Press Release: Rounding Third

THE COLONY THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

THE FIFTH PRODUCTION OF THEIR 2006-2007 SEASON…

THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF

ROUNDING THIRD

Written by Richard Dresser

Directed by Andrew Barnicle

Limited Engagement opens Saturday, April 14 at the Colony Theatre in Burbank!

"IT’S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE…IT’S HOW YOU WIN THAT COUNTS"

March 15, 2007…Burbank…The Colony Theatre Company presents the fifth production of its 2006 – 2007 season, the Los Angeles premiere of ROUNDING THIRD, written by Richard Dresser, directed by Andrew Barnicle and starring Kevin Symons and Jerry Kernion. ROUNDING THIRD will preview on Wednesday, April 11; Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13 at 8:00pm and will open on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, May 13 at the Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.  Due to a conflict in scheduling, the previously announced production of Ron Campbell’s one-man show THE THOUSANDTH NIGHT has been moved to the Colony’s 2007-2008 season.    

Don and Michael have two very different coaching philosophies. This two-man comedy follows the odd couple of the diamond through one Little League season together. Balls will fly as these co-coaches battle it out in the box. All bets are off as the master of fungoes collides with the philosophy of fun and feeling good. Exhilarating victories, heartbreaking defeats, and life lessons round out this play, sure to hit home.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

RICHARD DRESSER (Playwright) Mr. Dresser's plays are widely produced regionally, in New York, and in Europe. Rounding Third appeared off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre after regional productions in Chicago, Laguna Beach, and the Old Globe in San Diego. Other plays include Below the Belt and Gun-Shy, both of which started in the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville before moving off-Broadway. Other plays are Wonderful World, Something in the Air, The Downside, Alone at the Beach, and Better Days. Short plays include What Are You Afraid Of? staged in the front seat of a car, which premiered in the 1999 Humana Festival and has been running in Germany for several years, and Greetings From the Home Office which premiered at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and has no actors. He also writes for film and television.

ANDREW BARNICLE (Director) Andrew Barnicle is returning to The Colony Theatre after directing Gunmetal Blues in 2004. Andrew has been the Artistic Director of The Laguna Playhouse since 1991. Since then he has produced nearly 100 Playhouse productions and directed thirty-four of them, including many world, U.S., west coast and Southern California premieres. Recent directing projects include the world premiere of Richard Dresser’s The Pursuit of Happiness and the U.S. premiere of Bernard Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife. Andrew has also directed a wide range of works over the years, including the award-winning American Buffalo, three other U.S. premieres by Bernard Farrell, Richard Dresser’s Wonderful World, and his world premiere adaptation of his wife Sara’s translation of Carlo Goldoni’s The Liar, as well as Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Othello, and Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. He also directed Rounding Third at The Laguna Playhouse in 2003. Andrew previously served as Head of Theatre at United States International University’s School of Performing and Visual Arts in San Diego, and was the Associate Artistic Director of the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, where he directed seven plays, including the San Diego premiere of Torch Song Trilogy. He has also directed at San Diego’s Theatre at Old Town and Michigan’s LORT Meadow Brook Theatre. As an actor, he has appeared numerous times Off-Broadway and in major roles in eighteen LORT productions across the country, including Meadow Brook Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, San Diego Rep, the Alaska Rep and five roles at the Laguna Playhouse, most recently as Lawrence in David Rambo’s The Ice-Breaker.

