The Actors Gang Brings Cymbeline the Puppet King To Summer In The Park 7/25-8/30

The Actors' Gang is back with yet another unlikely Shakespearean romp for families. The Gang's Fourth Annual Summer-in-the-Park production transforms the bard's complex Cymbeline into the hilarious, kid-friendly Cymbeline the Puppet King. Performances take place outdoors in Culver City's Media Park (adjacent to the Ivy Substation) every Saturday and Sunday morning from July 25 through August 30 at 11 am, and admission is FREE.

The Romans have taken over Britain, and British King Cymbeline is now known as the Puppet King. And the puppetmaster?: his Roman wife! The wicked queen wants her stepdaughter, Imogen, to marry her son - "Cloten the Rotten" as he's known in some circles - so that he will become king. The princess disguises herself as a boy and runs away to the wilderness, where she befriends a mysterious old man and a boy raised by wolves. With these newfound friends, Imogen battles the Roman army, escapes marriage from the silly Cloten, and is reunited in the end with her father and... a twin brother? Music, merriment, and madcap adventures are in store. Not to mention a whole slew of puppets! It's fun for the whole family.

"Theater for young audiences is the most important theater there is," comments playwright Angela Berliner, who penned three previous zany Shakespeare adaptations for The Gang: Pericles on the High Seas, Titus the Clownicus and King O'Leary. "To be able to work with artists at The Actors' Gang on these amazing shows is not only personally thrilling, but work that will honor theater itself - by creating little play-lovers who will grow up to be adult play-lovers."

The Actors' Gang is well known for its original acting method, called "The Style," a unique melding of the broad physicality of Commedia dell' Arte and the intense discipline of heightened emotional reality that utilizes masks, puppetry and music. For Puppet King, Will Pellegrini directs a cast of seasoned company members, joined by student interns from Culver City High School and La Ballona Elementary School who have participated in previous Actors' Gang programs. The result: family fare that is as exciting for adults as it is for kids.

"The Actor's Gang gleefully melds Shakespeare with Pee Wee's Playhouse and a demented Howdy Doody Show episode," blogged TACO LA. about last year's production, King O'Leary. "A living, breathing, mad-cap cartoon [that] manages to keep adults laughing longer than the kids, with rapid-fire riffs on pop culture and sly bawdiness. Prepare to smile like your hookup at the dentist's office has her hand on the nitrous tank. " (4 tacos)

"Who knew Titus Andronicus could be so funny? Apparently The Actors' Gang did," wrote Back Stage about Titus the Clownicus, the previous year's adaptation of Shakespeare's bloodiest and most macabre tragedy.

The Actors' Gang, known for its rule-breaking, thought-provoking, engaging theater, is one of Los Angeles' most enduring ensembles. Since its founding in 1982, The Gang has consistently won acclaim for its daring interpretations of Shakespeare, Buchner, Brecht, Moliere, Aeschylus, Ibsen and Chekhov, while also developing daring new plays that address today's world through a prism of satire, popular culture, and raucous stagecraft. "Of the theater companies in Los Angeles that doggedly dare to dissect current political conflicts, The Actors' Gang, headed by Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, is the most prominent," wrote The Daily Breeze. Cymbeline the Puppet King is developed by The Actors' Gang Children's Theater Initiative, a pilot program supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; The James Irvine Foundation; the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs; SONY Pictures Entertainment; and the Culver City Redevelopment Agency.

Cymbeline the Puppet King runs Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am, July 25 - August 30. Admission is FREE. Media Park is located next to the Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Boulevard (near the intersection of Culver and Venice Blvds.) in Culver City. Two hours free parking is available throughout downtown Culver City; the Ince Parking Lot (corner of Culver and Ince) is directly across the street from the park. For more information, call The Actors' Gang Box Office at 310-838-GANG (310-838-4264) or go to www.theactorsgang.com .