Actors Co-Op Presents THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD at the Crossley Theatre, Now thru 10/26

Actors Co-op announces its first show in its 2014-2015 season (and 23rd year of producing theatrical excellence in Los Angeles!) with an immersive and environmental production of the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Whodunit," THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, choreography by Julie Hall, musical direction by Jake Anthony and directed by Stephen Van Dorn. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will begin previews tonight, September 17 and Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

Winner of Five Tony Awards including Best Musical and based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, the raucous world of a Victorian era music hall will come to life in this environmental take of the classic musical and is the backdrop for this play-within-a-play. Follow the journey of a troupe of actors as they sing and dance through the unfinished story of Edwin Drood - allowing the audience, to vote on the ending!

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

RUPERT HOLMES (Book, Music and Lyrics) is a mystery novelist-playwright-composer-arranger-screenwriter-conductor-singer-songwriter. Rupert Holmes is the first person in theatrical history to solely win Tony® awards as an author, a composer and a lyricist. Twice presented with the coveted "Edgar" award (the "Oscar" of the Mystery Writers of America), his first novel, Where the Truth Lies, was nominated for the Nero Wolfe award for Best American Mystery Novel, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut Novel and made into an Atom Egoyan motion picture starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. A London Times Book Group pick, it has been released in six languages and on two different audiobook recordings.

His second Random House novel, Swing, reached #24 among all books at Amazon, and was the first novel to come with an original CD musical score. His short stories have been anthologized in such prestigious collections as Best American Mystery Stories and On a Raven's Wing.

He solely authored and composed the Broadway musical-comedy The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which won the Tony award for Best Musical and last year received a critically-acclaimed Broadway revival by the Roundabout Theater. His comedy-drama about the life of comedian George Burns, Say Goodnight, Gracie, earned him a Tony® nomination for Best Play and won the National Broadway Theatre Award for Best Play. His stage comedy-thrillers Accomplice and Solitary Confinement broke box office records for the Kennedy Center and the Pasadena Playhouse, both enjoying runs on Broadway, while Curtains starring David Hyde Pierce (and written with the legendary songwriting team of Kander and Ebb) won Holmes the Drama Desk award for Best Book of a Musical as well as two further Tony nominations. In 2012, Holmes collaborated as author and lyricist with musical giant Marvin Hamlisch for the award-winning premiere of The Nutty Professor Musical. "Hamlisch-Holmes" also contributed songs to the score of Steven Soderburg's 2013 Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra.

His script for Secondhand Lions premiered at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre and is slated for the east coast in 2015. He recently adapted John Grisham's classic A Time to Kill for Broadway and is completing the first book in a series for Simon and Schuster: The McMasters Guide to Homicide: Murder Your Employer. For TV, Holmes created, wrote and scored the critically hailed AMC series "Remember WENN." He has arranged, conducted and written platinum recordings for Barbra Streisand, including her classic Lazy Afternoon album and his songs for the Golden Globe-winning, quadruple Platinum Billboard #1 LP score of A Star is Born. As a pop tunesmith, his work has been recorded by the leading vocalists of our time, from opera star Renée Fleming to pop star Britney Spears, from balladeer Barry Manilow to rapper Wyclef. Yet despite all the above, Holmes is still best known to the public as the singer-songwriter of several Billboard Top Ten hits, including his #1 multi-platinum smash "Escape" aka "The Pina Colada Song"...?... heard in such recent films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,Grownups, Bewitched, Wanted with Angelina Jolie, The Sweetest Thing, Shrek, the TV shows "Las Vegas," "True Blood," and most recently performed by Jimmy Fallon and Blake Shelton with The Legendary Roots.

STEPHEN VAN DORN (Director) The Mystery Of Edwin Drood marks Stephen's debut main-stage production for Actors Co-op. Previous directing credits include, Much Ado About Nothing, The Freddy Wyatt Bixby Petroleum Variety Hour Christmas Spectacular Extravaganza Show, What Happened Was..., 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton, andThe Sweetest Swing In Baseball. Stephen has been a member of Actors Co-op since 1998, and has appeared in numerous productions, including Edith Stein, The Hasty Heart, The Foreigner, Bullshot Crummond, As You Like It, 1776, Tales Of Tinseltown, The Glass Menagerie, Sherlock's Last Case, The Philadelphia Story, The Learned Ladies, Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, and most recently as the Bellhop, in Lend Me A Tenor. In 2012, Stephen played serial killer Buffalo Bill, in Silence! The Musical, directed by Tony Award Winner Christopher Gatelli, at The Hayworth Theatre. Stephen is an LA Weekly Award-winner, as well as receiving several other awards and honors, including Stage Scene LA awards, and the Inland Valley Theatre League Award for Best Performance in a Musical.
JULIE HALL (Choreography) This is Julie's 11th production at the Actors Co-op, having previously choreographed productions of 110 In The Shade, The Learned Ladies, The 1940's Radio Hour, Big River, Trails, Leading Ladies, The Freddy Wyatt Christmas Spectacular, Elephant Man, Much Ado About Nothing, and Yours, Isabel. Julie is a graduate of the Florida University School of Music.

JAKE ANTHONY (Musical Director/Mr. Thomas Purcell, Maestro of The Music Hall Royale Orchestra) works as a composer, vocal coach, and musical director in the Los Angeles area. Some of his favorite LA theater work includes Snoopy! (McCadden Place Theater), Little Women (Sustaining Sound Company), as well as the West Coast premieres of Splendora and Songs from an Unmade Bed at Celebration Theatre. He serves as Music Director of the Performers' Workshop, and conducts the new "Theatrichorale" Perpetual Surrey. As a composer, Jake co-wrote the 15-minute musical Oh God, We're Gonna Die! with Jeff Marx (co-author of Avenue Q), and the three full-length shows Now and Then a Hero, Wanting Miss Julie, and New York Society for the Suppression of Vice.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD has assembled an award-winning design team. Set Design is by Sets To Go - Mark Henderson and Tim Farmer (Into The Woods, The Elephant Man). Costume design is by Vicki Conrad (The Matchmaker, The Learned Ladies). Lighting Design is by Mark Svastics (Hello, To Be Young, Gifed and Black) . Sound Design is by Warren Davis (Going To St. Ives, And Then There Were None). Make-Up and Hair design is by Krys Fehervari (110 in The Shade, The Miracle Worker). The Stage Manager is Philip Tyler. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD is produced by Kimi Walker.

The Cast of THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will feature (in alphabetical order): Eva Abramian, Emily Armstrong, Greg Baldwin, Conor E.K. Dagenfield, Gina D'Acciaro, Catherine Gray, Tim Hodgins, Craig McEldowney, Lucas Moore, Brandon Parrish, Michelle Parrish, , Lauren Thompson, Selah Victor, Peter Allen Vogt and Issac Wade.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will preview on Wednesday, September 17 & Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:30pm (with two Saturday Matinees scheduled for Saturday, September 27 and Saturday, October 25 at 2:30pm). Ticket prices are $34.00 for all Performances. Seniors - $30 and Students - $25.00. Previews are Free to the Public. Group rates are available for parties of 6 or more. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (323) 462-8460 or visit www.ActorsCo-op.org.

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