Photo Flash: SPEAKING IN TONGUES and RUBEN GUTHRIE at Matrix Theatre

Head over to the Matrix Theatre in June for a mini Australian theater festival, when L.A.'s Australian Theatre Company presents a 'Double Feature' of two celebrated Australian plays that were made into movies and ATC's second annual free reading series - all over the course of 3-1/2 weeks. Opening with Speaking in Tonguesby Andrew Bovell on June 6 and the U.S. premiere of Ruben Guthrie by Brendan Cowell on June 7, performances of the two plays continue in repertory through June 28, with a free "Works by Women" reading series taking place every Wednesday evening.

Kicking things off on Monday, June 6 at 8 p.m. is Andrew Bovell's noir psychological thriller, Speaking in Tongues. In this theatrical jigsaw puzzle of parallel stories, two couples set out to betray their partners... a lover returns from the past... a husband doesn't answer the phone... and a neighbor is the prime suspect when a woman disappears. Winner of the Australian Writers' Guild's AWGIE Award for Best Stage Play and called "clever, provocative, elliptically resonant" by The New York Times, the ATC production stars Jamie Irvine (New Zealand TV3's Underbelly Land of the Long Green Cloud and current Australian feature Crushed), Tina Kobas(soon-to-be-released Caravaggio and My Mother the Pope), Matt Passmore (A&E's The Glades, USA's Satisfaction) and Kym Wilson(Australian TV's Brides of Christ and Heartbreak High), and is directed by Actors Studio member Jeneffa Soldatic (director, Dolores and Then That Happened, acting coach on Paramount's School of Rock).

Brendan Cowell's Ruben Guthrie, opening on Tuesday, June 7, takes an affecting and darkly comic look at alcoholism and the impact of Australia's drinking culture. A heady cocktail of fizzy humor and touching revelation about a Sydney adman who spirals high, then crashes hard, it's the story not only of his battle with the bottle - but also of the city that won't let him put it down. Peter Blackburn (director of Australian productions including Orphans, The Shape of Things, The Boys) directs Nathan Sapsford(American Heroes Channel miniseries Gunslingers) in the title role, along with Shane Connor (Australian series Satisfaction), Nick Hardcastle('Felicia' in the Australian world premiere cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert-The Musical), David Ross Paterson (Saving Mr. Banks), Vivienne Powell (Judd Apatow series Love on Netflix, indie film Song From A Blackbird), Olivia Simone (Australian TV series All Saints, Australia's Bell Shakespeare) and Sasha Yegorova (currently studying at American Academy of Dramatic Arts) in the U.S. premiere of this important Australian tragicomedy that asks, "Is it un-Australian to refuse a drink?"

Speaking in Tongues and Ruben Guthrie were each featured as part of ATC's 2015 summer reading series entitled "Stage to Screen: Great Australian plays that inspired great Australian films." Speaking in Tongues inspired the 2001 award-winning film Lantana, which starred Barbara Hershey, Geoffrey Rush and Anthony Lapaglia; Ruben Guthrie was adapted for film in 2015. Set design for both plays is by John Iacovelli, lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg, sound design is by Cricket S. Myers and costume design is by Kate Bergh.

"After last summer's reading series, we knew we wanted to bring these plays to American audiences in full productions," says Nick Hardcastle, who co-founded ATC with fellow co-creative directors Jackie Diamond, Nate Jones and Joshua Thorburn. "It was immediately clear that they resonated with our audience."

The ATC audience will also enjoy free admission and Australian refreshments at the company's second annual reading series every Wednesdayin June. The Works by Women Free Reading Series, curated by Tempany Deckart and Sarah Doyle, includes five Australian plays written and directed by women over the course of four evenings: Neighbourhood Watch by Lally Katz on June 8 (when an unlikely friendship forms between a lost twenty-something and a Hungarian octogenarian, lessons are learned about the tragedies of war, loss and resilience); Jump for Jordan by Donna Abela on June 15 (a Jordanian-Australian family struggles to find its way); a double bill featuring Medea by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sark (an edgy, modern and clever Australian retelling of Euripides' tragedy) and Permission to Spin by Mary Rachel Brown (absurd, funny and darkly thrilling - a kiddy pop star's work is being used to torture terrorists off shore) on June 22; and Anaconda by Sarah Doyle on June 29 (a disturbing, touching and a fascinating insight into the underground culture of boarding school abuse).

Dedicated to telling great Australian stories and sharing the best of Australian culture with American audiences, the Australian Theatre Company burst onto the scene in 2014 with its wildly successful Los Angeles premiere of the Australian love story, Holding the Man ("Dazzling virtuosity... a stunningly sensitive, athletic production" - Arts In LA). Adapted by Tommy Murphy from the best-selling memoir by Australian writer, actor and activist Timothy Conigrave, Holding the Man enjoyed an eight week run at the Matrix Theatre, where it became the most successful guest production at that theater in 45 years. In 2015, the company presented its "Stage to Screen" free playreading series, also at the Matrix.

Speaking in Tongues and Ruben Guthrie run June 6 through June 28, alternating performances on Mondays at 8 p.m.; Tuesdays at 8 p.m.; Thursdays at 8 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Works by Women free reading series takes place on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Please scroll down for a complete schedule of performances.

Tickets to Speaking in Tongues and Ruben Guthrie are $34.99 for a single show, or $50 to see both ("Double Feature"). Admission on Wednesday nights to the Works by Women reading series is FREE. The Matrix Theatre is located at 7657 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles, CA 90046. For reservations and information, call (323) 960-4443 or go to www.AustralianTheatreCompany.com.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Strong

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