Solo Collective to Present THE SERIOUSLY NEUROTIC DREAM OF MARY SHELLEY, Begin. 12/7

Paul Stein and THE SOLO COLLECTIVE (L.A.'s only Solo Collective company) in residence at VS. THEATRE COMPANY have announced the world premiere of THE SERIOUSLY NEUROTIC DREAM OF MARY SHELLEY, written and performed by Carla Cackowski and directed by Jane Morris. THE SERIOUSLY NEUROTIC DREAM OF MARY SHELLEY will perform on Sunday, December 7 at 7pm; Tuesday, December 9 at 8pm & Sunday, December 14 at 7pm at VS. Theatre Company, 5453 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Mary Shelley has been challenged to come up with a scary story by a room full
of accomplished men. Paralyzed by writer's block, she falls asleep and is confronted by all of her womanly insecurities. History may remember Mary Shelley as an English novelist. But did you also know she was a bossy sister? A bad girlfriend? A so-so mother? And hey - a time traveler! Mary Shelley loves Beyonce!

CARLA CACKOWSKI (Writer/Performer) is an actor, improviser, and writer currently living in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of The Second City LA, Upright Citizens Brigade, and iO West and has played on mainstage improv teams at all three theaters. She toured the Caribbean, Canada, Alaska, and Europe performing with The Second City aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines. Carla has performed in festivals across the country, including the San Fran Sketchfest, Out of Bounds Comedy Fest (Austin, TX), Phoenix Improv Festival, Chicago Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon (NYC), United Solo Fest NYC, Hollywood Fringe Festival, and LA Improv Festival. Carla has written and performed four solo shows in the past four years that have toured Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, and New York City. Monologues from one of these shows have been published by Applause Books in an anthology titled, Women's Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny (2014). She has been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2002 and is currently on faculty as an improv teacher at The Second City in Hollywood. www.carlacackowski.com.

JANE MORRIS (Director) was a performer, writer and director for Chicago Second City and a co founder of the Chicago Second City ETC. She was a teacher and director at the original Second City Training Center in Chicago as well as the Second City Training Center in Los Angeles and has been teaching improvisation for twenty-five years. Jane and her husband, Jeff Michalski, founded the Upfront Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. She currently teaches a solo performance workshop at the fanaticSalon Theater in Culver City, CA and is the managing director there.

She has directed and mentored the writing process of the solo shows of Ramsey Brown ("Killing It! "Ooh La La" "Stop, Drop and Roll"), Jimmy Doyle ("Must Be Nice" and "Ex-Pat Paddy" for the Comedy Central stage), Clara York (Apocalypse, Not Now!), Steve Mize's "Life, Audited" which one the best comedic actor award and the United Solo Festival in New York and Liz Femi in "Take Me to the Poorhouse" which won both a Fringe Extension Award and the Best International Show at the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival. It has just been nominated for an NAACP award for Best Solo Show.
PAUL STEIN (Artistic Director) is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Solo Collective. Mr. Stein has directed numerous one-person shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Aspen and Toronto including productions forsoloNova at P.S. 122, Summer Works Theater Festival, Symphony Space, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, and Hollywood and NYC Fringes. A few solo directing highlights: Leonard Nimoy's one-person play Vincent starring Jean- Michel Richaud at theatres in L.A. San Diego, New York (and upcoming in Paris, France and for UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance in 2015); Antonio Sacre's Let Them Eat Meat, winner of "Best Storyteller" at the 2012 United Solo and LA Weekly Award nomination for Best Solo Performance; Alan Aymie's A Child Left Behind at the Beverly Hills Playhouse; and W. Kamau Bell's The Bell Curve: Ending Racism in about an Hour at various theaters across the country.

Additionally, Paul is the Artistic Producer and Conceiver of The Car Plays, a site- specific event recently mentioned inTime Magazine, American Theatre and The New York Times, and named by Broadway World.com in their "Best of Southern California Theater". Presented by Moving Arts Theatre, past Car Plays shows include: The Car Plays: San Diego at La Jolla's Playhouse's Without Walls Festival 2013; The Car Plays: L.A. Stories at RADAR L.A. Festival (REDCAT & Public Theater, Producers); for the Segerstrom Center's Off Center Festivals in Costa Mesa; and The Car Plays: San Diego for the La Jolla Playhouse's WoW Series which received the 2012 Craig Noel Award for "Outstanding Special Event" by the San Diego Theater Critics Circle. Currently, Paul is the Executive Producer of theComedy Central Stage, a development venue sponsored by the television network. As an instructor, he enjoys teaching his Solo Writing and Performance Workshops around town and on the road. He is a graduate of L.A.C.C. Theater Academy, holds a B.A. in Theatre from Cal State University, Los Angeles and is a proud member of theDramatist Guild and SDC.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING

The World Premiere of
THE SERIOUSLY NEUROTIC DREAM OF MARY SHELLEY
Written and Performed by Carla Cackowski
Directed by Jane Morris

Three nights only!

Sunday, December 7 at 7pm;
Tuesday, December 9 at 8pm;
Sunday, December 14 at 7pm

Ticket prices are $15.00 for all performances. Tickets are available online at www.thesolocollective.com orwww.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 323-739-4411.

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