October 13, 2015....Burbank...The Colony Theatre is pleased to announce that it is bringing to its mid-size Equity theatre the wildly successful, LA Times Critic's Choice production of EL GRANDE CIRCUS DE COCA-COLA by Ron House, based on El Grande de Coca-Cola by Ron House, Diz White, Alan Shearman, and John Neville-Andrews, directed by Alan Shearman. Originally produced by Skylight Theatre Company & Flying Cucumber Productions for fourteen sold-out weeks at the 99-seat Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles, the "hilarious, uproarious and brilliantly executed" (Stage Raw Recommended) EL GRANDE CIRCUS DE COCA-COLA will preview on Thursday, November 5 and Friday, November 6 at 8:00pm. It will open on Saturday, November 7 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, December 13. The previously announced production of HUMBLE BOY will be presented in the Colony's 2016-2017 season.

Comments Artistic Director Barbara Beckley, "Since we spent 25 years as part of the 99-seat community, we are thrilled that we have the opportunity to bring this family-oriented and multi-cultural show to our mid-size theatre where it can reach a wider audience and delight many more people. BroadwayWorld called it "Simply Stunning!" and ArtsInLA raved that the actors are "World-class clowns able to make the rest of the world around us disappear." Is it any wonder it was a smash hit at the Skylight? El Grande will soon be headed to London, but first we are so excited to be bringing it to our subscribers and audiences who are going to love it!"

Meet Pepe Hernandez, over-ambitious patriarch of the world’s most dubious family of entertainers, whose unflagging confidence cobbled from decades spent touring the bottom-rung nightclub circuit south-of-the-border, has inspired him to ascend into big-top territory and head north to…Burbank, legendary home of Walt Disney, IKEA, and now Pepe Hernandez! Nothing – not even the labyrinthine layout of IKEA - will hinder this fearless, feckless familia in their determined quest for international stardom. Welcome to El Grande CIRCUS de Coca-Cola!

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

RON HOUSE (Playwright) created the role of Pepe Hernandez in El Grande de Coca-Cola. He left home at 15 and traveled the world, becoming fluent in five languages. Starting his theatrical career as a member of the Second City Company and later moved to New York with El Grande de Coca-Cola. Ron founded Low Moan Spectacular, the London underground theatre company that spawned the hit Bullshot Crummond, which ran in London, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was eventually produced as a film by Beatle George Harrison. Ron's latest work, Decorum Maintained, was inspired by personal experiences while working as an under butler in the London townhouse of Klaus and Sonny Von Bulow.

ALAN SHEARMAN (Director, Musical Director) has been directing comedies, musicals, musical comedies and comedies-with-music for over 20 years and along the way has collected six Best Director awards. Alan came to the U.S. over 35 years ago with Low Moan Spectacular, the British comedy group founded by Ron House, with whom Alan created the original El Grande de Coca-Cola, Bullshot Crummond, Footlight Frenzy, and The Scandalous Adventures of Sir Toby Trollope. All four shows continue to be performed across the country and around the world. Bullshot Crummond became the movie Bullshot, in which Alan played the title role. He lives locally in LA with his beautiful, talented wife Anna Mathias and son Alastair. Alan works both on and off-screen as an actor, writer and director with voiceover credits on several hundred movies, TV shows and video games. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. http://www.lowmoan.com/ashearman/director.html

TOR CAMPBELL (Choreographer) started dancing his freshmen year in high school. Tor continued to dance while at Marymount Manhattan College. More recently Tor returned from Macau, China where he was a choreographer for the Venetian & Sands Hotel. Tor now resides in LA where he works full-time as a choreographer and dance instructor.

