[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Bonnie Kalisher Dukes and Playing Productions present Barbara Nell Beery’s new play How High the Moon, directed by Asaad Kelada at Theatre West.
How High the Moon is a play uniquely about the San Fernando Valley at a particular moment in time, written by one of the Valley’s longtime residents.
About How High the Moon
It’s July 4, 1952. The lives of two neighboring families in the San Fernando Valley will never be the same. It’s the 25th birthday of beautiful Amy who is questioning her marriage to Russell. But Harris- Russell’s older brother and Amy’s former love interest- unexpectedly shows up and turns everyone’s life upside down.
It’s the dawn of the housing boom in the Valley. Times are changing. People have new dreams, and some old ways may be left behind, to the chagrin of folks clinging to their old traditions.
Sibling conflicts and long-buried family secrets come to the fore and decisions must be made: Will Russell follow his father’s path as a dentist or pursue his real estate dreams? Will Harris remain a member of the Silent Generation or sign a loyalty oath? Will it be a Happy 4th of July?
The Team
Barbara Nell Beery is the playwright. Her previous plays include The Socialization of Ruthie Shapiro (which debuted at Theatre West); Loretta, I’m Sorry; My Them; Worst Fear; Do You Smell Autumn in the Air?; and Bar Off Melrose (co-authored). She is a lifetime member of Dramatists Guild and WGA.
Asaad Kelada directs. He has directed locally at Mark Taper Lab, Tiffany Theatre, Matrix Theatre, El Portal, Greenway Court Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. He has also directed over 500 episodes of television, including Who’s the Boss?, The Last Resort, WKRP in Cincinnati, The Facts of Life, and more. He will direct Maxwell Caulfield in The Lost Gospel of Pontius Pilate at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Asaad is a graduate of Yale School of Drama and American University in Cairo.
The Cast
The cast of How High the Moon includes Jeanine Anderson, Kathie Barnes, Lane Compton, Matthew Gademske, John Posey, Anya Profumo, Caroline Quigley and David Nathan Schwartz.
Assistant director: Alexandria Sanders. Set design: Thomas Meleck. Lighting design: Cameron Massey. Costume design: Michael Mullen. Stage manager: Sarah Acuna. Social media: Briana Burnside, Alexandria Sanders.
About Theatre West
Established in 1962, Theatre West is celebrating its 64th year as the oldest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West’s alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O’Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patten, Jim Beaver, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri; A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber; Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding that transferred to Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2022; and our co-production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground that went to Broadway in 2023.. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville Foundation, The Green Foundation, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, Leo Buscaglia, Comcast Universal, and L.A. Parent Magazine.
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