For Immediate Release:  September 2, 2010

Sins O’ The Flesh Presents
A Special 35th Anniversary Screening of Gender-Bending Cult Rock Opera
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
At the Historic Million Dollar Theater in Downtown LA
• Guest Barry Bostwick • Full Pre-Show • Live Shadowcast Performance •
Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Centerpiece Event of SinsCon
The 35th Anniversary Convention of the RHPS 09/23 – 09/25

LOS ANGELES, CA – In honor of the 35th anniversary of outrageous cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS), the Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles will host a special screening of the film with guest Barry Bostwick in person and an international shadowcast of performers on Saturday, September 25, 2010. The anniversary screening will start with a full pre-show of games and presentations at 10:00 p.m. with the film screening at 11:00 p.m. Bostwick, who stars as Brad Majors in the film, will officiate the madness.  For this special event, the on-stage “all-star” cast, with full costumes and props, will include the best of the best Rocky Horror performers from shadowcasts as far away as Paris, France.  This select group of performers is also featured in the upcoming 20th Century Fox Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc. Presented by LA’s own Sins O’ The Flesh, the evening is part of SinsCon, the 35th Anniversary Convention of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which runs the three-day weekend of September 23 – 25, 2010 in Los Angeles.  The Million Dollar Theater is located at 307 South Broadway Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90013.  Tickets for the special screening event are $20 in advance online at www.rhps35.com/buy_tickets.html and $25 the day of show at The Million Dollar Theater.  VIP tickets in the front rows are also available online for $40 ($45 at the door) and include free prop kits.  The film is Rated R (under 17 not admitted without a guardian).  For more information on the venue, please call 213-617-3600 or visit www.milliondollartheater.com.  For more information on SinsCon (full title: 7 Deadly Sins O’ The Flesh Convention), please visit http://sinscon.com.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the anniversary screening, perhaps as their favorite Rocky Horror or cult movie character from the past 35 years. “Virgins” (those who have never attended a screening of the film) are also very welcome to join in the fun at this one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.  The celebratory evening will also include talent from event sponsor Wicked Pictures, an adult entertainment studio that is producing an upcoming X-rated Rocky Horror spoof (a talent search may occur during the convention weekend!)

In its 35 years of release, the film achieved notoriety not only as the ultimate midnight screening, cross-dressing, audience-participation extravaganza, but also as the longest running theatrical release in film history.  It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and continues to play in cinemas today. The film first opened to US audiences on September 26, 1975 at the UA Theater in Westwood — the same weekend as the special anniversary screening — 35 years ago.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Directed by Jim Sharman and based on the 1973 British stage play of the same name by Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a one-of-a-kind cult masterpiece.  The film follows straight-laced couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) as they encounter car trouble on a rainy night drive through an isolated countryside.  Stuck in the middle of nowhere, Brad remembers seeing an old castle that they passed while driving, so the two set out on foot on a quest for help.  Once at the castle, Brad (aka “Asshole!”) and Janet (aka “Slut!”) discover that they’ve arrived on a rather special night as “The Master,” mad scientist-alien-transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), is having one of his special affairs with his bizarre entourage.  He is hosting the annual convention of aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Instead of letting the couple use his phone, campier-than-thou Furter insists they be his guests to witness the unveiling of his latest creation: the ultimate blonde boy toy Rocky (Peter Hinwood). Seductions, corsets-o-plenty, sexual awakenings, murder, cannibalism (Meat Loaf), a floor show, and space travel follow with the help of sinister manservant Riff Raff (O’Brien), his crazy sister/lover Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and a groupie named Columbia (“Little Nell” Campbell). The hedonistic gender-bending rock opera is a campy salute to B-horror and sci fi flicks, with an inspired soundtrack and innuendo-riddled dialogue that encourages audience participation. Rated R, 100 min., 20th Century Fox (1975).

Sins O’ The Flesh cast member Lucas Miller as Dr. Frank N. Furter
Photo credit: Erin K, Sins O’ The Flesh

Audience Part-i-ci-pation:
Although now well-known as a social phenomenon, the ultimate in cult midnight movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was initially trashed by critics, a box office disappointment at first.  Momentum built once the film became part of the ’70s midnight movie craze that coincided with the advent of punk music.  The campiness of the performances and infectious soundtrack attracted playful young audiences who started showing up at theaters dressed up as their favorite characters and interacting with the film by yelling well-timed obscenities at the screen, singing along with the music, dancing in the aisles, and utilizing various props at key scenes in the film.  Once the film became a midnight movie staple, audience participation flourished, leading to full shadowcasts of fan performers who lip-synced along with the movie in front of screens at theaters around the world.  The audience participation phenomenon fueled the film’s success — its place as the longest running theatrical release in film history and its standing as an All-Time Top 100 box office earner.

Sanctioned Props:
Sanctioned props for the Million Dollar Theater anniversary screening include confetti, toilet paper, newspaper, playing cards, plastic gloves, and noise makers.  Squirt guns, seltzer, toast, and rice are not allowed at the historic Million Dollar Theater anniversary screening.

SinsCon (aka 7 Deadly Sins O’ The Flesh Convention):
The anniversary screening is the centerpiece event of SinsCon, the Los Angeles 35th Anniversary Convention of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Sins O’ The Flesh, the long-running LA-based Rocky Horror Picture Show performance troupe, created its anniversary theme based on the Seven Deadly Sins — wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony — which the hedonistic film embraces in a-bun-dance.  The convention kicks off on Thursday, September 23 with a plethora of activities and entertainment through Saturday, September 25, 2010.  In addition to the special screening, the full convention also features panel discussions, special celebrity guests, parties, talent events, contests, awards, eclectic vendors, and even a Rocky-themed prom.  Hundreds of Rocky Horror fans and performers from around the country will be in attendance, as well as a few international guests.  The complete convention schedule can be found at http://sinscon.com/schedule/ Besides the Million Dollar Theater, events will also take place at Club 740 (formerly the Globe Theatre), The Alexandria, and other downtown Los Angeles locales. The host hotel, The Standard in Downtown LA, is offering discounted rooms for registered attendees (space permitting).  SinsCon passes cost $95 for the entire weekend (including the Sat. night screening).  Single-Day SinsCon tickets are priced at $50.  Register online at http://sinscon.com/registration.

Barry Bostwick:
Barry Bostwick is an American actor and singer best known for playing Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, as well as Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City. He has also achieved acclaim in musical theater.  In 1972, Bostwick originated the role of bad boy Danny Zuko in the stage production of Grease, earning a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He also won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1977 musical The Robber Bridegroom.  Bostwick has had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Other television credits include guest appearances in Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii Five-O, The Golden Palace, Grace Under Fire, Ugly Betty, Cold Case, Scrubs, and Las Vegas, among others. He has also had leading roles in various mini-series, including George Washington, its sequel The Forging of a Nation, Scruples, A Woman of Substance, War and Remembrance, and Till We Meet Again. Bostwick served as host of the nationally televised annual Capitol Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for eight years. In the Cold Case episode “Creatures of the Night,” in which he is the main suspect, the theme of the episode revolves around The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 2007, Bostwick gained a recurring role, as Grandpa Clyde Flynn, on Phineas and Ferb.

The Million Dollar Theater:
The stunning Million Dollar Theater was built in 1918 by Sid Grauman at the then-astounding cost of one million dollars.  The elaborate gothic/baroque theater was the first movie palace built in Los Angeles and the site of many premieres over the years.  It was later used as a church then closed and shuttered.  In early 2008, the theater reopened primarily as a venue for stage performances.  The historic theater was the first movie house built by entrepreneur Grauman who later was responsible for Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.  Sculptor Joseph Mora is responsible for the elaborate exterior ornamentation, including lavish Churrigueresque decoration, statues, and longhorn skulls. William L. Woollett was the auditorium architect and Albert C. Martin, Sr. designed the twelve-story tower.  The building exterior also appeared prominently in the film Blade Runner.

35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc:
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates the 35th anniversary of the pop culture phenomenon with a Blu-ray Disc to be released on October 19, 2010.  Boasting a newly-restored high definition transfer and 7.1 audio, the The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc contains exclusive new content and much more.  The 35th Anniversary Shadowcast from the Blu-ray Disc will perform at the special Los Angeles screening on the 25th of September in its first public appearance.

Sins O’ The Flesh:
Sins O’ The Flesh is the LA-based volunteer Rocky Horror Picture Show performance troupe that is organizing the anniversary events.  The group has been performing every Saturday night since December 1987 at the long-running midnight show at Los Angeles’ historic Nuart Theater.  Members of the organization have also performed their Rocky Horror roles at the Hollywood Bowl, LA Pride, House of Blues Atlantic City, The Doo Dah Parade, and the Las Vegas Hard Rock Cafe for the 25th Anniversary Show with VH1 in 2000. Many LA-based Sins cast members also appear on the upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc. www.sins.la/

Bring your virgins!

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For more information, images, or to request interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Sins O’ The Flesh cast members Jacob Thompson as Riff Raff, Gina Radogna as Magenta,
and Drew Stanz as Dr. Frank N. Furter performing at the Nuart
Photo credit: Erin K, Sins O’ The Flesh

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SCREENING:

Sat. Sep. 25, 2010

Sins O’ The Flesh presents

35th anniversary screening of cult classic
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Million Dollar Theater
307 South Broadway Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-617-3600
www.milliondollartheater.com

10:00pm – full pre-show with games and presentations
11:00pm – film screening

– Barry Bostwick, who stars as Brad Majors in the film, will appear in person to officiate the madness
- the shadowcast from the soon to be released 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc will perform in its first public appearance

Tickets for Screening:
$20 in advance; $25 door
$40 VIP tickets; 1st several rows + free prop kits; $45 at the door
www.rhps35.com/buy_tickets.html
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Royal/T piano painted by Kenny Scharf (photo credit: Amanda Brooks)

Royal/T, the playful art space, shop and café, is expanding its nighttime offerings with live entertainment, a new art cabaret space, tapas and other culinary treats, and extravagant special events — fusing popular culture, music, film, and contemporary art into a creative Westside lounge environment.  Set in Royal/T’s back gallery space, Nighttime at Royal/T’s mission is to provide high quality eclectic programming in art-full, high-style surroundings filled with owner Susan Hancock’s world-class contemporary art collection.  The space will be open every Wednesday, Thursday as well as selected additional nights, featuring cabaret acts and eclectic music performances. Cabaret nights are free and run from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Cover charge for most other events range from $5 to $20.  Royal/T will also continue to offer special evening events featuring films, DJ sets, art performances, and theme parties.  Nighttime at Royal/T events will feature French-Japanese fusion tapas except when a guest chef reigns in the kitchen.

For Immediate Release
August 17, 2010

Culver City’s Royal/T Introduces
Nighttime at Royal/T
Expanding Its Evening Offerings
With Art Cabaret Nights Every Wednesday & Thursday
+ Eclectic Special Events
Fall 2010

* Live Entertainment * High Art * Engineered Cocktails * World Class Tapas *

CULVER CITY, CA – Royal/T, the playful art space, shop and café, is expanding its nighttime offerings with live entertainment, a new art cabaret space, tapas and other culinary treats, and extravagant special events — fusing popular culture, music, film, and contemporary art into a creative Westside lounge environment.  Set in Royal/T’s back gallery space, Nighttime at Royal/T’s mission is to provide high quality eclectic programming in art-full, high-style surroundings filled with owner Susan Hancock’s world-class contemporary art collection.  The space will be open every Wednesday, Thursday as well as selected additional nights, featuring cabaret acts and eclectic music performances. Cabaret nights are free and run from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Cover charge for most other events range from $5 to $20.  Royal/T will also continue to offer special evening events featuring films, DJ sets, art performances, and theme parties.  Nighttime at Royal/T events will feature French-Japanese fusion tapas except when a guest chef reigns in the kitchen.  Royal/T (www.royal-t.org, 310.559.6300) is located at 8910 Washington Blvd. (back entrance at 8927 Lindblade St.), Culver City, CA 90232.

