Aurora Theatre Co To Open Season With 'Best Man'  Just in time for the fall election, Berkeley’s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company opens its 17th season with Gore Vidal’s fascinating political nail-biter THE BEST MAN. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross helms this seminal satirical political drama, called “elegant and damnably entertaining” by The New Yorker, starring Tim Kniffin, Charles Shaw Robinson, and Charles Dean, and featuring Elizabeth Benedict; Michael Cassidy; Jackson Davis; Deb Fink; Michael Patrick Gaffney; and Emily Talbot. THE BEST MAN plays August 22 through September 28 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets and information ($28-50) the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. Due to the historic nature of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, which closes on Aurora Theatre Company’s opening night performance of THE BEST MAN on August 28, there will be a special early curtain time of 7pm; a special post-show reception and screening of the Democratic nomination acceptance speech will be shown in the theatre immediately following the performance. Shedding light on some of the issues surrounding today’s bid for the White House, THE BEST MAN is a timely morality tale that takes place during a national political convention. Two front runners vie for a political party nomination and one of them will almost certainly be the next President of the United States. Each candidate is in possession of some serious mud to sling and each has to decide just how dirty to play the game. Written with the deep insight of a true political insider (Vidal ran for Congress in 1960, the same year he penned THE BEST MAN), this witty, sophisticated play, hailed as “Gore Vidal’s best play” by New York Magazine, calls into question public versus private morals and captures the seemingly incompatible virtues of being a good person while being a good politician. Aurora Theatre Company has assembled an extraordinary ensemble for THE BEST MAN. Charles Shaw Robinson returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Secretary William Russell in THE BEST MAN; he most recently appeared in the Company’s acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (directed by Tom Ross), as well as productions of The Persians, The Weir, and The Mystery of Irma Vep. Additional credits include productions at American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Magic Theatre, and California Shakespeare Theatre, among others. Tim Kniffin returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Senator Joseph Cantwell in THE BEST MAN. He previously appeared in the Company’s critically lauded production of Permanent Collection. Additional credits include Summer and Smoke, directed by Lee Sankowich, at Center REPertory, and Betrayal and A Streetcar Named Desire at Pacific Alliance. Charles Dean returns to Aurora Theatre Company as President Hockstader in THE BEST MAN. Dean previously appeared at Aurora Theatre Company in Hysteria, Private Jokes, Public Places, The Price, The Entertainer, and The Philanderer. A 20-year company member and associate artist at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Dean has acted in more than 80 productions, and has performed at American Conservatory Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Old Globe Theatre, San Jose Repertory, Marin Theatre Company, and Magic Theatre, among others. Emilie Talbot returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Alice Russell. She most recently appeared in the Company’s production of The Trojan Women and has been featured in productions at American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Mark Taper Forum, among others. Deb Fink makes her Aurora debut as Mabel Cantwell; additional credits include productions at Thick House, where she was featured in Dead Mother, Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, SF Playhouse, Center REPertory, and Playwrights Horizons. Also featured in THE BEST MAN is Jackson Davis as Sheldon Marcus; credits include productions at TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, and American Conservatory Theatre. Elizabeth Benedict (Aurora Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, A Traveling Jewish Theatre), Michael Cassidy (42nd Street Moon, Mountain Play), and Michael Patrick Gaffney (Thick House, 42nd Street Moon) round out the cast. For six decades, Gore Vidal has explored a wide variety of sociopolitical, sexual, historical, and literary themes. A novelist, essayist, playwright, and provocateur, Vidal was born in 1925 with high political and social connections: his father worked for the Roosevelt administration, his maternal grandfather was Senator Thomas Prior Gore of Oklahoma, and his mother married Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr., who became the stepfather of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy; Vidal is a fifth cousin of Jimmy Carter, and a distant cousin of former Vice President Al Gore. As a political activist, Vidal was the Democratic candidate for Congress (running as Eugene Gore) in 1960. Gore Vidal began his writing career at the age of 19 with the publication of the military novel Williwaw, based upon his Alaskan Harbor Detachment duty. A few years later, his novel The City and the Pillar caused a furor for its presentation of homosexuality. In the early 1950s, he produced three mystery novels under the pseudonym “Edgar Box;” he was also hired as a contract screenwriter for Metro Goldwyn Mayer. In the 1960s, Vidal wrote three highly successful novels, Julian (1964), which dealt with the apostate Roman emperor, Washington, D.C. (1967), which focused on a political family during the Franklin D. Roosevelt era, and the satirical comedy Myra Breckinridge (1968). After the novel Two Sisters (1970), Vidal focused on essays and fiction dealing with American history and the nature of national politics; he won the National Book Award for his collection of essays United States (1952–1992). Two plays, Visit to a Small Planet (1957) and THE BEST MAN (1960) were both Broadway and film successes. Other plays include On the March to the Sea (1960–1961, 2005); Romulus (1962); Drawing Room Comedy (1970); and An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972). Additionally, Vidal penned the screen plays for The Catered Affair (1956), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Ben Hur (1959), and THE BEST MAN (1964). Vidal’s recent critiques of American expansionism, the military-industrial complex, and the current administration include the pamphlets Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta, and Imperial America. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross inaugurated Aurora Theatre Company with Barbara Oliver in 1992. He has directed 18 productions for the Company, including last season’s hit production of Mae West’s SEX, The Birthday Party, Blue/Orange, Betrayal, and Lobby Hero, which went on to be presented as a co-production between Aurora Theatre Company, Jonathan Reinis, Inc., and the Napa Valley Opera House. For Aurora Theatre Company, Ross has also directed acclaimed productions of The Shape of Things, The Entertainer, The Weir, Death Defying Acts, The Homecoming, Abigail’s Party, The Mystery of Irma Vep (co-directed with Danny Scheie), and The Aspern Papers, among others. He also wrote and directed A Karen Carpenter Christmas in both San Francisco and Seattle. Prior to coming to the Bay Area, he worked for eight years at New York’s Public Theatre as Executive Assistant to Joseph Papp and as co-Director of Play and Musical Development. While in New York, Ross also penned the book adaptation of the New York Drama Desk nominated musical Up Against It, based upon Joe Orton’s screenplay for The Beatles. Following THE BEST MAN, Aurora Theatre Company continues its 17th season in October with THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, George Bernard Shaw’s comedy set during the American Revolution, directed by Aurora Theatre Company founding Artistic Director Barbara Oliver, followed by the West Coast Premiere of George Packer’s provocative recent Off-Broadway hit BETRAYED in January. Mark Jackson, who directed Aurora Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of Salome, returns to the Company to helm August Strindberg’s MISS JULIE in April. Bob Glaudini’s unconventional romantic comedy JACK GOES BOATING, directed by Joy Carlin, rounds out the season in June. Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theatre. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company has been called “one of the most important regional theaters in the area” by the San Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has “nothing but praise for the Aurora.” The Contra Costa Times stated, “perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close,” while the San Jose Mercury News affirmed “[Aurora Theatre Company] lives up to its reputation as a theater that feeds the mind,” and the Oakland Tribune declared “it’s all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora.”   Babalu-cy-the art of Desi Arnaz Award-winning producers, Michael & Barbara Ross, will present the 2008 Back Stage Bistro Award Winning GREG PURNHAGEN in BABALU-CY – the art of Desi Arnaz, Off-Broadway, at the Actors Temple Theater, beginning August 23rd. Conceived & written by GREG PURNHAGEN, BABALU-CY takes a look at Arnaz' career from his tremendous success as a bandleader/singer to his relationship with America's favorite red-head. Complete with a seven-piece Latin band led by Musical Director/Arranger David Cook, BABALU-CY is directed by Leonard Peters. GREG PURNHAGEN was born in Manhattan & raised on Long Island in Massapequa Park, where he did not know Jerry Seinfeld, the Baldwin Brothers or Joey Buttafuoco. A classically-trained singer (NYU, Mannes College of Music), Greg, along with his long-time musical director, David Cook, has created several well-received shows at clubs in New York, As a cast member of Rendezvous - An Evening With Piaf, Brel, Aznavour& Friends (2008 MAC Nominee), he appeared at Feinstein's at Loews Regency & the Metropolitan Room. BABALU-CY – the Art of Desi Arnaz, debuted at the Metropolitan Room in July 2007, winning a 2008 Back Stage Bistro Award for "Best Theme Show." Purnhagen has toured extensively in the US, Europe, the Far East, Australia & Russia, working with such avant-garde luminaries as Philip Glass, Mary Zimmerman, Robert Wilson, Meredith Monk & John Kelly. He has appeared in several Off-Off Broadway shows & during the 90's, he was a BMG recording artist as a member of the á cappella quartet Toby Twining Music. His recordings include the Glass works he has premiered; Avant-Garde Opera, Early Music, New Music & several Original Cast Albums. He is especially proud to have been a guest vocalist on Bjork's CD, Medulla. LEONARD PETERS has been directing, coaching & teaching in New York City for the past 35 years. He has worked with the finest diversity of talents in the business, including Joanna Gleason, Theodore Bikel, Lilia Skala, Bill T. Jones, Amanda Plummer, Penny Arcade, Lois Nettleton, Robert Joy, Craig Wasson, Michael Learned, Dennis Boutsikaris, John Randolph, Elizabeth Franz, John Heard & the list goes on. He is the director of the Obie Award winning Craig's Wife. New York City pianist/composer DAVID COOK has played with a number of world-class vocalists, including Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson, Marianne Faithfull, Broadway stars Billy Porter, Darius DeHaas & Shoshana Bean. He has toured with several multi-platinum pop acts, beginning with NSYNC (2000-2002), JC Chasez (2003), American Idol (2004) & Disney's High School Musical (2007). In 2007, David was selected to represent the US in the American Music Abroad program with the band Exegesis, sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center & the US State Department, traveling to Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates & Kuwait, giving performances to audiences across the region. MICHAEL & BARBARA ROSS produced the Broadway show PIAF - A Remembrance, which won the Theater World Award for Juliet Koka. Off-Broadway, they are the award-winning producers of Jelly Roll! (starring Vernel Bagneris - Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, Outer Critic's Circle Award, Drama Desk Award Nominee), The World Of Kurt Weill, Piaf Remembered, We'll Meet Again, Two Hearts Over Easy & Mamelah! They also produced the pre-Broadway tryouts of Bingo Long & His Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (book by Ossie Davis, music by George Fishoff), Song & Dance, A Celebration of Gene Kelly, Princess Grace & the Fazzari's (with Dorothy Loudon & Lois Nettleton), Never Too Late (starring Eddie Bracken), Millions Of Miles (starring Rue McClanahan & Milo O'Shea, directed by Barry Nelson) & The Kid From Brooklyn, (a one-man show about Danny Kaye). They also produced Comedy Tonight! at Foxwoods, starring Dick Capri, Professor Irwin Corey & Henny Youngman, plus the National & International Tour of The Duke Ellington Orchestra, conducted by the late Mercer Ellington. Last Tango in Paris Dangerous Ground Productions proudly presents LAST TANGO IN PARIS, a world premiere all-new multi-media adaptation of the iconic 1973 Bernardo Bertolucci film, adapted, conceived and directed by Doris Mirescu. The show begins performances on Friday, August 22nd @ 8PM at the Paradise Factory (64 East 4th Street), and will play through Saturday, September 6th. The show will play performances Tuesday-Saturday @ 8PM. Tickets for all shows are $15 General and $10 for students. Presented as a multi-media theater piece, Director Mirescu has taken this classic story and made it one of timeless relevance and post-modern significance. Described by the director as “drop by drop sorrow, loneliness and despair pass through the dark empty room where flesh bleeds, sex exudes beauty and sweat and ghosts of the past wander through images of distorted bodies.” Mirescu goes on to say, “Many will recall the Marlon Brando film version. This adaptation captures much of the core of that movie’s very abyss, in stunning portrayals by startling and courageous young actors, surrounded by live cameras, creating a sexual tragedy haunted by sounds of lost tangos and shadow of myths.” The cast includes: Kira Davies, Patrick Flynn, Angelica Pasquini and Benjamin Sinclair. Many of the cast also appeared in the recent production of Beware of A Holy Whore at the Visual Arts Theater. DORIS MIRESCU (Director) is a Romanian born freelance director and writer, and the founder of New York-based theater company Dangerous Ground Productions. Most recent productions include her adaptation of Beware of A Holy Whore at the Visual Arts Theatre, and Madness of Day by Maurice Blanchot and Neil LaBute's The Distance from Here, both at Tom Noonan's Paradise Factory in New York. She directed the American Premiere of Paul Solomon’s Aching To Go Home at the Epic Center Theatre (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and Battle of Black and Dogs by Bernard-Marie Koltès as part of Koltès New York 2003, a festival which she also produced (Ohio Theater, New York). Additional credits include Story of Rats, her adaptation of works by French writer Georges Bataille (Chashama, New York) and the European Premiere of Les Nuits Sans Lune by French playwright Véronique Olmi (Parc de La Villette, Paris). New York credits include: Silence of Snow (Soho Rep), Seneca’s Trojan Women, Cocteau’s The Handsome Hunk and Juliet Montage, a one-woman show based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (all at the Shapiro Theatre). Ms. Mirescu was three times the recipient of Etant Donnés, the French-American Fund for the Performing Arts. She holds a Summa Cum Laude Master of Arts in French Literature from Paris-IV Sorbonne as well as an MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University. She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. She is at present teaching acting and directing at The School of Visual Arts. Ms. Mirescu is currently working on Force of Evil, a piece organized around the tropes and obsessions of film noir, which will be performed in the fall of 2008. CHRIS NEWMAN (Producer and Technical Supervisor) recently collaborated with Doris Mirescu on Beware of A Holy Whore and is credited in over eighty films as a production sound mixer. Some of those films include Tender Mercies, The World According to Garp, Philadelphia, Sophie's Choice, and Klute. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, including his work on The Godfather, The French Connection, Chorus Line, Fame and Silence of the Lambs. Mr. Newman has won three Oscars for The Exorcist, Amadeus, and The English Patient. Additional production credits include: Live Cameras by: Richard Gartrelll and Patrick Flynn; Live music by Michael Attias; Production Design by: Keri Moskowitz; Sound by: Cory Alllen; Video Consultant: Joe Trammell; and Assistant to the director: Barbara Karney. LAST TANGO IN PARIS, an adaptation of Bernardo Bertolucci’s film, plays TUES-SAT at 8:00PM, at Paradise Factory, 64 East 4th Street (between Bowery & 2nd Avenue) All Tickets are $15 / Students $10, Tickets and Information available by calling (212) 724-5004, and via email at do@dangerousgroundproductions. Much Ado About Nothing Reisterstown Theater Project's Inauguaral performance. Outside at Hannah More School , 12039 Reisterstown Rd, Reisterstown. 8 pm Friday and Saturday, 2pm Sunday. August 22- Sept 5. $10 Adults, $8 students, Seniors. (443) 226-6401 NCTC To Present Kelly's 'Friend are Forever'  NCTC is proud to once again feature the work of San Francisco Playwright Tom W. Kelly.  This rollicking new comedy is a sexy celebration of gay couples where sometimes, it's only one degree of separation Friends Are Forever follows three gay couples as they explore friendship, love, fidelity, and infidelity as well as the occasionally awkward repercussions. Friendships between the couples are humorously tested when indiscretions and secrets are unexpectedly exposed. But despite all obstacles, our shared humanity far outweighs our differences. Witty dialogue, likeably eccentric characters, and quick-fire pacing all merge into a provocatively fun-filled evening. Preview are August 15th through 22nd. Opening night is August 23rd. NCTC's special "pay what you wish night" is August 21st. For ticket purchase call the box office at 415-891-8962 NCTC To Present Kelly's 'Friends are Forever'  NCTC is proud to once again feature the work of San Francisco Playwright Tom W. Kelly.  This rollicking new comedy is a sexy celebration of gay couples where sometimes, it's only one degree of separation Friends Are Forever follows three gay couples as they explore friendship, love, fidelity, and infidelity as well as the occasionally awkward repercussions. Friendships between the couples are humorously tested when indiscretions and secrets are unexpectedly exposed. But despite all obstacles, our shared humanity far outweighs our differences. Witty dialogue, likeably eccentric characters, and quick-fire pacing all merge into a provocatively fun-filled evening. Preview are August 15th through 22nd. Opening night is August 23rd. NCTC's special "pay what you wish night" is August 21st. For ticket purchase call the box office at 415-891-8962 The Best Man Just in time for the fall election, Berkeley’s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company opens its 17th season with Gore Vidal’s fascinating political nail-biter THE BEST MAN. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross helms this seminal satirical political drama, called “elegant and damnably entertaining” by The New Yorker, starring Tim Kniffin, Charles Shaw Robinson, and Charles Dean, and featuring Elizabeth Benedict; Michael Cassidy; Jackson Davis; Deb Fink;Michael Patrick Gaffney; and Emily Talbot. THE BEST MAN plays August 22 through September 28 at theAurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets and information ($28-50) the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. Due to the historic nature of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, which closes on Aurora Theatre Company’s opening night performance of THE BEST MAN on August 28, there will be a special early curtain time of 7pm; a special post-show reception and screening of the Democratic nomination acceptance speech will be shown in the theatre immediately following the performance. Shedding light on some of the issues surrounding today’s bid for the White House, THE BEST MAN is a timely morality tale that takes place during a national political convention. Two front runners vie for a political party nomination and one of them will almost certainly be the next President of the United States. Each candidate is in possession of some serious mud to sling and each has to decide just how dirty to play the game. Written with the deep insight of a true political insider (Vidal ran for Congress in 1960, the same year he penned THE BEST MAN), this witty, sophisticated play, hailed as “Gore Vidal’s best play” by New York Magazine, calls into question public versus private morals and captures the seemingly incompatible virtues of being a good person while being a good politician. Aurora Theatre Company has assembled an extraordinary ensemble for THE BEST MAN. Charles Shaw Robinson returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Secretary William Russell in THE BEST MAN; he most recently appeared in the Company’s acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (directed by Tom Ross), as well as productions of The Persians, The Weir, and The Mystery of Irma Vep. Additional credits include productions at American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Magic Theatre, and California Shakespeare Theatre, among others. Tim Kniffin returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Senator Joseph Cantwell in THE BEST MAN. He previously appeared in the Company’s critically lauded production of Permanent Collection. Additional credits include Summer and Smoke, directed by Lee Sankowich, at Center REPertory, and Betrayal and A Streetcar Named Desire at Pacific Alliance. Charles Dean returns to Aurora Theatre Company as President Hockstader in THE BEST MAN. Dean previously appeared at Aurora Theatre Company in Hysteria,Private Jokes, Public Places, The Price, The Entertainer, and The Philanderer. A 20-year company member and associate artist at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Dean has acted in more than 80 productions, and has performed at American Conservatory Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Old Globe Theatre, San Jose Repertory, Marin Theatre Company, and Magic Theatre, among others. Emilie Talbot returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Alice Russell. She most recently appeared in the Company’s production of The Trojan Women and has been featured in productions at American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Mark Taper Forum, among others. Deb Fink makes her Aurora debut as Mabel Cantwell; additional credits include productions at Thick House, where she was featured in Dead Mother,Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, SF Playhouse, Center REPertory, and Playwrights Horizons. Also featured in THE BEST MAN is Jackson Davis as Sheldon Marcus; credits include productions at TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, and American Conservatory Theatre. Elizabeth Benedict (Aurora Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, A Traveling Jewish Theatre), Michael Cassidy (42nd Street Moon, Mountain Play), and Michael Patrick Gaffney (Thick House, 42nd Street Moon) round out the cast. For six decades, Gore Vidal has explored a wide variety of sociopolitical, sexual, historical, and literary themes. A novelist, essayist, playwright, and provocateur, Vidal was born in 1925 with high political and social connections: his father worked for the Roosevelt administration, his maternal grandfather was Senator Thomas Prior Gore of Oklahoma, and his mother married Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr., who became the stepfather of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy; Vidal is a fifth cousin of Jimmy Carter, and a distant cousin of former Vice President Al Gore. As a political activist, Vidal was the Democratic candidate for Congress (running as Eugene Gore) in 1960. Gore Vidal began his writing career at the age of 19 with the publication of the military novel Williwaw, based upon his Alaskan Harbor Detachment duty. A few years later, his novel The City and the Pillar caused a furor for its presentation of homosexuality. In the early 1950s, he produced three mystery novels under the pseudonym “Edgar Box;” he was also hired as a contract screenwriter for Metro Goldwyn Mayer. In the 1960s, Vidal wrote three highly successful novels, Julian (1964), which dealt with the apostate Roman emperor, Washington, D.C. (1967), which focused on a political family during the Franklin D. Roosevelt era, and the satirical comedy Myra Breckinridge (1968). After the novel Two Sisters (1970), Vidal focused on essays and fiction dealing with American history and the nature of national politics; he won the National Book Award for his collection of essays United States (1952–1992). Two plays, Visit to a Small Planet (1957) and THE BEST MAN (1960) were both Broadway and film successes. Other plays include On the March to the Sea (1960–1961, 2005); Romulus (1962); Drawing Room Comedy (1970); and An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972). Additionally, Vidal penned the screen plays for The Catered Affair (1956), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Ben Hur (1959), and THE BEST MAN (1964). Vidal’s recent critiques of American expansionism, the military-industrial complex, and the current administration include the pamphlets Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta, and Imperial America. