CHIMERA BELLA, AN ACROBATIC JOURNEY!
Chimera Bella
HOLLYWOOD, CA: Sarah Bella and See Worthy Productions are proud to present the WORLD PREMIERE of Chimera Bella, an acrobatic journey performed during the Hollywood Fringe Festival at Sacred Fools Theater Company.
Through a combination of live performance and short film, you will watch Mira (an aspiring divorce attorney) as she fights to find balance between her new love, an old friendship, and lifelong ambitions. Chimera Bella is a sonnet for dreamers, an homage to breakups, as well as a tribute to old friends and good lovers. Contortion, acrobatics, aerial silks, and the trapeze are all used to tell the story.
In Greek mythology, Chimera was a fire-breathing monster tasked with killing Pegasus and Bellerophon. She was a creature comprised of lion, goat, and dragon. This legend takes an abstract backseat in the production, used mostly in the creation of the characters. Today, “chimera” has come to mean a dazzling illusion or an unattainable dream. The protagonist has comically romanticized divorce law, aiming to be the top in her field. Mira’s roommate explains, “Her parents wanted [Mira] to contribute something creative to the world, you know? Like being an actor or writer, but she just had to help people… break up.”
The show also tackles break ups, bringing the Chimera legend full-circle by addressing the painful “ghosting” which happens so often today. “One of the cruelest ways to end a relationship is to disappear and leave someone guessing as to why,” says Sarah Bella, who plays Mira. “It can guide you toward madness, questioning whether or not you’ve concocted such an intense connection. If it was a fabrication, it was a chimera bella… a beautiful dream.”
There’s nothing illusory about the connection between Bella and Demetris Yiorkatzis, who plays Mira’s love interest. In forty-five minutes, you’ll experience the span of their relationship from meeting to end.
Yiorkatzis, an actor and stand-up comedian, brings a level of friendly professionalism to the cast. Though he’s been a resident of LA for several years, Demetris had a break in his career as a reoccurring star on the popular Cypriot television show, Efta Ourano. He was originally cast in just one episode, but the writers and producers were so impressed with Yiorkatzis, they wrote him a two-season part. “It’s a testament to his acting ability and the way he connects with people. He’s kind and forward-it’s very endearing. We’re lucky to have him,” says Bella.
Demetris’ character, Ari, slithers his way into Mira’s world and their relationship is strangling to other aspects of her life. Her life-long friendship with her roommate, Caz, is struck first.
Playing Caz is Sabrina Schroeder, a recent graduate of Claremont College. In the production, her character uses a wheelchair. Explains Bella, “The show is not about Cerebral Palsy. Sabrina has C.P., so her character has C.P. Anything related is used only to unearth details in the relationship between the characters. However, we will have a donation jar in the box office for The Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Los Angeles could definitely use more ramps.”
The production’s cinematographer, James Delhauer, “knows LA and knows filmmaking-in every aspect,” says Bella. Delhauer, a native Angelino, has many well-known credits to his name. He has worked on Utopia, Teen Mom 2, Scream Queens, and most recently, the MTV Movie & TV Awards. The cinematographer and Sarah met last August when she was cast in Lamia’s Devotion, a short premiering this summer.
Sarah Bella is Chimera Bella’s writer, producer, and star. She finds a familiar home both on screen and stage. Bella moved to Los Angeles this past July from Key West, FL. She spent two years in the keys writing surreal memoirs and acting in local productions. This will be her first publicly performed original work. She has previously appeared in Killing Lincoln, among others. Her credits include Love & Politics, an award-winning documentary following Judith Malina of The Living Theatre as she directed the world-premiere of Korach in New York City. Bella performed in the show while working as Malina’s assistant for over two years. She has multiple horror credits to her name, including the independent feature Alien Swamp Beast to be released later this year.
Chimera Bella employs many aspects of the Circus Arts, including trapeze, aerial silks, contortion, and acrobatics. As a child, Sarah trained on the junior side of the designated gym for the 1996 Olympic gymnastics team. This was the catalyst for her love of acrobatics. Over the years, she continued acting in films, straight plays, musicals, and modeling. She fought to keep her coordination and balance during college, which were tested by four years of seizures. Grateful to have discovered the cause, Sarah Bella completed her B.A. with a concentration in Acting, a dance minor, ,and hasn’t suffered a seizure since! The ligaments of her right wrist, however, have been completely removed and replaced with artificial technology. There are several scars on her hands from a near-fatal spider bite. A titanium plate has occupied her left forearm since 2013 when she was hit by a truck (while riding her bike-ouch!). Despite these setbacks (or maybe because of them), Sarah has found a passion in body manipulation and athleticism. She ran her first half-marathon last summer after cracking her knee cap. She began training on the aerial silks a few years ago, but just started at Cirque School LA this past July. “I didn’t think I’d be able to study hand balancing because of my injuries, but it’s become one of my favorite disciplines at Cirque. It’s all a practice, and I’m just getting started.”
DETAILS:
WHAT: See Worthy Productions presents the WORLD PREMIERE of Chimera Bella, an acrobatic journey by Sarah Bella. Starring Sarah Bella, Demetris Yiorkatzis, Sabrina Schroeder, Tim Bartlett, and Jason Hamm. Directed by Brayden Hade. Cinematography by James Delhauer.
WHERE:
Sacred Fools Theater Company
Main Stage
1076 Lillian Way
Los Angeles, CA 90038
WHEN:
Saturday, June 3 @6:30pm (PREVIEW)
Wednesday, June 14 @10:00pm
LENGTH: 45 minutes
PRICE: $15*
TICKETS: www.ChimeraBella.com
*For discounts, visit www.imdb.me/SarahBella and use any of the titles as a code on the ticketing website (www.chimerabella.com) to receive $5 OFF the price of admission!
PRESS CONTACT:
Publicity at See Worthy Productions
804.543.2273
[email protected]
For Comp Theater Critic Seats, please send a message through the front page of www.ChimeraBella.com.
