Idly Bent Presents The World Premiere Of
All Is Fair
(or Oblivion Wrought)
A New Play Written & Directed by Reed Arnold
Examining the Thornier Side of the Emotions & Ethics of Love
Dorie Theatre at The Complex in Hollywood
Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 24, 2016

~ If All Is Fair, Then Nothing Is ~

LOS ANGELES, CA – March 10, 2016 – Idly Bent presents the World Premiere of award winning Director-Playwright Reed Arnold’s new play, All Is Fair (or Oblivion Wrought), at the Dorie Theatre in Hollywood, CA, opening on Friday, April 8th for eleven performances through Sunday, April 24, 2016. This funny and thought-provoking play grapples with the thornier side of the emotions and ethics of love. All is Fair stars Arnold, Sarah Elizabeth Johnston, Michael Minto, and Ross Gallo. The play is written and directed by Arnold; set design is by Brian Cole; lighting design is by Rebecca Raines; and Zachary Zarvos is the stage manager. For additional information, please visit the play’s website at allisfairplay.com.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances start at 8:00pm. Sunday performances start at 7:00pm. General admission tickets are $20 at the door (cash only), $14 online in advance, and “pay what you will” on Thursdays. Suggested minimum audience age is 16. The production will be staged at The Dorie Theatre at The Complex in the heart of Hollywood’s Theatre Row (6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038; 323-465-0383). Purchase online tickets here: allisfairplay.com/tickets.

All Is Fair (or Oblivion Wrought) by Actor-Playwright Reed Arnold –
In the thought-provoking and funny All Is Fair, written and directed by Reed Arnold, Heather (Johnston) and Dan (Arnold) are two promising accounting consultants in Chicago. The coworkers spend long hours and late nights working together on their firm’s most challenging cases while trying to ignore the sparks flying between them, but when Heather gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend, they finally acknowledge their mutual attraction. Instead of dismissing it outright, they take an emotionally risky, professionally reckless, and morally fraught journey into the what-might-have-been.

Stomaching the teasing of Dan’s roommate Chris (Minto), who is dealing with trust issues in his own relationship, and avoiding the suspicions of Vince (Gallo), their boss ‘in title only,’ the two must make decisions about love, trust, pride, and passion as Heather’s wedding day looms ever closer. This poignant and provocative new play looks at the thornier side of the emotions and ethics of love and asks what beautiful and brutal things people do in its name. If it is indeed true that all is fair, then, in the end, nothing is.

Reed Arnold, Director, Playwright, & “Dan” –
Award-winning writer-actor Reed Arnold grew up in Oklahoma and started writing and acting in middle school. His first original production, For Better For Worse, was staged last year at Playhouse West for a 2-week run, which was extended to 6 weeks by popular demand. In Los Angeles, he has performed on-stage in Twelve Angry Men (Torrance Theatre Co.), Much Ado About Nothing (Manhattan Beach Theatre Co.), Romeo and Juliet (Colonials Shakespeare Co.), The Foreigner (Shepherd Boy Ensemble), and Whine and Dine (coming in March to The Sherry Theater). He also often collaborates with the YouTube comedy group Third String Kicker. Arnold trained in acting at Playhouse West and trained in improv at Upright Citizens Brigade. In 2016, he won the award for Best Actor in a Comedic Short and shared the award for Best Screenplay for a Comedic Short at the Playhouse West Film Festival for Dinner for Two. The film also won Best Comedy at Playhouse West. Arnold also won the 2011 award for Best Short Screenplay at the deadCenter Film Festival for Twelve Days.

Sarah Elizabeth Johnston, “Heather” – 
Sarah Elizabeth Johnston was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri. She studied acting at the Creative Actors Workshop with the late Scott-Arthur Allen and, after moving to Los Angeles, at Playhouse West with Jeff Goldblum, Robyn Cohen, Holly Gagnier, and Tony Savant. She has performed on stage in A Mixed Tape alongside Jonathan Lipnicki; Situationships; and the recent Bored Games, which was produced by her company LACA Entertainment and was featured in the Rattlestick West 2015 Fall Festival. Since signing with the Savage Agency, she has appeared in several commercials, including the “That’s So Gay” PSA featuring Hilary Duff; landed a guest-star spot opposite Eric Stonestreet in Nip/Tuck; starred in the feature film Richard Peter Johnson, for which she won Best Actress at the Playhouse West Film Festival; and also starred in the short Lost in Time, which is making its way around the festival circuit.

