Davidson/Valenti Theatre Opens DEATHTRAP, 9/21

Ira Levin's classic comedy thriller Deathtrap is set to return to the Davidson/Valenti Theatre for six weeks only, opening on Friday, September 21 and running through Sunday, October 28. Directed by Ken Sawyer, Deathtrap recently enjoyed a ten week sold out run at the Davidson/Valenti Theatre, located at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in Hollywood. Net proceeds will benefit the entire array of the Center's free and low-cost programs and services.

Deathtrap's famously complex script provides genuine, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and is perfectly tailored to jolt audiences out of their seats. Playwright Ira Levin is perhaps best known for his suspense novels Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, and The Stepford Wives. Of Levin, famed author Stephen King said, "He is the Swiss watchmaker of suspense novels, making the rest of us look like cheap watchmakers in drugstores."

Director Ken Sawyer has won a total of eight Ovation Awards for his work in the suspense/horror genre, three for Dracula at the NoHo Arts Center, and five for The Woman in Black at the Road Theatre Company. The entire cast will be returning, and they are (in alphabetical order) Brian Foyster, Cynthia Gravinese, Burt Grinstead, Elizabeth Herron, Carl J. Johnson, and Stephen Mendillo. The set design is by Joel Daavid, lighting design is by Luke Moyer, costume design is by Paula Higgins, and sound design is by Ken Sawyer. Deathtrap is produced by Jon Imparato, artistic director of the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center.

Opening night is set for Friday, September 21, and this return engagement of Deathtrap will run through October 28 only. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7pm. General seating admission is $25 on Friday and Saturday, and $20 on Sunday. Tickets are available online at www.lagaycenter.org/theatre, or by calling (323) 860-7300.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center provides a broad array of services for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, welcoming nearly a quarter-million client visits from ethnically diverse youth and adults each year. Through its Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic and on-site pharmacy, the Center offers free and low-cost health, mental health, HIV/AIDS medical care and HIV/STD testing and prevention. The Center also offers legal, social, cultural and educational services, with unique programs for seniors, families and youth, including a 24-bed transitional living program for homeless youth. Information about the Gay & Lesbian Center is available on the Web at www.lagaycenter.org.

The Davidson/Valenti Theatre is located at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood. Free parking is available.

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