Circle X Theatre Co. Presents NAKED BEFORE GOD, 3/24-4/28

Circle X Theatre Co. presents Naked Before God, running March 24 – April 28 at [Inside] the Ford (recommended for mature audiences 17+).

In Naked Before God, Kristen Burrows (Jennifer A. Skinner) has hit upon a brilliant way to transform the sins of her youth into lots of cash: she's going to combine her adult film past with a born again future. But things get more than a little out of hand when the Christian radio talk show host Kristen has invited for dinner (William Salyers) meets her teenage son Duncan (Morgan McClellan), Duncan's wife Carly (Jen Kays), and a few unexpected visitors (Larry Clarke, Christopher Foley and Aly Mawji). Geter's wild and darkly comic farce is an R-rated romp through the intersection of religion and commerce with a couple of side trips through lust and greed.

"To reveal yourself completely in front of a camera, you have to be willing to cross a certain line, and once it's been crossed, there's no going back, you're a different person," says Geter, who first became interested in the world of adult film performers as a staff writer on TV's Skin. "I see a parallel to the religious idea that you need to get down on your knees and reveal everything in order to get close to God."

He continues, "It's no longer necessary to censor yourself or do well in school to be upright or respected in our country; just claim Christianity and seek forgiveness, and you can sell the 'Jesus' brand. Ours is a world where a C-student proudly becomes President, a Congressman sleeps with prostitutes and gets elevated to the Senate, and a freshly-converted Newt Gingrich lectures the rest of us on our moral decline. Mediocrity is no longer a liability - it's a badge of authenticity. Anybody can become rich and powerful with a dollop of Jesus on top."

About the subject matter, Circle X artistic director Tim Wright says, "A comedy about the porn business might be shocking to some, but I'm not worried that anyone will be offended because audiences will be in on the joke."

Naked Before God is the first full production to come out of the Circle X Writers' Group. "We've seen this script develop in real time," notes Wright. "We all fell in love with the characters."

Set and lighting design for Naked Before God are by Brian Sidney Bembridge; sound design is by Corinne Corillo; wardrobe design is by Ann Closs-Farley; props are by Heather Ho; production stage manager is Kat Haan; associate producer is Jen Ludden; and Tim Wright produces.

Leo Geter was on the writing staff for Fox's Skin and the CBS crime drama Close to Home, both created by Jim Leonard. Most recently, he wrote seven episodes of James Duff's The Closer on TNT. In February, 2011, he directed his original short play Show Chicken at the Circle X Theatre Company. Other directing credits include Kiss of the Spiderwoman, which traveled to the Kennedy Center as an American College Theatre Festival winner; Baal; Steel Magnolias; Wait Until Dark; Bus Stop; Rabbit Hole at the Meadowbrook Theatre; the world premiere of Timothy Mason's Six at the Guthrie Lab in Minneapolis; and Katherine Burger's Morphic Resonance which received LA Weekly Awards for Best Directing and Best Ensemble. His short film Andy Across the Water won multiple awards including Best Comedy and the Ellen Award at Aspen Shortsfest, Best Fiction Film at the USA Film Festival in Dallas and the Jimmy Stewart Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival. He holds an MFA in Theater from the University of Utah and an MFA in Film Directing from New York University.

Circle X Theatre Co. is a not-for-profit ensemble dedicated to highly provocative and boldly theatrical productions of new and rarely-seen plays. The company's emphasis on innovation goes beyond the selection of thought-provoking, highly challenging plays and extends into everything from design, performance and direction to administration and marketing, creating the unique aesthetic for which Circle X is known. Circle X has been described as "ferocious," "idealistic," "adventurous," "whimsical," "courageous," "talented," "selfless," "a reminder of how good theater can be" and as aspiring to "a level of both sturdy professionalism and imaginative stagecraft that seems almost dangerously, headily high."

Naked Before God is the third and final production in the 2011-12 Season at [Inside] the Ford, a three-play curated series of new works from three L.A.-based theater companies that is supported by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Ford Theatre Foundation.

Naked Before God runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 pm and Sundays @ 2 pm and 7 pm, March 24 through April 28. Seven previews take place March 15-23 on the same schedule. General admission is $25 except Opening Night (March 24) which is $34 and includes a post-performance reception with the actors. Seniors and full-time students with ID are $12. Previews and all Sunday matinees are pay-what-you-can (subject to availability). Discounts are available for groups of eight or more, available online or by calling 323-769-2147.

[Inside] the Ford is located in the Ford Theatres complex at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. On-site, non-stacked parking is free. For reservations and information, call the Ford Theatres Box Office at 323-461-3673 (323-GO-1-FORD) or go to www.fordtheatres.org.

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