Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Jonathan Butler's New 'Living My Dream' CD, Featuring Miller and Duke, Set for June 24 Release

Sherman Oaks, Calif. (30 April 2014): It took a while for Jonathan Butler to feel comfortable saying it, but the South African singer-songwriter-guitarist’s confidence has grown as he celebrates what he calls “the season of me” and finally admitting that he is living his dream. He tells the story of his life and loves in the eleven original songs that “came from the heart” on his forthcoming Artistry Music album, “Living My Dream,” which will be released June 24.

Like Butler’s best material from a diverse, award-winning and chart-topping career that’s spanned R&B, jazz, pop and gospel, “Living My Dream” provides an honest and revealing soulful songbook probing the artist’s passions: God, family and his homeland. He has been taking care of others ever since he was seven years-old when he became a child star and was the first black artist played on white radio stations while growing up under Apartheid. Writing and producing gold-selling albums and international hit singles, the two-time Grammy-nominee’s entire life has unfolded in the public eye. Enduring recent struggles forced him to do a lot of reflection and ponder the type of man he wanted to be. He decided that he was finally in a place where it was time to celebrate his own extraordinary life and accomplishments.

With a much needed push from his daughter, singer-songwriter Jodie Butler, and guitarist-songwriter Dennis Dodd Jr., he wrote music every day before heading into the House of Blues recording studio in Los Angeles to record the material in a live setting “like records used to be made.” Bassist-songwriter-producer Marcus Miller co-wrote “Let There Be Light” with Butler and played on that track as well as on “Be Still,” which Butler wrote with George Duke during a 5-hour visit to the late legend’s wine cellar. Saxophonist Elan Trotman also appears on “Let There Be Light.”

“It’s one of those albums that I really didn’t think I had in me. I had been struggling, going through this emotional period. Last year was a transitional period. Once I got my wind and got back to a place of focus, it turned out to be the best experience for me. I had to be vulnerable to the songs,” said Butler about the essence of “Living My Dream.” “It’s the story of my life and the newness of discovery. These really are the best years of my life.”

Butler wrote or co-wrote ten songs for “Living My Dream,” which is a balanced blend of contemporary jazz instrumentals and R&B vocal tunes. The first radio single, “African Breeze,” is a reboot of an instrumental that he wrote 30 years ago for “The Jewel of the Nile” motion picture soundtrack. It is a brisk, energetic African-hued dancer on which Butler plucks the festive melody on nylon string guitar.

A captivating and impassioned performer, Butler will help launch “Living My Dream” during a summer concert tour at which he will share the spotlight with Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown.

Butler takes you into the recording studio and talks about recording “Living My Dream” in his EPK, which can be viewed at http://youtu.be/UFFmGWfsKkk. For more information, please visit www.JonathanButler.com

“Living My Dream” contains the following songs:

“African Breeze”
“Living My Dream”
“Be Still”
“Let There Be Light”
“Heart and Soul”
“Song For You”
“Catembe”
“Night To Remember”
“All About Love”
“Sweet Serenade”
“A Prayer”

'The Hooping Life' Is A Funky, Inspirational Doc



By Darlene Donloe

Back in the day, the Hula Hoop was all the rage. Everyone would grab a plastic circle, place it on their hips and begin to wiggle in order to keep it from falling.  There would be numerous contests and challenges to see who could keep it up the longest. The Hula Hoop was not only a phenomenon, it was and still is simply irresistible. Those were the days.

Well, apparently, those days are back with a vengeance according to Amy Goldstein’s documentary, The Hooping Life, recently released on DVD. Not only is it a great was to relax, the Hula Hoop has taking on mega-branding proportions.   It’s big business. Now, even celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal are singing its praises and even getting into the act.

O’Neal, who introduces the documentary, talks proudly about how when he was a kid he completed 55 revolutions in a row.  According to O’Neal hula-hooping is  great way to stay in shape and a great thing to share with your friends.

Even Art Linkletter praised it worthiness. For anyone under 30, you’ll have to Google Linkletter.

Through intimate and personal portraits, The Hooping Life takes its audience on a journey as it chronicles a sub-culture that rises out of the West Coast music scene and goes global.  Who knew?  Apparently a lot of people knew as the Hoop has a huge, dedicated following.

Don’t get it twisted. This is not your momma’s hula hoop story!!!

The documentary reveals how modern hula-hooping is visually mesmerizing with roots in dance, spirituality and community.  It’s not only sexy, it’s a contemporary art form that is gathering steam.

