Theatre Unleashed Stages World Premiere of CAKE, Now thru 11/21

While working in the Theatre Unleashed Writer's Group, generating content for the company's wildly popular show 25 Plays Per Hour, Wendy Gough Soroka noticed something about the scenes she was writing.

"I kept exploring these characters and soon realized they all belonged to the same absurd world," she said. "Before too long, they all nicely arranged themselves into a play."

That play is called Cake and Theatre Unleashed is proud to present the world premiere running tonight, Oct. 15, through Nov. 21 at The Belfry Stage in North Hollywood.

In Cake, a socially awkward college senior finds a kindred spirit while taking the questionable advice of a tenured professor. A newly minted resident playwright sweats her latest production while her devoted husband tries to keep her sane. A frazzled new mother and her last remaining single friend envy each other's lives. A mismatched pair of medieval monks try to find peace or a good conversation, depending on who you ask. This ensemble comedy follows the interwoven tales of family, friends and lovers trying to survive the absurdities and indignities of academia, art and adulthood through banter and baked goods. After all, in this unpredictable world, we all need someone to share cake with, even when we want to shove it in their face.

"The characters and the setting of academia are what drew me in to the piece," said director Lisa K. Wyatt. "There's nothing crass or dismissive about these people who wield words as deftly as any warrior wields a sword. They are genuine, caring, awkward, playful humans trying to find their way through an ever-shifting landscape. What they find is the utter necessity of connection and relationships, whether through family, love or friendship."

Cake is a bit of a refresher for TU, whose 2015 season has included shows like Ligature Marks, Boy Get Girl and the critically acclaimed Sleeping Around at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

"This past season touched on some darker concepts, and I am excited to continue exploring the human condition, but this time with humor, levity and joy," said Jenn Scuderi Crafts, TU's artistic director. "Even as individual scenes I loved how charming and relatable each character was. As a whole, the play explores multiple generations of women in the academic and professional world. Wendy has written a theatrical confection that I can't wait to share with audiences."

Cake marks the first show for TU's new Main Stage season that will now launch in the fall and culminate with the company's Hollywood Fringe summer show. Cake will be followed on Friday and Saturday nights with the Late Night show A Feast of Snacks, a collection of short musicals by the accomplished Michael Gordon Shapiro. Also, continuing the company's tradition, TU is partnering with a local charity, this time with Camp Del Corazon, an organization that provides a summer camp for children with heart diseases. The company hopes to raise $1,300 in proceeds, the cost of sending a child to camp.

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