Michael Minto, “Chris” –
Michael Minto is a Los Angeles native actor and writer known for the films Deathbot, The Other Side, and Zombie Man. In addition to acting on the stage and in films, he can be found doing improv at Comedy Sportz, Upright Citizens Brigade, The Clubhouse, Improv Lab, IO West, and The Groundlings. Minto is in an online sketch group, 3Twins. Also a musician, he is a member of two-person improv band Guilt Feather with Matt Mattson.

Ross Gallo, “Vince” – 
Ross Gallo is an actor and writer, known for The Call, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Where the Office Lies. He was last on stage in Circus Ugly at Atwater Village Theatre and Minor Conversations at Playhouse West. Additional movie and television credits include Careful What You Wish For and ABC’s What Would You Do? He has a supporting role in the upcoming film Mr. Right starring Anna Kendrick, which will have a theatrical premiere in New York City on April 6th, after a successful festival run.

Idly Bent –
Idly Bent was founded in 2012 in Charlottesville, Virginia by Anne Haney, Matthew Minnicino, and Reed Arnold. Since that time, the company’s creative spirit and ethos has spread to wherever its members have resided. Shows have been staged in Charlottesville, Washington D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles. The company was founded primarily to stage plays not easily pigeon-holed; that are both comedy and tragedy; that stimulate the brain as well as the heart; and challenge and delight the audience.

“As in a theatre, the eyes of men, after a well-graced actor leaves the stage, are idly bent on him that enters next…”
– Shakespeare, Richard II

Links –
• All Is Fair – allisfairplay.com
• Play’s Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/allisfairplay
• All Is Fair Tickets – allisfairplay.com/tickets
• Facebook Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/1715185352030617
• Dorie Theatre – http://www.complexhollywood.com/space_dorie_theatre.php

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For more information, photos, to schedule an interview, or to request press tickets, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

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~ IN PRAISE OF REED ARNOLD’S PREVIOUS PRODUCTION ~

“Laugh out loud funny, thoughtful, and extremely well-acted… features excellent writing and witty ripostes.”
– Mary Mallory, The Tolucan Times

“Full of dramatic tension and dumbfounding wit… Not to be missed.”
– Juliana Jurenas, EntertainmentVoice.com

“Reed Arnold is an extraordinary writer. He takes us effortlessly through these particular moments in the lives of these particular characters, and we believe them. I believed everything they said… I left the theatre smiling and wanting to see more.”
– Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros, NohoArtsDistrict.com

“A great night of theatre. Wonderful writing, acting, and direction. So funny and so endearing. They nailed it in every way.”
– Hunt Lowry, producer The Last of the Mohicans, A Time to Kill, Donnie Darko

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All Is Fair cast [left-to-right]:
• Director-Playwright Reed Arnold (“Dan”) • Ross Gallo (“Vince”) • Michael Minto (”Chris”) • Sarah Elizabeth Johnston (“Heather”)
Photo credit: Ianna Vasale.

~ CALENDAR LISTING DETAILS ~

WHAT:
World Premiere of Reed Arnold’s new play, All Is Fair (or Oblivion Wrought)

WHEN:
Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 24, 2016

WHERE:
Dorie Theatre at The Complex
6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-465-0383
http://www.complexhollywood.com/space_dorie_theatre.php

SCHEDULE:
11 performances • Thu., Fri. and Sat. performances are at 8:00pm; Sun. performances are at 7:00pm
• Fri. 4/8
• Sat. 4/9
• Sun. 4/10 – 7:00pm
• Thu. 4/14
• Fri. 4/15
• Sat. 4/16
• Sun. 4/17 – 7:00pm
• Thu. 4/21
• Fri. 4/22
• Sat. 4/23
• Sun. 4/24 – 7:00pm

TICKETS:
General admission tickets are $20 at the door (cash only), $14 online in advance, and “pay what you will” on Thursdays.
allisfairplay.com/tickets