DARK LADY OF HOLLYWOOD Sales to Benefit Coeurage Theatre During Run of TITUS ANDRONICUS thru 9/1

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA's 'Pay What You Want' Company, and novelist Diane Haithman have announced a unique partnership in honor of the Bard. During the run of the company's bold production of Shakespeare's Andronicus -- adapted and directed by Coeurage artistic director Jeremy Lelliott -- Haithman will donate a portion of book and Kindle e-book sales of her new critically acclaimed comic novel Dark Lady of Hollywood to the brash young theatre company. This special offer will continue through September 1 only.

A finalist for the William Faulkner Creative Writing Competition and published by Harvard Square Editions, Dark Lady of Hollywood is a merry mashup of the worlds of Shakespeare and the television industry that tells the story of a dying TV executive's murderous search for a soul mate like Shakespeare's mysterious Dark Lady of the Sonnets.

Autographed copies of the book that purchased at the Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe on performance nights or via the Coeurage website [www.coeurage.org] as well as Amazon Kindle e-book sales are included in this special promotion.

Coeurage company member and director of development Mark Jacobson called Haithman's novel the perfect match for Lelliott's streamlined adaptation of Shakespeare's original horror play. "As a company, we're always looking for partnerships, and anyone with a passion for Shakespeare would catch our eye," said Jacobson of Coeurage, which is committed to presenting one Shakespeare production each year.

Said Haithman, "I'm delighted to support a company that has the nerve to take on Andronicus, Shakespeare's first tragedy and most violent play. Coeurage is serious about finding the humor in Shakespeare's darkest moments." Arts and entertainment journalist Diane Haithman, a longtime Studio City resident, was a Los Angeles Times staff writer for more than two decades. She is a frequent contributor to the Deadline Hollywood industry website and Deadline's print publication Awardsline, among others. She has also served on the adjunct faculty of USC's Annenberg School of Journalism.

In Andronicus, deliciously twisted humor gives way to unexpected poignancy in this bold take on William Shakespeare's original horror play The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus. Reveling in the darkest corners of human nature, Andronicus is a streamlined adaptation of Shakespeare's most violent play; the bard's masterful dramatic structure and brutal tale of revenge have been carefully preserved. Of the Coeurage production, Jason Rohrer at StageAndCinema.com said, "Director Jeremy Lelliott understands and makes clear pretty much all that may be found in the text to disgust and to amuse ... he packs [the theatre] with bodies and action that threaten to overspill the [playing] area ... this is a good thing in a highly emotional show. It's an exciting and worthwhile production."

The running schedule for Andronicus is as follows -- Fridays, July 18, 25 and August 1, 8, and 15 at 8pm; Saturdays, July 26 and August 9 at 8pm; Sundays, July 20 and August 3 and 17 at 7pm. All seats are available on a 'Pay What You Want' basis, and may be reserved online at www.coeurage.org/tickets or by calling (323) 944-2165. The Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe is located at 2106 Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles, 90027. Street parking is available.

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