Hannah and the Dread Gazebo at Fountain Theatre

LOS ANGELES - July 28, 2019 - PRLog -- Creation myths and family histories meld in a wildly theatrical, startling new comedy that explores what it means to walk the edge between cultures. The Fountain Theatre, in association with East West Players and with generous support form the S. Mark Taper Foundation, presents the California premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo by Jiehae Park. Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award-winner Jennifer Chang (Vietgone) directs for an Aug. 17 opening at the Fountain Theatre in East Hollywood, near Koreatown, where performances continue through Sept. 22. Set in NYC and Korea in the winter of 2011, just before the death of Kim Jong Il, Hannah and the Dread Gazebo takes Hannah's Korean American family on a surreal, funny and heartbreaking adventure back to their roots in South and North Korea and the forbidden Demilitarized Zone that divides them.

"The play is a funny-tragic look at what it means to be caught in between," says Park. "The characters are striving to reconcile the contradictions of their immigrant lives: North/South, past/future, coming/going." The Magic Castle's Dominik Krzanowski will create original illusions for this strange and wonderful play that is a mix of unexpected whimsy, delightful comedy, profound despair and more than a little bit of magic.

Hannah and the Dread Gazebo premiered at the 2017 Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, where the Mail Tribune called it "blisteringly original, acerbically funny, powerfully dramatic and deeply thought-provoking.

Hannah and the Dread Gazebo runs Aug. 17 through Sept. 22, with performances on Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. (no 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Aug. 17; dark Monday, Aug. 19). Three preview performances will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 14; Thursday, Aug. 15; and Friday, Aug. 16, all at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25–$45; Pay-What-You-Want seating is available every Monday night in addition to regular seating (subject to availability). 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. Patrons are invited to relax before and after the show at the Fountain's indoor/outdoor café. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.