What a life I'm having! After an amazing and inspiring week in WV with HOW CISSY GREW, I returned to LA to have a double-published Tuesday!
The first play, HOW CISSY GREW is now available through Dramatic Publishing. Check out Liz and Stewart on the cover!
You can order copies online:http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/p2073/How-Cissy-Grew/product_info.html
The second book is a collection of scenes curated by fellow NYU grad Steve Ramshur and published by Smith & Kraus. It's called KISS OR KILL: CONTACT SCENES OF LOVE & STRIFE FOR YOUNG ACTORS and it includes a scene from my play BETTER DAYS PART ONE: ON THE ROAD TO FIND OUT.
http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Kill-Contact-Scenes-Strife/dp/1575255820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8& ;s=books&qid=1246398886&sr=8-1
Thanks to all of you for your continued support of my work and please, find me or become a fan of HOW CISSY GREW on Facebook for more regular updates.
Showing posts with label How Cissy Grew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How Cissy Grew. Show all posts
July 03, 2009
May 07, 2009
How Cissy Grew staged reading at FesivALL in Charleston, WV
“How Cissy Grew” by Susan Johnston (staged reading)
Event Details
Date/Time:
Monday, June 22, 2009 8:00 pm
Buy Tickets:
http://www.theClayCenter.org
Sponsors:
Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Architectural Products
Corbett, Inc
InterfaceFlor Commercial
Charleston High grad, Susan Johnston, was honored last April in front of an overflow crowd of 700 raucous theatergoers, creators and fans at the 30th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards. Miss Johnston was recognized for her play, “How Cissy Grew”, which had its world premiere run at The El Portal Forum Theatre from October to November 2008 starring James Denton of Desperate Housewives, Erin J. O’Brien, Liz Vital and Stewart Calhoun who was also nominated by LA Weekly for Best Supporting Male Performance for his role as “The Guy”. All of these actors, as well as the original director and Ms. Johnston will be here for a staged reading of the play.
“How Cissy Grew” tracks the implosion of a West Virginia family over the twenty years following their baby’s mysterious and brief abduction. Best known for her plays, Old Woman Flying and One Girl Drummer, Miss Johnston’s work has been produced and/or read at Mill Mountain, City Lights Youth Theatre, The Jungle, Centenary Stage, The O’Neill, The Peter Norton Space, The Lark, The Echo, Manhattan Theatre Space, NADA, La MaMa, Provincetown Playhouse, etc. She is a six-time published playwright who completed her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has received a number of grants and fellowships, including a Jerome and a nomination for a Fulbright. She has worked as a film industry reporter for Interview magazine and an interstitial writer for A&E’s Biography series. Her first novel, Party Favors, is on shelves now. In May, Miss Johnston was honored by NYU with a Meritorious Alumni Service Award for her work helping to establish alumni programs on both the West and East coasts.
The play was critically hailed from the offset. The LA Times called the play “absorbing” and said, “Johnston’s monologues for the guilt-stricken Butch, beautifully underplayed by Denton, are the show’s highlights.” Daily Variety said, “Susan Johnston examines the jagged shards of a dysfunctional family's sorrowful history, offering compelling glimpses into the aftermath of a horrific event.”
"Compelling glimpses into the aftermath of a horrific event." —Variety
"Piercingly painful and beautifully wrought." —LA Weekly
"70 searing minutes." —LA Daily News
"Spellbinding and seductive." —Theatermania.com
Cost: $19 (festival seating)
Link: http://www.festivallcharleston.com/event/%E2%80%9Chow-cissy-grew%E2%80%9D-susan-johnston-staged-reading
Location
Clay Center on stage (Enter through Walker Theatre entrance)
One Clay Square
Charleston, WV, 25301
(304) 561-3570
Event Details
Date/Time:
Monday, June 22, 2009 8:00 pm
Buy Tickets:
http://www.theClayCenter.org
Sponsors:
Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Architectural Products
Corbett, Inc
InterfaceFlor Commercial
Charleston High grad, Susan Johnston, was honored last April in front of an overflow crowd of 700 raucous theatergoers, creators and fans at the 30th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards. Miss Johnston was recognized for her play, “How Cissy Grew”, which had its world premiere run at The El Portal Forum Theatre from October to November 2008 starring James Denton of Desperate Housewives, Erin J. O’Brien, Liz Vital and Stewart Calhoun who was also nominated by LA Weekly for Best Supporting Male Performance for his role as “The Guy”. All of these actors, as well as the original director and Ms. Johnston will be here for a staged reading of the play.
