CoffeeHouse Productions Premieres THE CLOSENESS OF THE HORIZON, 5/18-6/24

True friendship is a journey - there is no roadmap. Award-winning playwright Richard Martin Hirsch takes us back to the Summer of '69, exploring the fragile nature of friendship in a world premiere dramedy inspired by true events. Darin Anthony directs The Closeness of the Horizon for a six-week run May 18 through June 24, presented by CoffeeHouse Productions at the Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles.

On the very same day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon during the summer of '69, three teenaged friends from LA's West Side set-out on a six-week tour drumming-up pick-up games of basketball across the country. The shoes were Converse, the music playing on the radio of their VW bus was Top 40, and the world was open to possibility. But is it possible for three high school friends to reconnect after 25 years? As he flashes back from the '90s to the music, mischief and iconic moments that defined that cross-country road trip, 40-something Paul Lewin must reconcile the expectations he once held with the reality that he, Stein and "G" – his once-best friends – have drifted apart. Shauna Bloom, Daniel Kash, Bruce Nozick, David Starzykand Mandy June Turpin star in Hirsch's funny and bittersweet exploration of youth, hope, aging and the meaning of friendship.

"I've been involved with the development of this play for several years," explains Anthony, who first met Hirsch while running the Living Room [new play] Series for The Blank Theatre in Hollywood, and has previously directed two of the playwright's works. "It resonates strongly with me because there's so much honesty in the words and the characters. How do we answer the promise of our youth? Where do we take that hope, that endless possibility, as we progress through our lives? These are universal questions that are beautifully explored, with great humor and poignancy, in Richard's play."

"Just as our perception of the size of the moon shifts against the horizon, so too does the way we view our own lives as we get older," says Hirsch. "So, how does our perception of ourselves and others change as we age, and how does who we thought we'd be clash with the men and women we have now become?"

The multiple award-winning design team for The Closeness of the Horizon includes set designer Tom Buderwitz, lighting designer Leigh Allen, sound designer Bob Blackburn and costume designer Sherry Linnell.

Richard Martin Hirsch is one of Los Angeles' most prolific playwrights; he has written over four dozen short and full-length plays, of which over two dozen have seen full productions throughout the country. In addition to readings and productions in the L.A. area, Richard's work has been performed in New York City (Abingdon Theatre, Access Theatre, Kraine Theatre, Emerging Artists Theatre); Chicago (AbbieFest); Boston (Boston Theatre Works); Spokane (Spokane Civic Theatre); Omaha (Shelterbelt Theatre); Columbus (Raconteur Theatre); and many others. His play, London's Scars (an O'Neill Playwrights' Conference semi-finalist), received its world premiere as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre in 2010. Other produced plays include Before We Go Home (part of Moving Arts' Car Plays at the Radar LA Festival and La Jolla Playhouse); The Concept of Remainders (Chandler Studio Theatre - Ovation Award nomination and L.A. Weekly Theatre Award nomination for playwriting); Atonement (Theatre 40 - L.A. Weekly Theatre Award nomination for playwriting); The Monkey Jar (Theatre 40 - Playwrights Center Conference Semi-Finalist); and The Quality of Light (Long Beach Playhouse - Ovation Award nomination; Garland Honorable Mention for playwriting). Two additional new plays currently in development – Beach in Winter, a dark comedy, and Into the Land of Nod, a drama – were semi- finalists for the O'Neill Playwrights' Conference in 2011 and 2012, respectively. His new comedy, Memorizing Rome, has been optioned for a possible production later this year.

Darin Anthony is a resident director and literary manager of The Syzygy Theatre Group, where he directed the West Coast premiere of Rachel Axler's Smudge, My Thing of Love and Talley's Folly. Other credits include God of Isaac (West Coast Jewish Theatre); Before We Go Home (Moving Arts for the Radar LA Festival); world premieres of The Good Boy by Michael Bonnabel (LATC), Sidhe by Ann Noble (Road Theatre) and London's Scars by Richard Martin Hirsch (Odyssey Theatre); the West Coast premiere of US Drag (Furious Theatre Company - 7 LA Weekly nominations); The Violet Hour (The Elephant/ Hollywood Food Chain Prod.); and the world premiere translation of Carlo Goldoni's The Antiquarian's Family (Shakespeare Santa Cruz). For The Blank Theatre, he has directed world premieres of HEADS (L.A. Times "Best of 2007") and American Way, and the Los Angeles premiere of The Book of Liz by David and Amy Sedaris (L.A. Times "Best of 2005"); for The Theatre @ Boston Court, he directed Street Angel Diaries. He made his New York debut with The Incident Report by E.M. Lewis for the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Darin is also resident director for The American Academy of Dramatic Arts productions. He recently made his feature film directorial debut with Hitting the Cycle, currently being shopped to festivals.

