THE WORLD PREMIERE OF "ALL AMERICAN"!
All American
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2022
Press Contact: Lynn Grant Beck
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310)910-8406
All American is a powerful new play about hope for our tumultuous times.
The World Premier opens June 12th at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
WHAT: All American, a new drama laced with comedy, time travel and magical realism. The world is so chaotic that time itself has broken. Two families from 1971 and 2021 live in the same house simultaneously. A modern-day teen plans a school shooting, but his plans go awry when he connects to the other characters and reconnects to his own humanity.
WHO: Written by Lynn Grant Beck; Produced by Lynn Grant Beck; Directed by Michael Strauss; Presented by LGB Productions. Starring: Theron LaFountain, Shawna Pardo, Madison Pullman, Cameron Blackmun, Dan Pousson, Carla Betz, Noemi VanSlyke, Julie Dell Phillips and Jonny Lovo.
WHERE: McCadden Place Theatre – 1157 N McCadden Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90038
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Opening Performance: Sunday, June 12 @2:00pm
Friday, June 17 @9:30pm
Sunday, June 19 @ 2:00pm
Closing Performance: Saturday, June 25 @6:30pm
TICKET PRICE: $15.00
Ticket link: hff22.co/7477
Admission age: 12+ for sexual innuendo, use of a toy gun and simulated self-harm
90 minutes
This play looks at the disconnection and isolation occurring today in American society, as well as the skyrocketing rates of teen mental health disorders, that can lead to self-harm and violence towards others. The play looks at these issues in a creative and inspiring way that offers hope and healing for the future. The house acts as a time portal, catapulting characters back and forth between 1971 and 2021. The two families must learn from each other in order to bring wisdom, compassion and empathy back to their own time period in order to help them heal their respective family dysfunction.
According to a 3/21/22 study by the CDC, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported that they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. In a recent “NY Times” video, close to 1 in 5 teens reported having seriously considered killing themselves. Lynn’s 19 year-old kid has struggled with mental health disorders since 8th grade. It has been a harrowing and traumatic experience for both mother and daughter, but through a lot of education and therapy, there has also been a lot of healing and hope.
In 2021 there were 249 school shootings in the United States (Statistica.com). Both Lynn and Michael have a personal connection to the deadliest school shooting in history at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 in Parkland, Fl. The phenomenon of school shootings seems to be uniquely American. The young shooters often suffer from mental health disorders and have easy access to guns.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM:
LYNN GRANT BECK (Writer/Producer): Lynn is a screenwriter, playwright and Professor of Screenwriting. She started her career in NYC where she founded the Chelsea Players and produced numerous Off-off Broadway plays, including “Restaurant A.” In 1996 she made her way to Los Angeles where she turned to screenwriting and has written over 30 scripts. She has a produced movie on Lifetime, “My Mom is a Bank Robber,” and a produced movie on the Hallmark Channel, “12 Gifts of Christmas.” She’s been hired by Tim Johnson Productions, Miracle Mile Entertainment, Google VP Jim Kolotouros, director John Rhode and director Hank Isaac. She teaches screenwriting in the MFA programs at Pepperdine University and Spalding University. Her entertainment industry credits include Creative Executive at Interscope Communications and VP of Production at Kopelson Entertainment.
MICHAEL STRAUSS (Director): Michael is a director, producer and actor for stage and screen. A returning fringer (Thenardiers Inn, Midsummer Night’s Dream with CAC Studios) Michael is excited to bring the world premier of All American to life. Michael recently led in new musical “Abrahams Land,” which premiered in Seattle at the Kirkland Performance Center and currently produces, directs, and performs in the definitive digital sketch comedy showcase, “Sunday Morning Digital.” Michael has written and directed for the apprentice program at the Williamstown Theater Festival and Edinburgh Theater Festival and is an artist in residence for the first annual Borderland Arts Initiative this fall in El Paso. Classically trained as an actor and director from the Stella Adler Studio in NYC, Michael has lent his talents to multiple film and stage productions here in Los Angeles. Michael is a proud member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA.
Comps available for members of the press upon request. Please contact Lynn at [email protected] or (310)910-8406.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: lynn.grantbeck
Twitter: @lynngrantbeck
Instagram: allamericanplay
Tiktok: @allamericannewplay
https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/ALL-AMERICAN-Comes-to-the-Hollywood-Fringe-Festival-in-June-20220517
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