written & performed by

DOUG MOTEL

Contact: Real Time Productions

472 Lefever Falls Rd. Rosendale, NY 12472

(917) 378-0469

www.DougMotel.com

Motel began outlining a piece that would in the words of Variety theater critic Sheri Linden, would sculpt “an exploration of Los Angeles on the edges of the dream factory that is full of the ache of living.” In a flush of creative energy, his first journal entry concerning the play contains the outline for the show, its main characters, and the emotional arc that makes SHIVA ARMS both side-splittingly funny and devastatingly affecting. Since then, working with long-time collaborators

Michael Michetti (dramaturge and director) and Eileen T'Kaye (producer), characters have been added and subtracted, scenes j u g g l e d a n d m o n o l o g u e s merged. However, the basic outline of the show stays true to what Motel wrote in his journal that morning. After the trio polished the gem of Motel's idea, Los A n g e l e s ' A t t i c Theater saw the first reading of SHIVA ARMS at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood, and Glaxa Studios in Silverlake. During

this period, Motel divulges that he did "a different show every night," rewriting scenes during the day and performing the revised material that evening. After two more workshop productions of SHIVA ARMS were presented at Theater 150 in Ojai California. From its humble beginnings, and following a nearly four year development process of honing the material as well as his performance, Motel’s vision was finally realized when SHIVA ARMS had its World Premiere at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood.

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A sk Doug Motel to define the terms "tragedy" and "comedy" and he'll quickly explain that they are, respectively, the beginning

and the end of his creative process. In his one-man tour de force, SHIVA ARMS, Motel used the tragic death of a friend as the genesis for developing a performance piece that honors the friend's memory and explores larger issues of life and death and love and loss. The result, according to Variety, is "at once uproariously funny and poignant." But the play didn't start out with a review in Variety. And Motel didn't start out with a hit on his hands. Acting since the age of 12, he began writing and performing his own solo plays in the 80‘s, touring the "living room circuit" from London to Honolulu to hone his material. Motel wanted to write a new solo play that would take audiences on a funny but deeply touching spiritual journey. Based on his own real life experi-ence with the sudden death of a friend, the show would find Motel taking over as the manager of the Shiva Arms, an aging apartment building in low-rent Hollywood. The residents, a pastiche of characters on the fringes of LA life, would slowly reveal their own feelings about their neighbors and the previous manager, a beloved woman who was senselessly murdered by a drug-addled tenant. Set in “New Age” California of the 1980’s,

PRODUCTION HISTORY

lauded Motel for his incredible ability to breathe life into such a diverse cast, from Mrs. Burns, the feisty crone who used to work in film production, to Jamie, the ranting, pierced, punk-rocking queer. Audiences and critics alike were mesmerized by his capacity to imbue his characters with such life, even though he was restricted to a chair for the first six weeks of the ten-week run. SHIVA ARMS is Doug Motel's fourth successful solo play, earning him rave reviews throughout the Southland, and numerous Los Angeles theatre awards and nominations.

To see video from Shiva Arms visit: www.DougMotel.com

The alchemy of turning tragedy to comedy visited Motel again on opening night. Taking the show business proverb "break a leg" a bit too literally, the actor/writer fell and broke his foot that afternoon. True to another show-biz axiom, the show did go on. Motel, unable to walk, performed from a sitting position. Deprived of the opportunity to fully utilize the handsome set and elaborate lighting designed for the Coast production, Motel employed subtle yet amazing changes in his physicality to bring to life eleven strikingly different characters. Stripped to its essence—a seated actor and his menagerie of razor sharp characterizations—this was the show the LA critics reviewed. Once again, they

