Popham, written by Michael Robert David and produced by John Lant, The Justice Box opens alongside the World Premiere of the dark drama Uncle Vampire at the newly refurbished Write Act Repertory Theatre.

In this dark comedy, a young man named JULES is challenged by the government man, LE DIX, to carry his uncle's prized family legacy, the blade of a guillotine - Lady Justice, the secret Executioner's weapon of choice. Jules, a revolutionist himself, is given three tasks by the government before he can refuse to continue the "terrible" role of putting to death enemies of the state as his family has done for the last 150 years. He must carry the blade with him at all times, meet the beautiful daughter of the recently assassinated President and face the accused in a prison cell. Will he stand firm to his beliefs or be swayed by the sweet soothing sounds of Lady Justice and her swift resolutions to a complicated world?

This play deals with mature issues and has some strong language and sexually imagery.

“I wanted the rep season to start with productions that came out of the gates like a shot," said Producing Artistic Director John Lant. "Uncle Vampire and The Justice Box are two completely different plays that are a nice compliment to bringing immediate theatre to the Los Angeles Community. Mr. Davis has a prolific history of plays that are socially poignant across time. This play was written 36 years ago, and I was amazed at the relevance of his attitudes toward social change and politics versus what the government is supposed to represent."

"That's right," confirmed Director Matt Popham. "The political and philosophical conflicts at the heart of the play have a surprising contemporary relevance and resonance. Though some of these characters are extreme, and their ideas are seductive and convincing, the play should never take a definite side."

"That is why I like the play,” Lant said. "We let the audience decide after the play whether they agreed with the conclusion."

The Justice Box is mounted at the beautifully rebuilt Write Act Theatre at St. Stephens Episcopal Church campus, located at 6128 Yucca, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101 Freeway. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave, one block away. Write Act Theatre, which features an outdoor patio reception area, is both air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Concessions are available. Reservations are recommended.

Tickets are $15, with $10 Senior, Student, Group and Union tickets available. Refreshments included. Tickets may be reserved at (323) 469-3113. For further information please check our website at www.writeactrep.org or contact Jim Martyka (818) 497-3701.

Matt Popham is thrilled to make his Write Act Rep debut, directing Michael Robert David's The Justice Box. A New Orleans native, Matt began his directing career at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts as co-director of a staged production of John Dos Passos' U.S.A. Trilogy. He went on to direct productions of American Buffalo, Oleanna, and his own short play The Phallic Jigsaw. A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, he has also directed several short films and continues to write for film and television, but claims the stage as his first love. An active member of the West Coast Ensemble, he most recently directed a production of Jon Haller's Duel, and is a founding member of WCE's Black Box Committee, which specializes in minimalist, experimental productions of published works.

John Lant is a 25-year veteran in the entertainment industry and has been involved in over five hundred television, film, and theatrical productions as a creative entity and/or production manager. John professionally apprenticed at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, and in New York with the Lincoln Center, Julliard, Carnegie Hall, Circle Rep, Circle in the Square, WPA, Hudson Guild and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He participated on several national tours including Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Singin' in the Rain, One Mo' Time, Gypsy and Aeros. He has worked with such musical touring artists as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Morris Day, Canadian Brass, and The Irish Rovers. John is an award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting and set designer, in New York and Los Angeles with over three hundred productions to his credit. His productions have played at Cal Arts, The Odyssey, Ivy Substation, Powerhouse, Glendale Center, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, the Jewel Box Theatres, and Write Act Repertory, garnering ten Dramalogue awards, twenty-five Diamond awards, one ADA Award, over twenty LA Weekly. Garland, ADA, NAACP, Ethel Casey nominations and several LA Weekly and Backstage Picks of the Week & Recommends, with his past associations. He received a California Service Award from the State Legislature for his Community Outreach and Service to the Arts in 2000 and recently received Award of Excellence in Direction in Long Beach. John is on Several Boards for the Arts including Grow and Learn Inc., American Indian Scholarship Fund, California Public Interest, L.C. and is the President of The Little Company L.L.C. He is a member of IFP West, Theatre LA, Interlochen Alumni Association, International Association of Jazz Educators Senior Staff, the National Tony Award voters, and ALAP. He is the Artistic Director of JBTC Productions, and the Producing Artistic Director of Write Act Repertory and Hollywood Civic Light Opera in Los Angeles.

Rising from the ashes…literally…The Write Act Repertory Company is back, continuing its quest of producing original plays, lesser known works and adaptations with a renewed spirit and some of Southern California’s top talent.

