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Event
Friends Like These
"GO!" - LA Weekly
"(Playwright Gregory Crafts) has thrown in surprising details and created authentic characters who give us a fresh twist on teen angst." - Backstage
"Understated from the top, (Matthew Scott) Montgomery's performance deepens and expands as his character gradually undergoes changes. (Sarah Smick) is likewise layered and sympathetic, and (Sari) Sanchez plays her one note role exceptionally well." - LA Weekly
"Directors Sean Fitzgerald and Vance Roi Reyes get super work out of their actors... the performers are always right on target." - Backstage
TU examines violence in high schools with original new show.
Theatre Unleashed partners with young adults outside the company for a powerful and provocative full-length fringe show exploring the why behind teen violence.
LOS ANGELES - Fresh off the successful run of Contemporary Constructions and Tales of an Unsettled City: Revelations, Theatre Unleashed is pleased to announce its first ever "fringe show," a full-length production working off the company's Main Stage calendar.
Working with young adult actors, Theatre Unleashed presents "Friends Like These", running Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 12-Oct. 17 at The Sherry Theatre in North Hollywood.
An original piece by company member Gregory Crafts, Friends Like These takes a candid and poignant look at the staggering issue of violence in our high schools. Garrett is an outsider who spends most of his troubled existence in a fantasy world called Haven... that is until he meets Nicole, the popular cheerleader with a curious mind. As quickly as things begin looking up for Garrett, they come crashing down, forcing him to face both his past mistakes and his harsh present reality while he struggles for redemption. This gut-wrenching piece unswervingly explores the emotional trauma brought on by social mores during high school, forcing a confrontation with the causes and tragic consequences that left us staggered as a nation during Columbine and other high school shootings.
"Although Columbine occurred 10 years ago, violence amongst teenagers and young adults is still an ongoing issue," said co-director Sean Fitzgerald. "After Columbine, those who dressed similar to the shooters were further ostracized. Our production seeks to explore this cycle and to humanize those who are regarded merely as outcasts."
Friends Like These is a period piece, taking place a decade ago, as the country experienced an outbreak of teen violence.
"What's interesting to me about this play is looking at it as a period piece, taking into account all the things going on in American and the world at the time that would have informed these high schoolers' lives," said co-director Vance Roi Reyes. "It was a violent, violent time in our history for children and young people."
Wanting to cast age appropriate, Fitzgerald and Reyes sought actors outside the company to play the teenage roles, marking the first time Theatre Unleashed has done a show made up of mostly non-company members. Authenticity was also a priority for Crafts, who identified with his characters.
"I was an outcast in high school and certainly felt like a 'trenchcoat kid,' so I had a lot of personal experience to pull from," Crafts said. "I don't think the story is very self-reflective anymore and I certainly don't think its just about a school shooting. It's a story about five kids and how complex their lives are."
Friends Like These performs alongside the new Theatre Unleashed late night show Pulp Graveyard, which presents the stories of old dime store comic book and serials live on stage. Theatre Unleashed is also pleased to bring back Through a Caffeine Haze and the sketch comedy troupe Die Gruppe.
DATES AND TIMES:
Sept. 12-Oct. 17
Fridays and Saturdays, all shows at 8 p.m.
*Meet and greet with artists after each show
**Immediately following Saturday performances will be
the TU original Pulp Graveyard
LOCATION:
The Sherry Theatre
11052 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $15
*$20 for both Friends Like These and Pulp Graveyard
INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS:
For further information, please call: (818) 849-4039
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LocationThe Sherry Theatre
11052 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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