The Production Company Presents TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Opens 1/14/11

Honoring the 50-year anniversary of Harper Lee's landmark book, 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' inaugurates The Production Company's new The Lex Theatre

Continuing the 50-year anniversary celebration of Harper Lee's landmark book-turned-legend, 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' opens on January 14th, 2011 as THE Production Company unveils their new larger space, The Lex Theatre; 6760 Lexington Avenue, in Hollywood's Theatre Row.

Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning book about truth and prejudice told through the eyes of a child was recently at the top of a list of the "most banned books in America today". Full of wisdom, understanding and humor, this two hour stage adaptation is directed by TheProdCo's Co-Artistic Director T L Kolman, whose vision brings fresh excitement and warmth to the beloved and renowned story.

The producers are equally excited about the terrific cast that has been assembled for the play including James Horan ("God Save Gertrude", "Falling Upward") as Atticus Finch, Brighid Fleming ('The Pillowman, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot") as Scout, L. J. Benet ("Limelight...", "Big") as Jem, and a whole lineup of notable talent including Christopher Carver, Inda Craig-Galvan, Margaret Dwyer, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Barbara Gruen, Jim Hanna, Lorenzo T. Hughes, Ferrell Marshall, Skip Pipo, and David Stifel. The book has been adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. Lighting is by Ric Zimmerman and set design by producer August Viverito.

The book's author Harper Lee, who is from the south Alabama town of Monroeville, attended law school at Alabama in the 1940s and never published another novel after "To Kill a Mockingbird" came out in 1960. She has been quoted to say that story came out of her youth in that town, where her friendship with author Truman Capote was forged. Capote is said to be the inspiration for her character 'Dill', and instrumental in bringing the story to the page. It was turned into a movie starring Gregory Peck in 1962.

Speaking at the University of Alabama for a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described how Lee's novel illustrates that a system can "grind innocent people into the ground," something he said was important to remember. While many people recall the heroism of Lee's fictional hero, attorney Atticus Finch, in defending a black man wrongly accused of rape, Holder said they often forget that Finch's client was still convicted and, ultimately, killed. "It's a book about injustice, a cautionary tale, but at the same time it's a book about courage," said Holder, speaking in a crowded lecture hall in the law school. "As we have seen in recent decades - and, unfortunately, in recent days - the world has not yet run its course of intolerance and bigotry. Injustice remains. Divisions and disparities remain. Bias- and hate-fueled violence persists," continued Holder. This is a story for our times.

THE PRODUCTION DETAILS

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD opens on Friday, January 14th, 2011 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. No performance Sunday, January 16th. Tickets may be purchased at www.theprodco.com or 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are $25 and advance purchase is highly recommended. For further information, call The Production Company at (323) 871-1150. The Lex Theatre - 6760 Lexington Avenue, Hollywood, CA 9038. One block north of Santa Monica Boulevard, just East of Highland Avenue.

THE CAST AND STAFF
T L KOLMAN (Director - Company Co-Artistic Director) is a critically acclaimed actor, director and award winning producer. Directing credits for The Production Company include the critically-acclaimed The Diviners, The Twilight of the Golds (StageSceneLA's Outstanding Direction of a Play), Clear As Day, True Blue, and Scrub My Tub. Other directing credits include The Shadow Box (One of the Top Ten Plays of 2004), Agnes of God, and Ordinary People. His producing credits include the world premiere of Nicholas Nickleby, Equus (Multiple Award-winner), Amadeus, Copenhagen, How I Learned to Drive, Sweeney Todd, M. Butterfly, Wit (Ovation Nomination, Best Play), Spring Awakening, In On It, A Good Smoke, Diversions & Delights, Dancing at Lughnasa, and Working. As an actor he most recently was seen in The Production Company's Mrs. Warren's Profession and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Other favorite stage appearances include the world premiere of Buddies at Celebration Theatre, Sunday in the Park with George at West Coast Ensemble (Ovation Nomination, Best Musical), Insurrection: Holding History, Medea, The Elephant Man, Love! Valour! Compassion! and Nicholas Nickleby. He is best known for his role as the Xyrillian Engineer on Star Trek: Enterprise. Mr. Kolman can be heard as the singing voice of Ratha Sam on the CD recording of Cambodia: The Musical. He has served as Managing Director for the Attic Theatre & Film Center, and is a current member of West Coast Ensemble, AEA and SAG