The company, which recently finished a showcase of original one-acts, including Hamlet VI, The Blue Mule and a “Spotlight Series” featuring creative works by J.M. Kessler, is preparing for its fall season, which will include an original One-Act Festival as well as the world premiere of the dramatic Uncle Vampire, the West Coast premiere of The Justice Box and the reopening of The Devil’s Bride, the witty sequel to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

“We bring a New York attitude to our theatre company in the sense that as soon as one show is done, we want the next to go up immediately,” said Producing Artistic Director John Lant. “We want them running continuously so our patrons can keep coming back. Many theatre companies spend a lot of time talking about putting up a show. We all work together to do it, do it often and do it well. That’s what a true ensemble does…everyone pitches in and does their part and the result is some fantastic theatre.”

Write Act Rep’s season starts with the world premiere of Uncle Vampire, a stylized drama that explores the tough subject of child abuse. The show, directed by Bennett Cohon and adapted by Edward Mast from a book by Cynthia Grant, runs Thursdays through Saturdays from Oct. 5^th to November 4^th at Write Act Repertory Theatre, 6128 Yucca Ave. in Hollywood. This eagerly anticipated show, which showcases some of the company’s top talent, marks a triumphant return for a company.

Write Act Rep almost fell apart in 2005 after a fire tore through the St. Stephens Church Sanctuary. The church had to move into the large Parish Hall, where Write Act Rep resided, completely halting the theatrical schedule. After the church returned to the Sanctuary, the rebuilding process was launched on the theatre space. More than a year of refurbishing has led to one of L.A.’s most beautiful 99-seat Equity waiver theatres with a huge, flexible stage, comfortable modular seating, state-of--the-art theatrical equipment and the all-important air conditioning.

“After the fire, we knew it was going to be an uphill battle to start over again,” Lant said. “We made it our mission to finish the space and come back artistically even stronger and make an impact on the local theatre scene and that’s what we’re doing. We’ve been re-energized by the new space and a new attitude and it’s showing in the work.”

Write Act Rep is a membership-based organization whose writers, actors, directors and artists-in-residence dedicate themselves to the development and production of original plays, lesser known works by established writers, as well as adaptations, musicals and the work of up and coming playwrights.

Write Act Rep produces a series of Main Stage plays, as well as developmental works and a more academic approach with Writers, Directors, Acting and Business Labs. The Main Stage Series explores the potential theatrical boundaries of theatre though the written word, Lant said.

“The plays chosen for the Main Stage, like Uncle Vampire, provide both depth in message and quality entertainment,” he said. “Centering on the development of our audiences, we reach out to enrich a new type of sophisticated theatre-goer with programming targeted to bring them back not only to our venue but to theaters in the Los Angeles Community.”

Lant, described as the "Roger Corman of Los Angeles Theatre," is leading this theatrical adventure. A 25 year veteran of film, television and theatre, he has developed, produced, directed, theatrically managed, and designed over 200 plays, garnering several awards and nominations including 10 DramaLogue Awards. He has extensively toured internationally over the years with productions including Evita, Gypsy, Phantom of the Opera and Singin' in the Rain. He has developed, produced and directed television pilots, commercials, music videos, films and XM Radio’s New Frequency-Theatre of the Mind, along with productions at many of L.A.¹s most prominent theatres, including Cal Arts, Odyssey, Glendale Center, Ivy Substation, Jewel Box Theatre Center, Powerhouse and Long Beach Playhouse. He has been honored with two State of California Legislative Service Awards for Service in the Arts in 2000 and 2001 and took over Write Act Rep in 2003.

Write Act Rep continues to look ahead to the upcoming season and beyond with its step-by-step theatre program that not only keeps actors and writers continually working and developing, but also provides patrons with a glimpse into the development of a project. Its part of a revolutionary system the company has adopted with great success, Lant said.

And it doesn’t have to be full-length shows. Write Act Rep is also committed to providing diverse entertainment, such as cabaret shows, monologue performances, poetry readings and even upcoming dance, concert and improv projects. That’s the nature of an ensemble that features a wide range of actors in age, culture and experience.

It also doesn’t hurt when the company’s Board of Advisors includes such names as Sir Ian McKellan, Debbie Reynolds, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Cybill Shepherd and many more.

Still, much of Write Act Rep’s success has been lead by Lant, who continues to work with his members to generate ideas and a vision for the future. He is toying with a number of ideas, including a “flex pass” that would cost around $50 and would give patrons access to four shows…regardless of the price of admission. He is also exploring a new production named As the Globe Turns, the Further Adventures of Dogberry and Verges as they solve mysteries throughout the Shakespeare universe, ala Shaggy and Scooby-Do.

“We’re always trying to look for something unique and special that we can do here, both on and off the stage,” Lant said. “We want to get people talking about the amazing things we’re doing here and we want them to come back again and again.”

Write Act Repertory-Spotlight Series with 3 Creative Works written by Joan Kessler,

Write Act Repertory Company and Producing Artistic Director John Lant proudly announce the next installment of the Write Act Repertory-Spotlight Series with 3 Creative Works written by Joan Kessler, opening up the Fall 2006 Season.