ABOUT THE CAST

JERRY KERNION (Don) Mr. Kernion is a member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and tours nationally and internationally in their shows, Completely Hollywood, abridged, All the Great Books, abridged, The Bible, The Complete Word of God, abridged and The Complete History of America, abridged. Regional Theatre credits include King Henry IV Part One (Falstaff) at Shakespeare Festival/LA & Circle X, The Imaginary Cuckold and The School for Husbands (Gros-Rene') at the Mark Taper Forum and Nickels and Dimes (Donnie Dimes) at San Diego Rep as well as productions at Cincinnati Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Capitol Rep, Merrimack Rep and Actor Theatre of Phoenix. Los Angeles Theatre credits include Floyd Collins, Twelfth Night, Line (also Dir.), Moonchildren, Hunting Humans (Dramalogue Award), Eddie Quinn, The Foreigner, Scapin, As You Like It, Comedy Of Errors, Measure for Measure, The Rivals and The Good Doctor. National Tour: Moriah. North American Premiere of Mortal Acts and Hot Keys with the Naked Angels in NYC. Television: “Close To Home,” “Ugly Betty,” “Scrubs,” “What About Brian,” “The West Wing,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “Cold Case,” “Monk,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Without a Trace,” “The Gilmore Girls,” “Joan of Arcadia,” “G Vs E,” “It's Like, You Know...,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Campus Cops” (Series Regular), “Smart Guy,” “Honey I Shrunk The Kids,” and “Babylon 5.” Film: “Come As You Are,” “The Island,” “King For A Day” (also Dir.), and “They Crawl”. Mr. Kernion is the Artistic Director of The Attic Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles where he just completed directing UG by Jim Geoghan.

KEVIN SYMONS (Michael) is appearing in his fifth production at The Colony Theatre. Previously he appeared in Stage Struck, Gunmetal Blues, The Nerd, and Bea[u]tiful in the Extreme. Most recently he was in Shear Madness at the Laguna Playhouse and prior to that he played Dr. Adams on the NBC comedy “Darcy’s Wild Life” for two seasons. Other theatre credits include Rounding Third, The Constant Wife, Tabletop, and Spinning Into Butter also at the Laguna Playhouse; Wicked City Blues (York Theatre, Off-Broadway); New World (MET Theatre); Tallulah and Tennessee with Betty Garrett, The Trial of Othello, Baby Cradle and All with Lee Meriwether, and Steve Allen’s A Christmas Carol (Theatre West); Demon Wine with Tom Waits and Bill Pullman, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and Boys’ Life (Los Angeles Theatre Center); Our Town (Grove Shakespeare); Finding the Sun directed by Edward Albee, and The Hairy Ape directed by Jose Quintero. Other television appearances include recurring and guest roles on “Joan of Arcadia,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The West Wing,” “Passions,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Models, Inc.” and HBO’s “Indictment.” Film credits include “Terminator II,” “Valhalla,” “The Little Death,” “The Wild Side” and the upcoming “A New Tomorrow” released this spring.

ROUNDING THIRD has assembled an award-winning design team. The set design is by David Potts (Grand Hotel, Sherlock’s Last Case). The costume design is by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg (Side Show, The Gand Tour). The lighting design is by Don Guy (Grand Hotel, The Grand Tour). The sound design is by David Edwards (Sonia Flew, Last Easter).

ROUNDING THIRD will open on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, May 13, 2007. Performances for ROUNDING THIRD will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. There are special added performances on Saturday, April 21 and 28 at 3pm and Thursday, May 3 and 10 at 8pm. Ticket prices range from $37.00 - $42.00 (student, senior and group discounts are available). Preview performances will be Wednesday, April 11; Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 12 at 8:00pm – Preview Tickets $20.00 - $25.00. Opening night performance with reception - all tickets $50.00. There will be two Talk-Back performances with the cast on Friday, April 20 and Thursday, May 3 immediately following the performance. For tickets, call the Colony Theatre Box Office at 818/558-7000 ext. 15.     

For more information, press interviews, photos or for press comps, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or at ELZERD@aol.com or visit www.demandpr.com.

The award-winning Colony Theatre Company is Burbank's premiere professional theatre. It was voted "Best Live Theatre in L.A." in The Daily News 2006 Readers' Choice poll, and was named one of "25 Notable U.S. Theatre Companies" by Encyclopedia Britannica's 2006 Almanac.