Ford Theatre Presents FREE, 1/22

Without the aid of mechanical devices, we can only slip the bonds of Earth in our dreams and imaginations. But no one seems to have told that to Marshall "Free" Gunther. Neo Ensemble Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of FREE by Barbara Lindsay, directed by Wendy Worthington. The second offering in a season of new plays curated by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, FREE opens at [Inside] the Ford on January 22, with pay-what-you-can previews on January 20 and 21.

In this whimsical comedy that explores the boundaries of friendship and gravity, Marshall "Free" Gunther is a floater who has to work at keeping himself tethered to the ground. He wants more than anything to be normal, but Stoney, his best friend and manager, thinks Free's gift is a miracle that everyone should see. When Free decides he would rather clean motel rooms than defy gravity for indifferent audiences, he finds that the gift he doesn't want has touched more lives than he realized.

"FREE is about seeing the magic in life and getting others to see it too," explains Worthington. "It's about cherishing a childlike sense of wonder and extended possibility that can free us from the mundane."

Greg Albanese (Neo's Family of Mann by Teresa Rebek, Coming Attractions, One West Wacker) stars as Stoney Madonna, a dreamer who's discovered something impossible and wants to share it with the whole world. Michael Earl Reid (Well of the Saints at Celtic Arts Center, Glorious Uncertainty at Victory Theatre) is Marshall Gunther, the man who is able to defy gravity - but wishes he couldn't. Rounding out the cast are Dagney Kerr, Jane McPherson and Donaco Smyth. Understudies Ara Anton, Rebecca Brooks, Arilyn Carpenter, Jim Grollman and Michael Miranda will perform on Sunday evenings.

FREE originated as a one-act that was produced by L.A.'s Company of Angels in 1987. Barbara Lindsay continued to work on the play, and in 1989 she received the N.Y. Drama League Playwriting Award for the full length version. In 1991, FREE had its world premiere at the New Play Festival in London, England. Since then, Lindsay's plays and monologues have received more than 170 national and international productions, including a Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice production of The Walkers by the Road Theatre Co. in North Hollywood. Her full length play I-2195 won the Women's Playwriting Award at UM St. Louis and was produced there in November 2005. Her short play Here to Serve You won the Peace Play Prize awarded by Goshen College in Indiana. Lindsay's new adaptation of Medea will premiere at Seattle's Theatre 9/12 in January.

"I write my characters first, and it's from them that I discover the story," she explains. "Stoney and Marshall had such distinct voices that they stayed with me and I knew I had to develop the play further. This was my first play, and it taught me how to be a playwright."

"FREE is full of humor, with incredible heart and rich characters," adds Worthington. "We at Neo have a passion for funny, entertaining, thought-provoking theater that shows both the folly and complexity of being human."

Neo Ensemble Theatre is the third incarnation for this diverse company of artists that got its start as Theatre Geo in the 1990s. After the departure of founder Geo Hartley, the company underwent a rebirth to become Theatre Neo, and then recreated itself once again as Neo Ensemble, a nonprofit corporation, in the fall of 2009. While some theaters focus on Broadway hits, political messages and/or premiere works, Neo Ensemble Theatre embraces all forms and formats, finding The Commonality of the human condition in every story it explores. Theatre Geo, Theatre Neo and now Neo Ensemble Theatre have all been influenced by the plays that best display the human condition in all its raw hilarity. The L.A. Weekly wrote, "Neo's productions are always informed by a rich, sunny humanity, without cynicism or bitterness."

Wendy Worthington is one of Neo Ensemble Theatre's artistic directors and one of the founders of Theatre Neo. With Neo, her directing projects include The Voice of the Prairie, Bipolar by Thursday, and short plays in evenings including Finding Neo (Blue Bikini and The Prodigal Cow). On stage, she has been seen at Neo in everything from The Women (in which her portrayal of Countess de Lage was nominated for an LA Weekly Award) to Looking for Normal and Once in a Lifetime. Other theater includes Man of La Mancha at Reprise, The Good Book of Pedantry and Wonder at Theatre @ Boston Court, and Die! Mommy! Die! with Charles Busch at the Court. Television credits include recurring roles on Ally McBeal, Ghost Whisperer, So Little Time, Suddenly Susan, and Desperate Housewives. Film includes Changeling (directed by Clint Eastwood), Catch Me If You Can (directed by Steven Spielberg) and Cast Away (directed by Robert Zemeckis). Her short play Company Business is currently a finalist in Actor's Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest.

Set design for FREE is by Kurt Boetcher; lighting design is by Tim Swiss; sound design is by Janet Hoskins; costume design is by Tina Zarro; original music is by David J. Carpenter; choreography is by Christine Krench who also assistant directs; production stage manager is Ellen L. Brunot.

FREE is the second production in the 2010-11 Season at [Inside] the Ford, a three-play, curated series of new works from three L.A.-based theater companies that is supported by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Ford Theatre Foundation, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

FREE runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7pm, January 22 through February 27. Two previews take place on Thursday, January 20 and Friday, January 21, both at 8 pm. General admission is $20; seniors and full-time students with ID are $12. Pay-what-you-can tickets are available for previews and all Sunday matinee performances when purchased at the door (subject to availability). Special "Two for Two! discount: Bring two cans of food or other
nonperishable items to the Ford Box Office and receive a $2 discount. All food items will be donated to the International Institute of Los Angeles-Senior Services Food Bank.

[Inside] the Ford is located in the Ford Theatres complex at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios.  On-site, non-stacked parking is free.  For reservations and information, call the Ford Theatres Box Office at 323.461.3673 (323.GO1.FORD) or go to www.FordTheatres.org