Fall 2010 NIghttime at Royal/T Event Highlights …

Evidence and Vibration Institute Orchestra

Wed. Aug. 25, 8:00 – 11:00pm -

An evening of improvised electronic music featuring Vibration Institute Orchestra and Evidence

Vibration Institute Orchestra (http://vibrationinstitutemusic.com/music) is an ambient improvisation group led by bassist/DJ/composer John von Seggern in collaboration with Matt Piper, Steve Tavaglione, and Laura Escudé.

Evidence (www.ecnedive.com) is a collaboration between sound artists Stephan Moore and Scott Smallwood, who have developed a distinctive language of deeply layered sound, using field recordings of natural and industrial sounds as a primary source of inspiration and sonic material.

Tapas menu will be available.

General admission is $10, $5 for students, at the door.
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Jose Promis (photo courtesy of the artist)

Thu. Aug. 26, 6:00 – 11:00pm -

Cabaret night with world troubador Jose Promis and 80s power metal lounge lizzard Kate Gibbens

Chilean-born singer-songwriter Jose Promis is inspired by the international styles of old world troubadours, yet sets his music firmly in the 21st century. He began in the cabarets and independent theaters of Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and has also played throughout Europe (www.myspace.com/promis).

Classically trained and seasoned voice-belter Kate Gibbens delivers a lounge act filled with hair metal, touching ballads, and punk irony. The wild redhead covers metal favorites from Lita Ford, Journey, Van Halen, and Prince.

A la carte items from Master Sushi Chef Kenny Yamada will be available.
No door cover charge.
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Soul Sisters LIVE (photo courtesy of the artists)

Wed. Sept. 1, 6:00 – 11:00pm -

Cabaret night with Soul Sisters LIVE

Soul Sisters LIVE are singing female/character illusionists.

The duo stars the humorous and uplifting Lady Red Couture (www.myspace.com/ladyredcouture)
and
the alluring and vivacious Roxy Wood (www.myspace.com/roxywood).

www.myspace.com/bootylicous77

A la carte items from Master Sushi Chef Kenny Yamada will be available.

No door cover charge.

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The Kandinsky Effect (photo: Florence Grimmeisen)

Fri. Sept. 3, 8:00 – 10:00pm -

Modern jazz with The Kandinsky Effect

The Kandinsky Effect is a 3-peice modern jazz ensemble searching for new ways to improvise within the jazz idiom.  Saxophonist Warren Walker, bassist Gael Petrina, and drummer Gauthier Garrigue can be found lurking along the borders of jazz, rock, electronica, hip hop, and experimental sounds searching for freedom of expression.

www.facebook.com/TheKandinskyEffect

Tapas menu will be available.

General admission is $10
$5 for students,  at the door
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Theo Bleckmann (photo: Susie Knoll)

Wed. Sept. 15, 8:30 – 10:30pm -

Jazz and rock with the Theo Bleckmann & Ben Monder Duo

An eclectic jazz singer and new music composer, Grammy-nominated Theo Bleckmann makes music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional, and seriously playful.  In addition to his work as a soloist, Bleckmann loves to mix it up with other musicians. He maintains an ongoing creative relationship with guitar phenomenon Ben Monder, generating a series of performances and a pair of albums that wreak beautiful havoc with standard expectations of jazz and rock.

www.theobleckmann.com

Tapas menu will be available.
General admission is $20, $10 for students, at the door.

Purchase tickets at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124070
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For the Love of God, Laugh (2007) by Damien Hirst

Thu. Sept. 23, 8:00pm – 1:00am -

The Warholian Exhibition Opening Party

To celebrate Warholian, an exhibit of photos, film, portraits and objects inspired by Andy Warhol, Royal/T will kick off the show with a Factory-inspired opening extravaganza, which promises to be the see-and-be-seen event of the season.  Party features DJ sets by the iconic DJ Diabetic (aka Shepard Fairey) and David J (Bauhaus / Love & Rockets) who will be spinning a special Warholcentric DJ set.  The exhibit features a variety of recent Warhol-inspired pieces by artists such as Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, and Damien Hirst, celebrating the great pop artist’s deep influence on contemporary art. Curated by Eric Shiner, The Milton Fine Curator of Art at The Andy Warhol Museum, the exhibit also features some of Warhol’s most recognizable original artwork including “Marilyn” (1967), “Electric Chair” (1971), “Dollar Sign” (1981) and many more from the Alan Finkelstein Collection.

The Warholian exhibit is free and open to the public 10:00am to 6:00pm daily from Sept. 24, 2010 through Jan. 31, 2011.
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Myra Melford (photo: Valerie Trucchia)

Mon. Oct. 4, 7:00 – 11:00pm -

Angel City Jazz Festival

This benefit for Angel City Arts features an ensemble led by pianist Myra Melford, with Mark Dresser, Stomu Takeishi and Alex Cline, acclaimed Japanese Butoh dancer Oguri, and Chef Paul Canales of Oliveto Restaurant. Guests are invited to enjoy food inspired by the music, which is simultaneously interpreted in dance.

A four-course meal will be served during the performance. There will also be an art auction with proceeds donated to Angel City Arts.

More info at www.angelcityjazz.com.

Tickets $65 per person, available at: www.brownpapertickets.com/producerevent/121612?prod_id=22581
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MTKJ Quartet (photo: Paul Kikuchi)

Tue. Nov. 2, 8:00 – 10:30pm -

Jazz performance by MTKJ Quartet

MTKJ Quartet is Jason Mears on saxophones/clarinet, Kris Tiner on trumpets/flugelhorn, Paul Kikuchi on drums/percussion, and Ivan Johnson on contrabass.

www.emptycagequartet.com

Tapas menu will be available.

General admission is $10

$5 for students
at the door

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For Nighttime at Royal/T calendar of events, see: www.royal-t.org/about/news/.

Menu
Tapas: For most evening events, when a guest chef is not reigning in the kitchen, Royal/T will feature the tapas menu.  Along with signature soju cocktails, specialty mimosas, wine, sake, and craft beer selections, Nighttime at Royal/T diners in the back lounge can choose from a selection of French-Japanese fusion tapas. Among the choices are Crispy Spicy Tuna topped with micro wasabi, Kobe Beef Sliders served three ways (Quail egg up, tomato chutney, and blue cheese & caramelized onions); Kurobuta Pork Belly with puréed taro and spicy rice noodles; and Sweet Potato Fries. Plate prices range from $4 to $10.

Sushi Pop Art Series: On Wednesdays and Thursdays, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9, 6:00 – 10:00pm, the Royal/T café is hosting a special Sushi Pop Art series, a pop up dinner series featuring creations by artistic sushi luminary Chef Kenny Yamada (Hell’s Kitchen, Katsuya).  The Royal/T café will feature two prix fixe menus by reservation only ($45 and $90) during the series.  On these evenings, during Yamada’s tenure, the Nighttime at Royal/ T lounge menu will feature an à la carte selection from his Sushi Pop Art dishes for walk-in diners in the lounge.  For additional details on the Sushi Pop Art series and café reservations, see http://kennyyamada.com. Reservations are not required in the lounge.

About Royal/T
Located in Culver City’s Art District, Royal/T is a playful blending of café, concept shop, and art exhibition space. The 10,000-square-foot space reflects the interior realm of fantasy that strongly influences the artists included in owner Susan Hancock’s contemporary art collection. Royal/T’s café is inspired by the meido kissa (maid café) phenomena of Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronic district. Re-contextualizing the underground culture of Japan that celebrates “cosplay” (costume play), waitresses dress in maid uniforms with a Lolita-esque touch, while serving an amalgam of French and Japanese cuisine with local California style. The art space showcases curated exhibitions with a focus on Japanese contemporary art; and an inventive concept store emulates the collection’s sophistication, a seamless merging of Japanese pop culture and high-end design. Currently on display at Royal/T is the The Never Ending Story with works by an international group of artists working with the theme fairytales, and its contemporary expression, fantasy.  Starting Sept. 24, the Warholian exhibit features photos, film, portraits and objects by and inspired by Andy Warhol.

Susan Hancock, Owner
Susan Hancock opened Royal/T in the gallery district of Culver City in April 2008.  A philanthropist and avid art collector, Hancock is a member of the Director’s Circle at LACMA and serves as a member of MOCA Partners at LA’s MOCA Contemporary. Outside Los Angeles, Hancock serves as a member of the International Collector’s Circle at MOCA Miami and serves on the Producer’s Council at New York’s New Museum. She has previously served on the International Director’s Council for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and on the Board of Trustees at the Independent Curators International. For five years, she has served on the Acquisition Committee for Painting and Sculpture at the Whitney, and has supported various museum shows such as “Little Boy” curated by Murakami at the Japan Society in New York.

The Susan Hancock Collection
Susan Hancock’s collection of contemporary Japanese art includes works by Chiho Aoshima, Chinatsu Ban, Yayoi Deki, Mitsuhiro Ikeda, Izumi Kato, Hideaki Kawashima, Mahomi Kunikata, Yayoi Kusama, Mr., Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, Mitsuhiro Okamoto, Aya Takano, Yuken Teruya, and Keisuke Yamamoto. Other artists represented in her collection include Ghada Amer, Stephan Balkenhol, Louise Bourgeois, Cecily Brown, Tracy Emin, Tom Friedman, Mark Grotjahn, Jim Hodges, Mike Kelley, Chris Ofili, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince, Wilhelm Sasnal, Fred Tomaselli, Piotr Uklanski, and Lisa Yuskavage.

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For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com.

Royal/T piano painted by Kenny Scharf (photo credit: Amanda Brooks)

Photo credit: Benn Glazier

The renowned Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) – a leading artistic force, staunch advocate of civil and human rights and first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president (Bill Clinton) – presents the world premiere of “The End of It All” by noted electronic artist and DJ John Tejada, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Commissioned by GMCLA and written for choir and electronica, it will feature the composer on electronica.  Also on the program are a selection of great opera choruses, a range of classic contemporary choral works and the GMCLA’s poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project, a mix of music and spoken word spotlighting the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  This marks the choir’s third performance in Disney Hall.For Immediate Release:  August 1, 2010

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Conducted by Dominic Gregorio
Presents “Sure On This Shining Night”
Including World Premiere of “The End of it All”
For Choir and Electronica by John Tejada Preformed Live with Tejada

Saturday, August 21, 2010 at Walt Disney Concert Hall

LOS ANGELES, CA – The renowned Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) – a leading artistic force, staunch advocate of civil and human rights and first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president (Bill Clinton) – presents the world premiere of “The End of It All” by noted electronic artist and DJ John Tejada, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Commissioned by GMCLA and written for choir and electronica, it will feature the composer on electronica.  Also on the program are a selection of great opera choruses, a range of classic contemporary choral works and the GMCLA’s poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project, a mix of music and spoken word spotlighting the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  This marks the choir’s third performance in Disney Hall.

The concert, conducted by Interim Artistic Director Dominic Gregorio, opens with such contemporary choral classics as David Conte’s “Invocation and Dance,” for choir, four-hand piano, and glockenspiel, praised by the New York Times as “a sparkling hymn to life,” and “Sure On This Shining Night” by Morten Lauridsen, a lyrical setting of James Agee’s well known love poem, and “Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre, whose compositions have been described as “works of unearthly beauty and imagination.”

Other contemporary compositions include “In The Space of Now” by Kevin Robison, commissioned by GMCLA in 2004; and Jonathan Wesley Oliver, Jr., a compelling work by singer/songwriter Tom Brown written in 1988 about the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is the largest piece of community folk art in the world.

Also featured are selections from operas by Verdi, Bizet, Rossini and Donizetti, among them “Amore d fede eternal” from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia; “Possente amor mi chiama” from Verdi’s Rigoletto; and “Fra poco a me ricovero… Oh meschina!” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

In addition, GMCLA highlights its poignant and critically acclaimed Harvey Milk Schools Project.  Presented by the Chorus in Los Angeles-area schools, it is a mix of music and spoken word focusing on the life of civil rights icon Harvey Milk to promote equality and acceptance and raise awareness about anti-gay bullying in schools.  The choir notes that every year, over 85% of LGBT students in American schools are physically or verbally abused.

