Robbins' BREAK THE WHIP Opens at Ivy Substation

Tim Robbins' new play Break the Whip began performances at the Ivy Substation on September 2. The play revolves around struggles of the three cultures of the Jamestown Colony- English settlers, African slaves, and Powatan Indians. Charles McNulty recently reviewed the Actors' Gang production in the LA Times saying, "It's safe to say that when Tim Robbins is in charge, there's never going to be a shortfall of political passion."

McNulty went on to critique the show by saying, "The staging, enlivened by dance, live music and billowing strips of fabric used to simulate water, can be quite stimulating. And the deeply committed ensemble, darting between parody and sincerity, hyper-theatricality and hushed truth, is unfailingly generous with its emotion and energy. But "Break the Whip" doesn't challenge its own good intentions, and so there's little sense of discovery for the audience."

To read the full article, visit: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/09/theater-review-break-the-whip-at-the-ivy-substation.html

Robbins' also penned the play Embedded. His film credits include: The Shawshank Redemption, Bob Roberts, Bull Durham, Jacoab's Ladder, and Mystic River, for wich he won an Oscar.

The Actors' Gang was founded 28 years ago with a mission to provide meaningful and thought-provoking theatre that would be affordable and accessible to a wide audience. Building performances with a basic respect for the artist and the audience, The Actors' Gang has produced theatre of the highest quality throughout our history.

The Actors' Gang continues the tradition of bringing rule-breaking, thought-provoking, and engaging theatre to audiences in Los Angeles, across the nation and around the world. Our award-winning productions of "The Guys," "Embedded," "The Exonerated," "1984" and "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine" continue to tour extensively throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.