OFF CHANCE Productions Presents: ANTATOMY OF A SLAP premiering MAY 9 through MAY 31ST Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
at 8pm at Son of Semele Theatre 3301 Beverly Blvd. LA 90004
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Thursday Readings: Free nights of full-length play readings during the run of ANATOMY OF A SLAP
May 15
May 22 Humans Anonymous by Kate Hewlett
May 29 The Anger Within by Kevin J. Clark |
Off-Chance Productions (a theatre and film production company)< xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace="">
presents the World Premiere of
Anatomy of a Slap
When who you are and who you think you are collide at the curtain...
who gets slapped?
Off-Chance Productions is proud to present their inaugural theatre production of
ANATOMY OF A SLAP
In a cathartic outpouring of self-expression, a young writer named Renee is producing an
original play about her mother. All is fine on opening night...
…until her mother calls moments before the curtain.
The history of ANATOMY OF A SLAP speaks to the unique approach being taken by this new Los Angeles-based production company.
The process began with asking various writers to contribute a scene that takes place in the backstage area of a theatre and involved, in any capacity, a slap. Out of several dozen scenes contributed, eight were chosen and then woven into one cohesive, full-length play.
ANATOMY OF A SLAP examines the fragile membrane that exists between the world of reality and the world of perception, represented here as the curtain.
LUIS REYES - DIRECTOR
Luis Reyes is a Senior Editor at Tokyopop and a freelance theater reviewer for the LA Weekly as well as being a fly by night playwright, combustible director, tangential filmmaker and ignoble front man for the rock band Jacaranda. And he is perhaps the only man in the professional entertainment community forever without a MySpace page. But he has a card.
ANATOMY OF A SLAP FEATURES…
Actors …
Michael Datz, Reena Dutt (Looking For Comedy In the Muslim World), Kahshanna Evans (Epic Movie), Ben Fuller, Tom Markley, Mr. Nathaniel Mathis, Carmen Elena,Mitchell,
Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Pack), Guy Killum*,
Paula Vincent (Sinners) and Jennifer Weaver
Playwrights…
Mary Casey (Heideman Award recipient), Greg Kaczynski (Creator/Director Dynamite Kablammo), Deb Loftis (Creator/Writer/Director of Simian Undercover Detective Squad, Jim Henson Prod. & Warner Bros.), Tom Markley (Prankstar), Carmen Elena Mitchell (Pocket Books/MTV Short Fiction Award), Luis Reyes (Tokyopop), Donna Jo Thorndale (The Actors’ Gang), and Dirk Voetberg (Rebels of Comedy),
* Member of Actors Equity Association of America, the union for performers and stage managers.
What: ANATOMY OF A SLAP
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
May 9 - May 31st, 2008
All shows @ 8pm.
Where: 3301 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(Son of Semele Theatre)
Admission: $10.00 (pre-sale Brown Paper Tickets)
$15.00 (at the door)
$25 Opening Gala (includes one admission plus reception)
Sunday Specials: May 11th Mother’s Day – Your mom comes for free
May 18th Talkback with the cast and crew
May 25th Pay-What-You-Can
Reservations: RSVP
(323) 469-4680
Purchase Tickets Online at www.anatomyofaslap.com
Brown Paper Tickets
www.brownpapertickets.com
Parking info: Street parking on < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Beverly and Hoover.
Thursday Readings: Free nights of full-length play readings
May 15 8pm The Limitations of Genetic Technology by Luis Reyes
May 22 8pm Humans Anonymous by Kate Hewlett (Toronto Fringe Festival)
May 29 8pm The Anger Within by Kevin J. Clark
PRESS CONTACT:
Ezra Buzzington
Rialto Press Relations
323.883.1698
johnny1take@sbcglobal.net
The ANATOMY OF A SLAP Team
The Director
Luis Reyes (Direcotr/Co-producer/Lead Writer) is a Senior Editor at Tokyopop and a freelance theater reviewer for the LA Weekly as well as being a fly by night playwright, combustible director, tangential filmmaker and ignoble front man for the rock band Jacaranda. And he is perhaps the only man in the professional entertainment community forever without a MySpace page. But he has a card.