Introduced for the first time on the main stage will be the GMCLA Alive Music Project Youth Chorus, comprised of local students, which will perform several numbers then join GMCLA for a medley featuring such hits as “True Colors” and “He Ain’t Heavy.”

Tickets for general seating range from $25 to $80 and can be purchased online through www.ticketmaster.com.  VIP tickets, which include a pre-show reception in Disney Hall Founders’ Room are $150 and are available by calling (800) MEN SING or www.gmcla.org.  The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.

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Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, DOMINIC GREGORIO is the Interim Artistic Director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles who previously served for two years as Assistant Conductor.  He is a Doctor of Musical Arts student in Choral Music at the University of Southern California, where he conducted the Apollo Men’s Choir, was Assistant Conductor of the Chamber Singers, and taught courses in choral conducting.  After graduating with a Triple Masters Degree in Music (Choral Conducting, Voice Performance, Music History) from Temple University in Philadelphia, Mr. Gregorio moved to Taiwan for one year and served as the Assistant Conductor of the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation Choirs, while also learning Mandarin Chinese, on a grant through the Canadian government. Mr. Gregorio is the former Artistic Director of Singing Out, The Toronto Lesbian and Gay Choir and former conductor of the University of Guelph Women’s Choir.  He has won numerous awards including the Presser Music Award, which enabled him to live and study for a semester in Vienna, Austria, the G. Nixon Leadership Award, the Carrow Teaching Award, the Edward Johnson Foundation Award, and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.  Recently Mr. Gregorio was a semi-finalist in the ACDA Graduate Student Conducting Competition.  His principal teachers are Jo-Michael Scheibe, Larry Livingston, William Dehning, Alan Harler and James Jordan.

For 32 years the GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and promoting civil rights, tolerance and acceptance though music.  Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music,” critics call the choir “remarkable” and note “GMCLA truly shines.”  It is one of the largest and most influential men’s choirs in the nation and is the first gay men’s choir to perform for a sitting president – William Jefferson Clinton. In March 2010, GMCLA became one of only a handful of organizations ever to perform in the California Assembly chamber in the state’s capitol when they sang “America the Beautiful” and a rendition of  “Brand New Day” from the Broadway musical The Wiz for the swearing-in ceremony for new Assembly Speaker John Perez, California’s first openly gay Assembly Speaker.  In addition to presenting concerts each season in Southern California at Glendale’s Alex Theatre and elsewhere, GMCLA tours nationally and internationally, most recently in 2006 when the Chorus visited Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, where it helped found South America’s first LGBT Chorus. The 230-member choir has released 14 compact discs to date, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements and appeared frequently on national television programs such as Will & Grace and Six Feet Under. The Chorus membership donates over 60,000 volunteer hours annually to make GMCLA’s mission of musical excellence and community partnership a reality.  Through GMCLA’s Alive Music Project (AMP), and AMP’s highly regarded component the Harvey Milk Schools Project, the Chorus uses song to teach acceptance and equality at schools to overcome prejudice.  The program actively promotes the reality that our community’s struggle for equal rights is not only universal, but is also an issue that has and can affect any group of people who find themselves in the minority.

Normally associated with his peers in Techno from Detroit, Europe and elsewhere in the US and the world, JOHN TEJADA has embraced electronic music as a personal frontier, expanding on his formidable resume as a Techno recording artist, as producer and remixer, DJ, and label owner.  He has showcased his DJ skills around the globe, traveling to more than 20 countries to play at such prestigious festivals as Movement (formerly The Detroit Electronic Music Festival), Sonar Festival in Spain and Tokyo, Dance Valley in the Netherlands, Sync Festival in Greece, and Mutek Mexico.  He has also performed at internationally known spaces such as Fabric in London, Yellow in Tokyo, Rex Club in Paris, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and many others.  His musically formative years were steeped in classical music, growing up in a family of performing artists – his mother is a soprano, and his father is a conductor/composer – which then widened to include hip hop, DJing and finally, electronic music.  Known for crafting a brand of subtle, musical techno, his recorded output ranges across tempo and genre lines, from chilled out affairs with spacious arrangements to pulsating, densely layered, deeply energetic tracks that work magnificently in the hands of DJs as well as on the home stereo.  Earlier on, his music found release on labels such as A13, Multiplex and Generation R&S.  In 1996, he established his own imprint, Palette Recordings, in Los Angeles.

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"Untitled" Roscoe Wilson

Following a successful launch in Beijing, the A&I Gallery in Hollywood will host the North American premiere of Common Ground 2010, an exhibition of fine art digital prints from across the globe, all with an environmental theme. The exhibition of new media work, at the intersection of art, technology, and eco-activism, opens on July 8, 2010 and runs through August 13, 2010. Over 1,000 artists from 40 countries submitted their digital art for consideration. The resulting curated collection contains work from 85 artists. A portion of all proceeds generated from the touring exhibition will benefit non-profit organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute.For Immediate Release:  May 25, 2010

A&I Gallery in Hollywood Hosts
Common Ground 2010
An International Touring Digital Art Exhibition
At the Intersection of Art + Technology + Environmental Stewardship

Presented by Hewlett-Packard & FujiFilm

Exhibition Runs from July 8 through August 13, 2010
Eco-Friendly Opening Reception – Thursday, July 8, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Following a successful launch in Beijing, the A&I Gallery in Hollywood will host the North American premiere of Common Ground 2010, an international touring exhibition of fine art digital prints from across the globe, all with an environmental theme. The exhibition of new media work opens on Thursday, July 8, 2010 with an eco-friendly opening reception and runs through August 13, 2010. Over 1,000 artists from 40 countries submitted their digital art for consideration. The resulting curated collection contains work from 85 artists. A portion of all proceeds generated from the touring exhibition will benefit non-profit organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute. Common Ground is presented in part by Hewlett-Packard Company and FujiFilm. Join some of the artists for organic edibles, live music, and more on the 8^th from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the A&I Gallery. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. A&I is located at 933 North Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038. Lot and street parking are available.  For gallery information, please visit http://www.aandi.com/gallery or call 323-856-5280.  To learn more about Common Ground’s international exhibition, please visit http://www.CommonGround2010.com.

The opening reception for Common Ground 2010’s Los Angeles exhibition of new media work – at the intersection of art, technology, and eco-activism – on Thursday, July 8^th is an environmentally-friendly affair featuring selected Common Ground artists in attendance including Clayton Spada and Victor Raphael from the US, and Duan Jia from Beijing, China.  The Eclipse Quartet will perform live a piece composed especially for Common Ground by classically trained film composer and conductor David Williams, while additional beats will be provided by DJ and local underground artist L.Croskey, a/k/a MrNumberOnederful.

In further keeping with the environmental sustainability theme of Common Ground, Cascade Peak Spirits will be pouring micro-distillery alcohol featuring its handcrafted ORGANIC NATION® vodka, gin, and whiskey, while Sonoma County’s Inman Family Wines will offer the attendees a taste of its world class wines from the Russian River Valley where they utilize healthy soil, employ natural winemaking and following sustainable business practices.

Every aspect of the Common Ground artwork at A&I Gallery has been supported by companies with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives that focus of the environment.  The LA exhibit includes frames from Larson-Juhl and their Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration project, having planted over a quarter of a million trees throughout the world since 1991. Also supporting Common Ground is Nielsen Bainbridge, providing the backing, matting, and mounting boards as part of their eco-friendly product range. L.A. Art Exchange has been providing Southern Californian’s the ultimate professional custom framing service for over 25 years and will be handling all of the final framing and presentations for the exhibit.  Read more below about each of these companies.

Exhibition highlights for Common Ground 2010 in Los Angeles:
- A selection of 35 museum quality digital prints from the Common Ground Collection will be on display.
- The prints are provided by FujiFilm, the leading supplier of UV (Ultra Violet) cured inks, driving a positive environmental change in the printing industry. Limited editions of 50 will be available for purchase ($500 – $1000).
- A hardcover, limited edition commemorative book has been published with the support of Hewlett-Packard and will be available for purchase (79 art works, edition of 250, $60).
- A portion of the print and commemorative book sales will be donated to non-profit organizations The World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute.
- Large flat screen high definition monitors will present the entire Common Ground Collection.

Santa Monica-based Common Ground was born from founder Larry Richard’s desire to support artists and technologists to use their artistic talents to communicate with each other – and by extension with the rest of the world – about issues common to every one of us on the planet: A clean environment for our communities and for our children. The Common Ground Collection speaks to this shared concern regardless of nationality, borders, or culture.

“There are a lot of buzz-words out there. Environmental responsibility. Green consciousness. Sustainable practices. We hear the words, but where’s the practical meaning beyond all the rhetoric and posturing? The truth is: We all inhabit the same home: Earth. Common Ground speaks clearly to this shared global experience,” says Richard.

Common Ground International Exhibiting Tour:
Common Ground successfully launched the first leg of its world tour in November 2008 at the Huan Tie Art Museum in Beijing, China to coincide with the Summer Olympics festivities in Beijing. Media coverage from the event can be reviewed at http://www.commonground2010.com/?page_id=6. The Los Angeles exhibition at A&I marks the North American premiere, to be followed by exhibitions throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico through 2011. An open call to artists worldwide for additional digital art will be held in the Spring of 2011 in order to expand the Common Ground collection as it travels to London to coincide with the Summer Olympics in 2012.

Curators:
Nearly 1,000 artists from 40 countries responded in 2008 to a global invitation for contributions to this art meets eco-activism collaboration. 85 pieces from 23 countries were curated into the collection by a diverse group of international artists, academics, and entrepreneurs with extensive experience in new media.
-  Duan Jia, writer, director, animator, and professor at the Beijing Film Academy
-  John & Margie Labadie, faculty at University of North Carolina at Pembroke
-  Amelia Pellegrini, artist in Italy
-  Zhou Ping, artist, professor at University Of China
-  Victor Raphael, artist in Los Angeles
-  Larry Richard, founder of Common Ground in Los Angeles
-  Lu Shengzhang, artist, filmmaker, professor at University Of China
-  Wang Shuipo, professor at Central Academy of Fine Art, China
-  Clayton Spada, artist, curator, teacher, lecturer and workshop leader in Los Angeles
-  Lu Xiaobo, vice chairman at Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Tsinghua University
-  Lu Xuguang, artist, professor at Beijing Film Academy

Common Ground Commemorative Book:
A limited edition hardcover commemorative book featuring 79 digital art works from the collection was sponsored by HP and by A&I Digital Labs. Books are available for purchase at the A&I Gallery, throughout the North American Common Ground tour, and online at http://www.commonground2010.com/?page_id=12 for $60. 100% of book proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund, Global Giving, and The Global Environmental Institute. The book was printed in Los Angeles on the HP Indigo 5000 press by A&I Photographic and Digital Services.

Larry Richard, Common Ground Founder:
As a marketer and promoter, Richard has produced nationally touring art and technology events for more than 20 years. Gathering together artists, corporate sponsors, and innovative technologies, he has produced exhibitions, conferences, and public events, each drawing thousands of attendees while generating significant media coverage and public awareness. Past projects include Shared Dreams, a collaboration of Cuban and US artists, the touring fine art photography exhibitions The Dezo Hoffman Collection and The Legends of Rock Collection, and Online Expo, a conference focused on internet technologies and opportunities. Since 2004, Richard has turned his attention to leveraging his experience to support his passion for a sustainable environment.

A&I Gallery:
A&I Gallery’s mission is to raise awareness of talented artists in the photographic world and of charitable organizations. A&I began exhibiting photography in July of 2006 and has hosted eighteen exhibits and opening receptions since. The work shown has ranged greatly in content with photography as the common thread tying them all together. A&I Photographic & Digital Services sets the standard for fine art printing. Clients include world renowned photographers whose work is displayed in some of the most prestigious museums and galleries worldwide. The A&I Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FujiFilm:
Fujifilm is a leading supplier of UV (Ultra Violet) cured inks, which are driving a positive environmental change in the printing industry. Fujifilm’s UV inks are free of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are cured using ultra violet light. UV inks also consume less energy in the printing process, eliminating the need for traditional drying systems. Fujifilm has also developed new VOC-free digital inks that have no hazardous air pollutants and allow printers to emit lower amounts of VOCs than conventional solvent inks.

