Four Clowns' THE HALFWITS' LAST HURRAH Plays Hollywood Fringe, Now thru 6/26

Four Clowns returns to the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year to present The Halfwits' Last Hurrah, an original piece penned by company clowns Ms. Jamie Franta and Mr. Don Colliver. The play features a fame-hungry showman and his mischievous troupe of halfwits as they struggle to keep their variety show from derailing when they are faced with a vindictive ghost from the past. Part Vaudeville tribute, part show biz farce, the audience will enjoy an evening of comedy, music, and mayhem with The Halfwits' now through Friday, June 26 at The Lillian Theatre in Hollywood.

This will be the largest show yet produced by Four Clowns in their six year history with an ensemble cast of twelve. Among the cast are five new company members who will be enjoying their first adventure with the clowns at this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival. On the artistic team with company clown and playwright Ms. Franta, who is also the company's Company Manager, is Mr. David Anthony Anis, Managing Director, who will be directing the piece. Four Clowns' Artistic Director and Fringe Alum Mr. Jeremy Aluma will lead the company as Executive Producer of the piece. Mr. Aluma is excited to bring in new actors and artistic team members for this year's Four Clowns Fringe show. "For the past three seasons I have been pushing for a huge cast show, just like this one; The Halfwits' Last Hurrah implements two of our company members' greatest strengths, our ability to create fine-tuned self-contained bits, and our pursuit to have a theatrical play that is funny, stunning, and moving. Our company finally has the staff, membership and artistry to make this happen."

Four Clowns' first show, aptly titled Four Clowns, was developed by Mr. Aluma with the company, and produced at the inaugural Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2010. Four Clowns won Best in Physical Theatre and Dance and was nominated for Best World Premiere, as well as the Bitter Lemons Award for Most Outrageous Theatre at the festival that year. Since its first show, the company continued to win the award for Best in Physical Theatre (2011, 2012, 2013) as well as Top of the Fringe with Romeo and Juliet in 2011 and Best World Premiere in 2013 for Me Rich You Learn. The company is excited to take this year's festival by storm with another World Premiere production in the Physical Theatre and Dance category.

Four Clowns presentsThe Halfwits' Last Hurrah by Jamie Franta and Don Colliver, and directed by David Anthony Anis. Starring Tyler Bremer, Jennifer Carroll, Charlotte Chanler, Don Colliver, Julia Davis, Jamie Franta, Elizabeth Godley, Dave Honigman, Benji Kaufman, Jolene Kim, Jamarr Love, and Helene Udy with pianist Wayne H. Holland, III. With Stage Manager Ashley Jo Navarro, Assistant Director Raymond Lee, Lighting Designer Donny Jackson, Fight Choreographer Matt Franta, Assistant Stage Manager Julianna Ojeda, Photographer Drew Eiden, Graphic Designer Zach Steel, Producers Jeremy Aluma, David Anis, Jamie Franta, and Sara Waugh and Associate Producer Benji Kaufman.

Four Clowns is a Los Angeles based, internationally touring, award winning, clown troupe dedicated to entertaining audiences and experimenting with the relationship between actors and audience all whilst shining a light on humanity. Four Clowns implements aspects of physical theatre, text, music, dance, and the shattering of the fourth wall in all of their productions. The company is constantly redefining the audience's relationship to the performers on stage.

Four Clowns' multiple-award-winning, critically acclaimed productions have played in São Paulo, Brazil; New York City (La MaMa & Theatre Row, Off-Broadway); Chicago (Neo-Futurists); Las Vegas; San Francisco; Minneapolis; Indianapolis; Phoenix; Kingsland, GA; Telluride, CO; and all over Southern California, including South Coast Repertory and REDCAT.

For more information on the company and upcoming shows, stay in touch with Four Clowns on social media: "Like" on Facebook; follow on Twitter @4clowns; follow on Instagram @fourclowns; or visit the website at www.fourclowns.org.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. Each June during the Hollywood Fringe, the arts infiltrate the Hollywood neighborhood: fully equipped theaters, parks, clubs, churches, restaurants and other unexpected places host hundreds of productions by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers.

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