The late Bill Hallman, who was an American career diplomat during the 60s and 70s, will have his play The Cotswold Boy produced at The Complex. Directed and produced by Mark T. Leonard, the drama will open Mar. 13 and run through Apr. 18.

The seven characters in The Cotswold Boy are the residents of a halfway house who have been assigned to a cleaning detail in a television studio where a costume drama about Queen Elizabeth I is being filmed. Taken with the costumes and props, they begin to act out all the roles themselves. History, reality, fantasy and gender confusion -- and the characters' shaky mental states -- go up against each other in compelling fashion.

Hallman, who died recently, is the author of a dozen plays, one of which -- The Trial of Juan Beltran -- dealt with the thousands of Argentinians who disappeared during the rule of the military junta.

Hallman, who was stationed in Argentina during that period, later served the U.S. government in El Salvador and Iran.

Leonard is a playwright in his own right. He was last represented in Los Angeles in 1995 with a production of Dylan's Ghost, which won the Roger L. Stevens Playwriting Award. In the cast are Mary Coleston, Ron Coronado, Jim Dowd, Christian Gann, Gerry Kohlbeck, Rob Mulholland and Szilvia Naray.

The Complex is at 6476 Santa Monica Blvd. Call (310) 289-2999.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent