SIDETRACKED Closes at Macha Theatre

Sharon Michaels in association with the Macha Theatre presents SIDETRACKED, a world premiere whodunit set in the Golden Age of Hollywood, directed by Ray A. Rochelle. The play opens with five passengers waiting to board the train at L.A.'s Union Station – and each of them has a motive for the murder that's just been discovered. This gripping dramedy pays homage to an earlier era with nods to film noir, Bogart and Bergman, and Fred and Ginger, too. Through February 19, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. Tickets: $20-$25. Buy Tickets/Info: www.plays411.com/sidetracked or (323) 960-7724. Macha Theatre, 1107 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood 90069.

Cast: Bix Barnaba, Michele Bernath, Carlos Ciurlizza, Sondra Currie, James Gleason, David P. Johnson, and Jamison Lingle.

Production Team BIOS

Sharon Michaels (Writer-Producer) started out as a ballet dancer, worked in Alicia Alonso's ballet company for three seasons, danced in several Broadway shows including Carnival, La Plume de Ma Tante, and numerous Off- Broadway shows as well. Ms. Michaels performed in musical films such as West Side Story, Dr. Dootlittle (the pushmi-pullyu), and Mame: and then began writing. Her first produced script, In My Daughter's Name, was a courtroom drama produced on TV Movie on CBS. A novel, CHASING A DREAM, a family saga, is currently on sale on Amazon.com. SIDETRACKED is her third play.

Ray A. Rochelle (Director) Ray’s began 25 years ago with his first professional musical production of “Music Man” for the former San Gabriel Civic Light Opera (now the San Gabriel Valley Music Theatre). Over the years he has performed for major cruise lines and in over 40 professional musical productions with several different companies such as (East West Players, Music Theatre Guild, Stella Productions and San Bernardino Civic Light Opera to name a few). After touring nationally and internationally with Miss Saigon, Ray had the opportunity to associate direct and choreograph the first western regional production of Miss Saigon for Fullerton Civic Light Opera in 2005, which garnered him Ovation Awards for Best Musical and Best Direction. He directed and executive produced Miss Saigon once again for his home theatre company (the San Gabriel Valley Music Theatre) May 2010. For the past two years, he has worked side by side with Producing Artistic Director Bobby Hundley, in every event and project promoted for SGVMT. Directing is a new passion for him, and in addition to SIDETRACKED, Ray is currently directing SGVMT’s An Intimate Evening of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber – A Concert of Love premiering February 4th.

Rikki Lugo (Associate Producer) has been the Resident Choreographer and Director for the San Gabriel Music Theater for the past 25 years. Recent shows include The King and I and Oliver, choreographed Palm Springs Follies, Disneyland and the American Girl Revue at the Grove in Los Angeles. Staged night club acts in Aruba, Orlando and Nashville. She is the recipient of several Drama Logue Awards and the Robby Award. When not choreographing or directing, she teaches dance. She will be directing a musical for San Gabriel this spring.

Cast BIOS

Bix Barnaba Recent local stage appearances are the Group Rep’s productions of Barefoot in the Park and The City at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in NoHo. TV appearances include: "PARTY DOWN", "WARREN THE APE", “C.S.I.”, “ARLISS”, “BOOMTOWN”, “THE SIXTIES”, “BONNIE HUNT”; FILMS: “THE BABE”,”LIAR, LIAR”, and “DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS”. Mr. Barnaba has created a solo show about Harry Truman, Give ‘em Hell, Harry, and has performed it in New York Off- Broadway. He is currently producing an Englsih language play in Rome Italy, “ITALIA E' UNA POSTA SPECIALMENTE.”

Michele Bernath has her MFA from UCLA. As a musical comedy performer she has appeared in New York, Las Vegas and with numerous national touring companies. Some of her favorite roles have included Minnie Faye in Hello Dolly, Aunt Sue in No No Nanette and Anybody’s in West Side Story. Her Group Rep Theatre Company credits include Chaim’s Love Song, Nice Family Gathering, Over The River and Through the Woods and, most recently, String of Pearls. Her TV appearances include “Columbo”, “Murder She Wrote”, “Taxi” and “Laverne and Shirley.”