“How Cissy Grew” tracks the implosion of a West Virginia family over the twenty years following their baby’s mysterious and brief abduction. Best known for her plays, Old Woman Flying and One Girl Drummer, Miss Johnston’s work has been produced and/or read at Mill Mountain, City Lights Youth Theatre, The Jungle, Centenary Stage, The O’Neill, The Peter Norton Space, The Lark, The Echo, Manhattan Theatre Space, NADA, La MaMa, Provincetown Playhouse, etc. She is a six-time published playwright who completed her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has received a number of grants and fellowships, including a Jerome and a nomination for a Fulbright. She has worked as a film industry reporter for Interview magazine and an interstitial writer for A&E’s Biography series. Her first novel, Party Favors, is on shelves now. In May, Miss Johnston was honored by NYU with a Meritorious Alumni Service Award for her work helping to establish alumni programs on both the West and East coasts.
The play was critically hailed from the offset. The LA Times called the play “absorbing” and said, “Johnston’s monologues for the guilt-stricken Butch, beautifully underplayed by Denton, are the show’s highlights.” Daily Variety said, “Susan Johnston examines the jagged shards of a dysfunctional family's sorrowful history, offering compelling glimpses into the aftermath of a horrific event.”
"Compelling glimpses into the aftermath of a horrific event." —Variety
"Piercingly painful and beautifully wrought." —LA Weekly
"70 searing minutes." —LA Daily News
"Spellbinding and seductive." —Theatermania.com
Cost: $19 (festival seating)
Link: http://www.festivallcharleston.com/event/%E2%80%9Chow-cissy-grew%E2%80%9D-susan-johnston-staged-reading
Location
Clay Center on stage (Enter through Walker Theatre entrance)
One Clay Square
Charleston, WV, 25301
(304) 561-3570
April 02, 2009
more photos from the big night
My neighbor Rob Thorne escorted me for the big night - Thanks Rob!
I have no idea what I actually said.
After calming down a bit and able to actually pose for a picture.
My castmembers Stewart Calhoun and Liz Vital help me celebrate.oh my goodness gracious!
On Monday night, among a standing-room only crowd, I won LA Weekly’s 30th Annual Theatre Award for Playwriting!!!!!
The crazy thing is they forgot to say my name during the list of the nominees so when they said I was the winner, I thought they were just announcing me as a nominee so I didn't get up!!! Everyone was jumping up and down and screaming at me to go up to the stage!!!! I was so confused. And then the spotlight hit me and I completely freaked out.
The crazy thing is they forgot to say my name during the list of the nominees so when they said I was the winner, I thought they were just announcing me as a nominee so I didn't get up!!! Everyone was jumping up and down and screaming at me to go up to the stage!!!! I was so confused. And then the spotlight hit me and I completely freaked out.
See photo above of me completely freaking out - enjoy!
I truly have no idea what I said in front of that microphone so let me say it now –
Thanks to Casey Stangl and John Spokes, Jamie Denton and Erin J. O’Brien and Victor Williams for believing in HOW CISSY GREW and making the production happen. Thanks to Jamie, Erin, Liz Vital and Stewart Calhoun (YOU WERE ROBBED!!!) for bringing the characters to life. Thanks to every member of our crew and marketing team who built and sold an absolutely gorgeous production that rivaled any regional!!!
Thanks to The MacDowell, The Echo Theatre, The NYU Grad Actors Collective, NYU Writer’s Lab West, The Tisch West Alumni Council, The Wednesday Ladies, SeaGlass Theatre, The El Portal, C. Josephine Hagerty, Nick Mills, Betsy Reisz, Ned Menoyo, Megan McNulty, Michael Goldenberg, Julia Cho, David Rock, Maura Teitelbaum and Abrams Artists Agency.
MUCH LOVE TO ALL OF OUR FANS – I WISH YOU ALL COULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO HELP ME CELEBRATE.
NEXT STOP – THE OSCARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I truly have no idea what I said in front of that microphone so let me say it now –
Thanks to Casey Stangl and John Spokes, Jamie Denton and Erin J. O’Brien and Victor Williams for believing in HOW CISSY GREW and making the production happen. Thanks to Jamie, Erin, Liz Vital and Stewart Calhoun (YOU WERE ROBBED!!!) for bringing the characters to life. Thanks to every member of our crew and marketing team who built and sold an absolutely gorgeous production that rivaled any regional!!!
Thanks to The MacDowell, The Echo Theatre, The NYU Grad Actors Collective, NYU Writer’s Lab West, The Tisch West Alumni Council, The Wednesday Ladies, SeaGlass Theatre, The El Portal, C. Josephine Hagerty, Nick Mills, Betsy Reisz, Ned Menoyo, Megan McNulty, Michael Goldenberg, Julia Cho, David Rock, Maura Teitelbaum and Abrams Artists Agency.