Hewlett-Packard Company (HP):
HP has made a commitment to the environment by continuing to develop policies and initiatives that deliver increasingly high standards in all areas of environmental responsibility. “Environmental responsibility is good business. We’ve reached the tipping point where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it,” says Mark Hurd, Chairman and CEO.

L.A. Art Exchange
For over 20 years, L.A. Art Exchange has provided its individual and corporate customers with the largest selection of custom frames, moulding and mounting options in Southern California. L.A. Art Exchange’s Santa Monica gallery also features original art and photography from local and nationally renowned artists and photographers, as well as wide variety of fine art prints, giclees, posters, unique jewelry, gifts and home décor accessories.

Larson-Juhl
Larson-Juhl’s broad range of quality custom framing products provide design solutions to suit nearly anything one can have framed. Larson-Juhl offers a number of custom frame moulding collections that have earned PEFC certification as well as a vast selection of matboards which boast FSC certification.  As part of their long range sustainability initiative, Larson-Juhl has partnered with American Forests to begin the Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration project. Since 1991, Larson-Juhl has planted over a quarter of a million trees throughout the world.

Nielsen Bainbridge
Nielsen Bainbridge is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-quality picture framing products. Its designs and innovations are driven by a passion for beauty in the presentation of art, and have helped to defined and – at times – redefined the industry. Nielsen Bainbridge products include high-end metal frames, wood frames, ready-made frame systems, as well as mountboards and matboards in over four hundred colors and textures.

Cascade Peak Spirits
Cascade Peak Spirits, Inc. (CPS) is a micro-distillery creating handcrafted ORGANIC NATION® vodka, gin, whiskey and other organic spirits. It works with local Organic Farmers and local suppliers to create a business that supports the local economy and the practices of Sustainability by “Buying local, Buying Green”. CPS is the first distillery in Oregon with organic certification, offering the consumer a socially responsible alternative.

Inman Family Wines
Inman Family Wines produce small lots of wine made from impeccably grown grapes in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. They believe that owning a vineyard and winery comes with more responsibility than just what is required by law and business obligations. They make world class wines that rely on healthy soil, natural winemaking and sustainable business practices including eco-friendly wine labels,  recyclable packaging, reduction of waste, use of renewable sources of energy and a commitment to seeking suppliers that share our vision.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF):
World Wildlife Fund’s mission is the conservation of nature. WWF works to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems, through promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution; protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species; and promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources. WWF is committed to reversing the degradation of our planet’s natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature.

Global Giving:
Global Giving is an online marketplace where individual and corporate donors can connect to community-based initiatives that need support. Visitors to the site can browse projects to help others around the world, pick philanthropic projects that they are passionate about, and give directly to the solution.

The Global Environmental Institute:
The Global Environmental Institute, established in Beijing, China in 2004, is a Chinese non-profit, non-governmental organization. Its mission is to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in China in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable.

“Artists throughout history have played a key role in shaping the world-view of their day,” says Richard, “Through Common Ground, artists from all corners of the globe can use the expressive language they know best — visual art — to share their concern for the fate of the earth. What’s more, they get to make a contribution in a tangible way since proceeds from the exhibition are donated to vital non-profit organizations such as Global Giving, World Wildlife Fund, and The Global Environmental Institute.”

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For more information, photos, or to arrange interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

For Immediate Release:  May 6, 2010

Overtone Industries Invites the Public to
Extensive Community Arts Project
“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops”
Eco-Friendly Collaborations to Create Props & Costumes
From Recycled Materials for Upcoming Contemporary Opera
Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands
Weekends in Culver City through June 20, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Overtone Industries is engaged in a massive community arts project, currently underway, to create props and costumes from recycled materials for their July site-specific contemporary opera, Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands directed by O-Lan Jones. In May and June, creative volunteers are invited to Overtone’s “Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops,” a series of free public art workshops where donated recyclables are being transformed into sets and costumes for the innovative music theater production. Overtone Industries is looking for crafters, artists, knitters, and the general public of all ages to collaborate on the project by participating in the art-making process via the community workshops. Workshops are being held Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., through June 20, 2010 at the Songs & Dances Warehouse, 8840 Washington Street, Culver City, CA 90232 (with the exception of Sunday May, 9, 2010 – there will be no workshop on that date). Free lot parking is available on site. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVP is requested, but not required, at songdancesworkshop.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecal. All levels of experience, from beginners to professionals, are encouraged to drop by for the fun. Additional community art workshop and recycling program details are at www.overtoneindustries.org/sdworkshops.php. For questions, please call 323-655-2410 during business hours, Monday through Friday.

Under the artistic direction of Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, with the support of Vibrant Production Management, a vacant 25,000-square-foot Culver City car dealership is being transformed into an adventurous performance space. Through the creation of 21 art installations of the titular imaginary lands, each dramatically different from one another, and wild, native costumes of invented cultures, volunteers will help set the stage for this epic music and dance extravaganza. Participants will create props, textures, and aspects of the sets and costumes for the production while also learning new art-making techniques. Local residents, nonprofit groups, service organizations, and senior centers are expected to take part.

“The community is an essential ingredient to the creation of these lands; everyone’s experience will be literally glued, twisted, and knitted into the environments we create together,” says Director O-Lan Jones, “This collaboration is a metaphor for the existential point of the opera — in other words, we all make the world that we live in together.”

The public can participate in two ways:
-  donate recyclables to the project
-  join in at the community art workshops to create the sets, props & costumes

Recyclables can be dropped off at the Songs and Dances Warehouse on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 12noon through June 20, 2010. Overtone Industries is specifically looking for donations of plastic bottles, newspapers, corrugated cardboard, plastic shopping bags, catalogs, junk mail, magazines, can tabs, bottle caps, clean white socks, packaging peanuts, and CDs. For details, see: www.overtoneindustries.org/files/sdrecyclingprogramflyer.pdf

“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops”
Recycle Drop-Off & Art-Making Schedule:

• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00noon – drop off recyclables
• 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. – workshops

~workshop focus/featured materials noted~

Sat. 5/08/10 (Combination)
Sat. 5/15/10 (Combination)
Sun. 5/16/10 (Cardboard)
Sat. 5/22/10 (Plastic Water Bottles)
Sun. 5/23/10 (Plastic Water Bottles)
Sat. 5/29/10 (Metal & Aluminum)
Sun. 5/30/10 (Metal & Aluminum)
Sat. 6/05/10 (Paper Mache)
Sun. 6/06/10 (Paper Mache)
Sat. 6/12/10 (Assembling)
Sun. 6/13/10 (Assembling)
Sat. 6/19/10 (Assembling)
Sun. 6/20/10 (Assembling)

“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops” Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH-pVrkd4co
(video credit: Halldor Enard)

Real estate developer Joseph Miller, owner and president of The Runyon Group, donated the use of the vacant Culver City car dealership for the production. Miller provided the space to Overtone Industries so that it could be used creatively, in a way that would benefit the community, instead of standing vacant. The development of this production has been supported by The Annenberg Foundation since 2006. Overtone Industries also receives support from The Ahmanson Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands
After seven years in development, non-profit organization Overtone Industries is set to launch their site-specific theatricale Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, with two weeks of performances opening Thursday, July 8, 2010. Billed as a contemporary opera, the genre-bending production integrates art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater. Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands was conceptualized by Jones in an extensive collaboration that involves twenty one librettists, eleven composers, Costume and Scenic Designer Petrovic, Musical Director David O, and many others. The performances will run from Thursday, July 8 to Sunday, July 18, 2010 with five weekly performances (Thursdays through Sundays, 8:00 p.m. nightly with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sundays). Additional preview performances will run the week prior, from Thursday, July 1 to Sunday, July 4, 2010 (matinee only on July 4). Ticket prices start at $25 and go on sale in May on Overtone’s site at www.overtoneindustries.org.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands takes the audience on a journey with working class Tom and aristocratic Sue, who have lost their identities. The couple reclaims their story by means of a device that allows them to inhabit the “lands” that hold the pivotal experiences of their lives embodied in songs, dances, pledges of allegiance, and rituals indigenous to those turning points.

“Sounds heavy, but the show is a blast,” says Producer Scott Cargle, “It’s a large-scale extravaganza full of colorful art, an amazing array of music, wild costumes, and innovative choreography – but with a profound story as well.”

O-Lan Jones, Director and Co-Choreographer
O-Lan Jones is an award-winning actress, composer, sound designer, and writer. Her work as an actress, originating female roles in plays by Sam Shepard, Beth Henley, Murray Mednick, and John Steppling, among others, has made her something of a cultural icon. Named for the character in Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth, Jones was raised by a free-spirited mother in various ghettos across America (Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, New York) with stops in London and the jungles of the Yucatan where they lived in a hut in a village of 80 Mayan Indians. She began her professional acting career at 16 in New York’s off-off Broadway scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In 1969, Jones married playwright Sam Shepard with whom she has a son. Shepard and Jones divorced in 1983.

Of the more than 80 plays she has acted in, only two have been performed prior to her involvement in them — part of her lot in life is as accomplice to new/experimental projects. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she has had a broad range of roles in film and television. In features, she has worked with directors Tim Burton, Jonathan Demme, Ivan Reitman, Paul Schrader, John Schlesinger, Oliver Stone, Peter Weir, and Paul Bartel who directed Shelf Life, a movie she wrote and starred in. She is perhaps best known for playing Esmeralda, the reclusive Christian organist in Edward Scissorhands, and numerous waitress roles (Seinfeld, Shoot the Moon, Miracle Mile, Natural Born Killers, and The Truman Show). A repeat member of Burton’s ensemble casts, she also played hick trailer-dwelling mama Sue Ann Norris in Mars Attacks! Television credits also include Lonesome Dove and The X-Files; and she was a series regular on CBS’s Harts of the West.

She has composed three short operas; five musicals; created original music, songs, and sound designs for more than 30 theatrical productions; and has scored two short films. She was also the musical director and arranger of Joel Lipman’s rock-’n'-roll extravaganza Celebration of the Lizard, which features 49 Doors songs. Jones is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Overtone Industries, which the Los Angeles Times called “… audaciously experimental entertainment.”

Scott Cargle, Producer
Scott Cargle has been an actor, writer, director, and producer for decades. He was the founder and artistic director of The Shakespeare Project in New York City, where he presented 11 seasons of free outdoor productions in parks and public spaces for more than 40,000 people. He produced two annual Play Outside! Festivals of Free Outdoor Theater, with more than 20 theater companies and performance artists presenting 120 shows in 30 parks, all in the course of 21 days. He served on funding panels for the New York Times Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs, NY Foundation for the Arts and many others. He teaches seminars on fundraising, grant writing, nonprofit business planning, and project development at the Center for Nonprofit Management and CalArts.

Snezana Petrovic, Costume and Scenic Designer
A freelance designer for 230 theatrical productions, 22 television series, and eight feature films, Snezana Petrovic is a pioneer in set design using computer-aided technology and was the first art director to design sets on the FLAIR computer in her native Yugoslavia. In the US, she was the first graduate student in theater design to earn an interactive MFA (from UC Irvine), submitting her thesis on CD-ROM. She has served as resident designer at the Redlands Theater Festival for 15 seasons, and taught theater design and visual arts at the university level for 14 years. She was the recipient of the award in production design at the International Film Festival in Pula as well as six national awards for theater set and costume design in Yugoslavia. Petrovic’s paintings, video, and installation works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally in museums and galleries in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Belgrade, and Prague. She has exhibited in 34 group exhibitions and had eight solo exhibitions. Currently she is serving as the Fine Arts Department Chair and Professor of Arts at Crafton Hills College.