Carlos Ciurlizza was born and raised in Peru. He moved to Los Angeles to attend an acting program at The Sanford Meisner Center, which he graduated from in 2008. In 2009, he graduated with honors from Santa Monica College in Theater Arts. Acting theatre credits: Matthew Modine saves the Alpacas (Geffen Playhouse) directed by TONY award-winning director John Rando; LA Opera’s IL Postino starring Placido Domingo (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion); LA Opera’s Rigoletto directed by TONYaward- winning director Mark Lamos. Film credits: “7 days” (Dir. Erika Olmos), “Online” (Dir. Douglas Spain), “Ready to Talk” (Dir. Angeles Reine); TV credits: America’s Most Wanted (FOX), “No me hallo” (Univision), “Burned” (BET) and the pilot “Be Forever Now”. As a writer, he has written four screenplays: "The Arch", "Take me with you" (pre-selected into the 2012 Sundance screenwriting lab), "Ready to talk" (short film that premiered at the 2011 Seville European Film Festival) and “Breathe”.

Sondra Currie has worked consistently for many years in film and TV, guest-starring in over 85 TV shows (most recently NCIS, Mental, Secret Life of the American Teenager) and reprised her role as Linda Garner in the blockbuster summer hit THE HANGOVER 2; Starring in Movies of the week: Kid Cop, The Secretary, The Perfect Wife, Hallmark’s Thicker Than Water and Dark Horizon), two Columbo movies: The Murder of a Rock Star & Murder in Malibu. She works in theatre every chance she gets (most recently Peter Lefcourt’s La Ronde de Lunch), plus Bill Blinn’s “The Play”. Theatre in LA includes Hatful of Rain, Chesterfield Woman, Doubleplay, The Women and Separate Rooms. In addition, Sondra has successfully produced several plays including "The Chesterfield Woman” at the Skylight. She was a founding member of Camelot Artists (now the Katselas Theatre Company), and a member of Milton Katselas’ master class for 17 years. Sondra is a member of Theatre West. She continues to study at the Actors Studio with Marty Landau and Mark Rydell.

James Gleason just returned from China where he appeared in THE BATTLE FOR THE PENTAGON PAPERS produced by LA Theatre Works. Theatre: U.S. premiere of David Hare 's STUFF HAPPENS at the Tape, Jack in the THE WEIR at Geffen Playhouse. SPEED-THE PLOW, CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS. STREAMERS ; TV: Jimmy McQuinn on THE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF MOLLY DODD among countless Guest Star Roles. Film: MOTHER with Albert Brooks, REVENGE OF THE NERDS and Gene Wilder’s THE WORLD'S GREATEST LOVER. He created the role of Charlie Brown in the musical SNOOPY. James is an L.A. DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER for his performance in Interact’s COUNSELLOR-AT-LAW AND STATE OF THE UNION. James wrote and stars in his one-man show ACTOR UNDER FIRE, about his experience in Viet Nam.

David P. Johnson is a recipient of multiple writing awards in addition to a Valley League Theatre Award as one of three producers of Theatre West’s A Very Brady Musical. David is also the author/composer of the celebrated, award-winning show Sally Spectre the Musical. As an actor, David has just been cast as ‘Tony Stark’ in Borderclash, and is proud to have acted in the first feature from Moonhill Productions, the critically acclaimed Driving by Braille. He can also be seen in Warner Brother’s J. Edgar, The Muppets, and was Johnny Depp’s body double in The Rum Diary. Future film releases include Nightfall Pictures’, Plaguers and Mutation, the latter of which he scored. David has appeared in multiple episodes of Spike TV’s 1,000 Ways to Die. On stage, he has worked with Janet Miller in Biloxi Blues, Sherwood and Lloyd J. Schwartz in Rockers, and at Theatre West in Something for the Boys, and Waiting in the Wings.

Jamison Lingle most recently starred as Rosamund in The Robber Bridegroom, at the International City Theater. Other recent credits include Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, and Josie Cohan in Richard M. Sherman and Milt Larsen’s new musical Pazzazz! Regional credits: Anything Goes (Dancer/Angel), A Christmas Carol (Belle), and Sorry Wrong Number (Mrs. Stevenson). Jamison is a graduate of the Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program at UCLA, and was a recipient of the John Raitt Scholarship for Musical Theater. She continues her education within the Aaron Spieser Acting Studio, and is an apprentice of the Pacific Resident Theatre Company, in Venice Beach.

To post a comment, you must register and login.