"Blueberry Toast" another outrageous world premiere at Echo Theater Company

LOS ANGELES - Aug. 30, 2016 - PRLog -- Get ready for another wild ride from The Echo Theater Company when Dustin Wills directs the world premiere of a modern-day, darkly comic revenge tragedy by Mary Laws. 'Blueberry Toast' puts the "dys" in family dysfunction beginning Sept. 17 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Every family has a dark underbelly — especially the perfect ones. Walt and Barb may seem like your typical suburban couple with a fabulous eat-in kitchen and two precocious children, Jack and Jill.  The scary thing is… maybe they are.

"Mary and I both grew up in the suburbs," says Wills. "We have a deep understanding of the lasting damage that comes from the demand for perfection – for the idyllic nuclear family unit, maintaining a well manicured lawn, remembering to always smile, not daring to raise your voice in public. This might be the 'performance of life,' but I'd hardly call it living. It's an unnatural and distinctly American form of socialization that causes us to stifle our primal desires, to squelch and push down our essential nature. Underneath, we're all animals; if we don't take the time to acknowledge that animal or take that animal on a little walk, then it may eat us alive."

Laws was inspired to write the play after reading "Tales from Ovid" by Ted Hughes. "Growing up, I was very disappointed in all the insincerity around me," she explains. "It was heartbreaking to discover that behind closed doors, my neighbors and friends were silently struggling with abuse, drug use and alcoholism. When I read how Ovid transformed humans into animals and stars, I wanted to write a play in which people really do behave like animals."
'Blueberry Toast' stars Albert Dayan, Alexandra Freeman, Michael Sturgis and Jacqueline Wright.

Dedicated to producing new work, the multiple award-winning Echo Theater Company was anointed "Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays" by the LA Weekly in its 2014 Best of L.A. issue and was a recipient of the 2016 "Kilroy Cake Drop"– one of only 13 theaters in the country to be surprised by cakes to honor the efforts they are making to produce women and trans writers. The company is also recognized for its acting ensemble; in the Los Angeles Times, theater critic Charles McNulty wrote, "Echo Theater Company, which has cultivated a community of top flight actors, would be my go-to place in Los Angeles for symbiotic ensemble acting." KCRW's Anthony Byrnes stated, "It's time to start paying attention to the Echo Theater Company… What's made these choices pay off is the acting and casting has been superb. The company has made bold choices and backed them up."

Blueberry Toast runs Sept. 17 through Oct. 24, with weekly performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. and additional performances on Mondays at 8 p.m. on Sept, 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 2 and Oct. 24, and on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13. Three preview performances are set for Wed., Sept. 14; Thurs., Sept. 15; and Fri., Sept. 16, all at 8 p.m. All tickets are $30, except previews, which are pay-what-you-can. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. On-site parking is free. Recommended for mature audiences: graphic language and violence. For reservations and information, call (310) 307-3753 or go to (310) 307-3753 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.