A LOS ANGELES PREMIERE PLAY THE NOHO ARTS CENTER ENSEMBLE Presents DOG PLAY Pug to Wolfhound: Patty to Beatrice, Bitch to Bitch
Los Angeles premiere of the new play, DOG PLAY, by Michael Michaelian at the NoHo Arts Center as part of its Summer 2016 Reading Series.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) July 05, 2016 - TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY AT THE NOHO ARTS CENTER IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD. A play that's probably not a play but a tribute to the human-canine relationship
Two performances only on July 10th and July 11th, 2016 The multi award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) is thrilled to present a world premiere play, DOG PLAY, written by Michael Michaelian and directed by James Mellon. DOG PLAY will have performances on Sunday, July 10 at 7pm and Monday, July 11 at 7:30pm at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim Blvd.) in North Hollywood.
A canine "Love Letters," DOG PLAY explores the lives of two very different men: an American, who lives in the Austin area of Central Texas and an Englishman, who lives in a house in West London. They develop their friendship by writing to each other in the personalities of their respective dogs. The American has a Pug; the Englishman has an Irish Wolfhound. By hiding behind their dogs, both characters are able to reveal their feelings in an indirect way as well as deepen their understanding of the other person in spite of cultural differences. But the underlying bond between them is dog ownership - as it is for so many people everywhere.
Written by Michael Michaelian
Directed by James Mellon
Starring Kevin Bailey and Jay Willick
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
MICHAEL MICHAELIAN (Playwright) Michael graduated with a B.A. in Film and an M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from UCLA. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West, the Dramatists Guild, and Script Works. As a freelance screenwriter, Michael wrote a variety of scripts for TV, including dramatic episodes of Kung Fu, The New Land, The Quest (winner of the Western Writers of America Award), Barnaby Jones, Logan's Run, Spiderman, Hawaii Five-O, and Charlie's Angels, just to name a few, as well as TV long form movies, including Fantastic Journey and The Missing Are Deadly.
Michael has been President of his own independent company, Mican Productions, and continued to write dramatic episodes through the company including Fantasy Island, Dukes of Hazzard (where he was also a story editor), Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Friday the 13th: The Series. He also wrote and produced Roughnecks, a miniseries for Douglas Netter and Metromedia Producers Corporation, which starred Harry Morgan, Vera Miles, and Steve Forrest; adapted Paul Gallico's Miracle in the Wilderness for Al Ruddy and TNT, which starred Kris Kristofferson and Kim Cattrall; and wrote The Black Fox: Good Men and Bad for Norman Powell and CBS, which starred Christopher Reeve. Additionally, he developed a sitcom for the BBC with Producer and Head of Comedy, Jon Plowman, of Absolutely Fabulous fame, while living and working in London.
As a playwright, Michael's first play, Judge Sarah, based on the life of Sarah T. Hughes, the Texas judge who swore in President Johnson on Air Force One, had a staged reading at Pasadena Playhouse and starred Kathleen Freeman, William Schallert, and Alan Oppenheimer. His second play, an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's A Single Man, was produced in London at the Greenwich Theatre and starred Alec McCowen. His third play, Fertility Rights, had its World Premiere at the Arizona Theatre Company, playing at both the Tucson and Phoenix venues and starred Lauren Tewes.
For the past few years, Michael has been working on a special, personal project, Dog Play, Pug to Wolfhound: Patty to Beatrice, Bitch to Bitch, a play that's probably not a play but a tribute to the human/canine relationship, which has had multiple readings in Austin and London, and a limited production at the Long Fringe of the 2015 FronteraFest at the Ground Floor Theatre in Austin to benefit local canine charities and the Broad Institute at MIT for canine bone cancer research. Now, hopefully, the rewritten version of Dog Play will reach a wider audience and benefit canine charities on a national and international level. michaelmichaelian.com
JAMES MELLON (Director) James Mellon is proud to be the Artistic Director of The NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE), the resident theatre company of The NoHo Arts Center in Los Angeles, California. His extensive background in the entertainment industry covers theatre, television, film, recording and dance.
As an actor, he made his Broadway debut as Riff in West Side Story, directed by Jerome Robbins, and performed in many plays and musicals, including A Chorus Line (Broadway), 42nd Street (National Tour), The Fifth Of July (Regional) and as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (Chicago). He has worked at such theatres as The Goodspeed Opera House, The New York Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, The Kennedy Center, The Folger Theatre in Washington D.C., as well as The Williamstown Theatre Festival.
For NoHo ACE, Mr. Mellon directed Jerusalem, A Boy Called Lizard (Ovation nomination - Original Musical), Feed (LA Weekly nomination - Direction), The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (Ovation nomination, LA Weekly nomination - Original Musical), Bush Is Bad (LA Weekly Award - Acting Ensemble, nomination - Best Musical) and Pest Control (LA Weekly nomination - Best Musical), The Red Room and The Light Bulb (both World Premiere Plays).He is also the director/writer/co-composer of the NoHo ACE seasonal yuletide hit Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas.