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross inaugurated Aurora Theatre Company with Barbara Oliver in 1992. He has directed 18 productions for the Company, including last season’s hit production of Mae West’s SEX, The Birthday Party, Blue/Orange,Betrayal, and Lobby Hero, which went on to be presented as a co-production between Aurora Theatre Company, Jonathan Reinis, Inc., and the Napa Valley Opera House. For Aurora Theatre Company, Ross has also directed acclaimed productions of The Shape of Things, The Entertainer, The Weir, Death Defying Acts, The Homecoming,Abigail’s Party, The Mystery of Irma Vep (co-directed with Danny Scheie), and The Aspern Papers, among others. He also wrote and directed A Karen Carpenter Christmas in both San Francisco and Seattle. Prior to coming to the Bay Area, he worked for eight years at New York’s Public Theatre as Executive Assistant to Joseph Papp and as co-Director of Play and Musical Development. While in New York, Ross also penned the book adaptation of the New York Drama Desk nominated musical Up Against It, based upon Joe Orton’s screenplay for The Beatles. FollowingTHE BEST MAN, Aurora Theatre Company continues its 17th season in October with THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, George Bernard Shaw’s comedy set during the American Revolution, directed by Aurora Theatre Company founding Artistic Director Barbara Oliver, followed by the West Coast Premiere of George Packer’s provocative recent Off-Broadway hit BETRAYED in January. Mark Jackson, who directed Aurora Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of Salome, returns to the Company to helm August Strindberg’s MISS JULIE in April. Bob Glaudini’s unconventional romantic comedy JACK GOES BOATING, directed by Joy Carlin, rounds out the season in June. Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theatre. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company has been called “one of the most important regional theaters in the area” by theSan Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has “nothing but praise for the Aurora.” The Contra Costa Times stated, “perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close,” while theSan Jose Mercury News affirmed “[Aurora Theatre Company] lives up to its reputation as a theater that feeds the mind,” and the Oakland Tribune declared “it’s all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora.” Weekend Written and set during the 1968 presidential campaign, 'Weekend' is a witty comedy about a Republican Senator who is about to announce his candidacy for his party’s nomination when his son arrives with shocking—and potentially politically damaging—news. Prejudice, blackmail, self-righteousness and opportunism become a potent mix as the candidate and his handlers conspire with well-calculated maneuvers to save the day. Written by Runs Gore Vidal and directed by Damon Kiely Runs August 23 – October 12, 2008 at TimeLine’s home inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago, near the corner of Wellington and Broadway in the Lakeview East neighborhood. FlexPass Subscriptions for TimeLine’s 2008-09 season will go on sale in April. For more information about subscriptions, ticket availability and group sales, call (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com. What To Do When You Hate Your Friends Four Chairs Theatre Company proudly announces an extension for What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends, an anti-social comedy written by award-winning playwright Larry Kunofsky and directed by Jacob Krueger (The Matthew Shepard Story). Originally slated to run through August 9, the new hit comedy has been extended through August 23 on Theatre Row, at The Lion Theatre located at 410 West 42 Street between 9 & 10 Avenues in NYC. Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are now $25 and can be purchased online at http://www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more information on the play visit http://www.HateAllYourFriends.com. Variety’s Sam Thielman raves saying “Just hilarious…a surprisingly wise exercise in reducing an audience of grown men and women to wheezing, hyperventilating laughter over the frustrations of adult relationships. Kunofsky has an intensely theatrical gift for comedy, and his cast and crew have risen to the challenge in this smart, heartfelt play. Kunofsky and Krueger should see if they can at least get a grant to hand out bullhorns to the audience so they can spread the word as they leave, massaging their aching sides.” Complete Review: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117937828.html?categoryid=33&cs=1 TimeOut NY’s Amanda Cooper gave it 4 stars and went on to call it “a fun, even refreshing tale with a happyish ending. Director Jacob Krueger and his hugely talented cast get it: When we chuckle here, we’re truly laughing at ourselves.” Complete Review: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/43641/what-to-do-when-you-hate-all-your-friends Back Stage’s Mark Peikart dubbed it a PICK OF THE WEEK and went on to describe it as “Hilarious and heartbreaking.” Matt is a guy who hates all his friends. Celia is a woman at the center of The Friends, a secret group that has perfected friendship through special rules and a rigid ranking system. Can a guy who hates all his friends and a woman who needs friendship to go by-the-book figure out a way to spend time together without going mental? Set in a world of secret hottub parties, craigslist hookups, and the myriad of ways people try to control intimacy by keeping it away, this edgy and witty new comedy looks at how romance and friendship works – or doesn’t work - in the way we live now. Director Jacob Krueger is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Four Chairs Theatre. His first movie, The Matthew Shepard Story (2002), won him the Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award and a Gemini Nomination for Best Screenplay. The NBC film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode (And the Band Played On), and produced by Goldie Hawn, was based on the life of gay hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard. Jacob is a member of Lincoln Center Directors Lab. The cast includes Todd D’Amour (Obie Award-Winning Nita and Zita at HERE, Stanley at HERE, Red Tide Blooming at PS122), Carrie Keranen, Josh Lefkowitz (Help Wanted and Now What? at Ars Nova, Centerstage/Baltimore & Woolly Mammoth), Susan Louise O’Connor (2007 NYIT Best Actress Award for The Silent Concerto, Walk Two Moons at Lucille Lortel, Marion Bridge at Urban Stages) and Amy Staats (Drama Desk nominated Hell House, EST member, Clubbed Thumb’s One Thing I Like To Say Is). Larry Kunofsky, co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Four Chairs Theatre, is a New York-based playwright whose play A Guy Adrift in the Universe marked the first ever production for the company. He has been a resident at the Edward Albee Foundation, and is a three-time winner of the John Golden Award for Drama and a member of The Dramatists Guild. Founded by award-winning writers Larry Kunofsky and Jacob Krueger in 2006, Four Chairs is more than just a production company. They’re an artistic home for an ensemble of theatre creatives that includes both permanent and rotating members. In 2008, Four Chairs embarked on an ambitious new season, including the “Just Chairs” reading series (designed to foster the development of new work by emerging playwrights) and the upcoming production of What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends. The 2008-2009 season will also mark the first year of a unique project with Interborough Repertory Theatre (IRT). Beginning in October 2008 Four Chairs will host an ensemble of four writers, four designers, four directors and four actors in a yearlong collaboration. Working in a cross-disciplinary mode, the ensemble will spend a full year exploring a theme to develop four new plays, which will ultimately be produced in Repertory at IRT. The design/production team consists of Co-Producer Elizabeth Dembrowsky, Ryan Maeker (Sound Design/NYIT Award Winner for Dancing Vs. The Rat Experiment), Niluka Hotaling (Set Design), Gina Scherr (Lighting Design), Melissa Trn (Costume Design) and Sally Jane Kerschen-Sheppard (Production Manager). Adult content - appropriate for ages 16 and up. Trains: A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, N, Q, R, S, W to 42 St. Young@Heart Live in Concert The elderly chorus who captured the hearts of movie-goers everywhere are performing live in NYC for ONE NIGHT ONLY. June 22nd at 8pm in the Beacon Theatre. For tickets visit www.beacontheatre.com.

Babalu-cy-the art of Desi Arnaz Award-winning producers, Michael & Barbara Ross, will present the 2008 Back Stage Bistro Award Winning GREG PURNHAGEN in BABALU-CY – the art of Desi Arnaz, Off-Broadway, at the Actors Temple Theater, beginning August 23rd. Conceived & written by GREG PURNHAGEN, BABALU-CY takes a look at Arnaz' career from his tremendous success as a bandleader/singer to his relationship with America's favorite red-head. Complete with a seven-piece Latin band led by Musical Director/Arranger David Cook, BABALU-CY is directed by Leonard Peters. GREG PURNHAGEN was born in Manhattan & raised on Long Island in Massapequa Park, where he did not know Jerry Seinfeld, the Baldwin Brothers or Joey Buttafuoco. A classically-trained singer (NYU, Mannes College of Music), Greg, along with his long-time musical director, David Cook, has created several well-received shows at clubs in New York, As a cast member of Rendezvous - An Evening With Piaf, Brel, Aznavour& Friends (2008 MAC Nominee), he appeared at Feinstein's at Loews Regency & the Metropolitan Room. BABALU-CY – the Art of Desi Arnaz, debuted at the Metropolitan Room in July 2007, winning a 2008 Back Stage Bistro Award for "Best Theme Show." Purnhagen has toured extensively in the US, Europe, the Far East, Australia & Russia, working with such avant-garde luminaries as Philip Glass, Mary Zimmerman, Robert Wilson, Meredith Monk & John Kelly. He has appeared in several Off-Off Broadway shows & during the 90's, he was a BMG recording artist as a member of the á cappella quartet Toby Twining Music. His recordings include the Glass works he has premiered; Avant-Garde Opera, Early Music, New Music & several Original Cast Albums. He is especially proud to have been a guest vocalist on Bjork's CD, Medulla. LEONARD PETERS has been directing, coaching & teaching in New York City for the past 35 years. He has worked with the finest diversity of talents in the business, including Joanna Gleason, Theodore Bikel, Lilia Skala, Bill T. Jones, Amanda Plummer, Penny Arcade, Lois Nettleton, Robert Joy, Craig Wasson, Michael Learned, Dennis Boutsikaris, John Randolph, Elizabeth Franz, John Heard & the list goes on. He is the director of the Obie Award winning Craig's Wife. New York City pianist/composer DAVID COOK has played with a number of world-class vocalists, including Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson, Marianne Faithfull, Broadway stars Billy Porter, Darius DeHaas & Shoshana Bean. He has toured with several multi-platinum pop acts, beginning with NSYNC (2000-2002), JC Chasez (2003), American Idol (2004) & Disney's High School Musical (2007). In 2007, David was selected to represent the US in the American Music Abroad program with the band Exegesis, sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center & the US State Department, traveling to Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates & Kuwait, giving performances to audiences across the region. MICHAEL & BARBARA ROSS produced the Broadway show PIAF - A Remembrance, which won the Theater World Award for Juliet Koka. Off-Broadway, they are the award-winning producers of Jelly Roll! (starring Vernel Bagneris - Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, Outer Critic's Circle Award, Drama Desk Award Nominee), The World Of Kurt Weill, Piaf Remembered, We'll Meet Again, Two Hearts Over Easy & Mamelah! They also produced the pre-Broadway tryouts of Bingo Long & His Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (book by Ossie Davis, music by George Fishoff), Song & Dance, A Celebration of Gene Kelly, Princess Grace & the Fazzari's (with Dorothy Loudon & Lois Nettleton), Never Too Late (starring Eddie Bracken), Millions Of Miles (starring Rue McClanahan & Milo O'Shea, directed by Barry Nelson) & The Kid From Brooklyn, (a one-man show about Danny Kaye). They also produced Comedy Tonight! at Foxwoods, starring Dick Capri, Professor Irwin Corey & Henny Youngman, plus the National & International Tour of The Duke Ellington Orchestra, conducted by the late Mercer Ellington. Italian Jewish Therapy Closes Off Broadway Steve Solomon’s hit comedy, MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!, will conclude its nearly two-year New York run on Sunday, August 24th at The Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between 9th & 10th Aves.) after 724 performances (including 40 previews). One of New York’s longest-running one-man shows, the New York production currently stars Eddie Mekka. While the show ends its record-breaking run in New York, Steve Solomon, the show’s creator and original star, continues to play the show to sold-out houses in cities around the United States. