PLAYWRIGHT PAUL ELLIOTT TO SPEAK AT VENICE THEATRE
(Venice, FL) Respected television writer, screenwriter and playwright Paul Elliott is traveling to Venice to support the regional premiere of his comedy Exit Laughing. Venice Theatre is set to open its 2015-2016 MainStage Season with Elliott’s play on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. He will be in the area from Sept. 27 through Oct. 2nd to watch the show, spend time with the cast and crew, and meet theatre patrons. He also plans to enjoy the area beaches, or in his words, “scoop for a few shark teeth.” Elliott first visited Venice in June 2014 when he attended the international community theatre festival (aactWorldFest) at Venice Theatre.
Venice Theatre’s Executive/Artistic Director, Murray Chase, will lead an audience talk-back with Elliott following the 8 p.m. performance of Exit Laughing on Thursday, Oct. 1. Tickets for the show and talk-back are $28 for adults and $13 to $15 for students. They are available for purchase at www.VeniceStage.com or by calling the box office at 941-488-1115. Venice Theatre is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave. on the island in Venice. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and one hour before all performances.
Exit Laughing, Elliott’s most recent published work, was chosen as one of the winning plays of the American Association of Community Theatre AACT NewPlayFest. It is about a group of southern women from Birmingham, Alabama whose highlight of the week for the past 30 years has been bridge with the “girls.” When one of the foursome dies, the others dare to “borrow” the ashes from the funeral home for one last card game. What happens next involves more adventure in one night than they’ve experienced over the last three decades.
After being chosen as one of the AACT NewPlayFest winners, Exit Laughing premiered at the Springfield Little Theatre in the fall of 2013 where it broke all records for a nonmusical in the Missouri theatre’s 50-year history. It has since been published by Dramatic Publishing as a stand-alone piece and in the American Association of Community Theatre AACT NewPlayFest Winning Plays: Volume 1 (2014).
Elliott is based in California where he is the head of the Fierce Backbone Writers’ Unit in Hollywood. He has written, produced and/or directed both network and syndicated shows. He has also written, produced and/or directed live entertainment spectaculars for theme parks such as Disneyland, Disney World, Euro Disney, Six Flags AstroWorld, Boblo Island Amusement Park, and Sanrio Puroland in Japan. However, writing for the stage has always been Elliott’s first love. His plays Legacy and Perspective (published by Samuel French) and Ledge, Ledger and the Legend, Mind Games and The Door (published by Dramatic Publishing) are produced all around the world. In 2012, Elliott’s play Ledge, Ledger and the Legend was voted one of the top 25 most-produced one-act plays in the last 25 years.
Elliott’s other stage plays include the comedy-drama Finding the Burnett Heart and Gentle Passage. Dula, Elliott’s first musical, written with international recording star Jeanie Cunningham, received a staged reading in the summer of 2013 at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL as the first step to a full production. His controversial new novel, The Riverton Project, is being published by Quattro Media. The novel was released fall 2013 and was brought to the screen by Warner Bros. in spring 2014. More information about Mr. Elliott can be found at www.paulelliottwriter.com.
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TICKETS: 941-488-1115 | www.venicestage.com
Venice Theatre is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to making a dramatic impact on all stages of life. The second-largest of 10,000 community theatres in the United States, it is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave. in Venice, FL. Its MainStage offers seating for 432 patrons and features musicals, plays, concerts and special events. Its Yvonne Pinkerton Theatre seats 90 patrons and is home to the theatre’s “Generations,” Stage II and Cabaret Series. In addition to providing entertainment to the community, Venice Theatre offers a wide range of education and outreach programs for children and adults.