Overtone Industries
Emmy and Dramalogue award-winning Overtone Industries cultivates new talent for music theater by providing opportunities for composers, writers, and performers to collaborate in the creation of new musical works. By drawing on artists that spring from the diverse community, Overtone productions speak to and attract a wide-ranging spectrum of people. Overtone believes that culture is enriched and revitalized not only by the differences and variety of expression, but also by the underlying experiences that connect us all. The organization strives to create myths and fables that will illuminate the eternal forces that reverberate in our contemporary lives. By exploring new relationships among words, acting, movement, and music, the nonprofit seeks to make the invisible visible and bring audiences, casts and production crews closer to understanding some of life’s mysteries. Overtone Industries’ work has been performed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in New York at the Kurt Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.

Vibrant Production Management
Vibrant Production Management works with artists of various disciplines to create and manage original, vivid artistic experiences. Vibrant offers comprehensive production services from concept to completion. Beginning with a shared vision or need, the firm assembles teams of artists and managers to provide energy and movement to a project. The firm handles logistics, allowing the artistic product to be presented as high-quality, seamless entertainment. Recent projects include: Ecosystems Gala at California Science Center, Meet Me @ Metro for Watts Village Theater Company, Shakespeare by the Sea’s 13th season and ensemble strategic planning for Impro Theatre.  Vibrant Production Management is a partnership between Sara Adelman and Michelle Magaldi. Adelman and Magaldi are experienced producers and managers of live events working in and around Los Angeles for over a decade as independent contractors and employees of award-winning arts organizations.

“This is not just an opera. It’s an event,” says Cargle in summing up Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands, “It asks the artists and the audience to reconsider: What is theater? What is opera? Where does it happen? What does it look like? Who makes it happen?”

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For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

image from "North Horizon" by Thomas Freundlich and Valterri Raekallio

Dance Camera West (DCW), recognized internationally for its month-long presentation and celebration of dance on screen, announces the programming for its ninth annual Dance Media Film Festival screening at venues throughout Southern California in June 2010.  Dance on screen, or “screendance,” is a unique cinematic experience that focuses on the intersection of cinematography and choreography.  The festival includes this as well as all forms of dance media.  “The hybrid screendance medium is diverse, encompassing a broad range of cinematic styles, exhibition formats, and subject matters traversing global perspectives,” says Dance Camera West founder and director, Lynette Kessler… For Immediate Release:  April 26, 2010 [revised 05/26/10]

Dance Camera West
Announces Program Schedule For
Ninth Annual Dance Media Film Festival
Throughout Los Angeles – June 2010
–
REDCAT, Downtown Art Walk, Hammer Museum, Screen Actors Guild,
Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Grand Performances

LOS ANGELES, CA – Dance Camera West (DCW), recognized internationally for its month-long presentation and celebration of dance on screen, announces the programming for its ninth annual Dance Media Film Festival screening at venues throughout Southern California in June 2010.  Dance on screen, or “screendance,” is a unique cinematic experience that focuses on the intersection of cinematography and choreography.  The festival includes this as well as all forms of dance media.  “The hybrid screendance medium is diverse, encompassing a broad range of cinematic styles, exhibition formats, and subject matters traversing global perspectives,” says Dance Camera West founder and director, Lynette Kessler, “The festival includes everything from experimental shorts to documentaries – ranging from surreal visual abstractions to strict narratives.”  Once again DCW partners with the city’s most prominent venues in offering a host of screenings, installations, and panel discussions with visiting international artists. Please visit DCW’s website for continuous updates at www.dancecamerawest.org.

Dance Camera West’s ninth annual Dance Media Film Festival opens at REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) in downtown LA, with its celebrated opening night party on Friday, June 4, 2010.  The opening weekend, entitled “Dance Media Screen Innovations,” will captivate audiences on Friday and Saturday night with three separate programs of screendance short films from around the world.  On Thursday, June 10th look for a DCW media installation as part of the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.  The following weekend DCW will present two days of programming at the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theatre – “Weekend at the Hammer” – which will feature iconic Pina Bausch films on Saturday, June 12^th (three West Coast films premieres in two programs: Pina Bausch [2006], and A Breath with Pina Bausch [2004] at 4:30pm and then at 7:00pm Dancing Dreams [2010]), and on Sunday, June 13th experience “SurREEL Moves: Weird & Wonderful Experimental Dance Shorts.”  Join industry insiders at the 4th installment of the Choreography Media Honors on Wednesday June 16th at the Screen Actors Guild for “Choreographers In Media: A Panel Discussion.”  On the evening of June 19th, DCW showcases work from Los Angeles-based creators in its “Local Makers” program with an entertaining outdoor, community event at the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center.  The final weekend wraps up with “Movement Media Installations” on Saturday June 26th, a closing reception in Beverly Hills at Timothy Yarger Fine Arts.  Then on Sunday evening DCW presents Dzi Croquettes, a lively Brazilian documentary at Grand Performances.

Known as one of the world’s premiere presenters of dance media, Dance Camera West aspires to awaken and infuse the public mainstream with critical creative programming.  DCW has expanded the audience for dance in Southern California with the presentation of more than 1,000 dance films from 45 countries since its inception in 2002.  The West African country Burkina Faso was added this year.

“Dance media is pushing art in a new direction as choreographers and directors continue to fuel innovation and impact the way we perceive art and life,” says Kessler.

Dance Camera West founder and executive/artistic director Lynette Kessler is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and media artist with an MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and a BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto.  Known for her innovative collaborations and dance work for the screen that have been shown in film festivals worldwide, Kessler has received numerous awards including a Lester Horton Dance Award, Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship, and an artist residency at Headlands Center for the Arts. She is a founding member of Media & Dance Network (MAD), has served on dance film review committees for EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center) Commission, American Choreography Awards, Dance on Camera Festival in New York, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film in Toronto, and is a guest lecturer at UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal Arts.  Kessler sits on the board of directors for the following organizations: Buckminster Fuller Institute, Dance Channel TV, and the California Ear Unit.  She is an active member of the advocacy groups: Arts for LA, California Arts Advocates, and Americans for the Arts. And she’s also on the Media Arts Advisory Committee to guide the new Media Arts initiative creating a fifth arts discipline for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Dance Camera West is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering and promoting the vibrant art of dance media from around the world.  DCW aims to bridge the unique mix of film and dance communities in Los Angeles through the exploration of this hybrid genre.  DCW also strives to create a broader and more engaged audience for dance and dance media by merging both performance and cinematic aesthetics.  DCW is one of only a handful of organizations in the world that present dance media and the only one of its kind on the West Coast.  The 2008 and 2009 festivals were featured in FOX News segments, Los Angeles Magazine selected Dance Camera West as its “Pick of the Month” for the June 2008 issue, the Los Angeles Times selected the Dance Camera West Media Film Festival as one of the “Ten Best” dance events in Los Angeles for 2006 and 2007, and DCW was voted one of the “Top 25 Dance Organizations to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2005 and 2006.

In addition to the planning of the upcoming June 2010 festival, Dance Camera West is also preparing a special 10-year anniversary event for 2011.  In celebration of this milestone, the organization will host an international Dance Media Symposium in downtown Los Angeles next year, bringing together artists, dancers, educators, and film/television industry professionals.  With a working title of Dance Media: The Active Spectrum, 2011 conference participants from the dance and media worlds will come together for a conversation on the exciting opportunities for expansive growth, creative expression, and innovation offered by new media. In addition to a full program of evening screenings, the 2011 anniversary event will also include a unique series of daytime panel presentations, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. A steering committee for the conference is being formed with notable artists and leaders from the international dance media community.

This year’s 2010 Dance Camera West festival is supported in part by Mortimer Levitt Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Chora, a project of the Metabolic Studio, a direct charitable activity of the Annenberg Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

See below for DCW’s June 2010 Festival Schedule:

➢    Fri. June 4 [8:00pm] and Sat. June 5 [6:00pm & 8:00pm] at REDCAT [downtown LA]
“Dance Media Screen Innovations” (contains adult content)

Opening night screening and party on Friday followed by two different screening programs on Saturday. In three unique experimental shorts screening programs, held during the first two days of the festival, this collection of innovative dance films represents a survey of what’s happening in the current state of screen dance from around the world, which explores the intersection between movement and cinema.  The “Dance Media Screen Innovations” program includes 24 films – three of which are world premieres, the other 21 are all West Coast premieres and most are U.S. premieres – from 14 different countries including France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, China, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Belgium, USA, Canada, Ireland and Brazil.  Audiences should be warned that some films contain adult content.
- Fri. June 4 – 8:00pm – Screening followed by Opening Night Reception
- Sat. June 5 – 6:00pm – Screening
- Sat. June 5 – 8:00pm – Screening (all three screenings different)

REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) in Walt Disney Concert Hall complex
631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213 237-2800; www.redcat.org)
- Tickets $15 opening night, $10 for other screenings
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➢    Thu. June 10 [5:00 – 9:00pm] [downtown LA]
DCW Installation at Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk

DCW will take part in the increasingly popular Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk. DCW presents the media installation “Body/Traces,” a commission from EMPAC (Jaffe Foundation Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center), in the basement of the Los Angeles Theater Center (LATC).  The LATC is an historical building, formerly Security National Bank dating from 1916, whose marble walls enclose the Center’s Grand Lobby.  The installation will be in the former vault!

“Body/Traces” by Lisa Parra and Sophie Kahn
“Body/Traces” is a fascinating media installation that examines the body by reducing it to lines through the interaction of three-dimensional media, movement, sound and the environment.  The tranquil piece about perception presents an interesting juxtaposition as it exerts itself within the context of the legendary art walk masses.

The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk is a free, self-guided tour of the many art exhibition venues in Downtown LA.  It takes place on the 2nd Thursday of every month.  It began in September 2004 and has grown enormously since, with many thousands of people attending every month (50,000 in March 2010).  More than 40 galleries and museums participate throughout the central downtown area, within the walkable districts between the Grand Avenue/Disney Hall/MOCA area, Little Tokyo, and the Financial District, centered around Gallery Row on Main and Spring Streets in the Historic Core.

Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk – www.downtownartwalk.org
Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213-489-0994; http://thelatc.org)
- FREE admission, no reservations required

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➢    Sat. June 12 [7:00pm] and Sun. June 13 [2:00pm & 6:00pm] at the Hammer Museum [Westwood]
“Weekend at the Hammer” – three programs over two days at the Hammer

- Saturday – “Pina Bausch Celebration”
Pina Bausch, a master of transformative theater, surreal stagings and an incomparable brand of neo-expressionist dance, was one of the greatest dance artists of the last 40 years. Join us for a celebration with three West Coast film premieres taking an in-depth look at the work and life of Pina Bausch.  Co-presented by the Goethe Institute.
- Sunday – “SurREEL Moves: Weird & Wonderful Experimental Dance Shorts”

Saturday – 4:30pm -
Pina Bausch (Germany, 2006, 45 min.)
From confused and irritated audiences to standing ovations worldwide, Pina Bausch shares stories of her journey in this documentary starting with forming her company Tanztheather Wuppertal in the early 1970’s to creating over 30 astonishing works. Directed by Anne Linsel.  Co-presented by the Goethe Institute.

A Breath with Pina Bausch (Turkey, 2004, 45 min.)
Award-winning director Huseyin Karabey’s high-caliber documentary provides unprecedented access into the creative process of one of modern dance’s most compelling minds. A Breath with Pina Bausch was inspired by the city of Istanbul, the cosmopolitan center that the Byzantine, Roman and the Ottoman Empires all called home.

Saturday – 7:00pm -
Dancing Dreams (Germany, 2010, 89 min.)
The documentary centers around a group of high school students rehearsing for a performance of one of Pina Bausch’s signature pieces, “Kontakthof” (Comfort Zone), a stylized presentation of the entanglements of the sexes. Directed by Anne Linsel.  Co-presented by the Goethe Institute.

