Joanna Miles and David Selby Lead FRONT DOOR OPEN, Beginning Tonight at Greenway Court

Greenway Arts Alliance continues their season of world premieres with FRONT DOOR OPEN, a drama written by veteran playwright Tom Baum, directed by acclaimed theater and television director Asaad Kelada. There will be two preview performances tonight and tomorrow, November 11 and 12 at 8:00 pm with opening night set for Friday, November 13 at 8:00 pm. The limited five-week engagement continues through Sunday, December 13, at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles.

The cast stars Joanna Miles (Emmy Winner, Golden Globe Nominee), David Selby (Dark Shadows, Falcon Crest), Anna Nicholas and Lizzy Rich.

In FRONT DOOR OPEN, an agoraphobic woman faces the ultimate crisis of her life: Does leaving the house mean leaving her 50-year marriage behind? When the woman's daughter and granddaughter pay an emergency visit, the family is forced to confront the ripple effects of her disability-on their personalities, their careers, their long-held secrets, and their sex lives.

FRONT DOOR OPEN takes a personal look at agoraphobia and how it affects a family. Recently, playwright Tom Baum reflected on how this play came about and how his own life experience of having a family member affected by the disorder spurred him on to tackle the subject. "Several years ago I ran into my friend Joanna Miles, who was organizing a production of "park bench" plays, each play centered on a social issue. I asked her if agoraphobia, which afflicts more than 1 in 50 Americans, qualified. I had some knowledge of the disorder, because my mother suffered from it most of her life. ("My husband is my American Express Card," she was fond of saying. "I never leave home without him.") The result was a 10-minute play, The Great Outdoors. Asaad Kelada directed the play, and when Joanna encouraged me to write a full-length version, the three of us began athree year collaboration. Now FRONT DOOR OPEN is finally having its world premiere, thanks to Joanna's amazing talent and tenacity, and Asaad's incredible ability to flesh out material I'd barely hinted at. I'm deeply indebted to them both."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM:

TOM BAUM (Playwright )Tom Baum's produced plays include Wonk Love, Shock Therapy, The Great Outdoors, Ashley Saves the World, Taps for Paps, Dork Love, Schaden Friday, Epicenter, Endangered Species, and Breach. Published novels: Out of Body, Counterparts, Carny, It Looks Alive to Me!, Hugo the Hippo. Produced screenplays: "Hugo the Hippo," "Carny," "The Sender," "Simon," and "The Manhattan Project," plus nine TV movies, including "Witness to the Execution" (WGA award) and the miniseries "Journey to the Center of the Earth." Tom Baum's short stories have appeared in Playboy, Playgirl, and transatlantic review. He co-created the NBC series "Nightmare Café," and wrote six episodes of HBO's "The Hitchhiker."

ASAAD KELADA (Director)Theatre: Old Globe Theatre, San Diego; Seattle Repertory Theatre; South Coast Repertory; Mark Taper Forum Lab; Antioch Shakespeare Festival; Philadelphia Playhouse-in-the-Park;Ensemble Theatre Company, Santa Barbara; The Met Theatre, Tiffany Theatres, Odyssey Theatre, Hayworth Theatre, El Portal Theatre. Television: 600 episodes for series including: "The Office." "Two and a Half Men," "Everybody Loves Raymond, "Dharma and Greg," "Who's the Boss?," "WKRP in Cincinnati," "The Facts of Life," "Family Ties," "Sister, Sister," "Sabrina," "The Michael Richards Show," "Rhoda,"
"Phyllis," "The Tony Randall Show." Teaching: Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio; US International University, San Diego; California Institute of the Arts; USC School of Cinema; American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Mr. Kelada is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

LAURA HILL (Producer) is a long-time theater administrator and producer in Los Angeles. She has produced over 20 shows including for Rogue Machine Theatre: Dying City (Best Production Ovation winner), Cock, Nice Things; Deaf West Theatre: Cyrano (LADCC Best Production Winner), Flowers forAlgernon, Children of a Lesser God; EST/LA: Year of the Rabbit, The Belle of Belfast. Laura has served as Managing Director for organizations like Deaf West Theatre, Antaeus Company and Rogue Machine Theatre as well as Company Manager at Center Theatre Group and Pasadena Playhouse. She is currently on staff at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

The play is being stage managed by Thomas Zoeschg. The set and lighting designs are by Thomas Meleck, costume design by Betty Madden, sound design by Joseph "Sloe" Slawinski and property design by Phi Tran.

