Behind the Curtain

Official Blog of International City Theatre

HS Students Can Come to ICT For Free

October 2nd, 2013

DontDressCast

International City Theatre (ICT) is working to cultivate the next generation of theatregoers. At a time where arts education is slashed and fewer youth are being introduced to professional theatre, ICT has been offering high school students free admission to two preview performances of every 2013 production.  Next up is the hilarious “Don’t Dress For Dinner,” by Marc Camoletti, best known for writing the staged classic “Boeing-Boeing.”

ICT understands a well-rounded education includes an appreciation and understanding of the arts. Arts education fosters creativity and creativity fuels the development of not only future artists, but future researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors as well.

Special performances of “Don’t Dress For Dinner” for high school students are on Wednesday, October 9, and Thursday, October 10, at 8:00 PM at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

In “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” Bernard’s rendezvous with his Parisian mistress includes a gourmet caterer with an alibi courtesy of his friend, Robert. But when Bernard’s wife learns that Robert will be visiting for the weekend, she stays in town for a surprise tryst of her own … setting the stage for a collision course of mistaken identities and outrageous infidelities, with more twists than a corkscrew.  Everyone is guaranteed a good time at this hilarious romp through the French countryside.

This is a chance for teenagers to see a professional, Broadway-quality play for free.  Parents or chaperones may pay $15 (regular price is $29) to attend with their child.

If you are a high school student and want to attend on October 9 or 10, reservations are required. To RSVP, please contact Erik Garcia at either 562.495.4595, x13, or erik@ictlongbeach.org.

“Don’t Dress For Dinner” runs October 9 through November 3. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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John Logan: Oscar-Nominated and Tony-winning Playwright’s of RED

August 28th, 2013

John Logan

Credit: Deadline.com

Could one small thing inspire your entire future? For writer John Logan, playwright for International City Theatre’s upcoming production of the Tony-winning Best Play Red, reading Shakespeare with his father while confined indoors as an asthmatic child stimulated his love of theater and his passion as a writer.

Equally as adept writing for stage or screen, Logan is a three-time Academy Award nominee for his screenplays “Hugo,” “Gladiator,” and “The Aviator.”  He is a Golden Globe Award winner for “Sweeney Todd.”  Screenwriter of the most recent James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” Logan is set to write the next two Bond movies.

On the stage, Logan premiered two plays in 2013 alone. Peter and Alice, starred Judi Dench and is based on the meeting of the real-life inspirations for Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and JM Barrie’s Peter Pan.  On Broadway, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers starred Bette Midler as the notoriously larger-than-life Hollywood agent of the stars.

Red, winner of six Tony Awards including Best Play, is based on real-life abstract-expressionist artist Mark Rothko.  Set in the 1950s, the play is a riveting exploration of the creative process.  Rothko is working on his biggest commission, murals for the Four Seasons restaurant.  As the actors paint live onstage, his new assistant challenges Rothko as he grapples with fame and fortune versus artistic expression and integrity.

Logan himself has conceded the connection between Rothko, the artist in Red, and himself, a playwright in Hollywood.  As quoted in the Chicago Tribune, “You might say,” Logan allows, “that the demons in the play are my own.”

International City Theater invites you to experience John Logan’s Red.  Performances run August 21 to September 15 at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, home to ICT.  For tickets, please visit InternationalCityTheatre.org or call (562) 436-4610.

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Rothko – The Subject Of & Inspiration for Red

July 25th, 2013

Credit: New York Observer

Credit: New York Observer

ICT patrons have known for a year now that we are producing the 2010 Tony Winner for Best Play, Red, by John Logan. Some know it is about Mark Rothko. Mr. Rothko has had quite a cultural impact in our country and abroad.

Born Marcus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz in 1903 in the Russian Empire (now Latvia), he emigrated to America in 1913 with his family to escape being drafted into the Imperial Russian Army and anti-Semitism. He grew up in Oregon and then attended Yale University on scholarship. He dropped out after his sophomore year and moved to New York.

Upon visiting a friend at an art school, his love for art began to foster and he began to take classes at various art schools in the city. After being part of numerous art shows in the city, his reputation began to grow and he was able to live off the sales of his paintings.

“Orange, Red, Yellow” by Mark Rothko Credit: Artsfanatic.com

Characterized as an abstract expressionist (a label he hated), his work was inspired by WWII and Nietzsche and could be identified by large rectangular fields of color. His rise in prominence lead to what is the source of the plot for Red, a commission by beverage company Joseph Seagram & Sons to create paintings for their Four Seasons restaurant in their newly designed office building. As a passionate artist, he justifies this huge commission but is later torn between commercialism vs. art (This is where the play Red begins.)

These works, known as the Seagram Murals, now hang in three places: London’s Tate Museum, Japan’s Kawamura Memorial Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Struggling with failing health and depression, Rothko committed suicide in 1970 the same day his Seagram Murals paintings arrived in London at the Tate Museum.

His popularity and influence have skyrocketed since his passing. A book published in 1998 cataloged all 838 of his paintings. His work has broken the record three times for nominal-value of a post-war painting at a public auction, capped in 2012 for Orange, Red, Yellow, which sold for $86.9 million.

