ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY 

Announces a change to its 2024/2025 Season with

The World Premiere Tour of 

RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR

 Written and Designed by Hershey Felder

Directed by Trevor Hay

Performances begin Thursday, April 3 

at The New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara!

September 6, 2024…Santa Barbara, Calif… Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (ETC), Santa Barbara’s only professional theatre company and a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), announces a change to its 2024-25 season. The highly acclaimed world premiere tour of “RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR” – written and designed by Hershey Felder – will replace the anticipated production of his “George Gershwin Alone.” Felder performs the leading role of Sergei Rachmaninoff and, for the first time, will appear opposite another artist, British-Italian actor Jonathan Silvestri, in the role of Tsar Nicholas II.

The newest theatrical work by Felder tells the story of the legendary pianist-composer Sergei V. Rachmaninoff who, having safely fled Russia during the 1917 revolution, made his home in the United States. In 1942, at the age of 68, he received American citizenship and bought a home in Beverly Hills, but his soul never left Russia. Six months later, a terminal illness brought forth the memory of a long ago encounter Rachmaninoff had with Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, and the Tsar’s daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. This memory would haunt him until his death.

“A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a preview of ‘RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR’ in Santa Monica and, after conversation with Hershey, a decision was made to bring it to Santa Barbara,” said Scott DeVine, ETC’s executive director.  “The shift from ‘George Gershwin, Alone’ is representative of ETC’s commitment to presenting innovative and thought-provoking theatre, and was not a decision that I took lightly. The ability to have ‘RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR’ at the New Vic as a part of the world premiere tour presents a unique opportunity for our audience to experience a fresh and compelling new work.”

Making this change is consistent with ETC’s ongoing mission to support and showcase new works and diverse voices in the American theatre landscape. With its intimate setting at the New Vic and focus on high-quality professional theatre, ETC continues to be a vibrant cultural force in Santa Barbara.  

“ETC is on the cutting edge producing new and interesting theatre and sharing our newest piece that has become instantly beloved was something I wanted ETC’s audiences to experience,” Felder said. “There will always be Gershwin, but this new play has a limited season, and the prospect of playing it in beautiful Santa Barbara was very exciting for me. When I saw Scott at the preview, I asked him if ETC would consider saving the 28-year-old Gershwin piece for another time in order to share in the world premiere season of ‘RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR.‘ I am excited to present to you my freshest piece – one with a contemporary bent that has already received rave reviews and excited audiences. I very much look forward to being with you in the Spring and will return to Santa Barbara with Gershwin in the future!”

ABOUT HERSHEY FELDER AND JONATHAN SILVESTRI

JONATHAN SILVESTRI (Tsar Nicholas II)  began his career at BAC Youth Theatre in London’s Clapham district later studying with Simon Furness. He is known for his roles in the international television HBO hit series “Borgia” as Cardinal Fonsalida; his recent film with Tim Rozon as a US Marine in “DAKOTA,” the television series “The Young Pope,” “ Dangerous Lies,” “Devils,” “Fangs,” and more. He is a regular on Italian TV, in particular RAI’s ‘Impazienti’ in a starring role with Max Tortora and Enrico Bertolino. Jonathan recently appeared as Eugene Delacroix in Hershey Felder’s feature film “Noble Genius-Chopin & Liszt” and the feature film “Hey Joe,” with James Franco. A regular on Roman stages, Jonathan’s notable theatre credits include “Closer” by Patrick Marber, “Julius Caesar,” “Our Country’s Good,” and “Chinatown” at the Teatro Manhattan as well as many other productions. Jonathan is of British-Roman origin and is an actor specializing in International character accents and styles.

“RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR” will run as scheduled in the previous slot for “George Gershwin Alone” and current ticket holders will be automatically transferred to the new production. Those wishing to exchange their tickets or seeking additional information about “RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR” or the rest of the 2024-25 season can contact the ETC ticket office at 805-965-5400.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY, a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), is Santa Barbara’s sole professional Equity theater company. ETC is committed to producing the highest professional quality theater in Santa Barbara, employing accomplished professional actors and stage managers. 

