THE LIAR'S PUNISHMENT: BENEFIT FOR HOMELESS!

The Liar's Punishment

“The Liar’s Punishment,” at the Hollywood Fringe, Explores Homelessness and Human Connection

“I won’t go!” the homeless woman shouts at the young social worker determined to move her from a dangerous encampment under a Los Angeles freeway to a safe shelter and a better life. With that, the lines of conflict and discovery are drawn in “The Liar’s Punishment,” a one-act, two-actor play to be performed at the upcoming Hollywood Fringe Festival. As the two characters argue, joke and quote G. B. Shaw at each other, they discover startling secrets that will alter them both. Written and directed by Leda Siskind and starring Nancy Youngblut and Jennifer Lee Laks, “The Liar’s Punishment” is scheduled for five performances between June 3 and June 15 as part of the Festival. Twenty percent of the proceeds will benefit the Downtown Women’s Center, which aids women very much like the homeless figure in the play. Siskind previously wrote and directed “All My Distances are Far,” a play about troubled high school students and their counselor; it was produced at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills last year, was well reviewed by the Los Angeles Times and is now published by Steele Spring Stage Rights. As an actor, Siskind has performed on Broadway (“The Suicide”) and more recently at Theatre 40 (“Two Sisters”). Siskind also is a therapist and that work, she says, has informed her writing: “When we look at the homeless on the street, we may have more in common with them than we know at first.” In “The Liar’s Punishment,” Youngblut portrays the fierce and fiercely intelligent Elbee, who has come to her tent from a very different life. Youngblut has appeared on Broadway (“Burn This”) and in many regional productions including “The Heidi Chronicles” at the Cleveland Playhouse and “The Dinner Party” at the Kennedy Center; her work on the big and small screens includes Netflix’s “LOVE”, “The Fosters,” “Weeds,” “Perception,” and" Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. " Laks play Gwen, the courageous but inexperienced social worker who has faced her own difficult detours. Laks’ stage work includes roles at Theatre 40 (“April in April, May & June,” “The Love List,” “Night Watch”) and the Avery Schreiber Playhouse (“Another Washington Affair”) and her film and TV appearances can be seen in “Shameless,” " Astrid Clover," " Cry Wolfe", “Elvis Lives!” and others. “The Liar’s Punishment” – the title is a reference from a Shaw essay- will be performed at the East Theatre (OMR) at the Complex, 6468 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 90038. Its schedule is varied: Saturday June 3, 8:30 p.m.; Friday June 9, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday June 11, 4:30 p.m.; Thursday June 15, 7:00 p.m. and Saturday June 17, 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available in advance at the Hollywood Fringe Festival website http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/ and at the door.

Contact: Leda Siskind; 323-363-9646; [email protected]