Write Act Repertory Company presents 3 Creative Works written by Joan Kessler, as part of the opening of the Write Act Repertory's Fall 2006 Season. The Spotlight Series is designed to feature solo performers or a canon of works by an individual writer. Past solo Spotlight Series performers included " Ben Livingston's "Star Trek, Indiana," Wendy Gough's "The Divine Madness of Isabella," and Bill Rutkowski's " Christ is the answer…but what is the question." This production of Joan Kessler's three works, "Have a Nice Day," "A Rose by any Other Name, " and " The Table of the Heart," are the first plays produced together in an evening. Upcoming Spotlight Series writers will include Graham Barnard, Willard Manus, Walter Olkewicz, Javier Mulero, and Paul Casey.

This Write Act Repertory-Spotlight Series premiere of 3 Creative Works written by Joan Kessler - "Have a Nice Day," "A Rose by any Other Name, " and " The Table of the Heart," will run from Thursday September 7th through Saturday September 9th, 2006 and the following week Friday September 15 through Sunday September 17th, 2006. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances will be at 8pm, with a special Sunday September 17th performance at 3pm., with a total of six performances across two weeks.

The production is mounted at the wonderfully refurbished Write Act Theater with an outdoor patio reception area, at Saint Stephens Episcopal Church campus. Located at 6128 Yucca, two blocks east of the famous Capitol Records building, near Gower and Franklin, off the 101. Free ample parking is located in the lower church parking lot at 6125 Carlos Ave, one block away. The theater is air-conditioned and heated. Seating is limited. Reservations are recommended. Concessions available. Written by Joan Kessler. Directed by Jim Blanchette and Tchia Casselle. Produced by John Lant and Write Act Repertory.

3 Creative Works written by Joan Kessler, include two one-act plays and one radio-styled drama.

Three "retailers" try to discover the intent of a mysterious customer who has made them open their bosses' shop on time and demands customer service excellence.

(Written and Chosen for XM Radio Program New Frequency - Theatre of the Mind - Sonic Theatre Station 163)

Two brothers drive to their Mother's house on the anniversary of their adoption, reliving some of "Mom's Greatest Moments."

A woman's attempt to restore a romantic future with her husband on their anniversary is interrupted by a man with a recycling bin.

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: write them upon the table of thine heart."

"I'm excited that this talented author has been associated with my Los Angeles theatrical projects for the last 8 years", states Producing Artistic Director John Lant. "I am proud to produce Ms. Kessler's plays that have gone through a development process with my resident companies of the Los Angeles Playwrights Group and New Frequency - Theatre of the Mind, a #1 rated radio show for XM Radio. I am pleased that Write Act Rep is involved in the next step of this process. I admittedly love the mission statement of Write Act Rep and our ensemble of artists, and welcome the opportunity as we forge ahead with Ms. Kessler, continuing to bring the Los Angeles community great theatre."

Thursday, September 7 @ 8pm; Friday, September 8 @ 8pm; Saturday, September 9 @ 8pm;

Tickets are $10, with $8 Senior, Student, Group and Union tickets available. Tickets may be reserved at (323) 469-3113. For further information please check our website at www.writeactrep.org or contact Michelle Tolan at 213-841-6561.

Wil Bowers, Spenser Coates, Gregory Crafts, Paul Eppelston, Jim Martyka, Erica Mesirov, Susannah Myrvold, Sarah Quam, and Kenny Selinger.

Joan M Kessler’s first play, "Have A Nice Day", was the result of the Playwright’s Workshop headed by the Los Angeles Playwrights Group's Paul Casey. It was first produced at the Jewel Box Theatre Center in Hollywood, and went on the win the Diamond Award for Best Short Play of 2000 at the Center. Her second play, "The Tin Heart", won the same award the following year, and in 2004 she penned the radio play, "A Rose By Any Other Name", for New Frequency - A Theatre of the Mind. Ms. Kessler is the recipient of both the Golden Poet (1989) and Silver Poet (1990) Awards from World of Poetry, Sacramento CA. Ms. Kessler lives in Colorado Springs, CO.