ETC has been home to several world, American and West Coast premieres and has received recognition and accolades throughout its enduring history, Including being recognized in an Equity theater company by the Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union for American actors and state managers. As the sole professional Equity theatre company in Santa Barbara, ETC brings a wide range of accomplished theatrical professionals to the region. For more information, visit our website at etcsb.org.

Los Angeles, CA (September 6, 2024) – With great admiration and bittersweet sentiment, Rogue Machine Theatre announces the retirement of Co-Founding Producing Artistic Director, John Perrin Flynn. After sixteen seasons of innovative leadership and outstanding artistic guidance, John will be stepping down from his leadership role as this season draws to an end during September 2024 however, he will continue to direct various projects for the company. Guillermo Cienfuegos will succeed Flynn as Rogue Machine’s artistic director.

Rogue Machine was created as a collective of award-winning entertainment veterans bringing a new and distinctive voice to Los Angeles theatre. The company was launched with the production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Compleat Female Stage Beauty, directed by Flynn at the remodeled Theatre Theatre building on Pico Blvd. in April of 2008, with Elina de Santos as co-artistic director. In 2017 the company moved to The Met in East L.A., in 2018 they produced the next two seasons at the Electric Lodge in Venice, and in 2021 moved to their current home in the Matrix Theatre at 7657 Melrose Ave., in Los Angeles.

Photo (Courtesy RMT): John Perrin Flynn

Drawing from the diverse and extensive experience of its collective, while creating high-quality productions by contemporary playwrights, Rogue Machine produces plays that specifically address our culture and time. The mission has always included building a theatre of ideas and nurturing the development of plays from contemporary writers. Flynn set out to keep a strong emphasis on presenting new plays or plays new to Los Angeles. This edict is now nationally recognized as the cornerstone of the Rogue Machine brand.

From its inception, Flynn’s insistence on pushing artistic boundaries has garnered recognition from local and national press, which has elevated Rogue Machine to one of the city’s most awarded intimate theatres, and the only company to receive the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, three times, for “Best Season.”

Highlights of John’s transformative leadership include the development of nine productions published by Samuel French, Dramatists Play Service or Broadway Play Publishing, with six of the productions having subsequent staging’s at significant theatres, including Off Broadway, major regional houses and the Donmar Warehouse in London. Four world premieres, John Pollono’s Razorback and Small Engine Repair, Neil McGowen’s Lone-Anon, and One Night in Miami… by Kemp Powers were made into feature films, garnering Kemp Powers an Academy Award nomination. Flynn has directed the world premieres of John Pollono’s Lost Girls and Henry Murray’s Treefall. Additionally, he helmed Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom, the Los Angeles premiere of Walsh’s Penelope, The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy, Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of the American Cinema, the West Coast premieres of Samuel D. Hunter’s Pocatello, A Permanent Image, A Bright New Boise, Tom Morton-Smith’s American premiere of Oppenheimer, and Rogue Machine’s inaugural production, Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher. In 2012, John received the Career Achievement Award for Theatre from the LA Weekly.

In recognition of John’s part in Rogue Machine’s artistic achievement, administrative strength, development of new work and other significant contributions to the field of professional theatre in the United States, the company is supported by the Shubert Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The David Lee Foundation, The City and County of Los Angeles, The Ahmanson Foundation, and The Richenthal Foundation. RMT is a recipient of the American Theatre Wing’s 2014 National Theatre Company Grant. Prior to founding Rogue Machine, John was the executive producer and director of Lifetime’s long-running series Strong Medicine and has produced two other series and 14 television movies or miniseries including the Emmy-nominated Burden of Proof.

