SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Artie and Jim Mitchell comprised one of San Francisco’s most infamous duos, the Mitchell Brothers, pioneers in the pornography industry. Liberty Bradford Mitchell, daughter of Artie, tells the story of growing up on the fringes of an X-rated world in the world premiere of The Pornographer’s Daughter. The production is directed by Michael T. Weiss (star of NBC’s The Pretender) and produced by San Francisco-based producer and designer Jeff Rowlings, with musical accompaniment by San Francisco rock band The Fluffers. The Pornographer’s Daughter plays January 17 through February 16, 2014, at Z Below, 470 Florida St. in San Francisco. Press opening is 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 22. For tickets ($32), the public may click here.
Notorious for entertaining a stream of celebrities, politicians and artists at their XXX movie theatre and strip club, The Mitchell Brothers' O’Farrell Theatre, Artie and Jim capitalized on the “free love” movement of the 1970s. Their Behind the Green Door, one of the first feature-length porn films ever made, earned a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and sparked a new wave of adult entertainment. The party ended in February, 1991 when Jim shot and killed Artie. In The Pornographer’s Daughter, Artie’s eldest child Liberty Bradford Mitchell recounts this unique slice of San Francisco history with a first-hand perspective, from her counter-culture beginnings, growing up and coming of age in the wings of the porn industry, through surviving the surreal aftermath of her father’s murder. Joining Bradford Mitchell on stage will be San Francisco rock band The Fluffers, providing a driving soundtrack of music from the ‘60s to the ‘80s and beyond.
Liberty Bradford Mitchell first began writing The Pornographer’s Daughter while attending Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where she received her BFA in Theatre (playwriting and directing). What began as an exercise in writing about her uncle’s trial ultimately grew into a full-length play, exploring the parallels between the fascinating Mitchell family story and those of Shakespearean tragedies and Greek epics. The play continued to take shape as she moved to Los Angeles, worked for two seasons as a writers’ assistant for Nickelodeon Studios, produced theatre productions at the Rose Alley Theater in Venice, and worked as an artist educator at Los Angeles public schools in Los Angeles. Bradford Mitchell also worked with California First Lady Maria Shriver and as the Senior Aide for The Women’s Conference, which hosted such notable guests as the Dalai Lama, Madeleine Albright, Eve Ensler, Billy Jean King, and Oprah Winfrey. The Pornographer’s Daughter staged a workshop performance in March, 2013 at the Electric Lodge in Venice, California.
Director Michael T. Weiss is a native of Chicago, studied acting at The Second City, and holds a BFA in acting from University of Southern California. Well known for starring as Jared on NBC’s The Pretender, Weiss has directed numerous plays in Los Angeles including In Progress (Matrix Theater), A Brush With Fate (West Coast Ensemble), and Streams of Consciousness (Met Theater), which he both wrote and directed. His theater credits include a starring role in the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Second Stage Theatre in NYC, which won both the OBIE Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Production of a Play. He co-starred on Broadway with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in the new play Impressionism directed by Jack O'Brien, and received a Drama Desk nomination for his work in Scarcity at the Atlantic Theater Company. Weiss’s feature film acting credits include the Oliver Stone produced cult hit film Freeway, opposite Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Amanda Plummer, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; the film Jeffrey, based on Paul Rudnick's Off-Broadway hit play of the same name, alongside Patrick Stewart, Steven Weber, Sigourney Weaver, Olympia Dukakis and Nathan Lane. His television credits include roles on Blue Bloods (CBS) and The Pretender (NBC).
Jeff Rowlings, a producer and set and lighting designer, is a longtime San Francisco-based theatrical producer, production manager and designer. He was production manager for American Conservatory Theater (2001-2012), San Diego Repertory Theatre (1996-1998), and Magic Theatre (1985-1995). He has designed sets and lights in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego and co-founded Foghouse Productions, an independent commercial production company.
The Pornographer’s Daughter, will have preview performances on January 17-19 at Z Below, 470 Florida St., San Francisco, CA 94110, and will be performed thereafter Thursdays through Sundays until February 16. There will be a special performance for the media on Wednesday, January 22. General admission is $32. More details can be found on the play's website.
