The production Company Presents THE DIVINERS

Good News! Jim Leonard, Jrs. depression-era epic of faith and truth ‘THE DIVINERS' receives a miraculous new imagining and power-house performances in The Production Company's second offering of 2010! With Broadway and other significant credits, this is a dream cast to tackle this important work. You are cordially invited to the theatre event of the season when some of the best talent on any Southern California stage lovingly breathe new life into this powerful and highly entertaining Bible-belt fable. The play opens on Friday, March 5th 2010 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM through April 10 at The Production Company's home, The Chandler Studio Theatre, 12443 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91607.

In Jim Leonard Jr.'s gothic prairie melodrama, a disillusioned Kentucky preacher named C. C. Showers takes work on a farm in a fictional hamlet named Zion - population forty - where the local soothsayer is a raving teenage boy. The youth has been abnormally terrified of water since age four when his mother drowned saving him. Miraculously, Buddy seems to have been left with a gift: he can locate precious underground aquifers. Buddy is a diviner. The two become fast friends and C.C. soon finds himself acting as Buddy's mentor and teacher. He seems to be able to relate to Buddy in ways that most people can't. Shortly after settling in, C. C. reveals that he is a former preacher who has lost faith in his vocation. That knowledge changes everything. The townsfolk have been praying for a preacher. The conflict of interests soon evolves into a crisis that leads to a great tragedy. The brilliant cast weaves a tapestry of characters for us that is rich, deep, and full of life. T L Kolman's ‘The Diviners' reveals why Jim Leonard Jr.'s powerful Depression-era fable is a splendidly complex, deeply moving play. It is in turns humorous, beautiful, and tragic; and surprisingly speaks of many present day concerns with gentle wisdom.

ABOUT THE STAFF

T L KOLMAN (Director) is a critically acclaimed actor, director and producer. Directing credits for The Production Company include The Twilight of the Golds (StageSceneLA's Outstanding Direction of a Play), Clear As Day, True Blue, Scrub My Tub and the upcoming The Diviners. 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 (Ovation Nomination, Best Play), 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 here at the Chandler Studio Theatre in 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 vocals 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

JIM LEONARD (Playwright) writes plays, movies, and television. Published plays include The Diviners, And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson, V&V Only, Crow and Weasel, and Anatomy of Gray. His newest play Battle Hymn opened at Circle X Theatre in 2009 in Los Angeles to outstanding reviews. Jim was a member of New York's Circle Repertory Company for twenty years. Theatrical honors include three NEA Fellowships, a New York Villager Award, the Midland Writers Award, the Samuel French Best New Play Award, and the Dramatists Guild Award. He co-wrote the screenplay for Mira Nair's award-winning film My Own Country. He created the television series Close to Home (CBS), Skin (Fox), and Thieves (ABC); he wrote and produced The Marshal (ABC), Internal Affairs (NBC), Night Visions (Fox), Kilroy (HBO), and the American version of Cracker (ABC). He is a consulting producer for Dexter (Showtime). Jim is a graduate of Hanover College in Indiana. He is proud to serve on the board of the New Harmony Project.

AUGUST VIVERITO (Producer) is the Artistic Director of The Production Company for which he has produced 17 plays which yielded substantial acclaim for his company. Additionally, he directed the recent Ovation Recommended production of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive, Peter Shaffer's Equus (Ovation and LA Weekly Award nominations for Best Play and Best Director and LA Drama Critic's Circle nomination for Best Play), 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.

RICZIMMERMAN (Lighting Designer) Previous designs at the Production Company include the critically-acclaimed How I Learned to Drive and Equus, The Manchurian Candidate and In On It. Other recent credits: Wait Until Dark, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and The Green Room at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse; A Christmas Carol at the Madrid Theatre; Macbeth and All's Well That Ends Well at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival; and Our Leading Lady at The Neighborhood Playhouse as well as corporate events for Center Theatre Group and Panasonic. Previous design highlights: Into The Woods at the Lyric LA, The Sunshine Boys at the Odyssey, and The Telephone/The Stronger with Alternative Opera Theatre. Dance credits include Synapse Dance Theatre and Egosystems with Lineage Dance. Ric received his B.A. in Music Composition from Loyola Marymount University.
ABOUT THE CAST

REED ARMSTRONG* (Ferris Layman) Broadway/Tours: Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Beauty & the Beast, Phantom. Off-Broadway: Opal. Regional: Fourth Wall (E.T.C.), Crimes of the Heart/Barefoot in the Park (B.R.S.C.), Chamberlain (Maine State), It's a Wonderful Life (Jupiter), Superstar (Walnut Street), Baby (Tennessee Rep), My Fair Lady(S.D.C.L.O.), South Pacific(Candlewood). L.A.: Waiting (Tamarind), Blue Corridor (Odyssey), Berlinto Broadway(Zephyr), Songs of the Tall Grass(Falcon), Kitty Hawk(Court). Carnegie Hall/Recordings: L'Histoire du Soldat(NPR). TV: Arrest & Trial, Young & the Restless, Another World, Capitol, Highway to Heaven, Dynasty, Conan O'Brien. Film: Fracture, Hermanos, Throttle, Into the Night, House Divided, Thriller. Reed resides in NYC.

