Theatre Double to produce along side RAT Conference aand TCG

[Theatredouble@aol.com]

PRESS PACKAGE

KILL DATE June 25, 2001

CHRISTIAN  MEOLI, FROM CBS- NASH BRIDGES RETURNS TO
PHILADELPHIA TO STAR IN THEATRE DOUBLE'S NEW YORK HIT 
JUST THE BOYS

WHO:
Theatre Double Repertory Company

WHAT:
Theatre Double's
JUST THE BOYS

Just The Boys, a Theatre Double Collaboration by Dennis Moritz, with 
concepts, interludes, and direction by Michael LeLand, with original live 
music by Elliott Levin

WHERE:
Theatre Double Mainstage, 1619 Walnut Street, Philadelphia Pa 19103

WHEN:
June 21-24 8 PM

Tickets:  
215.557.9421 

Contact:
Robin Dunn, 215.557.9420 ext. 8

Theatre Double is proud to revive Theatre Double's Just the Boys. This 
production will coincides with the Theatre Communication Group (TCG) and RAT 
Conference. Theatre Double is planing on producing Theatre Double's Just the 
Boys Off- Broadway next season. 

Just the Boys is based on previously published text and new material by 
Dennis Moritz combined by Michael LeLand with his own additional text and 
interludes. Simon and Shuster recently published an earlier version of Just 
the Boys in Action: Nuyorican Poet's Cafe Theatre Festival.

Just the Boys is a modern theatrical pageant, using a mosaic of varying 
theatrical conventions. Conventional theatrical scenes are juxtaposed with 
Movement montage/music video interludes, Realism, magic realism, movement 
theatre and poetry. Sections of the play are accompanied by live original 
saxophone and flute music composed by Elliott Levin. Some of the interludes 
are accompanied by modern music. In past productions, music by Stephen 
Sondheim, Queen, Santana, and Alanis Morissette

"If you are raised in Philadelphia there is something about the town that 
just stays in you." says Los Angles based Actor Christian Meoli." Michael 
(LeLand ,Theatre Double Executive Director) and I are old friends from High 
School. I appreciate being able to have an artistic home to come back to in 
Philadelphia."

In addition to his work on Nash Bridges with Don Johnson and Cheech Marin, 
Christian has appeared in such series as The Practice, The Pretender, NYPD 
Blue and Chicago Hope. He was featured in the Song of the Lark on PBS and 
Tuesdays with Morrie starring Academy Award Winner Jack Lemon. Feature Films 
include Alive for Disney's Touchstone and HBO'S Dogtown.

Theatre Double Repertory Company, a not for profit company that has had 
unique success creating plays that, in the words of New York Theatre Critic 
Brad Bradley, "reach contemporary ears with both sharpness and strength." In 
the development of new plays, the production of world premiere plays, and the 
re-examination of classics, Theatre Double strives for the passion and 
relevance traditional to avant-garde theatre while maintaining the rigorous 
standards of a regional theatre aesthetic.

 Theatre Double Repertory Company operates two spaces on Rittenhouse Row, 
1619 Walnut Street, in Philadelphia and is regularly presented in New York 
City at venues such as The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, HERE Center For Contemporary 
Art and West Bank Down Stairs Theatre.

You think this company can do almost anything well…"
-D.J.H Bruckner, New York Times

.Just The Boys .grounds its observations on the Venus and Mars wars in 
recognizable and real situations...a funny comedy of manners, much like HBO's 
"sex in the City" from a male perspective. Michael LeLand's direction is 
inventive and fun
-David Sherward, Backstage , President of Drama Desk Committee

Playwright Moritz is first rate here. He built layer upon layer of images, 
ideas, and characterizations without sacrificing the action of the piece. 
again LeLand direct superbly directed his actors -as if he where the 
conductor and they were instruments in a band hitting the most amazing notes
.- Andres J. Wrath Off-Off Broadway Review

LeLand's dazzlingly production with spine tingling saxophone music by Elliot 
Levin....riveting theatre...By turns poetic, dramatic, raunchy, sexy and 
humorous this is a rich theatrical experience
- Victor Gluck, Backstage

Michael LeLand (Director/Co-Creator) is Cofounder and Executive Director of 
Theatre Double. He is a native Philadelphian raised in West Mt. Airy. Mr. 
LeLand works as an actor, singer, writer, theater educator, producer, and 
director in New York City and Philadelphia. He has over seen Theatre Double's 
development from a fringe theatre to an Equity company that produces in two 
cities and operates its own two Theatre complex in Center City Philadelphia.

In April 1998, the Lincoln Center Theatre named Mr. LeLand as one of the Top 
100 Emerging Directors. Mr. LeLand was also one of only twelve directors 
selected by the Lincoln Center Directors' Lab to be showcased at Here Center 
for Contemporary Arts in the Living Room Series.

Mr. LeLand's work as a director has received critical acclaim from The New 
York Times, BackStage Magazine, The Village Voice, The Off-Off Broadway 
Review, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper, and Canales 
Magazine. His directing venues in New York City include Here Center for the 
Arts, Lincoln Center Directors' Lab, The Nuyorican Poet's Café, West Bank 
Downstairs Theatre. His Philadelphia venues include Walnut Street Studio 
Theatre (3 and 5 ), Movement Theatre International (Iron Gate), Painted Bride 
Arts Center, Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center, Brick Playhouse, 
Freedom Theatre and Theatre Double Mainstage.
Recently Mr. LeLand directed Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright 
and Oscar nominated actor Jason Miller in Mr. Miller's one man show 
Barrymore's Ghost. Mr. leLand's production of the classic choreopoem for 
colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf was called 
brilliant by the Philadelphia Tribune and ran at Theatre Double Mainstage a 
record breaking ten weeks.

In addition to Theatre Double's Just The Boys Mr. LeLand has helped developed 
a dozen new plays that have received professional productions, including 
Slipping by Yvonne Delet, Gypsy Wagon by Ed Shockley, and Newt Gingrich at 
Boystown by Jon Dorf. Mr. LeLand has co-authored Jason and Medea, Artaud for 
President, And The Sky Can Still Fall On Our Heads, and has written lyrics 
for the score of an original children's musical, Nsume Namolou: Stories of My 
People. Portions of his production, The Witch and the Magic Mountain, 
produced by Freedom Theatre, were performed at the Barrymore Awards and for 
Mayor Edward Rendell of Philadelphia. 

Dennis Moritz (Author) is Artistic Director and Principal Playwright of 
Theatre Double. Raised in New York City  Mr. Moritz currently resides in 
Germantown. 

Over forty plays and theater pieces written by Mr. Moritz have received 
professional productions. New York, venues include The Joseph Papp Public 
Theater, BACA Downtown, Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, Here Center for Contemporary 
Art, Westbank Downstairs Theater, and St. Marks Poetry Project. Philadelphia 
venues included, The Painted Bride Arts Center, Freedom Theater, Movement 
Theatre International, Walnut Street Studio Theater, and The Brick Playhouse.

Mr. Moritz's United Artists book, Something to Hold On To (Nine Theater 
Pieces) is currently in its second printing. About Something To Hold On To 
the St. Mark's Poetry Review wrote "Dennis Moritz aims for the unnatural 
phenomena, for the lost place that leads to miracles. Because this reality is 
the province of poetry". Mr. Moritz's work also has been published 
extensively in periodicals such as The World, 6six magazine, Long News in the 
Short Century, and The St. Marks Poetry Review.

As Theatre Double's Principal Playwright, Mr. Moritz has written a diverse 
range of works, including Jason and Medea; Just The Boys; Blues in a Buick; 
Artaud for President; Dot.Dot.Dot...A Cyber Riff About Dorothy Stratten; And 
The Sky Can Still Fall On Our Heads; Quick, Fast, and In A Hurry; Black White 
Grey and Uncle. He was a long time member of the New Works Project at BACA 
Downtown and the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Currently Mr. Moritz is a future 
faculty fellow in Playwriting at Temple University. 

Elliott Levin (original Music) is a resident composer with Theatre Double. He 
has performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor, Harold Melvin and the Blue 
Notes, New Ghost, Interplay, Atzilut, Gloria Tropp and Talking Free Be-Bop, 
Frank Messina and Spoken Motion. His First book of poetry, Does it Swing  
(Heat Press), is being published this year. Elliot has performed and composed 
original music for several Theatre Double productions, venues include Theatre 
Double Mainstage, HERE Center for the Arts, the Nuyorican, Walnut Street 
Theater, Brick Play House, Westbank Downstairs Theater.

Shelita Birchett (Cathy) is a Cofounder and Artistic Director of Theatre 
Double. Born and raised in the west oak lane section of the City Ms. Birchett 
now resides in New York. 

As Theatre Double's Artistic Director, Ms. Birchett has been instrumental in 
the creation of several of the company's most important productions including 
Jason and Medea, Slipping, ...And The Sky Can Still Fall On Our Heads (which 
she co-authored and co-directed) and Just the Boys. Currently, she is 
developing The Hawk: An Intimate Comedy about Heroin with Michael LeLand, 
Dennis Moritz, and the Theatre Double ensemble.
As an actor, Ms. Birchett has appeared in film, Television, Regional Theatre 
and commercials. Feature film roles included Roz in Condition Red for 
HBO/Showtime; The Clause in Christmas Dinner, an independent film to be 
released by Miramax; Tracey in Potluck and Passion, directed by Cheryl Dunye. 
This spring, Ms. Birchett will film The Bridge an independent film directed 
by Steve Jimenz. Television credits included Laurel in First Person 
Philadelphia, which recently aired on PBS, Paranormal Borderline on UPN.

 Ms. Birchett' developed the roles of Cathy in Just the Boys and Medea in 
Jason and Medea. She acted as a dramaturg in the development process of 
Theatre Double's original adaptation of the Medea myth. Additional Theatre 
Double credits include: Alice in Quick, Fast and in a Hurry and Josephine 
Baker Artaud in ...And the Sky Can Still Fall On Our Heads.  Additional 
Regional Theatre Credits include: New York City: Elizabeth in Promenade at 
P.S. 122, and Sarah in We are Your Sisters for Blue Heron Theatre Company. 
Philadelphia Magazine praised her performance as Ramona Africa in 6221 
Tragedy and Prophecy (the Move play). 
Additional Philadelphia Theatre credits include, Ronnie in the world premiere 
of Negative by Joyce Carol Oates for Festival Theatre for New Plays, Mattie 
in Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson for Bushfire Theatre, Georgie 
in Spiked Heels Adrian in An Agreement directed by Walter Dallas at Freedom 
Theatre, and as Claire in Ntzoke Shange's Photographs of Lovers in Motion for 
Interact Theatre Company. Of her performance in the world premiere of P.J. 
Gibson's play Annie Mae's Child at Bushfire Theatre The Philadelphia City 
Paper wrote,  "Shelita Birchett is a tremendously gifted, amazingly graceful 
actress." The Interact Theatre Company developed the lead role in the 
Barrymore-nominated Best Play of 1999, Bee Luther Hatchee, for Ms. Birchett. 
A play by Barrymore Award-winning playwright Tom Gibbons, the author of the 
6221-Prophecy & Tragedy, (Move Play.)
 






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