As a writer, Mr. Mellon adapted Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" into the World Premiere Musical Dorian, which premiered at The Denver Center's Buell Theatre in the fall of 2004. It subsequently opened The NoHo Arts Center's first season in 2005 and went on to receive Ovation, LA Weekly, Backstage and Drama Critics nominations. It is currently being translated into Dutch and received its premiere in Amsterdam in the spring of 2016. James adapted The Ghost & Mrs. Muir from the novel of the same name as well as adapting A Boy Called Lizard from the Dennis Covington novel "Lizard." His original musical, An Unfinished Song, was nominated for numerous awards and has been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Maine and Sydney, Australia.
Two of Mr. Mellon's original musicals have been published by Samuel French: Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas and A Boy Called Lizard. The latter received the 2012 AATE Award (American Association for Theatre and Education) for best adaptation of a musical from Samuel French.
James is the Founding Pastor and Spiritual Director of the Global Truth Center and shares his life with his husband of 25 years, Kevin Bailey, and their sixteen-year-old twins, Will and Nora. Their Production Company, MB Artists, Inc., was the Executive Producer of the Holland Taylor penned play, ANN, which premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Ms. Taylor went on to receive a Tony Nomination for her performance as Governor Ann Richards of Texas as well as numerous other awards and accolades. Mr. Mellon is the author of the book "MENTAL MUSCLE: 16 WEEKS OF SPIRITUAL BOOT CAMP," and he lectures throughout the United States and Canada. More information about his spiritual work can be found at: www.globaltruthcenter.org
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
KEVIN BAILEY (Bea) Kevin kicked off 2016 in the International C Theatre's production of Closer Than Ever. Last season at ITC, he appeared in the LA premiere of Abigail 1702. His most recent west coast credits include Fox On The Fairway (Bingham) and the film noir musical, Gunmetal Blues (Sam), both for San Diego's North Coast Rep; If All The Sky Were Paper, (Kirk Douglas and Lobero Theatres). Broadway: original company of The Lion King (Scar, also LA Company), Annie Get Your Gun, with Bernadette Peters (Sitting Bull). Off-Broadway: The Doctor's Dilemma (Walpole), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Demetrius). Regional: Grinch in The Grinch… at The Old Globe, Kiss Me Kate (Fred/Petruchio), Miss Saigon (Engineer - Ovation Nomination), Annie Get Your Gun, (Frank Butler - Ovation Nomination), title role Jekyll & Hyde. Hollywood Bowl: Amadeus as Venticello, starring Michael York and Neil Patrick Harris. And on tour with Greater Tuna stars, Jaston Williams and Joe Sears: The Foreigner (David Lee) and The Fantasticks (El Gallo). Kevin is co-owner and Producing Director of the NoHo Arts Center.
Through his production company, MB Artists, and with husband James Mellon; they have created, produced and managed over 50 theatrical productions, three films and dozens of industrial productions around the globe. MB Artists spearheaded the production of ANN from inception to the Kennedy Center to Broadway's Lincoln Center and at The Zack in Austin, Texas. MB Artists is the proud producer for Texas icon and Zack favorite, Jaston Williams (of Greater Tuna fame). MB Artists uses its Los Angeles home, the award winning NoHo Arts Center, as a launching pad for many of its theatrical productions. But they are always proudest of their teenage twins, Will and Nora.
JAY WILLICK (Patty) On the boards, Jay's recently appeared in the staged readings of the new musical Rose Marie and Dorian. He was featured in the world premieres of The Red Room by Christopher Knopf, Pest Control (as the world's #1 assassin, Klaus), and The Thief (based on the Oscar-nominated film). He played Peron in Fullerton CLO's Evita and Van Helsing in Ken Sawyer's re-imagined Dracula. NoHo Arts Center world premieres include Elizabeth Rex (as Wm. Shakespeare), Seth Greenland's Jerusalem, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. And elsewhere, Spare Parts & Cynic (2003 Edge of the World Festival), Robin Hood, the untold story (as the Sheriff of Nottingham - a musical comedy by Berton Averre and Rob Meurer), the premiere of the Sondheim/Laurents sanctioned revision of Anyone Can Whistle at the Matrix, Assassins (as Czolgosz, L. A. Weekly Pick & Award nomination) at the Knightsbridge Theatre L. A., and the long-running TROLLS at the Coast Playhouse. Previously, he appeared in the L. A. Opera debut of On Gold Mountain, co-starred in the critically acclaimed Alan Sherman musical, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!, the Drama-Logue award-winning play Spotlight, Sock It to The Sixties (a LA Times "Pick of the Week"), Do Not Miss The Main Attraction, and in several premiere productions for the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop; including as Simon LeGree in Hands (based on Uncle Tom's Cabin), Wm. Randolph Hearst in Sister Aimee, The Party's Over, and as the title role in the chamber opera, Torquemada.
