Next Arena and Mistral Productions Present VINCENT, Now thru 11/18

The Next Arena and Mistral Productions present Leonard Nimoy's Vincent, directed by Paul Stein, performed by Jean-Michel Richaud.

A few days after the death of little known painter Vincent van Gogh, rumors are flying in Paris. Some say he was a penniless madman, a frequenter of prostitutes, a derelict and soon to be forgotten artist of trifling quality. Others denounce him as a wayward priest and a foreigner. Many whisper he took his own life in a moment of insanity. His brother Theo, Vincent's confidante and lifelong supporter, is enraged. Tonight, he hopes to set the record straight.

Leonard Simon Nimoy (Playwright) is a renowned actor, writer, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is perhaps best known for originating the role of Spock in the Star Trek series, for which he received three Emmy Award nominations and legions of fans. An artist himself, Mr. Nimoy was inspired by the play Van Gogh, by Phillip Stevens to create this work. In writing Vincent, he expanded on Stevens' play and drew on a treasure trove of source material -- over 500 letters written between Van Gogh and his brother Theo in the ten years Vincent struggled to master his art.

Paul Stein (Director) has directed numerous one-person shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Toronto including productions at United Solo NYC, soloNova, Summer Works Festival, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and Hollywood Fringe. Recently directed Antonio Sacre's The Next Best Thing, winner of "Best Storyteller" at United Solo and 2012 LA Weekly Award nomination for Solo Performance; and Alan Aymie's No Child Left Behind at the Beverly Hills Playhouse for Katselas Theatre. Paul is the Artistic Producer and Conceiver of The Car Plays, a site-specific event with past productions at RADAR LA,Segrestrom Center and the La Jolla Playhouse. He is the Artistic Director / Founder of The Solo Collective, CTG's Sherwood Award semi-finalist and works for Comedy Central.

Jean-Michel Richaud (Vincent, Theo) received his MA from Sorbonne University, and studied at Paris's National Conservatory and Columbia University's graduate theater program. He is a founding member of award-winning theater company The Next Arena, starring in many company productions, including No Exit, The Angry Guy in The Pink Hat and Von Bach. Jean-Michel has appeared in numerous film and television shows, including Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, What Just Happened opposite Robert DeNiro, and Bottle Shock opposite Alan Rickman. He is recognized as one the top European voice over talents in Los Angeles. Among the 250+ movies he has dubbed into French, he had the pleasure of voicing Al Pacino in the anniversary edition of Scarface and Academy Award winner Colin Firth in The King's Speech.

About VINCENT-Leonard Nimoy…in his own words:

"Some years ago I was a very active lecturer on the college circuit. The work was hard, travelling every day for two or three weeks, usually taking at least two planes and sometimes even three to make connections to the smaller towns like Billings, Montana. But the pay was an important part of my income and, at least for a while, the events were exhilarating."

"Star Trek was enormously popular on the college campuses and students were eager to hear stories about the making of the original series. But inevitably, I felt repetitive and, as is my nature, I began searching for a new challenge. My hope was that I could develop a one-person show that would employ my acting skills while providing spiritual nourishment."

"In the midst of one of my lecture tours I found the seed of the idea for Vincent. At a small college in upstate New York, I had just completed one of my appearances and was invited by a couple who were faculty members to come to their home for conversation and drinks. My usual pattern was to avoid those gatherings. They often amounted to a draining of energy at the end of a long day of travel and work. Then there would be a night of restless sleep in a new motel room and an early flight in the morning. But somehow these people seemed sympathetic and interesting and I accepted their invitation."

More Articles by This Author...