Pulp Shakespeare to Return to the Theatre Asylum

Combined Artform/Theatre Asylum are thrilled to announce the comeback of PULP SHAKESPEARE (or Bard Fiction), adapted by Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer and Brian Watson-Jones, and directed by Ovation Award winning director Amanda McRaven. PULP SHAKESPEARE will be opening Thursday January 15, 2015 at Theatre Asylum in Hollywood, running Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm through March 8.

Ever wonder what Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece PULP FICTION would be like reimagined by the immortal William Shakespeare?

What an absolute joy to watch the scenes we all know so well from Tarantino's Pulp Fiction being retold as if by The Bard himself. Pulp Shakespeare weaves the stories of a pair of murderers, their boss' alluring wife, and a desperate knight, together in a style that only Tarantino (and Shakespeare) could conceive. Pistols are traded in for daggers, cars for horses, and the 'Royale with Cheese" for "Hachis Parmentier".

Reprising their roles from previous productions, Aaron Lyons (Vincenzio de la Vega), Dan White (Julius Winfield) and Christian Levatino (Butch "Butcher" Coolidge) are joined by a new ensemble of talented actors under the guidance of 2014 Ovation Award winning director Amanda McRaven.

Featuring: Julia Aks, Drew Derek, Victoria Hogan, Matt Hudacs, Dylan Jones, Christian Levatino, Aaron Lyons, Marcelo Olivas, Gary Poux, Ian Verdun and Dan White.

Also on the creative team is stage manager Emily Gibson. Produced by Matthew Quinn & Aaron Lyons.

In 2008, a man named Kevin Pease published a blog post with a few lines of Pulp Fiction translated into Shakespearean-style dialogue. The post went viral and Pease eventually created a wiki for others to add onto what he'd started. After a few weeks and only a few rough scenes written, interest died down. That's when Aaron Greer approached Ben Tallen and Brian Watson-Jones with the idea of continuing the project, saying that it was simply "too good an idea not to do."

The three edited and reworked the pieces that had been written and created the remaining scenes to finish the play they called Bard Fiction. Along with Noe Tallen, they produced the play as part of the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival where the play received rave reviews and sold the highest number of tickets of any show at the '09 festival.

In 2010 it was part of the Hollywood Fringe with additional script changes and directed by Jordan Monsell, who renamed it Pulp Shakespeare. Matthew Quinn came on board after the Fringe and extended the show for a succesful 5 month run and nominations for Best Comedy by the LA Weekly. In true mash-up form, this current production features the combination of titles, the original script as written by and new director, four original performers and six new ones.

Matthew Quinn (Producer-Combined Artform/Theatre Asylum) Created Combined Artform in 1998 to produce full and co-productions and currently owns/operates Theatre Asylum. Stand out productions include Santaland Diaries(SF), Blink & You Might Miss Me, A Tuna Christmas and How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse. In 2010 he started the Asylum's Best of the Fringe (Encore Awards) and from it has produced/co-produced extensions of Pulp Shakespeare, Pokemusical, Sunny Afternoon, Meet and Greet, Women and the Theatre Asylum Holiday Festival.

Aaron Lyons (Producer) Has worked on over 140 productions, worldwide as an actor, director, designer, producer and/or production manager. He co-produced the original run of the Los Angeles version of Pulp Shakespeare and is co-founder of Zenith Ensemble, which won the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival - Production of the Year award for his direction and production of RISE. In 2013, Zenith took 5 awards and 8 nominations for their Fringe production of THE DEVIL AND BILLY MARKUM, also directed by Amanda McRaven.

PULP SHAKESPEARE opens January 15, 2015 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm through March 8. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door. To purchase tickets online, visit www.combinedartform.com or http://bit.ly/PulpShakes15.