Theatre Of NOTE to Present World Premiere of NIMROD Starring Kirsten Vangsness in February

Theatre of NOTE will start the new year with the World Premiere of Kirsten Vangsness ("Criminal Minds") starring as "Nimrod" in the world premiere of NIMROD by Phinneas Kiyomura and directed by Alina Phelan. NIMROD will preview on Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9 and will open on Friday, February 10 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 19 at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N Cahuenga Blvd (just north of Sunset) in Hollywood.

NIMROD is the meeting place between Julius Caesar and The Simpsons Movie. It explores the breakdown of language (the fact that we're speaking two languages) in this tendentious modern political age-this age of stupid lies, un-fake fake news, alternate facts and real bone chilling tragedy. NIMROD is a brute farce written in verse! that follows an imagined final year of an uncouth, bloviating, orange hued president's administration from the point of view of the beleaguered First Lady. It's a wild ride full of betrayals, unexpected violence, grand soliloquies (larded with even grander fart jokes).

Theatre of NOTE dedicates its 2023 season and this production to the memory of the incomparable Judith Ann Levitt. Thank you for lighting the way.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

PHINNEAS KIYOMURA (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, actor and former skate punk from Long Beach, CA. His plays Lydia In Bed, Figure 8, Phrazzled, Supper and The Parents have been produced at Theatre of NOTE, Padua Playwrights, Sacred Fools and Bespoke Plays. He is a FIND Screenwriters Lab Fellow, an ABC Disney Writers Lab Alum, and has written for television (ABC, Freeform) and streaming (Amazon). Variety has called him an "impressively original voice." His brother has called him a total ****. His graphic novel, "442" -- based on the real exploits of the 442nd RCT (the all Japanese American fighting force that helped liberate Europe during the Second World War) is available now. Alina Phelan (Director) has been a NOTE member since 1999 and has acted in and directed several plays here over the years. She had an incredible time directing Phinneas Kiyomura's last NOTE play, Supper, in 2017, as well as Possum Carcass in 2014 and a remount of NOTE's holiday classic A Mulholland Christmas Carol in 2012. As an actress, she was in For the Love Of (or, The Roller Derby Play) at CTG's Block Party and Theatre of NOTE. Other NOTE favorites: Rio Hondo, Entropy, Niagara Falls, Hamlet: The First Quarto (winner, Garland Award) and I Wanna Hold Your Hand. TV: Lucifer, NCIS: LA, How to Get Away With Murder, Grey's Anatomy and others.

ABOUT THE CAST AND DESIGN TEAM

The cast of NIMROD features Kirsten Vangsness as "Nimrod." Kirsten plays tech analyst Penelope Garcia on "Criminal Minds: Evolution" streaming now on Paramount +, this is her 16th season on the long running crime drama where she has also co-written four episodes. Vangsness has been named as "one of TV's best scene stealers" by "Entertainment Weekly". In 2019 her play "Mess" (named by Neil Gaiman as his "favorite one-person show") was produced to sold out houses for Assembly Hall at Edinburgh Fringe. She is the recipient of the HRC Visibility Award, the Open Fist Excellence Award, and the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Best Actress. She has been a Theatre of NOTE member for over 20 years.
The cast of NIMROD will also feature Hiwa Chow Elms, Isaiah Alexander, Lisa Clifton, Shayne Eastin, Asha Noel Iyer, Sarah Lilly, Chloe Madriaga, Sierra Marcks, Edward Moravcsik, Josh Odsess-Rubin, Robert Paterno, Joel Scher, Niall Sulcer and Dan Wingard. The Design Team features: Scenic and Properties Design by Bill Voorhees; Lighting and Sound Design by Matt Richter; Scenic Muralist is Jenny Flack; Costume Design by Kimberly Freed; Intimacy and Fight Director is Celina Surniak and Mask Design is by Emory Royston. The Stage Manager is Peter Newell.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

NIMROD will preview on Wednesday, February 8 & Thursday, February 9 and will open on Friday, February 10 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, March 19 at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N Cahuenga Blvd (just north of Sunset) in Hollywood.

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $25; students and seniors $20. Please visit www.theatreofnote.com to purchase tickets online and to view the complete schedule.

About Theatre of NOTE

Theatre of NOTE is a democratic ensemble of L.A. theatre artists dedicated to creating high-caliber, original work that challenges both its ensemble and audiences. Theatre of NOTE aspires to more accurately reflect L.A.'s cultural make-up, to make our work resonate more deeply and honestly with our audiences, and better enable NOTE to tell more culturally diverse stories.

NOTE was founded in 1981 by Kevin Carr, along with Kitty Felde, Marc Gordon, Melanie MacQueen, Heather Carr and Ted Parks, as a forum for original one-act plays (N.O.T.E. stood for "New One-Act Theatre Ensemble"), and to provide a stimulating environment for new playwrights. Since its inception, NOTE has been through several transitions, but the integrity of the original idea has always remained intact. We premiere an average of four mainstage productions a year, by writers such as W.H. Auden, Bertolt Brecht, Sheila Callaghan, Christopher Kelley, Tony Kushner, Jennifer Maisel, Leon Martell, Murray Mednick, Dennis Miles, John O'Keefe, Erik Patterson, Alexis DeLaRosa, Bill Robens and Jacqueline Wright.

NOTE also upholds a tradition of acclaimed late-night shows, first launched in 1988, in addition to the annual, notorious, celebrity-crowd art magnet, The Hollywood Performance Marathon. We have earned consistent commendation from the Los Angeles press and national acclaim from such publications as American Theatre. I

n all, NOTE has accumulated almost 100 honors and nominations, including awards from the LA WEEKLY, Backstage West, L.A. Stage Alliance (Ovations), and PEN International. Thanks to over thirty years of advancing theatre in Los Angeles, NOTE has received generous government and corporate support, including grants from the California Arts Council, the Cultural Affairs Department of Los Angeles, the Flintridge Foundation, the Libby Holman Foundation, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Robinson's/May, Sedgwick James Inc., the Audrey Skirball-Kenis Foundation, Verizon, Time Warner and, most recently, The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in recognition of our Young Writers Project, an outreach program benefiting local high school students.

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