Lesley Gore to Host LGBT Benefit at Venus Flytrap 11/13

The Active Theater will present two special events during this week's performances of Anthony Dodge's Venus Flytrap.

On Thursday, November 11 the husband and wife team of playwright Dodge and Tony-nominated director Marcia Milgrom Dodge will offer a post-performance talkback at The Workshop Theater immediately following the 7pm performance.

On Saturday, November 13 The Active Theater will celebrate Pride Night with an 8:30 reception hosted by Lesley Gore (the voice behind some of the biggest pop hits of all time including "You Don't Own Me" and "It's My Party") and her partner, jewelry designer Lois Sasson. The reception will be followed by a 10pm performance of Venus Flytrap. Tickets for the reception and performance are $30 and can be purchased at www.theactivetheater.com. Proceeds from Pride Night benefit Manhattan's LGBT Center.

Done in the snappy-patter style of the great mystery writer, Raymond Chandler, Venus Flytrap explores the world of film noir, a genre usually reserved for male-dominated stories and male-dominated heroes. While all the able-bodied boys were called to war, women had to do the work on the home front, it's a tough job but somebody has to do it. So, Venus Flytrap's heroine, Butch Diamond, turns to the detective biz. Amidst the background of New York City during World War Two, Butch is hired by a young soldier searching for his missing twin exposing a myriad of lies and secrets among the disenfranchised and 4-F's who've stayed back from the front. Venus Flytrap offers a wild, post-modernist look at sexual politics behind closed doors. And closets.

The cast of Venus Flytrap includes Xanthe Elbrick (Tony nomination for Coram Boy), Matt Loney (Broadway's King Lear and The Sound of Music), Raissa Dorff (Gooch in the national tour of Mame, Martha in La Voix Humain at Wings Theater), Jason Emanuel (The Active Theater's Two Rooms), Grace Gealey (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Santa Rosa Repertory), Danny Katz (To Paint the Earth at The New York Musical Theatre Festival), Jose Luaces (Lynne Taylor-Corbett's Reel to Real, 101 Dalmatians at Madison Square Garden), Molly Sorohan (The Human Comedy at Barrington Stage Company, On the Town at Gateway Playhouse) and Richard B. Watson (Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf at American Stage Theatre, My Fair Lady opposite Kate Baldwin at Sacramento Music Circus).

Scenic design is by Michael Schweikardt (The Black Suits at The Public Theater, Things To Ruin at The Zipper Factory). Costume design is by Bobby Pearce (Tony award nomination for Taboo). Lighting design is by Paul Miller (Legally Blonde, Freshly Squeezed, Laughing Room Only). Sound design is by ACME Sound Partners (The Merchant of Venice, Ragtime, The Addams Family). Peter Lawrence (Ragtime, Spamalot, Gypsy) is the production supervisor. Edward J. Wilson (Ragtime, 9 to 5) is the wig designer.

Xanthe Elbrick (Butch Diamond) made her Broadway debut in Coram Boy, for which she received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play, a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Performance, and for which she won the Theatre World Award. She has worked extensively in New York, London and regionally, and recently received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in George Bernard Shaw's Candida. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London and The Actors Studio Drama School (Acting MFA) in New York City. She previously graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh (2000), where she was also Director of the Edinburgh Footlights Theatre Company. Xanthe won the BBC Drama 'Act Up' Award (2001) and made her television debut as Miriam Jacobs on Doctors (BBC) that same year. She is the voice of the Sith Sorceress for Lucas Arts' Star Wars. Xanthe's many audio narrations include the audiobook versions of Kristin Cashore's young adult novel Fire and Cornelia Funke's critically acclaimed Igraine The Brave, for which she received the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award.

Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Director) made her Broadway directing and choreographing debut with the critically-acclaimed revival of Ragtime after its sold-out run at the Kennedy Center (7 Tony Award Nominations including Best Director of a Musical, 9 Drama Desk Award Nominations, 2 Drama League Award Nominations, 2 Astaire Award Nominations, 4 Helen Hayes Awards including Outstanding Director of a Resident Musical.) Her work as a director and choreographer has been seen throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and South Korea. Productions include How To Succeed... (Reprise Theatre Company), Seussical (TheatreWorksUSA, Off-Broadway & National Tour, 2 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations for Outstanding Choreography & Revival), Off-Broadway's Cookin', Radio Gals, Closer Than Ever, Romance In Hard Times (New York Shakespeare Festival), The Loman Family Picnic (Manhattan Theatre Club) and The Music Man at New York City Opera. Also at the Kennedy Center, Marcia directed Tell Me On A Sunday (starring Alice Ripley) and choreographed Ken Ludwig's Sullivan & Gilbert (starring Fritz Weaver & Noel Harrison.) At Arena Stage, she choreographed Of Thee I Sing (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography), Merrily We Roll Along and On the Town. Marcia has directed many shows at Bay Street Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, Riverside Theatre, Maltz Jupiter, Lyric Stage, Pittsburgh Public, Goodman Theatre and Goodspeed. Her collaborators on new musicals and plays include Julie Andrews (Simeon's Gift), Rupert Holmes (Thumbs!), Robert Falls & John Logan (Riverview) and Des McAnuff (Elmer Gantry). Marcia has been a frequent guest director and instructor at New York universities and conservatories including NYU, Fordham, University at Buffalo, Marymount and AMDA. Marcia is a proud Executive Board member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC).

Anthony Dodge (Author) wrote his first play with his partner-in-crime onstage and off, Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror premiered at Bay Street Theatre, received an Edgar nomination from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Play and has been produced at theaters such as Sarasota's Asolo Rep Theatre and Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. Tony co-wrote the libretto for HATS! (The Red Hat Society Musical) and the book for Look Homeward Honky Tonk Angel with songs by Grammy-winner Larry Gatlin, which premiered at Lyric Stage in Dallas. Tony and Larry Gatlin collaborated again on Quanah, a musical about the last Comanche chief, presented at Pace University. Tony has also written Free Burt Lancaster! about the real Birdman of Alcatraz. A long-time member of Actor's Equity, the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild, Tony is originally from Detroit. Tony and Marcia have been married since 1980 and reside in NYC with their daughter, Natasha.

The Active Theater (Producer) produces contemporary American work that moves us to think, to laugh, to cry, to question and moves us to action. The Active Theater strives to expand the opportunities of emerging artists in the competitive New York theater scene. We believe cultural enhancement to be an essential part of restoring a well-rounded, healthy American lifestyle. Therefore, we partner with other organizations striving towards the same goal. Past productions include the critically-praised and award-nominated Body Language by Jennie Contuzzi and Touch by Toni Press Coffman. The first full season for The Active Theater, presented at the Workshop Theater in the Abington Theater Complex, included Two Rooms by Lee Blessing, the musical Romance Romance by Barry Harmon and Keith Hermann (which was nominated for the NYIT Award for Best Production of a Musical) and the New York premiere of William Donnelly's Magnetic North starring Christian Campbell. Under the direction of Artistic Director Nathaniel Shaw, the Active Theater is proud to open its 2010-2011 season with Venus Flytrap.

Craig Haffner (Producer) was nominated for a 2010 Tony Award for the revival of Ragtime. He is a multiple Emmy Award winner as a television series creator and Wisner Award winner as a comic book editor for Creepy. Additional projects include Allan Knee's The Jazz Age with partners Jana Robbins and Karl Held.

Karl E. Held (Producer) is a Tony Award-nominated (Ragtime 2010) producer of live events, radio and digital media whose work is frequently featured nationally on NPR. Additional projects include Allan Knee's The Jazz Age with partners Jana Robbins and Craig Haffner, and Joe and David Zellnik's YANK!

The performance schedule for Venus Flytrap is as follows: 11/10 at 7pm, 11/11 at 7pm, 11/12 at 8pm, 11/13 at 5pm and 10pm, 11/14 at 3pm. Tickets ($18) are available by visiting www.theactivetheater.com.

The Workshop Theater is located at 312 West 36th Street.
www.theactivetheater.com