MUCH LOVE TO ALL OF OUR FANS – I WISH YOU ALL COULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO HELP ME CELEBRATE.
NEXT STOP – THE OSCARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
30th Annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards
The 30th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards
Actors and chickens and bears, oh, my!
Actors and chickens and bears, oh, my!
By Steven Leigh Morris
Published on April 01, 2009 at 9:41pm
Published on April 01, 2009 at 9:41pm
View more photos in the 30th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards slideshow.
Dancing girls and impersonators joined co-hosts Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith to transform the El Rey Theatre into the stage of Las Vegas’ Sahara Hotel, 1958, for the 30th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards on Monday night. Reprising their roles as lounge crooners Louis Prima and Keely Smith in their hit show Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara (now at the Geffen Playhouse), Broder and Smith were supported by their production’s six-piece jazz band and a gallery of supporting players from Sacred Fools Theater Company. That show walked away with the Musical of the Year Award in a very tight vote with some very heady competition from Joe’s Garage at Open Fist Theatre Company and Lovelace: A Rock Opera at the Hayworth. For much of the evening, the raucous, overflow crowd of 700 treated the excellent production, nicely paced by director Jeremy Aldridge, as a backdrop to their drinking and socializing.
From the stage, Queen of the Angels recipient Frédérique Michel repeatedly told the revelers to shut up. The only performer who could command some silence was Gwendolyn the chicken, who appeared contentedly on the arm of Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie, as he gave a mock, somber homage to our hard times, adding that he always wanted to appear onstage with his pecker in his hand.
(Gwendolyn had been eating birdseed for a solid hour before her performance, and Ritchie was hoping that she would complement his performance by unloading during the act, but the bird was too well brought-up for such low comedy.)
Adding to the Dada were the artistic directors of the Colony Theatre and Geffen Playhouse, Barbara Beckley and Gil Cates, who performed a duet of “Under My Skin,” to which the Los Angeles Stage Alliance’s executive director Terence McFarland performed a spirited interpretive dance.
County Supervisor Zev Yaraslovksy’s keynote address acknowledged that the smaller theaters (the purview of the Weekly’s Theater Awards) are where the future of the theater lies, and Career Achievement recipient Dakin Matthews appeared digitally from Singapore, where he’s performing with an international company, directed by Sam Mendes. (Matthews’ fellow cast members Simon Russell Beale, Sinead Cusack, Ethan Hawke, Roger Bean, Paul Jesson, Richard Easton, and Rebecca Hall also sent their greetings to L.A. from Southeast Asia.) Matthews closed his video with a nod to Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction — “Exit, pursued by a bear” _ for Antigonus, whom Matthews is currently playing in The Winter’s Tale. As Matthews spoke, a large bear head entered the scene.
AND THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2009 L.A. WEEKLY THEATER AWARDS ARE ...
PLAY WRITING
*Susan Johnston, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
Dancing girls and impersonators joined co-hosts Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith to transform the El Rey Theatre into the stage of Las Vegas’ Sahara Hotel, 1958, for the 30th annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards on Monday night. Reprising their roles as lounge crooners Louis Prima and Keely Smith in their hit show Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara (now at the Geffen Playhouse), Broder and Smith were supported by their production’s six-piece jazz band and a gallery of supporting players from Sacred Fools Theater Company. That show walked away with the Musical of the Year Award in a very tight vote with some very heady competition from Joe’s Garage at Open Fist Theatre Company and Lovelace: A Rock Opera at the Hayworth. For much of the evening, the raucous, overflow crowd of 700 treated the excellent production, nicely paced by director Jeremy Aldridge, as a backdrop to their drinking and socializing.
From the stage, Queen of the Angels recipient Frédérique Michel repeatedly told the revelers to shut up. The only performer who could command some silence was Gwendolyn the chicken, who appeared contentedly on the arm of Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie, as he gave a mock, somber homage to our hard times, adding that he always wanted to appear onstage with his pecker in his hand.
(Gwendolyn had been eating birdseed for a solid hour before her performance, and Ritchie was hoping that she would complement his performance by unloading during the act, but the bird was too well brought-up for such low comedy.)
Adding to the Dada were the artistic directors of the Colony Theatre and Geffen Playhouse, Barbara Beckley and Gil Cates, who performed a duet of “Under My Skin,” to which the Los Angeles Stage Alliance’s executive director Terence McFarland performed a spirited interpretive dance.