Sunday – 7:00pm -
“SurREEL Moves: Weird & Wonderful Experimental Dance Shorts” (85 min.)
From poetic to peculiar, this collection of recent award-winning international dance shorts presents both kinetic and immobile bodies in space, defying traditional notions of dance. Sushi, reindeer, and a bright pink wig triumph in this program of smart, cool and LOL dance media.

Hammer Museum – Billy Wilder Theater
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310-443-7000; www.hammer.ucla.edu)
- FREE admission, no reservations required; seating is first come first served
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➢    Wed. June 16 [7:00pm - 9:00pm] at Screen Actors Guild [Mid-Wilshire]
Choreographers In Media: A Panel Discussion
Presented by Dance Camera West and held in association with Screen Actors Guild and Career Transitions for Dancers

This years Choreography Media Honors will be presented as a panel discussion featuring today’s working choreographers. Dance makers continue to create iconic moments that shape film history for audiences all over the world.  The panel will discuss how they create work for the camera and the role they play at the intersection of dance on screen.

Panelist’s include:
Chuck Maldonado is an award-winning choreographer and performer whose credits include Stomp The Yard (1 & 2), You Got Served, Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, an Apple iPod commercial, and the 1996 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.   He has worked with many top artists including P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Fergie, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, Usher, and Pink.

Kim Blank appeared in seminal ’80s music videos such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Lionel Richie’s “Dancin On The Ceiling,” and Steve Winwood’s “Roll With It.” As a choreographer, she earned an Emmy nomination for her work on Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry, and she created dances for Madonna, Keri Russell, Walter Matthau, and Raven Simone.  Credits include Frankie & Alice, Ray, Evita, The Mambo Kings, and That’s So Raven.

Award-winning choreographer Lula Washington is the founder and artistic director of the Lula Washington Dance Theater, a modern dance company founded in 1980 in South Central Los Angeles. Her work on the 2009 blockbuster Avatar with filmmaker James Cameron brought acrobatic life to the avatars on screen.  She also coined the wildly popular Avator line: “eye see you.”  Washington’s dancers have performed at both the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers and she has received the prestigious Minerva Award for Women’s Achievement in California.

This is the fourth installment of the Choreography Media Honors.  All are welcome – dancers, choreographers, industry leaders, and dance aficionados – to celebrate and strengthen LA’s dance community.
-  Moderated by Larry Billman
-  The panel will be followed by a reception.

Screen Actors Guild – James Cagney Room
5757 Wilshire Blvd., 7th Fl, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323-954-1600, www.sag.org)
- FREE admission, no reservations required
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➢    Sat. June 19 [8:00 – 10:00pm] at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center [West LA]
“Local Makers – LA Choreographers and Directors” – Outdoor Screening

DCW will host over 25 local makers of media and dance in an outdoor screening event in the park behind the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center.  The landscape will be transformed into a cinematic cross-cultural display with five different screening areas.  Each screening area will run the gamut of local talent from established artists such as Mitchell Rose, Morleigh Steinberg, Roberta Shaw, and Cari Ann ShimSham to emerging artists and students from LAUSD middle and high schools.  For this family-friendly evening please bring a flashlight and a blanket, and join in the fun under the stars.

Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
2551 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310-837-4233)
- FREE admission, no reservations required
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➢    Sat. June 26 [7:30pm-9:00pm] at Timothy Yarger Fine Art [Beverly Hills]
Movement Media Installations

Timothy Yarger Fine Art of Beverly Hills will host DCW’s closing weekend reception. Join DCW for a collection of select media installations with an emphasis of body and movement.

An internationally recognized art gallery exhibiting modern and contemporary art, Timothy Yarger Fine Art is grounded in the historic artwork of the Modern Masters and pop icons of the 20th Century, alongside established contemporary painters, printmakers, photographers, and new-media artists.

Timothy Yarger Fine Art
354 N Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310-278-4400; www.yargerfineart.com)
-  6:00pm – open to VIP and DCW members
-  7:30pm – 9:00pm – open to the public
-  FREE admission, reservations ARE required
-  Please RSVP: 310-278-4400 or info@yargerfineart.com
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➢    Sun. June 27 [8:00pm] at Grand Performances in California Plaza [downtown LA]
Dzi Croquettes (adult content)

Dzi Croquettes is a revealing Brazilian documentary that explores the legacy of the daringly original, all-male dance and theater group by the same name resembling a late-20th-century version of the Ziegfeld Follies.  The cabaret group – Dzi Croquettes – used an empowering sexuality to counter Brazil’s military dictatorship and revolutionize the gay movement worldwide during the 1970’s.  The documentary is Tatiana Issa and Raphael Alvarez’s pleasure-packed exploration of the group’s impact, using a multitude of talking heads and period footage to chronicle the troupe’s seminal influence on their time and today’s culture.
-  Best Documentary Jury Award and Audience Award Rio de Janeiro Film Festival
-  Portuguese with English subtitles
-  Brazil 2009, 95 minutes
-  Co-director Raphael Alvarez will be in town to introduce the film

Grand Performances at California Plaza
300 – 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213-687-2190; www.grandperformances.org)
- FREE admission, no reservations required
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Please visit DCW’s website for continuous updates regarding Dance Camera West’s ninth annual Dance Media Film Festival – www.dancecamerawest.org.

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For more information, press passes, photos, or to interview DCW’s founder Lynette Kessler, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2010

New Book from Award-Winning Filmmaker Jon Reiss
Think Outside the Box Office:
The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
To Be Released in Print on March 15, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Award winning filmmaker Jon Reiss is set to release his new book Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era on March 15, 2010. The book is a primer for filmmaking in the digital era covering distribution of all types of media content – feature films, shorts, webisodes, transmedia, vblogs, etc., and is the first to address the new distribution and marketing landscape facing filmmakers today. For more information please visit www.thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com and the director’s blog, www.jonreiss.com/blog.

The book is a step-by-step, nuts and bolts guide to distributing and marketing a film. Each chapter addresses an essential aspect of a film’s release and offers specific techniques so filmmakers can take control of their distribution and marketing destiny.

Jon Reiss, an award-winning filmmaker himself, spoke with countless filmmakers, distributors, publicists, web programmers, festival programmers and marketing experts to create this ultimate resource of up to the minute information. Throughout the book, Reiss redefines the process from a filmmaker’s point of view empowering the reader to create unique strategies for their individual films.

“Open this book! Eat up every morsel Reiss provides. Internalize it and make it your second skin,” said Ted Hope, Producer (Adventureland, The Ice Storm, In the Bedroom, and 21 Grams).

Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed feature films, documentaries, shorts and music videos in a career that spans nearly 30 years. Named one of the “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Reiss also teaches in the Film Directing Program at the California Institute for the Arts.

The independent film community continues to redefine itself with the collapse of the traditional independent film distribution model. Just as the digital revolution created a democratization of the means of production, a new hybrid approach to distribution has created a way for independent filmmakers to take control, combining the best techniques from each distribution arena, old and new.

Reiss will travel in the U.S. and to Singapore in the next three months. He will close out the Filmmaker Summit at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, UT on January 23, 2010. Other participants at the Summit include Steven Soderbergh, Brian Newman, Jamie King, Timo Vuorensola, Khavn de la Cruz, Lance Weiler and Peter Baxter. Reiss travels to NYU’s Singapore campus in February as well as to SXSW and Miami International Film Festival in March.

Jon Reiss’ Upcoming Appearances & Book Signings:

January – Park City, UT –

Sat. January 23, 2010
Slamdance Filmmaker Summit
Part V Workshop: Jon Reiss workshops an existing documentary and narrative film and creates new strategies for distribution in conversation with the filmmakers and the participants.”
11:00am to 2:00pm (US Mountain Time)
Treasure Mountain Inn
255 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060
Book Signing from 2:00 – 2:30pm
http://www.slamdance.com/summit

Sun. January 24, 2010
Book Signing
Dolly’s Bookstore Park City
510 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060
3:00 – 5:00pm
http://dollysbookstore.com/2010/01/sundance-2010-author-signings

February – Singapore –

Wed. February 17 – Thu. February 25, 2010
NYU Singapore Producing Workshop
Jon Reiss will be giving a ten day workshop on producing independent film with an emphasis on reel world survival skills, distribution and marketing.

March – Austin, TX –

Sun. March 14, 2010
SXSW Film Festival Panel
The Main Event: Finding an Audience for Your Film
Specific Location TBD
3:30pm
Book Signing Immediately After
http://sxsw.com/film/talks/panels

While in Austin and South East Asia Jon Reiss will be continuing production of Bomb It 2 for Babelgum (http://www.babelgum.com). Bomb It 2 will be a further exploration of graffiti and street art throughout the world in areas not covered in Bomb It. For Bomb It 2, Reiss will be exploring other U.S. cities such as Chicago, Austin, and San Francisco. In Asia he’ll be covering Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and perhaps Malaysia. In Europe, Denmark and Italy – both hotbeds of graffiti – will be included and a trip to the Middle East is in the works.

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For more information, photos, or to arrange interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com.

CREDITS:

Author: Jon Reiss
Foreword by: Ted Hope
Title: Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
Published by: Hybrid Cinema Publishing a division of Hybrid Cinema
Distributed by: SCB Distributors
Publication Date: March 2010
# ISBN-10: 098257620X
# ISBN-13: 978-0-9825762-0-5

Content: 354 black and white pages
Cover: Paperback
Size: 6” x 9”
Language: English
Subject: Filmmaking
Price: $24.95

First Printing: 2010
Copyright: c. Jon Reiss 2010 All Rights Reserved

Book Layout and Design: Will Hays
Cover Design: Justin Van Hoy
Book Title by: Susan Graves
Cover Photographer: Jay B Sauceda
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Bousley
Copy Editor: Jennifer Hoche
Website Programmer: Kazuha Torisawa

Online:
Book site – http://www.thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/ThinkOutsidetheBoxOffice
Author blog – http://jonreiss.com/blog
Twitter – http://twitter.com/Jon_Reiss
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Think-Outside-Box-Office-Distribution/dp/098257620X

Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to reprint the following copyrighted works:
- Lance Weiler’s Culture Hacker column on Piracy and Torrent Sites and Lance Weiler’s Hope is Missing MIG both originally published in Filmmaker.

Cover photo is from a B-Side screening of Before the Music Dies, Republic Square Park, Austin, Texas June 5, 2006.

Photo credit: Eric Gillet

San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Mark Growden is set to release his ninth album, Saint Judas, through Porto Franco Records on March 16, 2010. The national record release party will take place in Los Angeles on the same day at Hotel Café in Hollywood. Saint Judas, an intoxicating mix of roots music with a postmodern aesthetic, features 13 tracks of ‘Americana noir’ with an overarching theme of redemption. For Immediate Release: February 12, 2010

San Francisco-Based Multi-Instrumentalist
Mark Growden
Set to Release Ninth Album
Saint Judas
Through Porto Franco Records
March 16, 2010
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With National Record Release Party at Hotel Café in Los Angeles 3/16/10
+ Additional U.S. Southwest Tour Dates Scheduled – February, March, April

LOS ANGELES, CA – San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Mark Growden is set to release his ninth album, Saint Judas, through Porto Franco Records on March 16, 2010. The national record release party will take place in Los Angeles on the same day at Hotel Café in Hollywood. Saint Judas, an intoxicating mix of roots music with a postmodern aesthetic, features 13 tracks of ‘Americana noir’ with an overarching theme of redemption. Hotel Café is located at 1623 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. Doors will open at 8:00 p.m., ages 21+ allowed. Tickets will cost $10.00 at the door or $7.00 in advance. For more information on the venue please call 323-461-2040 or visit http://hotelcafe.com. For more on the artist please visit http://markgrowden.org and http://www.myspace.com/markgrowden.

Growden’s eclectic body of work is a challenge to categorize, though, as a musician, he is often compared to songwriting icons Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Additionally, Growden has been described as a wordsmith on par with the legendary Leonard Cohen – who he fittingly covers on Saint Judas with a reworked version of “I’m Your Man.”

