A STEADY RAIN by Keith Huff Extends Again at Hollywood Fringe

Extended through August 20: After a sold-out run during the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and the 2017 Better Lemons Audience Choice Award winner, A Steady Rain, written by Keith Huff (Mad Men, House of Cards) and directed by premier acting coach John Kirby (The Count of Monte Cristo, Peter Pan, Scream 4, This is Us), continues its run that has audiences on the edge of their seats. A Steady Rain re-opens July 14 at The John Kirby Studio in Hollywood for a three-week run through July 30.

Filled with sharp storytelling and biting repartee, A Steady Rain is a gritty, darkly poetic duologue about two Chicago police officers whose inner need to serve and protect consumes them - and also rips them apart. RJ Debard (The Commission, Remnant, God Shots) and Andy Hoff (Mad Men, NCIS, NCIS LA, Lethal Weapon, Justified, How I Met Your Mother, A Perfect Getaway) star as partners on the force whose lifelong friendship is put to the test when a deadly error of judgment sends their lives spinning out of control.

Joey (Hoff) and Denny (DeBard) are Chicago cops and lifelong friends. After being passed over for detective promotions the third time in a row, it's obvious that Denny's aversion to following protocol, Joeys drinking problem, and dual formal reprimands from the department are stonewalling their careers. When a domestic disturbance call takes a twisted turn, a severe lapse in judgement begins to unravel their trust and loyalty. Told entirely by the two characters, this story rips, seamlessly, between individual recounting and live action. It's increasingly apparent, however, that the two sides of their story don't add up.

Initially produced by Chicago Dramatists in 2007 and then at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago in 2008, A Steady Rain won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work. In 2009 it opened on Broadway in a production that starred Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig and broke box office records. Time magazine named A Steady Rain one of the Top 10 Plays of 2009, noting that "Huff's taut, tough-minded script takes potentially clichéd material - the moral challenges faced by cops on the urban mean streets - and makes it fresh and compelling."

"I was drawn to this remarkable story of friendship. These two Chicago childhood best friends have the same dream to "serve & protect". When the system fails them and the competition begins, who's going to protect them from their own human weaknesses. Keith Huff wrote a brilliant script that captures all humanities frailties," explains Kirby. "I was intrigued by this remarkable story of friendship. This two character piece allows my actors to go on a ride with every dimension of the human condition bringing about tour de force performances!"

Keith Huff has written the film adaptation of A Steady Rain for Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (EON Films); original pilots for HBO, Steven Spielberg/Dreamworks TV and AMC; and was writer/co-producer for Season One of the NetFlix series House of Cards, featuring Kevin Spacey, and Season 4 of AMC's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series Mad Men, for which he won a 2011 Writers Guild Award (Best Drama Series). Other plays include Big Lake Big City, The Detective's Wife, Pursued By Happiness, and The Bird and Mr. Banks. A Steady Rain continues to be produced across the US and around the world, including in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. Huff has an MFA from the University of Iowa's Playwright's Workshop, is a Resident Alumnus at Chicago Dramatists, and is the recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award, the Cunningham Prize, the John Gassner Award, the Berrilla Kerr Award, and three Illinois Arts Council Playwriting Fellowships.

John Kirby was born to a successful theatre and television actor Bruce Kirby, and younger brother to the late actor Bruno Kirby, has balanced a demanding career that has spanned over three decades. At age 21 he held the Artistic Director Position at the renowned 'Cast Theatre' for several seasons with the late Ted Schmidt, kept busy writing a weekly column called "Casting About" for Dramalogue (now called BackStage West) and continues to dedicate himself and his abilities to each actor he works with. Hailed by the Hollywood Reporter as "An Actor's Guardian Angel" Kirby has trained, worked with, coached, taught, and directed thousands of incredible actors; from Oscar winners like Jeff Bridges, to a long list a Movie Stars including Cameron Diaz, Jim Caviezel & Morris Chestnut to Tony winners such as Judith Light for her Broadway performance of Wit. Kirby's work has taken him across the globe from numerous states in the U.S. to Australia, Scotland, Ireland, and South Africa. He has also worked with and coached on numerous Television programs including Chrissy Metz on NBC's new hit show This Is Us. He has also shared his expertise by appearing weekly on If I Can Dream, Hulu's first reality series produced by American Idol. Throughout the years, Kirby has directed numerous plays across the United States including; The Crucible, Our Town, Tartuffe and he also coached the entire cast of The 2015 National Tour of Tyler Perry's Madea on the Run.

Scenic design for A Steady Rain is by Mike Flannery; lighting design is by Donny Jackson; sound design is by Aaron Lyons; stage manager is Mara Aguilar; and produced by Andy Hoff and Nathan Nesbitt.

Performances of A Steady Rain take place on Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., through August 20. Tickets are $20. The John Kirby Studio is located at 1510 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90028. For reservations and information, call (323) 467-7877 or go to steadyrain.brownpapertickets.com.

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