World Premiere of BEAUTIFIED by Tony Abatemarco Set for May 25

Katselas Theatre Company will presents the world premiere of BEAUTIFIED by multi-award-winner Tony Abatemarco, opening Friday, May 25, 2012 with reception to follow and then 8pm Friday and Saturdays, 2pm Sundays through July 1, 2012 at the Skylight Theatre 1816 N. Vermont, LA 90027.

A riotous new romp through four decades in a Massachusetts beauty parlor. It's Spring 1969, and hairdresser Mike's opening day gets off to an unexpected start when a beautiful but dour young Republican, Candy, stumbles in looking for anything but a change of hairdo. But change it he does, and the subsequent years of loyal trips back to Mike's chair prove that a professional relationship such as these two share goes way beyond curing split ends. True friends emerge in a most unlikely place, with the sights and sounds of the last forty years as backdrop to their bonding.

Jenny Sullivan (Director) recently directed Nazi Hunter-Simon Wiesenthal (LADCC Award, 3 Ovation Nominations). Other credits include work at Rubicon Theatre: Steel Magnolias, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Tea at Five with Stephanie Zimbalist , Doubt, Trying, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Indie Award) with Joe Spano and Karyl Lynn Burns; Spit Like A Big Girl; You Can't Take It With You; Hamlet (Indie Award) with Joseph Fuqua; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Tuesdays with Morrie with Harold Gould; Defying Gravity; Happy Days; Art; Dancing at Lughnasa (Indie Award); and Love Letters with Jack Lemmon and Felicia Farr. Jenny helmed The Dresser with Len Cariou and Granville Van Dusen and the West Coast premiere of Jane Martin’s Flags. She was director of the Geffen Production of Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss and What I Wore and the long running Los Angeles production of The Vagina Monologues; Her world premiere of Jane Anderson’s The Baby Dance began at Pasadena Playhouse, moved to Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf Theatre (CT Critics’ Directing Award) and the Lucille Lortel Theatre Off-Broadway. Film credits include Access All Areas and The Next Best Thing. Jenny is most proud of the world premiere of her play J for J with Jeff Kober and the late great John Ritter.

Tony Abatemarco (Playwright) is a multi-award winning writer, actor, and director. He is the author of ten plays, two of which (co-authored Brain Hotel and Sir Vival Sweepstakes) have been produced at the Olympics Arts Festival and Mark Taper Forum respectively. In 2011 his most recent short story, Schwinn, was published in the international journal, Boneshaker. Tony directed Julie Harris in Lucifer’s Child (Broadway and A&E TV), Robyn Peterson’s Catwalk Confidential, (The Arts Theatre in London’s West End & Miami), as well as projects at Pasadena Playhouse, The Taper, Santa Fe Stages, La Mama ETC, and Theatre Grévin in Paris. A graduate of Juilliard, he has won top honors for his lead performances in The Mystery of Irma Vep, Bach at Leipzig, La Bete, Slow Motion and Four Fathers. Tony recently starred as “Dr. Rank” in A Doll House opposite Calista Flockhart for LA TheatreWorks, ‘Salieri’ in the acclaimEd Pittsburgh Public Theatre production of Amadeus and ‘Polonius’ in Hamlet at A Noise Within.

THE KATSELAS THEATRE COMPANY is widely respected for its history of developing artists (actors, musicians, writers, designers, and directors) while helping to create the next generation of theatre goers - thus its passion for new original plays that speak to today's audiences. In just the last two years KTC has produced ten World Premiere productions including INFLUENCE (2010 Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle nomination for Best Actor and two LA Weekly nominations for Best Play and Best Production), HERMETICALLY SEALED (2011 Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle nomination for Best Actress, an LA Weekly nomination for Best Ensemble and the LA Times List of top ten productions for 2011) and MAD WOMAN (2011 Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle nomination and an LA Weekly nomination for Best Solo Performance). KTC believes in the importance of the artist in our community. Its programs, (INKubator, SoloMojo, KTC Playwrights Lab, KTCKids, KTC Underground and NewVoices), its educational workshops - even its main stage productions are designed to help the artist find their unique voice and achieve their vision....and audiences love it! All by itself, in just two small theatres, KTC's monthly INKubator series (launched Jan 2011) has premiered new works-in-progress by more than forty Los Angeles writers ages 17 to 80 for over 1200 audience members. Adding audience "chats" and quarterly follow-ups with the artists to monitor their progress; the entire venture has been an unqualified success.

GARY GROSSMAN (Producer/Artistic Director) started his career in New York at The Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse. He has produced over 300 stage plays, including more than 50 world premieres. Among his celebrated productions are Romeo and Juliet directed by Milton Katselas (3 LADCC Awards), Dylan (3 LADCC Awards), Dream Man, Lone Star, Balm In Gilead, Four, The Tenth Man, Visions and Lovers, Rabbit Hole, La Ronde De Lunch, Influence, and Mad Women. In addition to his work for the Katselas Theatre Company, Gary has produced for the prestigious Matrix Theatre Company, where he was associated with the celebrated productions The Homecoming, Endgame, and The Seagull. For television he co-produced Sadie and Son (CBS) and the sitcom pilot Man In The Kitchen (ABC). He is the Executive Producer for award-winning director Chuck Workman's documentary, The Actor’s Life.

KAREN AUSTIN (Candy) appeared in the one year run of Nuts (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award), Daddy’s Dying Who’s Got the Will directed by Del Shores, and Names directed by Adam Davidson. She has worked at numerous regional theaters and the Oxford Chamber Theatre, England. Notable film credits include Summer Rental, Jagged Edge, Taming of the Shrew (as Kate) and Rum Diary. Her television work spans hundreds of hours including regular or recurring roles on: Live Shot, Night Court, Murder One, LA Law, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, and The Trials of Rosie O’Neil. Movies for TV include: Laura Lansing Slept Here (with Katherine Hepburn), The Hillside Stranglers, and Casey’s Gift.

Rob BrownSTEIN (Mike) is a noted actor, director and teacher. His film work includes the upcoming Argo with and directed by Ben Affleck and Welcome To People with Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer. LA stage credits include La Ronde de Lunch at the Skylight Theatre, True West and Speed The Plow at the Odyssey, Splitsville and The Normal Heart at Interact Theatre Co. In New York and regionally Rob has worked at the Roundabout, Riverside Shakespeare Co., An Actor’s Space, Florida Stage Co., Williamstown Theatre Festival among others. On television he’s appeared in Harry’s Law, Breaking Bad, and Law and Order, Ugly Betty, The Closer, Lie To Me and numerous others, including Georgetown with Helen Mirren.

Joanna Strapp (Sally) Most recently, Joanna appeared as Masha in The Seagull at the Antaeus Company, where she will perform in the upcoming production of Macbeth. Previously at Antaeus: Peace in Our Time (LA Weekly award for Best Revival) and The Malcontent. Other recent credits include The Pursuit of Happiness (Laguna Playhouse), Mary’s Wedding (Colony Theater), Trying (Indian Wells Theater), How I Learned to Drive, Breaking The Code, Mrs. Warren’s Profession (The Production Company), and Slasher (Zephyr Theater). Notable out-of-town work includes the Williamstown Theater Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Recent television: House, The United States of Tara, Medium, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 1000 Ways to Die, Murder by the Book.

BEAUTIFIED opens MAY 25th and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2pm through July 1, 2012. The Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 N. Vermont, LA, 90027. Tickets are $ 29 ($17.50 - student/senior RUSH discount). Reservations: 702 KTC-TKTS (702-582-8587) or online at http://www.ktctickets.com

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