THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE THEATRE FOR A NEW GENERATION PRESENTS EVERYDAY HEROES
Suitable for Ages 13 and up, Theatre for a New Generation offers
Social Issue Plays for Teens, Parents and Educators
MARCH 12, 2007 - LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA – The Laguna Playhouse’s Theatre for a New Generation is pleased to present Everyday Heroes by Laurie Brooks, running Tuesday May 15 through Thursday, May 17, 2007. The production is directed by Donna Inglima, Laguna Playhouse Director of Youth Theatre, Education and Outreach.
In Everyday Heroes, Kurt and Win have spent their young lives protecting their alcoholic mother. When an accident leads to a devastating fire, they are catapulted into a media frenzy and Win becomes a reluctant hero. But the brothers harbor a terrible secret. Will Win choose family loyalty or listen to his conscience? Everyday Heroes raises questions about the meaning of heroism and explores issues surrounding the power of the media and the silencing of boys’ emotions in our society.
Laurie Brooks (playwright) is Professor and Playwright in Residence at New York University’s Program in Educational Theatre, and at The Coterie in Kansas City, MO. Laurie is also a site reporter for The National Endowment for the Arts and a member of The Dramatists Guild.
Her Lies and Deceptions Quartet for young adults includes The Wrestling Season, featured at New Visions 2000: One Theatre World, at The Kennedy Center and printed in The American Theatre, November, 2000. The Quartet also includes: Deadly Weapons, commissioned and devised with Graffiti Theatre Company in Ireland in 1998 and nominated for a Leon Rabin Award for best new play in Dallas, 2002; The Tangled Web, Irish version commissioned and devised with Graffiti Theatre Company in 2000 and the American version commissioned by The Coterie in 2002 (winner of AT&T Firststage Award from Theatre Communications Group); and Everyday Heroes, commissioned and premiered by The Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration and Salt Lake City in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Additional award-winning plays include Devon’s Hurt; The Match Girl’s Gift, Franklin’s Apprentice, Between Land and Sea: A Selkie Myth, and A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas, co-commissioned by The Coterie and Nashville Children’s Theatre. Laurie’s plays have received two AATE Distinguished Play Awards and the 2003 Charlotte Chorpenning Cup for a distinguished body of work for young people. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Laurie received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Hofstra University in 1977, and her Master of Arts, Educational Theatre, from New York University in 1991.
Donna Inglima (Director) is the Director of Youth Theatre, Education and Outreach for The Laguna Playhouse, where she has been since 1998. For The Playhouse, Donna has written and directed adaptations of three California core literature books: By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman, (adaptation co-authored with Joe Lauderdale and Mark Turnbull), The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare, and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. She also wrote and directed the world premiere of Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser. Other Laguna directing credits include: Spinning Into Butter, by Rebecca Gilman, The Good Times Are Killing Me by Linda Barry, The Homecoming by Earl Hamner, Jr., The Quiltmaker’s Gift with Book by Alan J. Prewitt, Music by Craig Bohmler, and Lyrics by Steven Mark Kohn, Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Kling & Kevin Henkes, and Ramona Quimby by Len Jenkins.
Donna is a former faculty member at Syracuse University Drama Department, Utica, and LeMoyne Colleges, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, and Director of the Apprentice Program at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. She’s been directing, teaching and acting for over 30 years. Her first experience with theatre for youth was when she founded Animal Crackers Unlimited Theatre Co. in upstate New York in 1979. While there, she directed more than fifty original adult and youth productions. Donna is a member of SSDC and Actor’s Equity Association.
Theatre for a New Generation offers thoughtful and compelling productions for teenaged audiences who may have outgrown our Youth Theatre Season. Each TNG play is a fully-evolved piece of theatre and may involve Youth Conservatory students. Plays are chosen for their relevance to the concerns of teenagers and for their ability to communicate frankly and directly, at a level those teenagers will respect and appreciate.
TNG plays are for teens, parents and educators, and parental discretion is strongly advised. The content of the plays is typically similar to PG-rated or PG-13-rated movies. There is no nudity, but costumes sometimes reflect provocative trends in teen attire and the language may at times be gritty or profane. The subject matter is always challenging, and has ranged from plays about the Holocaust, racism and school violence, to works about damaging rumors about sexual identity and the need to overcome self-destructive behavior.
Everyday Heroes - Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices:
Adults $10
Teens $5
Performances
May 15 – 17, 2007
Tuesday – Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) / GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.lagunaplayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
For more information, press comps, photos or to set up press interviews, please contact Christopher Trela at 949-497-2787 ext. 220 or ctrela@lagunaplayhouse.com. You may also contact Greg Patterson at 949-497-2787, ext. 216 or gpatterson@lagunaplayhouse.com.