County Supervisor Zev Yaraslovksy’s keynote address acknowledged that the smaller theaters (the purview of the Weekly’s Theater Awards) are where the future of the theater lies, and Career Achievement recipient Dakin Matthews appeared digitally from Singapore, where he’s performing with an international company, directed by Sam Mendes. (Matthews’ fellow cast members Simon Russell Beale, Sinead Cusack, Ethan Hawke, Roger Bean, Paul Jesson, Richard Easton, and Rebecca Hall also sent their greetings to L.A. from Southeast Asia.) Matthews closed his video with a nod to Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction — “Exit, pursued by a bear” _ for Antigonus, whom Matthews is currently playing in The Winter’s Tale. As Matthews spoke, a large bear head entered the scene.
AND THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2009 L.A. WEEKLY THEATER AWARDS ARE ...
PLAY WRITING
*Susan Johnston, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
For more information about other winners and links to the slideshow:
January 21, 2009
exciting news!!!!
HOW CISSY GREW has received two nominations from LA Weekly's 30th Annual Theater Awards:
SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
Stewart W. Calhoun, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
Mark Doerr, Lady, Road Theatre Company
Matt Kirkwood, Lady, Road Theatre Company
Matt Lutz, 1776, Actors Co-op
David Nadeau, Assassins, West Coast Ensemble at the El Centro Theatre
Christopher Neiman, He Asked for It, Theatre of NOTE
Skip Pipo, Mrs. Warren's Profession, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center
Paul Witten, Crime and Punishment, Actors' Co-op
PLAY WRITING
Susan Johnston, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
Richard Martin Hirsh, The Concept of Remainders, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center
Robert Riechel, Jr. A.K.A. Eat the Runt, Hudson Guild Theatre
Dan Rothenberg, Regretosexual: The Love Story, Hudson Guild Theatre
Nick Salamone, Sea Change, Gay and Lesbian Center
For a full list of nominees and more information at the awards:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/stage-news/stage-raw-la-weekly-theater-aw/
SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
Stewart W. Calhoun, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
Mark Doerr, Lady, Road Theatre Company
Matt Kirkwood, Lady, Road Theatre Company
Matt Lutz, 1776, Actors Co-op
David Nadeau, Assassins, West Coast Ensemble at the El Centro Theatre
Christopher Neiman, He Asked for It, Theatre of NOTE
Skip Pipo, Mrs. Warren's Profession, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center
Paul Witten, Crime and Punishment, Actors' Co-op
PLAY WRITING
Susan Johnston, How Cissy Grew, El Portal Forum Theatre
Richard Martin Hirsh, The Concept of Remainders, The Production Company at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center
Robert Riechel, Jr. A.K.A. Eat the Runt, Hudson Guild Theatre
Dan Rothenberg, Regretosexual: The Love Story, Hudson Guild Theatre
Nick Salamone, Sea Change, Gay and Lesbian Center
For a full list of nominees and more information at the awards:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/stage-news/stage-raw-la-weekly-theater-aw/
November 06, 2008
Review in The Signal
‘How Cissy Grew’ is a one act with depth
By Michele E. Buttelman
Signal Features Editor
661-259-1234 x590
For those who adore the craft of acting as I do "How Cissy Grew" now playing at the El Portal Theatre in NoHo is an astonishing piece of theater. A character study drawn almost in pen and ink this powerful one act resonates - leaving the audience to ponder the implications of "nature versus nurture" long after exiting the theater.
The production stars James Denton, who is best known to audiences as Mike Delfino from ABC TV's "Desperate Housewives." Also starring are Denton's wife Erin J. O'Brien, Liz Vital and Stewart W. Calhoun.
"How Cissy Grew" begins with the uncomfortable premise of child abduction. Playwright Susan Johnston crafted the show from a single monologue written for a class project and expanded it into 70-minute one act that explores how a single moment, a single incident, can ripple through time and space like a stone thrown into a pond.
In West Virginia a baby girl named Cissy is kidnapped from a Kroger's grocery store while in the care of her father. She is swiftly returned to her family, but the experience haunts her family for the next 20 years.
"How Cissy Grew" explores the ramifications of those life-altering few days. As the actors move swiftly through the 35 scenes that comprise the one act, the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks alternating with "flash-forwards."
Denton portrays "Butch," a West Virginia "good old boy" trying to be the best dad, husband and man he knows how to be. O'Brien plays "Darla" tortured by the past, afraid to move past those few terrible days when her "miracle child" goes missing. Cissy is sassy and played with gusto by Vital. Her ability to move from careless child to careless young adult is enviable - and painfully authentic. Calhoun plays "The Guy" - by turns boys and young men - all trapped by Cissy's futile romantic dalliances.