The Team – Writers and Ensemble
Mike Berger (Set Designer) born New Orleans Worked for Stage Right Productions Video, Audio, Lights,Ground Rigging, Construction of set, and Set Design.
I also became a Live Audio Tech, Guitar Tech, Drum Tech, and Back line set up for shows at The Super Dome, Sports Arena, Lake front Arena, New Orleans Convention Center, Municipal auditorium. Hurricane Katrina Blew me to California where I began working for “Event Construction Services” Power Distribution And Stage Building. I worked For Disney, USC, LA Film,and many other Major Events. I’m a solo artist - I play guitar and sing.I have My own public access show at Time Warner “BERGER TIME and Digging to China”. I have started from the bottom And worked my way to the top time and time again. Never Give Up Never Surrender. BERGER
Mary Casey’s (Writer) short plays have been produced at Theatre of NOTE, Secret Rose and Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles and, last month, in Colorado Springs. She was a finalist for the 2007 Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Her full-length play, “Women and Horses and a Shot Straight From the Bottle,” had its world premiere at Echo Theatre in Dallas in 2006 and was nominated for Best New Play by the Dallas Theatre League. Mary is excited and inspired to be working with the great group of talented artists who make up the Slap world.
Michael Datz (Sound Designer/ “Shelby”) Mike is a native of Chicago who relocated to the land of fruits and nuts four years ago. Since arriving, he has appeared in numerous films and commercials, including campaigns for Sprint, GMC, Bacardi and Direct TV. Mike is also an accomlished musician, songwriter and producer, who has performed with The Blue Man Group and had his songs featured on such shows as One Tree Hill, The Ghost Whisperer and Joey. Mike would like to thank his family, friends, and Jilly for all of their love and support. If only he didn’t have TMJ, life would be perfect.
Reena Dutt (Co-Producer/ “Louise”) PRODUCER...White Cotton @ NYC International Fringe Festival ; Disha Theatre Co.: Prince of Delhi Palace, On the Rocks: A Reading Series; Red Dirt Productions: Unfinished; Independent: Ovaries and Coffee, APWC Arts Segment @ Disney Concert Hall. ACTOR...Theatre NYC: SlamDance, MCC, Ars Nova, National Asian American Theatre Company, HERE Arts Center, Miller Theatre, New York Fringe Festival. Theatre LA: Mark Taper Forum’s New Works Festival, East West Players, Will and Company, Furious Theatre Co. . Film: Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, Ways of the Flesh, Unfinished. TV: Criminal Minds, Medium, Out of Practice; Training: William Esper Studios NYC, Stuart Rogers Studios. Membership: SAG, Theatre of Note, Off-Chance Productions. www.ReenaDutt.com
Kahshanna Evans (“Diane”) I am proud to be a part of this slap happy production with a group of nutty, creative artists! Trained in New York at William Esper Studios, also the awesome team at Black Nexxus (LA and NYC), and Eric Morris in Los Angeles. Film/TV: The Wrong Hands (feature length Indie, lead), Epic Movie as ‘Storm’, Law & Order, SVU, The Chris Rock Show, and Zoolander. Production: ‘Beyond The Ladies Room Door’ and ‘Phone Jacked’. Theater: an all female version of Shakespear’s Henry V, Drop In, ‘High Art’ directed by Susan Batson, and Drop In, “Annie Hall’. I write/bolg, design, crochet, and sew women’s clothing and accessories. I love to dance, eat out with my friends...and go to bonfires out at Dockweiler State Beach. I grew up here in sunny Southern California, but spent many years in New York, doing some fine tuning.
