PRESS RELEASE: For Piano and Harpo

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Press Contact: Sasha Venola sasha@falcontheatre.com or 818-955-8004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Falcon Theatre Presents the WORLD PREMIERE of

A Laugh Then Think Production

For Piano and Harpo

Written by and Starring Dan Castellaneta Directed by Stefan Novinski

BURBANK, CA (December 7, 2016) – The Falcon Theatre is proud to present Laugh Then Think’s world premiere of For Piano and Harpo, written by and starring Dan Castellaneta, and directed by Stefan Novinski. Performances run Feb. 1 – Mar. 5, 2017 at the Falcon Theatre. Tickets on sale starting Jan. 4, 2017 or are available now as part of a 2-Play Laugh Pack. Oscar Levant, the brilliant, witty, pill-popping concert pianist, wakes up to find himself in the Psych Ward of Mt. Sinai Hospital. His past collides with his present, as he grapples with his demons to save his marriage and his sanity. It’s a nightmarish, and sometimes hilarious journey, from addiction to redemption, as he verbally jousts with Jack Paar, is haunted by the genius of George Gershwin, and moves in with his only friend, Harpo Marx. For Piano and Harpo stars Dan Castellaneta, with JD Cullum, Deb Lacusta, Gail Matthius, Phil Proctor, and Jonathan Stark. David O is the Music Supervisor, Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford, Lighting by Jean-Yves Tessier, Costumes by Kate Bergh, and Sound by Drew Dalzell. Previews begin Feb. 1, 2017 with Press Opening Night Feb. 10, 2017, and runs through Mar. 5, 2017 at the Falcon Theatre located at 4252 Riverside, Burbank, CA 91505. Performances are Wed. through Sat. at 8pm and Sun. at 4pm. Tickets, priced from $30-$45, on sale Jan. 4, 2017 online at www.falcontheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 818-955-8101. Box Office hours are Tue.-Fri. 12-6pm, Sat.-Sun. 10am-4pm, and 1 hour prior to show time on performance days. For more information, please visit www.falcontheatre.com

* * * BIOGRAPHIES Dan Castellaneta (Playwright & ‘Oscar Levant’) An Emmy-winning actor and writer for The Simpsons and The Tracey Ullman Show, Dan’s plays include: A Purple Dawn, Sons of Mothers, The Banana Tree and Empire Burlesque (both with Deb Lacusta). He co-founded the improv scenario group Instant Theater, Chicago, and the Improv Co-Op in LA. Acting credits: Second City/Chicago, The Underpants (Geffen Theater), Twist Your Dickens and Nighthawks (Kirk Douglas Theater), Moonlight and Magnolias (Old Globe), The Alchemist (Classic Stage/NYC), American Splendor (Theater/Theater/LA), and his one-man show Where Did Vincent Van Gogh?

PRESS RELEASE: For Piano and Harpo

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(LA, NYC, Chicago, Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Aspen HBO Comedy Festival). TV: The Office, Parks and Recreation, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Reno 911, Monk, Friends, NYPD Blue, Everybody Loves Raymond, Stargate SG1. Film: Super 8, The Client, The Pursuit of Happyness, War of the Roses, Nothing in Common, My Giant, Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Showtime), Charlie’s Angels: Behind the Camera as ‘Aaron Spelling.’ AEA, SAG-AFTRA, ASCAP, Dramatists Guild. Stefan Novinski (Director) spent a decade directing in southern California before becoming a professor of Drama at the University of Dallas. He has worked at multiple Tony-award winning theatres including the La Jolla Playhouse, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and South Coast Rep. At SCR he directed eight shows including the world premiere musical An Italian Straw Hat, and a critically acclaimed production of A Little Night Music starring Stephanie Zimbalist. Other national credits: J.O.B. the Hip-Hopera for the New York Musical Theatre Festival (LA Drama Critics Circle nominations for Best Direction and Best Musical); The Map Maker’s Sorrow for Summer Play Festival, NYC; Wreckage for New Dramatists; The Golden Apple at Lyric Stage; Macbeth and Richard III for Shakespeare Dallas and The Aliens for PlaySite Theatre. He has directed a number of shows for Disney including the premiere of Toy Story the Musical, working closely with John Lasseter. He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of California, San Diego. www.stefannovinski.com