GARY GROSSMAN (Producer) is the Producing Artistic Director for the Skylight Theatre Company. He started his career in New York owning two theater companies and a theatrical lighting company by the age of 23. Gary worked at the Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse before traveling west in the 70's to join up with the emerging theatre movement in Los Angeles. He has produced over 300 stage plays, including more than 50 world premieres. Among his celebrated productions are Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea (Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation), Disconnection, Years to the Day, Bullrusher, Wrong Man (3 Ovation Awards), Pray To Ball (1 Ovation Award), Hermetically Sealed, Sexsting, Mad Women (LA Weekly Award for Best Solo Performance), Romeo and Juliet directed by Milton Katselas (3 LADCC Awards), Dylan (3 LADCC Awards), Influence, Open House, Dream Man, Lone Star, Balm in Gilead, Visions and Lovers, Rabbit Hole, Beautified and La Ronde De Lunch.

THE SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY discovers, develops and produces new, exhilarating works while nurturing and educating the writers who create them. A vibrant and expanding family of artists giving voice to original perspectives of today's world, Skylight won 4 Ovation Awards in 2014 for The Wrong Man and Pray To Ball (the most of any intimate theatre in LA) while last year LA Weekly named their productions of Years To The Day, Open House, and Sexsting to their Top Ten Plays list of 2013. Skylight's first year as a company dedicated to developing new plays was 2011, when their production of Hermetically Sealed made the LA Times annual list of Top Ten Plays, and Mad Woman moved from Los Angeles to LaMaMa in New York. Since then plays developed by Skylight have played Chicago, New York, Edinburgh, Paris and local venues. skylighttheatrecompany.com. Twitter: @SkylightThtr Facebook: Skylight Theatre Company Instagram: SkylightTheatre

FLYING CUCUMBER PRODUCTIONS was created by Lila Dupree and Alan Shearman with the goal of developing and producing new theatrical works with broad international appeal. After working together on the recent hit revival of El Grande de Coca-Cola, Lila and Alan immediately saw El Grande CIRCUS de Coca-Cola, the sequel to the legendary international hit, as the natural next step. They are currently pursuing taking the show to London's West End. Lila has produced theatre and film in New York, Los Angeles and South Africa, often with her company, The Common Tongue. Producing credits include a reimagined version of All Over (collab Edward Albee, Marian Seldes, Kathleen Buter), Off-Broadway World Premieres of Obie-Award winning playwright Lucy Thurber and award-winning playwright Wendy MacLeod and a staged reading of 2008 Yale Drama Award winner Grenadine. Recent on-screen work includes Walk The Light, a short film she wrote and produced, starring Michael Richards (Seinfeld), that played at over 40 festivals around the world. Alan has decades of experience producing theatre and film from London to LA. Origins of the phrase "Flying Cucumber" available on request.

ABOUT THE CAST AND DESIGN TEAM

MARCELO TUBERT (Pepe) is delighted to join this latest incarnation of Coca-Cola. He is one of the founding members of The Antaeus Theater Co., performing in Henry IV, Part l, The Wood Demon, The Man Who Had All the Luck, You Can't Take it With You, Trial by Jury, Patience, Of Mice and Men and many more. Other theaters where he has performed are The Mark Taper Forum, Yale Rep, Milwaukee Rep, The Old Globe, New Mexico Rep, and The Colony. He received an Ovation award for San Fran Scapin, adapted from Molière's Scapin. His TV, film and voice over work covers over 30 years and are too numerous to list, so you can go to MarceloTubert.com or IMDB to check it out. Argentinian born, Marcelo and his multi-talented wife, Lori (she's actually a force of nature!), are the proud parents of Emily, a pro golfer and Sarah, an aspiring actress and make-up artist. His philosophy: Live simply and remain grateful.

PAUL BAIRD (Miguel) is an actor, writer, and musician. Though born in Santa Cruz, he spent much of his life performing while living abroad. His favorite productions include Cabaret (Emcee), Becoming Julia Morgan (BACC Best ensemble) Odysseus (Greek Tour), his award-winning co-written play Ni Una Más (Voice 6), and his two autobiographical solo shows My Brother's Keeper and The White Knuckle Driver. Award-Winning films include EBX 3000, Jesus Blues, and Undocumented. ThePaulBaird.com.

