NEW PLAY GIVES VOICE TO JUDY GARLAND’S LONG-LOST PLEAS TO BE HEARD

The Book That I'm Going to Write, By Judy Garland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 14, 2018

NEW PLAY GIVES VOICE TO JUDY GARLAND’S LONG-LOST PLEAS TO BE HEARD

THE BOOK THAT I’M GOING TO WRITE, BY JUDY GARLAND

HOLLYWOOD, CA – LadyWatch Productions announces the world premiere of a new play, “The Book That I’m Going to Write, by Judy Garland”, to be presented as part of the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Adapted from private spoken word recordings made by Judy Garland in 1964 and 1967 in preparation of her memoirs, this one-man play runs at the Ruby Theatre at The Complex Hollywood with performances on June 1st, 9th, 10th, 14th, and 23rd. The play stars Jason Powell, co-host of the popular podcast “LadyWatch with Ryan and Jason” as Judy Garland, with direction from Phillip Fazio (“Gay Camp”).

“The Book That I’m Going to Write, by Judy Garland” tells a true story based on existing recordings, exploring the searing inner-rage of the living legend as she spends her nights alone at home with a tape recorder in preparation to write her long-awaited memoirs. Impaired by the addictions that would eventually take her life, Garland’s focus veers sharply from the narrative of her storied career to unleashing personal revenge fantasies about every person who had ever wronged her, and demanding the chance to publicly set the record straight about her damaged reputation and unstable home life.

Due to her untimely death in 1969 at the age of 47, Garland’s memoirs would never come to fruition, and the recordings themselves would remain tucked away in obscurity for over 30 years. When a bootleg of the tapes mysteriously resurfaced in 2000, a new generation became captivated by Garland’s indomitable spirit through these uniquely personal recordings. This account by the great woman in her own voice still offers an unparalleled view into the inner-most feelings of this enigmatic and misunderstood superstar of stage and screen.

Faithfully adapted and performed verbatim from the source material by actor Jason Powell, the words and thoughts of Judy Garland are presented in this setting as nakedly honest as they escaped from the legend’s own mouth more than 50 years ago. Forgoing the artifice of drag performance, audiences are instead invited to experience the intimate intensity of Garland’s actual words, revealing the wit, the warmth, the anger, and the sadness of the icon herself.

General Admission tickets for the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival run of “The Book That I’m Going to Write, by Judy Garland” are $15 and may be purchased online via www.JudyAtFringe.com. The Ruby Theatre at The Complex Hollywood is located at 6476 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, CA 90038. This limited five-performance run plays Friday, June 1st at 9:00pm, Saturday, June 9th at 7:30pm, Sunday, June 10th at 7:30pm, Thursday, June 14th at 6:00pm, and Saturday, June 23rd at 3:00pm.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE (Runtime: 60 minutes)
FRI 6/1 @ 9:00pm (Press / Preview)
SAT 6/9 @ 7:30pm (Opening)
SUN 6/10 @ 7:30pm
THU 6/14 @ 6:00pm
SAT 6/23 @ 3:00pm (Closing)

VENUE
RUBY THEATRE @ THE COMPLEX HOLLYWOOD
6476 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90038

BOX OFFICE
Tickets on sale now: judyatfringe.com
$15 online, $15 cash-only at the door
General Admission

DISCOUNTS
Preview – Use promo code “JUDY” for $3 off preview performance Fri. June 1st

PARKING
None – Rideshare recommended

PRESS INQUIRIES
Jason Powell, LadyWatch Productions
[email protected]

WEBSITE
www.JudyAtFringe.com

ARTIST BIOS

Phillip Fazio – Director
Phillip is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory. His New York City directing credits include Gay Camp (Off-Broadway), Company (St. Bart’s Players), Super Ben (Think Theater Project), and The Real Life (Identity Theater Company). Regional directing credits include Follies, City of Angels, Sunday in the Park with George, Ragtime, Cabaret, Proof, Sweeney Todd, The Last Five Years, August: Osage County, and Grey Gardens. As an Assistant Director, Phillip worked on Pippin (Directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun) at the Mark Taper Forum (coproduction with Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre) and West Side Story at the Signature Theatre in Washington DC, which Peter Marks of the Washington Post named one of the top ten productions of the year. Phillip is currently earning his MFA in Directing at Pennsylvania State University where he is being mentored by Tony Award nominee Susan Schulman. He is an Associate Member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Society and alumni of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab. For more information, please visit www.phillipfazio.com

Jason Powell – Adaptation and Performer
Jason is an actor/ singer and co-host of the popular podcast LadyWatch with Ryan & Jason, billed as “the only podcast dedicated to celebrating women over the age of 50” (Learn more at ladywatchpod.com). Regional acting credits include Cabaret (Emcee), Urinetown (Bobby Strong), Rent (Mark), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day (Alexander), Peter and the Wolf (Peter), and A Thousand Cranes (Kenji).