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with our New York run,” says Solomon. “When we first announced the New York engagement, the plan was to stay for only three months before taking the show on the road. But the audiences just kept coming back and bringing their families with them. So here we are, finally wrapping up after almost two years, two different theatres, three different actors and over 700 performances. Only in New York could audiences need so much therapy! Thank you New York!” Twice the holidays! Twice the hollering! Twice the guilt! After sold-out engagements around the country, Rodger Hess, Abby Koffler, Howard Rapp, Arnold Graham and Ed Frankel present Steve Solomon’s MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!, now starring Eddie Mekka. (television’s “Laverne & Shirley”). One part canoli, one part kreplach and two parts prozac, ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY is written by Steve Solomon is directed by John Bowab (Legends!, The Unsinkable Molly Brown). Regis Philbin of ABC TV’s “Live with Regis & Kelly” calls ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY “beautifully written and hysterically funny! Non-stop laughs all the way!” WOR Radio raves “The show’s a big hit! It’s an hour-and-a-half of laughter!” while Joe Franklin of Bloomberg Radio calls the show “the sleeper hit of the season!” WCBS-TV heralds the show as “A funny look at family relationships” that WWOR-TV raves “brings down the house!” Though best known to audiences for his seven seasons on “Laverne & Shirley,” Eddie Mekka began his career as a New York trained actor earning Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominations for his performance as the title character in “The Lieutenant.” Other Broadway credits include Stephen Schwartz’s The Magic Show and Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers. Most recently, Mekka starred in national tours of Grease with his television co-star Cindy Williams, Fiddler on the Roof and The Goodbye Girl. On film, Mekka has been seen in Dreamgirls, Beaches, A League of Their Own and Top Of the World. His recent television credits include “24,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Big Easy,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and as Detective Murdoch in the Fox T.V. movie “Catch Me If You Can”. Having headlined throughout the United States and Europe for over twenty years, creator Steve Solomon and stories relate to the wacky side of the human condition, combining comic voices, sound effects and astounding characters - bringing alive a myriad of people from all walks of life. ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY has toured in over 50 cities around the United States, Canada and Bermuda, playing to sold out audiences and return engagements. MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY! features a scenic design by Ray Klausen, lighting design by Brian Nason and sound design by Carl Casella. Steve Solomon’s MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY! plays at The Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between 9th & 10th Aves.). Via subway, take the 1/2/3/7/A/C/E/N/R/Q/W/S trains to 42nd Street/Times Square. Performances are Tuesday at 7:00PM, Wednesday – Saturday at 8:00PM with matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3:00PM. Tickets are $61.25 - $71.25. For tickets call Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200. Visit www.ItalianJewishTherapy.com. NCTC To Present Kelly's 'Friend are Forever'  NCTC is proud to once again feature the work of San Francisco Playwright Tom W. Kelly.  This rollicking new comedy is a sexy celebration of gay couples where sometimes, it's only one degree of separation Friends Are Forever follows three gay couples as they explore friendship, love, fidelity, and infidelity as well as the occasionally awkward repercussions. Friendships between the couples are humorously tested when indiscretions and secrets are unexpectedly exposed. But despite all obstacles, our shared humanity far outweighs our differences. Witty dialogue, likeably eccentric characters, and quick-fire pacing all merge into a provocatively fun-filled evening. Preview are August 15th through 22nd. Opening night is August 23rd. NCTC's special "pay what you wish night" is August 21st. For ticket purchase call the box office at 415-891-8962 NCTC To Present Kelly's 'Friends are Forever'  NCTC is proud to once again feature the work of San Francisco Playwright Tom W. Kelly.  This rollicking new comedy is a sexy celebration of gay couples where sometimes, it's only one degree of separation Friends Are Forever follows three gay couples as they explore friendship, love, fidelity, and infidelity as well as the occasionally awkward repercussions. Friendships between the couples are humorously tested when indiscretions and secrets are unexpectedly exposed. But despite all obstacles, our shared humanity far outweighs our differences. Witty dialogue, likeably eccentric characters, and quick-fire pacing all merge into a provocatively fun-filled evening. Preview are August 15th through 22nd. Opening night is August 23rd. NCTC's special "pay what you wish night" is August 21st. For ticket purchase call the box office at 415-891-8962 Sporknotes presents "The Improv Book Club" In July we answered the question, "What if Charlotte's Web had been written by George Orwell?" What do we do next month? You get to choose! Come Under Saint Marks on August 24th at 7:00 prepared with a book you want us to perform! Weekend Written and set during the 1968 presidential campaign, 'Weekend' is a witty comedy about a Republican Senator who is about to announce his candidacy for his party’s nomination when his son arrives with shocking—and potentially politically damaging—news. Prejudice, blackmail, self-righteousness and opportunism become a potent mix as the candidate and his handlers conspire with well-calculated maneuvers to save the day. Written by Runs Gore Vidal and directed by Damon Kiely Runs August 23 – October 12, 2008 at TimeLine’s home inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago, near the corner of Wellington and Broadway in the Lakeview East neighborhood. FlexPass Subscriptions for TimeLine’s 2008-09 season will go on sale in April. For more information about subscriptions, ticket availability and group sales, call (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com. What To Do When You Hate Your Friends Four Chairs Theatre Company proudly announces an extension for What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends, an anti-social comedy written by award-winning playwright Larry Kunofsky and directed by Jacob Krueger (The Matthew Shepard Story). Originally slated to run through August 9, the new hit comedy has been extended through August 23 on Theatre Row, at The Lion Theatre located at 410 West 42 Street between 9 & 10 Avenues in NYC. Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are now $25 and can be purchased online at http://www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more information on the play visit http://www.HateAllYourFriends.com. Variety’s Sam Thielman raves saying “Just hilarious…a surprisingly wise exercise in reducing an audience of grown men and women to wheezing, hyperventilating laughter over the frustrations of adult relationships. Kunofsky has an intensely theatrical gift for comedy, and his cast and crew have risen to the challenge in this smart, heartfelt play. Kunofsky and Krueger should see if they can at least get a grant to hand out bullhorns to the audience so they can spread the word as they leave, massaging their aching sides.” Complete Review: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117937828.html?categoryid=33&cs=1 TimeOut NY’s Amanda Cooper gave it 4 stars and went on to call it “a fun, even refreshing tale with a happyish ending. Director Jacob Krueger and his hugely talented cast get it: When we chuckle here, we’re truly laughing at ourselves.” Complete Review: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/43641/what-to-do-when-you-hate-all-your-friends Back Stage’s Mark Peikart dubbed it a PICK OF THE WEEK and went on to describe it as “Hilarious and heartbreaking.” Matt is a guy who hates all his friends. Celia is a woman at the center of The Friends, a secret group that has perfected friendship through special rules and a rigid ranking system. Can a guy who hates all his friends and a woman who needs friendship to go by-the-book figure out a way to spend time together without going mental? Set in a world of secret hottub parties, craigslist hookups, and the myriad of ways people try to control intimacy by keeping it away, this edgy and witty new comedy looks at how romance and friendship works – or doesn’t work - in the way we live now. Director Jacob Krueger is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Four Chairs Theatre. His first movie, The Matthew Shepard Story (2002), won him the Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award and a Gemini Nomination for Best Screenplay. The NBC film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode (And the Band Played On), and produced by Goldie Hawn, was based on the life of gay hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard. Jacob is a member of Lincoln Center Directors Lab. The cast includes Todd D’Amour (Obie Award-Winning Nita and Zita at HERE, Stanley at HERE, Red Tide Blooming at PS122), Carrie Keranen, Josh Lefkowitz (Help Wanted and Now What? at Ars Nova, Centerstage/Baltimore & Woolly Mammoth), Susan Louise O’Connor (2007 NYIT Best Actress Award for The Silent Concerto, Walk Two Moons at Lucille Lortel, Marion Bridge at Urban Stages) and Amy Staats (Drama Desk nominated Hell House, EST member, Clubbed Thumb’s One Thing I Like To Say Is). Larry Kunofsky, co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Four Chairs Theatre, is a New York-based playwright whose play A Guy Adrift in the Universe marked the first ever production for the company. He has been a resident at the Edward Albee Foundation, and is a three-time winner of the John Golden Award for Drama and a member of The Dramatists Guild. Founded by award-winning writers Larry Kunofsky and Jacob Krueger in 2006, Four Chairs is more than just a production company. They’re an artistic home for an ensemble of theatre creatives that includes both permanent and rotating members. In 2008, Four Chairs embarked on an ambitious new season, including the “Just Chairs” reading series (designed to foster the development of new work by emerging playwrights) and the upcoming production of What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends. The 2008-2009 season will also mark the first year of a unique project with Interborough Repertory Theatre (IRT). Beginning in October 2008 Four Chairs will host an ensemble of four writers, four designers, four directors and four actors in a yearlong collaboration. Working in a cross-disciplinary mode, the ensemble will spend a full year exploring a theme to develop four new plays, which will ultimately be produced in Repertory at IRT. The design/production team consists of Co-Producer Elizabeth Dembrowsky, Ryan Maeker (Sound Design/NYIT Award Winner for Dancing Vs. The Rat Experiment), Niluka Hotaling (Set Design), Gina Scherr (Lighting Design), Melissa Trn (Costume Design) and Sally Jane Kerschen-Sheppard (Production Manager). Adult content - appropriate for ages 16 and up. Trains: A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, N, Q, R, S, W to 42 St.