Is the kidnapping the reason Cissy becomes a sexual promiscuous, fearless and callous young woman who follows in her parents footsteps of drug use? Would her life have unfolded in exactly the same way if she hadn't been kidnapped? Without the catalyst of the kidnapping would her parents relationship have foundered on the rocks of some other, more mundane, crisis or would they have lived happily ever after?
The questions aren't answered in this taut, thoughtful piece, only asked. It is up to the audience to draw its own conclusion, which is a delightful experience for playgoers tired of formulaic spoon-fed theater.
This is a play designed for those with a short attention span. With scenes so brief, some only seconds long, the actors must convey a mood, a time and a place in an instant. As the actors moved deftly from scene to scene, moving props and set pieces along the way, they made the transitions seem effortless and wore their characters easily, as if a second skin.
It is the small moments of this production that shine, the accents, the emotion, the intensity and the humor - all deftly directed by Casey Stangl - and all deftly played.
The play is performed in the El Portal's smaller and more intimate horseshoe-shaped Forum Theatre, the perfect venue for this small gem. With only 92 seats audiences are "up close and personal" with the actors who perform only inches away from the theater's front row of seats. Audiences can see the pain in Denton's eyes as he deals with his troubled daughter and his wife's accusations.
O'Brien, as Darla, is completely convincing in her role as Cissy's mom. The pain, heartache, hopes and dreams, all are brilliantly played. It is easy to walk away from this play hurting for "Darla" and her shattered life. She is flawed, but aren't we all?
Perhaps the answer to "How Cissy Grew" is a combination of nature and nurture. Cissy is too young to remember the kidnapping however the aftermath and how her parents handled the fallout certainly must have affected Cissy as a child, but what she has inherited from her parents makeup must also be factored into her personality. Perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
The El Portal Theatre, built as a vaudeville house in 1926, is a historic landmark on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood across the street from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The beautiful art deco marquee is one of the highly visible sites in the NoHo arts district.
From the Santa Clarita Valley the El Portal is a quick 25-minute drive, or less. Off the Hollywood freeway take the Magnolia exit, turn left, then drive a few blocks to turn left on Lankershim. Parking is available behind the theater a block up Lankershim on the left.
http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/5586
For those who adore the craft of acting as I do "How Cissy Grew" now playing at the El Portal Theatre in NoHo is an astonishing piece of theater. A character study drawn almost in pen and ink this powerful one act resonates - leaving the audience to ponder the implications of "nature versus nurture" long after exiting the theater.
The production stars James Denton, who is best known to audiences as Mike Delfino from ABC TV's "Desperate Housewives." Also starring are Denton's wife Erin J. O'Brien, Liz Vital and Stewart W. Calhoun.
"How Cissy Grew" begins with the uncomfortable premise of child abduction. Playwright Susan Johnston crafted the show from a single monologue written for a class project and expanded it into 70-minute one act that explores how a single moment, a single incident, can ripple through time and space like a stone thrown into a pond.
In West Virginia a baby girl named Cissy is kidnapped from a Kroger's grocery store while in the care of her father. She is swiftly returned to her family, but the experience haunts her family for the next 20 years.
"How Cissy Grew" explores the ramifications of those life-altering few days. As the actors move swiftly through the 35 scenes that comprise the one act, the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks alternating with "flash-forwards."
Denton portrays "Butch," a West Virginia "good old boy" trying to be the best dad, husband and man he knows how to be. O'Brien plays "Darla" tortured by the past, afraid to move past those few terrible days when her "miracle child" goes missing. Cissy is sassy and played with gusto by Vital. Her ability to move from careless child to careless young adult is enviable - and painfully authentic. Calhoun plays "The Guy" - by turns boys and young men - all trapped by Cissy's futile romantic dalliances.
Is the kidnapping the reason Cissy becomes a sexual promiscuous, fearless and callous young woman who follows in her parents footsteps of drug use? Would her life have unfolded in exactly the same way if she hadn't been kidnapped? Without the catalyst of the kidnapping would her parents relationship have foundered on the rocks of some other, more mundane, crisis or would they have lived happily ever after?
The questions aren't answered in this taut, thoughtful piece, only asked. It is up to the audience to draw its own conclusion, which is a delightful experience for playgoers tired of formulaic spoon-fed theater.
This is a play designed for those with a short attention span. With scenes so brief, some only seconds long, the actors must convey a mood, a time and a place in an instant. As the actors moved deftly from scene to scene, moving props and set pieces along the way, they made the transitions seem effortless and wore their characters easily, as if a second skin.
It is the small moments of this production that shine, the accents, the emotion, the intensity and the humor - all deftly directed by Casey Stangl - and all deftly played.
