I've seen a few references to Ray's plays being produced in L.A. Can anyone tell me what attendance is like? Is his appearance advertised beforehand, or is it is a little surprise for the audience?
Thanks!

Charlie Mount could give more detail. On the night we went the play was very well attended. Charlie, the Banshee and the others did an excellent job. I thoroughly enjoyed the productions and acting. I don't know if Ray's attendence is preannounced or not, but it was great that he was there the night we went. I know he goes to several of them.

FTJoshua
One of Ray's most successful plays, in the terms of audience, was "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit", which played at the Pasadena Playhouse, in California, to packed audiences. At the time, it was rewritten as a musical.
But it is important to note that Ray's plays are being performed somewhere, all the time, on college campuses or small theater settings. "Fahrenheit 451" is a favorite.
Personally, I'd like to see the ressurection of his play, "Leviathan '99"....about a Moby Dick style adventure set in far space. In this case, the Captain is blinded by the comet, Leviathan, and gathers a crew aboard a spaceship to go to destroy the comet that nearly destroyed him. It was orginally performed on a sound stage in Los Angeles, with less than a hundred seats. (William Marshall, the black Shakespearean actor who played the Captain in the original stage performances, t passed away just in the last couple weeks).

Then he died around the same time as Gregory Peck, who played Captain Ahab in Ray's film version of "Moby-Dick."

Dandelion:
You're right! Actually, I never thought about that. Hmm!

(click on, or type into finder): http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/17/deaths.marshall.ap/
also...
(click on, or type into finder): http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030613/1/3brz9.html

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 06-27-2003).]

Thank you for the input! Next question, then, is this: The shows that Ray Bradbury personally attended; how much of a draw do you think that was to the audience? It's one thing to see his plays produced, another to be able to meet him or at least hear him speak.

Also, does anyone know how many seats the L.A. shows were?
Thanks for the help!

I heard someone say attendance is always good when it's known that Ray has written the adaptation himself, but don't remember whether anyone said it's always good when he plans to be there himself, or if so who said it. The place looked pretty small to me--maybe around 100 seats.

When I was there, I spoke to someone with the theater who told me it had 168 seats, but it did look small to me, also. Dandelion may be right.

I just returned home after having attended The October Country with my 15 year old daughter. I purchased a copy of the illustrated biography of Mr. Bradbury signed by him. I was told that Mr. Bradbury shows up every Saturday night, tomorrow being the last performance of the play. My daughter and I switched seats three times until I was satisfied. After a few minutes who should show up but Mr. Bradbury himself. He used a walker but got into his seat without the aid of his friends or assistants. What a thrill to have him sit right in front of us! I got to hear his conversation and reminiscences with his friends. He signed autographs cordially and was absolutely as friendly as they come. He even gave a witty and insightful introduction to the plays! His presence gave the evening an extra zing! An unforgettable experience, for me and especially my daughter!

Mr. Dark:
As I recall while ago, 99 seats was very good for a small theater on a budget, since they do not have to pay Union Scale to the actors at a theater with that number of seats... That was what I was told. But then, maybe that has changed. ( ? )

When I was younger, I had more confidence in my memory. I was talking to the girl in the booth when I picked up my tickets. She said she was one of the actresses that worked in that theater frequently, and my recollection is that she answered my inquiry with 168. But, as I say, the number may be something I have unintentionally fabricated between then and now.

No senility here to blame it on, Mr. Dark. You were actually pretty close in your seating estimate...
(click on, or type into finder) http://events.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimesTheater-!PlaceDetail-5512,00.html

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 06-28-2003).]

Who handles the rights for Mr. Bradbury's plays?

His agents, Don Congdon Associates.

The play's the thing - see below:


Pandemonium Press
An Irregular Publication of
RAY BRADBURY’S PANDEMONIUM THEATRE COMPANY
Celebrating its 45th ANNIVERSARY YEAR!!

Issue No. 45 October 2008

THE PLAY’S THE THING

Firemen in a world of the near future don’t put out fires, they start them. They burn books. Reading is banned in the interest of maintaining a becalmed, dumbed-down society. People are fed contrived TV “reality” shows in which viewers participate in the action.

But the human intellect and instinct for freedom can’t be completely denied and a rebellious few will read books regardless of the consequences. One of the rebels is a fireman himself. Can rebel fireman Montag and his friends save their cultural heritage?

First published in 1953, Ray Bradbury’s classic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 is eerily prescient and as relevant now as it was on the day it first appeared. It has been made into a film (by Truffaut), an opera, and a play. Now, Ray Bradbury’s masterpiece returns, opening at the Fremont Centre Theatre on April 19.

The cast includes David Mauer, Mageina Tovah, Michael Prichard, Roses Prichard, Steven Robert Wollenberg, Matthew Bond, Grady Hutt, Robert Kerr, Joan Jack, Paul Bond, Andy Sell, Jessica D. Stone, Dolly Payne and Philip Sokoloff. Produced by Ray Bradbury, Alan Neal Hubbs directs the production, with John Edw. Blankenchip, Production Designer; Peter Strauss, Lighting Designer; Susanne Klein, Costume Designer; Robert Arturo Ramirez, Sound Designer; and Elliott Woodruff and Grady Hutt, Production Stage Managers.

Fremont Centre Theatre
1000 Fremont Ave. (at El Centro)
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Previews Friday, October 17, 2008 at 8 pm
Reopening Night: Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 8 pm
Performances: Friday and Saturday at 8 pm – Sunday at 3 pm
Closing Night: Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 8 pm
Admission: $20. Seniors: $15. Students: $10.
Reservations and Information: 323-960-4451
Online Ticketing: www.Plays411.com/raybradbury