Algonquin Hosts Franken at Benefit Algonquin Theater Productions (www.algonquinproductions.org) announced it will present standup comedy sensation Will Franken and five other comics at a fundraiser at The Algonquin Theater on Monday evening, August 25th at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $10 with no drink minimum. Franken, selected "Best Comedian" by SF Weekly and "Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, is among the nation's most recognized absurdist comics. After achieving notoriety in his native San Francisco, Franken has played to sold out audiences in New York at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and other venues. His solo show, "Good Luck With It," debuted here at the International Fringe Festival to rave reviews by the New York Times. "What elevates Mr. Franken above your garden-variety comedian," wrote The Times' Jason Zinoman, "is an erudite wit." Other featured comics at the Algonquin fundraiser will be host Joseph Rocha, Stacia Jensen, Ryan Hamilton, Vicki Ferentinos and Rory Scovel. The Algonquin Theater is located at 123 East 24th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues. Tickets for the event can be purchased via SmartTix, 212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com – or through the Algonquin box office, 212-730-4664. Algonquin Theater Productions is a not-for-profit company moving plays to next-level production, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, film and television. Beechman To Present Luba Mason For One Night Only, 8/25  The Laurie Beechman Theatre is very pleased to welcome Broadway's LUBA MASON for a one night only concert, as part of their celebrated Voices from the Great Whit Way Series. The series has just kicked off with sold out engagements from Becca Ayers (South Pacific) and Donna Lynne Champlin (Sweeney Todd). This one night only concert takes place on Monday, August 25th @ 7pm. There is a $25 cover, as well as a $15 food or beverage minimum (a full bar and dinner menu is available). The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located at 407 West 42nd St. (@ 9th Ave), in the heart of New York's theatre district. For reservations, which are recommended, please call 212 695 69 09. A native New Yorker and first generation American, Luba Mason spent her early youth devoted to training in classical voice, piano and dance. The training paid off with her early acceptance to the Circle in the Square Theatre School and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Straight out of school, Luba was plucked by Tommy Tune to sing and dance on Broadway in the Tony Award winning, The Will Rogers Follies. She went on to impress Trevor Nunn, who cast her in the American premiere of Sunset Boulevard. But it was director/impressario Des McAnuff who placed Luba front and center in the role of sex bomb Hedy LaRue next to Matthew Broderick's J. Pierpnt Finch in the celebrated Broadway revival of in How to Succeed... A role in Paul Simon's The Capeman preceded Luba's return to Center Stage as she starred in the Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde, and then as Velma Kelly opposite Brooke Shields' Roxy Hart in the smash Broadway revival of Chicago. Her television credits include Law and Order, NYPD Blue and New York Undercover, and most recently opposite Jeff Goldblum in the psychic detective series, Raines. Her nighclub appearances include SRO engagements at clubs such as LA's famed Catalina Bar & Grill, Vibrato and the Cinegrill, New York's Opia and The Metropolitan Room, Chicago's Davenports and San Francisco's The Exit Theatre. David Cale To Perform @ Joe's To Benefit Living Theatre David Cale will be performing REVOLUTIONARY ACTS: an evening of cabaret to benefit The Living Theatre, Inc. and to honor its co-founder, the iconic Judith Malina. Some of New York's brightest and most revolutionary performers come together to help the authentic New York cultural heritage remain LIVING. MC: Murray Hill, Debbie Harry, Penny Arcade, Justin Bond, Austin Pendleton, Tammy Faye Starlight, Our Lady J, Susan Hwang, Sanda Weigl and members of the Broadway musical Passing Strange and a special performance by Judith Malina will be entertainment at its most electric…$50, $30 for students only Monday, August 25 at 9:30pm David Cale Part of Under the Radar’s Incoming Series at Joe’s Pub Obie award recipient David Cale, whose credits include the acclaimed solo shows A Likely Story, Lillian and Deep in a Dream of You and the recently recorded musical Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky, has been writing and performing in New York since the early 80s. His monologues have been featured on NPR’s ‘This American Life’ and ‘The Next Big Thing’. His acting credits include the films Pollock and The Slaughter Rule and the recent Mike Leigh play, 2000 Years. As a lyricist for The Jazz Passengers,Cale’s songs have been recorded by Deborah Harry, Jimmy Scott and performed in concert by Elvis Costello, $12 Italian Jewish Therapy Closes Off Broadway Steve Solomon’s hit comedy, MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!, will conclude its nearly two-year New York run on Sunday, August 24th at The Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between 9th & 10th Aves.) after 724 performances (including 40 previews). One of New York’s longest-running one-man shows, the New York production currently stars Eddie Mekka. While the show ends its record-breaking run in New York, Steve Solomon, the show’s creator and original star, continues to play the show to sold-out houses in cities around the United States. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with our New York run,” says Solomon. “When we first announced the New York engagement, the plan was to stay for only three months before taking the show on the road. But the audiences just kept coming back and bringing their families with them. So here we are, finally wrapping up after almost two years, two different theatres, three different actors and over 700 performances. Only in New York could audiences need so much therapy! Thank you New York!” Twice the holidays! Twice the hollering! Twice the guilt! After sold-out engagements around the country, Rodger Hess, Abby Koffler, Howard Rapp, Arnold Graham and Ed Frankel present Steve Solomon’s MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!, now starring Eddie Mekka. (television’s “Laverne & Shirley”). One part canoli, one part kreplach and two parts prozac, ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY is written by Steve Solomon is directed by John Bowab (Legends!, The Unsinkable Molly Brown). Regis Philbin of ABC TV’s “Live with Regis & Kelly” calls ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY “beautifully written and hysterically funny! Non-stop laughs all the way!” WOR Radio raves “The show’s a big hit! It’s an hour-and-a-half of laughter!” while Joe Franklin of Bloomberg Radio calls the show “the sleeper hit of the season!” WCBS-TV heralds the show as “A funny look at family relationships” that WWOR-TV raves “brings down the house!” Though best known to audiences for his seven seasons on “Laverne & Shirley,” Eddie Mekka began his career as a New York trained actor earning Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominations for his performance as the title character in “The Lieutenant.” Other Broadway credits include Stephen Schwartz’s The Magic Show and Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers. Most recently, Mekka starred in national tours of Grease with his television co-star Cindy Williams, Fiddler on the Roof and The Goodbye Girl. On film, Mekka has been seen in Dreamgirls, Beaches, A League of Their Own and Top Of the World. His recent television credits include “24,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Big Easy,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and as Detective Murdoch in the Fox T.V. movie “Catch Me If You Can”. Having headlined throughout the United States and Europe for over twenty years, creator Steve Solomon and stories relate to the wacky side of the human condition, combining comic voices, sound effects and astounding characters - bringing alive a myriad of people from all walks of life. ITALIAN+JEWISH=THERAPY has toured in over 50 cities around the United States, Canada and Bermuda, playing to sold out audiences and return engagements. MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY! features a scenic design by Ray Klausen, lighting design by Brian Nason and sound design by Carl Casella. Steve Solomon’s MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY! plays at The Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between 9th & 10th Aves.). Via subway, take the 1/2/3/7/A/C/E/N/R/Q/W/S trains to 42nd Street/Times Square. Performances are Tuesday at 7:00PM, Wednesday – Saturday at 8:00PM with matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3:00PM. Tickets are $61.25 - $71.25. For tickets call Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200. Visit www.ItalianJewishTherapy.com. LA Gay Men's Chorus To Celebrate 30th Season With Concert Join Della Reese, George Takei, Christine Chavez, Donzaleigh Abernathy, Del Shores, Billy Porter, Erin Hamilton and Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles as they welcome special guests (to be announced) to celebrate the launch of their 30th anniversary season with a choral repertoire of jazz, pop, classical, Broadway and more. Attending the event is support will be cast members of Sordid Lives, including Jason Dottley, Ann Walker, Ted Detweiler, Mary-Margaret Lewis, David Cowgill, Five of the nine members of HGTV's Design Star including: Matt Locke, Michael Stribling, Mikey Verdugo, Stephanie Cook, Trish Beaudet and Carol Burnett.  Highlights of the evening will include: -Christine Chavez, the grand daughter of Cesar Chavez, participating in a poignant piece reflecting on immigration, racism. -A tribute to gay marriage with George Takei and his husband, Brad Berliner, which includes pieces from the Kander and Ebb' - "Kiss of the Spider Woman" & "Cabaret." -Commemorating the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech (40 years to the day), Actress/Activist/Author Donzaleigh Abernathy, who was there the day her God father "Uncle Martin" made the historic speech, will be participating. -The GMCLA is honored to share the stage with the talented Billy Porter, performing "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn, the gifted Erin Hamilton will perform "Imagine" and her hit single "One World" and special selections with the legendary Della Reese. Honorary Chairs for this event include: Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Lily Tomlin, Liz Torres, Dr. Iris Levine, Hon. Diane Feinstein, Hon. Barbara Boxer, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Hon. Antonio Villaraigosa. WHEN:   Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 8:00pm WHERE:  Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 TICKETS:     $25 - $80 by calling Ticketmaster at 800-523-1515 or www.ticketmaster.com About GMCLA: On a July night in 1979, a small group of men opened the doors to a room at the Plummer Park Community Center in Los Angeles (now West Hollywood) and waited and wondered if anybody would show up. They had posted flyers around the neighborhood announcing the formation of a new gay chorus and this night was to be its first rehearsal. To their great surprise, 99 men appeared and a chorus was born. Within three months of that rehearsal, founding director Harold Kjellberg led the group through its first major event: the March on Washington, D.C. and the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) concert at the Washington Memorial. While public understanding of gay life has evolved much since 1979, there is still fierce resistance to lasting change by opponents to LGBT equality. And the road to today has not always been easy. Through the height of the AIDS crisis, the Chorus lost over 150 members. Only 12 original members remain. As a result, GMCLA has a deep history of service within the LGBT community, singing at countless memorials, making and commissioning music that helps the community to mourn, to celebrate, to dream, and to prepare for victory.  For over 30 years, the Chorus has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music," GMCLA has more than doubled in size to 226 singers, added professional and artistic staff, toured nationally and internationally, released thirteen compact discs, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements and appeared frequently on national television. The Chorus membership donates over 60,000 volunteer hours annually to make GMCLA's mission of musical excellence and community partnership a reality. Marisa Tomei To Star In Westport's Reading o 'Golden Boy' Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and other actors to be announced will read the classic play “Golden Boy” written by Clifford Odets and directed by Joanne Woodward, on Monday, August 25, 7 p.m., at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director).  The reading is part of “The Classical Series,” bringing together professional actors to read works by master playwrights. In “Golden Boy,” Joe Bonaparte dreams of becoming a world-famous violinist. When he is coerced into prize fighting by the lovely Lorna (Ms. Tomei), he discovers that he can make easy money. As he wins match after match, he finds himself losing his musical aspirations and becoming consumed by fortune, fame and glorious violence. Written in 1937, “Golden Boy” is the story of a young man who finds himself at the crossroads of his life. If you make the wrong choice, though, can you ever find your way back? Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “My Cousin Vinny” (1992), and received a second Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for “In the Bedroom” (2001). Ms. Tomei can currently be seen in "War, Inc." a political satire written by and also starring John Cusack. In 2007, she appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also was in the movie "Unhook the Stars" opposite Gena Rowlands, for which she was honored by her peers with a Screen Actor's Guild nomination. Ms. Tomei was last seen on Broadway in Caryl Churchill's now-classic feminist drama "Top Girls,” and prior to that, opposite Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" in the title role. Her previous theatre credits include Clifford Odets’ "Waiting for Lefty" and "Rocket to the Moon," both directed by Joanne Woodward. Joanne Woodward is currently artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, following six previous seasons as artistic director (2000-2005). For Westport Country Playhouse, she directed “The Member of the Wedding,” “The Constant Wife” and “Three Days of Rain,” and co-directed with Anne Keefe “David Copperfield.”  