The play is performed in the El Portal's smaller and more intimate horseshoe-shaped Forum Theatre, the perfect venue for this small gem. With only 92 seats audiences are "up close and personal" with the actors who perform only inches away from the theater's front row of seats. Audiences can see the pain in Denton's eyes as he deals with his troubled daughter and his wife's accusations.
O'Brien, as Darla, is completely convincing in her role as Cissy's mom. The pain, heartache, hopes and dreams, all are brilliantly played. It is easy to walk away from this play hurting for "Darla" and her shattered life. She is flawed, but aren't we all?
Perhaps the answer to "How Cissy Grew" is a combination of nature and nurture. Cissy is too young to remember the kidnapping however the aftermath and how her parents handled the fallout certainly must have affected Cissy as a child, but what she has inherited from her parents makeup must also be factored into her personality. Perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
The El Portal Theatre, built as a vaudeville house in 1926, is a historic landmark on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood across the street from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The beautiful art deco marquee is one of the highly visible sites in the NoHo arts district.
From the Santa Clarita Valley the El Portal is a quick 25-minute drive, or less. Off the Hollywood freeway take the Magnolia exit, turn left, then drive a few blocks to turn left on Lankershim. Parking is available behind the theater a block up Lankershim on the left.
http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/5586
October 22, 2008
October 21, 2008
Variety Review: HOW CISSY GREW
How Cissy Grew
(El Portal Forum Theater; 99 seats; $40 top) A D-I-Y Project, in association with SeaGlass Theater, presentation of a play in one act by Susan Johnston. Directed by Casey Stangl.
Butch - James Denton
Darla - Erin J. O'Brien
Cissy - Liz Vital
The Guy - Stewart W. Calhoun
Susan Johnston examines the jagged shards of a dysfunctional family's sorrowful history, offering compelling if arbitrary glimpses into the aftermath of a horrific event in "How Cissy Grew." Featuring a finely tuned four-person ensemble, play looks at the frailty of human interactions that have been scarred beyond the possibility of empathy or forgiveness. Helmer Casey Stangl ably choreographs the 20-year flow of memory bits thrust forward in nonlinear disarray as each family member struggles to find redemption and salvation.
Covering 1988 to the present, this one-act legiter offers a free-form kaleidoscope of moments in the lives of West Virginia blue-collar laborer Butch (James Denton), his common-law mate Darla (Erin J. O'Brien) and their relentlessly misanthropic daughter Cissy (Liz Vital).
Cissy's brief abduction as an infant drives an ever-deepening wedge into Butch and Darla's relationship, crippling their lives as well as their daughter's. Johnston's insistence that this couple must wallow in their dysfunction in order to survive is not entirely believable, but is certainly made more viable by the perfs.
"Desperate Housewives" regular Denton offers an impressive, detailed outing as underachieving Butch, a former football star who cannot overcome the crushing guilt he feels, despite his attempts to anesthetize himself with drugs and alcohol. Denton's Butch effectively segues into a self-righteous born-again disciplinarian who still fails to win Darla's trust or Cissy's love.
O'Brien's Darla, a formerly lighthearted, foul-mouthed barmaid, becomes an open wound overflowing with anguish following her daughter's abduction. O'Brien gives veracity to Darla's inability move on once Cissy has been safely returned. Her perf is particularly noteworthy as Darla attempts to deal with Butch's rejection and her maturing daughter's lack of respect.
The highlight of the production is Vital's near-sociopathic Cissy, an amalgam of seething contempt and cold-blooded distain for her life and everyone around her. Yet Vital imbues Cissy with a compelling sensuality and keen awareness of her effect on others, as if she is waiting for someone to break through her facade and convince her that life is worth living.
Stewart W. Calhoun offers the closest thing to comic relief, competently wending his way through all the confused and defeated boys and men and in Cissy's life.
"How Cissy Grew" is complemented by the all-purpose modular sets of Laura Fine Hawkes, the mood-enhancing lighting of Trevor Stirlin Burk and the evocative sounds of C. Andrew Mayer.
Sets, Laura Fine Hawkes; costumes, Jennifer May Nickel; lighting, Trevor Stirlin Burk; sound, C. Andrew Mayer; music, Lauren Adams; production stage manager, Kimberly Van Luin. Opened, reviewed, Oct. 18, 2008. Runs through Nov. 23. Running time: 1 HOUR, 20 MIN.
Read the full article at:http://www.variety.com/story.asp?l=story&r=VE1117938782&c=33
LA Times article about How Cissy Grew
It seemed as if most of the neighborhood came out Saturday night for the opening of “How Cissy Grew” at the El Portal Forum Theatre in North Hollywood. Well, Wisteria Lane neighbors, anyway.
