Colony Theatre Opens West Coast Premiere of BLAME IT ON BECKETT, 8/11

The Colony Theatre presents the second production of its "Season of Premieres" with the West Coast Premiere Premiere of BLAME IT ON BECKETT, written by John Morogiello and directed by Andrew Barnicle. BLAME IT ON BECKETT will preview on Wednesday, August 8; Thursday, August 9; and Friday, August 10 at 8:00pm and will open on Saturday, August 11 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, September 2 at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.

What really goes on behind the scenes in non-profit theatre? Meet Jim Foley, a jaded, cynical Literary Manager with a penchant for caffeine and chaos. Into Jim's derelict lair steps Heidi Bishop, a bright-eyed, newly minted MBA who hopes to make the leap from box office to back office. At first she seems like Mary Poppins, but it turns out Eve Harrington would be more like it, as Heidi manipulates everyone around her to get what she wants. A wonderful comedy with heart and a message, the play asks the question how far are we willing to sacrifice our soul to get ahead? And once we do, was it worth it?

The award-winning Colony Theatre Company was founded in 1975 as a 99-seat Equity-waiver theatre in Silver Lake. Over the years the company was so successful artistically, and built such a large subscriber base, that in 2000 it was able to move into a 270-seat theatre created for it by the City of Burbank, becoming one of only 5 mid-size professional theatres in the LA area that produce a year-round season of plays and musicals, and that employ actors under contract with Actors' Equity Association. Its current season features two Los Angeles premieres, three West Coast premieres, and a World Premiere musical.

John Morogiello (Playwright) is a Playwright in Residence at the Maryland State Arts Council and a member of The Dramatists Guild. His plays include Engaging Shaw (English Theatre of Vienna, Austria, Old Globe in San Diego, Abingdon Theatre in Manhattan, New Jersey Rep, Oldcastle Theatre), Blame It On Beckett (Abingdon), Stonewall's Bust (Mountain Playhouse), Irish Authors Held Hostage (Greenwich Street Theatre, Warehouse Theater, Bedlam Theatre in Edinburgh), Men and Parts (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Shadowbox Cabaret), Gianni Schicchi (Rep Stage), and The Matchmaker's Guide to Controlling the Elements (2Co's Cabaret, Alleyway Theatre). Happy Hour, a film adaptation of Men and Parts, was named Best Short Comedy at the 2003 New York Independent Film and Video Festival and distributed in Europe by Britshorts. John is a regular contributor to Flagpole Radio Cafe in Connecticut. His articles have been published in The Washington Independent Review of Books, American Theatre, and Dramatics. Other publications include Blame It On Beckett (Samuel French); Jack The Ticket Ripper, Larry's Resolution, The Periodontal Blues, and The Little Farmer (One Act Play Depot); and in various anthologies published by Smith and Kraus.

Andrew Barnicle (Director) has now directed five plays at The Colony, the others being Moonlight and Magnolias, Celadine, Gunmetal Blues, and Rounding Third. He recently directed Martin Casella's The Irish Curse at the Odyssey Theatre. As artistic director of The Laguna Play­house from 1991 through 2010, he produced over 100 Playhouse shows and directed over 40 of them, including many World, U.S., West Coast and Southern California premieres. Recent directing projects at Laguna include Willy Russell's Shirley Valentine, Noel Coward's Private Lives, and Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias, which also played the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts as a co-production with McCoy/Rigby Entertainment. Andrew previously served as Head of Theatre at United States International University's School of Performing and Visual Arts in San Diego, and was the Associate Artistic Director at North Coast Repertory Theatre,where he has directed eight plays, including the recent production of James Goldman's The Lion In Winter. He has also directed at San Diego's Theatre at Old Town, Michigan's LORT Meadow Brook Theatre, and The Foreigner at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. As an actor, he has appeared numerous times Off-Broadway and in major roles in eighteen LORT productions across the country, including Meadow Brook Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, San Diego Rep, the Alaska Rep, and five roles at The Laguna Playhouse, including The Actor in Enter The Guardsman, Sam Galahad in both the production and on the cast album CD of Gunmetal Blues, and most recently as Lawrence in David Rambo's The Ice-Breaker at the Laguna Playhouse and King Henry in Henry IV, Part One, at North Coast Rep.

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