Ruskin Group Theatre Extends SIDEWAYS THE PLAY thru Oct 28

SIDEWAYS THE PLAY by Rex Pickett has extended its world premiere staging at Ruskin Group Theatre, running Fridays-Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm extended through October 28, 2012 (no performances 9/28-9/30).

Adapted by Rex Pickett from his own novel, SIDEWAYS THE PLAY is the story of two friends - Miles and Jack – and their journey across the Santa Ynez wine country, on one last blowout trip before Jack gets married. Miles and Jack must face their uncertain futures…just as soon as they figure out how to survive their chaotic present.

Previously adapted as a major motion picture, Sideways garnered numerous nominations and awards, including an Academy Award win, two Golden Globe Awards, four NY Film Critics Circle Awards, a SAG Award, six IFP Independent Spirit Awards, and is one of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Top Ten Films of 2004.

FREE WINE TASTINGS AT PERFORMANCES will include offerings from Sonoma Coast Vineyard, Dunstan Wines, Sharp Cellars, Silver Mountain, Carlton Cellars, Domaine Gerbuaut, Gioia, Willamette Valley Vineyards, Bouchaine Vineyards, Roots Wines, Leucadia Red, Waits-Mast Family Cellars, Alysian, and more...

SIDEWAYS THE PLAY will continue on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm through October 28, 2012 (no performances 9/28-9/30). Ruskin Group Theatre is located at 3000 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, Calif. Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) and can be purchased in advance by calling (310) 397-3244. For more information, visit www.ruskingrouptheatre.com. Ample free parking is available at the theater.

REX PICKETT (Playwright) is the author of the novel Sideways and its sequel Vertical. He has written and directed two feature films, California Without End, From Hollywood to Deadwood, and numerous screenplays. In 2000 the film of his short script, My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York (directed by Barbara Schock), won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. In 2004, the Alexander Payne-directed movie Sideways, based upon Rex’s novel, was released to worldwide critical acclaim, winning over 350 awards from various critics and awards organizations, including 5 New York Film Critics Circle awards, 5 L.A. Film Critics awards, 6 IFP Independent Spirit Awards, 2 Golden Globes, and the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It is enshrined with a plaque on the wall of the Writers Guild of America Theater as one of the 101 Greatest Screenplays in the history of motion pictures. Rex is currently writing a pilot for HBO and a script for Barbara Schock called On Tour with Max.

“I hate the dispiriting nature of development – i.e. screenwriting, but the stage is a fresh vehicle for audiences to experience the original story. This team at the Ruskin was so passionate about theater, so certain that ‘Sideways’ based on my novel -- not the film -- would lend itself to the stage, that this time the development process became truly rewarding.”

AMELIA MULKEY (Director) is a director in theater and film. She cut her teeth in filmmaking by working as a producing director's assistant for several television shows including Saving Grace, Army Wives, and Lie to Me. Since then, Amelia has produced and directed several short films including Unicorn Girl, which screened at several festivals last year. She graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Art History and Theatre from Loyola Marymount University. Amelia has worked on several stage productions at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre, and has been tapped numerous times to direct CAFÉ PLAYS, the popular Ruskin Group Theatre event which sells out monthly. Other stage credits include When the Speak of Rita, Bash, The Laramie Project, Denty Crisis, and Lend Me a Tenor. Most recently, she directed a critically acclaimed production of Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Monday's at Ruskin Group Theatre, which received a Backstage Critic's Pick, an Ovation Recommendation, and 6 nominations including "Best Director" from The LA Stage Alliance.

RUSKIN GROUP THEATRE has been making an impact on the Los Angeles theatre scene with an eclectic mix of thought provoking plays, garnering numerous “recommendations” from local critics. Ruskin’s Fostering Imagination program sponsors foster kids in theatre & film classes that produce several original shows each year. The CAFÉ PLAYS, created by RGT are produced monthly and are the culmination of writers, actors, and directors who meet at 9am, where they are given a theme. They then write, produce, and perform a show by 7pm the same day. When celebrating their 8th anniversary, RGT supporters Ed Asner, Dylan McDermott, Chris Mulkey, Olivia d'Abo, and other industry celebrities joined to produce the Best of Café Plays (both shows sold out within hours). Anthony Hopkins and Anthony Franciosa were some of the first teachers at Ruskin School of Theatre.

Jonathan Bray (Jack) has appeared with Frank Langella in The Father and with Nathan Lane and Sarah Jessica Parker for The Roundabout Theatre’s benefit performance of Once In A Lifetime. Most recently he appeared as The Narrator in Craig Wright's The Pavilion and as Valene in The Lonesome West. TV credits include episodes of ABC's Man Up and Showtime's new comedy House of Lies. Jonathan stars in The Walkaround, a mockumentary about auto shows, set to premiere at the Indie Spirit Film Festival in 2012.

JOHN COLELLA (Miles) is a 2012 Indie Soap Award Winner - Best Actor in a Comedy for his Web Series, Vampire Mob. Film credits include: Hotel Noir, Girl Walks Into a Bar (1st Major Motion Picture made exclusively with and for YouTube), The Chicago 8, and The Swear Police (LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival winner). He has also been seen on Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, CSI: NY, American Dreams, Will & Grace, The West Wing, and NYPD Blue. Theatre credits include: Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Italian American Reconciliation, Faithful, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and Lobby Hero.

Julia McIlvaine (Maya) last appeared at the Ruskin in A Memory of Two Mondays, and was seen as Duenna in their production of Cyrano. In New York, Julia appeared in Henry VIII at The Public Theatre’s NYSF, Pride’s Crossing at Lincoln Center, and Marsha Norman’s Trudy Blue at the Manhattan Theatre Company. For CBS, ABC and Fox, she has appeared in four television pilots, and movies for HallMark Hall of Fame. Julia is a graduate of the USC School of Theatre.

CLOE KROMWELL (Terra) was seen as Roxanne in Cyrano and in the role of Teresa in John Patrick Shanley’s Italian American Reconciliation, both produced at the Ruskin. Her film credits include the shorts Goodbye, Nice to Meet You, Dadlands, and the feature film Moustache.

C.J. STRAWN (Designer) was set and costume designer at La Mama Theatre in NYC for playwrights and directors such as Sam Shepherd and Andrei Serban. She toured with The company to work at The Royal Court Theatre in London, the Mickery Theatre in Amsterdam, and the Spolletto Festival in Italy. C.J. has been a Production Designer in the film and television industry on numerous projects, and has worked for New Line Cinema: (4) Nightmare on Elm Street films, The Hidden, and many “Indi” films.

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