BLOOD FROM A STONE Opens Tonight at The Electric Lodge

Tommy Nohilly's BLOOD FROM A STONE opens tonight, May 7, at The Electric Lodge in its West Coast premiere engagement. Directed by Thomas C. Dunn and produced by Racquel Lehrman/ Theatre Planners for LB Productions, the show runs through May 22, 2016.

Travis has returned hone to his parents' house in Connecticut before his intended departure for the West Coast to "start over." He wants to see his folks and his siblings again before moving to the far side of the country.

All is not well, however, and it never has been for this particular family. Travis' parents Bill and Margaret are intensely angry people, with both of them having significant attachments outside their marriage. Kid brother Matt has several compulsions: gambling, lying and thievery, all of which will imperil his safety when he runs afoul of shady associates. Only sister Sarah could pass as relatively normal. Ironically, Margaret, Matt and Sarah are all nurses, devoting their working lives to the care of other people while failing to keep the peace within their own family.

Meanwhile, Travis has reignited erotic sparks with an ex-lover, Yvette. She lives next door and is the married (and not to Travis) mother of two.

Bill gets so angry he punches his fist through walls and windows. Margaret berates him constantly. Will Travis be able to make peace in his family before he leaves his family home?

The new production is the West Coast Premiere engagement of Blood From A Stone. The New York debut production received an Obie Award and an Outer Drama Critics Circle Award nomination.

Can you get blood from a stone? Sure. Just throw the stone directly at someone's face.

The cast includes Joanne Baron (Murder in the First; Love), Chad Brannon (Emmy winner for General Hospital; What It Takes), Frankie Ingrassia, Jossara Jinaro (American Family; Passions), Ryan Lahetta and Gareth Williams.

Performances: May 5- May 22, 2016. Previews May 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. Opens Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 8 p.m. Runs through May 22. Show times: Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. Press opening is Saturday, May 7. At The Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Avenue, Venice, CA 90291.

Admission: $30. Previews $20. Reservations: (323) 960-7788 or online at www.Plays411.com/stone. Running time: Two hours, plus intermission.

ABOUT THE CAST:

JOANNE BARON * (Margaret) is a highly regarded film and stage actress. She has been awarded five Dramalogue awards for her lead roles on stage including her semi-autobiographical one-woman show which she wrote and starred in called There Once Was a Girl from Pawtucket. Ms. Baron's film and television credits include This Is 40, Indignation, Spider-Man 2, Real Genius, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad Men, and most recently, the Netflix series Murder in the First; and Love. Ms. Baron has also produced several films including Allie and Me directed by Michael Rymer where she performed the title role; and the indie Sundance hit Perfume in which she co-starred with Jeff Goldblum. She is currently developing a web series called, Joanne Brown is Here co-starring Tariq Trotter of the Grammy award winning musical group The Roots. Ms. Baron is the Artistic Director of the renowned Baron Brown Studio in Santa Monica with her husband of thirty years, writer/director D. W. Brown.

CHAD BRANNON (Travis) is an Emmy Award winning actor best known for his role as Zander on General Hospital, Lucas Mize on Friday Night Lights, and Ryan Archer on CSI. Other Film/TV credits include Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, Cold Case, Deadwood, JAG, and Malcolm in the Middle. Chad loves the theatre and is very excited to be on the stage again. Past credits include Hamlet in Hamlet, Torch in Beirut, Messenger in 1776, and Christian in Cyrano De Bergerac. Chad just recently wrapped Slamma Jamma to appear in theaters this fall, and can be heard everyday as the main voice of the History Channel and as one of the signature promo voices on Fox for American Idol, Bones, and American Grit, on CBS for NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS, and on SEC ESPN Network for College Basketball.

FRANKIE INGRASSIA (Sarah) is an actress and director, known for Election (1999), The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993), and Glow (2000).

JOSSARA JINARO * (Yvette) is excited to reunite on stage with Chad Brannon since Beirut by Alan Bowne. She has performed in numerous theatres like The American Conservatory Theatre, Chicago's Teatro Vista, The Kennedy Center, Pasadena Civic, Bilingual Foundation, and Teatro Sinergia. Certain LA ventures are Marina in Ten Tricks, the historically-famous Sor Juana in The Nun and the Countess, Evelyn in The Tenth Man, and Aida in Firehouse. Some film and television includes Rae from Passions, Courtney Messina (Cheech Marin's daughter) on Judging Amy, Virginia Bustos in Viva Vegas, which earned her an Alma nomination, and most recently Reina in the Emmy-nominated Hulu's East Los High. More at jossarajinaro.com

RYAN LAHETTA (Matt) recently won "Best of" in the Hollywood Fringe Festival for his adaptation of Lanford Wilson's play Home Free. Ryan has also been in commercials for the Big 10 Network and also a joint venture between Nike and MTVU for The World Race. Ryan can also be seen on the Discovery Channel. Ryan's theatre credits include Golden Boy at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, CA, History Boys at Cygnet Theatre in San Diego, along with EQQUS at the Beck Center for the Arts in his home town of Cleveland, OH.

