WORD FOR WORD PRESENTS AN EVENING OF PERFORMANCES OF TWO SHORT STORIES BY TWO AWARD WINNING AUTHORS THAT ARE JUST LIKE FOOD-EVEN BETTER WHEN SHARED.

FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure”
“Sorry Fugu” by T.C. Boyle and “Enough” by Alice McDermott
DIRECTED BY John Fisher
January 14 – February 5 (Previews Jan 11 12 & 13)

Z SPACE at Theater Artaud
450 Florida Street, (Near 16th Street BART) San Francisco

WORD FOR WORD, presents FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” a world premiere production of short stories by T.C. Boyle and Alice McDermott. Directed by John Fisher, FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure,”opens with a press night on Saturday, January 14, at 8 PM at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street in San Francisco (Previews Jan 11 12 & 13) and runs through February 5.

Food, appetite, and pleasure from two great writers: satirist T.C. Boyle with the witty, fervent “Sorry Fugu” and award-winning Alice McDermott’s sensuous “Enough.” T.C. Boyle writes of food and passion in “Sorry Fugu”, a wicked look at restaurants and critics. The dreaded Willa, critic terrible, is coming to Albert’s restaurant. Disaster ensues until Albert concocts a diabolical plan. Boyle’s verbal showmanship is the perfect match for Word for Word’s literary-theatrical style. Alice McDermott’s sensuous “Enough“ takes us from the childhood licking of ice cream bowls to the teenage “trouble with the couch” through aging and the endless variety of pleasures:”Enough” chronicles a woman’s life.”Pleasure is pleasure. If you have an appetite for it, you’ll find there’s plenty.” Directed by John Fisher FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” features Word For Word Charter Members Delia MacDougall* and Patricia Silver* with Molly Benson, Rudy Guerrero*, Gendell Hernandez*, and Soren Oliver*. (*member AEA).

On Saturday January 21, 8 pm Word for Word presents “An Evening with T.C. Boyle” with a performance of the company’s Food Stories. “Sorry Fugu” by T.C. Boyle and “Enough” by Alice McDermott, followed by an onstage conversation and reception with T.C. Boyle. Mr. Boyle’s books will be available for purchase and he will be happy to sign them.

Word for Word’s FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” is a world premiere production of short stories by the “explosively gifted” satirist T.C. Boyle and the award-winning author Alice McDermott. FOOD STORIES runs from January 14 – February 5 (Previews Jan 11,12 & 13).
At: Z SPACE, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco.
Performances; Wednesday-Thursday 7 pm, Friday-Saturday 8 pm, and Sunday 2 pm
Tickets for FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” are: Wednesday – Thursday $30; Friday – Sunday $40; Jan. 21 author night $55, with a $5 student/senior discount and $20 previews.
Photo editors: A selection of photographs is at www.zspace.org
Tickets: at www.brownpapertickets.com or (800) 838-3006 (24-Hour Ticket Hotline) or visit www.zspace.org.

As a part of the “Food Stories” run, Word for Word provides a buffet of experiences that reflect the multi-flavored environment in which we live and work: The Bay Area. Speakers include David Cody from Permaculture, Sue Conley from Cowgirl Creamery, Bette Kronening from Bette’s Oceanview Diner, and Alison Ghiorse from Savory Thymes. Food samplings from up-and-coming local chefs will be available, and food-related artwork from Emily Heller and Leah Rosenberg will be on display in the Gallery.* Partial, preliminary list of “Food Stories” activities and participants, for calendar of related events please visit www.zspace.org

T. Coraghessan Boyle is the author of twenty-two books of fiction, including, most recently, After the Plague (2001), Drop City (2003), The Inner Circle (2004), Tooth and Claw (2005), The Human Fly (2005), Talk Talk (2006), The Women (2009), Wild Child (2010) and When the Killing’s Done (2011). He received a Ph.D. degree in Nineteenth Century British Literature from the University of Iowa in 1977, his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1974, and his B.A. in English and History from SUNY Potsdam in 1968. He has been a member of the English Department at the University of Southern California since 1978, where he is Distinguished Professor of English. His work has been translated into more than two dozen foreign languages. His stories have appeared in most of the major American magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, The Paris Review, GQ, Antaeus, Granta and McSweeney’s, and he has been the recipient of a number of literary awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Prize for best novel of the year (World’s End, 1988); the PEN/Malamud Prize in the short story (T.C. Boyle Stories, 1999); and the Prix MÈdicis …tranger for best foreign novel in France (The Tortilla Curtain, 1997). He currently lives near Santa Barbara with his wife and three children

Alice McDermott is the author of six novels, the latest of which, After This, was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, The Boston Globe, among others. Her fifth novel, Child of My Heart, was a Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection, one of Book Magazines Ten Best Novels of 2002 and also a nominee for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her fourth, Charming Billy, received the 1998 National Book Award for fiction, the American Book Award, and was short-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. A stage adaptation premiered in 2011 at The Roundhouse Theater in Bethesda, Maryland. Her third novel, At Weddings and Wakes, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her second, That Night, was nominated for the National Book Award, The Los Angeles Times Book Prize, The PEN/Faulkner Award and was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A film version of the novel was produced by Warner Brothers in 1992. Her articles, reviews and stories have appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, USA Today, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, Redbook, Ms, Commonweal and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writers Award, the 2008 Corrington Award for Literature, and the 2010 F. Scott Fitzgerald Award. Her seventh novel will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. She is the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. She lives with her family in Bethesda, Maryland.

John Fisher (director) returns to Word-for-Word after directing the company productions of “Two on a Party” by Tennessee Williams, “Almost Home” by Armistead Maupin (Theatre Rhino Co-production), and the Off-the-Page reading of Lillian Helman’s “Julia.” As a playwright, John is a two-time winner of the Will Glickman Playwright Award for Medea, the Musical and Combat! He is also the recipient of the NEA, Zellerbach, SF Arts Commission and Wallace Foundation grants as well as the GLAAD Media Award, the L.A. Weekly Award, BackStage West Garland Award, two Cable Car Awards, the San Francisco Guardian Goldie Award, and five Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle Awards. Recent plays include Fighting Mac!, Special Forces and Ishi: The Last of the Yahi (soon to be revived at UC Berkeley.) John has also worked extensively in New York City and at the American Conservatory Theatre, the Yale School of Drama, Seattle ArtsWest, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Dramatic Arts from U.C. Berkeley and has taught play writing, directing and acting at U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, A.C.T., and at the Yale School of Drama. Since 2003, John has served as Artistic Director of the GLAAD Media Award-Winning Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco. He makes his home in San Francisco with his husband Michael.

WORD FOR WORD is the theatre company that transforms classic and contemporary fiction into performance works for the stage. Founded in 1993 by Susan Harloe and JoAnne Winter, the company is in its 19th year. Word for Word performs short stories in their entirety, preserving the author’s language and honoring his or her literary intent. Word for Word has staged works throughout the Bay Area, as well as in France. In 1997, Word for Word received a special Bay Area Critics Circle Award for its unique concept and in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2005, the Bay Area Critics Circle awarded the company numerous honors for productions including “The Halfway Diner,” “Winesburg, Ohio,” Stories by Tobias Wolff,” and “Immortal Heart.” In 2008 Word for Word received the Best Ensemble Award for “Sonny’s Blues,” with composer Marcus Shelby receiving the best Original Score for the production. Playwright Octavio Solis, Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, and Word for Word co-Artistic Directors JoAnne Winter, and Susan Harloe, came together in 2006 to create an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven which premiered at Cal Shakes in 2010. Word for Word is a program of the Z Space.