David O (Music Supervisor) is a music-theatre artist who specializes in contemporary music for the stage and concert hall. Compositions include the Ovation Award-winning score for Ubu Roi (A Noise Within), and the choral piece “A Map of Los Angeles” (LA Master Chorale). Musical Direction: American Idiot (La Mirada Theater), 13 (Mark Taper Forum), The Wild Party and See What I Wanna See (The Blank Theatre). Film scores include “Bronies: the Completely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony.” David was the 2013 recipient of the LADCC Joel Hirschhorn Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. The Falcon Theatre is a 130-seat professional theatre that operates year-round in Burbank, California. The theatre was founded in 1997 by the late director/writer/producer Garry Marshall and his daughter Kathleen Marshall LaGambina. It was Garry’s wish that the theatre continue and serve as a welcome home to established artists as well as emerging talent. This year’s subscription series is produced by Kathleen and Sherry Greczmiel. Laugh Then Think, Inc. Recent projects: Old Man in a Big Car, directed by Dan Castellaneta and starring Paul Dooley (Fanatic Salon Theater, Los Angeles). Empire Burlesque (workshop), Broad Theater/Edye Stage (Disney/ASCAP Musical Workshop, hosted by Stephen Schwartz, currently in development with the American Blues Theater/Chicago). The Banana Tree, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Bloomington, Indiana (Telluride Playwrights Festival, Adirondack Theater Festival). And of course, For Piano and Harpo, at the Falcon Theatre. Cast (alphabetical order): Dan Castellaneta (‘Oscar Levant’) JD Cullum (‘Charlie’/‘Harpo’) A veteran of Southern California stages (and freeways), JD has starred in plays at the Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theater, and the Pasadena Playhouse. A recipient of multiple Garland Awards and LA Drama Critics Circle Awards for his work, JD’s recent appearances include All the Way at South Coast Repertory, Hedda Gabler, and Cloud 9 (Antaeus Theater Company). On camera: Aquarius, Code Black, Bones, The Newsroom, The Lone Ranger, and Mad Men. Deb Lacusta (‘June Levant’/’Barbara’) Deb is a writer/actor/improvisor. Acting: Immediate Theater, Spolin Players, Second City Alumni Jam, Deb & Dan's Show. Playwriting: Old Man in a Big Car, Empire Burlesque (Broad Stage/Edye, in development American Blues Theater); The Banana Tree, Earthers, and Lock Up the Grass (Organic Theater/Chicago, Theatre 6470); The August and The Statue (Bailiwick Theater/Chicago). She co-founded the improv scenario group Instant Theater, and Improv Co-Op. TV/Film writing: The Simpsons, Tracey Ullman Show, and she wrote, directed, and starred in her film Starring Marlon Brando. Her performance art has been exhibited in museums and galleries here and abroad.

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Gail Matthius (‘Shirley’/‘Fanny Brice’/‘Oscar’s Mother’) Saturday Night Live, Laugh Trax, Assaulted Nuts (British co-production). Voiced ‘Martha Generic’ - Bobby’s World (8 seasons, Annie Nomination). Also, cartoon series Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, The Snorks, Cat/Dog, The Tick, Bump in the Night, Ren & Stimpy. Performs regularly with The Spolin Players, a premiere improv troupe. Wrote/produced 2 children’s musicals. Regional theater: El Grande de Coca Cola, Funny Thing Happened, Always Patsy Cline, Little Women, Baby, A Man of No Importance, Violet. Proud member of AEA, SAG/AFTRA.

Phil Proctor (‘Sidney’/‘Butler’/‘Oscar’s Father’) is a 15-year member of Antaeus and a 50-year member of the thrice-Grammy-nominated Firesign Theatre – one of the “Thirty Greatest Acts of All Time” – inducted into the Library of Congress. He’s appeared On-and-Off-Broadway, in the USSR with the Yale Russian Chorus, on radio, and in numerous films, video games, and TV shows. He's won Theatre World, LA Weekly, LA Free Press, and Drama Critics' awards. His voice credits include scores of Disney and Pixar films, ‘the Drunken French Monkey’ in Dr. Dolittle, and ‘Howard’ in the Emmy-winning Rugrats, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jonathan Stark (‘Dr. Greenleigh’/‘Jack Paar’/‘George Gershwin’) has been seen in the films Fright Night, Project X, and House II. Television work includes Cheers, Bob, Tales of the Crypt, Ellen, and Darkroom. In 1991 he began writing for television, penning on such series as Cheers, The Nanny, Drew Carey, and Ellen for which he won an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award for ‘The Puppy Episode.’ He is a Groundling alumni and in 2001 co-created, with Groundling alum Tracy Newman, the hit sitcom According to Jim. He can currently be seen, with countless other Groundling grads and Second City players, at The Fanatic Salon Theater, in Culver City in Instaplay, The Trans4merZ and Immediate Theater.