Ms. Woodward is an Academy Award-winner for “The Three Faces of Eve,” and has received three Emmy Awards. She won a Golden Globe Award for “Breathing Lessons” (Hallmark Hall of Fame). In addition, she received a New York Critics Award and Oscar nomination for “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.” Clifford Odets (1906 – 1963) wrote “Waiting for Lefty” (1935), “Awake and Sing!” (1935), “Paradise Lost” (1935), “Rocket to the Moon” (1938), “The Big Knife” (1949) and “The Country Girl” (1950), among many other plays.  His screenplays include “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957) and “Wild in the Country” (1961). A Tony Award nomination came posthumously in 1965, sharing a book credit with William Gibson for the musical "Golden Boy,” based on his play. “The Classical Series” is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.  An upcoming presentation is scheduled on Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth; “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish; “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; “Absurd Person Singular” with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and “Our Town” with Paul Newman.  The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists.  For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org. Tickets to "Golden Boy" are $15.  For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org. Marisa Tomei To Star In Westport's Reading of 'Golden Boy' Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and other actors to be announced will read the classic play “Golden Boy” written by Clifford Odets and directed by Joanne Woodward, on Monday, August 25, 7 p.m., at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director).  The reading is part of “The Classical Series,” bringing together professional actors to read works by master playwrights. In “Golden Boy,” Joe Bonaparte dreams of becoming a world-famous violinist. When he is coerced into prize fighting by the lovely Lorna (Ms. Tomei), he discovers that he can make easy money. As he wins match after match, he finds himself losing his musical aspirations and becoming consumed by fortune, fame and glorious violence. Written in 1937, “Golden Boy” is the story of a young man who finds himself at the crossroads of his life. If you make the wrong choice, though, can you ever find your way back? Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “My Cousin Vinny” (1992), and received a second Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for “In the Bedroom” (2001). Ms. Tomei can currently be seen in "War, Inc." a political satire written by and also starring John Cusack. In 2007, she appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also was in the movie "Unhook the Stars" opposite Gena Rowlands, for which she was honored by her peers with a Screen Actor's Guild nomination. Ms. Tomei was last seen on Broadway in Caryl Churchill's now-classic feminist drama "Top Girls,” and prior to that, opposite Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" in the title role. Her previous theatre credits include Clifford Odets’ "Waiting for Lefty" and "Rocket to the Moon," both directed by Joanne Woodward. Joanne Woodward is currently artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, following six previous seasons as artistic director (2000-2005). For Westport Country Playhouse, she directed “The Member of the Wedding,” “The Constant Wife” and “Three Days of Rain,” and co-directed with Anne Keefe “David Copperfield.”  Ms. Woodward is an Academy Award-winner for “The Three Faces of Eve,” and has received three Emmy Awards. She won a Golden Globe Award for “Breathing Lessons” (Hallmark Hall of Fame). In addition, she received a New York Critics Award and Oscar nomination for “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.” Clifford Odets (1906 – 1963) wrote “Waiting for Lefty” (1935), “Awake and Sing!” (1935), “Paradise Lost” (1935), “Rocket to the Moon” (1938), “The Big Knife” (1949) and “The Country Girl” (1950), among many other plays.  His screenplays include “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957) and “Wild in the Country” (1961). A Tony Award nomination came posthumously in 1965, sharing a book credit with William Gibson for the musical "Golden Boy,” based on his play. “The Classical Series” is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.  An upcoming presentation is scheduled on Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth; “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish; “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; “Absurd Person Singular” with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and “Our Town” with Paul Newman.  The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists.  For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org. Tickets to "Golden Boy" are $15.  For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org. McNamara To Be Guest At Splash Bar 8/25 On August 25th, 2008 Splash Bar will present Scott Nevins' Curtain Call with "XL STAR" winner Emily McNamara! Directly following the video madness of Musical Mondays, the uber-talented, bubbly blonde bombshell belter will serve up a full set of Broadway's hottest tunes and a few surprises as well!  Get there early to grab a seat to watch these legendary musical numbers on the screens, and then sit tight as this belting beauty performs live in person! Admission is free until 10pm, $5 after. Must be 21 w/ id. Splash is located at 50 west 17th st (b/w 5th and 6th). Simon MacCorkindale is West End's New Captain von Trapp Simon MacCorkindale will star as ‘Captain Von Trapp’ opposite Summer Strallen playing ‘Maria’ in the smash hit West End musical “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” at the London Palladium from Monday 25 August. Best known for his starring role as ‘Harry Harper’ in three series of the hugely popular and successful “Casualty” on television, his other television credits include “Obsessive Love”, “Falcon’s Gold”, “Quatermass”, “Jesus of Nazareth”, “Gemini” and “Dynasty”. He has starred in films including “Juggernaut”, “Death on the Nile” and “The Riddle of the Sands”. He has directed a number of theatre productions including “The Dark Lady of the Sonnets” at the Royal National Theatre and “Pygmalion” at the Albery Theatre. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” will continue to feature Margaret Preece as ‘Mother Abbess’, Fiona Sinnott as ‘The Baroness’ and Paul Grunert as ‘Max’. Rebecca Lucie and Nadim Naaman will take over the roles of ‘Liesl’ and ‘Rolf ’ on 25 August. The smash hit new production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical opened to rave reviews and sell-out business at the London Palladium in November 2006. The production has now been seen by well over a million people. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” originally premiered on Broadway in 1959, when it won six Tony Awards, including “Best Musical”. The show first opened in London in 1961 and its last London revival was in 1981, both productions having record-breaking runs. The 1965 Hollywood film, which starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, won five Oscars, including “Best Picture”. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” has music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is directed by Jeremy Sams, with choreography by Arlene Phillips, design by Robert Jones, sound by Mick Potter, lighting by Mark Henderson and musical supervision by Simon Lee. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian, The Really Useful Group and Live Nation. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is booking until 28 February 2009. Performance times at the London Palladium are at 7.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays – Saturdays, with Tuesday performances at 7.00pm, and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £25.00 - £55.00 including all booking fees, are available from the London Palladium Box Office on 0870 890 1108 or at www.soundofmusiclondon.com Sporknotes presents "The Improv Book Club" In July we answered the question, "What if Charlotte's Web had been written by George Orwell?" What do we do next month? You get to choose! Come Under Saint Marks on August 24th at 7:00 prepared with a book you want us to perform!

'Alfresco' Starring Thompson to be Released in the U.S. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time, Acorn Media announces the August 26, 2008 home video debut of Alfresco, a hilarious sketch comedy series that launched the careers of Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson, Golden Globe®-winner Hugh Laurie (House), BAFTA-winner Robbie Coltrane (Cracker, the Harry Potter films), Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, among others. The 2-volume boxed set includes all 13 episodes plus a bonus program, the series three-episode pilot. Alfresco showcases soon-to-be-famous talents, full of the energy, irreverence, and audacity of youth.   In the tradition of Monty Python's Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live, Alfresco brought hilariously inventive comedy to British TV in the 1980s. It also introduced an entire troupe of bright young talents—Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Siobhan Redmond, and Paul Shearer. Wild and wacky, Alfresco serves up social satire and delightfully off-the-wall sketches that seem as fresh and funny today as when they originally aired. The laughs fly hard and fast, and no sacred cows escape the skewer when these versatile comic actors lampoon bureaucrats, Jesus freaks, self-righteous counterculturists, and even their own show. Now, for the first time, American audiences can enjoy every episode of this British comedy landmark.   Bonus Programs: There's Nothing to Worry About The three-episode pilot series that led to the creation of Alfresco. Additional Special Features: The story of the alternative comedy boom in 1980s Britain, and cast biographies and filmographies.   Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn's DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com. Algonquin Hosts Franken at Benefit Algonquin Theater Productions (www.algonquinproductions.org) announced it will present standup comedy sensation Will Franken and five other comics at a fundraiser at The Algonquin Theater on Monday evening, August 25th at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $10 with no drink minimum. Franken, selected "Best Comedian" by SF Weekly and "Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, is among the nation's most recognized absurdist comics. After achieving notoriety in his native San Francisco, Franken has played to sold out audiences in New York at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and other venues. His solo show, "Good Luck With It," debuted here at the International Fringe Festival to rave reviews by the New York Times. "What elevates Mr. Franken above your garden-variety comedian," wrote The Times' Jason Zinoman, "is an erudite wit." Other featured comics at the Algonquin fundraiser will be host Joseph Rocha, Stacia Jensen, Ryan Hamilton, Vicki Ferentinos and Rory Scovel. The Algonquin Theater is located at 123 East 24th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues. Tickets for the event can be purchased via SmartTix, 212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com – or through the Algonquin box office, 212-730-4664. Algonquin Theater Productions is a not-for-profit company moving plays to next-level production, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, film and television. Beechman To Present Luba Mason For One Night Only, 8/25  The Laurie Beechman Theatre is very pleased to welcome Broadway's LUBA MASON for a one night only concert, as part of their celebrated Voices from the Great Whit Way Series. The series has just kicked off with sold out engagements from Becca Ayers (South Pacific) and Donna Lynne Champlin (Sweeney Todd). This one night only concert takes place on Monday, August 25th @ 7pm. There is a $25 cover, as well as a $15 food or beverage minimum (a full bar and dinner menu is available). The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located at 407 West 42nd St. (@ 9th Ave), in the heart of New York's theatre district. For reservations, which are recommended, please call 212 695 69 09. A native New Yorker and first generation American, Luba Mason spent her early youth devoted to training in classical voice, piano and dance. The training paid off with her early acceptance to the Circle in the Square Theatre School and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Straight out of school, Luba was plucked by Tommy Tune to sing and dance on Broadway in the Tony Award winning, The Will Rogers Follies. She went on to impress Trevor Nunn, who cast her in the American premiere of Sunset Boulevard. But it was director/impressario Des McAnuff who placed Luba front and center in the role of sex bomb Hedy LaRue next to Matthew Broderick's J. Pierpnt Finch in the celebrated Broadway revival of in How to Succeed... A role in Paul Simon's The Capeman preceded Luba's return to Center Stage as she starred in the Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde, and then as Velma Kelly opposite Brooke Shields' Roxy Hart in the smash Broadway revival of Chicago. Her television credits include Law and Order, NYPD Blue and New York Undercover, and most recently opposite Jeff Goldblum in the psychic detective series, Raines. Her nighclub appearances include SRO engagements at clubs such as LA's famed Catalina Bar & Grill, Vibrato and the Cinegrill, New York's Opia and The Metropolitan Room, Chicago's Davenports and San Francisco's The Exit Theatre. David Cale To Perform @ Joe's To Benefit Living Theatre David Cale will be performing REVOLUTIONARY ACTS: an evening of cabaret to benefit The Living Theatre, Inc. and to honor its co-founder, the iconic Judith Malina. Some of New York's brightest and most revolutionary performers come together to help the authentic New York cultural heritage remain LIVING. MC: Murray Hill, Debbie Harry, Penny Arcade, Justin Bond, Austin Pendleton, Tammy Faye Starlight, Our Lady J, Susan Hwang, Sanda Weigl and members of the Broadway musical Passing Strange and a special performance by Judith Malina will be entertainment at its most electric…$50, $30 for students only Monday, August 25 at 9:30pm David Cale Part of Under the Radar’s Incoming Series at Joe’s Pub Obie award recipient David Cale, whose credits include the acclaimed solo shows A Likely Story, Lillian and Deep in a Dream of You and the recently recorded musical Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky, has been writing and performing in New York since the early 80s. His monologues have been featured on NPR’s ‘This American Life’ and ‘The Next Big Thing’. His acting credits include the films Pollock and The Slaughter Rule and the recent Mike Leigh play, 2000 Years. As a lyricist for The Jazz Passengers,Cale’s songs have been recorded by Deborah Harry, Jimmy Scott and performed in concert by Elvis Costello, $12 LA Gay Men's Chorus To Celebrate 30th Season With Concert Join Della Reese, George Takei, Christine Chavez, Donzaleigh Abernathy, Del Shores, Billy Porter, Erin Hamilton and Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles as they welcome special guests (to be announced) to celebrate the launch of their 30th anniversary season with a choral repertoire of jazz, pop, classical, Broadway and more. Attending the event is support will be cast members of Sordid Lives, including Jason Dottley, Ann Walker, Ted Detweiler, Mary-Margaret Lewis, David Cowgill, Five of the nine members of HGTV's Design Star including: Matt Locke, Michael Stribling, Mikey Verdugo, Stephanie Cook, Trish Beaudet and Carol Burnett.  