This is the first film to authentically capture the genesis and rise of modern day hula-hooping

Who knew Los Angeles, Tinseltown, was actually considered a hooping Mecca.  

The film shows how hooping can inspire a determined teacher to provide kids with a hopeful alternative, a trans beauty to stand up to bullying and a suicidal preacher’s son to create a popular spiritual practice.

Not only is hooping itself infectious, so is the documentary. It’s inspirational, it’s affecting, it’s fun, it’s enlightening, it ROCKS!  This doc makes you feel good. It takes you back. It takes you in. It draws you in on the lives of those who find solace in the Hula Hoops power to change lives.  The real people, like Tisha, who runs an after school Hula Hoop program for kids and Anah, who is a much-respected Los Angeles artist who claims hooping saved her life – bring the importance of Hooping to life. It’s not just a piece of plastic you swirl – it’s so much more.

Even the First Lady Michelle Obama has hooped at the White House.

This is one of my favorite documentaries of the year!!!  Kudos to The Hooping Life filmmakers.  Original music in the documentary is by Basement Jaxx.

Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E (excellent), The Hooping Life gets an E (excellent).










Knight, Cole & LaBelle, Will Sing 'After Midnight'



New York, NY (Wednesday, April 30) – In the glow of its seven Tony® Award nominations, including one for Best Musical, producers Scott Sanders and Wynton Marsalis announced today that a trio of true music legends will make their way to Broadway this summer in After Midnight.  Multi-award winning icons Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole (making her Broadway debut) are set to join the illustrious roster of "Special Guest Star" vocalists in the red hot Broadway musical.

Combined, this trio of legends boasts 22  platinum and gold records, 18 Grammy Awards, and almost 300 million albums sold worldwide. Ms. LaBelle will play performances from June 10 - 29, Ms. Knight July 8 - August 3, and Ms. Cole August 5 - 31 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 W 47th Street).  Conceived by Jack Viertel, and directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, After Midnight began preview performances on Friday, October 18, 2013, and opened to the best reviews of any new musical this season on Sunday, November 3, 2013


 Gladys Knight

On Tuesday, the production garnered seven Tony® Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Warren Carlyle), Best Choreography (Warren Carlyle), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Adriane Lenox), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Isabel Toledo), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Howell Binkley) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Peter Hylenski).  Last week, After Midnight received five Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Warren Carlyle), Outstanding Choreographer (Warren Carlyle),  Outstanding Costume Design (Isabel Toledo), and Outstanding Lighting Design (Howell Binkley), as well as Drama League nominations for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off Broadway Musical and the Distinguished Performance Award (Adriane Lenox), and three Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Revue, Outstanding Choreography (Warren Carlyle) and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Adriane Lenox).


 Natalie Cole

After Midnight takes the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapults it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. Refracted through a contemporary lens, After Midnight celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis.  The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway. 

In its heyday, the Cotton Club featured a cavalcade of guest stars each week, known then as “Celebrity Nights.” After Midnight reintroduces this exciting tradition by presenting stars of today in limited engagement appearances throughout the musical’s run. Currently starring multi-platinum recording artist and actress Vanessa Williams through May 11, 2014, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Fantasia began the tradition (10/18/13 – 2/9/14), followed by four-time Grammy Award-winning icon k.d. lang (2/11/14 - 3/9/14) and Grammy Award-winners Toni Braxton & Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds (3/17/14 - 3/30/14).   Fantasia will be returning to After Midnight for a four-week return engagement (5/13/14 - 6/8/14) leading up to the Tony Awards on June 9, 2014. 


 Patti LaBelle

After Midnight features musical direction by Wynton Marsalis, musical supervision by Daryl Waters and direction and choreography by Warren CarlyleThe design team for After Midnight includes prolific design couple Isabel Toledo (costumes) and Ruben Toledo, Tony Award-winners John Lee Beatty (set design) and Howell Binkley (lighting design) and Peter Hylenski (sound).

After Midnight is produced by Scott Sanders Productions, and Wynton Marsalis, in association with Marks-Moore-Turnbull GroupStephen and Ruth Hendel; Tom Kirdahy.

The performance schedule for After Midnight is as follows: Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm, and matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets range from $60.00 to $142.00 (premium tickets are $199) and are available via TicketMaster and in persona at the Brooks Atkinson box office.  Tickets for groups of 12 or more can be purchased by calling 212-239-6262 or 800-432-7780 or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/




Tuesday, April 29, 2014

2014 Tony Award Nominations Announced


The 2014 Tony nominations were announced this morning by Jonathan Groff and Lucy Liu. The Tony telecast will be hosted by Hugh Jackman on CBS on Sun., June 8. Following is a complete list of the nominations. Surprisingly Denzel Washington and Daniel Radcliffe are overlooked.  ‘A Gentleman’s Guide leads the nominations with 10.

