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Kevin Allen Jackson
Out of the Park Entertainment
323-839-9354
kevin@outoftheparkentertainment.com
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Oscar®-nominated actress Shohreh
Aghdashloo endorses “Accepting Rumi,” a new musical
play celebrating the life of 13th century mystic poet, Jalálu’ddin
Rumi
The musical is the first to fuse traditional Persian music
with classical Western orchestration
Los Angeles – October 22, 2005 – In 13th century
Turkey, a time and a place ruled by tyrannical despots and
ripped apart by religious wars, Jalálu’ddin
Rumi united people throughout the Middle East with
his poetry and spiritual teachings. After his family was driven
out of Afghanistan, and then Syria, by the rampaging Genghis
Kahn, Rumi settled for the majority of his life in Konya,
Turkey, a lush center of commerce through which much trade
flowed from east to west and vice-versa. There, Rumi lived
amongst, and strived to forge harmony between, a diverse population
that included Muslims, Sufis, Christians, Jews, Greeks, Turks,
Zen Buddhists and others.
A prolific storyteller, and son of a renowned Muslim scholar,
Rumi composed thousands of poetic verses into three volumes
of work, and taught, almost daily, whomever arrived in his
garden to worship and study with him. Now, nearly 800 years
later, at a time when his universal messages of love and acceptance
are just as, if not more, pertinent than ever, “Accepting
Rumi,” a new musical play based on his life
and poetry, examines the seed of human evolution, the conflicts
that arise between loved ones, and the quest for enlightenment
through the art of acceptance and living each moment in the
present.
From November 18-20 at Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood,
for four performances only, the Friends of Rumi, in association
with Out of the Park Entertainment, will present a workshop
production of “Accepting Rumi.”
Admission to the workshop is by invitation only. There is
a suggested donation of $20-50, the proceeds from which will
be donated to Girls and Boys Town in the name of Oscar-nominated
Persian-American actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo.
The workshop is directed by Coy Middlebrook,
whose Broadway credits include Associate Director work on
Big River and Brooklyn, and whose off-Broadway
and regional directing credits include the world premiere
of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm (off-Broadway),
The Ford Theatre’s production of Big River,
and award-winning productions of Hair, Into the Woods,
Jesus Christ Superstar and The Wizard of Oz
at various Bay area theatres.
Book writer and lyricist Parker Moody Jackson
is a playwright, producer and fashion journalist who writes
for several national and international publications, and whose
past theatre credits include the world premiere of Sam Shepard’s
True Dylan, the critically-acclaimed The Shvitz
(in Detroit), and the hip-hop Greek farce Luna at
The MET Theatre in Hollywood, where she first collaborated
with her partner and composer, Flipper Dalton.
Much sought after music producer and composer Flipper
Dalton has worked with such prominent pop artists
as Madonna, P. Diddy, Alanis Morrisette, Prodigy, Sasha and
John Digweed. He has also played concert piano at Royal Albert
Hall in London, toured the world extensively with such acts
as Fat Boy Slim, Moby, Carl Cox, and Brian Transeau, and composes
music for film and television, most recently completing his
first feature film, Citizen’s Arrest, directed
by Beeaje Quick, and the Sundance-bound short Premiere,
starring Brandon Williams and Amy Smart.
Musical Director Gerald Sternbach is the
resident MD for the Reprise! Best of Broadway in Concert series;
his Broadway credits include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,
Merlin and The Tap Dance Kid (all as Associate
Conductor). Additionally, he was the Associate Conductor for
the Los Angeles premiere of Les Miserables, and the
conductor for the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance, starring
Melissa Manchester.
Set Designer Shane Guffogg is a renown painter
whose works has been shown in galleries across the country
(notably NY, LA, Chicago and La Jolla), and collected by museums,
corporations and collectors around the world.
Lighting Designer Michael Gilliam’s
Broadway credits include Brooklyn, Big River and
Stand-Up Tragedy. Off-Broadway credits include Blue,
End of the World Party, Zooman and the Sign, and Menopause
The Musical. He has also designed national tours of Guys
and Dolls and Big River, and worked in most
of the major regional theatres in the U.S.
Costume Designer Beth Morgan has designed
or assisted on numerous productions in Los Angeles, including
Madness of Esme of Shaz at Celebration Theatre, and
Bicostal Woman at Pasadena Playhouse, where she has
also worked as the Wardrobe Supervisor for a number of years.
She has also designed several films, as well as assisting
Katherine Jane Byant for two seasons on the Emmy nominated
Deadwood.
Sound Designer Jake Eberle has designed or
edited sound for over 40 motion pictures, and more theatre
productions than he can count. Some notable film credits include
Narc with Jason Patric and Ray Liotta; In The
Shadows with Matthew Modine, James Caan, Joey Lauren
Adams and Cuba Gooding Jr.; and I Witness with Jeff
Daniels, James Spader and Portia de Rossi.
Production Stage Manager William Coiner has
been stage managing Broadway musicals for the past 15 years
including the Tony and Emmy award winning Blast! on
Broadway, and the national tours of Rent, Sunset Blvd.,
Angels in America, Tommy, Big River, Guys and Dolls, Grease!
and Annie Get Your Gun.
Casting director Michael Donovan, C.S.A.
has cast 40 films, 9 TV series, over 1,000 commercials, and
numerous critically-acclaimed productions for the theatre.
A double Artios nominee (C.S.A.'s award for Outstanding Casting),
Michael's theatre credits include Snoopy and Johnny
Boy at the Falcon Theatre, Dinah Was and My
Boy Jack at I.C.T., Grand Hotel, The Musical
at The Colony, Twelfth Night for Shakespeare Festival/L.A.,
Summertime at the Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena,
The Sleeper at Arkansas Repertory, Bark
at the Coast Playhouse, and a touring production of Aida.
Out of the Park Entertainment is a multi-tiered
feature film and live theatrical production company, which
also serves as the development arm of Jaret Entertainment,
working specifically with new writers. Additionally, its principals,
Kevin Allen Jackson and Adam Jaret, function
as development consultants to outside production companies.
Past and current clients include East of Doheny and Lobo Productions,
for both of which OPE has developed feature-length material.
The cast includes veterans of Broadway, off-Broadway, the
West End, and major regional theatres across the country,
as well as film and television
What: Friends of Rumi present, in association
with Out of the Park Entertainment, a workshop production
of “Accepting Rumi,” a new musical play celebrating
the life of mystic poet, Jalálu’ddin Rúmí
Who: Book & Lyrics by Parker Moody Jackson;
Composed by Flipper Dalton; Directed by Coy Middlebrook; Musical
Direction/Supervision & Vocal Arrangements by Gerald Sternbach;
Produced by Kevin Allen Jackson & Adam Jaret; Set Design
by Shane Guffogg; Lighting Design by Michael Gilliam; Costume
Design by Beth Morgan; Sound Design by Jake Eberle; Production
Stage Manager, William Coiner; Casting by Michael Donovan,
C.S.A.; Creative Consultant, Zsa Zsa Modjallal; featuring
John Altieri, Jonah Blechman, Ron Butler, Joshua Wolf Coleman,
Laila Dagher, Jamen Nanathakumar, Ali Spuck, Joe Settineri,
Hollis Turk, Melissa van der Schyff, Krystal L. Washington,
Robert L. Williams, Jacob Witkin, Andrew Ross Wynn
Where: Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim
Blvd., North Hollywood. (Yahoo!
Map)
When: Friday 11/18, 8pm; Saturday 11/19,
8pm; Sunday 11/20, 2pm & 7pm
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