To inaugurate its 30th Anniversary season, The Actors’ Gang has announced that acclaimed director Dominique Serrand will direct the Gang’s sizeable ensemble in Peter Barnes’ Olivier Award-winning comedy, Red Noses. Previews begin Thursday, September 29, with previews continuing Friday and Saturday Sept 30 and Oct 1, and Wednesday and Thursday Oct 5 and 6. Opening Night is Friday, October 7th, running Thursday through Saturday until November 19th, 2011. Showtime is 8pm.

Red Noses is a dark comedy set in 1348, France. The Black Death decimates Europe, killing one third of the population. Scavengers ravage the dead. Zealots self-flagellate seeking to defy death in Christ’s purification. The church all but deserts the populace. In this hopeless time, one priest will do the unimaginable…make people laugh.

The play's author, Peter Barnes, is probably best known for the play The Ruling Class, which was made into an outrageous movie in 1972, starring a scenery-chewing Peter O'Toole. Originally presented in London in 1985 as the AIDS epidemic grew, Red Noses won the Olivier Award for Best Play.

Says director Dominique Serrand of his choice to direct Peter Barnes’ masterpiece in 2011, “Red Noses pulsates with relevance today …this is market turmoil, cut social security, kill healthcare and sacrifice public education season. Far from us to exult in turmoil, we have chosen Peter Barnes play for its extraordinary sense of togetherness and optimism.”

The Actors' Gang Theatre is located at the Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.