Best play

Act One
All The Way
Casa Valentina
Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullingar

Best Musical

After Midnight
Aladdin
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best revival of a play

The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Glass Menagerie
A Raisin in the Sun
Twelfth Night

Best revival of a musical

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Misérables
Violet

Best book of a musical

Chad Beguelin, Aladdin
Douglas McGrath, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Woody Allen, Bullets Over Broadway
Robert L. Freedman, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

(Music and/or lyrics) written for the theater

Aladdin
The Bridges of Madison County
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
If/Then

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play

Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston, All The Way
Chris O'Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Tony Shalhoub, Act One

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play

Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical

Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo, Les Misérables
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical

Mary Bridget Davies, A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play

Reed Birney, Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play

Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical

Danny Burstein, Cabaret
Nick Cordero, Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry, Violet
James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Jarrod Spector, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical

Linda Emond, Cabaret
Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anika Larsen, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox, After Midnight
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best scenic design of a play

Act One
The Glass Menagerie
Machinal
The Cripple of Inishmaan

Best scenic design of a musical

Rocky
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bullets Over Broadway

Best costume design of a play

Act One
Machinal
Casa Valentina
Twelfth Night

Best costume design of a musical

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bullets Over Broadway
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
After Midnight

Best lighting design of a play

The Cripple of Inishmaan
Machinal
The Glass Menagerie
Of Mice and Men

Best lighting design of a musical

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Rocky
After Midnight
The Bridges of Madison County

Best sound design of a play

The Cripple of Inishmaan
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Act One
Machinal

Best sound design of a musical


After Midnight
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Misérables
Beautiful - The Carole King Musica

Best direction of a play

Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kenny Leon, A Raisin in the Sun
John Tiffany,The Glass Menagerie

Best direction of a musical

Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Michael Mayer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman, Violet
Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best choreography

After Midnight
Rocky
Aladdin
Bullets Over Broadway

Best orchestrations

Bullets Over Broadway
The Bridges of Madison County
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder



Monday, April 28, 2014

H.O.P.E. Community Development Center And Center For The Empowerment of Families Set To Host First-Ever 'Friend-raiser' Event On May 3


The Star-Studded Entertainment Includes a Special “Dance for Hope” Competition Featuring “Grey’s Anatomy’s” James Pickens, Jr. and “Hustle & Flow’s” Elise Neal

(April 28, 2014, Granada Hills, CA) - Granada Hills-based H.O.P.E. Community Development Center (CDC) and Center for the Empowerment of Families, which serves the San Fernando Valley community and underserved populations through educational, life skills and financial programs, is hosting its first ever “Legacy of Hope” gala dinner and dance event “friend-raiser” on Saturday, May 3, 7pm – 9pm, at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. 
 
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the outpouring of support for H.O.P.E.’s House, our summer camp, Camp HOPE and our Creative Expressions program by way of this incredible gala,” said Thyonne Gordon, Interim Executive Director of H.O.P.E. CDC. 

With the goal of raising funds to continue providing the various beneficial programs to the San Fernando Valley region, the black-tie event will honor three individuals whose contributions improve the lives of the diverse population of Valley residents: Mike Davis, City of Los Angeles Commissioner, Board of Public Works, Lydia Floyd, Executive Director of the community organization Hands for Hope and Dr. William Watkins, Vice President of Student Affairs, California State University, Northridge. 

The entertainment for the night will feature “Dance for Hope,” a celebrity dance showcase starring actors James Pickens, Jr., (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Elise Neal (“Hustle and Flow”), whose dance moves will be judged by actors Essence Atkins (“A Haunted House 2”) and Rocky Carroll (“NCIS”) and other celebrities to be announced later. The gala will also feature an online e-auction. Keeping the crowd entertained and the evening proceeding smoothly is master of ceremonies, comedian Jonathan Slocumb.

To purchase tickets and for more information, go to www.whynothope.org or legacyofhope2.eventbrite.com.  Visit the online E-auction at www.biddingforgoods.com
About H.O.P.E. Community Development Center and the Center for the Empowerment of Families
H.O.P.E. Community Development Center’s and the Center for the Empowerment of Families’ mission is to transform the lives of families and individuals through providing programs that promote – economic education, life skills development, enrichment for personal, health and financial development and growth, educational opportunities in arts, sciences, mathematics, business and technology.