Highlights of the evening will include: -Christine Chavez, the grand daughter of Cesar Chavez, participating in a poignant piece reflecting on immigration, racism. -A tribute to gay marriage with George Takei and his husband, Brad Berliner, which includes pieces from the Kander and Ebb' - "Kiss of the Spider Woman" & "Cabaret." -Commemorating the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech (40 years to the day), Actress/Activist/Author Donzaleigh Abernathy, who was there the day her God father "Uncle Martin" made the historic speech, will be participating. -The GMCLA is honored to share the stage with the talented Billy Porter, performing "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn, the gifted Erin Hamilton will perform "Imagine" and her hit single "One World" and special selections with the legendary Della Reese. Honorary Chairs for this event include: Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Lily Tomlin, Liz Torres, Dr. Iris Levine, Hon. Diane Feinstein, Hon. Barbara Boxer, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Hon. Antonio Villaraigosa. WHEN:   Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 8:00pm WHERE:  Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 TICKETS:     $25 - $80 by calling Ticketmaster at 800-523-1515 or www.ticketmaster.com About GMCLA: On a July night in 1979, a small group of men opened the doors to a room at the Plummer Park Community Center in Los Angeles (now West Hollywood) and waited and wondered if anybody would show up. They had posted flyers around the neighborhood announcing the formation of a new gay chorus and this night was to be its first rehearsal. To their great surprise, 99 men appeared and a chorus was born. Within three months of that rehearsal, founding director Harold Kjellberg led the group through its first major event: the March on Washington, D.C. and the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) concert at the Washington Memorial. While public understanding of gay life has evolved much since 1979, there is still fierce resistance to lasting change by opponents to LGBT equality. And the road to today has not always been easy. Through the height of the AIDS crisis, the Chorus lost over 150 members. Only 12 original members remain. As a result, GMCLA has a deep history of service within the LGBT community, singing at countless memorials, making and commissioning music that helps the community to mourn, to celebrate, to dream, and to prepare for victory.  For over 30 years, the Chorus has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music," GMCLA has more than doubled in size to 226 singers, added professional and artistic staff, toured nationally and internationally, released thirteen compact discs, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements and appeared frequently on national television. The Chorus membership donates over 60,000 volunteer hours annually to make GMCLA's mission of musical excellence and community partnership a reality. Marisa Tomei To Star In Westport's Reading o 'Golden Boy' Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and other actors to be announced will read the classic play “Golden Boy” written by Clifford Odets and directed by Joanne Woodward, on Monday, August 25, 7 p.m., at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director).  The reading is part of “The Classical Series,” bringing together professional actors to read works by master playwrights. In “Golden Boy,” Joe Bonaparte dreams of becoming a world-famous violinist. When he is coerced into prize fighting by the lovely Lorna (Ms. Tomei), he discovers that he can make easy money. As he wins match after match, he finds himself losing his musical aspirations and becoming consumed by fortune, fame and glorious violence. Written in 1937, “Golden Boy” is the story of a young man who finds himself at the crossroads of his life. If you make the wrong choice, though, can you ever find your way back? Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “My Cousin Vinny” (1992), and received a second Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for “In the Bedroom” (2001). Ms. Tomei can currently be seen in "War, Inc." a political satire written by and also starring John Cusack. In 2007, she appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also was in the movie "Unhook the Stars" opposite Gena Rowlands, for which she was honored by her peers with a Screen Actor's Guild nomination. Ms. Tomei was last seen on Broadway in Caryl Churchill's now-classic feminist drama "Top Girls,” and prior to that, opposite Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" in the title role. Her previous theatre credits include Clifford Odets’ "Waiting for Lefty" and "Rocket to the Moon," both directed by Joanne Woodward. Joanne Woodward is currently artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, following six previous seasons as artistic director (2000-2005). For Westport Country Playhouse, she directed “The Member of the Wedding,” “The Constant Wife” and “Three Days of Rain,” and co-directed with Anne Keefe “David Copperfield.”  Ms. Woodward is an Academy Award-winner for “The Three Faces of Eve,” and has received three Emmy Awards. She won a Golden Globe Award for “Breathing Lessons” (Hallmark Hall of Fame). In addition, she received a New York Critics Award and Oscar nomination for “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.” Clifford Odets (1906 – 1963) wrote “Waiting for Lefty” (1935), “Awake and Sing!” (1935), “Paradise Lost” (1935), “Rocket to the Moon” (1938), “The Big Knife” (1949) and “The Country Girl” (1950), among many other plays.  His screenplays include “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957) and “Wild in the Country” (1961). A Tony Award nomination came posthumously in 1965, sharing a book credit with William Gibson for the musical "Golden Boy,” based on his play. “The Classical Series” is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.  An upcoming presentation is scheduled on Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth; “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish; “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; “Absurd Person Singular” with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and “Our Town” with Paul Newman.  The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists.  For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org. Tickets to "Golden Boy" are $15.  For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org. Marisa Tomei To Star In Westport's Reading of 'Golden Boy' Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and other actors to be announced will read the classic play “Golden Boy” written by Clifford Odets and directed by Joanne Woodward, on Monday, August 25, 7 p.m., at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director).  The reading is part of “The Classical Series,” bringing together professional actors to read works by master playwrights. In “Golden Boy,” Joe Bonaparte dreams of becoming a world-famous violinist. When he is coerced into prize fighting by the lovely Lorna (Ms. Tomei), he discovers that he can make easy money. As he wins match after match, he finds himself losing his musical aspirations and becoming consumed by fortune, fame and glorious violence. Written in 1937, “Golden Boy” is the story of a young man who finds himself at the crossroads of his life. If you make the wrong choice, though, can you ever find your way back? Marisa Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “My Cousin Vinny” (1992), and received a second Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for “In the Bedroom” (2001). Ms. Tomei can currently be seen in "War, Inc." a political satire written by and also starring John Cusack. In 2007, she appeared in the Sidney Lumet-directed “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also was in the movie "Unhook the Stars" opposite Gena Rowlands, for which she was honored by her peers with a Screen Actor's Guild nomination. Ms. Tomei was last seen on Broadway in Caryl Churchill's now-classic feminist drama "Top Girls,” and prior to that, opposite Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" in the title role. Her previous theatre credits include Clifford Odets’ "Waiting for Lefty" and "Rocket to the Moon," both directed by Joanne Woodward. Joanne Woodward is currently artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, following six previous seasons as artistic director (2000-2005). For Westport Country Playhouse, she directed “The Member of the Wedding,” “The Constant Wife” and “Three Days of Rain,” and co-directed with Anne Keefe “David Copperfield.”  Ms. Woodward is an Academy Award-winner for “The Three Faces of Eve,” and has received three Emmy Awards. She won a Golden Globe Award for “Breathing Lessons” (Hallmark Hall of Fame). In addition, she received a New York Critics Award and Oscar nomination for “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.” Clifford Odets (1906 – 1963) wrote “Waiting for Lefty” (1935), “Awake and Sing!” (1935), “Paradise Lost” (1935), “Rocket to the Moon” (1938), “The Big Knife” (1949) and “The Country Girl” (1950), among many other plays.  His screenplays include “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957) and “Wild in the Country” (1961). A Tony Award nomination came posthumously in 1965, sharing a book credit with William Gibson for the musical "Golden Boy,” based on his play. “The Classical Series” is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.  An upcoming presentation is scheduled on Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth; “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish; “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; “Absurd Person Singular” with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and “Our Town” with Paul Newman.  The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists.  For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org. Tickets to "Golden Boy" are $15.  For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org. McNamara To Be Guest At Splash Bar 8/25 On August 25th, 2008 Splash Bar will present Scott Nevins' Curtain Call with "XL STAR" winner Emily McNamara! Directly following the video madness of Musical Mondays, the uber-talented, bubbly blonde bombshell belter will serve up a full set of Broadway's hottest tunes and a few surprises as well!  Get there early to grab a seat to watch these legendary musical numbers on the screens, and then sit tight as this belting beauty performs live in person! Admission is free until 10pm, $5 after. Must be 21 w/ id. Splash is located at 50 west 17th st (b/w 5th and 6th). Simon MacCorkindale is West End's New Captain von Trapp Simon MacCorkindale will star as ‘Captain Von Trapp’ opposite Summer Strallen playing ‘Maria’ in the smash hit West End musical “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” at the London Palladium from Monday 25 August. Best known for his starring role as ‘Harry Harper’ in three series of the hugely popular and successful “Casualty” on television, his other television credits include “Obsessive Love”, “Falcon’s Gold”, “Quatermass”, “Jesus of Nazareth”, “Gemini” and “Dynasty”. He has starred in films including “Juggernaut”, “Death on the Nile” and “The Riddle of the Sands”. He has directed a number of theatre productions including “The Dark Lady of the Sonnets” at the Royal National Theatre and “Pygmalion” at the Albery Theatre. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” will continue to feature Margaret Preece as ‘Mother Abbess’, Fiona Sinnott as ‘The Baroness’ and Paul Grunert as ‘Max’. Rebecca Lucie and Nadim Naaman will take over the roles of ‘Liesl’ and ‘Rolf ’ on 25 August. The smash hit new production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical opened to rave reviews and sell-out business at the London Palladium in November 2006. The production has now been seen by well over a million people. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” originally premiered on Broadway in 1959, when it won six Tony Awards, including “Best Musical”. The show first opened in London in 1961 and its last London revival was in 1981, both productions having record-breaking runs. The 1965 Hollywood film, which starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, won five Oscars, including “Best Picture”. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” has music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is directed by Jeremy Sams, with choreography by Arlene Phillips, design by Robert Jones, sound by Mick Potter, lighting by Mark Henderson and musical supervision by Simon Lee. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian, The Really Useful Group and Live Nation. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” is booking until 28 February 2009. Performance times at the London Palladium are at 7.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays – Saturdays, with Tuesday performances at 7.00pm, and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £25.00 - £55.00 including all booking fees, are available from the London Palladium Box Office on 0870 890 1108 or at www.soundofmusiclondon.com The Other Side of the Island World premiere! Alpine Theatre Project (ATP) presents Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis in her wild adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest: a tale of love, revenge, and redemption. ATP is located in Whitefish, MT. This production will run August 26-September 7. For tickets or more information visit www.alpinetheatreproject.org or call 406.862.SHOW.

