MB Artists and Heart Productions have announced the world premiere of a new romantic comedy, I’ll Give You My Heart, set to run at The Colony Theatre in Burbank October 2–19. Written by Tamara Steren and directed by James Mellon, the cast will feature Jacqueline Emerson, Jeremy S. Walker, Emily Nash, Heather Lee, Jonah Robinson, Jon Root, and Jennifer Cannon. There will be preview performances on Thursday, October 2, at 8pm, Friday, October 3, at 8pm, and Saturday, October 4, at 2pm. Opening is set for Saturday, October 4, at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm through October 19. Admission ranges from $55–$70 and tickets may be purchased online at www.colonytheatre.org.
Five years after her fiancé is killed on their wedding day, a traumatized young woman fights to keep her promise to never leave him, while protecting her grief-stricken heart from opening for a familiar stranger.
Scenic design is by Mark Mendelson, lighting design is by Dan Weingarten, costume design is by Madeline Keller, and sound design is by Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski. Projection design is by Gabrieal Griego and hair and makeup design is by Leland Stephens. Production stage manager is Kevin Bailey, and assistant stage manager is Matthew Herrmann. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA.
Tamara Steren makes her debut as a playwright with the world premiere of I’ll Give You My Heart. An award-winning screenwriter, she has won the Rhodium Award at the WRPN Women’s International Film Festival. Her screenplays have placed as Finalists in the California Women’s Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards, and Table Read my Screenplay, and as Official Selections in The Beverly Hills Film Festival, New York International Screenplay Awards, and the Big Apple Film Festival.
James Mellon’s background in the entertainment industry extends to theatre, television, film, recording, and dance. Since 2003, he has served as the Artistic Director of Open at the Top Productions, the award-winning theatre company founded with producing partner Kevin Bailey. Collaborations he also directed with writing partner Scott DeTurk include Lizard, Dorian, Pest Control, Insanity,The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate’s Christmas. They are at work on their next musical, The Belles Are Swingin’ (set for production in 2026). His autobiographical solo play, SissyBoy, was first presented in 2016. In New York, he was a founding partner of Tri-Angle Productions, which presented his first musical An Unfinished Song (Off Broadway, Los Angeles, Boston, Portland, Maine and Sydney, Australia). His long association with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt led to his directing and choreographing the acclaimed expanded version of The Fantasticks with Greater Tuna stars Joe Sears and Jaston Williams for Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.
MB Artists (Kevin Bailey and James Mellon, Producers & General Managers): MB Artists was formed in 1992. Early producing projects include An Unfinished Song, Cabaret, and collaborating with the legendary creators of the Greater Tuna plays, including their new musical in development, Minerva: The Off-key Peahen. In 2003 they founded LA’s award-winning NoHo Arts Center and Open at the Top Productions, creating over 30 new plays and musicals. Most notable was the development of the stage play Ann, written by and starring Holland Taylor (Broadway/Lincoln Center and PBS Great Performances). Other credits include God Looked Away with Al Pacino and Judith Light (Pasadena Playhouse), Drag–The Musical, 44–The Barack Obama Musical, and Did You See What Walter Paisley Did Today? (La Mirada Theatre). New projects include The Belles Are Swingin’ and the plays A Positive Negative and I’ll Give You My Heart.
DATES:
October 2–19
TIMES:
PREVIEWS – Thursday 10/2 at 8pm | Friday 10/3 at 8pm | Saturday 10/4 at 2pm
OPENS – Saturday 10/4 at 8pm
REGULAR – Friday at 8pm | Saturday at 2pm & 8pm | Sunday at 3pm
ADMISSION:
$55 | $70
TICKET INFO:
Purchase online at www.colonytheatre.org.
LOCATION:
The Colony Theatre, 555 N. Third Street, Burbank, 91502.
