Katselas Theatre Company Presents World Premiere of A CHILD LEFT BEHIND, 4/21-5/26

It was time to speak up. When LAUSD teacher and playwright Alan Aymie was given his second pink slip from the school district that he had worked for since 1998, and later "graded" by the LA Times, he decided it was time to use his writing to provide a voice for the teaching professional. While painting a portrait of the daily challenges that teachers face in Los Angeles, Aymie also takes a look at his own experiences of trying to teach his son who was recently assessed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

"I was trying to be a good teacher and the person (my son) who I really needed to teach, I couldn't reach" – explains Aymie.

A dramatic response to the LA Times "value-added" teacher ratings, while taking a personal look at Asperger's Syndrome, A Child Left Behind was developed in the KTC INKubator Series.

A CHILD LEFT BEHIND opens April 21st with a benefit performance for Jenny McCarthy's autism organization Generation Rescue. Performance times are Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm through May 26th. The Beverly Hills Playhouse is located at 254 South Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Tickets are $50-$75 for the opening night benefit performance (with all proceeds going to support families affected by autism. Tickets for all other performances are $20- $25. (a portion of the ticket sales will support Generation Rescue Foundation).

Reservations: 702 KTC-TKTS (702-582-8587) or online at www.ktctickets.com.

ALAN AYMIE (Writer/Performer) is an award-winning playwright (Rap - AAPEX Best New Play). A Child Left Behind marks Aymie’s first solo piece since his critically acclaimed, Child’s Play. The play was seen at the HBO Workspace, the Aspen Comedy Festival, PSNBC and various theaters in Los Angeles, New York, DC, Boston, Ojai, and in Colorado. Alan Aymie in A CHILD LEFT BEHIND Photo by Ed Krieger

Paul Stein (Director) has directed numerous one-person shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Toronto including productions at United Solo, soloNova, Summer Works Festival, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and Hollywood Fringe. His latest directed solo show Antonio Sacre's The Next Best Thing won "Best Storyteller" at United Solo and is nominated for a 2012 LA Weekly Award for Solo Performance. Paul is the Artistic Producer and Conceiver of The Car Plays with recent presentations at RADAR LA, Segrestrom Center and The La Jolla Playhouse. He is the Artistic Director of the Comedy Central Stage in Hollywood.

THE KATSELAS THEATRE COMPANY is widely respected for its history of developing artists (actors, musicians, writers, designers, and directors) while helping to create the next generation of theatre goers – thus its passion for new original plays that speak to today’s audiences. In just the last two years KTC has produced eleven World Premiere productions including 2010’s staging of Influence, which garnered a Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle nomination and two LA Weekly nominations (Best Play, Best Production). KTC believes in the importance of the artist in our community. Its programs, (INKubator, SoloMojo, KTC Playwrights Lab, KTC Kids, and New Voices), its workshops - even its main stage productions are designed to help the artist find their unique voice and achieve their vision….and audiences love it! All by itself, in just two small theatres, KTC’s monthly INKubator series (launched Jan 2011) has premiered new works-in-progress by eleven musicians and more than twenty Los Angeles writers ages 17 to 80 for more than 860 audience members. Adding audience “chats” and quarterly follow-ups with the artists to monitor their progress; the entire venture has been an unqualified success.

GARY GROSSMAN (Producer/Artistic Director) started his career in New York at The Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse. He has produced over 300 stage plays, including more than 50 world premieres. Among his celebrated productions are Romeo and Juliet directed by Milton Katselas (3 LADCC Awards), Dylan (3 LADCC Awards), Dream Man, Lone Star, Balm In Gilead, Four, The Tenth Man, Visions and Lovers, Rabbit Hole, La Ronde De Lunch, Influence, and Mad Women. In addition to his work for the Katselas Theatre Company, Gary has produced for the prestigious Matrix Theatre Company, where he was associated with the celebrated productions The Homecoming, Endgame, and The Seagull. For television he co-produced Sadie and Son (CBS) and the sitcom pilot Man In The Kitchen (ABC). He is the Executive Producer for award-winning director Chuck Workman's documentary, The Actor’s Life.

LES WILLIAMS (Co-Producer) As an actor, Les has appeared in theatre, film and television. Some of his credits include originating roles in Lynn Mamet’s, The Walking Wounded and Larry Cohen’s, Fallen Eagle. Popular TV show, Days of Our Lives, made for TV movies, Sketch Artist II and Enemy Within. Film credits include Training Wheels (an official selection of the Phoenix Film Festival), Play the Game with Andy Griffith and Doris Roberts and most recently The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, which had its world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose in March, 2012. After several years as a development professional for the Anti-Defamation League and raising millions of dollars to fight anti-Semitism, bigotry and hate, he was approached by Director/Writer C. Jay Cox (Sweet Home Alabama and Latter Days) to Executive Produce his first feature, Kiss the Bride starring Tori Spelling, Joanna Cassidy, Robert Foxworth, Tess Harper and Dean McDermott. A Child Left Behind marks Les’ theatre producing debut. Realizing his talent for raising money, Les created his own Production Company, Silver Lake Pictures. He has several films in various stages of development and looking to have his first feature film Love In Pieces in production by Fall, 2012.

GENERATION RESCUE Founded in 2005 by parents JB & Lisa Handley, Generation Rescue is dedicated to recovery for children with autism spectrum disorders by providing guidance and support to directly improve a child’s quality of life. The organization provides education, support, a toll-free hotline and treatment options to families in need, helping more than 25,000 a year.

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