Contacts:         Larry Aldrich/Sandy Smith                 Michael Seel

                        Aldrich & Associates                          Boston Court

                        sandy@aldrichpr.com                         michaels@bostoncourt.com

                        Tel: (562) 436-5156                            Tel: (626) 683-6883

 

THE THEATRE @ BOSTON COURT PRESENTS TWO WORLD PREMIERES IN ITS FIFTH SEASON

 

PASADENA, Calif., December 21, 2007 – The Theatre @ Boston Court will present two world premieres, a west coast premiere and a co-production of a classical Shakespeare play during its fifth season in 2008 at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center. “Othello,” a co-production with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, opens the season on February 23, the west coast premiere of Jason Grote’s “1001” opens May 10, the world premiere musical “Gulls,” a free adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” opens July 26, and the world premiere of Paul Mullin’s “The Sequence” opens October 11.

 

“Othello,” Shakespeare's terrifying story of passion, jealousy and brutal murder, set in ‘30s Fascist Italy, becomes a fascinating exploration of race, gender, power, and politics. With an all-female ensemble playing both men and women, headed by Fran Bennett as Othello and Director Lisa Wolpe as Iago, this powerful production promises to crack open the classic text.

 

Wandering through a deserted New York City subway tunnel in a hallucinogenic daze, urbanite Alan emerges from the dark to encounter a one-eyed Middle-Eastern merchant in ancient Baghdad. So goes “1001,” this hilarious and heartbreaking retelling of “The Tales of the Thousand and One Nights” which spins stories of love, sex, religion and war – some things never go out of style. “1001” will be directed by The Theatre @ Boston Court’s Co-Artistic Director Michael Michetti.

 

“Gulls” is set in 1959 Greenwich Village and Hollywood, where a family of troubled dreamers yearns for love, immortality, and survival. Irenie, a glamorous Broadway star, Gore, her novelist/screenwriter lover, Conrad, her Beat poet son, and Nina, the lovely young

African-American everyone loves, engage in an epic struggle for passion and connection in this haunting new musical, rich with Chekhovian longing. “Gulls” books and lyrics are by Nick Salamone, music is by Maury McIntyre and the musical is directed by The Theatre @ Boston Court’s Co-Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky.

 

Directed by John Langs, “The Sequence” follows the fierce competition to sequence the human genome. Will the grand prize be the public good or the private profit? And in the midst of the frenzied race to determine what makes a human being, how will three people - each in hot pursuit of scientific discovery and enduring fame - discover their own humanity?  This brilliant comic thrill ride seeks primal human answers.

 

Each play previews for six performances prior to its opening date and runs for four weeks, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets for individual plays in the 2008 season are $17 for previews and $32 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.bostoncourt.org. Discounted Season Memberships are available.

 

The Theatre @ Boston Court is the non-profit company that programs the state-of-the-art 99-seat main stage theatre in the Boston Court Performing Arts Center at 70 North Mentor Ave. (at Boston Court). Z. Clark Branson is the developer of the center and founding director of The Theatre @ Boston Court. The Theatre @ Boston Court productions are made possible in part by the generosity of Branson, patron donors, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

 

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