Z SPACE was founded in 1993 to promote the artistic and professional advancement of Bay Area theatre. With our signature Word For Word and Youth Arts programs, along with our commissioning and careful development of new plays, we have become one of the nations leading laboratories for the development of new works and emerging playwrights. In August, 2009, we moved to our new home in Project Artaud, and commenced the upgrade and transformation of this iconic theatre venue where we will create a most welcoming hub of outstanding artistry from all disciplines including theatre, dance, music, multimedia and visual arts.
###
CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE NOTE:
WORD FOR WORD, presents FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” performances of short stories by T.C. Boyle and Alice McDermott. Directed by John Fisher, FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure”opens on Saturday, January 14, at 8 PM at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street in San Francisco (Previews Jan 11 12 & 13) and runs through February 5. Food, appetite, and pleasure from two great writers: satirist T.C. Boyle with the witty, fervent “Sorry Fugu” and award-winning Alice McDermott’s sensuous “Enough.”
FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure”
Directed by John Fisher
January 14 – February 5 2012 (Previews Jan 11,12 & 13)
Z SPACE at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco

On Saturday January 21, 8 pm Word for Word presents “An Evening with T.C. Boyle” with a performance of the company’s Food Stories. “Sorry Fugu” by T.C. Boyle and “Enough” by Alice McDermott, followed by an onstage conversation and reception with T.C. Boyle.

Performances; Wednesday-Thursday 7 pm, Friday-Saturday 8 pm, and Sunday 2 pm
Tickets for FOOD STORIES: “Pleasure is pleasure” are: Wednesday – Thursday $30; Friday – Sunday $40; Jan. 21 author night $55, with a $5 student/senior discount and $20 previews.
Photo editors: A selection of photographs is at www.zspace.org
Tickets: at www.brownpapertickets.com or (800) 838-3006 (24-Hour Ticket Hotline) or visit www.zspace.org.

-30-

CONTACT: MONA BAROUDI
Email or Call: mona.baroudi@sbcglobal.net / 415.615.2735

SKETCH COMEDIANS KILLING MY LOBSTER (KML)
TEAM UP WITH Z SPACE FOR “KMLZ HOLIDAZE”,
A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY SKETCH COMEDY VARIETY SHOW
DECEMBER 17 AT Z SPACE

Featuring KML Writers and Performers and Soon To Be Announced Musical, Comedic and Variety Acts from the Bay Area and Beyond

Conceived by KML and Z Space, “KMLZ Holidaze” is
Produced by Michael Hoch and Lisa Steindler
and directed by Stephen Kalmakis & Jon Wolanske

$20 Tickets Are Available Now At killingmylobster.com or zspace.org

WHAT: KMLZ Holidaze: A One Night Only Comedy
Variety Show
WHEN: Saturday, December 17 at 7 & 10 pm
WHERE: Z Space, 450 Florida Street,
San Francisco
SHOWTIMES: 7pm and 10pm
TICKETS: $20 general admission
$15 students / seniors
$25 at the door on the night of the show

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 31, 2011 – San Francisco’s premiere sketch comedy group, Killing My Lobster, teams up with the Bay Area’s best new works company, Z Space, for a special one-night-only event: “KMLZ Holidaze,” December 17 at 7 and 10 pm. A little bit “30 Rock,” a little bit “Star Search,” and a whole lot of holiday madness, KMLZ Holidaze answers the question: What do you get when you lock a dozen comedic writers/performers in a room for 50 hours between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Something weird, funny, and holiday-lightful.

A veritable advent calendar of hilarity, KMLZ Holidaze will feature sketches and shenanigans all about family, tradition, that weird channel on the TV that plays the fireplace, animals singing Christmas carols, the proper spelling of Channukah, yule logs, fruitcakes, and nutjobs. Exact sketches are still to be determined. Guest artists for the evening will be announced shortly.

KMLZ Holidaze is KML and Z Space’s second collaboration this year after the KMLZ sold out its 2-performance evening back in June. The inspiration for the show is the creative process that fuels “Saturday Night Live,” the legendary sketch show/variety hour created start-to-finish in one week, each and every week. KMLZ will be written, produced and performed in less than 50 hours, divided over 3 weeks (due to the fact that all the performers and writers have day jobs and can’t commit to a week of ‘round-the-clock creation). Expect some brand spanking new sketch comedy about … well, no one knows at the moment because fingers have yet to hit any keyboards.

“Our first KMLZ in June was an incredible mash-up of live sketches, musical performances, even a Bollywood dance troupe,” said Michael Hoch, producer of both KMLZs. “This one will be even crazier. I heard someone talking about acrobats on stilts, which may or may not happen. Either way, KMLZ Holidaze will be an adventure not to be missed.”

“Z Space loves new work, that’s why we’re here,” said Lisa Steindler, Executive Artistic Director of Z Space and producer on both KMLZ. “Working with KML means we’ll do something new and unique. This team can do anything. Really, absolutely anything. And we will!”

Tickets are $20 – are available now via Brown Paper Tickets (www.brownpapertickets.com/event/171550). More information on the groups is available at www.killingmylobster.com and www.zspace.org.

Killing My Lobster is a Bay Area non-profit theater and film production company recently proclaimed “Best Comedy Group” by the editors of SF Weekly. Each yeah, KML presents three entirely new, entirely original world premiere sketch comedies. This past season included KML Conquers the Galaxy, KML Reboots, and KML Holds the Mayo. KML also produced the critically acclaimed world premiere production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s Hunter Gatherers, which won both the Will Glickman Award for the best new play of the Bay Area (2006) and the Steinberg Award for the best new play produced outside of New York City that year. KML also produced the world premiere of Matt Pelfrey’s dark comedy, Pure Shock Value in 2009. Hailed by the SF Chronicle as “the closest thing we have to Second City” and heralded as “an orgy of comic genius” by Comedy Central, KML has created original work for HBO, is a two-time winner of the Best of the Fringe Award at the SF Fringe Festival and was voted “Best Comedy Group” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The group also produces number short films, including the recent “Why Is Everybody Here,” which is on the verge of passing 100,000 views on YouTube.

Z SPACE Founded in 1993 is a hub for artists and audiences to revel in the creation, development, and production of outstanding new work. We commission, develop, and produce a full season of new works from a variety of disciplines including theater, dance, music, performance art, and new media. We foster opportunities around the nation for these works and for their Bay Area artists. We engage diverse audiences through direct interactions with the process, the projects, and the artists. 

 Since 2009 we have managed and operated a 13,000 sq/ft, 268-seat performing arts venue and gallery (formerly known as Theater Artaud): home to more than 40 weeks of public multidisciplinary arts programming annually. Z Space has become one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new works and emerging playwrights.

Z SPACE CONTACT:
Lisa Steindler, Executive Artistic Director, Z Space
415-626-0453 or lsteindler@zspace.org

KML CONTACT:
Michael Hoch, Executive Director, Killing My Lobster
Rmichael.hoch@gmail.com or 917-453-8464

CONTACT: Chelsea Graven, Marketing Associate, Z Space
Email: cgraven@zspace.org or 415-626-0453

PHILADELPHIA’S ACCLAIMED PIG IRON THEATRE COMPANY BRINGS OBIE AWARD-WINNING CHEKHOV LIZARDBRAIN TO Z SPACE JUNE 9-12, 2011 AS PART OF FURY FACTORY2011

WHAT: Chekhov Lizardbrain
WHEN: June 9-12, 2011
WHERE: Z Space, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco
SHOWTIMES: 8 pm Thursday-Saturday, 4 pm Sunday
TICKETS: $25 general admission, student/senior discounts available
TICKETS NOW ON SALE: AVAILABLE AT WWW.ZSPACE.ORG OR 800-838-3006

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, June 1, 2011 – June 9-12, Z Space will welcome Philadelphia’s beloved Pig Iron Theatre Company as they present their Obie Award-winning, critically acclaimed play, CHEKHOV LIZARDBRAIN. Hailed by the New York Times as one of the Top Ten Theatre Events in 2008, CHEKHOV LIZARDBRAIN combines neuroscience with vaudeville to present a comic meditation on our deepest impulses and contemporary neuroscience’s hold on our imaginations. This San Francisco premiere features Quinn Bauriedel, Dito van Reigersberg, Geoff Sobelle, and James Sugg, is directed by Dan Rothenberg and will be presented at Z Space as part of the 2011 Fury Factory Festival.

