MOVING ARTS PRESENTS “THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE” AT 2014 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL; PERFORMANCES BEGIN JUNE 5

PHILIP SOKOLOFF
Publicity for the theatre
P.O. Box 94387
Pasadena, CA 91109-4387
(626) 683-9205
fax (626) 683-9172
e-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19, 2014
Press/media contact: Philip Sokoloff, (626) 683-9205

MOVING ARTS PRESENTS “THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE”
AT 2014 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL; PERFORMANCES BEGIN JUNE 5

WHAT: “THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE.” A comedy. Los Angeles Premiere.
WHO: Written by Wendy MacLeod. Directed by Darin Anthony. Produced by Lemuel H. Thornton III. Starring Cameron Jappe and Chet Grissom.
WHERE: The Dorie Theatre at The Complex 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038
WHEN: Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, June 19 at 9 p.m.; Sunday, June 22 at 7:15 p.m.; Thursday, June 26 at 8 p.m.,; Sunday, June 29 at 4 p.m., Preview performance on Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m.
ADMISSION: $15
ONLINE TICKETING: http://www.hff14.org/1766
RESERVATIONS: (323) 455-4585

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LOS ANGELES, CA (May, 2014) — Moving Arts (Darin Anthony, Artistic Director) announced today that it is co-producing THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival with Cameron Jappe.

This production unites successful alumni from the Theatre School at DePaul: Chet Grissom, Jappe and Anthony (Director) in a presentation of Wendy MacLeod’s sharp comedy.

THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE finds Bill (Jappe) preparing a condo for his soon-to-move-in wife when he gets an unexpected visit from his divorced neighbor Jack
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(Grissom). What unfolds over the full-length play is a funny and insightful look into these two men’s lives—the ones they dreamed of having versus the ones they are really living.

Mr. Jappe commented: “I’ve wanted to get this project off the ground for some time. I’m thrilled to finally be able to do it through Hollywood Fringe and, in particular, to be working with Chet and Darin. This play is ultimately about human connection, and there couldn’t be a more relevant subject given this loud information age full of smart phones and iThingys in which we live. The ability to empathize with another human being gets lost in all that noise, and this play reminds us how important it is to ‘only connect.’”

“This play has echoes of WAITING FOR GODOT,” said Mr. Anthony, “and that’s what attracted me to working on it when Cameron reached out to me. What we’re really looking forward to bringing to the table with this production is the dichotomy of comedy and pain that does exist for the average guy ‘struggling’ in the world.”

Joining the team are two of Moving Arts Resident Artists Jason Dupliessea as Sound Designer and Lemuel H. Thornton III as Producer.

Wendy MacLeod is the playwright. Best known for her comedy THE HOUSE OF YES which was adapted into a feature film. A production of her play THE WATER CHILDREN received six L.A. Drama Critics Circle nominations. Her other works include APOCALYPTIC BUTTERFLIES, SIN, SCHOOLGIRL FIGURE, CONNECT FIVE and many more. She is a graduate of Yale School of Drama and is playwright-in-residence at Kenyon College.

THINGS BEING WHAT THEY ARE premiered at Seattle Rep in 2003 and was subsequently produced in Milwaukee and by Steppenwolf in Chicago.

“Despite (or maybe it’s because of) its origin in a female mind, this funny, charming and rather moving….play from Wendy MacLeod probes the vulnerabilities of heterosexual middle-class, decaying maleness with….good humor, affection and incisive accuracy.”——Chicago Tribune

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