THE IVORY THREAD Announced at Hollywood Fringe

It's the call no one wants to get and puts you in a club you never want to be part of. Over the course of his life, Michael J. Gonzales answered several calls in his life, mostly metaphorical and with a musical bent. But that one call, at age 50, changed everything. Through unexpected and paralyzing loss, he was holding on to the proverbial thread. But was it strong enough to take him through this nightmare? The Ivory Thread is a story of a musician's journey into acting after personal tragedy. It opens on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at The Actor's Company L.A.

The Before: Michael began at the age of 10 with the piano. His first public performance of an original piano composition came at 15 at the behest of his choir teacher who heard Michael improvising on the class baby grand piano. His music career would take him around the world, playing in a network talk show band and scoring films for world-renown directors. He even found himself playing up the world's top comics at The Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

The After: As a middle-aged man, Michael shuts off his feelings of grief and searches for ways to numb the pain. In a quest for catharsis, he discovers acting. But he finds himself in acting classes with students half his age who are getting reps. He has yet to discover that The Ivory Thread can sew the tattered pieces together.

"I had everything going for me, then I was left bare to re-evaluate my life," says Gonzales. "Right now I think everyone is re-evaluating their lives in some way. This is my story that I believe people can connect with."

Learn more at www.theivorythread.com.