Bootleg Theater Presents 9 CIRCLE, 10/1-11/12

Bootleg Theater proudly presents playwright Bill Cain's award winning 9 Circles starring noted actor Patrick J. Adams in the tour-de-force role of Army Private Daniel Reeves, a nineteen-year old soldier who returns home from active duty in Iraq only to find himself engaged in a fight for his very life. Originally developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference and South Coast Rep's Pacific Playwrights Festival, Cain's transcendent story receives its Los Angeles premiere under the direction of Justin Zsebe at Bootleg Theater. 9 Circles opens Friday, October 21, 2011 and run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm until Saturday, November 12, 2011.

Based on actual events and inspired by The Divine Comedy, Cain's 9 Circles is a psychological thriller hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "... a dense, fiercely performed and provocative journey." After being honorably discharged and returning home, young American soldier Daniel Reeves finds himself in the most demanding fight of his life. Arrested and prosecuted for alleged crimes committed during his active duty in Iraq, the confused and troubled teenager is thrown into a labyrinth of military bureaucracy and forced to navigate through layers of commanding officers, public defenders, lawyers, preachers, and army psychiatrists.

"I wrote the role of Reeves for Patrick knowing I could have faith in his extraordinary skill at creating characters full of heart, passion, darkness and deep humanity," remarks playwright Bill Cain. "The character never leaves the stage, which could be terrifying in lesser hands, but Patrick's genius is unlimited and leaves audiences breathless. Pairing him with Justin Zsebe, a theatrical visionary, at the helm ensures that at every performance an event will take place that could only happen in the live theater."

A leading light of the Southern California theatre community, Patrick J. Adams produced and directed a hit revival of Marat/Sade, (2006 LA Weekly Theater Award, Best Production) and has appeared yearly at the Ojai Playwrights Conference, starring in new works by established and developing playwrights. It was at the conference that Adams first engaged with the work of playwright Bill Cain, which included developing the role of Sharpe in Cain's award-winning play Equivocation and continuing on to star in the celebrated Geffen Playhouse production which earned him an Ovation nomination. Patrick was also seen in the West Coast premiere of Edward Albee's The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?, at The Mark Taper Forum before beginning to shoot Suits, a new hit series on the USA Network.

9 Circles has been awarded the Sky/Cooper Prize and received its world premiere production from Marin Theatre Company under the direction of Kent Nicholson. It has subsequently received the Steinberg New Play Award and been produced in Boston at the Publick Theater with additional productions to be staged by Renegade Theater and Curious Theater. 9 Circles was recently published by Northwestern University Press in an anthology of plays collected by Karen Malpede, Michael Messina, and Bob Shuman that explores in depth the costs of war titled Acts of War: Iraq and Afghanistan in Seven Plays.

Bootleg Theater is a 1930's warehouse and a home for Los Angeles artists who work in theater, music, dance, and film. Bootleg provides artistic support and production resources to help these artists create original and daring interdisciplinary work. Combining art forms creates work that is surprising, unexpected, exciting and reflective of life in Los Angeles, a city where the boundaries are elastic, and not bound by tradition. Bootleg offers Los Angeles a celebration of itself. More information can be found online at www.bootlegtheater.org.

Tickets for Bill Cain's 9 Circles are on sale now. Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles. Friday, October 21, 2011 through Saturday, November 12, 2011; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm. $25 ($18 students/seniors). 213-389-3856, www.bootlegtheater.org.

 

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