BAD NIGHT IN A MEN’S ROOM OFF SUNSET BOULEVARD
OPENS AT COMPASS THEATRE ON JUNE 5
J MARCUS NEWMAN (fka NONNIE VISHNER) DIRECTS
SAN DIEGO – Compass Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of playwright Ira Bateman-Gold’s Bad Night in a Men’s Room off Sunset Boulevard, a funny, gritty and moving exposé of characters struggling with issues of self-acceptance, authenticity, and identity, running June 5-28, 2009.
When Michael, a well known movie star, is irresistibly drawn to a notorious men's room on the seamy underside of Sunset Boulevard, he has no clue that the fallout will be nothing less than nuclear. His manager, Morty, convinces him to take a small gig at a regional theater with Michael’s dysfunctional and estranged family. When the movie star is reunited with a beautiful transvestite from his past, things heat up.
Conventional wisdom teaches us that if we are wise, we grow and learn from our mistakes. Could a top tier movie star’s bad night in a men’s room off Sunset Boulevard help him realize who he really is, not just what his bio says he is? Can a completely dysfunctional family find ways to love and help each other, even if they continue not to understand? Can the seemingly most peculiar among us be the most honest and down to earth?
Bad Night in a Men’s Room off Sunset Boulevard was commissioned by Compass Theatre to salute Gay Pride month in San Diego. Patté Award-winning playwright Ira Bateman-Gold attempts to answer some of those questions and more in this new play.
J. Marcus Newman, Director, returned to the San Diego theatre scene in 2006 when he produced, wrote and directed the acclaimed drama, Moms in America. As Nonnie Vishner (he changed his name in 1998), Newman directed Isn’t It Romantic and The Sisters Rosensweig at North Coast Repertory Theatre, Picnic for La Jolla Stage Company (where he briefly served as Artistic Director), among many other new and established works in San Diego and elsewhere.
Newman has cast Douglas Myers as the handsome but troubled Michael, Ed Cao as the lovely Jamie; Marilyn Wolfe as his vicious and deeply scarred mother and director Esther; Dale Morris as Michael’s drunk, but talented father Jake; and O.P. Hadlock as the rascally business manager.
An informative Q&A with a representative from the transgender community is planned for early in the run to help audience members from the greater San Diego community gain deeper understanding of the issues explored in Bad Night.
Bad Night in a Men’s Room off Sunset Boulevard Contains Nudity and Adult Situations
General Information
Bad Night in a Men’s Room off Sunset Boulevard runs June 5 through 28, 2009 with preview performances on June 2-4. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Compass Theatre is located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in Hillcrest, in the theater formerly known as 6th @ Penn. Tickets for Bad Night in a Men’s Room off Sunset Boulevard are $18, with discounts available for groups, students, seniors, and members of the Actors Alliance of San Diego. Preview performances are $10.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 619-688-9210 or visit www.CompassTheatre.com.
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About Compass Theatre
Compass Theatre is a 49 seat performance venue in the heart of Hillcrest and serving audiences from Oceanside to Tijuana. Evolving from the award-winning 6th @ Penn Theatre, Compass Theatre will offer a wide variety of programs and productions that will reach out to the edge, but always maintain a firm footing in reality based theatre. Supported by grants from the City of San Diego, the Tippett Foundation, and the James P. Irvine Foundation, Compass Theatre obtains over 55% of its yearly income from ticket sales to individual patrons, an amazing feat considering that the city average is 45%.
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Bad Night in a Men's Room Off Sunset Boulvard - Compass Theatre 
