Sam Shepard's Classic TRUE WEST From Ground Up & Rising

(Photo By Helena Carmouze of Provoke Photography)

GROUND UP & RISING PRESENTS Sam Shepard'S BRILLIANT CLASSIC "TRUE WEST"
IN MIAMI BEACH AS PART OF ITS INAUGURAL "ZERO POINT PROJECT"

Ground Up & Rising, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit professional theatre and film organization whose programming is intended to widen empathetic sensibilities and promote understanding amongst humankind, announced their upcoming production of "True West" by Sam Shepard. This Miami Beach production is offered as part of Ground Up & Rising's exciting new program, The "Zero Point" project, a compelling new initiative that aims to build theatre's future audience through bare-bones, bold presentations of incredible theatre.

"True West" is the story of Austin, a buttoned-down writer, hoping to make his first big movie deal and Lee, his rough nomadic older brother, who breezes back into Austin's life like a chill wind off the desert. Lee, an opportunist and long-time larcenist, interrupts a meeting between Austin and a movie producer, Saul Kimmer, and quickly convinces Kimmer to discard Austin's script in favor of a true western tale of Lee's creation. As sibling rivalry spirals dangerously out of control, Austin sets out to prove he too can live his brother's life. The show is produced in association with Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs and Tourist Development Council, Miami-Dade Board of District Commissioners, City of Miami Beach's Tourist Development Council, Mayor's Office, Miami Beach City Commission, the Miami Beach Department of Cultural Affairs, and WLRN.

"While 'True West' has its cavernous depths, for sure, it also has a surface that is as accessible and entertaining as anything this playwright ever wrote."
- The New York Times
"True West's mythological underpinnings create a force field that pretty much guarantees a punch to the gut amid all the brotherly wisecracks."
- The Dallas Morning News
"Before Sam Shepard's celebrated dark comedy of human duality ends, these siblings have become each other, pulling American contradictions into focus."
- L.A. Times
"...like watching a bare-knuckle prize fight, visceral, dangerous and raw with pain."
- The Telegraph

This production will be directed by Arturo Fernandez and stars Collin Carmouze, Curtis Belz and Claudio Pinto. Performances will take place at St. John's on the Lake ("Zero Point" Project) 4750 Pine Tree Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33140
September 17, 18, 23 & 25 at 8:00 pm
$7 General Admission

Ground Up's "Zero Point" is..powerful art in its purest, rawest form... often presented with no lights, no set, no traditional venue..only a compelling, riveting performance and the audience that experiences it. It is engaging, thought-provoking theatre that aims to attract a broader audience base beyond the traditional theatre patron. A zero point performance can happen anywhere. These high-quality, intense artistic explosions can occur at anytime and anyplace, but will always be enthralling and unexpected. This audience-building initiative will be presented in two capacities:
A) Publicized, $7 performances at non-traditional venues.

B) Unannounced, impromptu performances in public places throughout Miami-Dade County.

With this notion in mind, GUAR excitedly announces the unveiling of a new series called "Zero Point", which allows patrons to experience a minimalistic, engaging, and intimate glimpse into their work. A zero point is the center point of a powerful burst at the instant of detonation. Ground Up & Rising's explosive "Zero Point" project will aim to deliver the "burst" and center of all great theatre- the performance- to new audiences in a creative, boundary-breaking fashion that offers the most affordable professional theatre ticket in town. Theatre cannot be found in a financial district commercial building, a Metrorail platform, a busy intersection, or in an industrial warehouse. It surely cannot be seen in a church, a botanical garden, a city bus, or at a historic landmark. Or can it? Ground Up seeks to expand its audience base, community impact, and reach by: A) providing patrons who live far from their South Miami Dade home an opportunity to experience their compelling, thought-provoking work. B) Providing the non-theatre goer-especially the youth- a refreshing introduction to the Art form in a manner that will surprise, enlighten, and challenge their perceptions about what theatre is and what it can be.

Ground Up & Rising aims to engage their audience by portraying through characters the wide gamut of emotions and life experience that manifest themselves throughout each of our lives. We all have the capacity to hope, suffer, smile and empathize. Ground Up believes these are The Common ground themes that unite each of our individual personal experiences. The organization's artistic efforts highlight both the beautiful and atrocious facets of the human condition. Their work serves to inspire our patrons with what people can be while providing light on the destructive tendencies that bring us to harm. This company is devoted to the ongoing development of the South Florida community by giving local artists the platform to hone and showcase their talent through the mediums of theatre and film. Ground Up & Rising serves both mainstream and underserved
communities throughout Miami-Dade County that have been traditionally geographically and/or economically excluded from opportunities to experience quality professional theatre and educational opportunities. Although their programming is for audiences of all ages, Ground Up & Rising is committed to programming for the younger generation as they are the most important demographic.

They are invested in the youth as they are the generation whose actions and influence will shape the framework of our future. For more information on Ground Up & Rising and True West, please visit www.GroundUpandRising.org. To purchase tickets call 866-811-4111.

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