Phantom Projects Theatre's OUT, OUT, BRIEF CANDLE Addresses Teen Drug and Alcohol Use

The staggering statistics on teen drug and alcohol use will be in the spotlight today, May 16^th as a cast of 15 teens/young adults takes to the stage to perform and speak on a subject that effects every teen at one point in their life.

Today, May 16 at 10AM and 7PM, Phantom Projects Theatre Group will continue its 2012/2013 Season offering a youthful perspective and emotional support through a powerful production called Out, Out, Brief Candle at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The newly revised drama by Bruce Gevirtzman, directed by Steve Cisneros, will be performed on May 16 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets from $7 to $20 are now available by calling 562-944-9801 or going online to phantomprojects.com.

Though a dramatic scene confronting a rape scenario featuring a teen girl was written 5 years ago, it is early reminiscent of the situation in Saratoga, CA when a 15 year-old-girl was driven to suicide last September after three teens allegedly sexually abused her while she was unconscious from alcohol at an unsupervised house party.

"Out, Out, Brief Candle is designed to help teen audiences have a healthier view of who they are and who they can become," said Steve Cisneros, Phantom Projects' Producing Artistic Director who founded the company in 1996 at the age of 17. "It's drama based on real life. And because the teen cast is the same age as much of the audience, the post-show discussion is always candid."

Gevirtzman, a local high school English teacher and seasoned playwright, has put years of observations and empathy into the hour-long script. Much of the dialogue reflects the kinds of comments young people routinely make to each other in conversation or online in chat rooms.

Cisneros' cast, all teens and young adults from Los Angeles and Orange County, are:

Preston Blankenship (18, Los Angeles) Andrew Cano (19, Anaheim), Caitlyn Nichole Cappadona (18, La Mirada), Shannon Dodson (19 Fullerton), Samantha Gibney (21, Torrance), Alanna Hanly (18, Santa Ana), Zane Paul (14, Cypress), Tori Pflanzer (14, La Mirada), Elena Ross (14, Los Angeles), Lauren Tallichet (16, Newport Beach) Genesis Torres (20, La Mirada), Emily Schluper (13, Rancho Palos Verdes), Amber Watson (22, Los Angeles), Brielle Wood (14, Long Beach), Brennan Zoellner (18, La Mirada).

Each year, Phantom Projects Theatre Group mounts a season of plays at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and touring productions to middle and high schools in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The fully staged productions in La Mirada include interpretations of classic work currently on school curricula as well as one original script, by La Mirada High School teacher Bruce Gevirtzman, which addresses issues of immediate concern to teenagers. The touring productions are remountings of issue-oriented plays by Gevirtzman that were introduced in previous seasons. Among these are No Way to Treat A Lady, about teen pregnancy, and The Center of the Universe, about prejudice and tolerance.

Following Out, Out, Brief Candle on May 16, the 2012-13 Season will be the seventh annual Young Artist Project on August 3, 2013. The Young Artist Project will offer an evening of one-acts written, directed and starring some of Southern California's brightest young talent. Earlier productions of this season were Much Ado About Nothing and Little Women: The Broadway Musical.

Tickets to Out, Out, Brief Candle are available by calling 562-944-9801 or going online to phantomprojects.com. Tickets prices for the 10 a.m. performance are $7, and for the 7 p.m. performance, $7 for middle school students, $12 for high school students, and $20 for adults. For additional information call 714-690-2900, go online to www.PhantomProjects.com, or visit Facebook.com/PhantomProjects.

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