The setting is part laboratory and part vaudeville-theater, and the performance careens between trancelike dances, perception experiments, and full-throttle hilarity. The four award-winning performers – Quinn Bauriedel, Geoff Sobelle, James Sugg and Dito van Reigersberg – present a series of highly physical numbers that spring from disparate regions of the brain.

“We began with neuroscience but we ended up speaking in tongues,” says director Dan Rothenberg. “When we began this process I thought it might be difficult to find interesting material in the absence of the uniquely human skills of imagining the future, having two emotions at once, and logical argument,” he continues, “but it turns out that everything we truly care about springs from these deeper, darker regions of the brain.”

The remarkable cast represents the core of Pig Iron’s arsenal of performers: Pew Fellows in Performance Art Dito van Reigersberg (2002), Quinn Bauriedel (2002), and Geoff Sobelle (2006); and multi-Barrymore Award winning actor and composer James Sugg (also F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist of 2005 and Philadelphia Magazine Best Theater Talent of 2006).

PIG IRON THEATRE COMPANY, founded in 1995, has rapidly become known as a unique, innovative voice in American theatre and an audience favorite at the Live Arts Festival in their hometown of Philadelphia. Over the last sixteen years, the ensemble’s physical precision, lyrical writing, and exuberant productions have earned them 36 Barrymore Award Nominations in the past ten years; five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; a Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Fringe; and an OBIE Award, Off-Broadway’s highest honor. Pig Iron’s work has toured to theaters and festivals in London, Edinburgh, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil, Romania, Germany and Italy. In the fall of 2007, Pig Iron will be the only Philadelphia company to participate in Suzan-Lori Parks’s 365 PROJECT at the Joseph Papp Public Theater.

Z SPACE was founded in 1993 to promote the artistic and professional advancement of Bay Area theatre. With their signature Word for Word and Youth Arts programs, along with their commissioning and careful development of new plays, Z Space has become one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new works and emerging playwrights. In August 2009 they moved to their new home in Project Artaud, and commenced the upgrade and transformation of this iconic theatre venue where they are creating a welcoming hub of outstanding artistry from all disciplines including theatre, dance, music, multimedia and visual arts.

FURY FACTORY FESTIVAL For the three weeks in June 2011 the many theater spaces in the Project Artaud building in San Francisco’s Mission district will become home to an outpouring of performance, artistic exchange and cross pollination, panel discussions, and training events open to everyone. This year, 31 innovative theater companies from all over the country will converge in San Francisco from June 7-26 for FoolsFURY’s acclaimed biennial theater festival, co-hosted by Z Space and Theatre of Yugen. CONTACT: Chelsea Graven, Marketing Associate, Z Space cgraven@zspace.org or 415-659-8136

Z SPACE ANNOUNCES

SIRENS BY OLIVER DiCICCO

JANUARY 7, 2010 – MARCH 27, 2011

OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY JANUARY 7, 6-9PM

Z SPACE, 450 FLORIDA STREET, SF 94110

by Oliver DiCicco

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—December 13, 2010—Z Space is excited to announce the next show in our gallery, Sirens, by San Francisco artist Oliver DiCicco.  The motions and sounds of the ocean inspired DiCicco to create this large-scale kinetic sound sculpture.

ABOUT OLIVER DiCICCO:

Artist Statement
I love the sea. I’ve spent the past twenty years rowing the waters of San Francisco Bay, absorbing her ever shifting moods, Sirens was originally conceived as a piece that would sit in the bay and translate the restlessness of waves into music, a song of the sea if you will.

I’ve tried to capture that same feeling in an indoor setting. I wanted to evoke a sense of the sea, the ribs of ships, the motion of waves, the song of the whale, kelp swaying in the current, the infinite ebb and flow.

Biography
Oliver DiCicco is a sculptor, designer, fabricator and musician.

His sculptural work focuses primarily on musical instrument sculpture and kinetic sound sculpture. He designed and built the musical instruments for the Mobius Operandi ensemble. The ensemble formed in 1991, plays composed and improvised music and has performed in numerous concert, and multi-disciplinary theater productions. His large-scale kinetic sound sculptures have been used as interactive components in a number of theatrical productions.

His work as a designer and fabricator includes lighting and furniture design, as well as commercial and architectural projects. Specializing in custom one of a kind and limited edition pieces, he uses a wide range of materials to provide his clients with unique and finely crafted works.

ABOUT Z SPACE

Z Space is a hub for artists and audiences to revel in the creation, development, and production of outstanding new work.  We commission, develop, and produce a full season of new works of theater, dance, music, and visual arts.

Z Space manages and operates a 13,000 sq/ft, 268 seat performing arts venue popularly known as Theater Artaud: home to more than 40 weeks of public multidisciplinary arts programming annually.   We curate visual art, which rotates in our lobby gallery, artist in residency programs, and a Youth Arts literacy program in Bay Area schools.

Further information is available at www.zspace.org

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS
January 7, 2011 – March 27, 2011: Sirens by Oliver DiCicco

Opening Reception: Friday January 7, 2011, 6 – 9 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 1 – 5 pm

Free and open to the public

Z SPACE
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

For more information contact
David Szlasa, Programming Director
415-626-0453 x 101
dszlasa@zspace.org

WORD FOR WORD OPENS THE INAUGURAL SEASON OF
Z SPACE AT THEATER ARTAUD WITH STORIES FROM
ELIZABETH STROUT’S PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING NOVEL

OLIVE KITTERIDGE
BY ELIZABETH STROUT
DIRECTED BY JOEL MULLENNIX

September 4 – September 26, 2010
(previews September 1-3) Press Night September 4
Theater Artaud,
450 Florida Street, (Near 16th Street BART) San Francisco

WORD FOR WORD, a program of Z SPACE, presents OLIVE KITTERIDGE, a world
premiere production of stories from Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer-prize winning
novel. Directed by Joel Mullennix, OLIVE KITTERIDGE opens with a press night
on Saturday, September 4, at 8 PM at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street in
San Francisco (previews September 1-3). OLIVE KITTERIDGE launches Word For
Word’s inaugural season with Z SPACE at Theater Artaud and Word For Word
Charter Members Patty Silver*, Jeri Lynn Cohen*, and Nancy Shelby* performing,
with Warren David Keith*, Patrick Alparone*, Michelle Bellaver and Paul
Finocchiaro (*member AEA). The inaugural season of Z Space at Theater Artaud
continues with “The Companion Piece” by Mark Jackson (Jan 18-Feb 13) and Word for
Word’s production of “The Islanders” (March 9-11) by Andrew Sean Greer

Word for Word’s production OLIVE KITTERIDGE focuses on two of the novel’s
stories,  “Tulips” and “River”. Set in a coastal town in Maine, OLIVE
KITTERIDGE is filled with the ridiculous, heartbreaking human quirks that make a
life.  Centered on the relentless and ruthlessly honest Olive, the town’s
legendary, scary junior high math teacher, these stories navigate life’s
challenges – its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it
requires. Olive Kitteridge is a force to be reckoned with.

