Laguna Playhouse Presents Hilarious Comedy BILLY & RAY

Hollywood legends, director Billy Wilder and crime novelist Raymond Chandler, battled censors, and each other, to write the classic film noir "Double Indemnity." Go behind-the-scenes on this deadly funny journey through a war of creativity between two brilliant writers who nearly killed each other during the making of this Academy Award nominated masterpiece.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Mike Bencivenga (Playwright) His full-length plays include Single Bullet Theory, Couplets, Billy & Ray, Summer On Fire and Bad Hearts. In 2013, BILLY & RAY won the W. Keith Hedrick award for best play. It premiered that year at The Falcon Theater under the direction of the legendary Garry Marshall. In 2014 Mike's political comedy, Summer On Fire, won the Christopher Wolk prize for excellence in playwriting. And earlier this year his play Bad Hearts won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award. He has also written and directed two feature films and is an Emmy award winning producer at WABC-TV in New York.

Michael Matthews (Director) Los Angeles: Charm (LA Premiere), Dream Boy (LA Premiere), Bootycandy (LA Premiere, LADCC Nomination, Production), Failure; a Love Story (Ovation Award Best Director) (LA Premiere), Sons of the Prophet (LA Premiere),Psyche; a Modern Rock Opera (World Premiere), Rabbit Hole (La Mirada), Funny Girl (3D Theatricals, Ovation Nomination Best Director), Peter Pan; The Boy Who Hated Mothers (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; LA Premiere),Very Still and Hard To See (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; World Premiere), The Color Purple, The Musical (Ovation and LA Weekly Awards Best Director and Best Produc- tion, Musical), What's Wrong With Angry? (Ovation Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play), Take Me Out! (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director) The Women of Brewster Place, the Musical (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director, Ovation Award Best Production, Musical; West Coast Premiere), Stupid Kids (LA Premiere), Beautiful Thing (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), The Bacchae (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), Broadway: Butley(Assistant Director). Chicago: What's Wrong With Angry? (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), In The Blood (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), Porcelain (Jeff Nomination, Best Director), The Judas Kiss (Chicago Premiere),Being 11 (World Premiere), and...for colored girls who have considered suicide.... International: The Bacchae (Edinburgh Theatre Festival, 2010). Michael is the recipient of the 2015 LADCC Award for Career Achievement in Direction.

The cast of BILLY & RAY features: Blake Ellis ("Jarhead," "Red Tails") as Billy Wilder, Nick Searcy ("Justified," "American Gothic") as Raymond Chandler, Scott Lowell ("Queer as Folk," "Bones") as Joe Sistrom and Joanna Strapp ("Medium," "Studio 60") as Helen Hernandez.

BILLY & RAY has assembled the following design team. Scenic Design is by Stephen Gifford. Lighting Design is by Luke Moyer. Sound Design is by Juan Sanson. Costume Design is by E.B. Brooks. Hair Consultant is Bobby Chamblee. The Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING

BILLY & RAY will begin previews on Wednesday, October 5; will open on Sunday, October 9 and will run through Sunday, October 30, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Performances will be Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm; Sundays at 1pm. There will be additional performances on Thursday, October 6; Thursday, October 20 & Thursday, October 27 at 2:00pm & Sunday, October 9 & 16 &at 5:30.

Tickets range from $35 - $75 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. Prices subject to change.

The box office is open Mondays - Saturdays: 12p.m. to 5 p.m. (open until showtime on performance days); Sundays: 11a.m. - 4p.m. For more information on all shows and programming visitwww.lagunaplayhouse.com. For more information on all shows and programming visitwww.lagunaplayhouse.com. Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.