All Star Cast Leads Revival of THE TRAGEDY: A COMEDY

Back by popular demand, Ammunition Theatre Company is proud to be reviving its wildly successful production by playwright D.G. Watson, THE TRAGEDY: A COMEDY. Acclaimed director Ahmed Best will be at the helm. The unique comic play returns March 8th, at THE PICO - 10508 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. The show will play monthly (2nd or 3rd Thursday of each month). Tickets are on sale now at: www.ammotheatre.com

After a near sold-out run in late 2017 with several standing-room-only performances, Ammunition Theatre will be remounting THE TRAGEDY - a wholly immersive theatrical experience, centering around three literary/talent managers - Larry (Malcolm Barrett, Timeless), Lisa (Tina Huang, Rizzoli & Isles), and Derek (Brandon Scott, Guerrilla), who go on a psychedelic mushroom trip, hoping they'll be struck with a brilliant idea that will save their failing business. Instead, the mushrooms reveal a chilling truth: their whole lives are the subject of a tragic play, with an audience of people watching their every move. As Larry slips deeper and deeper into his role as the tragic hero, Lisa and Derek undertake a mad quest to escape the confines of the play and save their friend. Greek goddesses, self-help cults, and inter-dimensional portals all set the stage for this interactive dark comedy about characters trapped inside a tragedy.

ABOUT AMMUNITION THEATRE COMPANY

The mission of Ammunition Theatre Company is to produce work that features underrepresented stories told in innovative ways, while actively working and creating in the community.

Ammunition is a member of Fulcrum Arts' EMERGE Fiscal Sponsorship Program. This program enables all donations made to Ammunition Theatre Company to be tax deductible. For more information about Fulcrum Arts please visit: https://www.fulcrumarts.org

To learn more about Ammunition Theatre Company, please visit: www.ammunitiontheatre.com or follow them on facebook, twitter and Instagram @ammotheatre.

BIO'S

D.G. WATSON - PLAYWRIGHT

Writer D.G. Watson comes straight off a successful run of his play Unbound (IAMA Theatre Company). Other plays include Snap (2005 NYC Battle of the Bards Winner), Prime Time (Real TheatreWorks and PSNBC, Abingdon Theater), and the collaborative piece Game On (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Watson is a co-creator and writer for the Emmy-nominated Disney seriesJohnny And The Sprites. His past exploits include a walk across the United States in the name of world peace, which was featured on an episode of NPR's This American Life.

AHMED BEST - Director

MFA: American Film Institute. Ovation Award, LACC Award, Stage Raw Award winner. Fight Choreography: Dry Land (Echo Theater Co.) Unbound (IAMA Theater Co.) Good Grief (Center Theater Group) Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Center Theater Group) Blueberry Toast (Echo Theatre Co.) Backyard (Ovation Award, Echo Theatre Co.) Fugue (Echo Theater Co.) Actor Theater: Bob a life in Five Acts (Echo Theatre Co.) Stomp (NYC, London, International tour). Film: Star Wars Episode I II III. Ahmed has produced, executive produced and Directed projects, The DL Chronicles (GLAAD award winner for Best Anthology series) web series Bandwagon, This Can't Be My Life, and the Sci-fi comedy The Nebula.

Malcolm Barrett - "Larry"
Malcolm Barrett, is co-artistic director for The Tragedy - a.k.a. Verbal the Rapper, is an actor/producer/writer previously best known for his roles as Lem in Better Off Ted, Helmut West in Dear White People, and F.J. Hoover in Preacher. Barrett's film work includes roles in Hurt Locker (Best Picture), War On Everyone, Peeples, OJ: The Musical, American Violet, Larry Crowne, the VR thriller Dinner Party (Sundance) and more. He's also contributed music to Better Off Ted, American Koko, Bachelor Night, An American In Hollywood, Hello, Cupid, as well as the web series he co-directed Wedlocked.

In the world of television, Barrett has appeared on numerous critically acclaimed series, the likes of which include: The Office, Better Off Ted, Key And Peele, Kroll Show, Garfunkel And Oates, The Mentalist, Southland, Monk, Ghost Whisperer, Law & Order, The Sopranos, amongst others.