That’s because Susan Johnston’s new play about a child kidnapping and its aftermath features James Denton, who plays Joe the plumber — er, I mean Mike the plumber — on “Desperate Housewives.”
Among those on hand to cheer on Denton and cast were Teri Hatcher (please, Teri, eat something), Felicity Huffman (wearing specs and barely noticed in the back of the theater), Doug Savant (Tom on the show) and wife Laura Leighton, Marc Cherry (“Desperate Housewives” creator), Brenda Strong (the mostly unseen “Housewife”), Neal McDonough (this season's new guy), Shawn Pyform (who plays Bree’s kid), as well as William Fichtner (looking way hot — and not nearly as scary as the characters he plays), Carol Lawrence, “Uncle Frank” from the Jimmy Kimmel show and others.
The production is in the small space at the El Portal, so fans of Denton can see him up close — really close. Just know, however, that his wife, Erin J. O’Brien, also stars in this play. So even though Denton will be close enough to touch, you probably should keep your hands to yourself.
October 20, 2008
Daily News article
James Denton on stage with his leading lady
By Evan Henerson, Staff Writer
To hear James Denton tell it, his wife — who rarely acts — is the more skilled performer in the family.
Which might seem a little odd since Erin O'Brien works as a fitness trainer and developer of exercise videos while Denton earns a living playing plumber Mike Delfino on "Desperate Housewives."
Denton and O'Brien will be on stage together as the stars and producers of "How Cissy Grew," which opens this weekend at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. In the 70-minute drama, Denton and O'Brien play the parents of a child who is abducted as an infant. The child is immediately returned unharmed, but the incident has reverberations in the lives of the entire family.
Denton took part in an early reading of Susan Johnston's play in part to give O'Brien — who studied theater at New York University — a crack at another great role. He signed on for the full production because his part wasn't so shabby either.
"Erin is really good, and she never gets to do it," says Denton, with his wife at the theater. "When I read the script again, I realized there was also a lot there for (the character of) Butch, too.
"We met acting in a play together. This is the first time we're trying this since we've been married," he continues. "We'll see how it goes."
"I'm not trying to jump-start my acting career," adds O'Brien. "But there does come a moment in your life with your family (that) you go, 'I kind of need to get back in touch with things I used to really love to do,' and now is kind of a good opportunity to do that."
Carving out the time for husband and wife to pull off this endeavor has taken patience and creativity. It's been nearly two years from initial reading to NoHo. The producers had hoped to mount the play in the spring, but the settlement of the strike by theWriters Guild of America strike ultimately pushed the "Desperate Housewives" cast to begin shooting on Saturdays, placing the play on hold.
Denton has juggled his "Housewives" shooting schedule with rehearsals for Band From TV, a group of actors who play concerts for charities. Denton is also part owner of the minor league baseball team the Fullerton Flyers. The minor league season, he notes, had concluded by the time "How Cissy Grew" went into rehearsals.
With "Housewives" now carrying 19 regulars, cast members are rarely needed on set more than twice a week. Denton, who has an understudy for "Cissy," is hoping he'll be able to appear at every performance.
"I was in there politicking and lobbying for time off," he says with a chuckle. "I didn't fare too well."
O'Brien, meanwhile, teaches fitness classes three times weekly. Their children, who are in kindergarten and preschool, are covered.
For the time being, O'Brien is happy if occasionally exhausted.
"I had forgotten how all-consuming it could be, and it can't be that," O'Brien says. "I have to go home and be a mom and a wife. But it's also the great thing about theater that you don't get much from film and TV: When you start to rehearse, you get to know people and develop these really amazing relationships. That's why doing theater always kind of feels like being in summer camp."
The Tennessee-born Denton can certainly relate. A self-described "theater guy," he used community theater as an outlet to blow off steam generated by his day job as an advertising salesman. Quitting his job and moving to Chicago, Denton acted in 16 plays in five years, supplementing his on-the-job education by reading books on acting techniques.
His wife, Denton says, is the one with the Master of Fine Arts degree. Denton has never taken an acting class, although his life in the stage trenches taught him some other key skills.
"I do all the home-improvement stuff: flooring, drywall, plumbing. I learned it all in the theater, building sets," he says. "In Chicago theater, if you're not acting, you're doing everything else."
A nearly broke Denton moved to L.A., giving himself a year to get a TV and film career. He made the movies "Face/Off," "Primary Colors" and "That Old Feeling" and played the sociopathic Mr. Lyle on TV's "The Pretender." Roles on "Threat Matrix" and the short-lived "Philly" followed before "Housewives" came along.
It's a great gig, says Denton, who still insists that he never envisioned himself having a career in front of a camera.
