DOMA Theatre Company Presents AVENUE Q, Beginning 11/9

Winding up an ambitious, critically-acclaimed 2012 season of Broadway musicals, DOMA Theatre Company presents the only Tony Award-winning musical ever to proclaim, "It sucks to be us." Sesame Street meets South Park when Richard Israel teams up with musical director Chris Raymond, choreographer Angela Todaro and puppet master Libby Letlow to direct Avenue Q for a limited run, Nov. 9 through Dec. 16, at the intimate MET Theatre in Hollywood.

In Avenue Q, singing puppets and their human neighbors tackle life's most vexing issues-love, sex, money, race and how to tell your roommate he's gay. The place is New York City and the street is Avenue Q, the only address you can afford when you're fresh out of college… or out of a job… or just trying to find your way in life. These puppets (and their human counterparts) have an irreverent take on the joys and travails of making it on one's own.

"It's a great ride-a smile from the first downbeat to the last curtain call," says Israel. "But as hilarious as the show is, it also pulls you by the heartstrings at the end."

Called "a breakthrough musical" by The New York Times, Avenue Q ran for 2534 performances on Broadway, garnering three Tony Awards: Best Score for composer Robert Lopez and lyricist Jeff Marx, Best Book for librettist Jeff Whitty, and Best Musical.

The DOMA Theatre Company cast includes Benai Boyd (Nellie in DOMA's Jeykll & Hyde the Musical, international tour of Smokey Joe's Café); Janelle Dote (Damn Yankees for Reprise!, Paint Your Wagon at the Geffen, Sunset Boulevard at the Hollywood Bowl); Danielle Judovits (25th...Spelling Bee for Actor's Repertory Theatre, the voice of Batgirl on animated TV series The Batman and Kitty Pryde on Wolverine and X-Men); Chris Kauffmann (Off Broadway: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Henry & Mudge); Chris Kerrigan (the title role in DOMA's Jekyll & Hyde); Libby Letlow (theatrical puppetry instructor, Puppet School in Sherman Oaks); and Mark Whitten (original Off Broadway cast of Stephen Schwartz's Captain Louie, Brick in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof at Orlando Shakespeare Festival).

Set design for Avenue Q is by Staci Walters; lighting design is by Johnny Ryman; projection design is by Jason H. Thompson; sound design is by David Crawford; costume design is by Haleh Risdana; and props design is by Hallie Baran.

Director Richard Israel is the artistic director for West Coast Ensemble Theatre and the recipient of a Career Achievement Award for Directing from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Some recent directing credits include Leading Ladies at International City Theatre, Once Upon A Mattress for Cabrillo Music Theatre, Falsettos for the Third Street Theatre, Gypsy for West Coast Ensemble (LA Weekly Award nominations for Directing and Outstanding Musical) and the world premiere of Having It All at the NoHo Arts Center (7 Ovation Award Nominations). Other directing credits include Meet Me In St. Louis for Musical Theatre West, A Christmas Carol for the Norris Theatre and Bell, Book and Candle for The Colony Theatre, as well as the critically acclaimed West Coast premiere of Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins, the Los Angeles premiere of Big - The Musical, Assassins (LA Weekly Award nominations for Direction and Outstanding Musical, LADCC Award for Musical Ensemble) and Floyd Collins - all for Hollywood's West Coast Ensemble Theatre. For the Musical Theatre Guild, he has directed High Fidelity, One Touch Of Venus, High Spirits and Violet as well as staged readings of Dani Girl and Rocket Science for the Festival Of New American Musicals.

DOMA Theatre Company began as a joint venture between Dolf Ramos and Marco Gomez in 2002. In the beginning, DOMA provided a platform for young talent to obtain experience performing in musical Theater Productions alongside seasoned professionals. As the company grew, it partnered with The Hope & Union Foundation, a California public benefit organization dedicated to the arts and to assisting at-risk youth. Through its partnership with the Foundation, DOMA was able to stage productions including new works (Lovers' Mayhem, Gallery), revivals (Cabaret, Into The Woods, The Wild Party, Passion, Jacques Brel…), and plays (The Actor's Nightmare and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You). In 2012, DOMA offered its first full season of musicals, including The Who's Tommy; Songs for A New World; Jekyll & Hyde, the Musical; Xanadu; and the current production of Avenue Q.

Avenue Q is a musical for grown-ups, addressing issues like sex, drinking and surfing the web for porn. Parents should use their discretion based on the maturity of their children – but if you DO bring your teenagers, they'll think you're really cool!

Avenue Q runs Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 pm and Sundays @ 3 pm from Nov. 9 through Dec. 16. Tickets range from $30–$34.99; seniors and students with ID pay only $20. The MET Theatre is located at 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Los Angeles CA 90029. Secure, on-site parking is available for $5 at Earl Scheib Paint and Auto Body, 5416 Santa Monica Blvd. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (323) 802-4990 or go to www.domatheatre.com.

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