Recurring themes in the intensely personal new album include love and loss, sin and faith, perseverance, compassion, and, most significantly, redemption. There is a darkness that haunts Saint Judas, though not without a glimmer of hope. Growden explains that, for him, the resurrection theme that surfaces throughout the work isn’t of the magical rise-from-the-dead variety, but rather that, “it takes some grieving to get through to the joy.”

His soulful music reinterprets older, pre-rock forms such as blues, jazz, cabaret, gypsy, and folk with a contemporary edge. While Growden cites the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Nina Simone, and Kurt Weill as influences, the new album should appeal not only to roots music enthusiasts, but also to fans of indie darlings DeVotchKa, Beirut, Rasputina, Devandra Banhardt, and Andrew Bird.

Growden is captivated with old American music, mainly African-American, recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in the 1930s and 1940s; several tracks on Saint Judas are reworkings of these songs. Album opener “Undertaker,” based on a Lomax field recording of the prison work song “Rosie,” introduces the theme of resurrection. “Dig me a grave, in the open plain. Lower me down, and pull me up again,” sings Growden, over a howling guitar and trumpet. And the closing banjo-and-voice only “All the Pretty Little Horses” is a version of an old spiritual Growden calls “one of his favorite songs ever” which was written, according to legend, by a woman watching horses pull her child’s hearse through the streets.

The title track on Saint Judas – a cabaret rocker with its refrain of “bottoms up to you, buddy, ’cause somebody had to take the blame” – honors the biblical “Saint of Sinners” often vilified as the traitor who turned on Jesus. The song is a call to acknowledge and accept the worst that lies within everyone while finding the strength to forgive and carry on.

The biblical references that pile up throughout the album are no accident – Growden’s father was a preacher in the northern Sierra Nevada town of Pinetown, California, where he was raised. But Growden is less interested in religious iconography than he is in seeing biblical stories as universal themes. As an example, “Delilah,” with its plaintive accordion and cello, references the story of Samson and Delilah, but as a metaphor, he says, “of the death of ego, of the illusion of yourself, for love.”

In perhaps the most moving piece on the album, “The Gates/Take Me To the Water,” Growden asserts that “every soul is welcome,” in a line that sums up the overarching theme of Saint Judas, “be you a virgin, a whore, a sinner or a saint.” This adaptation of an old spiritual delicately builds from a percussive accordion-heavy opening to a rousing choir-fed climax before launching into a rollicking New Orleans-style version of the traditional song. “Everyone assumes that it’s about Katrina, says Growden of the track, “but it was written before Katrina. It’s about walking in Oakland and seeing the pain in people’s eyes.”

Saint Judas track listing:

1. Undertaker (6:20)
2. Delilah (6:13)
3. Saint Judas (3:25)
4. If the Stars Could Sing (3:48)
5. Been in the Storm so Long (7:05)
6. I’m Your Man (4:25)
7. Faith in my Pocket (3:58)
8. Everybody Holds a Piece of the Sun (2:29)
9. Coyote (7:20)
10. Handlebars (3:01)
11. Inside Every Bird (5:36)
12. The Gates/Take me to the Water (9:22)
13. All the Pretty Little Horses (3:57)

All songs on Saint Judas were written by Growden except track #5 (traditional as sung by Mary Pickney, adapted by Growden), track #6 (adapted from words and music by Leonard Cohen), track #9 (words by Deke Weaver, music by Growden), track #11 (words by Growden and Angus Balbernie, music by Growden) , track #12 (“Take me to the Water” – traditional with new words and music by Growden), and track #13 (traditional adapted by Growden).

Saint Judas is Growden’s first studio album of songs in eight years.  The gap is significant and reflects a period of some turmoil in Growden’s life that surfaces in the themes of redemption and forgiveness that run through the album’s 13 songs. His extended break from music was largely due to a drug addiction that he needed time and space away from music to overcome. Now clean for over two years, Growden says the strength and perspective he has gained from kicking his habit have given him a renewed focus on music.

The album was recorded live, with almost no overdubbing, in the studio. Growden’s seductive vocals and accordion skills are showcased, with the voraciously talented musician also contributing on the baritone saxophone, banjo, and 10-speed bicycle handlebars. Guitarist Myles Boisen, acoustic bassist Seth Ford-Young, percussionist Jenya Chernoff, cellist Alex Kelly, and trumpeter Chris Grady (Boisen, Ford-Young, and Grady all long time Tom Waits sidemen) provide an energetic complement to Growden. The group, aka the Mark Growden Sextet, gathered at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Northern California for a 4-day rehearsal retreat to prepare for recording live in the studio with producer/engineer Oz Fritz (whose resume includes working with a range of folks from Waits to Caetano Veloso).

The resulting music on Saint Judas is an evocative set of sultry ‘Americana noir’ that matches the energy and intimacy of Growden’s live shows. “I want to touch people’s hearts instead of their heads,” says Growden when summarizing the ultimate goal for his creative efforts.

More on Mark Growden…
As a composer and performer, Growden has released several critically acclaimed albums and performed at venues such as the Fillmore and Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and Tonic and The Knitting Factory in New York. He has performed and collaborated with a wide range of musicians and artists including members of The San Francisco Opera, Bob Weir, Hamza el Din, Kid Congo Powers, John Santos, Omar Sosa, Remy Charlip, Faun Fables, and Stan Ridgeway. He has composed original musical scores for a number of dance and theater companies including Joe Goode Performance Group, The Crucible, and Alonzo King’s LINES Contemporary Ballet with whom he and his collaborators won the Isadora Duncan Award for Best Original Score for a New Dance Piece. He has scored several films including 2005’s Blood Tea and Red String, which won Best Animation at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Growden also co-produces San Francisco-based COVERT – a site-specific concert series with famed artist John Law.

After initially establishing himself as a jazz/new music winds player and composer in the mid-1990s, Growden began playing accordion and banjo when all his other instruments were stolen from a theater where he was accompanying a dance performance. He is currently writing an opera based on Saint Judas, is working on an educational film about how the harmonic series works, and leads singing workshops in various cities. In October 2009, Growden and Porto Franco Records signed the recording deal for Saint Judas. The team is now getting ready to produce two more albums to be recorded with his Los Angeles and Tucson ensembles, in those cities, respectively.

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For photos, a copy of the album, or to request an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

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Calendar of Live Performances

Sat. Feb. 13, 9:00pm – Echo Curio – Los Angeles, CA
Wed. Feb. 17, 10:00pm – Redwood Bar & Grill – Los Angeles, CA
Fri. Feb. 19 2010, 7:30pm – The Steynberg Gallery – San Luis Obispo, CA
Sat. Feb. 20, 12:00pm – Secret Location T.B.A. – Gypsy Camp the Fourth – Los Angeles, CA
Wed. Feb. 24, 10:00pm – Redwood Bar & Grill- Los Angeles, CA
Thu. Mar. 11, 8:00pm – Porto Franco Art Parlor – San Francisco, CA
Fri. Mar. 12, 8:00pm – Porto Franco Art Parlor – San Francisco, CA
Sat. Mar. 13, 8:00pm – Porto Franco Art Parlor – San Francisco, CA
Sun. Mar. 14, 2:00pm – Porto Franco Art Parlor – San Francisco, CA
Sun. Mar. 14, 8:00pm – Porto Franco Art Parlor – San Francisco, CA
* Tue. Mar. 16, 8:00pm – Hotel Cafe – National Record Release Party – Los Angeles, CA *
Sat. Mar. 20, 7:00pm – The Kessler Theater – Dallas, TX
Sun. Mar. 21, 10:30pm – The Saxon Pub – Austin, TX
Wed. Mar. 24, 8:00pm – AvantGarden – Houston, TX
Thu. Mar. 25, 8:00pm – AvantGarden – Houston, TX
Sat. Mar. 27, 9:00pm – East Side Showroom – Austin, TX
Fri. Apr. 9, 8:00pm – The Screening Room – Tucson, AZ
Sat. Apr. 10, 8:00pm – The Screening Room – Tucson, AZ

Additional Artist Information
Artist site: http://markgrowden.org
Porto Franco Records: http://www.portofrancorecords.com/album/12
Press kit: http://markgrowden.org/press-kit

Social Networking
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/markgrowden
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Mark.Growden.Music
Twitter: http://twitter.com/markgrowden

Palette Recordings "Nothing But Love Songs"

John Tejada’s label, Palette Recordings, is proud to present its first digital-only compilation, Nothing But Love Songs, featuring a dozen exclusive new songs from the label’s talent. While firmly rooted in techno, the cohesive compilation incorporates experimental, dub, and glitch passages as it cycles through layers of sonic abstraction. The compilation begins with a track by Palette All-Stars (comprised of John Tejada, Arian Leviste, Justin Maxwell and Josh Humphrey), and also features solo material by Tejada as well as Maxwell, Humphrey, and Dave Hughes. Collaborations abound with all the Palette artists including Tejada’s 19-year collaborator Arian Leviste.

For Immediate Release: February 8, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – John Tejada’s label, Palette Recordings, is proud to present its first digital-only compilation, Nothing But Love Songs, featuring a dozen exclusive new songs from the label’s talent. While firmly rooted in techno, the cohesive compilation incorporates experimental, dub, and glitch passages as it cycles through layers of sonic abstraction. The compilation begins with a track by Palette All-Stars (comprised of John Tejada, Arian Leviste, Justin Maxwell and Josh Humphrey), and also features solo material by Tejada as well as Maxwell, Humphrey, and Dave Hughes. Collaborations abound with all the Palette artists including Tejada’s 19-year collaborator Arian Leviste. Find the compilation exclusively on Beatport for the first four weeks. In March, Nothing But Love Songs will also be available through additional digital outlets. To purchase or listen to samples of each track please visit https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/218460/Nothing%20But%20Love%20Songs.

The LA-based artists (with the exception of Maxwell who relocated a bit north in recent years) emphasize synthesis and hardware sound design, showcasing various methods throughout the compilation. Tejada and Leviste continue their “M Track” series, which focuses on live hardware modular synth workouts. Justin Maxwell once again proves he is the ultimate mad scientist following up on the sound of his last single “The Windey Man.” Josh Humphrey contributes a strange list of instruments to his work with Tejada including a Swarmatron Synthesizer, which was used exclusively in “YZZ.” And he contributes his first solo work, “P.O.L.R.,” to the compilation. Dave Hughes also contributes his polished sound to the mix.

Nothing But Love Songs track listing:
01.) Palette All-Stars (John Tejada, Arian Leviste, Justin Maxwell and Josh Humphrey) – “Action Section”
02.) Justin Maxwell – “Pocket Dial”
03.) John Tejada & Josh Humphrey – “YZZ”
04.) John Tejada & Justin Maxwell – “Crock Divider”
05.) John Tejada & Arian Leviste – “M Track 7”
06). John Tejada – “On The Double”
07.) Dave Hughes – “Listen To This Sound”
08.) John Tejada & Josh Humphrey – “Tern Style”
09.) John Tejada – “Vanguard”
10.) John Tejada & Arian Leviste – “M Track 6”
11.) Dave Hughes – “Paranoid”
12.) Josh Humphrey – “P.O.L.R.”

Palette Recordings was started by John Tejada in the fall of 1996. Over sixty releases later it is one of the most respected techno labels in the world. Palette became an exclusive outlet for Tejada to release his most prized music. Normally associated with his peers in techno from Detroit, Europe and elsewhere, Tejada has embraced electronic music as a personal frontier, expanding on his resume as a techno recording artist as producer, remixer, DJ, and label owner. Known for crafting a brand of subtle, musical techno, his recorded output ranges across tempo and genre lines, from chilled out affairs with spacious arrangements to pulsating, densely layered, deeply energetic tracks that work magnificently in the hands of DJs as well as on the home stereo. To learn more about Palette Recordings please visit http://www.paletterecordings.com.