Film and television credits include the recently completed films, Tiger (directed by Alister Grierson) and American Brawler (as Howard Cosell, directed by Ken Kushner) and will be featured in Coup D'etat (with Michael Caine and Katie Holmes). Jay can be seen Bold and Beautiful with the Young and the Restless all the Days of Our Lives on the Soap Opera Channel. Sitcom lovers can see him on 2 Broke Girls, Major Dad and Working; while animation enthusiasts have heard him on Eekstravaganza, as Professor Pat Pending in A Fresh Look at the Flintstones, and touring as the evil monster Trash Dragon. Jay produced and performed the audiobook, The Earth Gate and will be the narrator on the soon to be released, The Man With The Black Box. He can also be found as the Narrator on several Optimal Thinking audio courses.
Mr. Willick has co-produced most of the productions at the NoHo Arts Center, was the segment/supervising producer of Dr. David Walker's Successful Living series, as well as the Producer, Director, and Editor of the cable pilot Dial At Your Own Risk and the cable series Foibles. He has worked in the entertainment industry as Vice President of Development at Aloe Entertainment and was the Assistant to Dr. Rosalene Glickman at The World Academy of Personal Development. He directed the musical, Bush is Bad (LA Weekly Award - Acting Ensemble, nomination - Best Musical) along with it's sequel Bush is Bad: Alaskan Beauty Queen Edition and the comedy, Pantheon, and was the director/co-writer of Life Inside A Lit Aquarium (benefiting APLA). He has also been the editor, director, and/or producer of the shorts Club Girl, Twelve Noon, and Noyz in the Hood.
Also an ordained New Thought Minister, he currently serves as an Assistant Minister and the Arts Minister at the Global Truth Center, housed here at the NoHo Arts Center. He holds the moniker, The New Thought Guy, and can be seen on The New Thought Channel, as well as his New Thought Guy Vimeo Channel, and Facebook, Twitter and Blogger pages. He has spoken at many New Thought Spiritual Centers throughout Southern California, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
DOG PLAY will perform on Sunday, July 10th at 7pm and Monday, July 11th at 7:30pm at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.
Ticket prices are a suggested donation of $20.00 for all performances. For tickets or Group rates call 818-508-7101 x6 or visit www.nohoace.com.
For Press Comps or to arrange press interviews or photos contact:
Kevin Bailey at: kevin ( @ ) thenohoartscenter dot com or call 818-508-7101 x4
THE NOHO ARTS CENTER and THE NOHO ARTS CENTER ENSEMBLE was created in 2004, when theatre veterans James J. Mellon and Kevin Bailey partnered with Doug Hutchinson. The Center's resident company - the multiple award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) - is comprised of actors, directors and writers galvanized into a passionate ensemble that creates new plays and musicals, adopting as their vision statement "Theatre for Its Own Sake."
THE NOHO ARTS CENTER has garnered three Ovation Awards and 19 nominations; two Garland Awards, along with 10 nominations; eight ADA Awards (including Best Director and Choreography for A Boy Called Lizard) and 24 nominations; three LA Weekly Awards and five LA Weekly nominations; and three LADCC Award nominations. Most recently, the NoHo Arts Center was represented on Broadway with Holland Taylor's critically acclaimed ANN at Lincoln Center. In addition, A Boy Called Lizard and Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas have been published by Samuel French, with A Boy Called Lizard garnering the 2012 AATE (American Association of Theatre and Education) award for Best Adaptation of a Musical. www.nohoace.com.
Calendar Listing
DOG PLAY
Tagline: A play that's probably not a play but a tribute to the human-canine relationship
WHO:
Written by Michael Michaelian
Directed by James Mellon
Starring Kevin Bailey and Jay Willick
WHAT:
A canine "Love Letters," DOG PLAY explores the lives of two very different men: an American, who lives in the Austin area of Central Texas and an Englishman, who lives in a house in West London. They develop their friendship by writing to each other in the personalities of their respective dogs. The American has a Pug; the Englishman has an Irish Wolfhound. By hiding behind their dogs, both characters are able to reveal their feelings in an indirect way as well as deepen their understanding of the other person in spite of cultural differences. But the underlying bond between them is dog ownership - as it is for so many of us and our friends.
WHEN:
Two performances only
Sunday, July 10, 2016 at 7pm and Monday, July 11, 2016 at 7:30pm
WHERE:
NOHO ARTS CENTER
11136 Magnolia Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Tickets: All seats are a suggested donation of $20.00
For Tickets and Groups Rates, please call 818-508-7101 Extension 6 or visit www.nohoace.com
For Press Comps or to arrange press interviews or photos contact:
Kevin Bailey at: kevin ( @ ) thenohoartscenter dot com or call 818-508-7101 x4
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