"TORN"
West Coast Premiere
At Theatre/Theater

HOLLYWOOD, CA - March 19, 2002 -- "The proper response to love is to destroy it." From this starting point, director David Lee takes Torn, by Ramen Cromwell and Blake Goddard, and proceeds with a bold improvisational restructuring of the story of a prodigy restaurateur whose friends gather after his death. Torn was originally produced, under Lee's direction, to packed houses at New York's experimental Loft 104. It opens in Los Angeles at Hollywood's Theatre/Theater, April 11.

"Torn grew out of a frustration with the rigidity of traditional theatre on the one hand, and the lack of structure and discipline in improvisational work on the other. Torn is my attempt to establish a middle ground. We tell the same story every night, but dialogue and timing and even the order in which events occur, vary with the dramatic necessities of each moment. The script is only one half of the play's engine. It is read and then discarded. The other half of the engine is the process." Says Lee. "Frequently unplanned-for, even frightening events can arise using this method, but like in the films of John Cassavetes, these are often our greatest achievement.

"We improvise the rehearsals, living the characters' lives up until the point of the play and when the curtain goes up, the actors walk on stage knowing everything about the situation, the story, and their relationships in order to actually 'live' the play. What we strive for is the creation of an organic, vital piece of theatre."

David Lee has previously directed productions of The Skin of Our Teeth, Rouge Atomique, Graceland, The Normal Heart, Bad for You, Suicide in B Flat, Glengarry Glen Ross, and the original production of Torn. His film credits include: ff=44; Despair, winner of the audience Award for Artistic Excellence at the 1997 HIGH BROW/low budget Film Festival; Storybook Endings, official selection of the 2001 New York Independent Film Festival, and Misery Day Parade: a grand love story.

The cast consists of Andrew Ableson, Emily Cline, Shellee Rae Crane, Christopher Heltai, Justin Ipock, Tracy Keim, Leora Klein, Mark Lewis, Elyse Seiden, and Damon Shalit. Davis Rushing serves as production understudy.

Torn, powered by JHKstage, is presented by Ducky Bamboo Productions in partnership with Darren Chan and Thomas Yang producing. Jiro Wada serves as Stage Manager.

Torn will preview Apr. 4, 5, and 6 prior to the Apr. 11 opening at Theatre/Theater, Theatre B, 6425 Hollywood Blvd. (at Wilcox) 4th Flr., in Hollywood. Performances are Thurs. through Sat. at 8:00 PM, closing May 18. For tickets and reservations call 310 575-4981, or order online with credit card at www.duckybamboo.com.