OLIVIA CRISTINA DELGADO (Maria) has had the privilege of performing new plays with marvelous people, including: the Latino Theater Company, several productions, most recently La Olla at the Getty Villa; the LTA Playwright's Nest, as part of the development and performance of the dark-comedy thriller Karina Plays Pachanga Music; and now...EL GRANDE! Olivia is classically trained and last summer toured in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare By The Sea, performing for over 20K people.

LILA DUPREE (Consuelo) is delighted to be reprising the role of Consuelo Hernandez after first taking her on at The Ruskin Group Theatre in the critically acclaimed hit El Grande de Coca-Cola (LA Weekly Theatre Awards Best Comedy Ensemble Nomination). Other stage work includes All Over (Off//Off-Off Bway), World Premieres Young and Named (Off//Off-Off Bway), Our Town (Sierra Madre Playhouse) and numerous roles during six seasons at Acadia Repertory Theatre. On-screen credits include Extant (CBS), LA Apocalypse (Syfy) and The Golden Boys (with David Carradine, Bruce Dern). Training: LAMDA, Atlantic Theatre Company Conservatory. B.A. Columbia University. Many thanks to Gary, Alan and Mum. And here's lookin' at you, Dad.

AARON MILLER (Juan) If the name Aaron Miller sounds familiar, it's because it's a fairly common name. Or, perhaps you were canoodling through the bargain bin at the 99 Cent Store and found one of Aaron's movies? Highly unlikely. Aaron has starred in various original plays and things around L.A for quite some time now. He's ALMOST been cast in several neat movies and television shows. He is dying for a part on "The Real Housewives of Any City" or even "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" because, well, that's where the world is now. You can also currently see Aaron at the grocery store or in his filthy studio apartment.

JESSE D. MYERS (Juan Understudy) is a Los Angeles based actor and graduate of the LACC Theatre Academy. He has appeared most recently in TMB's Big Shot at the Edinburgh Fringe; the Bootleg Theater and South Coast Rep. Currently, he can be seen at LACC in a production of Elephants Graveyard. His recent film credits include True Piracy (The Necromance Projects); Where We Fell (Short Eye Productions); The Hostage (RX Films) and the soon-to-be-released original series Pharmhouse (The Necromance Projects).

Scenic Design is by John Iacovelli, Costume Design by Sarah Figoten, Lighting Design by Jennifer Edwards, and Sound Design by Jeff Gardner

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING

EL GRANDE CIRCUS DE COCA-COLA will open on Saturday, November 7, at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, December 13. Performances for EL GRANDE CIRCUS DE COCA-COLA are Thursdays & Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm; and Sundays at 2:00pm. Ticket prices range from $25.00 - $49.00 (group discounts are available). EL GRANDE CIRCUS DE COCA-COLA will preview on Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, at 8:00pm at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center Mall. Opening night performance with reception – all tickets $59.00. There are question-and-answer talkbacks after the performances on Friday, November 13, and Thursday, December 3rd. For tickets, call the Colony Theatre Box Office at 818/558-7000 ext. 15 or online at www.ColonyTheatre.org.

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

The Colony Theatre has long been a vibrant center of L.A.'s theatre life. Its subscribers renew at an astounding rate of 90%, and in 2012 the theatre received nine Ovation Award nominations, including the coveted one for Best Season. From its beginnings in 1975 as a 99-seat Equity-waiver theatre in Silver Lake, the company became so successful artistically, and built such a large subscriber base, that in 2000 it was able to move into a 270-seat state-of-the-art theatre created for it by the City of Burbank. As such, it became one of only a handful of mid-sized professional theatres in the L.A. area that produce a year-round season of plays and musicals, and that employ actors under contract with Actors' Equity Association. The theatre is located at 555 North Third Street, at the corner of Cypress, in the heart of Downtown Burbank. For further information, call (818) 558-7000. Fax number: (818) 558-7110. E-mail: boxoffice@colonytheatre.org. Or visit our website at www.colonytheatre.org.