CHRIS BLIM (Dewey Maples) The Diviners marks Chris' Los Angelestheatre debut. Born and raised in Chicago, Chris received his BFA in Acting from the Universityof Illinois. Prior to heading out west, Chris played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Extant Arts Company in New York City. Other stage credits include Eugene Gant (Look Homeward Angel), Mark (A Chorus Line), Rosencrantz (Hamlet), Student II/Juliet (Shakespeare's R & J), Michael (The Pillowman), Wolf (Bent), Street Soloist (Leonard Bernstein's Mass), and Gordon Michael Schwinn (A New Brain). Chris is an aspiring playwright and co-founder of Burgundy Merbird, a small LA-based new media Production Company. Burgundy Merbird is currently in post-production for their first short film, Duel, as well as the developing stages of their first feature. www.chrisblim.com

JENNIFER LYNN DAVIS*(Norma Henshaw) recently starred as Nancy in the West Coast Premiere of Secrets of a Soccer Mom at the Stillspeaking Theatre, and Mae in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at The Neighborhood Playhouse. Other recent credits include two understudy roles at The Geffen Playhouse (Dinah in The Quality of Life and Sue Bayliss in All My Sons), several productions at The Blank Theatre, and Florrie in The Supporting Cast at the Westchester Playhouse. TV credits include: Guilty or Innocent for The Discovery Channel, Crash Landing for ABC, and as an Associate Producer for various TV series. Jennifer is a proud member of Actor's Equity.

ALEXEGAN* (Basil Bennett) was seen most recently in the roles of William Shakespeare, Gertrude Stein, and Frank Nelson in the hit comedy Carved in Stone at Theater Asylum. He has appeared in many Los Angelesarea productions at theaters including the Odyssey Theater Ensemble, The Theater at Boston Court , and South Coast Repertory Company. He wrote and performed his own comedy as a member of both The Groundlings Sunday Company and Acme Comedy Company. He appears in the web series The Clean-Up Crew and The Curious Happenings About George Warrior, and the soon to be released short film The Hunt for the Snark. He is delighted to be part of this wonderful company.

ROB HERRING (Buddy Layman) is excited to be returning to The Production Company at The Chandler Studio Theater where he made his LA theatrical debut as Tobias in Sweeney Todd. His career began back East with lead roles in Pippin, Godspell, and Merrily We Roll Along. Rob has also performed at NJ's state theater, the Papermill Playhouse, where he was nominated for a Rising Star Award. While earning his BFA from New YorkUniversity, Rob trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. There he starred in Machinal, Intimate Apparel, and several original productions. Rob also received the NYU Drama Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film and Television.

FERRELL MARSHALL (Luella Bennett) Ferrell has been performing on stage since the age of six and is delighted to be making her debut at the Chandler Theatre for The Production Company with such a talented team of artists. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Joe Blasco School of Makeup and has been a member of the West Coast Ensemble for 18 years. Ferrell is also a professional voice over artist, visit her website at www.ferrellmarshall.com to listen to her demo. Her site was recently acknowledged as one of the top five for actors by famed casting director, Marci Liroff. You can also connect with her on her blog, www.ferrellscommunity.wordpress.com, which is dedicated to helping you to make a difference in the world as a volunteer, advocate and donor.

Lauren Schneider (Jennie Mae Layman) is very excited to be working with The Production Company for the second time after making her debut with the company as Jill Mason in last year's critically acclaimed revival of Equus. Originally from North Carolina she received a BA in Theater Arts from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and also trained at The British American Drama Academy in Oxford, UK. Other recent theater credits: It's a Dry Heat (Playwrights Horizons, NYC); All's Well That Ends Well (Fiasco Theater, NYC); Night Long and Difficult (The American Place Theater, NYC). Film credits include: Wrestling, Among Brothers, The Rest of Your Life and the upcoming Red, White and Blue premiering in the US at the South by Southwest film festival in March.
NATHAN Graham Smith* (CC Showers) The Diviners marks Mr Smith's first production with The Production Company and his LA stage debut. Both of which make him very pleased. He is a graduate of WesternWashingtonUniversity with a BA in Theatre and lived in the Northwest for a decade doing theatre and training videos for Microsoft before making the trip south. Mr Smith has enjoyed working at The Seattle Repertory Theatre, SeattleShakespeare Festival, iDiom Theatre, Interplayers Ensemble as well as a few seasons doing Shakespeare in the park with Wooden O. Mr Smith now enjoys the life of an LA actor living on the east side.

REED WINDLE (Melvin Wilder) Raised in Louisville, Colorado Reed attended the Universityof Colorado and Loyola Marymount here in Los Angeles. While at LMU, he had the honor of studying at the MoscowArtTheatre and performing The Conference of the Birds by Peter Brook in Russia and Germany. Since stepping out into the "professional" world, he played Cliff in Dan Faltz's award-winning short, Weak Species, based off the writings of Dennis Cooper. He was also Beaumont in the inventive, albeit short-lived Lonelygirl15 web-series. He is tremendously grateful to be a part of this passionate and talented group.

ABOUT THE PRICING ANDSCHEDULE

THE DIVINERS will open on Friday, March 5th 2010 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM through April 10 . (no performance Sunday, March 7th or 14th)
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at www.theprodco.com or 1-800-838-3006. Credit cards are not acepted at the door. Ticket are $25. For further information, call The Production Company office at (310) 869-7546. The Chandler Studio Theatre Center - 12443 Chandler Boulevard - North Hollywood, CA 91607

ABOUT THE COMPANY

THE Production Company'S 2009-2010 season, which began with critically-acclaimed productions of SWEENEY TODD and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, continues after THE DIVINERS with two Tony Award-winning BEST PLAYS: Michael Frayn's COPENHAGEN (April 2010), and Peter Shaffer's smash-hit AMADEUS (June 2010).

To schedule press interviews and request photos & press comps or for additional information, please contact August Viverito at THE Production Company at 310-869-7546 or by e-mail at mail@theprodco.com or visit www.theprodco.com.

The Production Company is the multiple LA Stage AllianceOvation, LA Weekly, and LA Drama Critics CircleAward-nominated resident theatre company at The Chandler Studio Theatre, and a 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 performances of some of the world's greatest, most engaging and most evocative plays.

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