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A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, is hosting Pay What You Can performances of its two hit productions, The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill on Friday, May 22 at 8pm and Julius Caesar by Shakespeare on Sunday, May 17 at 7pm. Both plays, which have proven exceedingly popular with audiences, have been extended through May 24. Pay What You Can tickets go on sale at the box office window the day of the performance, starting at 2pm, and are sold on a cash-only basis based on availability; limit of two tickets per person.
"We have always crafted overarching themes for our repertory seasons," says Geoff Elliott, "but none has presented itself as organically and viscerally as this year's." Julia Rodriguez-Elliott reinforces this notion, adding, "In many ways, the idea of REVOLUTION had entered our collective consciousness in ways that all but dared us not to embrace it. As a director, I am especially energized by the concept of 'disorderly conduct'-both because it appears as a theme in every one of these plays, especially The Threepenny Opera and Julius Caesar, and because wherever we look, all around the world, it is rearing its head in the forms of civic, social, and political unrest. We take our cue from Brecht himself, who said, 'Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.'"
Stage Raw said Julius Caesar, "Lights the stage on fire. Though Caesar was written in 1599 about someone who died in 44 BC, a tale of political upheaval, conviction, and consequence may find relevance today, not only in general, but in the midst of Ferguson, Charlie Hedbo, the Occupy movement, and even the tumultuous nature of L.A. theatre itself."
Broadway World said, "Directors Rodriguez-Elliott and Elliott have turned Shakespeare's thought-provoking political drama into a powerful exposé on the less noble actions of men, anchored by two terrific performances and a commanding industrial design." The Los Angeles Times said that Julius Caesar is an "ambitious...entertaining production."
Broadway World said The Threepenny Opera "cast is excellent (and) leaves a lasting impression. See it!" "A spirited rendition of the timeless Threepenny Opera," wrote the Huffington Post. StageSceneLA.com proclaimed, "Sensationally performed. Couldn't be better."
Regular priced single tickets for Julius Caesar and The Threepenny Opera are available at A Noise Within box office in person, via phone at 626-356-3100, or online at www.ANoiseWithin.org. A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107.
A Noise Within, founded in 1991 and named "one of the nation's premier classical repertory companies" by The Huffington Post, is the leading presenter of these plays in Southern California. The company's mission is to produce world-class performances of the great works of drama in rotating repertory with a resident company; to educate and inspire the public through programs that foster an understanding and appreciation of history's great plays and playwrights; and to train the next generation of classical theatre artists.
Originally based in a former Masonic Temple in Glendale, the company moved to its present home-a building of architectural distinction designed by Edward Durrell Stone of Kennedy Center fame-in 2011. Helmed by Producing Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, who hold MFAs from San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, A Noise Within delivers a seven-show repertory season and a wide range of educational programs to diverse audiences from Los Angeles County and well beyond. Voted "Best Theatre" by readers of Time Out Los Angeles and Reader Recommended by Pasadena Weekly, A Noise Within is indeed "California's Home for the Classics."