I n his highly acclaimed one-man show, Doug Motel wants you to meet his neighbors. But you’ll never see Motel portraying himself in his solo play, SHIVA ARMS. Instead, you’ll meet eleven finely crafted

characters who live in the eponymous apartment building of the title. SHIVA ARMS is not the garden-variety confessional that often passes for a single-actor show. In a performance that has been hailed by critics as “brilliant,” “inspired” and “a tour de force,” Motel uses a glimpse into the lives of a group of colorful LA types to create a moving exploration of some of life’s “big questions.” A l t e r n a t i n g between heart-touching moments and laugh-out-loud situations, the story entertains, illuminates and uplifts audiences. The story begins on Motel’s first day as the new resident manager of the Shiva Arms apartments, an aging but recently spiffed-up building in low-rent Hollywood. Motel has been hired to replace Linda, the sweet Wisconsin innocent who’d previously held the job. As the story unfolds, each of the building’s residents casts a new light on the details surrounding Linda’s mysterious absence, in a series of tragi-comic monologues that weave a tapestry of love, loss and laughter.

Playing all eleven characters with uncanny sensitivity to vocal inflections, body language and even breathing patterns, the writer/actor demonstrates not only his dazzling performing abilities but also his remarkable knack for showing us a little bit of ourselves in each of his characters. Once we learn that Linda was murdered by a

disturbed tenant, Motel brings us along to her memorial, attended by all the

building’s residents. The service (which takes place on Linda’s

favorite stretch of beach) is marred by a series

of hysterical interruptions, and

the group’s trip home is punctuated by an

impromptu picnic, a celebrity sighting and

a three-car pile-up. It all leads to an inspired epiphany for

each character that rewards the audience with a beautifully

wrapped package of emotions.

So do we ever meet Doug Motel, the man? Or does

he remain hidden behind his exquisitely

wrought characters? No, we’ll never see Motel as himself. But it’s certainly not because he’s shy. In this masterful solo performance, based on a true story, we can’t help but see into the heart of the show’s star and scribe. In illuminating a little bit of ourselves through each of his characters, we see a little of Doug Motel right there with us. It’s a meeting that won’t soon fade from memory.

THE STORY OF “SHIVA ARMS”

Elmer, from 107, is the building's resident stalker. He's had a fractured childhood, and his longest relationship has been an obsession with "Charlie's Angels" star, Jacklyn Smith.

Mrs. Burns is the feisty old woman in 108. Her career was spent behind the scenes in Hollywood studios, as a negative cutter. Her twilight years are spent in a tiny apartment trying to keep the neighbor's cats from stealing dinner off the table. Ronald, the elderly black

man in 105, may be the building's m o s t w e l l a d j u s t e d resident. An accident years ago left him confined to a wheelchair. His physical handicap hasn't dimmed his energy or his love for other people. Now he's a d e s k t o p

publishing entrepreneur.

L os Angeles is a haven for unique

personalities. In Doug Motel's solo play, "Shiva Arms," eleven of the city's oddest a n d m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g p e o p l e a r e neighbors in an a p a r t m e n t b u i l d i n g i n Hollywood.

We first meet the building's owner, Mr. Chandra, a chunky East Indian elf of a man. Although his relatives were peasants in India, he ' s pur sued the American Dream and now owns several apartments, a restaurant

and a silver Mercedes Benz. The residents of Chandra's building are as unique as LA itself.

There's Bambi, in Apartment 103, a surgically enhanced B-movie actress who shares her apartment with two cats, Norma and Jean. She's a star in her own universe of camp movie fans, and she's considering a move to Arizona to meet alien visitors from another world.

“I named it ‘The Shiva

Arms’ after the Lord

Shiva. In Hinduism, he is

the creator and the

destroyer, and we

create new apartments

by destroying the old

ones.” Mr. Chandra

“She'd say to me,

‘Keep letting it go.

Don't cling.’ One day,

I got kinda annoyed

by that, and I said,

‘What about seizing

the moment?’ She

said, ‘Seize it, don't

freeze it!’” Bambi

Mr. Chandra She said to me, "I've

finally figured out that

it's a lot easier letting

go of everything, if you

can remember while

you got it, that it's not

really yours to begin

with." I said, "Now

you're cookin', cousin.