Tejada is also in two-man band called I’m Not A Gun with classical guitarist Takeshi Nishimoto producing what Wired Magazine tried to identify as, “Post-rock? Chill-core? Tech-jazz?” A student of the classical tradition, Nishimoto has studied with some of the world’s premiere guitar players and counts jazz guitar legend Phil Upchurch as his mentor. Tejada plays drums and electronics in the band. The duo’s music is an organic combination of captured acoustic performances and experimental electronic compositions. They have four albums under their belt – Everything At Once (2003), Our Lives on Wednesdays (2004), We Think As Instruments (2006), and Mirror (2008) – their 5th album, Solace, is due in May 2010 from Berlin’s City Center Offices.

For more information, images or to set up interviews please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Photo Credit: Helena Ruffin

Legendary interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal is set to introduce the world to her new improvisational theater group, TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, with monthly performances starting the weekend of February 19, 2010. The name, loosely translated, means “collision or chaos” which Rosenthal describes as not what the Company does, but the process they go through to do what they do. Each monthly performance will span three nights during one weekend. All performance begin at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $20. Reservations are necessary to insure seats…For Immediate Release: December 21, 2009

Pioneering Interdisciplinary Artist Rachel Rosenthal
Introduces Her New Improvisational Theater Group
TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble

With Monthly Performances in Los Angeles
Premiering February 19 – 21, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Legendary interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal is set to introduce the world to her new improvisational theater group, TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, with monthly performances starting the weekend of February 19, 2010. The name, loosely translated, means “collision or chaos” which Rosenthal describes as not what the Company does, but the process they go through to do what they do. Each monthly performance will span three nights during one weekend. All performance begin at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $20. Reservations are necessary to insure seats and can be made by calling 310-839-0661 or online via Brown Paper Tickets at www.rachelrosenthal.org. The Rachel Rosenthal Company’s venue, Espace DbD, is located at 2847 South Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034. Street parking is available.

The Rachel Rosenthal Company TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble schedule
– start time for every performance is 8:30 p.m. –
- February 2010 – Fri. 19th / Sat. 20th / Sun. 21st
- March 2010 – Fri. 12th / Sat. 13th / Sun. 14th
- April 2010 – Fri. 9th / Sat. 10th / Sun.11th
- May 2010 – Fri. 7th / Sat. 8th / Sun. 9th
– June 2010 – Fri. 11th / Sat. 12th / Sun. 13th

The Rachel Rosenthal Company’s TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, the latest offering in the 83-year-old Rosenthal’s remarkable career, is inspired by Jean-Louis Barrault’s concept of “Total Theatre” and Antonin Artaud’s “Theatre of Cruelty.” Echoing Barrault’s and Artaud’s revolutionary notions about theater, Rosenthal’s performance aesthetic integrates movement, voice, choreography, improvisation, costuming, lighting, and sets into seismic experiences. This genre of work, total free improvisation, is completely unique. Nobody knows in advance what will happen – not Rosenthal, not Company members, and certainly not the audience. This uncertainty makes the performances psychologically charged for all involved.

“Improvisational theater is the most difficult art form in the world. You can’t perfect your technique and there are no lines to rehearse,” says Rosenthal, “Everything happens in the moment.”

TOHUBOHU! total free improvisation pieces typically start in a similar manner; there is a group warm-up, then Rosenthal directs the group with a few words — sometimes only three or four. The words she selects reflect an idea she’s been thinking about, something related to a current event, a random verb, or perhaps instructions for the number of elements to include on stage. The studio space is darkened for a few moments. One of Rosenthal’s dogs might run by, wagging its tail, as colored lights and sound emerge from the darkness.

Sets are composed on the spot from lengths of bright fabric, boxes, and folding chairs. Props might be added in by Company members from a large backstage collection of objects that include items such as a dress form, telephone handsets, old books, a houseplant, a bird cage, an oscillating fan, fake plastic flowers, and paper bags. The Company stirs in recorded music, sounds, live music, or perhaps chanting.

These initial seeds germinate a piece. From here, the convulsive physicality of the Company begins. The members’ primal actions operate in concert with each other as well as the formal aesthetic elements of light, sound, props, and physical space. Text, which is primary, even tyrannical, in traditional theater, is absent in uniquely ephemeral TOHUBOHU! Through a mysterious alchemical process, the players act, react, and respond to surprises. They collaborate with each other, and everything around them, to create composition, form, and meaning. Since there is no established narrative to satisfy audience expectations, viewers are forced out of passive complacency as they digest what’s going on and anticipate what might happen next.

Performances function formally in space more like visual art than traditional theater, requiring the audience to actively interpret all the various elements. Results can be either abstract or realistic.

“When it’s good, it’s sublime. And when it’s bad, it can be a painful experience. Much like human existence,” says Rosenthal in a naked assessment of the art form, “Sometimes you walk away scratching your head wondering what the hell you just watched. We embrace that sort of uncertainty and chaos which is counter to highly processed culture.”

The Rachel Rosenthal Company members include visual artists, dancers, aerialists, a Cake Diva, and the operator of the Tyrannosaurus Rex model at the Natural History Museum, among others….

Franc Baliton is a performance and installation artist.

Nathalie Broizat is a French performance artist and actress. She has been featured as a soloist in Los Angeles venues such as MOCA, The Getty Center, REDCAT, Highways Performance Space, and the Electric Lodge. A former Fulbright grantee, she has been working with Rachel Rosenthal for the past five years.

Jarred Cairns is in the Studio Arts program at University of California, Irvine. He has been studying with Rachel Rosenthal for over a year.

Doug Hammett, who received an MFA from Art Center in Pasadena, blends the worlds of the visual arts and theatrical arts into works for the wall and stage. He is a past member of CoMMit, Invisible Theater, and Fauve Conspiracy, and a current member of TOHUBOHU! and YesAnd.

Alexis Hunt is a visual and performance artist currently living in Los Angeles.

New York native Nehara Kalev is a dancer, choreographer and co-founder of Catch Me Bird Dance Theater, a reality-based performance collaboration with her husband C. Derrick Jones. She has performed as an aerial dancer with Airealistic and has been featured in the acrobatic Diavolo Dance Theater. She has a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA from University of California, Los Angeles. Kalev has been working with Rachel Rosenthal for several years.

Josué Martinez has a BA in Theater Arts and Dance from Cal State Los Angeles, studying under José Cruz González, Tanya Kane-Parry, and Hae Kyung Lee. He has performed as part of the Teatro Nueva Alma Company, Danielle Brazell’s Queer Exchange Group, and Tim Miller’s Performance Art Group. Currently he teaches theater to children and conducts story times to promote reading at the Commerce Public Library. This is his first year working with Rachel Rosenthal.

Michael Morrissey has performed across the city, from Al’s Bar downtown (Ubu da King, Exeunt, Porno), to Highways on the Westside (Last Queer Taboo, Voluptuous Madness) to The Rachel Rosenthal Company (Timepiece, Ur-Boor, etc.) and beyond… (Last Waltz, Crook.)

Craig Ng has accumulated dozens of credits in film, television, and theater. He is an award-winning Foley artist (post sound film production) currently working in animation on several Disney projects. He also brings a history of dance and martial arts to his explorations with TOHUBOHU!

Dan Poirier is an illustrator, graphic designer, puppeteer, and performer. He has degrees in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, and Theater Arts from University of California, Los Angeles. His creative experience includes set design, live event production management, and storyboarding for animated films. Poirier has studied with Rachel Rosenthal for two years.

Pamela Samuelson has performed as a dancer, aerialist, actor, and musician in New York City, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles since graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in Choreography and Religion. She has studied with Rachel Rosenthal for nearly four years.

Joan Spitler is an artist who has performed with Rachel Rosenthal for many years. She has studied with some of the originators of performance art including Eleanor Antin, Alan Kaprow, and Jerome Rothenberg. Her artistic talents as a performer and a renowned cake designer have been featured internationally in gallery settings, onstage, and in television and film.

Mike Steckel studied fine and performance art at the University of Northern Iowa under Jeffery Byrd. He now works at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, primarily as a dinosaur puppeteer. He has been studying with Rachel Rosenthal for two and a half years.

Interdisciplinary artist/arts educator Kate Noonan is the managing director, lighting designer, and sound designer for The Rachel Rosenthal Company. She was also a Company member in a previous incarnation of TOHUBOHU! She has worked in collaboration with Mehmet Sander, The Fabulous Monsters, John Fleck, and Susan Tyrrell, among many others in the Los Angeles theater community. As a performer, she was last seen in Bill Viola’s Dense Presence, a film installation that is part of his Passions series, which had its world premiere at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. She has taught theater arts and Performance from Scratch workshops across the United States.

Rachel Rosenthal, a leading figure from the Southern California arts movement in the 1960s and 1970s, has been inspiring audiences for decades. Born into an affluent Russian-Jewish family in Paris, Rosenthal’s father, Léonard Rosenthal, was a gem merchant widely known as “The King of Pearls.” During World War II, her family escaped France, moving to Rio de Janeiro by way of Portugal. After losing his material wealth to the Nazi’s, her father had to start over at age 65. In 1941, the family left Brazil to settle in New York where Rosenthal graduated from the High School of Music and Art and became a US citizen.

She studied art, theater and dance in Paris and New York after the war with such teachers as Hans Hoffmann, Erwin Piscator, and Jean-Louis Barrault. Her circle included Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, whose Zen sensibility informed and influenced Rosenthal’s aesthetic. With this foundation, she moved West and began her theatrical career in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s as artistic director and performer for the ten-year run of the totally improvised and influential underground Instant Theatre which created Happenings that drew upon notions of chance.

In the past 25 years, Rosenthal has presented over 35 of her own original performance pieces – thought provoking works centered on humanity’s place on the planet. According to Artweek Magazine, “Rosenthal defines what differentiates quality performance art from mundane theatrical exercise…she took us into her reality, and for that brief and precious moment, she altered our vision of the world. This is what great art can and should do.”

Rosenthal has performed in over 100 venues around the world including documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany, The Helsinki Festival, ICA London, The Performance Space in Sydney, The Whitney Museum in New York City, and Museum of Contemporary Art here in Los Angeles. The Pompidou Centre recently included her in its 2006 show Los Angeles 1955-1985. Her pioneering performances have earned Obie, Rockefeller, Getty, NEA and CAA awards, among others.

In 1999, Rosenthal received an Honorary Doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and in 2000 she was honored by the City of Los Angeles as a “Living Cultural Treasure of Los Angeles.” Critics have called her “a monument and a marvel” and Richard Schechner, editor of The Drama Review (TDR), put Rosenthal into the same category as Robert Wilson, Ping Chong, Richard Foreman, Meredith Monk, and Laurie Anderson.

She opened her studio, Espace DbD, on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1980. From 1980 to 1983, Rosenthal presented performances by many emerging and established performance artists including Barbara Smith, Eleanor Antin, Cheri Gaulke, Alan Kaprow, John White, Joyce Cutler Shaw, Tom Jenkins, and many others. Rosenthal founded The Rachel Rosenthal Company as an educational non-profit arts organization in 1989.

Rosenthal’s new book, The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing!, was released this month by Routledge. DbD, or “Doing by Doing,” describes her signature method of teaching improvisational theater. In the 130-page book, Rosenthal explores improvisational theater and its relationship to life, offering a blow-by-blow account of what happens in her 34-hour DbD weekend intensive workshops (currently still happening on a bi-annual basis in Los Angeles). This mix of memoir, teaching manual, and manifesto was edited by Kate Noonan (ISBN 978-0-415-55102-1, www.routledge.com). For the full press release on The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing!, see: http://www.greengalactic.com/2009/dbd-experience/

“Chance is the core of improvisation,” says Rosenthal when crystallizing the point of her teaching methods which come to life in TOHUBOHU!, “It’s about breaking down borders, opening up to the givens, activating the moment, and paying attention to what is.”

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For more information, to get on the press list for an upcoming TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater performance, photos, a copy of Rosenthal’s new book, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

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- event details –

The Rachel Rosenthal Company Introduces
TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble

Friday – Sunday night
Feb. 19, 20, 21, 2010
8:30 – 10:00pm

The Rachel Rosenthal Company
at Espace DbD
2847 South Robertson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90034

$20
Reservations Required

310-839-0661
www.rachelrosenthal.org

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