ABOUT LOVELACE, A Rock Opera:
On June 12, 1972, Deep Throat made its debut, becoming the first main stream pornographic movie. The country’s elite, from Truman Capote to Jackie Kennedy to Johnny Carson flocked to theater to see this history making film. Its star, Linda Lovelace became a sensation, counting Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson as her fans. By all accounts, at the time, she was on top of the world. A sexually liberated woman taking full advantage of the sexual revolution. But, just a few years later, she was telling a different story. One of abuse and imprisonment at the hands of her husband Chuck Traynor. She was embraced by the feminist movement and its anti-porn crusade, becoming one their premier spokeswomen, even going on to speak numerous times in front of the U.S Senate.
In the style of Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar, LOVELACE, A Rock Opera, tells Linda’s story. From pregnant teenager in Yonkers, New York to her turbulent relationship with Traynor and the making of Deep Throat, through to her triumphant rebirth as activist and suburban wife and mother.
ABOUT THE WRITERS:
 Anna Waronker (That Dog.) and Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s) are highly esteemed songwriters and performers worldwide. Los Angeles natives and sisters-in-law, they started collaborating for film, television, and other artists upon meeting in 1995. Lovelace has been a work in progress since 2002, where Waronker and Caffey’s initial involvement began solely as music writers. In 2006, they embarked on their first venture as playwrights writing the book for Lovelace in the form of a sung-through rock opera. After months of extensive research, Waronker and Caffey developed a highly emotional, dramatic, and sometimes hilarious piece about the life of Linda Boreman. This is their first theater endeavor. Individually, Waronker has released several albums in That Dog and as a solo artist and composes for film and television, and Caffey has penned such hits as “We Got The Beat”, “Vacation”, and “Head Over Heels” in her Grammy nominated band The Go-Go’s and co-wrote Keith Urban’s first #1 hit. Infusing Waronker’s signature vocal style and Caffey’s classical education with their collective rock and pop backgrounds, Waronker and Caffey have since written the book, music, and co-written the lyrics for Lovelace A Rock Opera.
Jeffery Leonard Bowman (original concept, lyrics) began conceptualizing “Lovelace” immediately following Linda Boreman’s death in 2002. After months of extensive research and bringing in Waronker and Caffey to write the music for his lyrics, he produced and directed several workshop versions of the piece including the highly successful one-night-only production at Los Angeles’ Key Club with Tina Yothers starring as Linda Lovelace. In 2005, Bowman brought the piece to producers Danna Hyams and Gary Blumsack at The Hayworth Theater where several workshop productions have led to this “rock opera” production of the show.
Bowman is the author of nine produced stage plays and is also the author of “Diva: The Unauthorized Biography of Whitney Houston” published by HarperCollins and released worldwide. In addition to his work on Lovelace, Jeffery is currently writing and performing his own original songs with shows in the Los Angeles area and produces “Legendary Bingo,” a weekly charity fundraising event in West Hollywood that has raised more than 3 million dollars for local and national non-profit organizations.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Ken Sawyer’s production of the Los Angeles premiere of THE WOMAN IN BLACK set box office records, receiving “Critics Choice” from the LA Times, winning five prestigious LA OVATION AWARDS including “Best Production (Play)” and “Best Director”, and four LA DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE awards including “Best Director. Ken also directed ONE RED FLOWER: LETTERS FROM ‘NAM, a new musical by Emmy Award winning Paris Barclay at Carnegie Mellon University. Ken’s staging of A MISLAID HEAVEN, an Irish drama set during the peace treaty conflict of the 1920’s, received glowing reviews and garnered several Los Angeles Theatre awards including four LA OVATION Nominations. He directed the long-running production of THE ANGELS OF LEMNOS for which he received an LA OVATION and Robby nomination for Best Director. Ken is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab West 2002. As an award winning sound designer, Ken has collaborated extensively with musicians to create original scores for most of the plays he has directed, including THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
THE HAYWORTH THEATRE:
The Hayworth Theatre officially opened its doors on February 25, 2006, with the critically acclaimed one-man show, “Not A Genuine Black Man” written and performed by Brian Copeland, which chronicled his experience as an African American child living in an all white racist city in Northern California in the early 1970’s. Over the last two and a half years, The Hayworth has strived to present equally thought provoking and insightful productions. Carlos Lacamara’s “Nowhere On The Border” told the story of a Mexican father searching the Arizona desert for his daughter who had disappeared crossing into the United States. “The Good Steno Steno”, written, directed and starring Paul Ben-Victor, explored the insidious and misogynistic world of the New York garment industry of the 1940’s. Lacamara’s second Hayworth Production, “Havana Bourgeois” examined life in Cuba leading up to and following the beginning of Castro’s revolution in 1959. Renowned film director, Paul Mazursky returned to theatre to direct “The Catskill Sonata” in 2007 and again this year for “Adam Baum And The Jew Movie”, currently running on the Main Stage, starring Richard Kind and Hamish Linklater. Other productions include, John DiFusco’s “Walkin’ Through The Fire” and “Sexy Laundry”, starring Frances Fisher and Paul Ben-Victor, directed by Gary Blumsack. In October, The Hayworth is anticipating the opening of the long awaited rock opera, “Lovelace”. Written by Go Go’s songwriter and guitarist, Charlotte Caffey and singer-songwriter, Anna Waronker, this is the dramatic story of the infamous star of “Deep Throat”, Linda Lovelace.
