SISSYBOY to Open 2/12 at NoHo Arts Center

The multi award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) is thrilled to present a world premiere play, SissyBoy, written and performed by James Mellon and directed by Kevin Bailey. SissyBoy will begin previews on Friday, February 5 at 8pm; will open on Friday, February 12 at 8pm and run for eleven performances through Sunday, March 6, 2016 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim Blvd.) in North Hollywood.

Is sissy a noun or a verb? Come to SissyBoy and find out! Join James Mellon as he brings his funny, touching and true story of being branded a "sissy" to vivid life. Journey with James from the age of 7 to 61; from young Catholic school boy to Chippendales stripper; from performing with drag queens to starring on Broadway; from party boy to parent; from dancer to cancer to living the answer. If it takes a big man to cry - it takes an even bigger man to be a ... SissyBoy.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

JAMES MELLON (Writer/Performer) James Mellon is proud to be the Artistic Director of The NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE), the resident theatre company of The NoHo Arts Center in Los Angeles, California. His extensive background in the entertainment industry covers theatre, television, film, recording and dance.

As an actor, he made his Broadway debut as Riff in West Side Story, directed by Jerome Robbins, and performed in many plays and musicals, including A Chorus Line (Broadway), 42nd Street (National Tour), The Fifth Of July (Regional) and as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (Chicago). He has worked at such theatres as The Goodspeed Opera House, The New York Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, The Kennedy Center, The Folger Theatre in Washington D.C., as well as The Williamstown Theatre Festival.

For NoHo ACE, Mr. Mellon directed Jerusalem, A Boy Called Lizard (Ovation nomination - Original Musical), Feed (LA Weekly nomination - Direction), The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (Ovation nomination, LA Weekly nomination - Original Musical), Bush Is Bad (LA Weekly Award - Acting Ensemble, nomination - Best Musical) and Pest Control (LA Weekly nomination - Best Musical), The Red Room and The Light Bulb (both World Premiere Plays). He is also the director/writer/co-composer of the NoHo ACE seasonal yuletide hit Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas.

As a writer, Mr. Mellon adapted Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" into the World Premiere Musical Dorian, which premiered at The Denver Center's Buell Theatre in the fall of 2004. It subsequently opened The NoHo Arts Center's first season in 2005 and went on to receive Ovation, LA Weekly, Backstage and Drama Critics nominations. It is currently being translated into Dutch and will receive its premiere in Amsterdam in the spring of 2016. James adapted The Ghost & Mrs. Muir from the novel of the same name as well as adapting A Boy Called Lizard

from the Dennis Covington novel "Lizard." His original musical, An Unfinished Song, was nominated for numerous awards and has been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Maine and Sydney, Australia.

Two of Mr. Mellon's original musicals have been published by Samuel French, Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas and A Boy Called Lizard. The latter received the 2012 AATE Award (American Association for Theatre and Education) for best adaptation of a musical from Samuel French.

James is the Founding Pastor and Spiritual Director of the Global Truth Center and shares his life with his husband of 25 years, Kevin Bailey, and their sixteen-year-old twins, Will and Nora. Their Production Company, MB Artists, Inc., was the Executive Producer of the Holland Taylor penned play, ANN, which premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Ms. Taylor went on to receive a Tony Nomination for her performance as Governor Ann Richards of Texas as well as numerous other awards and accolades. Mr. Mellon is the author of the book MENTAL MUSCLE: 16 WEEKS OF SPIRITUAL BOOT CAMP, and he lectures throughout the United States and Canada. More information about his spiritual work can be found at: www.globaltruthcenter.org

KEVIN BAILEY (Director/Producer) Kevin is a Los Angeles based producer and general manager and actor with his company MB Artists, founded with partner James J. Mellon. In 2013, he served as the Executive Producer for the Broadway play ANN, starring Holland Taylor, which he spearheaded from the play's inception. ANN played at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater and garnered a Tony Nomination for Ms. Taylor as "Best Actress." MB Artists produced and represented Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard and their four highly successful plays in the Greater Tuna cycle, and continues to represent and produce the new works of Mr. Williams. In 2012, Mr. Bailey and MB Artists General Managed and locally produced the highly successful and critically acclaimed production of The Gronholm Method, that was presented at The Falcon Theater, in Los Angeles. Prior to that, MB Artists produced the world premiere of I Heard That, at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas. Since 1992, MB Artists has been developing and producing theatrical, film, television and industrial productions worldwide. In their twenty-year history, MB Artists has created and General Managed over 50 theatrical productions, three films and dozens of industrials. MB Artists and NoHo ACE produced the world premiere of Scott Carter's acclaimed play, The Gospel According To Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens AND Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, and Scary Musical - The Musical. MB Artists uses its Los Angeles home, the award winning NoHo Arts Center, as a launching pad for many of its theatrical and media productions.

RAY GARCIA (Choreographer) Born in Texas, Ray now lives in Los Angeles and has performed all over the world. Ray choreographed A Chorus Line, at the Warner Grand Theatre LA, as well as, Top Rock at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. As a performer, some of his favorite credits include Fernando on Desperate Housewives, the independent film, Neverland and the feature film, Rent. His stage credits include Rent on Broadway as Angel, Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, Annie Get Your Gun as Tommy Keeler, Damn Yankees directed by Jason Alexander, Evita, Fame, Jesus Christ Superstar, La Cage Aux Folles as Hanna, Pippin, The Ten Commandments with Val Kilmer in Los Angeles, West Side Story and THE WHO'S Tommy. He has toured and performed with many artists such as Gloria Estefan, Debbie Gibson, Jody Watley and Vanessa Williams.

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