Bruce Nozick (Paul) appeared Off-Broadway in the long running hit A Shayna Maidel, and has been seen at dozens of regional theaters around the country – Louisville, Houston, Albany, Atlanta, San Diego – in shows as varied as The Immigrant, Balm in Gilead,Broadway Bound, Speed the Plow and Brighton Beach Memoirs. He toured the United States and Canada with the First National Company of Lost in Yonkers as Uncle Louis. On television, he recurred on Weeds throughout the last season playing Kevin Nealon's college friend and boss Whit Tillerm, and has also recurred on such shows as Shark, Big Shots, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, E.R. and 24. He starred in, Triple Play, a sitcom pilot for Disney, and had a lead role on the FOX series Head Cases. Additional television appearances include The Chicago Code, Lie To Me, Private Practice, The Good Guys, N.C.I.S., Saving Grace, Entourage, Bones, Num3ers, Without A Trace, Close to Home, Six Feet Under, The Starter Wife and Dirty Sexy Money. He recently narrated 46 episodes of the highly rated Animal Planet Network show entitled Untamed and Uncut.

Daniel Kash's ("G") recent theater credits include Facing East (International City Theatre), Spike Heels (Theatre 68), Twelve Angry Men(Grove Theatre Center), The Lonesome West (Ventura Court Theatre), Simcha (Theatre 40), Kill Your Darlings (Hudson Mainstage) andThe Duchess of Malfi (Chandler Studio Theatre). Notable television credits include a lead role in the SyFy original movie The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake and guest star appearances on How I Met Your Mother, Dexter, Private Practice, The Closer, Entourage, 24,Cold Case and Boston Legal. Daniel has starred in numerous award-winning independent films such as The Mischievous Case of Cordelia Botkin, Blue Light Bandits and Knight

David Starzyk (Stein) last appeared on stage locally as Valmont in Les Liasons Dangerous (The Blank Theater). Other theater, including L.A., N.Y. and Boston: And Still The Dogs, James and the Handless Maiden, Bullpen, Bloodlife, The Suicide, People People, Desire Under The Elms, The Tempest. He is a member of Ensemble Studio Theater/LA, with which he has written pieces as well, including Five Actors. Over 100 TV appearances include Desperate Housewives, Hot In Cleveland, Criminal Minds, iCarly, Just Legal, Two and A Half Men. Films include The Virgin of Juarez, To Save A Life and Coach Carter.

Shauna Bloom (Annie) recently appeared in the West Coast premiere of The Dinosaur Within, directed by Michael Michetti (The Theatre @ Boston Court). Other stage work includes Christopher Durang's Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them (The Blank); Leipzig with Salome Jens (Lee Strasberg Theatre); Ouroboros (LA Weekly Award) and Tainted Blood, both by Tom Jacobson; and Backwards in High Heels directed by Ken Sawyer (Road Theatre Company). Regional theater:Table Manners (Merrimack Rep);Comedy of Errors and 1001 Arabian Nights (American Stage Festival); and After the Fall, directed by Mark Rydell (Barnsdall Park's Gallery Theatre). Film: Visas and Virtue (Academy Award for Live Action Short); Walking Out on Love; The Shabbos Goy; Life-ers; The Favorite; Knock Her Socks Off. TV: American Horror Story; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Nip/Tuck; and a recurring role on Season Two of the CBS hit The Mentalist as Red John's minion and accomplice, Rebecca. 

Mandy June Turpin's (Nissa) credits include Surviving Sex (The Falcon Theater), Imperfect Seed (Whitefire Theater), Love and Understanding (The Elephant Space), I Stand Before You Naked (The Little Theater), The Cherry Orchard (San Jose Rep) and others. Film credits: Powder Blue starring Forrest Whitaker, Atlas Shrugged Part 1 and The Perfect Family starring Kathleen Turner. TV Credits: NCIS: Los Angeles, Grey's Anatomy, Castle, Prime Suspect, Hot In Cleveland, In Plain Sight, The Closer, Burn Notice, Bones, House M.D, Lost, 24, Criminal Minds and a recurring role on the new show Hollywood Heights.

Performances of The Closeness of the Horizon take place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 18 through June 24. There will be one preview performance on Thursday, May 17. Tickets are $25 on Thursdays and Fridays and $30Saturdays and Sundays. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025.  For reservations and information, call (323) 960-1054 or go to  www.plays411.com/horizon.

To post a comment, you must register and login.