Company of Angels & Son of Semele Present CHASING MONSTERS, Opens 5/15

Trapped in a dark urban landscape, a working class family is forced to confront deep, intergenerational wounds that cut to the heart of self loathing, addiction and sibling rivalry.

Company of Angels, in association with Son of Semele, will premiere Gabriel Rivas Gomez' play, Chasing Monsters, a modern tale that painfully illustrates how the sins of the father can find deep roots in one wayward son. The play opens on Saturday, May 15 inside the Son of Semele Theater, 3301 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles for a five-week run ending Sunday, June 13. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays are at 8p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. There will be no performance on Friday, May 28. General tickets are $20 and can be purchased through the Son of Semele Theater website: www.SonOfSemele.org.

Chasing Monsters offers an unforgiving look at a dysfunctional family in crisis. Trapped in a dark urban landscape, Dominic's working class family must confront deep, intergenerational wounds that cut to the heart of self loathing, addiction and sibling rivalry. "Gabriel Rivas Gomez is a fresh, young theatrical voice, and his graphic play offers a new and unflinching look at the epic nature of some painful relationships," said Matthew McCray, artistic director of Son of Semele Ensemble.

"We are grateful to be co-producing this world premiere production with Son of Semele," said Marlene Forte, co-artistic director of Company of Angels. "This is an exciting example of the collaborative spirit that exists between Los Angeles theatre artists," Forte said.

Richard Azurdia, Deborah Geer, Xavi Moreno, Natalya Oliver, Monica Sanchez, Tamika Simpkins, and Carolyn Zeller star in this production, which is directed by Armando Molina, the artistic director of Company of Angels. The playwright, Gabriel Rivas Gomez received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California in 2007. Mr. Gomez currently teaches English composition at local community colleges. His second play, "Circus Ugly," was showcased in USC's "Under Construction" series.

Company of Angels was founded in 1959 as an artists' cooperative, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2009. The company produces works that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles and the issues that confront Angelenos. Company of Angels accepts original material for first-run production and fosters staged readings and workshops on a regular basis.

Son of Semele produces theater that forges new ground in content, form and style and which explores emerging cultural questions. This production is made possible by SOSEhost, Son of Semele's curated program that offers subsidized space, equipment and staffing to select artists. Through SOSEhost, Son of Semele builds new relationships, initiates collaborative projects and supports progressive theater practitioners who are making bold choices and forging new ground.

For more information about Chasing Monsters, visit www.SonofSemele.org and www.CompanyoAngels.org.

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