NoHo ACE Presents EAST OF BERLIN, Previews 5/29-6/4 At NoHo Arts Center

The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) in association with 49th Parallel Theatre present the American Premiere of EAST OF BERLIN, written by Hannah Moscovitch and directed by Chris "CB" Brown and Sara Botsford. EAST OF BERLIN will preview on Friday, May 29 at 8pm; Saturday, May 30 at 8pm; Sunday, May 31 at 3pm and Thursday, June 4 at 8pm and will open on Friday, June 5 at 8pm and will run for seven weeks through Sunday, July 19 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

Can the words Holocaust and comedy exist in the same sentence? Yes, according to young Toronto playwright Hannah Moscovitch, whose audacious new play will have its American premiere at the NoHo Arts Center, after a wildly successful run in Toronto. EAST OF BERLIN is about the next generation and asks what happens when you discover your Father was a Nazi war criminal? What happens when two sons of SS Officers fall in love with each other? What happens when your Mother survives Auschwitz and you fall in love with a German? EAST OF BERLIN examines these impossibly difficult questions with sensitivity, and surprisingly, with humor.

CHRIS "CB" BROWN (Co-Director) was born in Canada to theatrical parents, who helped start the Shaw Festival Theatre. He worked at the Shaw Festival as a stage manager and assistant director to British director Derek Goldby. 1981 he went as Mr. Goldby's assistant director to the Stratford Festival of Canada for two seasons. CB then worked in Toronto, at Theater Passe Muraille, as a stage manager and assistant director, working on new Canadian plays. In 1985, he made a career shift, to work in film as an assistant to John Schlesinger. In 1988 creators Mark Frost and David Lynch recruited him to run the second unit on the critically acclaimed television show Twin Peaks. Having immersed himself in all aspects of the motion picture medium, CB went on to Boss Film Studios as a Visual Effects Producer for the features Outbreak, Waterworld, Turbulence, and Airforce One. He then served as the Visual Effects Supervisor and Second Unit Director for Wing Commander. Next he joined Sassoon Film Design, where he supervised Life is A House, Dark Blue, David Mamet's film Spartan, Irwin Winkler's De Lovely and more recently Lars and the Real Girl and Hamlet 2. CB has directed two short films and is in development on a 3D feature. Throughout his film career, CB has remained connected to the theater, directing plays for the LA based companies, Nexus, Circle West, Theatre Tribe and The NoHo Arts Center. In 2006 he and partner Sara Botsford created 49th Parallel Theatre, a company devoted to bringing Canadian plays to Los Angeles. They directed and produced the award winning Palace of the End, The Good Life, The Drawer Boy and last year's critically acclaimed production of Zastrozzi.

Sara Botsford (Co-Director) Theatre highlights: The Real Thing, Broadway and National tour, dir. Mike Nichols; Top Girls, (Obie Award); Romeo and Juliet, dir. Sir Peter Hall; Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, Present Laughter, Royal Family, Tamara, Candida, Uncle Vanya, Stratford Festival of Canada( 3 seasons) Film: The Egg Factory, The Fog, Still of the Night, Tremors 4,(DVD Exclusive Best actress Nomination) Legal Eagles, Jumping Jack Flash, By Design,(Genie nomination, Best actress) The Fixer. Television highlights: currently, SOPHIE,(Series lead) half hour comedy, ABC Family; long running Canadian series E.N.G, Series lead, (,Gemini Award, best actress); AMC series The Lot, Series lead; multiple guest stars in U.S. and Canada, including Medium, West Wing, ER, L Word, NYPD Blue, NCIS, Crossing Jordan, Law and Order, Ally McBeal etc. Directing: Feature film, Dead Innocent. In Theatre: Savage in Limbo, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Zastrozzi, History of Bowling, Palace of the End, Summer and Smoke, Cover of Life, The Good Life, On the Way Up, Dorothy Parker, Currently co-artistic director of 49th Parallel Theatre, with Christopher Brown,(www.49thparalleltheatre.com) and the author, co-creator, co director of CANOOKS, an original television comedy series, premiering in 2009. www.canooks.com. Sara coaches privately in NYC, LA Vancouver and Toronto.

HANNAN MOSCOVITCH (Playwright) past writing for the stage includes her short works Essay, The Russian Play, USSR, and Mexico City, her play for teenage audiences, In this World, and her Dora nominated full-length play, East of Berlin. Hannah's plays have been produced across the country, including at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto where she is currently playwright-in-residence, the Factory Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.

Next year, two of Hannah's new plays will premiere, The Children's Republic at Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company, and The Mill in Toronto at the Young Centre (Theatrefront producing). Hannah has been commissioned to create new plays with the Banff Centre, the Manhattan Theatre Club, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Volcano Theatre, Theatre Panik and 2b theatre company among others. Hannah is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada's acting program and she attended the University of Toronto.