Gary Clark Jr. Announces 2014 Summer Tour

GARY CLARK JR.

April 28, 2014 - (Burbank, CA.) - Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. has announced a series of July headlining shows, in addition to his summer festival appearances. The 2014 Grammy Award winner has been on the road with Kings of Leon and just completed a tour of  Australia with the Dave Matthews Band. He will also perform several shows in Europe in May. Please click here for all upcoming tour dates. 

Gary Clark Jr. Confirmed Tour Dates (headline & festivals):

05/16    Gulf Shores, Al                                     Hangout Festival
06/8      Austin 360 Amphitheatre / X-Games       Austin, TX 
06/29    Milwaukee, WI                                      Summerfest Main Stage (w/ Outkast)               
07/03    Ottawa, ON                                          Ottawa Bluesfest
07/04    Toronto, ON                                          Toronto Urban Roots Festival
07/05    Montreal, QC Place Des Arts -               Wilfrid Pelletier Theatre Montreal Jazz Festival
(w/ BB King)
07/06    Quebec City                                         Quebec City Internat’l Summer Festival
07/08    Columbus, OH                                      Newport Music Hall (headline)
07/09    Detroit, MI                                            St. Andrews Hall (headline)
07/10    Chicago, IL                                           Taste Of Chicago Festival
07/12    Atlantic City, NJ                                    The Music Box @ The Borgata Hotel Casino
                                                                        (headline)
07/13    Montauk, NY                                        Surf Lodge (headline)
07/16    Wilmington, NC                                    Greenfield Lake Amphitheater (headline)
07/18    Louisville, KY                                        Forecastle Festival
07/19    Sioux Falls, SD                                    Sioux Falls Jazz Festival                                 
07/22    Kansas City, MO                                  Crossroads KC (headline)
07/23    St. Louis, MO                                       The Pageant (headline)
07/25    Morrison, CO                                        Red Rocks Amphitheater
(w/ Tedeschi Trucks Band)
07/26    Aspen, CO                                            Belly Up Aspen (headline)
07/27    Salt Lake City, UT                                 Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre (headline)
09/03    Columbia, MD                                       Merriweather Post Pavilion
(w/ ZZ Top & Jeff beck)
09/06    Arrington, VA                                        Lockn' Festival           
09/08    New York, NY   Central Park Rumsey Playfield - Summerstage (headline)
09/19    Valley Center, CA                                 Harrah's Rincon - Events Center (headline)
09/20    Monterey, CA                                       Monterey Jazz Festival
09/21    Guerneville, CA                                     Russian River Jazz Festival
11/1      Los Angeles, CA                                   The Greek Theater
                        (Co-headline w/ Tedeschi Trucks Band)

Tim Robbins Takes The Actors' Gang To China

 
Robbins and the Theatre Company Will Take the Production to Beijing, China
June 10th–15th, Shanghai, China June 19th – 21st and to Italy June 28th–July 6th at the Spoleto Festival
 
LOS ANGELES, CA, APRIL 28, 2014 – The Actors’ Gang, the critically acclaimed Los Angeles based ensemble Theatre Company, will be heading overseas bringing William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins, to international audiences. The production will put on six performances in Beijing, China, June 10th – 15th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, four performances in Shanghai, China, June 19th – 21st at the Daguan Theatre, Zendai Himalayas Art Center and four to six performances in Italy, June 28th – July 6th at the prestigious Spoleto Festival.

The Actors’ Gang is only the second American theatre company to perform at China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and is the only American company to participate in the NCPA’s 2014 Shakespeare Festival. The NCPA is China’s largest and most prestigious performing arts center in the country. The China tour is produced by Ping Pong Productions, a Beijing-based cultural exchange production company. The Actors' Gang production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, joins the Berliner Ensemble production of Peter Pan directed by Robert Wilson as the featured productions at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. The Italy tour is produced by the Change Performing Arts Company, a Milan-based independent production company.

For over 33 years, Robbins has served as the Artistic Director of The Actors’ Gang. In addition to over a hundred and fifty productions produced at The Actors’ Gang Los Angeles base of operations, the award winning company has toured extensively throughout the United States and to five continents throughout the world with productions such as Embedded, George Orwells’ 1984, The Exonerated, The Guys, Tartuffe, Carnage, and The Trial of Catonsville Nine. The Actors’ Gang has toured in London, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and Melbourne as well as throughout the United States and Mexico.

