PRESS RELEASE

Punish Me

PUNISH ME
A cinematic play inspired by true events
Written by Michael Dukakis
Directed by Monique Sorgen
Sundays June 7th, 14th, 21st AT 7:30PM
HUDSON BACKSTAGE THEATRE

Punish Me will feature (in alphabetical order) Brianna Bell, Jaiden Blessing, Tina D’Marco, Michael Dukakis, Jose Eduardo Moreno , and Anuradha Senevi.

A screenwriter struggling to make it in Hollywood becomes trapped in an increasingly abusive relationship with a narcissist who threatens both his career dreams and his legal status in America. The play explores the complexity of toxic relationships, narcissism, and obsession. It includes adult themes and simulated sex. Inspired by true events. Running time is 85 minutes with no intermission.
Lighting design is by Steve Pope, sound design and original music is by Paul Yorke, intimacy coordinator is Annie Reznik, and visual artist is Nick Lambrou. Stage manager and assistant director is Diego Salazar Lira. Punish Me is produced by Michael Dukakis with associate producers Yiota Pampalou and Katerina Dimakopoulou.

Monique Sorgen is a French American writer-director with a degree in theater from UCLA. She is a fellow in the Sony Directors Program, BlackMagic Collective, and in the Alliance of Women Directors’ Directing the Actor Lab. She directed award-winning comedy films Sorry, Not Sorry; Rock A Bye Baby; and Lying is Complicated, as well as the award-winning drama Random Check and the award-winning web-series Codependent Socks! — most of which she also wrote. She has worked as a screenwriter on both studio and independent projects and is currently in post-production on the feature film One Day in Sedona, and on her Vertical Microdrama debut My
Hot Ex-Boyfriend Moved Next Door.

Michael Dukakis is a highly trained and versatile actor-writer with 15 years of experience across film, television, and theatre. A graduate of the Greek Art Theatre with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, he further honed his craft at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, where he was admitted on scholarship. He later expanded his creative skills by earning a writing certificate from UCLA. As
a writer he has developed a distinctive voice, crafting plays and screenplays that confront significant societal issues. His work has earned notable acclaim, garnering 27 nominations and 15 wins at
various annual writing competitions.

Hudson Backstage Theatre is located at 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, 90038.