Brooklyn Actor Dan Ruth Returns In Award Winning A LIFE BEHIND BARS

Writer-actor, Dan Ruth's A Life Behind Bars returns to Los Angeles as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018. A Life Behind Bars was universally praised by critics in New York City during its 2017 run at the Laurie Beechman Theater on Theatre Row. This past March, Ruth won the 2018 MAC Award for "Best Spoken Word" and the 2018 Bistro Award for "Outstanding Solo Play." A Life Behind Bars opened in Los Angeles in January 2018 with two highly acclaimed performances at the Whitefire Theatre's SoloFest and now it returns to the Lounge Theatre II for five performances beginning Thursday, June 14th at 6 pm, Sunday, June 17th at 10 pm, Monday, June 18th at 8 pm; Thursday, June 21st at 10 pm and Sunday, June 24th at 12 pm.

Fermented in over two decades of booze and New York City gentrification, A Life Behind Bars is an unapologetic and hilarious look at what can happen when you reach for the stars but grab for the bottle instead. Through gritty storytelling, Ruth shares dark comic monologues, interwoven with characters he's encountered while working and drinking in the bars and dives of pre-Rudy Giuliani NYC. A Life Behind Bars is directed by performer-producer-director, Tanya Moberly, a recipient of multiple awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs as well as a Bistro Award winner.

Dan Ruth & Tanya Moberly began working on A Life Behind Bars three years ago when he performed to a single sold-out audience on December 19th, 2015 at Dixon Place on the Lower East Side in their main stage theatre. The team later went on to mount sold-out performances at both The Gutter Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and at Theatre Lab in Richmond, Virginia in April and May of 2016. In October of 2016, Dan Ruth made his Off-Broadway debut, performing A Life Behind Bars at the 2016 United Solo Festival and winning a "Best Seller" award and the award for "Best Autobiographical Show."

Dan Ruth has performed throughout New York City at The Courtyard Playhouse, The Hamlet of Bank Street, The West Bank Café (Laurie Beechman), The Duplex and Don't Tell Mama. Ruth served as core Director for multiple installations of The A-Train Plays at the Sanford Meisner Theatre and as both Director and Performer for the queer comedy troupe Planet Q, with their productions of Yabba Dabba Q and The History of the World Part Q. Original solo shows include White Noise and Once a Catholic at The Duplex, where he also staged a radio Foley-drama entitled Lights Out, based on the work of horror radio master, Arch Oboler. Regionally, Ruth has starred in productions of Brooklyn Boy, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Laughing Wild and Sex Drugs Rock & Roll. Ruth is a member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA and he holds a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is Producing Artistic Director of Shadowcast Theatre Works in New York City.

A Life Behind Bars will play at the Lounge Theatre II (6201 Santa Monica, 90038) Performances are: Thursday, June 14th @ 6pm; Sunday, June 17th @ 10p; Monday, June 18th @ 8pm; Thursday, June 21st @ 10pm and Sunday, June 24th @ 12pm. Tickets are $12 and available at http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/5162?tab=tickets