HOLLYWOOD FRINGE GETS WASHED IN THE BLOOD

New play based on school shooting in Oregon

May 20, 2016 – Sheriff John Hanlin famously declared of the Umpqua Community College shooter, “you will never hear me mention his name.” And in that spirit a new play premiering at the Hollywood Fringe Festival focuses not on the motives of a shooter said to have singled out Christians, but on the victims and the aftermath. Washed in the Blood investigates how blood begets blood, how myth becomes flesh and blood through belief. An unseen Voice interrogates Keith, a young evangelist, about the events that led him to prime his classmate Kevin for martyrdom only to deny his own faith at gunpoint and ultimately turn a gun on his spiritual mentor, Pastor Jim.

This is native soil for writer/director Joshua Crone, a former Marine and “playwright to watch” (Marilyn Tower Oliver, Los Feliz Ledger) with theater credits in Krakow, Berlin, and London and film credits from the Polish National Film School in Lodz and the American Film Institute. His LA premiere Solitaire probed the conscience of a Marine convicted in the torture death of an Arab detainee, while his feature film debut Manifesto documented the internal struggle of a war veteran bent on blowing up an LA Mosque.

The leading role of Keith is played by Jordan Merimee, a recent graduate of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Kevin is played by Jordan Michael Thompson, whose film work includes the lead in the festival favorite Blue Boy. And LA theater and film veteran Richard Roddy (Scratch, A Young Man’s Future, Manifesto) preaches the gospel as Pastor Jim. The play also weaves recorded performances into Keith’s story. The Voice is performed by Brooklyn native Billy Malone, who recently guest-starred as Sal on Heartbeat, Comander Criolla on Murder In The First, Jack Fenske on Better Call Saul, and Jon McNeil on Grey’s Anatomy. Varda Appleton lectures the class as the chemistry teacher; in addition to leads in both Solitaire and Manifesto, her credits range from 80s TV shows like Hunter and Passions to indie films, web series, and experimental theatre. Last but not least, Mexican-born actress and Manifesto cast member Dolores Susan Merino plays the part of Kevin’s grandmother.

FACT SHEET

WHO: Written and directed by Joshua Crone. Featuring: Jordan Merimee (Keith), Billy Malone (The Voice), Richard Roddy (Pastor Jim), Jordan Michael Thompson (Kevin), Varda Appleton (Ms. Archer), and Dolores Susan Merino (Grandma Pitt).

WHAT: A school shooter who singles out believers enters the lives of a teenage evangelist, a juvenile delinquent, and a youth pastor with a shady past. A new play by Joshua Crone based on eyewitness accounts of the shooting at Umpqua Community College.

WHERE: OMR Theater @ The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038

WHEN: 5 PERFORMANCES: 6/3 8:30 PM (preview), 6/11 6:30 PM (premiere), 6/14 7:00 PM, 6/17 7:30 PM, 6/24 9:00 PM Length: 1 hour

HOW MUCH: $12. TIX & INFO: www.washedtheplay.com