The Actors’ Gang is one of the only true theatrical ensembles in the United States that tours internationally. Ensemble members train together regularly and develop pieces through a rigorous workshop process. The actors in the company, in addition to their training and performance schedule also are educators in the LAUSD school system and dedicated participants in The Actors’ Gang Prison Project. With few U.S. companies touring internationally, the company considers it an honor to bring Shakespeare to China and to perform at the distinguished Spoleto Festival in Italy.

“On behalf of The Actors’ Gang, we’re extremely proud to bring our production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to audiences around the world,” said Director, Tim Robbins. “For decades I have had the privilege of working with so many talented artists as part of this theatre company, and whenever we go on tour it is a rare and great pleasure to share our passion for theater with artists and audiences throughout the world. We always learn something new, are inspired by other theater artists we meet at festivals and come back to LA richer for the experience. I expect Beijing and Spoleto will be as inspirational, if not more so, than our previous tours.”

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a surreal world of fairies, spells, incantations, lovers bewitched by magic, the Fairy Queen making love to an ass, the world in disorder made right by the mischief of the night. Fourteen actors from The Actors’ Gang working with director Tim Robbins and the company’s Co-Artistic Director, Cynthia Ettinger illuminate Shakespeare’s forest with original music, kinesthetic movement and a fervent approach to the surreality and magic of the language of the play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be presented with minimal costumes, props and scenery, relying mainly on Shakespeare's extraordinary text and the creative imagination of its players to realize this magical world.

In its extended run at The Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles, The Huffington Post said, “The trust that the actors displayed for Tim Robbins' intense vision, the commitment that they made to their roles, and the love and respect that they showed for each other, the language, the play, Shakespeare, the theater in general and their theater in particular, were magical, riveting, and inspiring."

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR, TIM ROBBINS
Tim Robbins ranks among contemporary cinema’s most acclaimed and provocative voices; a multifaceted talent, who has acted in, written, directed and produced films including Mystic River, Catch a FireDead Man WalkingThe Shawshank RedemptionThe PlayerBob RobertsBull DurhamJacobs LadderHudsucker ProxyThe Secret Life of Words and Cradle Will Rock.

In addition Robbins has worked consistently in the theater for the past 33 years as an actor, director, playwright and artistic director of The Actors’ Gang. Robbins has also been instrumental in the development and expansion of education and outreach programs at The Actors’ Gang, arts programs that have reached thousands of children currently without school funding for theater programs. In addition Robbins and several other Actors’ Gang members regularly conduct theater workshops with incarcerated men and women in an effort to fill the gap in arts rehabilitation programs in the California corrections system. 

ABOUT THE ACTORS’ GANG
For 33 years, The Actors’ Gang has received international acclaim for presenting over 150 new, unconventional and uncompromising plays and dynamic reinterpretations of the classics in Los Angeles, throughout the United States, and on five continents. Guided by Founding Artistic Director, Tim Robbins, and Co-Artistic Director, Cynthia Ettinger, the company was founded in 1981 by a group of likeminded artists looking to create theater relevant to the society we live in and restore the ancient sense of the stage as a shared sacred space.

The Actors' Gang has presented the work of innovative theater artists including Georges Bigot and  Simon Abkarian of the Theatre du Soleil, Bill Rauch and the Cornerstone Theatre Company, Culture Clash, Oskar Eustis, Tracy Young, Charles Mee, Ellen McLaughlin, Roger Guenver Smith, Eric Bogosian, David Schweizer, Danny Hoch, Beth Milles, Brian Kulick, Stefan Haves, Namaste Theater Company, Jason Reed, Michael Schlitt, and Tenacious D.

The Actors' Gang ensemble has included accomplished actors such as Jack Black, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Helen Hunt, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Kate Walsh, Fisher Stevens, Ebbe Roe Smith, Brent Hinkley, Kate Mulligan, Lee Arenberg, Kyle Gass and Tim Robbins.

The Actors’ Gang began touring its productions throughout the world in 1989, representing the US at the Edinburgh Festival with Carnage, a Comedy before moving to the Public Theater in New York. Since then, the company has toured in Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America and throughout the US with productions such as 1984, The Trial of the Catonsville 9, Tartuffe, The Guys, The Exonerated and Embedded. In 2004, The Actors’ Gang performed its anti-Iraq war satire Embedded to four months of sold-out houses at New York’s Public Theater and then went on to a successful run at the Riverside Theater in London. In 2001 Bat Boy: The Musical, developed at The Actors’ Gang, won the Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics awards for best new musical Off-Broadway. 

The Gang has received many prestigious awards in Los Angeles for its productions including the Margaret Hartford Award for Continued Excellence, and has received numerous commendations and honors for it social outreach, education programs and prison work.