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West coast premiere of 'The Pain and the Itch'
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Pasadena is fortunate to have two award-winning theater companies that dare to be different. Both The Theatre @ Boston Court and Furious Theatre Company present cutting-edge plays that challenge as well as entertain audiences. So it was only natural that they would collaborate at some point and that point is this summer. Opening July 25 they will present the west coast premiere of Bruce Norris' The Pain and the Itch directed by Associate Artistic Director of Pasadena Playhouse and a co-founder and the resident director of Furious Theatre Company Dámaso Rodriguez on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center.
"In this send-up of the perfect American family, an average Thanksgiving unravels into an exposé of disastrous choices and less-than-altruistic motives. A young daughter is in serious need of attention while her parents worry if the milk is organic and a ravenous creature may be prowling the upstairs bedrooms. The Pain and the Itch is a scathing comedy about the politics of class and race, a controversial examination of denial and its consequences."
The ensemble includes Olivia Aaron, Katie Davies, Ava Feldman, Scott Lowell, Vonessa Martin, Brad Price, Jennifer Rhodes and Kevin Vavasseur. Lowell was a series regular playing Ted Schmidt on Queer as Folk and Rhodes did an eight-season run as the matriarchal witch Grams on Charmed.
Production staff for The Pain and the Itch includes Rodriguez, Kurt Boetcher, scenic designer, Shannon Dedman, props designer, Leah Piehl, costume designer, Christie Wright, lighting designer, Doug Newell, sound designer, Dan Steele, assistant director, Raul Staggs, casting director, Rebecca Cohn, production stage manager and Joel Goldes, dialect coach.
Rodriguez said about the playwright, "Bruce Norris is one of the most exciting new playwrights to emerge in the past several years. The majority of his plays have premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and while he has received attention in New York and London, L.A. audiences have yet to experience his work. We believe this will be the first of many of Mr. Norris' plays to grace L.A. stages and we're thrilled to be a part of his introduction to Los Angeles audiences. The play itself is a brilliantly crafted, 'screamingly' funny, ultimately moving theatrical puzzle. Mr. Norris has the rare ability to confront his audience while entertaining them at every moment."
The Pain and the Itch previews for six performances beginning July 16, opens July 25 and performs 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through August 23. Preview tickets are $17 and regular performances are $32. Senior and student discounts are also available. Call 626-683-6883 or visit www.bostoncourt.org and www.furioustheatre.org. Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located at 70 N. Mentor, one block north of Colorado at the corner of Mentor Ave. and Boston Ct.
The Pain and the Itch is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Founding Director Z. Clark Branson, and the generous contributions of The Theatre @ Boston Court and Furious Theatre Company patrons.
Production staff for The Pain and the Itch includes Rodriguez, Kurt Boetcher, scenic designer, Shannon Dedman, props designer, Leah Piehl, costume designer, Christie Wright, lighting designer, Doug Newell, sound designer, Dan Steele, assistant director, Raul Staggs, casting director, Rebecca Cohn, production stage manager and Joel Goldes, dialect coach.
Rodriguez said about the playwright, "Bruce Norris is one of the most exciting new playwrights to emerge in the past several years. The majority of his plays have premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and while he has received attention in New York and London, L.A. audiences have yet to experience his work. We believe this will be the first of many of Mr. Norris' plays to grace L.A. stages and we're thrilled to be a part of his introduction to Los Angeles audiences. The play itself is a brilliantly crafted, 'screamingly' funny, ultimately moving theatrical puzzle. Mr. Norris has the rare ability to confront his audience while entertaining them at every moment."
The Pain and the Itch previews for six performances beginning July 16, opens July 25 and performs 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through August 23. Preview tickets are $17 and regular performances are $32. Senior and student discounts are also available. Call 626-683-6883 or visit www.bostoncourt.org and www.furioustheatre.org. Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located at 70 N. Mentor, one block north of Colorado at the corner of Mentor Ave. and Boston Ct.
The Pain and the Itch is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Founding Director Z. Clark Branson, and the generous contributions of The Theatre @ Boston Court and Furious Theatre Company patrons.
Send questions, comments and suggestions to columbuscommunications@yahoo.com.
Image courtesy of Aldrich & Associates, Inc.
For more info: www.bostoncourt.org, www.furioustheatre.org.
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