Word for Word’s production of OLIVE KITTERIDGE, by Elizabeth Strout, runs
from September 4–26, 2010 (previews September 1-3) at Theater Artaud, 450
Florida Street, San Francisco.
Performances; Wednesday–Thursday 7 pm, Friday – Saturday 8 pm, and Sunday
at 5 pm
Tickets for OLIVE KITTERIDGE are; $30 Wednesday – Thursday; $40 Friday -
Sunday; with a $5 student/senior discount and $20 previews..
Tickets: at www.brownpapertickets.com (800) 838-3006 (24-Hour Ticket
Hotline) or visit www.zspace.org.

Word for Word’s OLIVE KITTERIDGE presentation focuses on two of the
novel’s stories:  “Tulips” and “River”.  “Tulips” brings us the
Larkins—“People thought the Larkin couple would move away”—whose shocking family incident
has rocked the small coastal Maine town where Olive lives.  Olive herself
has suffered a loss, and a kind note prompts a visit to the mysterious
Larkins. Is she hoping for sympathy? Pity? Mutual suffering?  A venomous
confrontation makes her flee, aware that there are some darknesses greater than her
own. Olive walks briskly on, in “River”: wickedly insightful, observantly
funny. When she finds a collapsed man (“’Are you dead?’ she asked loudly”)
on her riverside walking path, and makes the decision to help him, she begins
to allow the world to once again show her its luster.  An unlikely
courtship begins, and Olive becomes buoyant, embarrassed, petulant, excited.
Strout’s masterful storytelling makes Olive Kitteridge and her fellow townspeople
universal in their mirth, sorrow, and everlasting humanity. OLIVE KITTERIDGE
features a set design by David Szlasa, lighting by Jim Cave, costumes by
Laura Hazlett and sound design by Tucki Bailey.

Elizabeth Strout (author) was born in Portland, Maine, and grew up in small
towns in Maine and New Hampshire.  From a young age she was drawn to
writing things down, keeping notebooks that recorded the details of her days.  She
was also drawn to books, and spent hours of her youth in the local library
lingering among the stacks of fiction.  During the summer months of her
childhood she played outdoors, either with her brother, or, more often, alone,
and this is where she developed her deep and abiding love of the physical
world: the seaweed covered rocks along the coast of Maine, and the woods of New
Hampshire with its hidden wildflowers.

During her adolescent years, Strout continued writing avidly, having
conceived of herself as a writer from early on.  Poetry was something she read and
memorized; by the age of sixteen was sending out stories to magazines. Her
first story was published when she was twenty-six. Strout attended Bates
College, graduating with a degree in English in 1977.  Two years later, she
went to Syracuse University College of Law, where she received a law degree
along with a Certificate in Gerontology. She moved to New York City, where she
became an adjunct in the English Department of Borough of Manhattan
Community College.  By this time she was publishing more stories in literary
magazines and Redbook and Seventeen.

In 1998, Amy and Isabelle was published to much critical acclaim.  The
novel had taken almost seven years to write. Six years later she published Abide
With Me, and three years after that, Olive Kitteridge. While her life as a
writer has increasingly become a more public one, she remains as devoted to
the crafting of honest fiction as she was when she was sixteen years old,
sending out her first stories. In 2009 Strout was honored with a Pulitzer
Prize for Fiction for Olive Kitteridge (2008), a collection of connected short
stories about a woman and her immediate family and friends on the coast of
Maine.

Joel Mullennix (Director)  A long-time actor and director with Word for
Word, Joel previously directed the 2008 runaway hit “More Stories By Tobias
Wolff”; the critically acclaimed “Which is More Than I Can Say About Some
People” by Lorrie Moore (presented in January 2007 as a part of Word for Word’s
Strangers We Know production); as well as “Family Alchemy – Stories by
Bernard Malamud and Grace Paley”, presented by Traveling Jewish Theater in the
Word for Word style. In addition to these Word for Word style productions, Joel
has also directed Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, The Cherry
Orchard by Anton Chekhov, A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, and Prelude
to a Kiss by Craig Lucas.  His company, Industrial Strength Productions,
produced the acclaimed productions of East and Greek by Steven Berkof, in which
he played major roles. He has acted in many Word for Word productions, as
well as appearing on other Bay Area stages and is a multiple Dean Goodman,
Dramalogue, and Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle award winner and nominee.

WORD FOR WORD is the theatre company that transforms classic and
contemporary fiction into performance works for the stage. Founded in 1993 by Susan
Harloe and JoAnne Winter, the company is in its 17th year. Word for Word
performs short stories in their entirety, preserving the author’s language and
honoring his or her literary intent. Word for Word has staged works throughout
the Bay Area, as well as in France. In 1997, Word for Word received a
special Bay Area Critics Circle Award for its unique concept and in 1998, 2002,
2003, and 2005, the Bay Area Critics Circle awarded the company numerous
honors for productions including The Halfway Diner, Winesburg, Ohio, Stories by
Tobias Wolff, and Immortal Heart. In 2008 Word for Word received the Best
Ensemble Award for Sonny’s Blues, with composer Marcus Shelby receiving the
best Original Score for the production. Playwright Octavio Solis, Cal Shakes
Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, and co-Artistic Director of Word for Word
JoAnne Winter, came together in 2006 to create an adaptation of John
Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven which premiered in 2010. Word for Word is a
program of the Z Space.

Z SPACE was founded in 1993 to promote the artistic and professional
advancement of Bay Area theatre.  With our signature Word For Word and Youth Arts
programs, along with our commissioning and careful development of new plays,
we have become one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development
of new works and emerging playwrights.  In August, 2009, we moved to our
new home in Project Artaud, and commenced the upgrade and transformation of
this iconic theatre venue where we will create a most welcoming hub of
outstanding artistry from all disciplines including theatre, dance, music,
multimedia and visual arts.
###
CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE NOTE:
WORD FOR WORD presents OLIVE KITTERIDGE, a world premiere production of two
stories from Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel. Directed by
Joel Mullennix, OLIVE KITTERIDGE opens Word For Word’s inaugural season at
Theater Artaud and runs from September 4–26 (previews September 1-3). Olive
Kitteridge focuses on two of the novel’s stories:  “Tulips” and “River”.
Set in a coastal town in Maine, OLIVE KITTERIDGE is filled with the
ridiculous, heartbreaking human quirks that make a life.  Centered on the relentless
and ruthlessly honest Olive, the town’s legendary, scary junior high math
teacher, these stories navigate life’s challenges – its conflicts, its
tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.  Olive Kitteridge is a force to
be reckoned with.

OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout
directed by JOEL MULLENNIX
September 4 – September 26, 2010

Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco

WHEN: September 4–26, 2010 (previews September 1-3)

WHERE: Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco

TIMES: Wednesdays–Thursdays 7pm; Fridays – Saturdays 8pm, and Sundays 5pm

TICKETS: $30 Wednesday – Thursday; $40 Friday – Sunday; with a $5
student/senior discount and $20 previews..

Visit our website at www.zspace.org or call 415 626-0453

Z SPACE ANNOUNCES SPRING PROGRAMMING
AT THEATER ARTAUD

PERFORMANCES TO INCLUDE

KUNST-STOFF, LEVYDANCE, DEB SLATER, PAMELA Z, INKBOAT, PARIS WAGES, FRESH MEAT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—February  25, 2010—Z Space, one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new voices and works in American theater is excited to announce its spring programming line-up in its new home at Theater Artaud.
“We’ve had a wonderful start here at Artaud, with the premiere of Anne Galjour’s You Can’t Get There From Here, staging readings by Word for Word, and the audience hit A Round-Heeled Woman starring Sharon Gless”, said Lisa Steindler, Executive Artistic Director of Z Space.  “And now we’re equally excited to be taking the next step by expanding our programming by bringing some of the most acclaimed names in theatre, dance, and performance art to our audiences as well.  We are open to a wide and diverse use of this unique theater, and are committed to ensuring that the best of Bay Area art will find a home here.”