JIM BLANCHETTE (Director - The Table of the Heart) primarily works as an actor for the last twenty years, Jim gladly returns to the director's chair for The Devil's Bride. Jim recently directed Power in the Blood, the critically acclaimed hit for the award winning Alliance Repertory Company. Jim directed Martini Shots at the Matrix Theatre in 2002, as well as An Evening for the Dear Departed at the Jewel Box Theatre Center. Also at the JBTC, Jim was the co-director of The Last Laugh, the story of the infamous trial of Fatty Arbuckle. Other directing credits include an original version of Peter Pan that he co-wrote with Jewel Box producer John Lant at the Melodrama in Bakersfield, The Magic Flute at his alma mater, South Dakota State University and touring productions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Jim also wrote, directed and musical directed Capers at SDSU, a campus variety show with a cast of over 100 singers, dancers and actors. Jim currently coaches at The Garage, offering affordable acting craft training in The Mechanics of Believability, the tried and true acting techniques of Lieux Dressler. As an actor, Jim portrayed the starring role in the festival film Twinkle Toes with Sally Kirkland, co-starred on the television movie "Jane Doe: The Wrong Face," and has appeared in numerous commercials. LA theatre audiences may remember Jim as a delusional super-hero in The Further Adventures of Captain Neato-Man, a tyrannical farmer in Mr. Jacob's Farm and a homicidal couch potato in Your Taxe$ at Work, all at the Jewel Box Theatre, as well his saucy performance as Queen Elizabeth II in Chuck and Di: The Tabloid Musical! at the Long Beach Playhouse. An accomplished writer, Jim has written several plays, including the award winning one-act play Happy Hour, a black comedy soon to be read at the Write Act Theatre. As well as the afore-mentioned Peter Pan, Jim wrote the book, the lyrics and co-wrote the music for a full-length musical version of Rumplestiltskin. Jim's first feature film script is in the process of securing its financing and Jim is busily completing his second and third feature scripts.

TCHIA CASSELLE (Director - Have A Nice Day) Tchia is a native Californian originally from the Bay area where she studied at San Francisco State University and American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She has acted and directed in many productions from San Francisco to New York and Los Angeles, and has now found a home here at Write Act. Tchia won a DramaLogue and L.A. Weekly Award for her performance in White Biting Dog, by Judith Thompson.

JOHN LANT (Producing Artistic Director- Write Act Repertory) is a 25-year veteran in the entertainment industry and has been involved in over five hundred television, film, and theatrical productions as a creative entity and/or production manager. John professionally apprenticed at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, and in New York with the Lincoln Center, Julliard, Carnegie Hall, Circle Rep, Circle in the Square, WPA, Hudson Guild and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He participated on several national tours including Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Singin' in the Rain, One Mo' Time, Gypsy and Aeros. He has worked with such musical touring artists as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Morris Day, Canadian Brass, and The Irish Rovers. John is an award-winning producer, director, writer, lighting and set designer, in New York and Los Angeles with over three hundred productions to his credit. His productions have played at Cal Arts, The Odyssey, Ivy Substation, Powerhouse, Glendale Center, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, the Jewel Box Theatres, and Write Act Repertory, garnering ten Dramalogue awards, twenty-five Diamond awards, one ADA Award, over twenty LA Weekly. Garland, ADA, NAACP, Ethel Casey nominations and several LA Weekly and Backstage Picks of the Week & Recommends, with his past associations. He received a California Service Award from the State Legislature for his Community Outreach and Service to the Arts in 2000 and recently received Award of Excellence in Direction in Long Beach. John is on Several Boards for the Arts including Grow and Learn Inc., American Indian Scholarship Fund, California Public Interest, L.C. and is the President of The Little Company L.L.C. He is a member of IFP West, Theatre LA, Interlochen Alumni Association, International Association of Jazz Educators Senior Staff, the National Tony Award voters, and ALAP. He is the Artistic Director of JBTC Productions, and the Producing Artistic Director of Write Act Repertory and Hollywood Civic Light Opera in Los Angeles.

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

How Katrina Plays – Mainstage Event

Visit: www.howkatrinaplays.org or www.writeactrep.org

Immediate Release – Hollywood – July 1, 2009

PRESS CONTACT: Robert Beiderman info@robertbeiderman.com (917) 554-5897

Write Act Rep Calendar Listing

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

Squeezing Lemons – A Tribute for the US Armed Forces

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Rep Calendar Listing

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

Book, Music and Lyrics Series … KARMA – the Musical

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, and the Valley

Spring 2009 Mainstage event – William Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Press Release Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, and the Valley

Visit: www.hollywoodciviclightopera.com or www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock,

Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood and the Valley

October 2008 Halloween Event – Gruesome Hotel

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and the Valley

November 2008 Freeway Series Event – …Of All Places

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood, The Westside and The Valley

Mainstage 2008 Season Event

A Company of Wayward Saints

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank,

West Hollywood and The Valley

May 2008 Black Box Series Event – Reservations for 2

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Burbank, West Hollywood and The Valley

Main Stage Show – Juana

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Calendar Listing Request:

Theatre Areas: Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Burbank, West Hollywood and The Valley

Improv Comedy Lab – Improvable Cause

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Main Stage Show – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Write Act Repertory Play Selection – Comfort Food Series

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Dead Beat Poets Society: Beach Blanket Bingo

Visit: www.writeactrep.org

Contact: Jim Martyka

Dead Beat Poets Society - 80's in Verse

EVENT TITLE:

Dead Beat Poets Society - 80's in Verse

Or E-mail: www.writeactrep.org