THE BELLFLOWER SESSIONS Makes World Premiere at Whitefire Theatre, 9/8

The Whitefire Theatre, celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season, presents the world premiere of Andy Bloch's The Bellflower Sessions directed by Bryan Rasmussen, produced by Scott Disharoon.

A timely black comedy about a self-proclaimed victim of the recession and his mentally unstable shrink. It is a train wreck of epic proportions, told with comic brutality. The play details the explosive, gut-wrenching journey of an unemployed Everyman who plummets from the final days of his marriage into insanity.

The cast features Kevin Benton, Stephanie Erb, Marshelle Fair, Michael Monks and Rob Nagle.

Andy Bloch aka Rooster Mitchell (Playwright) "The Bellflower Sessions" was recently chosen as Runner-Up in the Sin City Playwrighting Contest (Onyx Theatre, Las Vegas) from a nationwide search of over 300 new plays. Andy is perhaps best known for his darkly comedic stage play, "The Killer and the Comic," published by Original Works Publishing and Smith and Kraus, the longest running play in the history of Chicago's Mary-Arrchie Theatre, winning two Joseph Jefferson Awards. "Never the Same Rhyme Twice" premiered shortly after also at the Mary-Arrchie. Following successful runs of both plays in Chicago, the shows moved "in tandem" to New York, and were re-named "Buffalo Kill: Two Brutal Comedies". The shows played to packed houses at Off-Broadway's 29th Street Rep. Other work includes "10 AM in Pittsburgh" (Santa Monica Playhouse, published by Cyberpress), "The Bronx Hebrew School and Sports Book" (published by Smith and Kraus), "Dodging the Bullet" (staged reading with Dan Lauria and Joe Mantegna), "Dear Daisy" (Actors Forum Theatre) as well as an episode of PBS's award-winning series, Crossroads Cafe. The author, a member of Academy Award-winning director/writer/producer Bobby Moresco's Actors Gym.

Bryan Rasmussen (Director) is an award-winning actor as well as a director, producer, teacher, coach, and Artistic Director of the Whitefire Theatre which is celebrating its 30th anniversary season this year! In the eight years he has owned the Whitefire, Bryan has produced over 500 shows, as well as over 50 world premiere. Productions include "Blood Brothers", "Love Like Blue", "Mark Twain in the 20th Century", "Seasons of Change" among others. He recently directed and acted in the world premiere of the critically acclaimed production of "FIREHOUSE" as well as directing the NAACP Best Solo Show of the Year award-winning "BILLIE!...backstage with Lady Day" about the life of Billie Holiday . He directed and starred in the 50th Anniversary production of Harold Pinter's "The Dumb Waiter" as well as produced and directed the world premiere of "Fetish", and the world premiere of the kids show, "Old School" as part of his Young Actors School. Bryan founded the famous Itchey Foot Cabaret in downtown LA, and has been a member of South Coast Repertory and trained at ACT in San Francisco . Having acted in over 50 plays, you can also catch him in the critically acclaimed film "Rampart" with Woody Harrelson, as well as in the new Shonda Rhimes primetime hit, "Scandal" on ABC as 'Howie.' His new horror movie "Under the Bed " with Jonny Miller is due out this year, as well as well as the much anticipated "The Bronx Bull" set for release in 2013. Other Film/TV credits: "Sons of Anarchy", "Prime Suspect", "Desperate Housewives", "Southland", "Bones', "Big Love", "24", among others.

Scott Disharoon (Producer) has a diversified background producing theater, film, and television. He has produced and developed over 20 plays as well as several feature films and television properties. As a partner in the Production Company entitled entertainment, he developed and produced AURORA BOREALIS, starring Joshua Jackson, Donald Sutherland, Juliette Lewis and Louise Fletcher. Theater credits include the Tony award winning production of LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT on Broadway, LITTLE HAM off Broadway, Los Angeles productions of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, ANGELS TWICE DESCENDING and BURN THIS, the James Burke directed WAITING FOR THE PARADE and ELEKTRA as well as the West Coast premieres of Lee Blessing's DOWN THE ROAD, John Bishop's LEGACIES, and the world premiere of David Stevens' THE SUM OF US, for which he served as co-producer.

More Articles by This Author...