Z Space Executive Artistic Director Lisa Steindler will continue to oversee all of the organization’s operations, and will also continue to develop and produce new work. Z Space Managing Director David Szlasa has taken on the title of Director of Programming, and works closely with the artistic community to solicit proposals and curate the space.
COMING THIS SPRING:

March 24-28: Kunst-Stoff presents its First Annual Arts Gala
Join us for the first annual Kunst-Stoff Arts Gala in partnership with Z Space, featuring two exhilarating programs, including La Alternativa, Project 4×4 (directed and performed by Annie  Rosenthal Parr, Kathleen Hermasdorf, Yannis Adoniou, and Andrew Wards), Un-State, and Raqs al Moza (with guest artists Dohee Lee, Jethro DeHart and David Petrelli).

April 1- 3: LEVYdance presents Everyone Intimate Alone Visibly
Join LEVYdance in an exploration of instant-access communications as both moderator and interference in human connectivity. This evening-length duet features Benjamin Levy and Aline Wachsmuth performing in the round amidst a multimedia installation and multi-layered sonic environment. Move with the dancers through a web camera “hot-zone” where movement is captured to trigger animations and projections, blurring the line between participant and observer. Experience an active space where weight, speed, attack and emotional tenor of movement, visual art and sound are in conversation.

April 29-May 9: Deb Slater presents Men Think They Are Better Than Grass
Inspired by the beauty and fragility of the natural world and W.S. Merwin’s poetry (from which it takes its title), this piece explores the interrelationship between humanity and the environment. The work uses interactive technology to create a stage environment that changes over time, through a wikipedia-like web component that will be uniquely different fro performance to performance.

May 20-May 23: Pamela Z presents BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
In this sonically and visually layered work, Pamela Z explores baggage in all its literal and metaphorical permutations. Through performance with voice and electronics, found text, recorded interviews, multi-channel sound, interactive video, and sculptural objects, Baggage Allowance scans and inventories the belongings (and memories) we all cart around – examining baggage as both impediment and treasure.

May 27-May 30: inkBoat, US/Japan Cultural Trade Network & San Francisco International Arts Festival in association with Maggie Allessee National Center for Choreography presents The Crazy Cloud Collection
Directed by Ko Murobushi and Shinichi Iova-Koga, Crazy Cloud is a collision. The life of 15th century Buddhist monk and poet Ikkyu Sojun meets modern humanity, and questions arise that provoke and prod the order of our lives. Crazy Cloud Collection is choreographed by Ko Murobushi, recognized in Japan as a leading inheritor of Hijikata’s original vision of Butoh, and Shinichi Iova-Koga, a younger generation artist who has created a hybrid form of performance integrating Butoh dance, physical theater and music. Together, these artists search for the ghost of Ikkyu.

June 4 – June 6: Paris Wages presents Google Woman
Google Woman is a journey of examining our own inner hero while finding inspiration through historic female icons.  The internet provides access to a disembodied, fragmented glimpse into the lives of heroes of the past.  We know their names, faces and biography but fail to fully realize the meaning of their lives.  This evening length multi-media dance piece is choreographed by Paris Wages and uses projected images on reels of white fabric while using elements of classical ballet, modern dance and aerial arts.

June 17-June 20: Fresh Meat Productions presents the Fresh Meat Festival: the 9th annual transgender & queer performance festival
The outrageously popular Fresh Meat Festival returns with the nation’s finest transgender and queer artists performing hip hop, theater, voguing, clogging, modern dance, live music and much more. This year’s powerhouse lineup includes world premieres by the legendary Kate Bornstein, Sean Dorsey Dance, the Barbary Coast Cloggers, Allan Frias & Mind Over Matter, Shawna Virago and many others. These shows sell out quickly – advance tickets are strongly recommended.

For more information, tickets, and images, visit www.zspace.org/zevents.htm
ABOUT Z SPACE

Founded in 1993 to support a large and evolving community of theater artists, Z Space is a key player in the nation’s theater scene. As one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new voices, new works, and new opportunities in American theater, Z Space sustains and invigorates San Francisco Bay Area theater, developing the region’s artists and forging new directions for the American stage.

In its new home, Z Space will continue producing Word for Word, its in-house theater company that transforms works of literature verbatim to the stage. Word for Word boasts an Author’s Council that includes writers like Amy Tan, Daniel Handler, and Tobias Wolff. In addition, it will continue producing its Youth Arts program, which reaches over 10,000 school-age youth each year with performances of short stories and in-school workshops or residencies designed to promote literacy and engage student’s creativity.

The Z Space has been recognized with many local awards as well as such national awards as the Helen Hayes Award, the Kesselring Prize, the MacArthur Award, and two Pulitzer nominations. Recently, fifteen different Z-developed productions earned Critics Circle nominations and Z-produced projects have landed in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “10 Best Theater Events of the Year” list multiple times. Its co-production of Mark Jackson’s American $uicide was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for the annual ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award, honoring new scripts produced outside New York City.

Further information is available at www.zspace.org

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS

March 24-28: Kunst-Stoff presents its First Annual Arts Gala
Performance Dates and Times: March 24-25 at 7pm (followed by 9pm Dance party); March 26-28 at 8pm
Tickets prices: $18-$25

April 1- 3: LEVYdance presents Everyone Intimate Alone Visibly
Performance Dates and Times: April 1, 2, 3 at 8pm; April 2 at 10pm

Ticket prices: $20-$25
April 29-May 9: Deb Slater presents Men Think They Are Better Than Grass
Performance Dates and Times: April 30-May 1 at 8pm; May 2, at 5pm; May 6-May 8 at 8pm; May 9 at 5pm

Ticket prices: $20-$25

May 20-May 23: Pamela Z presents Baggage Allowance
Performance Dates and Times: May 20-May 23

Performance times and ticketing info TBA

May 27-May 30: inkBoat, US/Japan Cultural Trade Network & San Francisco International Arts Festival in association with Maggie Allessee National Center for Choreography presents The Crazy Cloud Collection
Performance Dates and Times: May 27 –May 29, at 8pm; May 30 at 5pm
Ticket prices: $12 – $25
June 4 – June 6: Paris Wages presents Google Woman
Performance Dates and Times: June 4 – June 5 at 8pm; Sunday June 6 at 2pm
Ticketing info TBA

June 17-June 20: Fresh Meat Productions presents the Fresh Meat Festival: the 9th annual transgender & queer performance festival
Performance Dates and Times: June 17 –June 19, at 8pm; June 20 at 7pm
Ticket prices: $15 – $20

ALL PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE AT
Z SPACE at THEATER ARTAUD
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

For more information contact
David Szlasa, Director of Programming
415-626-0453
dszlasa@zspace.org

Contact: Mona Baroudi

415.615.2735

mona.baroudi@sbcglobal.net

Z Space in association with Brian Eastman and Richmond Theatre Productions

presents the world premiere of
A Round-Heeled Woman
A new play by Jane Prowse
Directed by Chris Smith
Starring multi-award winning actress Sharon Gless

Based on the best-selling book by Jane Juska, A Round-Heeled Woman:
My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—October 5, 2009—Z Space, in association with Brian Eastman and Richmond Theatre Productions, is pleased to present the world premiere of A Round-Heeled Woman, a new play by Jane Prowse, based on the best-selling book by Jane Juska, A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance.