Stepping into the role as Rogue Machine’s new artistic director will be multi-award winner Guillermo Cienfuegos, kicking off the seventeenth season in November 2024 by directing the Los Angeles premiere of Will Arbery’s Evanston Salt Costs Climbing. Already familiar to Rogue Machine audiences, Cienfuegos directed the company’s productions of Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Middle of the World, The Beautiful People, Disposable Necessities, Ready Steady Yeti Go, and Dutch Masters as well as the RMT video productions of Insulted:Belarus(sia) and Voices of the New Belarus. He received both the Ovation and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for “Best Director” for his production of Shakespeare’s Henry V at Pacific Resident Theatre. He has directed numerous productions at PRT, including Ionesco’s Rhinoceros, Pinter’s The Homecoming and Safe at Home: An Evening with Orson Bean. Other theatre directing credits include Julia, both at PRT and at New York’s 59E59 theatre, Off-Broadway, the World Premiere of Middle of the World at Boise Contemporary Theatre, Christmas Contigo at Oregon Cabaret Theatre, the Los Angeles Premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize winning Between Riverside and Crazy at the Fountain Theatre and most recently Shaw’s Misalliance and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within. Guillermo Cienfuegos is the directing pseudonym of actor Alex Fernandez, who has appeared at numerous regional theatres, including the American Conservatory Theatre, Alaska Rep, and the Old Globe as well as in dozens of local productions most notably Henry V, The Cherry Orchard and Rhinoceros at PRT, Exiles at the Hayworth and Luka’s Room at Rogue Machine. Fernandez has over 170 film and television credits, most recently recurring on the series American Gigolo, Mayans MC and Good Trouble. Cienfuegos was featured in the ‘People to Watch’ issue of American Theatre magazine and is a graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre.

Cienfuegos expressed that, “Just the mere thought of having to step into the role, that John has held so brilliantly, fills me with terror. Having now done it alongside him for a little while, I can see how much love and dedication he has poured into the work of building Rogue Machine. And how much he has sacrificed to keep it alive and thriving. As artistic director of Rogue Machine for the past 16 years, John has been in the vanguard of producing new work in Los Angeles. Dozens and dozens of new plays, plays new to LA, and their playwrights, have been fostered, developed and shared with audiences hungry for them, because of his efforts. Thanks to him, Rogue Machine has grown into a theatre that plays a significant role in the culture of Los Angeles. John’s legacy is cemented as a champion of new plays and a fervent defender and advocate of intimate theatre. My humble desire is to continue his legacy.”

Rogue Machine is planning to have a “Standing Ovation Party” for John which will take place on December 8, 2024 (5pm-9pm) at the LGBT Center, 1125 N McCadden Pl in Los Angeles, honoring John Perrin Flynn’s retirement, and his achievement in and dedication to Los Angeles theatre. In addition, the company is premiering a fund in his name, dedicated to the purpose of continuing his legacy of developing and nurturing emerging playwrights, and introducing important contemporary works that are new to Los Angeles. More information on ticketing and donations will be available soon on the Rogue Machine website: https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org

J. Todd Harris presents 

a Developmental Workshop Production of 

PARENTS IN CHAINS 

Written by Jay Martel

Directed by Andy Fickman

Two Performances Only!  Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1

at the Whitley Theatre in Hollywood!

A new comedy about texts, treks, sex, and empty nests…

September 6, 2024…Hollywood, CA…J. Todd Harris (Heathers The Musical, The Kids Are All Right) is proud to present a developmental workshop production of a new comedy, PARENTS IN CHAINS, written by Emmy and Peabody award-winner Jay Martel and directed by Andy Fickman (Heathers The Musical, Reefer Madness).  PARENTS IN CHAINS will perform on Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1 at 8pm at the historic Whitley Theatre, 6555 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles. 

In PARENTS IN CHAINS, six L.A. parents exchange texts as their 17-year-old daughters drive home from a weekend in San Francisco during the approach of a hurricane. The trip and the inclement weather bring out both the best and the worst in the parents as they confront, as a group, as couples, and as individuals, what it means to let go of their kids. By turns viciously comic and poignant, PARENTS IN CHAINS is a valentine to the most difficult, most failure-prone job in the world…parenting.