Mark Rothko once said this of art, “A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes of the sensitive observer. It dies by the same token. It is therefore a risky and unfeeling act to send it out into the world.”

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We are Giving Back to Military Families in Celebration of Memorial Day

May 22nd, 2013

Credit: weheartit.com

Credit: weheartit.com

In celebration of Memorial Day and in tribute to all who have given much to protect our country, International City Theatre is taking a positive step to help. ICT will donate $5 dollars from every ticket sold to its upcoming award-winning play “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” to the Long Beach VA Fisher House – a charity that provides free accommodations for families to support military patients in hospitals.

The details are simple. Simply use the code FAMILY13 when purchasing tickets, and ICT will make a $5 donation to the Long Beach VA Fisher House, and ICT will take an additional $5 off each ticket you purchase. For those interested in supporting the families of these brave servicemen and women, the campaign will run until Tuesday, May 28, at 6 PM. Not only will you get to support an organization providing needed assistance to our military, but you will also save money and get to see the quirky comedy Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a play by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl.

The play starts like this:  An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet cafe. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man – with a lot of loose ends. It is the outlandish comic odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

Memorial Day is our chance to give thanks and acknowledge the many sacrifices of our military families.  In the process, you receive the added bonus of seeing great theatre at a reduced price.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone runs June 5 – 30. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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Genius Playwright’s Work Comes to ICT

May 14th, 2013

Credit: MacArthur Foundation

Credit: MacArthur Foundation

The term genius gets tossed around more than it probably should, but that doesn’t detract from the value of the word. International City Theatre’s upcoming production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone is written by Sarah Ruhl, a playwright many consider a genius.

A graduate of Brown University’s graduate playwriting program, it is safe to say that Ruhl began her career firing out of the gate. Her poetic use of language brought her an immediate legion of fans. Two plays have been Pulitzer Prize finalists – The Clean House (produced at ICT in 2010) and In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play). The latter was her Broadway debut and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. It should also be mentioned that Ruhl has accomplished all this by the age of 38.

Her achievements in the theatre led to a MacArthur “Genius” Grant after only five years as a professional playwright. The announcement from the fellowship stated the following acknowledgement for her award: “…vivid and adventurous theatrical works that poignantly juxtapose the mundane aspects of daily life with mythic themes of love and war.” This can be seen in Dead Man’s Cell Phone.

The play starts like this:  An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet cafe. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man – with a lot of loose ends. It is the outlandish comic odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

If you want to see the work of a living genius, head on over to ICT.  This quirky comedy fits the bill.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone runs June 5 – 30. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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High School Students Can See ICT plays for FREE

May 6th, 2013

DeadManRecConnectionWe are working to cultivate the next generation of theatregoers. At a time where arts education is slashed and fewer youth are being introduced to professional theatre, we are offering high school students free admission to two preview performances of every 2013 production.  Next up is the Helen Hayes Best New Play winner, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient Sarah Ruhl.

We understand that a well-rounded education includes an appreciation and understanding of the arts. Arts education fosters creativity and creativity fuels the development of not only future artists, but future researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors.

Special performances of Dead Man’s Cell Phone for high school students are on Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6, at 8:00 PM at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

The play begins with an incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet cafe. A stranger at the next table has had enough. And a dead man who has a lot of loose ends. It is the outlandish odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

This is a chance for teenagers to see a professional, Broadway-quality play for free.  It is a chance for parents to expose their children to an academic field that is not given enough attention in school.

If you are a high school student and want to attend on June 5 or 6, reservations are required. To RSVP, please contact Erik Garcia at either 562.495.4595, x13, or erik@ictlongbeach.org.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone runs June 5 through June 30. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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Meet the Cast of Dead Man’s Cell Phone

April 24th, 2013

DeadManRecConnection

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

Premise: A lonely woman is forced to confront her assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world as she steps into the life of a dead man by taking his cell phone calls. What starts as a moment of frustration quickly turns into a bond of curious loyalty when Jean finds herself caught in the middle of another’s man tangled web of relationships and family. Acting as his mouthpiece, Jean soon discovers different types of connections that go beyond the physical, tapping into the psychological, the emotional and even…the afterlife.

Cast: A talented collection of individuals that can be both humorous yet genuine, quirky but believable.

Under the steady direction of award-winning director Richard Israel, ICT is happy to announce the cast of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, the Helen Hayes winner for Best New Play by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient Sarah Ruhl.

The ICT production stars Alina Phelan as Jean. She previously appeared here in All in the Timing.  She has also won a Garland Award winner for her portrayal of Hamlet in Hamlet: The First Quarto at Theatre of Note. Joining her will be Trent Dawson, who will play both Gordon and Dwight. His resume included appearing on Broadway in The Herbal Bed,  and Off Broadway in Macbeth and Brothers in Crime. He also earned three Emmy Nominations for his role as Henry Coleman on As the World Turns.

