'We ♥ Playwrights' Q/A at Geffen with LaBute, Marguiles, Rivers

The event may be entitled "We ♥ Playwrights," but playwriting skills are just one of many things to "heart" about the artists speaking at the Geffen Playhouse's upcoming fundraiser.

The featured artists have written and directed for both film and television, recorded solo albums, starred on stage as well as both the big and small screens, won Emmys, Obies, Ovations and a Grammy and, most notably, wrote a play that is part of the Geffen Playhouse's current season. On January 11, 2008, Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney will moderate an audience Q&A with all seven of this season's provocative playwrights: Jane Anderson (The Quality of Life), Daniel Beaty (Emergency), Marcus Hummon (Atlanta), Neil LaBute (Some Girl(s)), Donald Margulies (The Elephant in the Room), Adrian Pasdar (Atlanta) and Joan Rivers (Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress By a Life in Progress).

Following the Q&A portion of the evening, the audience will be invited to continue their conversations in a more intimate fashion during a mix and mingle with the playwrights and Geffen Playhouse artistic staff. Not only does the "We ♥ Playwrights" event provide attendees with rare access to award-winning artists, but the evening also helps raise funds for the Geffen Playhouse's education and outreach programs. Under the umbrella of "Geffen's Stage for Any Age," these programs reached nearly 26,000 students, partners and community members last year, and include:

• CREATE, which provides seniors and low-income community members with access to customized workshops, free performance tickets and post-show discussions
• Encore School Tours, which brings live performances of professional productions to public schools
• Annenberg Student Matinees, which provides free tickets and transportation to special performances of the Playhouse's mainstage productions to public school students
• Saturday Scene, which introduces local families to reduced-price, family-oriented productions at the Geffen.
• Talk Back Tuesdays, which is a free program that gives theater attendees the opportunity to stay after a performance and participate in a discussion with the actors, director and/or playwright every Tuesday evening during the course of a run

Tickets for this interactive evening, which is sponsored by Audi and Los Angeles Magazine, begin at $50 and can be purchased through the theater's donor relations department at 310-208-2028

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