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NOHO ARTS CENTER presents A WORLD PREMIERE PLAY - "DEPARTURES" opens 1/26!
NOHO ARTS CENTER presents A WORLD PREMIERE PLAY - "DEPARTURES" opens 1/26!
01/09/2008 (01:31 PM)
DEMAND PR David Elzer Marketing and Public Relations FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACT: David Elzer 818/508-1754 MEDIA ALERT FOR THEATRE EDITORS AND REVIEWERS AND CALENDAR LISTINGS
OPEN AT THE TOP Productions at the NOHO ARTS CENTER
presents DEPARTURES Written by Michael Catlin, David Ferguson, Effie H, Jim Lunsford, James J. Mellon, Duane Poole, Penelope Richards and Mark Wyrick
Directed by Bob Morrisey OPENS SATURDAY, JANUARY 26
AT THE NOHO ARTS CENTER IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD! January 9, 2008 …North Hollywood…The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center and Open at the Top productions presents a World Premiere play developed in-house at the theatre, DEPARTURES, written by Michael Catlin, David Ferguson, Effie H, Jim Lunsford, James J. Mellon, Duane Poole, Penelope Richards and Mark Wyrick and directed by Bob Morrisey. DEPARTURES will preview on Friday, January 18 at 8pm, Saturday, January 19 at 8pm, Sunday, January 20 at 3pm, Friday, January 25 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, January 26 at 8pm and will run through Sunday, February 24 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood. DEPARTURES is the newest collaboration from the writers, actors and directors of Open at the Top. Set in an airport terminal, DEPARTURES is a play about the endings, and beginnings, of twelve travelers. From a bride in her wedding dress with an extraordinary case of cold feet to a grandfather determined to bring his young grandson home from Iraq, these characters share their dreams, their fears and their secrets with each other in the moments before each takes the most defining journey of their life. By turns wry and moving, hopeful and nostalgic, DEPARTURES blends the voices of an eclectic group of writers into a tapestry of lives at their most daring moment--the moment of leaping into thin air, and letting faith give you wings. ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM BOB MORRISEY (Director) began his career as a backup singer for Doc Severinsen and his band, playing concerts and showrooms across the country. He then spent three years in Paris pretending to be Gene Kelly. Returning to New York City, he appeared on Broadway in Annie (Rooster Hannigan), Cats (Rum Tum Tugger, Monkustrap, and Skimbleshanks), The First (Pee Wee Reese), City of Angels, The Grand Tour, and Raggedy Ann. Other musical roles include Riff in West Side Story, Littlechap in Stop the World I Want to Get Off, Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, Chuck Baxter in Promises, Promises, and Johnny Cantone in The 1940’s Radio Hour. Segueing into a dramatic career, he spent a year and a half at Actor’s Theater of Louisville, four summers at The Williamstown Theater Festival, five years (three in the resident company) at the Seattle Repertory Theater, and in productions at The Long Wharf, Arizona Theater Company and San Jose Rep, performing over thirty roles, from Shakespeare, Shaw and Brecht to Arthur Miller, Noel Coward and Alan Ayckborn. Bob also had the extraordinary pleasure of being directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins in a workshop of Hamlet, playing Polonius opposite Mr. Hopkins’ melancholy Dane. For the past decade Bob has worked primarily on screen, appearing in over seventy television and film roles. His directing credits are Educating Rita, Brilliant Traces and Zoo Story at Seattle’s Northwest Actors Studio and a workshop of A Trip to Bountiful here at OATT. For the past thirteen years he has taught the craft of acting he learned from the magnificent Uta Hagen. Bob is an associate artistic director and board member of Open at The Top. ABOUT THE CAST AND DESIGN TEAM The cast of DEPARTURES features (in alphabetical order): Roger Ainsle, Rob Arbogast, Curtis C., Melanie Ewbank, Effie Hortis, Andrea Lockhart, Jim Lunsford, J.R.Mangels, Bob Morrisey, Danny Murphy, Michael Craig Shapiro and Jonathan Zenz. The production has assembled an award-winning design team. The Set Design is by Dana Moran Williams (Ovation Award winner Elizabeth Rex). The Lighting Design is by Ovation Award-winner Luke Moyer (Elizabeth Rex). The Costume Design is by Megan Densmore. The Property Design is by Tara Orr. DEPARTURES will preview on Friday, January 18 at 8pm, Saturday, January 19 at 8pm, Sunday, January 20 at 3pm, Friday, January 25 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, January 26 at 8pm and will run through Sunday, February 24. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in the heart of North Hollywood. Ticket prices are $25.00 for all performances; $20 for previews. Student & Senior Tickets are $20. For tickets, please call 818-508-7101 or visit _www.thenohoartscenter.com_ (http://www.thenohoartscenter.com/) .
For further information or for press interviews, photos or press comps, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or at
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THE NOHO ARTS CENTER and OPEN AT THE TOP PRODUCTIONS was formed in 2004 by theatre veterans James J. Mellon and Kevin Bailey. OPEN AT THE TOP is the Center’s resident company and now numbers over 60 actors, directors and writers who passionately fulfill their vision statement, “Theatre for its own sake.” In its first season, OPEN AT THE TOP produced 2 World Premiere Musicals, THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR as well as the West Coast Premiere of the musical DORIAN, both parts of ANGELS IN AMERICA, the Los Angeles Premiere of Seth Greenland’ s JERUSALEM, and 4 evenings of 24 HOURS OF MADNESS, whereby it produces six fifteen minute plays in 24 hours. Their second season brought the hit musical production of BARNUM, the critically acclaimed ELIZABETH REX and the World Premiere musical LIZARD. This past season OATT presented the World Premiere of FEED, a play written by OATT Founding Member Jim Lunsford and directed by Artistic Director James J. Mellon as well as presenting the West Coast Premiere of the New York hit musical revue, BUSH IS BAD, THE MUSICAL. In their first three years, OPEN AT THE TOP has received 17 Ovation Award nominations; 3 LADCC Award nominations; 2 Garland Awards and 10 Garland nominations; 2 LA WEEKLY Award nominations; 6 ADA Awards and 12 ADA Award nominations.
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