THE BLUE ROOM comes to The Odyssey Theatre

As sexual encounters and expectations of love fill the senses with hope of fulfillment, the next episode emerges. David Hare's adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's once banned Reigen transfers the action from Vienna circa 1900 to present day. The audience voyeuristically experiences a provocative daisy chain of relationships. The episodes, teasing to satisfy, scrutinize sexual morals and class ideology of human mating rituals. These rituals resonate...as clearly today as they did a century ago.

David Hare (Playwright) is considered to be one of the world's most important playwrights of the late 20th century. He was Resident Dramatist at The Royal Court Theatre, the Nottingham Playhouse, and has been Associate Director of the National Theatre since 1984. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. David's most celebrated works (among nearly 100) include the plays Plenty, Skylight, Knuckle (winner of the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), A Map Of The World, Stuff Happens, and The Vertical Hour as well as several films such as The Hours, The Reader (with Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet) and most recently the screenplay for the The Corrections (based on the novel by Jonathan Franzen). His work as a writer and director has garnered multiple awards including the Tony Award, New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival), Olivier Award, and Golden Globe and Satellite Award nominations.

Arthur Schnitzler (author of REIGEN) was born in Vienna in 1862 and was a celebrated Austrian doctor, playwright, novelist, and critic who dealt with the theme of illusion and reality in many variations. His works were often controversial, both for their frank description of sexuality as well as their strong stand against anti-Semitism. Schnitzler's response to critics who claimed his works all seemed to repeat the same subjects was, "I write of love and death, what other subjects are there?"

THE BLUE ROOM by David Hare opens March 25, 2010 and runs through May 2, 2010 at the Odyssey Theatre located at 2055 Sepulveda Blvd. LA, CA 90025. Previews 3/23 & 3/24 are $15. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased by calling (310) 477-2055 or at www.plays411.net/blueroom

ELINA de SANTOS (Director) is Co-Artistic Director at Rogue Machine where she recently helmed the highly acclaimed world premiere production of Razorback by John Pollono. For the Pasadena Playhouse, she directed Vincent In Brixtion (Nicholas Wright); for the Pacific Resident Theatre, Clifford Odets' Rocket To The Moon (LADCC Nominee for direction), Arthur Miller's death Of A Salesman, Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING, which garnered multiple awards including the top LADCC Award for performance, direction and production, and Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance; and for the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble; the LA Premiere and multi-award winning Speed The Plow by David Mamet, Arthur Miller's All My Sons, a nine month run of Clifford Odets' Awake And Sing! and Proof (David Auburn). For the Ark Theatre Company, Ibsen's A Doll's House - LA Weekly nomination for Best Direction 2007, and for Theatre of Note, They're Just Like Us. Regional theatres: Orphans (OC Weekly Best Production, BSW Best Production, LADCC Best Production Nomination), Romeo and Juliet: Circus Verona (Ovation Nomination), Berkshire Theatre Festival, Deaf West Theatre, International City Theatre. Elina is a member of the Actors' Studio Playwrights' and Directors' Unit.

SOLOCAT PRODUCTIONS (Producer) was established as an outlet for film, television and Theatre Projects that contribute artistic depth and integrity to the Los Angeles creative community. Sex, Lies + Corsets was Solocat's premiere production.

RACQUEL LEHRMAN (Marketing Producer) is the founder and managing director of Theatre Planners, a leading theatre production/PR firm. A graduate of NYU-Tisch School of the Arts, she spent over ten years producing theatre in New York. Theatre Planners quickly developed into a successful outlet for actors, producers and theatre companies. Theatre Planners orchestrates everything from publicity and consulting, to printing and graphics. Raquel's business acumen has been instrumental in keeping the Los Angeles theatre scene alive and strong. She acquired the Actor's Gang old space on El Centro and has developed it into The Lounge Theatre, in the same building where she now runs The Lounge 2 as part of her arts complex in Hollywood on Theatre Row.

ABOUT THE CAST

CHRISTINA DOW (The Woman) has lived and traveled all over the world but is currently residing in Los Angeles while working as an actress and producer. She has appeared in numerous New York productions and most recently here in Los Angeles at The Edgemar Center for the Arts in Sex, Lies + Corsets and In The Boom Boom Room. With Shakespeare & Company Christina has been seen in Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale. She received a B.A. in Art History from Boston College.

Christian Anderson (The Man) appeared in the award nominated Los Angeles premiere of Stop Kiss at Rogue Machine. He toured the country performing at Shakespearean companies including the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare Sedona, and Kentucky Shakespeare Festival. Christian soon begins work on a CW Network show and is currently working on the pilot for Gorgeous On Sunset. He worked The Male Room pilot as a guest host and has performed as a national on air host for HSN. Christian has appeared in series such as Will and Grace, According To Jim, and The Young And The Restless.

ABOUT THE DESIGN TEAM

Dennis Ballard (Costume Designer) designed Springscape, Tea and Temptation, and Staged Fright for American Ballet Theatre. Off-Broadway design credits include productions of Acts Of Love, Ascension, Frankenstein Summer, and Bartelby the Screwdriver. Dennis has designed at regional theaters and internationally including Florida Stage, Berkshire Theater Festival, Rogue Machine, and The Macau International Music Festival.

Leigh Allen (Lighting Designer) is a recipient of the Career Achievement Award for Lighting Design from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Previous work at the Odyssey includes: A Song At Twilight, Misalliance, Lobby Hero, and Mr. Kolpert. Other work includes: The Pirates Of Penzance (for Santa Barbara Opera), Champagne (for Regent Cruise Lines), Shimmy! (for Princess Cruise Lines), Killer Joe (winner of LA Ovation Award: Production of the Year), The Prince Of LA (at The Old Globe in San Diego), and Vincent At Brixton (at Pasadena Playhouse). Leigh has received the LA Drama Critics Circle and LA Weekly Lighting Design Awards for Johnny got His Gun.

Adam Flemming (Set & Projections Designer) recently designed Rogue Machine's critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere of Stop Kiss, The Man of LaMancha (Laguna Playhouse), Doubt (Santa Barbara Theater), The Ghost Building (Company of Angels), That Perfect Moment (NOHO Arts Center), Romeo and Juliet (Noise Within), Adramelech's Monologue (Bootleg), Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Too, The Last Sedar (Greenway), Women of Manhattan (Actors Studio LA), and Only Say the Word (EST LA). His Projection Designs include As White (Road Theater), The Designated Mourner (Son of Semele), Daughter of a Cuban Revolution (RedCat, INTAR NY, Miami Dade College, Teatro Experimental Guadalajara Mexico), Medusachrist (RedCat), and Will Rogers Follies (Diablo Light Opera). Adam is an MFA graduate of CalArts, a designer with the O'Neill Center National Playwright's Conference and an artistic associate with Son of Semele Ensemble.

CHRISTOPHER MOSCATIELLO (Sound Designer) is a composer and music director for theater, television and film as well as being a sound designer. His original compositions and Ovation Award nominated designs have been heard in the productions and programs of NBC, Fox Television, National Geographic, BBC, MSNBC, the Discovery Channel, AOL/Time Warner, The History Channel, ZDF Germany, The Smithsonian Institution, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Folger Shakespeare Theater, Rogue Machine, The Edgemar Theater, The Odyssey Theater, Santa Monica Playhouse, and The Road Theater Company. Christopher has served as the Associate Artistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Chamber Ensemble, he composed an original ballet commissioned by the Kirov Ballet Academy, and he acted as supervising composer for The Washington Opera's "Create and Produce" program.

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