A Round-Heeled Woman runs January 5 through February 7, 2010 at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA.   Press opening is Saturday, January 16 at 8pm.

Directed by Chris Smith and starring multi-award winning actress Sharon Gless (Queer as Folk, Burn Notice, Nip/Tuck, Cagney and Lacey) A Round-Heeled Woman follows the real-life adventures of Jane Juska when she courageously decides, at 66 years old, to place a personal ad in The New York Review of Books, that reads, “Before I turn 67, next March, I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like.  If you want to talk first, Trollope works for me…”

Juska then sets off on a series of amorous adventures that include—in addition to a lot of sex—falling in love, some heartbreak and humiliation, a lot of laughs, and having her first orgasm with a man after 30 years.

Developed and produced by Z Space, A Round-Heeled Woman features an all-star cast of Bay Area actors led by multi-award winning actress Gless. Best known for her roles as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police drama series Cagney & Lacey, and as Debbie Novotny in the cable television series Queer as Folk, Gless currently plays Madeline Westen on the hit series, Burn Notice. She is also serving as producer of this production of A Round-Heeled Woman.

“Z Space is thrilled to present the world premiere of this funny, painful, poignant play,” said Lisa Steindler, Executive Artistic Director of Z Space. “The talents of our playwright Jane Prowse, our director Chris Smith, and such an incredible cast transform Juska’s powerful real-life story to a live theater experience that audiences, young and old, male and female, won’t want to miss.”

Z Space fuels the development of American theater on a national level by nurturing new voices, new works, and new opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and by supporting a culturally and aesthetically diverse community of theater artists working together to develop Bay Area Theater and theater audiences. Z Space is an artistic and creative home to hundreds of local theater artists and organizations; commissioning, developing, and producing new works from San Francisco Bay Area playwrights and writers through our Z Plays Development Program and our Word for Word Performing Arts Company; and administering the Youth Arts Program, which over the years has reached 20,000 school-aged children and adults per year through youth-targeted tours, workshops, and residencies, as well as student matinees and talkbacks with resident artists.

Jane Juska

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1933, Jane Juska grew up in Archbold, Ohio. In 1955 she moved to California, where she has lived, with brief intermissions, ever since. She taught English for more than forty years in high school, in college, and in prison. Many of the articles she has written about teaching and students have appeared in professional journals. A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-life Adventures in Sex and Romance, published in 2003, was her first book. Her second book, published in May of 2006, is Unaccompanied Women: Late-life Adventures in Love, Sex, and Real Estate. Juska’s essays have appeared in Vogue, Self, Madison, and in anthologies Single Woman of a Certain Age, Mommy Wars, and Behind the Bedroom Door. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Jane Prowse

Jane Prowse writes and directs theater and television. For theater, Prowse co-wrote and directed Up On The Roof, which received three Olivier nominations, including Best Musical. She also directed productions of the musical at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and the Long Wharf in Connecticut.  Jane wrote and directed an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, which won her the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody ‘Best Director’ Award.  Other theater includes Anthony Minghella’s A Little Like Drowning, The Amazing Dancing Bear and Overboard.

Jane co-wrote the screenplay for Up On The Roof, which was subsequently made into a movie.

Recent television credits include writing for Lynda La Plante productions, Ghost Train and Witness for Trial and Retribution, and Boxers for The Commander, which Jane also directed.  Other TV credits include Green-Eyed Monster, The Fugitives, Between The Sheets, Rocket Man, Head Over Heels, The Tenth Kingdom, Living It, Sunny’s Ears and The Greatest Store in the World.

Jane’s first novel has just been published – Hattori Hachi: The Revenge of Praying Mantis – and her second will be in bookshops in early 2010.

Sharon Gless

Sharon Gless is a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress. She most recently completed production on two independent features, Once Fallen with Ed Harris & Amy Madigan, and Hannah Free, in which Gless stars in the title role.  Gless is currently receiving rave reviews for her portrayal of Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (USA Network). Last year she was an Emmy semi-finalist for that role, and an Emmy nominee for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her chilling performance as Colleen Rose, an ambitious Hollywood agent with a multitude of dark secrets on FX’s Nip/Tuck.

Gless starred as the outrageous and beloved Debbie Novotny in the groundbreaking Showtime series Queer as Folk, from 2000-2005.  The following year she starred as US Secretary of Defense Lynne Warner in the BBC/BBC America miniseries The State Within.

Gless was first exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age, by her grandfather Neil S. McCarthy – a respected lawyer of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her first series role was the 1973 detective drama Faraday & Company with Dan Dailey and James Naughton.  She landed her second series, Switch with Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert, in 1975. In 1982, Gless landed the career-changing role of New York Police Detective Christine Cagney on the smash hit drama Cagney & Lacey.  The role garnered her two Emmys, a Golden Globe and six Emmy nominations.  After the show ended in 1988, she re-teamed with its Executive Producer, Barney Rosenzweig, for the drama series The Trials of Rosie O’Neill.  That role led to her second Golden Globe win and two additional Emmy nominations.  She and Rosenzweig married in 1991.

In 1994 and 1995, Gless reunited with Tyne Daly to recreate their title roles in a quartet of critically acclaimed Cagney & Lacey television movies. In 1995 she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Gless made her stage debut in Lillian Hellman’s “Watch on the Rhine” at Stage West in Springfield, MA. She has starred twice on stage in London’s famed West End: the first time in 1993 when she created the role of Annie Wilkes in the stage version of Stephen King’s Misery and in 1996 in Neil Simon’s comedy Chapter Two.  She starred in Claudia Allen’s Cahoots at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre (2000) and at Madison Square Garden in Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.

In 2007 she was the recipient of the Theatre School at DePaul University’s prestigious Award for Excellence in the Arts.  Gless is an active participant in the ongoing struggle to prevent the overturn of Roe vs. Wade.  In 2005 she was honored by Norman Lear’s People for the American Way for her unwavering support of human rights.  She’s also become a vocal advocate for gay & lesbian causes.

Chris Smith (Director) is an award-winning director and producer with over 25 years of professional experience, primarily focused on new plays, in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.  He has directed several dozen world premiere productions, including works by Edna O’Brien, Charles Grodin, David Ives, Joyce Carol Oates, Romulus Linney, John Belluso, Gen Leroy, Joe Pintauro, Lloyd Suh, and four plays by Pulitzer Prize-winner Frank D. Gilroy (most notably Drama Desk “Best Play” Nominated Contact with the Enemy), and has won two Dean Goodman Awards for Best Direction.  Recent productions include Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party by Aaron Loeb (world premiere at SF Playhouse (“Best New Play”-winner, Bay Area Critics Circle) and New York premiere at HERE Center for the Arts (NY International Fringe Festival “Outstanding Production”-winner)), Billy Aronson’s The First Day of School (SF Playhouse), and the holiday classic A Christmas Story (San Jose Rep).  Upcoming projects include the Gershwin musical Lady Be Good (42nd Street Moon).   In addition, he has directed for the television daytime drama “As the World Turns” (CBS).

Chris is the former Artistic Director of Magic Theatre (SF) and Youngblood (NYC).  He is the Founding Program Director of the EST/Sloan Project (NYC) and is a partner in BlueRare Productions, a multi-media venture company based in San Francisco. Chris has written several works for the stage incorporating drama and music, including The Sparrow and the Birdman, with Raquel Bitton (commissioned by TheatreWorks), A Sense of Freedom, with Domenick Allen, and Signs and Wonders, with Tom Borras and Hershel Garfein.

