Dirt, which will mark the first collaboration for Rogue Machine and Firefly, is a gritty, poetic play set for its Los Angeles premiere at Theatre/Theater. Performances begin Wednesday, January 26 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 27. Opening is set for Friday, January 28 at 8pm.
When an estranged son returns home and finds his father fighting to hold onto his mind, they are thrust into a struggle to control their land and the memories it holds. Dirt explores how we forge our identities through our connections to our home, to our past, and to each other. The play made its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival directed by Jenny Sullivan and starring the late James Whitmore and John Dennis Johnston, who will star in the Los Angeles premiere, which will be directed by Bruce Gooch and will also star Ryan Johnston and Andrea Robinson.
Playwright and director Bruce Gooch is making his Los Angeles stage debut with this production. His most recent work includes writing a feature adaptation of Lew Wallace's Ben Hur; a Tale of the Christ for Academy Award-winner Albert Ruddy and Clearview Pictures, where Bruce also has his screenplay Whiskey Kisses.
Dirt star John Dennis Johnston grew up in Nebraska and begin his career in Omaha dinner theatres doing musicals. He went on to work in New York and Chicago before landing in LA and more than 100 television shows and films over 35 years, from Annie Hall, to Roots, to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more. Ryan Johnston was last seen on a Los Angeles stage playing Ben in the LA premiere of The Four of Us, for which he received a Maddy Award and a Ticketholder
nomination, and is best known as Patrick McCreary from Grand Theft Auto IV. Andrea Robinson has been twice nominated for a Canadian Emmy for her series regular role on the series "Doc" and, in addition to numerous guest star roles, has also been seen in the films The Nutty Professor II: the Klumps and in Sgt. Bilko with Steve Martin.
The show will be produced by Johnny Clark, Natalia Duncan, and Steven Klein. The design team for Dirt includes David Potts (set), John McElveney (props), Derrick McDaniel (lights), Gelareh Khalioun and Karina Torrico (costumes), and Kyle Johnston and Matthew McGaughey (original music and sound). The assistant stage manager is Brenda Goldstein, and the production stage manager is Amanda Mauer.
Dirt will be presented at Theatre/Theater, at 5041 W. Pico Blvd (just west of La Brea) in Los Angeles. Preview performances are Wednesday, January 25 at 8:00pm and Thursday, January 26 at 8:00pm. Opening night is set for Friday, January 27 at 8:00pm. Performances run through February 27, Thursday through Saturday at 8:00pm with Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Preview tickets are $15 and regular seats are $25. Tickets are available via phone at (323) 960-5563 and online at www.roguemachinetheatre.com.