'Alfresco' Starring Thompson to be Released in the U.S. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time, Acorn Media announces the August 26, 2008 home video debut of Alfresco, a hilarious sketch comedy series that launched the careers of Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson, Golden Globe®-winner Hugh Laurie (House), BAFTA-winner Robbie Coltrane (Cracker, the Harry Potter films), Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, among others. The 2-volume boxed set includes all 13 episodes plus a bonus program, the series three-episode pilot. Alfresco showcases soon-to-be-famous talents, full of the energy, irreverence, and audacity of youth.   In the tradition of Monty Python's Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live, Alfresco brought hilariously inventive comedy to British TV in the 1980s. It also introduced an entire troupe of bright young talents—Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Siobhan Redmond, and Paul Shearer. Wild and wacky, Alfresco serves up social satire and delightfully off-the-wall sketches that seem as fresh and funny today as when they originally aired. The laughs fly hard and fast, and no sacred cows escape the skewer when these versatile comic actors lampoon bureaucrats, Jesus freaks, self-righteous counterculturists, and even their own show. Now, for the first time, American audiences can enjoy every episode of this British comedy landmark.   Bonus Programs: There's Nothing to Worry About The three-episode pilot series that led to the creation of Alfresco. Additional Special Features: The story of the alternative comedy boom in 1980s Britain, and cast biographies and filmographies.   Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn's DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com. AfroSolo Presents Black Patti AfroSolo Theatre Company proudly joins the San Francisco Theatre Festival in presenting Angela Dean-Baham in Unsung Diva: The Life and Times of Sissieretta Jones, aka Black Patti at the San Francisco Theatre Festival on Sunday, August 27th at 1:55 pm in the Yerba Buena Room, located in the Sony Metreon, Fourth and Mission Streets in San Francisco. This event is free and open to the public. Ms. Dean-Baham, directed by Rhodessa Jones, will perform an excerpt from Unsung Diva: The Life and Times of Sissieretta Jones, aka Black Patti. Dubbed the "Black Patti", after the renowned Metropolitan Opera singer Adelina Patti, Sissieretta Jones was the most accomplished Black singer of her time. She will premiere the work in AfroSolo Arts Festival 15 at The Marsh, August 21 -24, 2008. For more info visit: www.afrosolo.org Angela Dean-Baham began her performing career in Cincinnati where as a graduate student, she appeared with the Cincinnati Opera Young Artist Program in the classical operetta Ruddigore. Since relocating to the Bay area, she has become a much sought-after performer and has been recognized for her "exuberant portrayal" and her "distinctive "silvery soprano" voice. She has appeared with Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, Berkeley Opera, Pocket Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera and Oakland Opera Theatre. Gateway Playhouse To Present 'The Producers' Starting 8/27  Gateway Playhouse, Long Island's premiere professional Equity musical theatre, presents the award winning hit musical, "The Producers" at the Patchogue Theatre, 71 E. Main Street, Patchogue, August 27 - September 13. It is directed by Larry Ravon; choreographed by Matthew Vargo; Jeff Buchsbaum is musical director; lighting design by Paul Miller; with original scenic design by Robin Wagner and original costume design by William Ivey Long.  The cast stars Michael Kostroff (Max), Adam Wylie (Leo), Christine Cherry (Ulla), David Edwards (Roger Debris), Stephen Ted Becklar (Franz), Garth Kravits (Carmen Ghia), with Anne Bloemendal, Sarah Burns, Will Cohen, William James Daniels, Erik Floor, Abeku Hayes, Patrick Oliver Jones, Denis Molnar, Kevin Murnane, Linda Neel, John O'Malley, Candice Pennefather, Jessica Sheridan, Elizabeth Sousek, and Lindsay O. Travis.   (subject to change) "The Producers" is based on the hilarious Mel Brooks film.  This is a Long Island premiere professional presentation.  The musical opened on Broadway on April 19, 2001 and ran for 2,502 performances. After the opening, The Producers broke the record for the largest single day box-office gross in theatre history and then broke its own record in 2003 when the original stars.   It received a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards (the most ever) and also won almost every other award that season. Presented in numerous languages throughout the world, it is one of the most successful musical in theatre history.  This comic whirlwind of a musical gives audiences a rare adventure into the backstage shenanigans of the Broadway theatre world.  The story is a comedy classic: a crooked producer and his accountant creating a scheme to present a massive trainwreck of a theatrical fiasco (the musical "Springtime For Hitler") - and pocket their investors' money before the final curtain. Max Bialystock, Leo Bloom and a cast of crazy theatre-types creates a laugh-a-minute riot filled with all the shtick only Mel Brooks can think up!  With the biggest sets, costumes, clever songs and belly laughs from the mind of Brooks, "The Producers" is a show everyone should see at least once or better yet one-more-time! 2008 marks Gateway Playhouse's (215 South Country Rd, Bellport, NY 11713) 59th year of producing first class entertainment. The state-of-the-art facility surrounded by a beautifully landscaped rustic exterior creates a unique theater going experience; one of the top ten summer theaters in the nation.  The seven acres of wooded, grassy land encompass the Mainstage theatre (seats 500), Barn theatre (for acting school classes and projects), scene shop, two rehearsal studios, three dorm-style housing units, a newly remodeled kitchen, costume shop, design office/studio, paint shop, box office, business office, various storage spaces, a recreation room and a large hedge-lined lawn with outdoor swimming pool.  All of the actors are professionals, most are members of Actors Equity and the musicians are members of A F of M (Local 802). SSDC© directors (Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers) and USA© designers (United Scenic Artists) are employed.  Gateway's Acting School is now in it's 13th year of providing professional training.  Their set rental business has grown to over 40 full sets to lease. The final show for the summer season is "The Wedding Singer" September 17-October 4.  The children's theatre shows continue on weekends. Regular performances of "The Producers" are Tuesday - Friday at 8:00 pm; Saturday at 4:00 & 8:30 pm; Sunday at 2:00 pm with week day matinees Thursday at 2:00 pm and special performances at 7:00 pm Sunday 8/31, and a 2:00 pm matinee on Wednesday 9/10. Tickets are$39-$43 for adults, and $25 for children 12 and under and can be purchased by calling 1-888-4-TIX-NOW, on the web at www.gatewayplayhouse.com, or in person at the historic theatre in Bellport. Lighthouse Theatre Company Presents 'Night Maneuver' The Lighthouse Theatre Company presents “Night Maneuver” by Howard Korder, Off Broadway at The American Theatre of Actors at 314 West 54th Street (bet 8th & 9th Ave.). Previews begin on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 and the opening is Friday, August 29th at 8:00 p.m for the limited engagement of this revival.  It is directed by Tom Bain, with lighting design by Judy Merrick and costume design by Brittany Holmes and stars Anthony Caronna, and Alexander Smith. “Night Maneuver” is the story of Lou, a 26 year-old auto parts clerk and his 18 year-old brother, Tim. The two share a roach infested run down studio apartment in one of America’s biggest cities. It becomes apparent both are not playing with a full deck of cards. Tim is an emotional infant, and Lou is an outrageously perverse sociopathic who trade banter that touches on sex, booze and the almost mythical exploits of their older brother, Monty. There is a drug deal unfolding around the two that could possibly change both their lives forever.  As the lies and deceit begin, they both try to claw their way without the other one realizing what’s going on for a showdown of sibling rivalry halfway between life and death. Written in 1982 this play was one of the first of Howard Korder’s career and has not been staged in New York City until now. Some of Howard Korder’s other plays include "Boys' Life" (which is being revived this season), "Five Very Live," and "The Lights". The Lighthouse Theatre Company is proud to be the first to put this show on in well over 20 years. It’s been an incredible journey getting this show on its feet. The Companies mission is to put up plays that are brilliantly written, but are rarely seen. To show them in a way that is unlike any other, with talented actors and cutting edge direction; taking these shows out of the dark and presenting them to the world re-worked with a modern point of view.  The goal of the company is: To reach out and show the world that good, well crafted, raw theatre is still around and better than ever.          Performances are Monday – Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m for the limited engagement t