Malcolm started his professional theatrical career receiving his equity membership at the age of 16 when he appeared in the McCarter Theater production of Cormac McCarthy's, The Stonemason. He later joined the 1st National tour of the Pulitzer-winning play, W;t. He is a recipient of the 2014 Ovation Award for lead actor in the play The Recommendation. He is also known for his music, improvisation and poetry, he was a member of the 2001 Nuyorican Slam Poetry team. As a playwright he was the winner of the Young Playwright competition at Manhattan Class Company for his play, Trial By Fury and recently penned the play, Brain Problems (Pico Playhouse). He is co-founder and co-artistic director of the LA-based Ammunition Theatre Company. He is currently stars as "Rufus Carlin" in the NBC drama "Timeless." Barrett is a native of New York City and studied at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

TINA HUANG - "Tina"

Co-Artistic director for The Tragedy, Tina Huang, is a first generation Taiwanese-American actress, producer and director. She was raised in Chinatown and the Lower East Side of New York City. Tina attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and went on to graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts focusing in acting, directing and design at Playwrights Horizons. Tina's TV credits include: a series regular role on Hollywood Heights (Nickelodeon), recurring roles on Rizzoli & Isles (TNT), The Night Shift (NBC), and Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC). Some other credits include: Scandal (ABC), Shameless (Showtime), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS), The Kroll Show (Comedy Central), and The Office (NBC). She starred in an award winning production of Amy Tan's Immortal Heart that went on a west coast tour and a French Tour. In 2010, she co-wrote and co-produced Oregon Trail Live! A 4D, 8-bit Adventure. In January 2012, she was in the production of Fairy Tale Theatre: 18 & Over which garnered rave reviews from various publications including the LA Times and LA Weekly. Fairy Tale Theatre: 18 & Over was subsequently invited to the 2015 Edinburgh International Fringe Festival and played to sold out audiences. She is currently Co-Artistic Director of Ammunition Theatre Company which continues to produce numerous shows and readings, is a member of IAMA Theatre Company and Co-Founder of 1:1 Productions, LLC. 1:1 Production's mission is to champion women of color in front of and behind the camera. They finished their first short film, Xin, in July of 2017 and they have just finished production on their upcoming web series, Wed-Locked. Tina is currently filming Arrow, in Vancouver, as a recurring role.

Brandon Scott - "Derek"

Brandon Scott hails from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Scott moved to Los Angeles and quickly landed a memorable role as Dr. Ryan Spalding onGrey's Anatomy. Soon after, he participated in the ABC Diversity Talent Showcase and garnered an overall talent deal with ABC/ABC Studios. Recently Brandon played Leroy on Showtime and Sky Atlantic's politically charged 1970s London series, Guerrilla. The project helmed from creator-writer-producer John Ridley and EP/co-star Idris Elba. This year, Scott appears as Luke on SyFy's horror anthology Channel Zero. Hobbies include producing theater with his two LA based companies, Ovation award winning IAMA Theatre (www.iamatheatre.com) and Ammunition Theatre (www.ammunitiontheatre.com). He also performs with his Hip Hop/Soul band, Sin City aka Verbal + Icarus (www.thesincitylp.com). Scott is repped by Sweeney Entertainment and Innovative Artists.

THE TRAGEDY also stars Ammo Company Member Julie Bersani - theatre credits include: Dog Sees God, Down in Front, and Just a Song at Twilight . Feature credits: It's Dark Here and Blue Collar Boys. TV credits include: General Hospital (ABC), 1000 Ways to Die (AMAZON), and Nod and Smile (PBS). Bersani is also the Founder and Executive Director of Black Poppy Productions, for which she has produced independent narrative content, music videos, and commercials.

The show also stars Ammo Company Members Garrett Mercer (theatre credits include: Waiting for Ivanka, Sweets Nothings, Five Dollar Shakespeare Company, and Judgment of Fools) and Kim Hamilton (theatre credits include: The Dreamer Examines His Pillow, The Altruists, The Boomerang Effect, Rosemary With Ginger, Tape, Orange Flower Water, An Italian American Reconciliation )

Rounding out the cast is Jason Ryan Lovett, who is a member of The Actors' Gang (Buried Child, The Exonerated, Lysistrata, Summer Shakespeare), The Reduced Shakespeare Company, and has worked with LOFT Ensemble (Macbeth, Tracers, and LoveSick - winner of the NY International Fringe Festival Outstanding Ensemble); Roland Ruiz - Boyhood (director Richard Linklater),Pure Genius (CBS), and Ovation Award-winning Hit The Wall; and Claudia Doumit, who can currently be seen on Timeless (NBC) and the web series Nasty Habits. Most recently, she filmed a supporting role in the upcoming Richard Linklater film, Where'd You Go Bernadette.