Diversionary Theatre And Ion Theatre Company Set To Present BENT 10/29-11/22

Diversionary Theatre and ion theatre company are pleased to announce an eagerly-awaited collaboration of the seminal, riveting Holocaust love-story, Bent, co-directed by ion artistic directors, Glenn Paris and Claudio Raygoza.

Yellow stars. Pink triangles. Dignity. Courage. Comfort. Survival. A riveting story of love in the midst of the Holocaust. This 1979 play about Nazi persecution of gays took the world by storm when it debuted in London (featuring Ian McKellan) and had a groundbreaking impact when it transferred to Broadway in 1980 (featuring Richard Gere) earning nominations for both the Pulitzer and the Tonys.

The story of a man on the run from the SS-infiltrated streets of Berlin to the refugee-filled forests of the German hinterlands to the trains of terror that raced the innocent to inevitable destruction Max, an inveterate scoundrel, struggles to keep his soul afloat amidst the horrors of the "labor" camps, where even love is still possible, if not inevitable.

Diversionary's cast features Michael Zlotnik as Max and Charlie Reuter as Horst, with Chris Buess, Eric Dowdy, Philip John, Stephen Lone, Walter Ritter and William Parker Shore. The creative team includes: Bret Young (Assistant Director), Jeannie Galioto (Costume Design), Ross Glanc (Lighting Design) and Gwen Fish (Stage Manager).

Diversionary Theatre was started in 1986. The mission of the theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. Diversionary's season premiere sponsors for the 2009-2010 season are Wells Fargo and the Gay & Lesbian Times. For more information, visit www.diversionary.org.

Fiercely dedicated to forging bold, vital, diverse new work from within its artistic membership, ion theatre company also nurtures powerful, provocative new plays from emerging playwrights, re-imagines classics using the lens of theatrical innovation and connects with new audiences by embracing technology while chronicling its evolving cultural and educational impact in the community. For more information, visit www.iontheatre.com.

Bent is recommended for mature audiences. Bent previews on Thursday, October 29, and opens on Friday, October 30 and runs through Sunday, November 22. Performance times are: Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00 & 7:00pm, and a Monday, November 9 performance at 7:30pm. Single tickets for Bent are now available. For information, call the Diversionary box office at 619.220.0097 or log on to www.diversionary.org.

Financial support for Diversionary Theatre is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

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