A Noise Within Announces Upcoming Special Events in November & December

A Noise Within, the critically acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, announces special events linked to two of its Current Productions, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and NOISES OFF, running through December 17 and December 20, respectively at A Noise Within theater space in Glendale.

"CHAMPAGNE AND SARDINES" - NOISES OFF

Sardines feature prominently in Michael Frayn's NOISES OFF, and in the spirit of this hysterical farce, A Noise Within is hosting two post-performance receptions for audience members attending the show on Saturday, November 28, 8 P.M., and Friday, December 18, 2009, 8 P.M. The sardines -- both maligned and savored in the play -- will be paired with champagne and lively discussion featuring cast members.

In NOISES OFF, chaos reins both onstage and off as an under-rehearsed and over-worked troupe of veteran thespians ready themselves for the world premiere of a new play. With a penchant for drama more personal than professional, the bumbling actors stumble through rehearsals and performances, and in the process bring the house down, quite literally. The play is co-directed by A Noise Within Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, and runs through December 20 (previews from November 7).

"WHITE RUSSIANS AND DISCUSSIONS" - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Audience members will have two opportunity to discuss over White Russians - courtesy of A Noise Within -- the new thought provoking adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's towering masterpiece CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, created by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, at "White Russians and Discussions" following the shows on Friday, November 20, 8 P.M., and Saturday, December 5, 2009, 8 P.M.

The first Russian-themed reception, following the show on Friday, November 20, 2009, 8 P.M., features guest speaker Ed Bacon, Rector for All Saints Church in Pasadena, who will discuss the story of Lazarus, and the ways in which its tale of rebirth intersects with the central figure in the play. When considered through the lens of the story of Lazarus, the play has spiritual implications worth a closer look - as metaphorical resurrection through atonement for past crimes forms the centerpiece of Raskolnikov's journey.

Following the show on December 5, 8 P.M., the "White Russians and Discussions" reception features cast members discussing the play and their multiple roles in the production.

Craig Belknap directs this new adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's seminal CRIME AND PUNISHMENT created by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus. A towering masterpiece, undertaken by three actors in a breathless 90 minutes, it explores the exquisite fragility of the mind. In a desperate quest to be redeemed for the perpetration of an unspeakable crime, brilliant Raskolnikov embodies humankind's eternal struggle between enlightened genius and the temptation of evil.

A Noise Within (ANW) was founded in 1992 and quickly established itself as one of the nation's leading theatre companies. It continues to maintain its celebrated status as the only classical repertory company in Southern California, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and high praise from the media for its productions of great works of world drama and also as a leading regional force in arts education. Since its inception, the company has presented more than 120 plays from the classics of world literature, each season producing a minimum of six plays from authors ranging from Shakespeare and Molière, to Ibsen, O'Neill and Shaw, to Miller and Williams. The theatre's consistent dedication to quality has been rewarded with 26 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards as well as numerous LA Weekly and Back Stage Garland awards. Among its highlights over the years was a collaboration in 2004 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen in a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Hollywood Bowl. ANW's next chapter provides the long-awaited opportunity to sink deep and lasting roots when it moves in Fall 2010 from its long-time leased base in Glendale to a spectacular, permanent 35,000 square-foot home in Pasadena. The mixed-use development is located t in the historic Stuart Pharmaceutical building, at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The facility is designed to expand A Noise Within's artistic possibilities, offer a greater scope of educational opportunities, meet ticket demand and allow the company to expand its role as a leader in the presentation and preservation of classical theatre.

GEOFF ELLIOTT (Co-Director/Lloyd Dallas), who is also directing ANW's current production of Richard III, is the co-founder and co-artistic director of A Noise Within with his wife, co-director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. They have co-produced close to 100 productions and directed/co-directed more than 40 of them for the company. Elliott has also performed major roles for some of the leading regional theatres in America, including The American Conservatory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and California Shakespeare Festival. He has received three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards and more than a dozen other awards for acting. His Shakespearean roles include Iago in Othello, Theseus/Oberon in a Midsummer Night's Dream, Coriolanus, Richard in Richard III and Hamlet. He has also performed leading roles in classic plays by such authors as O'Neill, Miller, Ibsen, Rostand, Wilde and Williams. Last season, he directed Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew for ANW and appeared in the company's productions of Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Oliver Twist and Anouilh's The Rehearsal. Elliott holds a BFA from the University of Florida and an MFA from The American Conservatory Theatre.

Co-Director JULIA RODRIGUEZ-ELLIOTT, co-founder and co-artistic director of A Noise Within along with her husband Geoff Elliott, has co-produced close to 100 productions and has directed/co-directed more than 40 including the critically acclaimed 2008-09 season productions of Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Oliver Twist and The Rehearsal, and the 2004 performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Other directorial credits include The Winter's Tale, Othello, The Tempest, Coriolanus, Macbeth, Ubu Roi, Loot, A Flea in Her Ear, Mourning Becomes Electra, Great Expectations, Buried Child, Another Part of the Forest, Life is A Dream, Master Builder and The Price. For four consecutive years, Rodriguez-Elliott has conducted a workshop for the National Endowment for the Arts Journalism Institute in Theatre and Musical Theatre at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. Rodriguez-Elliott has extensive experience teaching theatre arts to students from middle school to college and regularly conducts student workshops as part of A Noise Within's highly regarded educational programming. She has served on theatre panels for organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the LA Stage Alliance. In addition, she regularly conducts lectures for CalArts, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and schools throughout the California State and University of California school systems, to name a few. Rodriguez-Elliott holds a BFA from the University of Florida and an MFA from The American Conservatory Theatre.

A NOISE WITHIN is located at 234 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204. To purchase tickets or for a full season brochure, call 818-240-0910 x1 or visit www.ANoiseWithin.org.