The Story
The Gold Top is about one raggedy ass guitar player, down to his last lick, who finds a 1952 Les Paul Gold Top in a deep valley pawn shop. As his star finally starts to rise, you become the audience at all of his gigs, where you can dance if you want to, as you enter the story ... and its secret.
Written by Ric Krause, and directed by Elizabeth Gamza, the story unfolds like a live album, taking you track by track into a deepening mystery, and its R&B past.
The music is original and performed live throughout. With a score by Emmy-nominated composer Joshua Funk and a mix by legendary producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies) - replicated in performance - The Gold Top riffs a new way to experience concert and story. Which you become a part of at our new home, the legendary Three Clubs, where you'll join the local scene-sters, all waiting for their Hollywood moment to begin
The result is an unique, immersive theatrical event which uses the communion of concert to amplify a story about the power of music, dreams, your last good kiss, and what the cost of that Gold Top truly is.
Writer/Producer
Ric Krause wrote the original script, and lyrics. His credits include Comeback (20th Fox/James Cameron, Prod.),Black Box (Warner Bros/Senator), Forever, Anna (Castle Rock), Crime Star (USA), Cure, The Ruins, The Amazing De Carlo (NBC/ Universal), Why Things Burn - developed at the MarkTaper Forum - performed at Road Theater Company, Three Clubs, Hollywood Moguls , The Mint(LA), Margo Jones Theater (Dalllas),Calendar Girl -on a grant from the San Francisco Arts Council - performed at Life on the Water, (SF), and Dr. Jimmy’s Heartbreak Hour, developed with Naked Angels, and performed at the Itchey Foote (Taper, Too). His work in advertising includes stints at agencies such as Kaplan/Thaler, Publicis, Chiat/Day, plus numerous big brands - Mountain Dew, Toyota, Doritos, GQ, among many others, through the branded content shop, StoryPoint, of which he is a founding partner (storypointcreative.com).
Director
Elizabeth Gamza, the-Director of The Gold Top., is one of the top acting coaches in town, with clients on Abbot Elementary, Rooster, The Pitt, The Lincoln Lawyer, Modern Family, Desperate Housewives, Hunters, 13 Reasons Why, Black-ish, Homeland, The Practise, Westworld, Criminal Minds, FBI, 911, Chicago Med, CSI Vegas, Supergirl, All Rise, among many others. She produced and was in the original Village Studio workshop production of The Gold Top.
Composer & Album Recording
Joshua Funk is a multi-talented artist based in Los Angeles. He is an Emmy-nominated composer, actor, and director. In the television industry, Joshua has had a successful career as an improv director and actor. He worked for the first five seasons of MTV's "Wild n' Out" and has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including "Air," "Kong: Skull Island," "The Informant!", "Detroiters," "Key & Peele," "I Love You America," "Reno 911", and many more. He also wrote and arranged the music for this show.
Joshua composed the music for The Gold Top, as a composer for television, Joshua started his career on Comedy Central's "Key & Peele,” where he earned an Emmy nomination for the musical parody, "Les Mis." He then moved into the world of animation at Warner Brothers, composing music for “Wabbit," "New Looney Tunes," and "Scooby Doo." He has worked with artists like Snoop Dogg, Axl Rose, and Weird Al Yankovich.