Christopher Sergel (Playwright) As captain of the schooner Chance, Mr. Sergel spent two years in the South Pacific; as a writer for Sports Afield magazine, he lived in the African bush for a year; as a lieutenant commander during WWII, he taught celestial navigation; as a playwright, his adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio was seen on Broadway. But throughout his life, his greatest adventure and deepest love was his work with Dramatic Publishing. During this time, he wrote adaptations of To Kill a Mockingbird, Cheaper By the Dozen, The Mouse That Roared, Up the Down Staircase, Fame, Black Elk Speaks and many more. His love of theatre and his caring for writers made him a generous and spirited mentor to many playwrights here and around the world. His inspiration and integrity attracted to the company fine writers including C.P. Taylor, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Arthur Miller, Roald Dahl and E.B. White - to name just a few. He once said he hoped to be remembered as E.B. White described Charlotte... "...a true friend and a good writer."

L. J. BENET (Jem Finch) recently finished his debut with La Jolla Playhouse as Young Sydney in the world premier musical, Limelight: The Charlie Chaplin Story. His other theatre credits include Young Pip in Great Expectations and Fleance in Macbeth (Utah Shakespeare Festival); JoJo in Seussical the Musical (Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center); Young Josh Baskin in Big: The Musical (El Centro Theatre); and Young Tommy in The Who's Tommy (Ricardo Montalban Theatre), for which he earned an Entertainment Today Ticket Holder award nomination. Film: You Again (Disney); Diary of a Wimpy Kid (20th Century Fox); Legend of Beaver Dam (Sable & Batalion). Television: Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney Channel) and The Mentalist (CBS).

CHRISTOPHER CARVER (Gilmer/Boo Radley) moved to LA from the east coast over four years ago, he has primarily been pursuing commercial and film work as an active member of SAG. But the itch had to be scratched and so he finds himself once again calling for the bard. Some of his favorite roles have been Corvino in Volpone, Alan Strang in Equus, The Singer in Picasso at Lapin Agile and Arthur in Psychopathia Sexualis.

INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN* (Calpurnia) A Chicago native, Ms. Craig-Galván is an Associate Artist with MPAACT Theatre Company in Chicago and has worked with a number of other Chicago theatres, including Steppenwolf, Dog & Pony, Circle Theatre, Metropolis and Chicago Theatre Company. She's performed as Hester in In The Blood, Charlayne in both Neat and Pretty Fire, Angel in Blues for an Alabama Sky, Rissa in Two Trains Running, and she originated the role of Evie in Paul Oakley Stovall's As Much as You Can. Since recently moving to Los Angeles, she's also appeared in a staged reading of Stovall's APE at Celebration Theatre.

MARGARET DWYER (Mayella Ewell) recently relocated to Los Angeles from New York. Favorite roles include Irina in Three Sisters and Catherine in Boston Marriage. She has trained and worked with the National Theater Institute, Complicite in London, the Saint Petersburg Theater Arts Academy in Russia, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. She received her Drama BA cum laude from Vassar College.

PATRICK FITZSIMMONS (Dill) was most recently seen at the Glendale Centre Theatre as Tom in Camelot. He also appeared as Tom Thumb in Debbie Allen's Alex in Wonderland. His main love is dance, however and has had the honor of being invited to study with the acclaimed Bolshoi Ballet for the last two summers. You may see Patrick perform as the Breakdancing Kid in the current Taco Bell campaign.

BRIGHID FLEMING (Scout Finch) has appeared onstage in NYC, LA, and Albuquerque in such productions as The Pillowman, Woyzeck, Wait Until Dark, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Her film credits include supporting roles in Lakeshore's Gamer and The Burrowers for Lions Gate. She won a Maverick Award for her performance in the independent, Sugar Rush. Her television credits include CSI: Miami, Saving Grace, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Criminal Minds.

