TAKE THE SEVENTH BREATH TWICE To Have World Premiere At Hollywood Fringe Festival

The 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival will host the world premiere of Take The Seventh Breath Twice, a raw, hallucinatory plunge into the soul of a dying empire, written by Blake Shields (The Arsonist of Venice) and directed by acclaimed producer and casting executive Elizabeth Boykewich.

In this twisted neo-noir fever dream, four misfits hatch a plan to rip off the drug lords of Simi Valley and vanish into a new life across the world. But first, they must survive each other-and themselves.

Seventh Breath features a powerhouse ensemble: Sam Valentine (Bosch: Legacy, The Orville) as Sam, a disillusioned dreamer on the edge of something new, and Bernard Bayer (internationally acclaimed concert pianist) as the tormented poet and ex-ex-junkie John, Cathryn Dylan Ortiz (Ray Donovan) as the mystic outlaw Kaplan, Blake Shields (The Pitt, American Horror Story) (also the playwright) as the spiritually unhinged Abe.

Set in a rundown L.A. motel room on the eve of a high-stakes heist, Take The Seventh Breath Twice is part Tarantino, part Jungian fever dream. The script pulses with wild monologues, cosmic absurdities, and a love story in shambles, all under the shadow of The Hum-a mysterious spiritual signal that may or may not exist.

Director Elizabeth Boykewich, known for her visionary eye in both film and television casting, brings this bold new work to life in an unforgettable premiere that's equal parts heist thriller, mythic odyssey, and black comedy.

The show is a featured selection of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it will debut to an audience eager for challenging, offbeat, and fearless new work.

WHAT: Take The Seventh Breath Twice - World Premiere
WHO: Written by Blake Shields | Directed by Elizabeth Boykewich
CAST: Sam Valentine, Bernard Bayer, Cathryn Dylan Ortiz, Blake Shields,
WHERE: Let Live Theater, 916 N. Formosa Ave., Hollywood, CA 90046

Los Angeles Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Hollywood Bowl)

9.3% of votes

2. ORIGINALS (The Gardenia Club)

8.5% of votes

3. HAIR (Conundrum Theatre)

4.6% of votes

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