Casting will be announced shortly.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

ANDY FICKMAN (Director) is an award-winning director, writer and producer, whose work spans film, television, and theater. He recently directed Heathers the Musical, which wrapped a record-breaking, sold-out run at The Other Palace in London, where it won multiple awards, and has completed three successful UK/Ireland tours. Before its transfer to the West End, the show had a successful New York run at New World Stages, where it was nominated for multiple Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel awards. The show premiered in Los Angeles to sold-out, standing-room-only audiences. He recently completed a workshop of the musical adaptation of the hit film 13 Going on 30 in London. Fickman also directed Reefer Madness: The Musical in both Los Angeles and New York, which won him Best Director awards at the Ovation Awards and Drama Critics Awards, then directed and produced the Emmy award-winning filmed version for Showtime. His many film credits include the comedies She’s The Man, Parental Guidance, The Game Plan, Playing With Fire, You Again, and Race to Witch Mountain. Additionally, Fickman directed and executive produced two seasons of “Kevin Can Wait” for Sony TV and CBS. Other TV Credits include directing and executive producing: “The Crew” (Netflix), “No Good Nick” (Netflix), “Christmas Again” (Disney), the Emmy award winning “Liv And Maddie” (Disney), and the upcoming reboot of “The Wizards Of Waverly Place” (Disney).

JAY MARTEL (Playwright) has won Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild of America, and American Comedy awards for his writing. He was a showrunner and head writer on “Key & Peele” in addition to many other comedy series, including “Alternatino,” “Teachers,” “Halfway Home,” and “Strangers With Candy.” His plays have been staged in New York and Los Angeles. His third novel, The Present, was published earlier this year, and the movie version, starring Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher, was recently released worldwide. He’s written numerous movies, includingGet Hard, starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, and is a contributor to The New Yorker, where his humor appears regularly. www.jaymartel.com 

J. TODD HARRIS (Producer) is the founder and president of Branded Pictures Entertainment based in Los Angeles. He has produced or executive produced over 50 films, including Oscar-nominated Trial of the Chicago 7and The Kids Are All Right, along with five Sundance entries, including Bottle Shock. For stage, he produced Heathers The Musical and the musical adaptations of Doctor Zhivago and American Psychofor Broadway. He’s currently co-producing Soul Train and Buena Vista Social Club. He is a lead producer on soon-to-be unveiled Phenomenal Woman Maya Angelou and Death at a Funeral. He’s a 25-year member of the Motion Picture Academy and a Broadway League member 2015-2018. He has taught at Chapman University and Syracuse University’s LA campus. He earned his BA and MBA from Stanford University. 

PARENTS IN CHAINS

Written by Jay Martel

Directed by Andy Fickman

Produced by J. Todd Harris

Performances: Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1 at 8pm

The Historic Whitley Theatre

6555 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA  

Ticket: $25 (Prices subject to change)

Steven Dietz’s comic adaptation of Agatha
 Christie’s ‘Murder on the Links’ next up at ICT’

WHAT:
Something’s afoul on the private golf course at Merlinville-Sur-Mer. In a hilarious new adaptation of Agatha Christie most intricate “whodunit,” detective Hercule Poirot receives an urgent letter from Paul Renauld, summoning him to France. But when he arrives, Poirot finds he’s too late — M. Renauld now lies dead, face down in a grave on the edge of the golf course he was building. Certain facts do not add up… and when a second body is found, it’s been stabbed in a seemingly impossible way.

WHO:
• Adapted by Steven Dietz from the novel by Agatha Christie
• Directed by Todd Nielsen
• Starring Gabbie Adner, Louis Lotorto, James Simenc, Brian Stanton, Daniel A. Stevens, Tina Van Berckelaer
• Produced by caryn desai [sic]
• Presented by International City Theatre

WHEN:
Previews: Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Performances: Oct. 18 – Nov. 3
• Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 16 ONLY (preview)
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 17 (preview), Oct. 24, Oct. 31
• Fridays at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 18 (Opening Night), Oct. 25, Nov. 1
• Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 3

WHERE:
International City Theatre
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802

TICKET PRICES:
• Opening Night (Oct. 18): $55 (includes post-show reception with the actors)
• Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (except Friday, Oct. 18): $49
• Sunday matinees: $52
• Previews: $37

HOW:
InternationalCityTheatre.org.
(562) 436-4610