Brian Eastman

Brian Eastman produces for the theater, cinema and television and his work has received many international awards and nominations. He produced the original stage production of Shadowlands in London (Evening Standard Best Play Award) and New York, starring Nigel Hawthorne (Tony Award for Best Actor), and also, with Richard Attenborough, the film version starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Other films include Under Suspicion, Firelight, Up on the Roof and Wilt. Television productions include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Jeeves and Wooster, Blott on the Landscape, Porterhouse Blue, Traffik, The Tenth Kingdom and Rosemary & Thyme.

Other theatre productions include: Juno and the Paycock; Misery ; Murder Is Easy; Map of the Heart; What a Performance ;Our House; Girl with a Pearl Earring; Treasure Island and Up On The Roof, which received an Olivier nomination for Best Musical.

Richmond Theatre Productions

Richmond Theatre Productions is an independent theatre production company, set up to provide a vehicle to bring new investment into the theater and help widen the range of high quality productions. Many of its shareholders are long-term theater supporters but first time investors. The company’s productions include Shadowlands, Our House, The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Treasure Island. The company has also been involved in the commissioning of a number of new plays including A Round-Heeled Woman.

WHAT:

The World Premiere of A Round-Heeled Woman, starring Sharon Gless. Written by Jane Prowse, based on the best-selling memoir by Jane Juska, A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance

WHERE:

Z Space @Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

DATES & TIMES:

Tuesdays – Sundays, January 5 – February 7, 2010

Previews begin Tuesday January 5^th.

Press opening Saturday January 16^th at 8pm.

Tuesday & Wednesday performances at 7pm.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday performances at 8pm

Sunday performances at 5pm

TICKETS:

1-800-838-3006, www.zspace.org
FURTHER INFORMATION AT WWW.AROUNDHEELEDWOMAN.COM

Z Space presents

You Can’t Get There From Here

a West Coast premiere play written and performed by Anne Galjour

directed by Jayne Wenger

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—August 17, 2009 — Z Space announces the West Coast premiere of You Can’t Get There From Here. Written and performed by Anne Galjour, and directed by Jayne Wenger, You Can’t Get There From Here runs from Thursday September 10, 2009 – Sunday September 27, 2009 at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA. Press opening is September 10, 2009.

The public is invited to join us on September 10 from 5pm – 7pm for an open house with refreshments, to celebrate Z Space’s new home at Theater Artaud.  Seats for that evening’s performance are $20 and can be purchased online at www.zspace.org or at the door.

You Can’t Get There From Here will play the following performance schedule: Thursday at 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00PM, Sunday at 5:00PM.  All seats are $20.  Tickets may be purchased by calling 415-626-0453, or online at www.zspace.org.  On Thursday nights after each performance, audience members are invited to stay for a session of cross-class dialogue led by Ms. Galjour.

Driving home the notion that where you live is who you are, You Can’t Get There From Here exposes the reality of class and cultural divide in contemporary America.  In this riveting one-woman show, Bay Area performer Anne Galjour takes us on a tartly comedic journey that reveals a group of familiar characters: people struggling with rent, mortgages, and keeping up appearance amidst change in their communities.

­The research, development and production of  You Can’t Get There From Here was the center piece of the three-year Class Divide programming initiative at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College.  The Class Divide Initiative explored social and economic class through the powerful lens of art. “Class Divide reflects our commitment as a campus-based arts presenter to address pressing issues of our day,” said Margaret Lawrence, the Hopkins Center’s Director of Programming. “It is the first substantial cross-campus/ community project in the country to examine the issue of class through the arts.” Class Divide’s aim is to raise awareness and spark discussion about this highly important and under-explored issue of class in America.

Nationally acclaimed playwright and artist Anne Galjour immersed herself in Dartmouth College’s physically close, but economically divided rural New England backyard, and, through more than 100 interviews, documented a marked class divide in New Hampshire and Vermont that mirrors a national class divide. “It’s the last taboo subject in America.  People are very reluctant to talk about class. This experience has forever changed the way I write and teach,” said Galjour.  “But when 10% of the people control 70% of the wealth in our country it is certainly time to talk about class.”

The characters in You Can’t Get There From Here emerged from the personal testimony of people who met with Galjour in story circles to voice their own experiences with socio-economic class. Galjour also collaborated with Felice Yeskel, executive director of Class Action, a national resource center that runs workshops exploring issues of class. Galjour states, “The Class Action workshops gave me tools to dialogue with various groups in the community. The stories and interviews gave me characters, their circumstances, and the stakes in their lives. I learned about the patterns, codes of behavior, body language, and beliefs associated with different socio-economic groups.”

Originally from Cajun French speaking Southeastern Louisiana, Anne Galjour has been a resident of San Francisco for 29 years.   You Can’t Get There From Here was commissioned by the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College and the Flynn Performing Arts Center in Burlington VT.  The work was developed and produced by Z Space Studio.  It had its world premiere at the Hop and toured New England at The Flynn, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, VT.

Additional solo performance credits include Alligator Tales – Hurricane and Mauvais Temps which premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and went on to Manhattan Theatre Club, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Actors Theatre of Louisville.  The Krewe of Neptune and Alligator Tales (4 Dramatic Short Stories) both premiered at Climate Theatre in San Francisco.   Her playwriting credits include Okra which premiered at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco in 2004, then moved to Southern Rep and later to True Brew Theatre, where it continued to play to sold out houses in New Orleans up until the night before Hurricane Katrina hit. It recently played to a sold out run at the Bayou Playhouse in Louisiana. Bird In The Hand was commissioned by Z Space and produced by Central Works Theatre Company in Berkeley. Her children’s play The Queen of the Sea was commissioned and produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Awards for her work include the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award – Best Original Script for Okra,  the Will Glickman Playwriting Award and Bay Area Theater Critics Award – best original script for Mauvais Temps (Part Two of Alligator Tales) in 1997. For Hurricane she received the American Theatre Critics Association Osborn Award for Emerging Playwright.   The ATCA  selected it as one of the best 3 plays in regional  theatre, 1994. Additional honors for Hurricane include Bay Area Theater Critics Circle  – best solo performance, SF Solo Mio Festival – outstanding solo artist, SF Bay Guardian “Goldie” for outstanding performance artist – 1993. She is a lecturer in the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University.

Jayne Wenger is a director and dramaturge whose exclusive focus is on original material. Throughout 25 years of professional theater experience, she has been dedicated to the development, direction and production of original plays and solo performances. She is the past Artistic Director of the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation and was the Artistic Director of Women’s Ensemble of New York.  She has developed the emerging work of acclaimed playwrights such as David Adjmi, Brenda Wong Aoki, Kate Bornstein, Nilo Cruz, Sara Felder (June Bride and Shtick! both tour the country), Julie Hebert, Dan Hoyle, Lauren Yee, Holly Hughes, Naomi Iizuka, Sherry Kramer, Brighde Mullins, Naomi Newman, and Laura Shamus among many others. She has collaborated with Claire Chafee on numerous projects, including the original direction of the world premiere of Why We Have a Body at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco.

Her work has been recognized with many awards.  Current projects include dramaturgy for a new play by Brian Thorstenson, to be produced this fall by AlterTheater, dramaturgy   and co-direction for Men Think They Are Better Than Grass, a dance/theater piece with The Deborah Slater Dance Theater of San Francisco; and dramaturgy for All At Sea, a new musical by Pamela Winfrey and Christie Winn, which will be presented on board the Liberty Ship, S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco.

