The Theatre @ Boston Court Announces its 6th Season!

IN ITS SIXTH SEASON, THE THEATRE @ BOSTON COURT PRESENTS TWO WORLD PREMIERES AND A CO-PRODUCTION WITH FURIOUS

PASADENA, Calif., October 10, 2008 – The Theatre @ Boston Court will present two world premieres, a west coast premiere and a production of a classic comedy play during its sixth season in 2009 at Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Moliere's "Tartuffe" opens the season on February 21, the world premiere of Laura Schellhardt's "Courting Vampires" opens May 9, the west coast premiere of Bruce Norris' "The Pain and the Itch," a co-production with Furious Theatre Company, opens July 25, and the world premiere of Deborah Stein's "God Save Gertrude" opens October 10.

"Tartuffe," directed by Josh Chambers, upends the expectations of a Comedy of Manners in the pastel washes and smog-stained environs of "The Other Hollywood," the San Fernando Valley. Suburbia becomes the battleground for a spiritual and cultural civil war between art and commerce, charlatan and saint. Pop art and industrial music lift Moliere's delicious rhymes and indictment of hypocrisy and drops them in our own back yard.

In "Courting Vampires," a deeply moving allegory that straddles graveyard and courtroom, Nina, a vitally alive, headstrong young woman falls victim to a fatal blood disease, and her protective older sister, Rill, vows revenge on the vampire who infected her. With righteousness and impassioned love Rill puts the vampire on trial for his life. But does anything – even justice – avenge death? "Courting Vampires" will be directed by Jessica Kubzansky, co-artistic director for The Theatre @ Boston Court.

In the "The Pain and the Itch," a young daughter is in serious need of attention while her parents worry if the milk is organic. A ravenous creature may be prowling the upstairs bedrooms. And an average Thanksgiving for this family unravels into an exposé of disastrous choices and less-than-altruistic motives. "The Pain and the Itch," directed by Dámaso Rodriguez, co-artistic director of Furious Theatre Company, is a scathing comedy about the politics of class and race, a controversial examination of denial and its consequences.

In "God Save Gertrude," a punk rock riff on "Hamlet" directed by Michael Michetti, co-artistic director of The Theatre @ Boston Court, angry crowds gather outside an abandoned theatre as Queen Gertrude takes the stage. She riffs on Patti Smith and sings about her many loves and her many mistakes while her country simmers in a volatile state of transition. As the bombs rain down and her coked-up son sells out to MTV, Gertrude hopes to incite one more riot before she goes.

Each play previews for six performances prior to its opening date and runs for four weeks, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets for individual plays in the 2009 season are $17 for previews and $32 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.bostoncourt.org. Season memberships and discounted senior/student tickets are also available.

The Theatre @ Boston Court is the non-profit company that programs the state-of-the-art 99-seat main stage theatre in Boston Court Performing Arts Center at 70 North Mentor Avenue at Boston Court. Z. Clark Branson is the developer of the center and founding director of The Theatre @ Boston Court. Michael Seel is the executive director of Boston Court Performing Arts Center.

The Theatre @ Boston Court productions are made possible in part by the generosity of Branson, patron donors, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.