The 6th Act Announce Their First 2018 Production AN EVENING OF BETRAYAL

Co-Artistic Directors Matthew Leavitt and Liza Seneca of THE 6TH ACT Theatre Companyare pleased to announce their first full production with AN EVENING OF BETRAYAL. A unique combination of Harold Pinter's Betrayaland an extremely condensed version of Shakespeare's Othello, creatively adapted by Liza Seneca (of Antaeus), to mimic the reverse structure of 'Betrayal.' They have signed Elizabeth Swain (also from Antaeus), to direct. The show will open June 1st, 2018, at Theatre 68's MainStage Theatre. https://www.the6thact.com

HOW THE IDEA CAME TO BE

While living in New York several years ago, Liza Seneca was working on the scripts of both Pinter's Betrayal and Shakespeare's Othello at the same time. While walking the streets of Manhattan, the parallels between the two kept pulling her in. It got Seneca excited about the idea of pairing these two pieces to see how these two masters of language, writing hundreds of years apart, handle what is essentially the same topic: Betrayal. She became interested in the idea of the same actors playing both plays, and set out to distill Othello down to just the main storyline involving Othello, Iago, Desdemona, and Cassio.

Liza then wondered what would happen if she told Othello the same way Betrayal unfolded - seeing the end of it first and then unfolding the events to see how they got there. The idea of watching Othello kill Desdemona and himself at the very beginning and then tracing that journey was really exciting. The thrill of hearing these plays together (we say "hear" rather than "see" deliberately because the evening celebrates these two masters of language) is to see how effective these storytelling techniques are despite their huge differences: Pinter is the master of economy and the famous Pinter pause while Shakespeare overflows with unmatched poetry.

ABOUT THE SHOW

An Evening of Betrayal- Act One is Pinter's Betrayalin its entirety and Act Two is an hour-long adaptation of Othellothat mirrors the way the events in Betrayal unfold. Though that seems like it would be very lengthy, the entire evening will run two hours and thirty minutes with an intermission.

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SIXTH ACT

Our mission is to keep the vitally important tradition of classical theatre alive, while making it accessible and exciting to modern audiences. We strive to create experiences that are equal parts enrichment and entertainment, to produce shows that will appeal equally to die-hard Shakespeareans, and those who claim to hate Shakespeare alike. Shows that offer fresh takes on timeless stories. We aim to build a creative community that fosters artistic risk, intelligence and inclusivity. We are the 6th Act.

LIZA SENECA

Liza Seneca (Co-Artistic Director, The 6th Act) is originally from The Netherlands, but has called Los Angeles home for many years now. An actress, producer, and director, she has appeared on countless LA, NYC, and regional stages. Select theater credits include Ameryka (Center Theatre Group/Critical Mass), Les Liaisons Dangereuses andCloud 9 at Antaeus, Pericles, Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, & 3,andThe Merchant of Venicewith the Porters of Hellsgate, Macbeth (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), Pulp Shakespeare (NYC and LA Premieres), Collected Stories (The Group Rep), Matthew Leavitt's The Boomerang Effect (World Premiere - Odyssey), A Shayna Maidel (ICT), and Much Ado About Nothing (Kentucky Shakespeare). She is a member of both The Antaeus Company and The Porters of Hellsgate. She has been seen on television in recurring roles on The Following and Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, Grey's Anatomy, Lie to Me, Monk, Big Love, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Alias. Her film work includes Night Eyes, Zwartboek (Black Book), and The Drama Club, among others. Her voice can be heard in numerous commercials, industrials, and films, including Ready Player One, Finding Dory and Lego Batman.She is the co-creator and producer of the Bard tribute series This Week in Shakespeare - www.youtube.com/weeklyshakes

MATTHEW LEAVITT

Matthew Leavitt:(Co-Artistic Director, The 6thAct) Matthew Leavitt, a life-long Los Angeles native, is an award-winning playwright, director and librettist. After a summer of studying playwriting at Harvard University, he was a semifinalist in the Young Playwrights National Playwriting Competition founded by Stephen Sondheim, for his play Losers and Fools. Leavitt later graduatedfrom Pomona College with a degree in Creative Writing. His award-winning play The Boomerang Effect(published by Samuel French) had hugely successful runs at both The Odyssey and The Zephyr Theatres in Los Angeles, and has enjoyed productions throughout the country. In 2013, he was commissioned by Placido Domingo and LA Opera to write the libretto for a new opera, Orpheuswith award-winning classical and film composer Nathan Wang. Leavitt and Wang are currently collaborating with on their second LA Opera commission, a new opera called The Wreck of the Miranda.Directing credits include Barfly Shakespeare (The 6thAct), Twelfth Night (Village Green Productions), The Taming of the Shrew (Village Green Productions), Arrival (Sci-Fest LA), Human History(Sci-Fest LA), Crossed Currents (JANM Tateuchi Democracy Forum), Ladies of State (Working Stage), Goes The Weasel(Ammunition Theatre Company), as well as assistant director/dramaturg for Romeo and Julietat A Noise Within.

AN EVENING OF BETRAYALopens June 1stthrough 24th, 2018. The Production will be at Theatre 68, located at 5112 Lankershim, North Hollywood, CA. 91601. Performances will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays at 8:00PM and Sundays at 2:00PM. Tickets are $25.00

Running time: 150 minutes (includes Intermission)

Information & tickets available at: https://www.the6thact.com

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