The cast of EAST OF BERLIN features:
James Barry (Hermann) was most recently seen playing King Louis in the Stella Adler's production of the Musical Pope Joan. Favorite LA Credits include playing Claude in the Met Theatre's production of Hair, named Best Musical of the Year by LA Weekly.

RUSSELL SAMS (Rudi) favorite stage roles include the title role in Toyer, directed by Martin Bedvian, Cassio in Othello, Jeremy in James Duff's Homefront, and Lone Soldier in the original play, Shadows. Most notable television Guest Star appearances include the Visio Award winning episode of Crossing Jordan, as a schizophrenic, Ghost Whisperer CSI and Cold Case Favorite film roles include playing opposite Richard Gere in The Flock, Dick in The Rules of Attraction, and the yet to be released films, Amateurs and POX. Russell is currently studying with Eugene Lazarev, award winning actor of the Moscow Art Theatre.

CAROLYN STOTES (Sarah) passion for acting and the stage began in musical Theater Productions, including Pippin and West Side Story, at the Breck School. Her love of theatre drew her to study Shakespeare and acting at the NYU Tisch School Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Cambridge University in England. Moving to Los Angeles in 2001, she attended the USC theatre program, and soon landed on camera jobs in television, film, and national commercials with credits including shows on MTV, FOX, guest starring on Cold Case, and appearing in films such as Stuck on You and Bobby.

The production has assembled an award-winning design team. The Set Design is by Lacey Anzelc. The Lighting Design is by Sean Conlin. The Sound Design is by Jonathan Zenz. The Costume Design is by Curtis Jackson.
EAST OF BERLIN will preview on Friday, May 29 at 8pm; Saturday, May 30 at 8pm; Sunday, May 31 at 3pm and Thursday, June 4 at 8pm and will open on Friday, June 5 at 8pm and will run for seven weeks through Sunday, July 19 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. Ticket prices are $25.00 for all performances. Student/Senior Tickets and preview are $20. For tickets, please call 818-508-7101 x7 or visit www.thenohoartscenter.com.

THE NOHO ARTS CENTER and THE NOHO ARTS CENTER ENSEMBLE (formerly Open At The Top Productions) were created in 2004, when theatre veterans James J. Mellon and Kevin Bailey partnered with Doug Hutchinson and purchased the American Renegade Theatre. Following extensive renovations, the newly christened The NoHo Arts Center opened its doors in September of 2004. The Center's resident company - the multiple award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) - is comprised of actors, directors and writers, galvanized into a passionate ensemble that creates new plays and musicals, adopting as their vision statement "Theatre for Its Own Sake."

THE NOHO ARTS CENTER and THE NOHO ARTS CENTER ENSEMBLE (formerly Open At The Top Productions) were created in 2004, when theatre veterans James J. Mellon and Kevin Bailey partnered with Doug Hutchinson and purchased the American Renegade Theatre. Following extensive renovations, the newly christened The NoHo Arts Center opened its doors in September of 2004. The Center's resident company - the multiple award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) - is comprised of actors, directors and writers, galvanized into a passionate ensemble that creates new plays and musicals, adopting as their vision statement "Theatre for Its Own Sake."

In its first season, producing as OPEN AT THE TOP, the company mounted two World Premiere musicals: THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR, and the West Coast Premiere of the musical DORIAN. The season also boasted both parts of Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA, the Los Angeles Premiere of Seth Greenland's JERUSALEM and four evenings of 24 HOURS OF MADNESS-where six 15-minute original plays are written, fully produced and performed off-book within a 24-hour period. Their second season brought the hit, re-imagined production of the musical BARNUM, the critically acclaimed ELIZABETH REX and the World Premiere musical A BOY CALLED LIZARD.

Seasons three and four brought the company even greater acclaim as it presented the world premiere play, FEED, written by company member Jim Lunsford; the West Coast Premiere of the hit New York musical revue, BUSH IS BAD; and the award winning play, PALACE OF THE END. The just completed fourth season brought three world premieres, the musicals YO HO HO! A PIRATE'S CHRISTMAS, and PEST CONTROL - THE MUSICAL, and the play DEPARTURES. The fifth season has already seen the updated BUSH IS BAD- Alaskan Beauty Queen Edition and the just concluded long-running hit revival of DRACULA. The American premiere of EAST OF BERLIN will be followed later this month by yet another world premiere musical from the team of James Mellon and Scott DeTurk, INSANITY. THE NOHO ARTS CENTER has garnered three Ovation Awards and 19 nominations; two Garland Awards, along with 10 nominations; eight ADA Awards (including Best Director and Choreography for LIZARD) and 24 nominations; three LA Weekly Awards and five LA WEEKLY nominations; and three LADCC Award nominations.

 

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