BARBARA GRUEN* (Miss Stephanie/Mrs.Dubose) Theatre: Italian American Reconciliation, B Street Sacramento, Don Cumming's A Good Smoke (StageSceneLA Best Lead Actress Comedy) at The Production Company, John Ireland's Johnny Morran (ADA Award Nomination Best Lead Actress Drama),Last Night of Ballyhoo Ensemble Santa Barbara, Johnny Boy Falcon Theatre, Richard Vetere's The Atheist in All of Us The Lex, Brontosaurus, The Family Curse, Jim Leonard's Grey's Anatomy at Circle Rep N.Y. Film: Insomnium, Jake's Closet, Johnny Morran Edinburgh Film Festival. TV: The Whole Truth, Desperate Housewives, Raising The Bar, Days of Our Lives recurring, HBO'S Funny or Die Presents, Gilmore Girls NYPD Blue, Six Feet Under.

JIM HANNA* (Heck Tate) is following his last appearance with The Production Company in the award-winning production of Equus for which he received an LA Weekly nomination for Best Lead Male Performance and a win for Best Lead Performance from the LA Drama Critics Circle. Other recent stage roles include Macbeth in Macbeth, Dunn in Spatter Pattern, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and Nicodemus/Lady Hillcrest in The Mystery of Irma Vep, all at L.A.'s Ark Theatre. Recent TV appearances include Cougar Town, The Hard Times of R.J. Berger and Lie to Me.

James Horan* (Atticus Finch) Recent work: God Save Gertrude, Boston Court , Pasadena; Falling Upward, El Portal, N. Hollywood; Don Q. in Man of La Mancha, Santa Clarita Regional Theatre. Other regional: Title role in Dracula, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Dark Paradise, Cincinnati Playhouse; Doctor Jekyll and Miss Hyde, Barter Theatre. Other CA: the musical Men, B Street Theatre, Sacramento; Rattlesnake in a Cooler (one-man show), LATC; Richard III, Mark Taper. Film: Changeling, Flags of Our Fathers; Gods and Generals, to name a few. TV: numerous guest-stars, most recently Criminal Minds, 24, Lost, Enterprise.

LORENZO T. HUGHES (Reverend Sykes/ Tom Robinson) A native of Detroit, he honed his craft and worked extensively in the "Big Apple" before heading west to Los Angeles. His television credits include, Law and Order, One Life to Live and All My Children as well as commercials, voice-over and print. He appeared in A Soldier's Play as Captain Davenport which garnered him an LA COLSAC Theatre Award for Best Actor. Other LA theatre productions include, Pill Hill, Passing and Five on the Black Hand-side. Regional productions include The Music Man and A Christmas Carol.

FERRELL MARSHALL* (Maudie Atkinson) is delighted to be collaborating again with director, TL Kolman, having appeared in his critically acclaimed production of The Diviners last season. She is a professional voice over artist and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Joe Blasco School of Makeup. Ferrell is excited to be a new member of The Production Company and an 18 year member of the West Coast Ensemble.

SKIP PIPO (Bob Ewell) Past Prodco shows include Copenhagen, How I Learned to Drive, Mrs. Warren's Profession (LA Weekly nominee), LADCC and LA Weekly award winning Equus, and Nicholas Nickleby. Other LA stage credits include the critically acclaimed Bug for USVAA, Limitations of Genetic Technology for Offchance Productions at Theater of Note, and Amadeus at California Theater for the Performing Arts. Film/TV work includes the show Reasonable Doubt, the new film Poker Run and numerous commercials. Thanks to TL, August, the wonderful cast and crew of Mockingbird, all the members and friends of The Production Company, and most of all you, the audience, whose support makes it all possible.

