Hollywood Stage Company to Launch with BENT This Winter

The "Hollywood Stage Company" has been launched in Los Angeles as a brand new troupe of regionally-based, seasoned and up-and-coming actors, singers, dancers and stage crew whose goal is to present a series of classic and iconic live theatrical presentations. The new troupe's first presentation, the Holocaust-themed play "Bent," by Martin Sherman, will debut on January 6, 2017, at the Hollywood Stage Company Theater, located at 6520 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, CA.

Longtime writer, director, actor, producer and photographer Robert Hayman, and noted singer, actress and writer Rachel Ewy are the creative duo behind the launch of the Hollywood Stage Company: Hayman serves as Artistic Director; Ewy is Producing Director. Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell has become a strong proponent for - and one of the driving forces behind - the launch of the Hollywood Stage Company.

"Live theater creates vibrant communities and positively contributes to the local economy," said Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell. "I am pleased to partner with the Hollywood Stage Company and help them bring their work to this part of my district, which is quickly becoming a hub for the arts with plans for affordable housing to help our creative class."

Regarding the launch of the Hollywood Stage Company, Hayman said, "Rachel and I have been extremely fortunate to have assembled an amazing group of like-minded performers who have a strong passion for theater - a medium unlike any other. A live show can grip an audience, make them laugh or cry in their seats, and really move them intensely and emotionally. We are thrilled to have launched our dream, and will present numerous well known shows in the years ahead."

Why "Bent?" Says Hayman, "With our next Vice President Mike Pence believing that homosexuality can be 'cured,' we are standing in a very strange and possibly volatile moment in history. President-Elect Donald Trump has shown us that perhaps discrimination still plays a viable role in our American society. With 'Bent,' we want to shine a light on a horrible evil - an evil we can only strive to NEVER LET HAPPEN AGAIN. Now is the time for artists to use their voices and their talents to educate and enlighten. Art is the most powerful force we have to fight the ignorance plaguing our world."

Adds Rachel Ewy, "I've always loved the theater - just walking into a theater gives me a great feeling of joy. Robert and I have been friends for 20 years - he first met me when I was a little kid dancing around my parents' living room. When I moved to LA and he suggested that we team up to give birth to the Hollywood Stage Company, it just made sense. He brings a very strong, creative vision of the potential for our endeavor, while I bring my execution, marketing and production skills. We make a great team."

"We chose to launch our company with 'Bent' because of the show's message, which preaches love over hate," Ewy continues. "The theme of the show reminds us of the tragedies that can occur when one group of people gets elevated above another, and the equality of all people is forgotten. Post-Trump election, that message is even more important now than ever before."

Newcomer Lior Burlin will star as "Max" in the Hollywood State Company's production of "Bent." Acclaimed artist Mel Odom designed the art for the "Bent" playbill and poster for the Hollywood Stage Company.

Noted Drag Queen and choreographer Laganja Estranja (Jay Evan Jackson), and other actors and dancers will collaborate with Hayman to create a "party scene" which will immediately immerse audiences in a 1930's Berlin Germany nightclub atmosphere, as they enter the theater prior to the start of each performance. "I'm sugar coating nothing," says Hayman. "'Bent' is intended to provoke strong emotions and it is my plan to stay true to the intense subject matter of Martin Sherman's play and to give the audience the harrowing theatrical experience it is intended to be."

"Bent" will run from Jan 6th through Jan 29th, with evening shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and matinees on Sundays. Tickets will be $25. To purchase advance tickets to "Bent," see hollywoodstagecompany.tix.com.

"Bent" is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman which revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the "Night of the Long Knives" (June 30, 1934). The title of the play refers to the slang word "bent" used in some European countries to refer to homosexuals.

The play starred Ian McKellen in its original 1979 West End production, and turned Richard Gere into a star during its original 1980 Broadway production. In 1989, Sean Mathias directed a revival of the play, performed as a one-night benefit for Stonewall, featuring Ian McKellen, Richard E Grant, Ian Charleson, and Ralph Fiennes. After receiving critical acclaim, Mathias directed a full run in 1990, with Ian McKellen, Paul Rhys, and Christopher Eccleston, which won the City Limits Award for Revival of the Year.

In 1997, Martin Sherman adapted "Bent" into a film of the same name, which was directed by Sean Mathias and starred Clive Owen, Ian McKellen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Mick Jagger, Jude Law and Paul Bettany.

Artistic Director Robert Hayman made his stage debut at age eleven, and at twelve was cast in the world premiere musical "Great Expectations," originating the role of Herbert Pocket. He has been acting and directing ever since.

As an actor, he has played Fred in "Kiss Me Kate," Bill in "Me and My Girl," John Barrymore in "I Hate Hamlet," Charlie in "The Foreigner," and Allan in "Play It Again, Sam," as well as many other equally diverse roles.

Robert has also directed many theatrical productions, including "Eleemosynary," "Ballroom," "Suddenly Last Summer" and "The Heiress."

Also a renowned still photographer, Robert has, during his career, worked very closely with musician/actor Steven Van Zandt, superstar male model Leebo Freeman, the glamrock group IAMX, and, most recently, music artist Brooke Candy.

In 2012, Robert moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a writer and director in television and film. In the years since, he felt creatively fulfilled save for one thing: live theater. Now partnering with his longtime friend Rachel Ewy, Robert has come back to the stage as he takes on the role of Artistic Director of the theater group he and Ewy have launched together: the Hollywood Stage Company.

In addition to his work with the Hollywood Stage Company, Robert is also currently finishing the sci-fi short film "Channel," which he wrote and directed. He is preparing to pitch a TV mini-series based on "Channel" to numerous cable and streaming television networks. Earlier, he was an Airborne Paratrooper with the U.S. Army. Please see vimeo.com/roberthayman.

Producing Director Rachel Ewy has been singing since she could talk, and has always loved theater. She worked with Robert Hayman in her very first production, "Gypsy" (as "Baby June"), in Naples, Florida, in 2000. Since then, her favorite roles have been Miss Dorothy in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Peggy Sawyer in "42nd Street," and Belle in "Beauty and the Beast."

A talented writer, singer, actor and producer, Rachel relocated to Los Angeles in early 2016 after spending many years working in corporate marketing, event production and content creation for various tech clients and companies, including Google.

Her goal with the Hollywood Stage Company is to dive deeper into her creative abilities and to further pursue her true passion - the theater. Go to www.rachelewy.com.

Founded in 2016 by Robert Hayman and Rachel Ewy, the Hollywood Stage Company's mission is to create intelligent, thought-provoking, and dynamic theatrical productions for the Los Angeles community. The Hollywood Stage Company will produce works in both the classic and conceptual realms of theater, always striving to push the envelope and put forth original, powerful art that transports, transforms and transcends.

For more information, please visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hollywoodstagecompany, follow them on Instagram: @hollywoodstagecompany, or send them an email at hollywoodstagecompany@gmail.com.

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