Blank Theater Opens Season With DUSK RINGS A BELL

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director) kicks off its 21st season with the West Coast premiere of Dusk Rings A Bell by Stephen Belber, directed by Daniel Henning, with previews beginning on October 1 and opening night set for tonight at 8:00. The engagement will run through Sunday, November 13.

Dusk Rings A Bell will feature (in alphabetical order) Thea Gill and Josh Randall. Originally presented by the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City, Dusk tells the story of Molly and Ray, who spent a romantic summer afternoon together when they were teens, but went their separate ways. They meet, by chance, 25 years later. Both begin to romanticize their reunion, but a renewed connection is disrupted when Ray reveals the sordid details of a crime that left him incarcerated for 10 years. Their encounter reveals two vastly different paths taken, and two lonely souls attempting to reclaim a moment of possibility, when they were young and probably at their very best.

Stephen Belber's plays have been produced on Broadway, as well as in over 25 countries. His plays include Match (Tony Award nomination for Frank Langella), Tape (Naked Angels, New York/Los Angeles/London), McReele (Roundabout Theatre), A Small, Melodramatic Story (LAByrinth Theater Company), Geometry of Fire (Rattlestick), Fault Lines (Cherry Lane), One Million Butterflies (Primary Stages), and Carol Mulroney (Huntington Theatre Company). He was an associate writer on The Laramie Project (Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations), and co-writer on the more recent Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. Movies include Tape, directed by Richard Linklater, The Laramie Project (associate writer/Emmy Award nomination for screenwriting), Drifting Elegant, and Management, starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn, which he also directed. Belber is currently developing screen adaptations of both Match and McReele. Television credits include Rescue Me and Law & Order: SVU (staff writer). He is a member of both Tectonic Theater Project and LAByrinth Theater Company.

Set design for Dusk Rings A Bell is by Kurt Boetcher, lighting design is by Stephanette Smith, costume design is by Michael Mullen, and sound design is by Warren Davis. Caitlin Eckstein is stage manager.

Preview performances of Dusk Rings A Bell are Saturday, October 1 at 8pm, Sunday, October 2 at 2pm, and Tuesday, October 4 - Friday, October 7 at 8pm. The Friday 10/7 performance is available for press review, and opening night is set for Saturday, October 8 at 8:00. The regular performance schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through November 13. All preview seats are $26; regular performance prices are $26 on Thursday and Sunday, $30 on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.