MY COMIC VALENTINE Plays Valentines Week At DCAC in Adams Morgan

Building on the success of last year's production, My Comic Valentine: A Comic Book for the Stage, Rotogravura Entertainment is proud to present a second edition for 2010. Making something new out of something old, we will present an all-new set of romance-comic stories to coincide with Valentine's Day. In this original production, a small ensemble of actors using the style and minimal aesthetics of rough theatre will make romance comics from the golden age of the 1950s come alive! Using actual comic books from that bygone era as source material, we will present a show that plays with the sexual and gender dynamics of its protagonists to challenge our stereotyped notions of a 'buttoned-up' 1950s America.

As enjoyable for us to make as for the audience to watch, the show will be structured to mimic a comic book. Opening with a distinct cover-page, it will segue into a series of story-vignettes (each lasting from 10-20 minutes), interspersed with advertisements and a letters column just as you'd expect to find in a comic book from the golden age. Much of the humor comes from the anachronisms that emerge between the hyper-sexualized society we live in today and the more conservative era of the 1950s. That said, audiences will be surprised how 'adventurous' many of these comic stories could be, as well as how relevant their stories remain after almost sixty years of obscurity. In this way, by turning back the pages of history, we re-discover the universal allure, complications and hopes felt by all generations for true love and hot romance.

Because the source material presents us with images as well as text, we are provided with a rich set of physical possibilities to explore. In addition, this production will draw upon a different set of dramatic conventions for each section, including object theatre (in this case a sort of modified puppetry), video projections and audience interaction, just to name a few. The ultimate goal is for the production to have a vibrant and kitschy aesthetic, appropriate to the subject matter and source material that have inspired it.

Last year´s production, presented at The Shop at Fort Fringe, made an excellent and very well-received debut for Rotogravura Entertainment. This year we hope to build on that success and lay the foundation of a new Valentine's Day tradition for theatre-goers in Washington, DC.
With heart on sleeve and tongue in cheek, My Comic Valentine: A Comic Book for the Stage, VOL. 2! makes the perfect date for couples or anyone who wants to celebrate the holiday of romance.
Rotogravu--HUH???

Adapting it's name from the traditional four-color printing technique that gives vintage comic books their distinctive appearance, Rotogravura Entertainment produces works of theatre based on comic-books from the Golden Age of the early 1950s. By celebrating the forgotten works of this vital era in American history we hope to challenge stereotypical conceptions of the past while reinforcing the enduring values of American pop culture. Through the methods of devised, object and physical performance practices, and by supporting the work of emerging artists, Rotogravura Entertainment enhances and strengthens the artistic diaspora in the nation's capital.

2438 18th Street NW, Washington DC 2009 202.462.7833 info@dcartscenter.org

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES: February 11-14, 2010

2/11 - 7:30pm

2/12 - 10pm

2/13 - 10pm

2/14 - 3pm & 7:30pm
TICKET PRICES: General - $17, DCAC Members - $12

Tickets may be reserved by contacting the DCAC box office at 202.462.7833

15% of all profits will go to the H.E.R.O. Initiative, a charitable organization that supports aging comic-book artists.

Learn More at www.heroinitiative.org

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