THE PORTERS OF HELLSGATE PRESENT DEITY CLUTCH

Deity Clutch

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
The Porters of Hellsgate present…
Deity Clutch
a new play by Gus Krieger

Living in isolation, the outside world in mysterious turmoil, a group of twelve disparate individuals must confront a deadly mystery before the encroaching darkness consumes them all.

directed by Gus Krieger
produced by The Porters of Hellsgate

The Porters of Hellsgate continue their fifth season at the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival by remounting Deity Clutch with its original cast intact. Deity Clutch is an original work by Associate Artistic Director Gus Krieger, and had its world premiere in May of 2010 at The Lex Theatre in Hollywood. Susan Burns of Melpomene wrote that Deity Clutch “would make the Immortal Bard proud…a tapestry of wonderful absurdities, anguished psyches and sadistic violence.” Ashley Steed of the LA Theatre Review called the piece “rich and complex,” stating that “Krieger’s language is eloquent, charming and vivid. He is truly a master with words.” Mr. Krieger returns to playwriting for the first time since The Secret Life of Ben Franklin at The Empty Stage and Honest Iago at The Cheney Theatre, both produced in 2005. Mr. Krieger wrote, directed, and co-produced the short film Ol’ Stan Levid, which premiered at the 2007 Screamfest Horror Film Festival. His produced feature screenplay The Killing Room was directed by Jonathan Liebesman, starring Academy Award nominee Chloë Sevigny and Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton, and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Deity Clutch will be performed three times during the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The first performance is on Sunday, June 12, at 4:30pm, the second on Thursday, June 16, at 8:30pm, and the third and final performance is on Saturday, June 18, at 4:30pm. See Deity Clutch at:

The Ruby @ The Complex
6476 Santa Monica Blvd
LA, CA 90038

The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company was founded in 2006 by Edward Castuera, Jack Leahy and Charles Pasternak. Their inaugural production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar opened at the end of that year. Since then the Porters have produced ten more of Shakespeare’s plays: Twelfth Night (‘07), King Richard III (’07), Titus Andronicus (‘07), Two Gentlemen of Verona (’07/‘08), Much Ado About Nothing (’08), Macbeth (‘08), Love’s Labour’s Lost (‘08), King Richard II (’09), Hamlet (‘10), and The Comedy of Errors (‘10), as well as Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (’10, in rep. with Hamlet), an original work, Deity Clutch (‘10), by Associate Artistic Director Gus Krieger, and most recently, the world premiere of a new translation of Oedipus the Tyrant (’11), translated by resident artist Jamey Hecht, Ph.D. In 2010, Artistic Director Charles Pasternak was awarded “Shakespeare Performance of the Year” by StageSceneLA for his performance in the title role of Hamlet (which also received a “GO!” from the LA Weekly). Also awarded, Executive Director Edward Castuera, in the role of Horatio, earning “Best Performance by a Featured Actor/Drama,” and Associate Artistic Director Thomas Bigley, earning “Outstanding Direction of a Drama.” The company’s mission is to bring powerful productions of both classic and new works to the Los Angeles community.

Praise for Mr. Krieger’s The Killing Room:

“THE KILLING ROOM has the feel of a Stanley Milgram experiment put through a horror-movie meat grinder; it’s a crafty, finely-honed depiction of what might happen when the power of authority butts up against the will to survive … Shrewd, smart, and thought-provoking, THE KILLING ROOM ultimately works because it doesn’t seem that far-fetched.”
- Ryan Daley, screenwriter

“More fireworks than a Michael Bay flick with fifty times its budget …”
- Larry Carroll, MTV News

“It’s one of those films that really puts an audience through an emotional roller-coaster ride …”
- Drew McWeeny, HitFix.com

“The script is canny enough to keep you guessing … genre fans who like a little psychological mayhem mixed in with their more traditional carnage should find something to like in this scrappy little chiller.”
- Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide

“Unremittingly gripping and unnerving, THE KILLING ROOM transforms a simple premise into an almost unbearably tense experience … a claustrophobic, riveting thriller …”
- Tim Grierson, LA Weekly

Praise for The Porters of Hellsgate:

“A promising, young company.”
-David C. Nichols, LA Times

“Worthy of comparison to The Mercury Players.”
-Amy Bowder, The Tolucan Times

“A force to be reckoned with in Los Angeles classical theatre.”
-Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA.com

“It’s been said before, but bears repeating: It’s hard not to be a fan of The Porters of Hellsgate.”
-Michael Kostroff, PlayShakespeare.com

Ticket Price: $12 online (plus $1.50 Fringe Support Fee), $15 at the door.
Reservations are available online via The Hollywood Fringe Festival.
(Project URL at http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/444).
Reservations can be made via our e-mail or voice mail.
Information line/voice mail: 818-325-2055.
E-mail questions/comments/reservation requests to: [email protected]
This press release is available online at www.PortersOfHellsgate.com.
PRESS CONTACT: ALEX PARKER, 818-606-1149, [email protected]
Press Night: Press is welcome at any performance, but the preferred press night is Sunday, June 12, at 4:30pm.

Thank you for your consideration! We hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,
Alex Parker
Managing Director
The Porters of Hellsgate

“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were a porter of hellsgate, he should have old turning the key… Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.”
-The Scottish Play, Act 2, Scene 3