GABRIELLE SALINGER (Sarah/Yvette - Understudy), originally from Boston, Massachusetts, is delighted to join the cast of Blood from a Stone. Gabrielle's past stage work includes Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, as well as roles in Present Laughter (Daphne), Picnic (Madge), and Twelfth Night (Maria). She has also played roles on both ends of the murder spectrum as a murderess in the feature film You're So Dead and a murder victim in the thriller short Love at First Sight. Her acting is featured in videos with Ryan Adams and Nick Jonas, and in a rather steamy make-out scene with Eminem. Her modeling and voice work includes the sexy N9 in the cartoon series Techtopia, MTV, LA Weekly, Elegant magazine, the e-book Warchild Pawn, and news narration for Yahoo, MSNBC, and AOL. Gabrielle graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and studied theatre in Paris with NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She has just completed her first children's book.

GARETH WILLIAMS * (Bill) has been an actor for over 35 years, appearing in countless theatre performances including the World Premiere of Beth Henley's Signature in Los Angeles, the World Premiere of Richard Greenberg's Hurrah at Last! at South Coast Rep, and Machinal at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. Film: Love After Love with Andie McDowel and Chris O'Dowd, 13 Moons with Steve Buscemi and Peter Dinklage, and 20th Century Women with Annette Benning and Elle Fanning. TV: Hawaii Five-0, Perception, Masters of Sex, The Mentalist, and CSI: NY & Miami. The production staff:

TOMMY NOHILLY (Playwright) is a playwright and an actor. He's appeared in the films The Believer and Reign over Me and has appeared on TV in Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order, and Thirdwatch. He'll soon be appearing in the Ti West's film In The Valley of Violence.

Pete Hickok (Set Designer) is a scenic designer, production designer, technical director, and sculptor based out of Los Angeles. His most recent scenic design projects include My Sister, Father Son and Holy Coach, Marriage of Figaro, Awake and Sing!, and Rio Hondo at Theater of Note. He was also recently production designer for Medicare Mermaids and Demon Foot Suckers from Hell among his other ventures in the contemporary art world.

Donny Jackson (Sound Designer). Design highlights include Father, Son and Holy Coach (Odyssey Theatre), Fat Pig (Hudson Theatre), Closely Related Keys (Lounge Theatre), the West Coast premiere of In the Heights (Casa 0101 Theatre), Blood, written and directed by Robert Allan Ackerman (The Complex Theatres), Spring Awakening (Long Beach Playhouse), and the NY premiere of Four Clowns (La Mama Experimental Theatre). Recent productions include A Singular They (The Blank Theatre) and Weapons (Lounge Theatre). Other work includes The Archer From Malis (Getty Villa), Café Society (Odyssey Theatre), RENT (Hudson Theatre), Phenomenal, written and directed by Macy Gray (Ramon Cortines Performing Arts), A Chorus Line (Freud Playhouse),Sublimity (Lyric-Hyperion Theatre), Bat Boy, The Glass Menagerie, Fiddler on the Roof, Raisin in the Sun, and Death of a Salesman (Long Beach Playhouse). He is Resident Lighting Designer for Four Clowns Theatre Co, a theatre instructor at Cypress College and holds an MFA in Lighting from UCLA. www.DonnyJackson.com

Jennifer Palumbo (Stage Manager) enjoys freelancing around LA, and recently traveled to Atlanta for a show. Favorite credits include The Mountaintop (Matrix Theatre), Awake and Sing! (Odyssey Theatre), A Steady Rain (Odyssey, Alliance Theatre ATL), Anna Christie, Broadway Bound, Oedipus Machina, Day Drinkers, Ivanov, Margo Veil, Tales from Hollywood, What The Butler Saw (Odyssey), Women On Time (5inaHive at Working Stage), Julia (Pacific Resident), Women Are Crazy Because Men Are A**holes (MACHA), Land of the Tigers (Burglars of Hamm/Sacred Fools), Finding the Burnett Heart (Missing Piece), Mad Forest (Open Fist). Other venues include Antaeus, El Portal, Hayworth, Lounge, Luckman, Saban, Underground, and Whitefire Theatres.

Associate producer: Victoria Watson/ Theatre Planners. Costume design: Mia Rabinowitz. Sound design: Aaron Lyons. Graphic design: Kiff Scholl, afk Design.

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