Deaf West Theatre Presents CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD 9/13

Ed Waterstreet, Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre announces that on the heels of their innovative revival of the musical Pippin, a co-production with Center Theatre Group, Deaf West will present a special 30th anniversary production of a play that brought deaf culture to the forefront of the theater world, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD, written by Mark Medoff and directed by Jonathan Barlow Lee, who was the original stage manager for the Tony Award-winning play. It will be performed so that it will be fully accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences, adding a new dimension to the material.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD focuses on the conflicted professional and romantic relationship between speech teacher James Leeds and his profoundly deaf student, Sarah Norman. Sarah will have none of his instruction but in the course of their sparring, the two of them develop a chemistry. The current production will feature Shoshannah Stern, from television's "Jericho" and "Weeds" as Sarah Norman and Matthew Jaeger of HBO's "The Diary" as James Leeds. Rounding up the cast are Brian M. Cole, Rebecca Ann Johnson, Marilyn McIntyre, Tami Lee Santimyer, and Time Winters.

The play was written for the actress Phyllis Frelich, who later became a regular performer at Deaf West Theatre. Following a highly successful run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Broadway production, directed by Gordon Davidson, opened on March 30, 1980 at the Longacre Theatre, where it ran for 887 performances. The cast included Phyllis Frelich as Sarah and John Rubinstein as James. It won Tony Awards for its lead actors and playwright.

Jonathan Barlow LEE (Director) has been the Production Manager for the Mark Taper Forum for the last 20 years, supervising more than 100 productions. Prior to that, he was a stage manager, most notably for Zoot Suit at the Taper and the Aquarius Theatre, and Children of a Lesser God in its world premiere at the Taper, again on Broadway, and at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. He directed an international touring company of Children of a Lesser God, and had a longtime association with USC as an adjunct assistant professor of Theatre.

SHOSHANNAH STERN (Sarah Norman) originated the role of Susan in Deaf West Theatre's Open Window, a co-production at the Pasadena Playhouse and performed in various productions of The Vagina Monologues. She has had feature roles in television (CBS' "Jericho," Showtime's "Weeds") and guest starred on acclaimed series such as "ER," "Boston Public," "The Division" and "Providence." In 2008, she was honored as Sundance Film Festival's "7 Fresh Faces in Film."

MATTHEW JAEGER (James Leeds) has worked extensively in theater including companies like A Noise Within, Antaeus Company, The Theatre at Boston Court, Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, The Road Theatre Company, among others. He has been featured in several film and television roles including Regent Entertainment's "Just Say Love."

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD has assembled an award-winning design team. The scenic design is by John Iacovelli. The costume design is by Dianne K. Graebner. The lighting design is by Leigh Allen. Projection and sound design is by Benjamin H. Kamine. Laura Hill produces, along with Associate Producer and ASL Master David Kurs.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD will preview on Sunday, September 6 at 2pm; Thursday. September 10 at 8pm; Friday, September 11 at 8pm; Saturday, September 12 at 8pm and will open on Sunday, September 13 at 7pm and continue through Sunday, October 11. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood. Special school matinee performances are scheduled for September 22, 29, and October 6.

Tickets are $25 for all performances (Previews $15) and are available through Theatermania.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111 or visit www.deafwest.org.

For group sales and other production information, call Deaf West Theatre offices at 818-762-2773 Voice or 866-954-2986 VP.

Deaf West Theatre, Inc., (DWT) was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director, Ed Waterstreet, to improve and enrich the cultural lives of the 1.2 million deaf and hard of hearing individuals who live in the Los Angeles area. DWT is recognized as the premiere sign language theatre in the United States and has consistently set the standard for innovation in deaf theatre. It is the only resident deaf theatre in the western United States and only one of few successful sign language production companies in the country. DWT provides exposure and access to professional theatre, filling a void for deaf artists and audiences. Serving the cultural, educational, social and employment needs of its constituents, DWT is an institution for the discovery and exploration of artists' identities and stature as professionals in the performing arts. Through the medium of Sign Language Theatre, a legacy of deaf culture is created, shared, and preserved which greatly influences mainstream perspectives about the culture and ability of the deaf. www.deafwest.org

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