BWW Exclusive: Neil LaBute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY and REASONS TO BE HAPPY to Be Staged in Rep for the First Time
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 17, 2016
Directed by Jeff Meek (As the World Turns, General Hospital), the two shows will feature the same cast following the story of four working-class friends whose lives focus on the modern-day obsession with physical appearance and the elusive ideal of happiness. Executive Produced by Lexi Graboski and Kelly Shea, both women mean to make an impact with the exclusive performances by donating proceeds to the The Center for Nonviolent Communication.
Reason to be Pretty
Greg's tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker's pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph's lack thereof get back to Steph. But that's just the beginning. Greg's best buddy, Kent, and Kent's wife, Carly, also enter into the picture, and the emotional equation becomes exponentially more complicated. As their relationships crumble, the four friends are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth?
Reasons to be Happy
Three years after a contentious break-up, Steph and Greg are wondering if they can make a fresh go of it. Trouble is, she's married to someone else and he's just embarked on a relationship with Steph's best friend, Carly, a single mom whose jealous ex-husband, Kent, has trouble articulating his feelings. Navigating the rocky landscape of conflicting agendas and exploding emotions isn't going to be easy for any of them. Reasons to Be Happy is a funny, surprising, and poignant new play about the choices and sacrifices we are willing to make in the pursuit of that often elusive ideal: happiness.
This limited run will begin with Reasons to be Pretty showing from Friday, November 11 - Sunday, November 13, 2016 with it's companion piece Reasons to be Happy starting the next week from Friday, November 18 - Sunday, November 20, 2016 at the Two Roads Theater in Los Angeles - 4348 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604. Friday and Saturday shows will start at 8pm with Sunday shows beginning at 7pm. The cast includes Nick Molari as Greg, Lexi Graboski as Steph, Eric Olsson as Kent, and Sarah Jo Jones as Carly. For tickets: reasonstobe.eventbrite.com/?aff=pr.
The Collective Studio: LA originally began as a workshop company serving actors and creative talents. The Studio then expanded its services in Fall of 2011, under the Actors Equity 99 Seat Plan, and began producing theatrical shows. The Collective Studio founder, Kelly Shea, produced the company's first production, as an outlet for creativity and an act of social engagement by partnering with non-profits that are in line with the plays' themes. In year's past they have collaborated with The Boys and Girls Club and Rescue-A-Life Foundation by encouraging the organizations' participants to perform or have in-put in the show's direction. Additionally, the proceeds from the shows have all been donated to The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation, Peace Over Violence and Rescue-A-Life Foundation, to name a few.
The Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) is a global organization that supports the learning and sharing of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and helps people peacefully and effectively resolve conflicts in personal, organizational, and political settings. CNVC is a steward of the integrity of the NVC process and a nexus point of NVC-related information and resources, including training, conflict resolution, projects and organizational consulting services. CNVC's mission is to contribute to more sustainable, compassionate, and "life-serving" human relations in the realms of personal change, interpersonal relationship and in social systems and structures, such as business/economics, education, justice, healthcare, and peace-keeping.
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