This whole world is

just on loan." Ronald

Mrs. Burns

Elmer

Ronald

THE CHARACTERS

F r a n k , t h e building's no-n o n s e n s e supervisor, seems grateful he only has to visit Shiva A r m s o n occasion. He's got a drill sergeant's way with people, and a sense of disdain for people who have to live in the kinds of buildings he has to supervise.

Armand, a young Armenian family man, shares

Apartment 204 with an incalculable number of relatives. He's pleasant to visitors, but the commotion caused by his wife, son, daughter, and sister-in-law—and the dog who's not supposed to be there—tax both his patience and his disposition.

Bob, the guileless and fashion-impaired husband of Linda (the former manager), is a study in the grace that accompanies life's most painful moments. As he struggles with moving on with life after his wife's death, he'll soon be moving out of Apartment 104. He thinks Linda would have wanted their child to grow up in Wisconsin.

Jamie is the embodiment of cynicism, a self-described "punk-rocking sodomite helping to usher in the revolution." A pierced, tattooed and angry anarchist, he lives in squalor in 102.

Tatiana is Jamie's mother, an excruciatingly prim Beverly Hills matron who married into the

Hollywood show b u s i n e s s community. She can't understand why her husband won't forgive her a casual affair, or why her son chooses to live "in this Cirque du Soleil of bacteria and germs."

Ian is a ruggedly handsome Australian. When not working as the building's handyman, he surfs the

beach of Malibu, s i n c e r e l y believing he'll discover the meaning of life in the curl of a perfect wave.

“If you could choose to

live in a lovely and

spacious home in

Beverly Hills, or in this

Cirque de Soliel of

bacteria and germs,

which would you

choose?” Tatiana

“Most of the rest of

these tenants are

either alleged

screenwriters or rock

star wanna-be's and

their emaciated model

girlfriends. But I’m sure

you’ll be acquainted

with them in no time.” Frank

Jamie

Ian

Armand

Bob

“In Doug Motel's one-man show, directed by

Michael Michetti...Motel goes beyond snagging the

varied essences of his 11 characters from a low-

rent Hollywood apartment complex, using the form

for an aim loftier than showcasing his abundant

performing skills. The story that unfolds through

the affectionate impersonations is a sardonic and

sometimes farcical portrait of flinty SoCal

dreams, with poetical allusions to larger

questions of life, death and spirit...Motel's

characters have softer edges than those of Eric

Bogosian, resulting in a more compassionate and

less glib veneer.” Steven Leigh Morris - LA WEEKLY

“Pick of the Week!”

LA WEEKLY

"Highly Recommended!"

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Nothing is lacking, nor is much extraneous in “Shiva Arms,” a work at once uproariously funny and poignant. A series of character-defining monologues that never lapse into caricature. As a writer, Motel has

a fine ear for the self-awareness and blind spots revealed in our speech…Motel regards his characters with compassion — and invests them with it. An ex-ploration of Los Angeles on the edges of the dream factory that is full of the ache of living.”

Sherry Linden - DAILY VARIETY

“Motel’s story begins as a slice of life, turns into a mystery, transforms into a tragedy and then vacilates with devastating accuracy between slapstick and drama. Under the direction of Michael Michetti, the characters are clearly defined.”

Jana J. Monji - THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Brilliant...constantly surprising and

hilarious hairpin turns. Motel’s

character delineations and timing are as

masterful as you will see on a U.S.

stage...malice-free spiritual satire...a

Zen farce in which gut-wrenching

laughter and gut-wrenching tears are

poignantly indistinguishable.”

Tommy Westerfield -

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

"A Brilliant Performance!"

4FRONT MAGAZINE

"See SHIVA ARMS!"

"Uproariously Funny and Poignant!"

