TOUGH BROWN LEATHER STARTS JUNE 4 AT THE LOUNGE THEATRE; WORLD PREMIERE

PHILIP SOKOLOFF
Publicity for the theatre
P.O. Box 94387
Pasadena, CA 91109-4387
(626) 674-0504
e-mail: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2017

Press/media contact: Philip Sokoloff, (626) 674-0504, [email protected]

WHAT: Tough Brown Leather. World Premiere engagement of a new show. A Hollywood Fringe Festival selection.

WHO: Written and performed by Tonya Jones. Directed by Michael Philip Edwards.

WHERE: The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038.

WHEN: Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 12 Noon; Saturday, June 10 at 4:00 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14 at 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, June 22 at 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m.

ADMISSION: $12. The performance on June 4 is a Pay What You Can preview.

ONLINE TICKETING: http://hff17.com/4588

INDUSTRY RSVPs: (323) 863-3643.

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A sexual hero’s journey. Sara is the spunky, eight-year-old star running back of her street football team. But off the field, she can’t outrun the attack of a sexual predator. As Sara transitions into womanhood, the effects of the childhood attack stay with her. She takes a few hits, but never stays down for long. Tough Brown Leather is a testament to the human capacity to survive, heal and embrace one’s sexual power.

Tonya Jones is a Los Angeles-based writer and performing artist who is interested in using art as a common language to facilitate dialogue, bridge cultures and communities, and inspire civic engagement. Originally from Newark, NJ, she holds a BA from Howard University and a MFA from Columbia University.

At Columbia, Tonya was awarded the Schubert Presidential Fellowship and starred in the world premiere of James Baldwin’s Another Country, directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus. She has appeared in several independent films, commercials and stage productions, both off-Broadway and in regional theatre. Some of her credits include Richard III, As You Like It, Intimate Apparel, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Low Level Panic. Additionally, Tonya has written for the stage, magazines, and comedy sites.

Tonya was also a recent Caldera Arts Artist-in-Residence, supported by the Ford Foundation, and has also held teaching positions with Manhattan Theatre Lab, Classic Stage Company, Columbia University’s Summer Institute, and a number of NY and LA public schools.

Michael Philip Edwards directs. He is an award-winning writer, director and actor for stage and screen, recently nominated for a 2016 Stage Raw Award for Best Playwright for his play Sister. Other notable works for the stage include the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Scotsman Award Winner Runt (First Black writer-performer in history of the festival to receive that award).

Michael has directed tours for New York Off-Broadway, London, Adelaide, Australia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Canada and Jamaica. For the screen, Michael has directed 7 feature films, most recently Haunted Jamaica, a feature documentary for Netflix and On Demand, as well as the narrative feature film Murder 101, now in wide release and VOD.

The character of Sara is a woman who is simultaneously vulnerable and tough. You won’t soon forget her.