"I don't enjoy it very much," he says of nonlive work, "and as far as the acting is concerned, it's not really rewarding. You're at everybody's mercy. The editors and directors control what they use and how they cut you.
"At the theater, if the performance is good, you can be proud of it," he says. "If you suck, you suck, and you have no one to blame but yourself."
Evan Henerson (818) 713-3651
evan.henerson@dailynews.com
HOW CISSY GREW
Where: El Portal Theatre.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 23.
Tickets: $35 to $40. (818) 508-4200, www.elportaltheatre.com.
October 13, 2008
James and Erin interviewed on ET Online
James Denton is taking a dramatic turn on the stage with an all-new production of How Cissy Grew in Los Angeles, and ET gets the lowdown from the hunky "Desperate Housewives" star about acting opposite his wife, Erin O'Brien -- and his upcoming nude scene on his hit ABC show!
"When I found out I was going to be stark naked in an episode of 'Desperate Housewives,' which we just shot, I worked out pretty steadily for a month," James confides to ET. "That's pretty good motivation."
Previews for How Cissy Grew begin October 16 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, with its limited six-week engagement ending November 23. The play takes place in West Virginia and studies a family's dramatic, long-term struggles in the wake of having their daughter abducted -- and returned only a few days later. James stars opposite his wife in the play.
"We met doing a play, and then we did another play, so we've been on stage together before," says Erin.
"It's a chance to act together, and it's a great role for [Erin]; she doesn't get many opportunities to act, so it made a lot of sense," says James, adding, "The subject matter's very heavy, but the play's very funny. Susan Johnston, the playwright, was smart enough to load it with real funny, laugh-out-loud moments."
And James says that you can expect a nice red-carpet showing for the play's premiere with many of his "Desperate" castmates: "We'll have a really supportive Hollywood family show up."
Watch ET for more with James!
September 15, 2008
September 08, 2008
James Denton to Star in El Portal's How Cissy Grew
And another listing on today's Theatermania.com site: http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/15199
By: Brian Scott Lipton · Sep 8, 2008 · Los Angeles
James Denton, who plays Mike Delfino on the ABC hit series Desperate Housewives, will star in Susan Johnston's play How Cissy Grew, to play North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, October 16-November 23. The production will be directed by Casey Stangl
The show involves a baby girl named Cissy, who is abducted but quickly returned to her parents, who evolves over the next 20 years into a sexually promiscuous, fearless, and sometimes callous young woman. It will also star Erin J. O'Brien, Liz Vital, and Stewart V. Calhoun.For tickets and information, call 818-508-4200 or visit http://www.elportaltheatre.com/.
"Housewives" Star Denton Cast in World Premiere of How Cissy Grew
Check out the article in today's Playbill.com feature:By Andrew Gans
08 Sep 2008
James Denton, best known for playing Mike Delfino on the ABC hit "Desperate Housewives," will co-star in the world premiere of Susan Johnston's How Cissy Grew.
Directed by Casey Stangl, the production will begin previews at the El Portal Forum Theatre in North Hollywood Oct. 16 with an official opening scheduled for Oct. 18. Performances will continue through Nov. 23.
In addition to Denton, the cast will also feature Erin J. O'Brien, Liz Vital and Stewart W. Calhoun.
How Cissy Grew, according to press notes, is described as such: "In West Virginia, a baby girl named Cissy is abducted, and then swiftly returned to her parents. While she has no memory of those few terrible days, their ramifications haunt her family for the next twenty years. While her parents take sides in a battle that can't be won, Cissy becomes a sexually promiscuous, fearless and sometimes callous young woman with a penchant for her mom's stash and innocent boys. By turns tough and fragile, smart and foolhardy, savvy and naïve, Cissy is a complicated soul … but is she a creation of a long-ago tragedy, or of her parents' inability to cope?"
How Cissy Grew, according to press notes, is described as such: "In West Virginia, a baby girl named Cissy is abducted, and then swiftly returned to her parents. While she has no memory of those few terrible days, their ramifications haunt her family for the next twenty years. While her parents take sides in a battle that can't be won, Cissy becomes a sexually promiscuous, fearless and sometimes callous young woman with a penchant for her mom's stash and innocent boys. By turns tough and fragile, smart and foolhardy, savvy and naïve, Cissy is a complicated soul … but is she a creation of a long-ago tragedy, or of her parents' inability to cope?"
D-I-Y Project produces in association with SeaGlass Theatre.
Show times are Thursday-Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.
The El Portal Forum Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, CA. Tickets, priced $20-$40, are available by calling (818) 508-4200 or (866) 811-4111 or by visiting http://www.elportaltheatre.com/
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