In June of 2007, The Hayworth premiered The Bruno Kirby Celebrity Reading Series, a monthly presentation of new plays, featuring an exciting array of film, television and stage stars. The series opened with Lou Diamond Phillips’ “Burning Desire”, starring Phillips, Michael Urie and Amy Smart and directed by Wendy Mallick. Over the last year, casts have included Paul Mazursky, Chandra Wilson, Charles Durning, Jerry O’Connell, Carol Kane, Dan Lauria, Dayton Callie, Paul Ben-Victor, Michael Rappaport, Wendie Mallick and many more.
Over the last 20 years The Hayworth’s Artistic Director, Gary Blumsack, has become one the most prolific and influential theatre producers in Los Angeles. In the 1970’s he created the NATIONAL THEATRE FOR CHILDREN in Boston, supported by Harvard University. In the 1980’s Gary ran the BURBANK THEATRE GUILD, where he produced, acted and directed in dozens of productions, including the Los Angeles Premiere of Frederick Knott’s thriller, WAIT UNTIL DARK, the powerful NAMES and the controversial GATE 11. In the early 1990’s Gary created the HUDSON MAINSTAGE, HUDSON BACKSTAGE, HUDSON AVENUE and HUDSON GUILD THEATRES in Hollywood where he produced such critically acclaimed plays as SOWETOS BURNING, HELL’S KITCHEN ABLAZE and THE SURVIVOR. Gary went on to produce GRANDMA SYLVIA’S FUNERAL which moved to the off-Broadway Soho Playhouse, where it ran for 6 years. In the late 1990’s Gary opened THE LILLIAN, a four-theatre venue in Hollywood, where he produced a series of quirky, edgy musicals including VAMPIRE VIRGINS FROM VENUS and the long running GAYS OF OUR LIVES. In creating the The Hudson and Lillian Theatres, Gary pioneered what would eventually become Theatre Row on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. He produced the Los Angeles hit musical REEFER MADNESS, which opened on Broadway in 2001 with Jimmy Nederlander at the helm. He directed Rain Pryor’s one-woman show FRIED CHICKEN & LATKES, which originated at The Lillian Theatre and went on to be presented at The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and continues to plays around the country. Gary is also the recipient of the Ovation Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, LA Weekly Award and Backstage West Garland Award.
In 2004, Gary became an investor in the building that would become the home of The Hayworth Theatre. After spending two years renovating the entire building and creating a spectacular venue that includes three theatres and four rehearsal studios, he has helmed the amazing slate of critically acclaimed productions listed above.
After meeting Danna Hyams in 2003, Gary invited her to be the Producing Director of the new venture he was planning. Danna was a founding member of City Stage Theatre Company, formed in 1983, where the company created a venue in Downtown Los Angeles, producing a broad spectrum of plays, developing original works and presenting rarely produced published plays. Among their critically acclaimed productions were “Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth” by Tom Stoppard, “Vampire”, by Snoo Wilson and “American Twilight”, a collection of David Mamet one-act plays. Their original plays, including “Privacy” by Lauren Hartman and “Around The World With Winney and Nooky”, helped the company make a name for themselves as part of the burgeoning Los Angeles theatre community of that time. Additionally at this location, Danna formed the Inner City Art Center, creating projects written, directed and performed by the Homeless Community on Skid Row. The group gained national attention and went on to participate in many events highlighting the needs of the homeless and how creative endeavors can assist in their rehabilitation. In 1988, Danna became the Artistic Director of City Stage, producing numerous productions throughout Los Angeles, including NON-VITAL ORGANS written and performed by Gigi Bermingham and BECOMING CUBAN by Carlos Lacamara at The Hudson Theatre. City Stage created the sketch comedy group “Hit and Run”, which had successful runs at The Comedy Store and Improv in Hollywood, ultimately garnering a deal with Fox Network to develop a television series. In 2003, City Stage produced “Leap” and “Idiot’s Delight” at The Lillian Theatre.
Aside from her work with City Stage, Danna has worked as a producer with other companies on such productions as “WHY WE HAVE A BODY” at The Tiffany Theatre and “THE AKHMATOVA PROJECT” at The Actors Gang. For a short period, she also delved into the film world as a Creative Executive at New Line Cinema, but soon found herself back with her first love, the theatre.
Since 2004, Danna has been the Producing Director of The Hayworth Theatre, overseeing production and participating in the development of their exciting slate of productions. |