Ben Fuller (“Jason”) Ben is a Massachusetts-born actor who studied Acting at Emerson College in Boston, MA. Moved to Los Angeles in 2004, and has steadily begun furthering his career as a young, urban professional. His stage credits include Fool for Love, Hot and Throbbing, Clue! an Improv Event, Shoot the Bull, and the ACToberfest 2007 production of The Birthday Knife. He is currently studying under Michelle Danner at The Larry Moss Studios in Santa Monica. He can be seen every Monday evening at Rusty’s Bar and Grille on the Santa Monica Pier, “tearing up the joint” on the karaoke mic. His monster ballad cover band, BiPFT!, can be found at www.myspace.com/bipft. Send donations.
Greg Kaczynski (Writer) currently writes for acclaimed comedy group, Dynamite Kablammo, has nearly been published in several literary journals, and has an awesome novella that he wants you to read. Greg is very excited and honored to be a part of the Anatomy Of A Slap project. http://www.myspace.com/unabomber_kid http://www.myspace.com/dynamitekablammo
Guy Killum (Roy) is a native Angelino and has performed in many Los Angeles area theatres such as; The Bootleg Theatre, Stella Adler Theatre, The Odyssey Theatre, The Gardner Stage and The Victory Theatre just to name a few. His television credits include, “CSI:Miami”, “Diagnosis Murder”, “Martin”, “Men Don’t Tell” and “The Edmund Perry Story” as well as several features, radio and television commercials. Guy dedicates his performances to his loving wife and best friend, Stephanie and their son Omar.
Deb Loftis (Writer) is has written, produced and directed films, music videos, plays and podcasts. She is most proud of her play, Me: A 5 Woman Show, which featured at the New York International Fringe Festival, and her various projects with her creative partners, Nickelodeon podcasts and The Untitled Drake Bell pilot among them. Most recently, she and Perry Sachs created/wrote/directed the Simian Undercover Detective Squad for Jim Henson Productions & Warner Bros., to be distributed on film.com by RealNetworks in 2008. Rather than list any other credits here, she would prefer you go to IMDB and raise her STARmeter.
Tom Markley (Writer/ “Kip”) was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside of Baltimore. He received a B.A. from Bucknell University and studied in London with Bucknell’s theatre department. He has also earned M.F.A.’s from Carnegie Mellon University and the Moscow Art Theatre. Tom spent two years at Primary Stages Theatre in New York working under writers and directors including Connor McPherson, Harris Yulin, Constance Cogdon, and Daisy and Horton Foote. Recently, he worked with Tom Green on the upcoming film “Prankstar”, and has been developing several screenplays. Currently, he is currently working at Metropolitan Talent Agency. www.myspace.com/tommarkley
Carmen Elena Mitchell (Co-Producer/Lead Writer/ “Gretchen”). Carmen’s words have appeared in Pieces: A Collection of New Voices (Winner of the MTV/Pocket Books Short Story Award), The Sow’ s Ear Poetry Review, Deixis, and The Seattle Medium. Beyond the Dinner Table: The Unintentional Poetry of Howie Small debuted at LA’s Edge Fest (2007), and film, Evidence, premiered at The Vine Shorts Fest. Carmen trained in acting at The British American Drama Academy, Steppenwolf and Sarah Lawrence College. LA stage: The Golden Round, Death Comes to Us All, Mary Agnes (Open Fist Theatre Company) Sound the Country and Colette Call and the Meaningless Void. Film, television, and internet credits: Starched, TV pilots Possession Point and Taffeta, and web series, A Chaos Affair. www.carmenelenamitchell.com
Marja-Lewis Ryan (“Lala”) is a proud product of The Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was homegrown and housebroken in her native city of Brooklyn. Special thanks to Reena Dutt for giving Marja the opportunity to be a part of this project.
