Friendship, Politics, And Bizarre Family Rituals Combine in PAGAN CENTURY

PAGAN CENTURY, a frenetic and turbulent dark comedy about friendship, politics, and a bizarre family ritual is set for a limited workshop production on Hollywood's Theatre Row.

Dedicated to presenting gripping dramas and bold dark comedies about issues that matter to an audience of concerned, global citizens, this production of PAGAN CENTURY marks the return of North By South Theatre Los Angeles to the local scene. The company's Literary Manager Jeremiah Munsey and Artistic Director Matt Aaron Krinsky take on multiple roles with this production as Playwright and Director, respectively.

"Jeremiah is an especially skilled writer who possesses a strong viewpoint that enables him to write thought-provoking pieces and yet his plays are also immensely entertaining," says Director Krinsky. "Knowing this, I seized on the opportunity to further develop this piece and workshop the production with him, especially at a time when we need constant reminders that while change may be inevitable, our definitions of right and wrong must remain immutable."

The show stars a talented ensemble of actors - Josh Adam as Carlo Silvester, Stephen Fergusonas Cecil Birch, Kyle Garibaldi as Dean Westerberg, Amira Nader as Leyla Salim, Alissa Nordmoe as Maura Trawlaney, Chase Anderson Shaw as Barrett Trawlaney, Olivia Hope Talbott as Charlotte Dalton, and Kevin Tomlinson as Mike Burke - who find themselves questioning their relationships, their beliefs, and even their own identities.

As Playwright Munsey describes, "Early in the play, a character is planning to leave the US, most likely forever, and when asked why she replies, 'We tried it here. History just didn't play along.' I think this line is close to the heart of the play. One of the things I wanted to deal with in this play is how forces beyond our control - war, politics, family struggles - end up effecting us personally and directly, disrupting our love lives, ending friendships, and most of all shaping what we believe in and why. All of the characters in this play are forced to answer for their owns beliefs and the choices they make. In this world, no one has the luxury of staying neutral."

PAGAN CENTURY will run for eight performances from Friday, November 23 thru Sunday, December 02, 2018 - Fri 11/23 (8pm); Sat 11/24 (8pm); Sun 11/25 (2pm); Thu 11/29 (8pm); Fri 11/30 (8pm); Sat 12/1 (8pm); Sun 12/2 (2pm, 8pm) - in the Ruby Theatre at The Complex Hollywood, located at 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038. General admission tickets are $18 and $12 for students, both inclusive of all taxes and fees. For tickets, information, and industry comps, visit PaganCentury.BrownPaperTickets.com.

ABOUT PAGAN CENTURY

"You can't change your past, but you can burn it down."

When twin siblings Maura and Barrett decide to bring their old group of friends back together for one last party before selling their family home to developers, they think they're just reenacting the last of their peculiar family rituals: a "birthday party" for a pioneer baby buried on the property hundreds of years before. But old friends, betrayals, politics, and alcohol can make for a volatile combination, and before the night is through these old friends realize that this isn't a party: it's a wake - for their friendships, their long-held beliefs, and the people they used to be. Set in the college town of Morgantown, West Virginia, this dark comedy deals with the fear, confusion, and anxiety that comes with growing up in this turbulent and uncertain new century, where it seems as if not just the rules, but the games themselves, have all been changed.

North By South Theatre Los Angeles (NXS) is a nonprofit arts organization with a mission to develop plays that address issues of global justice and the state of the human condition, and introduce these plays to the professional theatre community toward the goal of a world premiere. NXS aims to stimulate dialogue about the largest problems confronting humanity today: war, poverty, hunger, human rights. NXS also wants to examine what it means to be human in a chaotic and rapidly changing world, striving to accomplish these goals through a playwright-centered approach. Many play development programs suffered as a result of the most recent financial crises and NXS aims to fill that void by nurturing new works to the point at which they're ready to be sent out into the world to live full and productive lives. www.facebook.com/NBSLA.

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