Esther's Moustache by Laurel Ollstein

Gus the Dog Productions Presents

ESTHER'S MOUSTACHE

BUY TICKETS HERE! OR CALL 1-323-960-7792

November 5 through December 17th, 2011

"An inherited genetic trait becomes a quirky metaphor for irritating but inescapable cultural legacies in writer-director Laurel Ollstein's amiable comedy ...[which] navigates loaded sterotypes with a refreshingly breezy refusal to settle for predictable outcomes."
-- Los Angeles Times

Ollstein's play is zany and funny...As director, she has cast it beautifully and stages it with vigor. Strapp is all wistful desperation as beleaguered Maddie, and Ratner is every inch the indomitable Jewish grandma, even when she returns from Venice Beach in stylish lounging pajamas. Marini is an exotic presence as the sex-obsessed Lilith, and Grinstead brings enough sexy charm and energy to enliven his every scene. -- Backstage Magazine Critics Pick

Esther's Moustache Writer/Director Debates Herself in LA Stage Times

Maddie Sternberg is the author of the sexy cartoon strip "Oh My Goddess', and is committed to proving that her life is GREAT - only a year after her father's suicide. But things start to get complicated after her Grandmother Esther pops up uninvited at her Venice Beach bungalow with a trunk full of family photos and warm potato latkes. When Maddie falls for a hot messenger guy who happens to be German, her goddess cartoon character can't take it anymore and starts giving her relationship advice. Things couldn't get more surreal for Maddie in this darkly comic play about love, sex, heritage and letting go.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

LAUREL OLLSTEIN (Director.Playwright) is an award winning playwright, director and teacher with a production record in major cities including New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

Recently named the Faith Broome Playwright-in-Residence for 2011-2012 at the University of Oklahoma. They will be producing her newest play They Promised Her The Moon -- based on the true story of the ‘almost first female astronaut'.

Making the transition from actress to writer started with her interest in the works of Dorothy Parker . She penned a one-woman play based on Dorothy's life and work. Laughter, Hope and a Sock in the Eye, was first preformed at the unveiling of the Dorothy Parker Memorial Garden in Baltimore on the National Grounds of the NAACP where her ashes were laid to rest 22 years after her death. Other productions around the country include: The Old Log Theatre, Minneapolis, Foot Of The Mountain Theatre, MN, The Arena Theatre, Baltimore, and the Seattle Fringe Festival. In Los Angeles Laughter, Hope And A Sock in the Eye played for 11 months to full houses at the Burbage Theatre - where it was nominated for Best One Person show by the LA Weekly. Most recently it was produced by the Theatre/Drama Committee of the National Arts Club, in New York City in September 2006.

As an original member of the award winning Actors' Gang she worked as a playwright/actress in many collaborative pieces such as Hysteria, Blood Love Madness, and MMC. The Gang produced her plays Potroast, Cheese and Insomniac. Cheese was recently published by Original Works Publishing.

Currently a member of ABOUT PRODUCTIONS - where she collaborated as writer and actor in On Earth as It Is in Heaven. Director for AP's STAGES program, which writes senior citizens' life stories into theatrical monologues. From these interviews Laurel created Showing Our Age, a full length play with music. SOA premiered at Inside The Ford in 2007.

Playwright's Arena (Jon Rivera) produced her dark comedy THE DARK AGES at the Studio Stage in 2006.

Laurel co-wrote the book for the musical OPA! which premiered in 2008 at the Midtown theatre festival in New York City, receiving 14 award nominations. OPA ! played to sold-out houses at Queens Theatre in the Fall of 2009.

Laurel's collaborative piece about the Los Angeles garment industry Bias Cut premièred at HIGHWAYS in Santa Monica in 2009.

Other plays produced around the country include: Insomniac, Storage Room, Pot Roast, Cheese, Blackwell's Corner, The Dark Ages And Anatomy Of A Brain Injury. Her essays and memoir pieces have been published by Freshyarn.com, The Middle English Literary Group, The Sea Oats review and Tiny Lights literary review. Laurel has taught writing at CalArts, Loyola Marymount University and UCLA Extension.

The cast of ESTHER'S MOUSTACHE features: Ellen Ratner (Pot Mom), Mara Marini (Dracula), Joanna Strapp ("The United States of Tara") and Burt Grinstead ("Passions").

The design team for ESTHER'S MOUSTACHE is as follows: The set design is by Maureen Weiss. The lighting design is by Carolina Ortiz. The costume design is by Pam Shaw. The sound design is by John Zalewski.

For press interviews, press comps or photos, please contact David Elzer at DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or at ELZERD@aol.com.

***All Esther's Moustache production photos by Michael Lamont