Theatre Unleashed presents Fringe Award winner The Birthday Boys

Theatre Unleashed is excited to announce that it will be starting its 2011 Main Stage season with as much power and impact as it left 2010! First up for one of the city's busiest theatre companies is Aaron Kozak's The Birthday Boys, directed by Jacob Smith and running Friday through Sunday, March 4-27 at NoHo Stages in North Hollywood.

Set in 2006 Iraq, The Birthday Boys is a gritty and terrifying dark comedy that tracks three United States Marines who have been taken hostage, bound and blindfolded, as they do whatever's necessary to keep their sanity and stay alive. The show, which earned rave reviews from critics and patrons alike, took top honors at the 2010 Hollywood Fringe Festival, winning Best World Premiere, mainly because of it clever dialogue, attention to authentic detail and the unique presentation of the three main actors spending a majority of the play bound and blindfolded.

"I wanted to start the season off with this show because I knew it was one we could absolutely knock out of the park," said Smith. "We started building momentum at the end of last season and I not only wanted to capitalize on it, but keep building it. This was the show to do that."

In preparing for their roles, the three actors playing the Marines have also followed strict workout requirements and dietary restrictions. Smith has had them workout together before and after each rehearsal to build a camaraderie and has worked closely with them and military consultants to most accurately simulate what a hostage situation like the one depicted in the show would feel like for Marine officers.

To honor the military, Theatre Unleashed is allowing all active and former military personnel to see the show for free. Plus, the company has set up a partnership with the Intrepid Fallen Hero Fund and will donate $1 for every ticket sold to the cause (www.fallenheroesfund.org).

The Birthday Boys kicks off a Theatre Unleashed Main Stage season that will also include an all female version of Julius Caesar, the contemporary classic Fiction, an original mask and movement piece called Speakeasy and the heavy drama The Woodsmen. The company will also take part once again in this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival and will also offer up more sketch comedy shows, 24-Theatre events, a children's show, a holiday show and late night programming. Check the website for more details. www.theatreunleashed.com.