OCPA Studios' BENDER Plays Stage Door Rep Today

A stage door opens for OCPA Studios today, April 27 at 2:30pm - Stage Door Repertory Theatre, that is. The Orange County Playwrights Alliance's full-length play reading series makes its first trip to SDRT with the presentation of Bender, a new play with music by Erica Bennett (with original lyrics by Erica Bennett and music by Karen Fix Curry).

Tam Warner directs a cast featuring Melissa Swift, Ronda Gilbert White, Jennifer Pearce, Timothy Skyy, Lane Wray and Michael Keeney. 50% of the box office proceeds from this event go to Stage Door Repertory Theatre.

In Bender, Pink Marabou and Wanda torture pregnant Sundry with tall tales and whiskey chasers. By the end of the day, will their friendship survive a death, new life, and one woman's discovery of her own unique voice?

Erica Bennett's documentary Mendez v. Westminster: Families for Equality has aired on KOCE-TV (OC's PBS affiliate) since October 2010. The film is centered around her play for students El Primer Dia de Clases, which was performed by Fullerton College Mendez Project students for the community and Orange County high school students in 2008-2009. In 2012, her play Water Closet received an OCPA Studios reading at the Hunger Artists Theatre Company. Water Closet was also read by the White Horse Theater Company at the Dramatists Guild's Frederick Loewe Room in New York. Her plays Freed and Jolly and Bean were staged in Southern California in 2009. A tenured librarian at Fullerton College, Erica received her B.A. in Theater from CSUF and studied acting with Jose Quintero and Stella Adler. She is featured in Benicio Del Toro's short film Submission, and she worked for nearly ten years in dramatic television production on such shows as The Young Riders, Gabriel's Fire, Under Suspicion and The Big Easy. She has a Master of Library & Information Science degree from UCLA and is a member of the Society of California Archivists and the Dramatists Guild in addition to OCPA..

The Orange County Playwrights Alliance (OCPA) began on April 1, 1995 with an informal meeting in an oncologist's office in Anaheim. Since then, OCPA has become the fundamental group for playwrights in O.C., presenting staged readings and productions of plays at intriguing local theatres. Its playwrights have been produced across the U.S., and have won national and regional playwriting awards.

Stage Door Repertory Theatre - an intimate 50-seat live theatre with the highest of professional standards - opened its doors in fall 2011. Its husband-and-wife founders, Nick and Julie Charles, strive to produce a wide range of quality theatrical presentations at affordable prices. Conveniently located near the intersection of the 91 and 57 freeways, SDRT has quickly established a reputation for quality and excellence, resulting in frequently sold-out performances.

For reservations, call 714.902.5716.

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