DAVID STIFEL* (Mr. Cunningham / Judge Taylor) has been performing on stages across the US since 1963. He has worked in Colorado, Idaho, the Pacific Northwest, New Haven, Northern and Southern California. David is proud to return to The Production Company, having played Von Strack in the recent hit production of Amadeus. Notable recent LA roles include Claudius in Hamlet, Jim Casy in Grapes of Wrath, and Marat in Marat/Sade - all at the Knightsbridge Theatre. Other LA credits include four seasons with the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum and one season with A Noise Within. An actor who sings, David was last heard singing as Mr. Sowerberry in the Cabrillo Music Theatre production of Oliver! Notable film and TV credits include The Number 23 (with Jim Carrey), The OC, Sleeper Cell, Gods and Generals, Minority Report (Lycon, the eyeless drug dealer), ER (Live Broadcast). In early 2011, David will launch a series of podcasts of his readings of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, starting with A Princess of Mars. Check out www.dstifel.com for details.

RIC ZIMMERMAN (Lighting Designer) Previous designs for The Production Company include: The Diviners, Equus, How I Learned to Drive and In On It. Other recent credits: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Spit Like A Big Girl, Wait Until Dark and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse; Midsummer for Vanguard Rep.; Kiss Me Kate and A Christmas Carol at the Madrid Theatre; Macbeth and All's Well That Ends Well at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival as well as corporate events for The Hard Rock Café, The NHRA, Center Theatre Group and Panasonic Avionics. Dance credits include Lula Washington Dance Theatre, The Pasadena Dance Festival, Synapse, Edge, and Egosystems with Lineage Dance.

AUGUST VIVERITO (Producer/Set Designer, Company Artistic Director) has produced 21 plays for The Production Company, yielding substantial acclaim for the group. He directed the recent LA Times and Backstage "Critic's Choice" production of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, Ovation Recommended productions of Michael Frayn's Copenhagen and Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive, Peter Shaffer's Equus (Winner: Best Revival and Best Actor from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Winner: Best Revival from LA Weekly, as well as Ovation and additional nominations for Best Play and Best Director), Amadeus, Mrs Warren's Profession (Two LA Weekly Award Nominations), Spring Awakening, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, John Gay's Diversions & Delights, and the world premiere of Nicholas Nickleby for The Production Company. Mr. Viverito served as the Artistic Director for the Attic Theatre Ensemble, was on the Executive Board of The Knightsbridge Theatre, and was founder of The McCormick House Theatre back on the East Coast. He is currently also serving as Communications Manager for West Coast Ensemble. For the Attic, Mr. Viverito directed hit productions of the World Premiere of Richard Martin Hirsch's Peripheral Vision, BackStage West 'Critic's Pick' The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, and Studz Terkel/Stephen Schwartz/Nina Faso's Musical Masterpiece Working. For other stages he has directed productions of The Rainmaker, Beautiful Bodies, Little Women, Godspell, Our Town, Jesus Christ, Superstar and many others including numerous original works. As a stage performer he has appeared in leading roles in many acclaimed productions including Assassins, Blood Brothers, Pippin, Merrily We Roll Along, How to Succeed In Business..., and Sweet Charity.

THE COMPANY
THE Production Company @ THE LEX

6760 Lexington Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038 - 310-869-7546

(One block north of Santa Monica Blvd. and one block east of Highland Avenue - in Hollywood's Theatre Row District.)

THE Production Company'S Ovation Nominated 2009-2010 'BEST SEASON' included critically-acclaimed productions of SWEENEY TODD, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, THE DIVINERS, COPENHAGEN, and AMADEUS. 2011 is set to continue after TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD with the LA Premiere of Horton Foote's Pulitzer Prize-winning THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA, directed by August Viverito and Lanford Wilson's remarkable FIFTH OF JULY.

The Production Company is the recipient of 2 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards and an LA Weekly Theatre Award for 2009 with a total of 18 Ovation Award Nominations, 13 LA Weekly Award Nominations, 30 StageSceneLA Commendations, & a 2009 Best Season Commendation from LAStageBlog. It is the resident theatre company at The Lex Theatre in Hollywood, and a 501c3 non-profit theatre organization. Our humbling recognition includes numerous 'Best Play', 'Best Director', and 'Best Actor' nominations, many 'Critic's Pick' designations, and a 'Best Season' commendation this past year. The Company's mission is to provide our community with highly thought-provoking, extraordinary performing arts experiences through live, Broadway-caliber stagings of some of the world's greatest, most engaging and most evocative plays.

 

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