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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2005 HOLIDAY HOTLINE Previews November 23, 25 & 26, Running December 1 - 23, 2005 A musical comedy revue! Cleveland, OH -- James Levin's Detroit Ave. Arts is proud to announce the world premiere of the irreverent HOLIDAY HOTLINE, a musical comedy revue with sketches and songs. HOLIDAY HOTLINE takes a demented look at all the things that drive us crazy about the Christmas holidays. The show, to run in the funky Orthodox, a former church, runs December 1 - 23, with a preview week Wednesday, November 23, Friday, November 25, and Saturday, November 26. The show's book is by Michael Sepesy; music by Linda Eisenstein; and lyrics by both. Linda Eisenstein and Michael Sepesy wreck the halls with this fast and funny collection of sketches and songs skewering the holiday season, from A CHRISTMAS CAROL to Kwanzaa. The piece is eclectic and irreverent, taking all holiday traditions prisoner with music styles ranging from country to polka to torch song. The world premiere HOLIDAY HOTLINE sends up everything from the mystery ingredients in the turkey stuffing to elf psychotherapy. Co-creator Michael Sepesy sums it up, "The show is a cure for the Christmas crazies!" HOLIDAY HOTLINE is produced by James Levin's Detroit Avenue Arts. Detroit Avenue Arts is veteran theatre artist and impresario James Levin's latest effort to provide Cleveland with alternative, unique, urban venues. The cast includes local favorites Denise Astorino, Kim Aldrich-Ceja, Mark Cipra, Maryann Elder, Hester Lewellen, and Andrew Narten. The production's staff is led by director Mindy Childress and musical director Michael Flohr. Set design is by Michael D. Sepesy, light design is by Trad A Burns, costume design is by Alison Hernan Garrigan, choreography is by Amy Pawlukiewicz and properties design is by Sharon Epstein. Nadia Tarnawsky is the production stage manager. The show previews Wednesday, November 23 and Friday, November 25 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 26 (8:00 and 10:30 p.m. shows). Opening night is December 1, with the production running through December 23. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 216.491.1709. Preview tickets are $10. For performances, Thursday, Sunday and Saturday 10:30 p.m. tickets are $10. Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. are $15. Orthodox is located at Detroit Avenue Arts, 6203 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 44102. Linda Eisenstein (music and co-lyricist) is a Cleveland area playwright & composer whose work has been performed throughout the US, and overseas in England, Canada, Australia, The Phillipines, & South Africa. She is the recipient of three Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships for her play THREE THE HARD WAY and her musicals STAR WARES: THE NEXT GENERATION and DISCORDIA (both with James Levin). She was recently nominated by the New York Innovative Theatre Awards for "Outstanding Original Short Script" for her play EISENSTEIN'S MONSTER. Michael Sepesy (book and co-lyricist) received both an OAC Individual Artist Fellowship
and Longtime friends, Eisenstein & Sepesy are colleagues in the Cleveland Play House Playwrights' Unit. Says Eisenstein about the genesis of the piece: "Last year two of our buddies in the Playwrights' Unit came back from a holiday comedy and said: "You guys are way wackier that that. You need to write a Christmas show." Since then, Mike and I have been bringing sketches and songs from our work-in-progress to the Playwrights' Unit. We've also been performing them every month at The Dark Room, the new works cabaret sponsored by the Cleveland Theater Collective. It's been a great way to watch it develop in front of an audience." Mindy Childress (director) is thrilled to be directing the premiere production
of Detroit Avenue Arts and to be working with such a creative
and inspiring team on this original work. Previous regional directing
credits include OVERTONES, THE DUMB WAITER,SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY
and LONE STAR for Charenton Theater Company. She has worked extensively
with Cleveland area theatres as an actress, stage manager and
producer, including The Beck Center for the Arts, Boulevard Theatre,
Bodwin Theatre Company, Cleveland Public Theatre, Near West Theatre
and The Solon Center for the Arts. She holds a BA in Theatre
and Film from Antioch College. By day, she works for Desberg
& Associates, a full-service advertising agency in James Levin and Detroit Avenue Arts (producer) Levin purchased St. Mary's Church, the oldest Romanian Orthodox Church in the United States, and the Parish Hall in 2003, to include as part of Cleveland Public Theatre's campus. The Church venue, now known as Orthodox, is a remarkably intimate space with a very special magic. The space is quite small, with a seating capacity of 75, and maintains its century "feel" with the original iconostasis ("wall of icons"), pews and very live acoustics. The Parish Hall, formerly the social hall of St. Mary's, built in 1926, has a proscenium at one end, great hardwood floors and is quite flexible. Both spaces have been used for rehearsals (recently for Verb Ballets, and soon for red, an orchestra), performances, office parties, weddings, receptions, benefits, and continues to be used by several groups for religious services. Levin left Cleveland Public Theatre in 2004 to pursue the actualization of the Gordon Square Arts District (involving the capital campaign efforts of Near West Theatre, CPT and the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood Organization's restoration of the Capitol Movie Theatre) and the launching of Ingenuity, Cleveland's Festival of Art and Technology. He envisions the Orthodox and Parish Hall spaces as venues that can feature local performance ensembles that currently do not have their own home. He strives to keep the rental fees affordable, hoping that the venues ultimately become an integrated component of the Arts District. Current tenants include the Cleveland Theatre Collective with its monthly new play reading series, The Dark Room; a Monday evening class and demonstration of big band ballroom dancing; as well as HOLIDAY HOTLINE. Future plans include a world music festival at the end of April, an event curated by Mike Telin, former program director at Trinity Cathedral. Please contact Eric Unhold at 216.961.4242 ext. 250 for a tour or rental information. www.holiday-hotline.com |
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