Projects in 2008 included dramaturgy for the world premier of Arlitia’s Jones Make Good The Fires at Cyrano’s in Anchorage, Alaska; direction and dramaturgy for Hard Laughter, an adaptation of Ann Lamott’s first novel, produced by AlterTheater of San Rafael, CA; direction for Anne Galjour’s world premier, You Can’t Get There From Here, at Dartmouth College; direction for Deke Weaver’s The Crimes and Confessions of Kip Knudson, A Hockey Way of Knowledge at the Station House Theater in Urbana, Illinois; as well as dramaturgy for Justin Warner’s American Whupass produced by AlterTheater.   Jayne collaborates on productions throughout the country, works with playwrights and solo performers in her studio in Marin County, and leads workshops for writers around the country and in Assisi, Italy. (www.artworkshopintl.com) She is a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturges of the Americas, and the Dramatists Guild.

Z Space fuels the development of American theater on a national level by nurturing new voices, new works, and new opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and by supporting a culturally and aesthetically diverse community of theater artists working together to develop Bay Area Theater and theater audiences.  Z Space is an artistic and creative home to hundreds of local theater artists and organizations; commissioning, developing, and producing new works from San Francisco Bay Area playwrights and writers through our Z Plays Development Program and our Word for Word Performing Arts Company; and administering the Youth Arts Program, which over the years has reached 20,000 school-aged children and adults per year through youth-targeted tours, workshops, and residencies, as well as student matinees and talkbacks with resident artists.

You Can’t Get There From Here was commissioned by The Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College and the Flynn Center, with the support of the National Performance Network’s Creation Fund.  Major contributors of the National Performance Network are the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).  It is funded in part by the Expeditions Program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, which receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the state arts agencies of New England; and a partnership with co-commissioner The Flynn Center, with the support of the National Performance Network’s Creation Fund. Funding also provided by the Zellerbach Foundation, the Bernard Osher Foundation, and the Wattis Foundation.
* * *

WHAT:

You Can’t Get There From Here, a West Coast premiere written and performed by Anne Galjour, commissioned by the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College and produced by Z Space, directed by Jayne Wenger

WHERE:

Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA
BART: 16^th & Mission; MUNI: 22, 37, 27

DATES & TIMES:

Thursday through Sunday, September 10-September 27, 2009

Thursdays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 5pm.

TICKETS:

$20, all performances

Tickets Available at 1-800-838-3006 at www.zspace.org
For more information visit www.zspace.org

THE Z SPACE TAKES OVER HISTORIC THEATER ARTAUD
Z SPACE SIGNS 10-YEAR LEASE,
CREATING NEW CENTER FOR SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMING ARTS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—July 24, 2009—The Z Space, one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new voices and works in American theater, is pleased to announce it has signed a 10-year lease for the iconic Theater Artaud. Z Space envisions a new center dedicated to supporting the innovation and creativity of San Francisco’s performing arts community.

With this move to their new theater, Z Space will bring its thriving Z Space operations to the historic Theater Artaud. It will also expand its offerings to San Francisco performing artists and audiences, and curate a multidisciplinary presenting program featuring theatre, dance, visual, and multimedia arts and more. For the first time in history, Z Space will have its own 286-seat theater, enabling Z Space to expand its significant contributions to the San Francisco performing arts community.
“With amazing support from the foundation community and from the Z Space Board under the forward thinking leadership of Margel Kaufman, we will create a center/hub/complex where artists of all stripes will find not only rehearsal, performance and exhibition space, but also where they will find other working artists on a daily basis, who can fuel and support their work in a multitude of ways,” said Lisa Steindler, Executive Artistic Director of Z Space. “We are open to a wide and diverse use of this unique theater, and are committed to ensuring that the best of Bay Area art will find a home here.”
Z Space Executive Artistic Director Lisa Steindler will continue to oversee all of the organization’s operations, and will also continue to develop and produce new work. Z Space Managing Director David Szlasa will take on a more active programming role, and will work closely with the artistic community to solicit proposals and curate the space.

Quotes from the community
“With this move to Project Artaud Theater, Z Space is poised to add tremendously to our entire performing arts community,” said Kenneth J. Foster, Executive Director of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

“Under the tireless direction of Lisa Steindler, Z Space has demonstrated versatility and strategic intention,” said Deborah Cullinan, Executive Director of Intersection for the Arts. “They know how to share space, support artists in developing new work, forge national collaborations, and manage their operation even in the face of serious challenge. There is no organization as poised as Z Space to activate Theater Artaud and realize a future making vision for the arts community of the Bay Area.”

“I am very excited about the prospect of Z Space introducing a new phase of artistic leadership at Theater Artaud,” said choreographer Joe Goode. “I have great respect for the organization. They have the artistic management and leadership capability to make the theater thrive again.”

“For the past decade, Z Space has served as a major development center for San Francisco plays and playwrights, said Heather Kitchen, Executive Director at ACT. “I am thrilled that with Lisa Steindler’s incredible new leadership, they are able to move to this beautiful new space that will allow them to continue supporting playwrights as a producing company. This will be a fantastic addition to Bay Area’s already thriving new plays scene.”

“Playwrights Foundation has thrived as a result of our connection with Z Space,” said Amy Mueller, Artistic Director of the Playwrights Foundation. “We have been offered low cost office space, excellent rehearsal rooms and artistic and administrative mentorship from them to the degree that we have grown steadily over the past seven years. I attribute that success to having a secure place from which to work and a tremendous variety of local theaters with whom to share ideas, and collaborate artistically. This iconic theater provides the perfect setting and opportunity for Z Space to further its goals for all of us who share resources with them.”
Z Space also provides residencies to a variety of local theater companies in its current offices, offering artistic and administrative support, reduced rent and access to rehearsal and conference facilities. Z Space will continue to provide support to these companies, which have included The Playwrights Foundation, Crowded Fire Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, Encore Theatre Company, FoolsFury, Playwrights Center of San Francisco, Lunatique Fantastique and Golden Thread Productions. Several of these companies will make the move with the Z Space to this vast and wonderful theater where they will also enjoy access to an expansive performance venue, and others will benefit from deeper collaborations, easy access to performance space, and other opportunities.
UPCOMING Z SPACE EVENTS:
September 10-27, 2009: Z Space presents its first full production in its new home, Anne Galjour’s You Can’t Get There From Here.
September 12, 2009: Z Space’s annual Savory Thymes event will include a reading of M.F.K. Fisher’s I was Really Very Hungry performed by Word for Word (offsite in Mill Valley)
January 2010: Z Space produces the world Premiere of A Round Heeled Woman featuring Emmy-Award winner Sharon Gless.

ABOUT THE Z SPACE STUDIO
Founded in 1993 to support a large and evolving community of theater artists, Z Space has been a key player in the nation’s theater scene. It has become one of the nation’s leading laboratories for the development of new voices, new works, and new opportunities in American theater. Through a variety of innovative programs, the Z Space sustains and invigorates San Francisco Bay Area theater, developing the region’s artists and forging new directions for the American stage.
In its new home, Z Space will continue producing Word for Word, its in-house theater company that transforms works of literature verbatim to the stage. Word for Word boasts an Author’s Council that includes writers like Amy Tan, Daniel Handler, and Tobias Wolff. In addition, it will continue producing its Youth Arts program, which reaches over 10,000 school-age youth each year with performances of short stories and in-school workshops or residencies designed to promote literacy and engage student’s creativity.

The Z Space has been recognized with many local awards as well as such national awards as the Helen Hayes Award, the Kesselring Prize, the MacArthur Award, and two Pulitzer nominations. Recently, fifteen different Z-developed productions earned Critics Circle nominations and Z-produced projects have landed in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “10 Best Theater Events of the Year” list multiple times. Its co-production of Mark Jackson’s American $uicide was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for the annual ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award, honoring new scripts produced outside New York City.