Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA Presents the West Coast Premiere of THE UGLY ONE, Now thru 3/24

Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA has announced the West Coast premiere of The Ugly One, a comedy by Marius von Mayenburg (English translation by Maja Zade), directed by Gates McFadden. Starring Robert Joy, Tony Pasqualini, Eve Gordon, and Peter Larney, The Ugly One will play one preview performance tonight, February 14 and is set to open Saturday, February 15 with performances at 5pm and 8pm. The limited engagement will run through March 24.

The Ugly One is a comedy that tells the story of Lette, a successful engineer who after decades of contentment is suddenly confronted with the news that he is, in fact, unspeakably ugly. He sets out to change his looks and finds out that nothing can be taken at face value. The Ugly One is a whip-smart social satire from one of Germany's most exciting contemporary playwrights that lampoons our culture's quest for beauty.
Marius von Mayenburg is a playwright, translator, dramaturg, director and one of the most widely produced German playwrights. His plays have received productions at the Schaubühne/Berlin, the Royal Court Theater in London, and other major theaters around the world. His first play Fireface (Feuergesicht), premiered at the Kammerspiele in Munich and was subsequently produced at the Kleist Theater in Frankfurt and at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg. For Fireface, Mayenburg received the Award for Emerging Playwrights Kleistförderpreis für junge Dramatiker and the prize of the Frankfurt Writer's Foundation Preis der Frankfurter Autorenstiftung. All of Mayenburg's plays (more than 10) have been produced in Germany as well as worldwide. He is currently dramaturg and playwright-in- residence at the Schaubühne/Berlin.
Translator Maja Zade was raised in Germany and Sweden and studiEd English literature at London University and Queen's University in Canada. She has translated works by Marius von Mayenburg, Roland Schimmelpfennig, Lars Norén and Falk Richter into English.

Director Gates McFadden is also Artistic Director of EST/LA. Plays produced under her tenure include Julie Hebert'sTree, Nicholas Kazan's Mlle. God, Tom Jacobson's House of the Rising Son, Crack Whore Galore and House of Gold. Her acting credits include six years and four films portraying Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Taking Care of Business, and The Hunt for Red October. McFadden's numerous acting credits include Cloud Nine, A Midsummer Night's Dream, How to Say Goodbye, Emerald City, The Homecoming, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, Viva Detroit, and EST/LA's The Shore. On TV: Marker, Mad About You, and numerous guest roles. A well-known teacher of the techniques of Jacques Lecoq, her faculty positions have included AADA, Brandeis, Harvard, NYU, Tisch School of Arts, The Stella Academy in Hamburg, and University of Pittsburgh.

Set and projection design for The Ugly One are by Hana S. Kim, lighting design is by Pablo Santiago, costume design is by Catherine Baumgardner, sound design is by Joseph 'Sloe' Slawinski, and the stage manager is Marissa Drammissi. Producers for EST/LA are Mina Sharpe and Gabrieal Griego.

There will be one preview performance of The Ugly One on Friday, February 14 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, February 15 with performances at 5pm and 8pm. The running schedule will be Saturdays at 5pm and 8pm, Sundays at 7pm, and Mondays at 8pm through March 24. Preview tickets are $15 and regular tickets are $25. All seats are general admission and may be purchased online at www.EnsembleStudioTheatreLA.org or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/556574 or by calling (323) 644-1929. The Speakeasy at Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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