Jenny O’Hara and Nick Ullett set to reprise roles
in Fountain revival of ‘Bakersfield Mist’

Limited 4-week engagement Nov. 19-Dec. 12

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 20, 2016) — Bakersfield Mist by Stephen Sachs, the Fountain’s smash hit comedy that went on to see productions around the world including London’s West End, will return to the Fountain for a limited 4-week engagement beginning Nov. 19. Sachs will again direct, with Jenny O’Hara (Transparent, The Mindy Project) and Nick Ullett (As the World Turns, The Big Bang Theory) reprising the roles they created.

Inspired by true events, Bakersfield Mist is the story of Maude Gutman, an unemployed, chain-smoking ex-bartender living in a run-down California trailer park, who believes the painting she bought in a thrift store for $3 is really an undiscovered masterpiece worth millions. When stuffy New York art expert Lionel Percy arrives to evaluate the work, the result is a fiery and often hilarious debate over class, truth, value and the meaning of art.

“Stephen’s play has enjoyed success around the country and the world, so when Jenny and Nick became available, we jumped at the chance to bring it back,” says producer Simon Levy. “We live in such stressful times, and this play offers the perfect antidote — it’s very funny, yet also thought-provoking. Just in time for the holidays.”

Bakersfield Mist premiered at the Fountain in June, 2011, garnering glowing notices including a “Critic’s Choice” review in the Los Angeles Times which exclaimed “It’s exhilarating in the extreme when a world premiere play strikes rich on every conceivable level.” The production was hailed a “Go!” in the LA Weekly and a “Critic’s Pick” in Backstage. It played to sold-out houses for more than six months, rivaling only Sachs’ own Central Avenue as the most successful world premiere of a new play in the Fountain’s 26-year history. Bakersfield Mist opened on London’s West End starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid for a 3-month run. Vanity Fair called Sachs’ play “Not to be missed… tackles large creative questions with well-timed zingers,” The Times of London found it to be “thoroughly entertaining… put a smile on my face and kept my brain buzzing for a good while afterward,” The New York Times labeled it “clever… a battle of wits,” and it received the 2012 Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play. In the U.S., Bakersfield Mist has been produced by Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Florida and in an extended run at the Olney Theatre in Maryland, where it is Helen Hayes Award-recommended and was lauded “5 Stars… provocative, fast-paced and cleverly funny” by DCMetro. The play is currently running in Chicago in a Jeff Award-recommended production at the Timeline Theatre which has been praised as “Highly Recommended” by the Chicago Sun-Times and “the perfect evening of theatre” by Chicago Theatre Review. Bakersfield Mist  is now being produced in regional theaters across the country; it has been translated into other languages and is being performed around the world, including in Iceland, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Scotland, Australia and Canada.

Set design for Bakersfield Mist is by Jeffrey McLaughlin; sound design is by Peter Bayne; props and set dressing are by Terri Roberts; and the fight director is Edgar Landa. The production stage manager is Emily Lehrer; associate producer is James Bennett; and Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor produce for the Fountain Theatre.

Stephen Sachs’ other plays include Citizen: An American Lyric (adapted from the internationally acclaimed book by Claudia Rankine), Heart Song (Fountain Theatre, Florida Stage), Cyrano (LA Drama Critics Circle Award, Best Adaptation), Miss Julie: Freedom Summer (Fountain Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Canadian Stage Company, LA Drama Critics Circle award and LA Weekly award nomination for Best Adaptation), Gilgamesh (Theatre @ Boston Court), Open Window (Pasadena Playhouse, Media Access Award for Excellence), Central Avenue (PEN USA Literary Award finalist, Back Stage Garland award, Best Play), Sweet Nothing in My Ear (PEN USA Literary Award finalist, Media Access award, NEA grant award), Mother’s Day, The Golden Gate (Best Play, Drama-Logue) and The Baron in the Trees. He wrote the teleplay for Sweet Nothing in My Ear for Hallmark Hall of Fame which aired on CBS starring Marlee Matlin and Jeff Daniels. Sachs co-founded The Fountain Theatre with Deborah Lawlor in 1990.

The Fountain Theatre is one of the most successful intimate theaters in Los Angeles, providing a creative home for multi-ethnic theater and dance artists. The Fountain has won over 225 awards, and Fountain projects have been seen across the U.S. and internationally. Recent highlights include being honored for its acclaimed 25th Anniversary Season in 2015 by Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles City Council; the 2014 Ovation Award for Best Season and the 2014 BEST Award for overall excellence from the Biller Foundation; the recent production of the Fountain’s Citizen: An American Lyric in Charleston, S.C. to commemorate the tragic shooting at Mother Emanuel Church; and the naming of seven Fountain productions in a row as “Critic’s Choice” in the Los Angeles Times.

Bakersfield Mist runs Nov. 19 through Dec. 12 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. (dark Monday, Nov. 21). Three preview performances take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16; Thursday, Nov. 17; and Friday, Nov. 18, all at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $15–$35; every Monday is Pay-What-You-Can. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. Secure, on-site parking is available for $5. The Fountain Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheFountainTheatre. Follow us on Twitter: @fountaintheatre.

Details for Calendar Listings
‘Bakersfield Mist’

WHAT:
Bakersfield Mist — Jenny O’Hara (Transparent, The Mindy Project) and Nick Ullett (As the World Turns, The Big Bang Theory) reprise the roles they created in a revival of Stephen Sachs’ smash hit comedy that premiered at the Fountain, then went on to see productions around the world including London’s West End. Maude Gutman, an unemployed, chain-smoking ex-bartender living in a run down California trailer park, believes the painting she bought in a thrift store for $3 is really an undiscovered masterpiece worth millions. When stuffy New York art expert Lionel Percy arrives to evaluate the work, the result is a fiery and often hilarious debate over class, truth, value and the meaning of art. Inspired by true events.

WHO:
Written and Directed by Stephen Sachs
Starring Jenny O’Hara and Nick Ullett
Produced by Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor
Presented by The Fountain Theatre

WHEN:
Previews: Nov. 16, Nov. 17, Nov. 18
Performances: Nov. 19 – Dec. 12
• Wednesday at 8 p.m.: Nov. 16 ONLY (preview)
• Thursday at 8 p.m.: Nov. 17 ONLY (preview)
• Friday at 8 p.m.: Nov. 18 (preview), 25; Dec. 2, 9
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 19 (opening), 26; Dec. 3, 10
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Nov. 20, 27; Dec. 4, 11
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 28; Dec, 5, 12 (dark Nov. 21)

WHERE:
The Fountain Theatre
5060 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles CA 90029
(Fountain at Normandie)

HOW:
(323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com
• Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheFountainTheatre
• Follow us on Twitter: @fountaintheatre
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/fountaintheatre/

TICKET PRICES:
$15-$35:
• Premium Seats: $35 (VIP center section, includes 1 free beverage)
• Regular Seating: $30 (side sections)
• Seniors 65 or older: $25 (side sections)
• Students: $20 (valid ID required)
• RUSH: $15 (at the door, 15 mins prior to curtain, subject to availability)
• Pay-What-You-Can every Monday night

PARKING:
Secure, on-site parking: $5
 

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