[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Producers John Lant and Tamra Pica of Write Act Repertory present the West Coast premiere of Stephen Gilbane’s Lost Cellphone Weekend, a new musical cautionary tale about our screen-centered modern life at the Brickhouse Theatre April 5-27.
About Lost Cellphone Weekend
Lost Cellphone Weekend is inspired by the 1945 Billy Wilder film The Lost Weekend with Ray Milland, a love letter to Film Noir. This noir parody on artists who try to single-handedly solve social problems through their writings is fitting in any time period.
Don Birnam has a problem. But it’s not the usual stuff, like booze or drugs. He has a social media problem, a problem with his cellphone. Like many of us do. This weekend, he will be tested as never before! Begging the question, “Can you survive a weekend offline?”
The Lost Cellphone Weekend Cast
Lance Bagley, Birdie, Scott Di Lorenzo, Lauren Faulkner, Trevor Murphy, Courtney South and Jess Spruiell.
The Creative Team
Produced by John Lant and Tamra Pica
Written and Composed by Stephen Gilbane
Directed by Darrin Yalacki
Choreographed by Misty West
Casting by Tamra Pica Casting
Music Direction by Daniel Pietruska
Accompanist by Grace Balint
Lighting and Set Design by Zad Potter
Associate Producer Jonathan Harrison
Stage Manager – Abigail Westman
Percussion – Nancy Guzman
Additional Music Recording – Erich Rausch
Costumes – Susan Eiden and Darrin Yalacki
Publicity – Sandra Kuker-Franco of Sandra Kuker PR
Stephen Gilbane – Composer for Film, TV, & Theater
Steve won a New England Emmy Award in 2023 for Outstanding Musical Composition & Arrangement for the music he composed and orchestrated for the 5-episode series, Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village, which premiered on Rhode Island PBS on September 16, 2022. He is currently working on Season 2, which is in post-production.
Steve has composed music on the fly for comic & dramatic scenes as an improv theater accompanist in Boston since the early ’90’s. He has also taught theater improvisers how to make up songs on the spot. He attended Berklee College of Music for Film Scoring, back when projects were on VHS tape.
He has written the music for the feature length slasher film Bit Parts, as well as for several shorter horror films for Elftwin Productions. He has scored half a dozen 48 Hour Film Project submissions, honing his skills composing under extreme deadlines. He also has written music for a number of musicals, including 10 Halloween-themed ‘Gorefest‘ musicals for Improv Boston, as well as his own latest noir parody Lost Cellphone Weekend.
Darrin Yalacki – Director
Darrin, is a writer and improviser in Los Angeles, hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He trained in improv, at ComedySportz San Jose. After moving to Southern California, he continued his training at iO West and ComedySportz Los Angeles. While at iO West he has performed with several groups as well as written and performed with the acclaimed sketch show What! and the sketch group, No Beaks. In addition, he has also directed several improv and sketch groups and runs the Improv Lab at Write Act, including the recent Cringe Fest 2023. Darrin created, produced, and starred in the pilot Rehab. He contributed as a producer for the pilot presentation PepU. He wrote and produced Con-Sequences: The Web Series and produced and acted in Corporate: The Web Series. He also played Rafael in the new musical Beguiled and performed his one-person show Human Me-Sources (a show about how working in Human Resources for 10 years destroyed him as a person) and has recently completed his short film Interpretive Dance and his play Not/Now.
Tamra Pica – Producer / Casting Director
Tamra is a versatile producer and casting director whose 36-year career spans theater, television, and digital live production. She has worked on over 500 productions, including recent Off-Broadway hits like Frankenstein, Wicked City Blues, and Swing. Other notable credits include Lili Marlene, Caldwell’s Bomb for the New York Venus/Adonis Theater Festival, Renewal, Your Name on My Lips at Theater for the New City, and the long-running musical Fabulous! Queen of the New Musicals. Her work at the Brick House Theater in North Hollywood includes productions of Freeway Dreams, Path to Catherine, and Playwright’s Parlor: An Evening of 15-Minute New Works. Her television work includes production, casting, and development for major networks such as Disney, Sony, Cartoon Network, NBC, TBS, CBS, MTV, ABC, and FOX, most recently on Disney’s Mira, Royal Detective and Netflix’s Blood of Zeus. After the pandemic, Tamra’s love of technology and live events led her to produce over 125 digital events, blending innovation with storytelling. As a passionate advocate for writers, she consults on projects across television, film, novels, and theater, helping writers clarify their vision and connect with audiences. She also developed the global virtual writing retreat Second Saturday, which has run monthly since 2020 allowing writers a creative community. A tech enthusiast and regular panelist on YouTube’s series The Rundown, she frequently shares insights using technology to enhance creative work and digital presence.
John Lant -Write Act Repertory’s Producing Artistic Director
John’s a 44+year veteran, Interlochen Alumni, produced 18 Off-Broadway plays and been involved in over 800 hundred television, film, and theatrical productions as creative entity and/or production manager. He has served for 22 years at Write Act Rep’s, Production Managed Carnegie Hall for 14 seasons with over 2,000 events in three venues and the last three years at Tilles Center. His work includes Kennedy Center, Alliance Theatre, Lincoln Center, Juilliard, MTC, Circle Rep, Circle in the Square, WPA and EST. National tours include Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Singin’ in the Rain, One Mo’ Time, Gypsy, The Three Musketeers, Connecticut Ballet, and Aeros. An award-winning producer, SSDC director, writer, lighting and set designer, in LA & NYC work includes The Garfunkels at Carnegie Hall, BET JAZZ MASTERS Awards, NARAS Grammy Awards, The Academy Awards, Cal Arts, The Odyssey, Ivy Substation, Ricardo Montalban, Glendale Center, Hollywood Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, Jewel Box Theatres, Write Act Repertory in LA, Carnegie Hall, St. Luke’s, Actors Temple, St. Clement’s, Hudson Guild, Theater Row, A.R.T./NY, MTC, New World Stages and Tilles Center garnering DramaLogue Awards, Diamond Awards, LA Weekly, Garland, ADA, 2xNAACP, Ethel Casey, NY Theaterfest, MITF, BWWorld, Backstage Picks, Nominations and Awards. More info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlantprod
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