Theresa Rebeck's THE UNDERSTUDY Opens 3/11 at Working Stage Theater

A new production of The Understudy by Theresa Rebeck will open on Friday, March 11 at 8pm for a limited run of nine performances at Working Stage Theater in Los Angeles. The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Max Bunzel (NCIS: Los Angeles), Braxton Molinaro (Sons of the Prophet at The Blank Theatre), and Magdalene Vick (Average Joe). Directed by Laura Henry, the engagement will run through March 27 only.

A journeyman actor in over his head, a B-list movie star yearning for legitimacy, and an overwhelmed stage manager set the stage for Rebeck's hilarious and poignant satire of passion about behind-the-scenes life in today's entertainment industry. [Run time is 90 minutes.] Scenic design is by Ryan Wineinger and Sam Ogden, costume design is by Whitney Oppenheimer, projection design is by Brad Peterson, and the stage manager is Ashley Clark.

Theresa Rebeck is a widely produced playwright throughout the United States and abroad whose work also includes The Scene, The Water's Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann, Spike Heels, Bad Dates, Poor Behavior, View of the Dome, Omnium Gatherum (co-written with Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2004) and Our House. She has written two novels, Three Girls and Their Brother and Twelve Rooms with a View. She is also an award-winning writer and producer for television, including the shows Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Brooklyn Bridge, Dream On, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue, and she is the creator of NBC's Smash, among others.

Laura Henry is a critically acclaimed director and acting coach. She was a full time director and professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from 2004 through 2011. She is now based in Santa Monica where she teaches full time at her studio. Henry's LA theatre credits include Shift (LA Theatre Festival); House of Blue Leaves and The Crucible (Matrix Theatre); Raft of the Medusa and The Sonworshipper (Zephyr Theatre); and The Hypochondriac and The Promise (HBO Workspace).

The world premiere of The Understudy was produced by the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Nicholas Martin, Artistic Director, on July 23, 2008. It was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds provided by The Leading National Theatres Program, a joint initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Opening of The Understudy is set for Friday, March 11 at 8pm. General seating admission is $15 and the running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm through March 27 only. Tickets may be purchased online at theunderstudy.brownpapertickets.com, by emailing understudytix@gmail.com, or by calling (800) 838-3006. Working Stage Theater is located at 1516 N. Gardner Street in Los Angeles. Street parking is available.

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