Donna Jo Thorndale (Writer) Plays include “Life is a Wreck” and “Apron, Apron, Screwdriver” for which she won the Oswald Research and Creativity Award. She is the creator and host of “Tastes Like Home” live cooking show and is a member of The Actors’ Gang. Donna Jo is thrilled to be a part of “Anatomy of a Slap”. myspace.com/tasteslikehome
Carrie LaFerle (Stage Manager/Lighting Designer) Fairly new to LA, Carrie is excited to be a part of the Anatomy production. She has written for the No Shame Theatre in Santa Monica and spent several years stage managing, directing, and designing lights in Michigan theatres. The Purple Slap is her new favorite drink.
Nathaniel Mathis (“Lance”) This is Nathaniel’s first production with Off -Chance Productions and he couldn’t be more thrilled. He recently finished up a two month as a Prisoner in the revival of The Brig at the Odyssey Theatre. He graduated from Point Park College with a dual B.A. in Drama and Musical Theater and currently studies acting with Daniel Henning (The Core) and voice with Vsev Krawczeniuk. Some past favorite roles include: Hal in proof, Phil in The Shape of Things, Billy Bigelow in Carousel. He thanks the awesome production team and incredibly talented cast for their love and support;his family, friends and most of all to his late father, who continues to inspire him.
Paula Vincent (“Renee”) hails from the state of Maine (where it also hails…). Trained at The Actor’s Institute in NYC and the British American Dramatic Academy in the UK. IMDB Film: Pretty in the Face (Nate Myer Productions), Twelve Steps Outside (Strong Paw Productions) & Sinners (Eleven Eleven Pictures). National Theatre: Newmyn’s Nose Improv. Troupe (NYC cast member), Olivia in Twelfth Night (Boothbay Opera House), Belle in A Christmas Carol (Portland Stage Co.), Mary Pickford in Perchance to Dream (Producer’s Club), Sarah Casey in The Tinker’s Wedding (American Irish Repertory Co.), Helen Stoner in The Adventures of the Speckled Band (National Theatre of the Performing Arts) & Mary Shelley in Bloody Poetry (Chop Shop Theatre Co). Managed by Artist & Model Management and currently seeks Commercial & Theatrical Representation.
Dirk Voetberg (Writer) is an Iowa/Chicago person. After graduating from Univ. of Chicago in Public Policy, he came to Los Angeles to write. In 2000, he wrote for the Modern Humorist Web site. In 2003, he was a finalist in the Rebels of Comedy standup comedy contest in Los Angeles, and was published this year on The Big Jewel (www.thebigjewel.com) and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (www.mcsweeneys.net) humor prose sites. Dirk’s one of the few Elders of The Dark Tower (of Xxoron), and writes for the video sketch group (www.eldersofthedarktower.com). hear him in the Beg for Mercy podcast (www.begformercypodcast.com) and read him on www.thedirk.com. Dirk is happily married to Michelle and has this very cute dachshund/golden Lab mix named Harvey. He’s very proud to be a part of Anatomy of a Slap and loved watching it develop.
Jennifer Weaver (Co-Producer/ “Babette”) can turn her native Northern Jersey accent on and off. Known roles include “Lady Macbeth” and “Desdemona” and originated roles include the Italian spirit-like woman “Rosanna” in No More Sundays and “Liza” in Rooftops and Other Forms of Transportation. She has learned from the best in NYC, London, and LA, and the amazing Stephanie Nash (Yale Drama MFA). Film and TV: “Maid of Honor” on Fuel TV’s Stupidface, “Elma” in National Lampoon’s Brokeback Bowling Alley. You may have seen her helping white pants come back to life in the Shout Rescue Mission commercial. THANK YOU to the cast, crew, family, and friends. An extra special thanks to her producing team from whom she has learned much. Jen looks forward to helping Off-Chance continue to create. “...that’s amore’!” www.jenniferleeweaver.com
Contact Off-Chance Productions
Off-Chance Productions
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel. (323) 469-4680
Fax. (818) 823-1964
Email: anatomyofaslap@gmail.com
Web: www.offchanceproductions.info