Susan Diol, who will play the role of Hermia, has been seen in You Never Can Tell at Circle in the Square with Uta Hagan and Victor Garber and Opera Comique at the Kennedy Center with Eli Wallach.  Heather Roberts will play The Other Woman. Her past credits include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Ark Theatre and Twelfth Night at A Noise Within. Rounding out this fine cast is  Eileen T-Kaye. She has previously been seen at ICT in Death Defying Acts, Black Comedy, On the Twentieth Century, Cabaret and The Threepenny Opera; and was acted at the Geffen in Coney Island Christmas.

The title alone is reason enough to come see this play. If you need other reasons, simply scroll up to see the talent that is about to bring to life this incredible story. That should do it for you!

For tickets to see Dead Man’s Cell Phone at International City Theatre, please call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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Maria Callas – the Original Diva!

April 10th, 2013

Maria Callas

We have been presenting one of the most acclaimed plays of the last 20 years, the Tony winner for Best Play Master Class. This breathtaking production focuses around opera superstar Maria Callas. Some are familiar with this prodigious talent and for those that aren’t, well you’re about to be introduced.

Born in New York in 1923 to Greek immigrants, Callas was raised in Greece, receiving her vocal training there. Then she began a whirlwind career that included performances at every major opera house in Italy, including the famous Teattro alla Scala. Referred by Leonard Bernstein as “The Bible of Opera,” her acclaimed career was marred by gossip, rumors and scandal.

Her strenuous relationship with her mother was exposed in a story in Time magazine. Media outlets exaggerated a supposed rivalry with fellow opera singer Renata Tebaldi. Her life and name are sadly connected to her affair with Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis, who then left her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy. Are you beginning to see why award-winning playwright Terrence McNally decided she would be a thrilling topic for the stage?

Master Class follows Maria Callas in a series of master classes she taught at Juilliard in 1971. The play finds Callas near her career’s end, instructing a group of singers aspiring to the heights of fame with wicked humor, unrelenting criticism and deeply personal stories – stories that include her life with Aristotle Onassis.

This contemporary masterpiece closes this Sunday and you don’t want to miss this fascinating story about this extraordinary talent.  Being named the Best Play by the Tony and Drama Desk Awards  Committees are just icing on the cake.

Master Class runs through April 14. To purchase tickets, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.

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A Free Play For Children & Families!

March 28th, 2013

nicetrunk

We are extremely excited to announce our next FREE Saturday Family Theatre Series performance! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this outreach program, it is an opportunity for children to experience the magical world of theatre for free. Bring your children to see a professional theatre production on a beautiful Saturday morning. Everyone is welcome – bring your kids, bring your neighbors, bring your neighbors’ kids!

Information about our next performance is listed below:

Cuentos de la Familia – Stories of the Family  

Saturday, April 13, 11:00 am

ICT at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

While attendance is free, reservations should be made through ICT. Space is limited. Parking in adjacent city-owned parking structure is $10. 

The folklore of Latin America comes to life when WE TELL STORIES presents this wonderful show for children and families. With an odd trunk full of costumes and props, their extemporaneous style, and their imaginative ways of involving the audience in every story, WE TELL STORIES will have grownups and children alike wanting to run home and act out stories themselves. These are stories of the family. Stories told to teach the simple truths.Stories that entertain, enlighten, enrapture, and endure.

The performance will not exceed one hour in duration.

International City Theatre believes in the power of theatre and its ability to educate, entertain and create understanding. With deep cuts to arts education in public schools, events such as this are vital to the development of our children to learn to think creatively. Introduce your children to the exciting world of theatre and enjoy a day at ICT!

To make your reservation, please call Sheila at 562.495.4595, ext. 10 or email her here.

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HS Students Can See Master Class for Free at ICT

March 18th, 2013

Master_CContact
Understanding that a well-rounded education includes an appreciation of the arts, International City Theatre would like to introduce our next generation to live theatre performances by making the final dress rehearsal of our 2013 productions available for students to attend at no cost. The next performance is for the Tony-winning play ‘Master Class.’ This run-thru will begin at 7:30 PM and this invitation is for high school students only. Reservations are required.
Master Class
Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 PM
ICT at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 E Ocean Blvd
 
Play Synopsis: Internationally renowned soprano Maria Callas had a legendary voice and an equally legendary life as one of the world’s most celebrated (and gossiped-about) opera stars. In 1971, Callas taught a series of master classes at Juilliard. Outspoken in her artistic beliefs and uncompromising in the musical understanding she sought to communicate to 25 fortunate students, Callas worked through her legendary arias from Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Puccini and others. Terrence McNally’s play finds Callas near the end of her career, her voice almost gone, as she instructs a group of young singers aspiring to the heights of fame and fortune with wicked humor, unrelenting criticism and deeply personal stories.  

Note: Although most of Master Class is about the great diva Maria Callas and the college students she is coaching, the play does contain some strong language and adult content when she is looking back at her life with Aristotle Onassis.
 
Parking: Parking is available for $10 in a private parking structure adjacent to the theatre at the corner of Seaside Way and Collins Way. There is also metered parking along Ocean Blvd. and Seaside Way. 

 
To reserve a seat for a high school student, please contact Erik Garcia at:
 
erik@ictlongbeach.org or 562.495.4595, x13

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