VARIETY

“In his one-man play Shiva Arms, Doug Motel demonstrates that he is an actor of incredible versatility and range. He inhabits the shows 11 characters...with such specificity that it’s hard to believe that the man doesn’t have a diagnosed multi-personality disorder. Each of the characters has a body language, a vocal cadence, mannerisms and tics, even breathing patterns, that are wholly his or her own...That all of these characters come from one man is nothing short of astounding...his performances couldn’t be any richer.”

Edward Shapiro - BACK STAGE WEST

“The multi-faceted actor creates his own skewed world so effectively that audiences come away from the solo show believing they have met a bevy of new acquaintances.”

Lisa McKinnon - VENTURA COUNTY STAR

“A brilliant performance...more mirth and worth than most current productions...it establishes Doug Motel as an actor/comic/writer on the

caliber of stars like Lily Tomlin.” Archie Rothman - 4FRONT MAGAZINE

“With Shiva Arms, Doug Motel has joined the esteemed ranks of

Traci Ullman and Lily Tomlin as a master of an emerging performance genre: ensemble performance by solo performer... a

masterful storyteller.” Dave Depino - PARK LA BREA NEWS/BEVERLY PRESS

“Kudos to a very talented performer...See Shiva Arms!”

Dan Bailey - OJAI VALLEY TIMES

“Delightfully witty...a marvelous night of intimate theatre

at its very best.” Ron Rowe - OJAI VALLEY VOICE

“Motel is the consummate performer,

eliciting from his audience laughter one moment and wrenching pain the next.”

Karen Moncharsh - OJAI VALLEY NEWS

WINNER Los Angeles Weekly Award

Best Solo Performance (for writing and performing)

WINNER Theater LA Ovation Award

Best Writing of a World Premiere Play

NOMINATED Theater LA Ovation Award

Best Production of the Year

NOMINATED Theater LA Ovation Award

Best Actor – Doug Motel

AWARDS

DOUG MOTEL (Actor/Writer) Born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Doug made his theatrical de-but at the age of 12 as an Urchin in the Atlantic City Community Theater production of THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD. That same year he also booked his first paid gig as a bratty kid

playing on the beach in the feature film THE MONEY co-starring Danny Devito. Throughout his teens, Doug played many roles in community and regional theatre (most notably in the acclaimed production of OLIVER! at New Jersey’s historic Gate-way Playhouse). At 16 years old, he had the opportunity of working alongside Broadway great Brian Dennehy on ABC television’s BIG SHAMUS LITTLE SHAMUS filmed on location in Atlantic City. After a season at Hope Summer Repertory Theater in Holland Michigan, Mr. Motel moved to Manhattan and at 18 was immediately cast as “Thug” in THE UN-KNOWN SOLDIER at The Quaigh Theater.

Throughout the 1980’s Doug was performing his unique brand of thought provoking humor in virtually all of New York’s comedy clubs and in funky downtown spaces. Doug moved to Los Angeles by 1990 and though appearing in films such as the THE WAITING GAME, (winner San Diego International Film Festival: Audience Award, Best Independent Feature) and in national television shows such as Fox TV’s live action version of THE TICK (fans know him as the evil Russian villain of the pilot episode) and in popular legitimate theaters like West Hollywood's Coast Playhouse, it is in meeting and perform-ing for people in unusual settings like a dude ranch in Montana or at the Center for a Course in Miracles in Lon-don that Doug feels most satisfied. Mr. Motel is the author of three critically acclaimed solo plays including MICK IN AMERICA, MIND SALAD (L.A. Weekly award nomination for writing and performing) and SHIVA ARMS (winner L.A. Weekly award for writing and performing and winner Theatre LA Ovation award for Best Writing of a World Premier play). He also wrote the libretto and co-wrote the lyrics with John Kroner, for GENIE! The long running musical at the Alhambra Casino Theater in Aruba. Recently Doug directed Broadway vet and Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli in the staged reading of his solo play PRAESTIGUM that features the stories of Judas, Benedict Arnold and James Wormley Jones.

DOUG MOTEL

Contact: Real Time Productions

472 Lefever Falls Rd. Rosendale, NY 12472

(917) 378 - 4728