ABOUT THE CAST:

JOANNA MILES (Eleanor) Joanna's work has been honored with two Emmys, a Golden Globe nomination, a Dramalogue Award, a Vision Award and an award from Women in Television & Film. Her career began in New York as a member of the Actor's Studio and performances in plays like The Cave Dwellers, Dylan, Drums in the Night, Home Free, Dracula and Once in a Lifetime. She won an Emmy opposite Katharine Hepburn in "Glass Menagerie." Joanna relocated to California to star in over 75 films and television movies. Notably, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,""Cross Creek,""Judge Dredd," "All My Sons," "As Is,""BornInnocent,""Sexand Breakfast," "Harvest Home" and "Alone." She had recurring and guest roles in TV like "Dallas,""Star Trek: The Next Generation,""ER," and "Kojak." Her west coast stage work includes One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Debutante's Ball, Cut Flowers, Going Gracefully,Women In Shorts and Women On Time. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures. As an accomplished writer, Joanna founded and was the artistic director of The Playwrights Group. She is married to Michael Brandman and has two sons, Miles and Steven.

DAVID SELBY (Douglas) David Selby's numerous credits include...Plays:Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Devil's Disciple, Toys in the Attic, The Heiress, Hedda Gabbler, Sticks and Bones, Ghandi, The Crucible, Night of the Iguana, Much Ado About Nothing, Long Day's Journey into Night, St. Nicholas, the Heavens Are Hung in Black, Necessary Sacrifices, A Delicate Balance. Television:"Dark Shadows," "Flamingo Road," "Falcon Crest," "Soldier of Fortune," "Tell Me You Love Me," King of the Olympics," "Washington Behind Closed Doors," "Mad Men," "Deck the Halls," Film: "Rich and Famous," "Rich Kids," "Up the Sandbox," "Night of Dark Shadows," Mighty Ducks III," "Dying Young," "White Squall," "Alone," "Surviving Christmas," "Super Cops," "Raise the Titanic,""Social Network," "Equals," "Dr. Del."

ANNA NICHOLAS (Gretchen) appeared most recently in EST/LA's In Search of doG. Other local credits include Theatre in the Dark (Odyssey Theatre), Lane in Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House (Odyssey), A.R. Gurney's Post Mortem, Pinter's Old Times (Ensemble Theatre), Shakespeare in Snoo Wilson's More Light and Eva in Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular. Films include: Final Analysis, Cotton Club, The Bloodstone and Funny About Love. On the box: Sue Ellen's secretary on Dallas, Mike Hammer's target, and Mary Tyler Moore's foil. She is also a published author, produced playwright and screenwriter, and a proud mom. Details at annanicholas.com

LIZZY RICH (Thalia) was born and raised in Los Angeles. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from The Boston University School of Theatre and holds a classical acting certificate from LAMDA. Lizzy is an associate member of Ensemble Studio Theatre LA. Other credits include Actor/ Producer of The Dutchman by Amiri Baraka (Unurban), Much Ado About Nothing (San Pedro Rep), In Search of doG(ESTLA). She recently assistant directed Watching O.J. for ESTLA. Lizzy made her film debut in 2013 in "A Snow Globe Christmas" (Lifetime). She is currently performing in The Luckiest Girl by Kitty Felde at Atwater Village Theatre, as well as in Front Door Open.

The mission of Greenway Arts Alliance is to unite the community through art, education and enterprise. A nationally recognized innovator, Greenway has created a world class model of how a non-profit arts organization can thrive while operating 99-seat theatre that welcomes emerging artists, students, and seasoned professionals alike. For more information about Greenway Arts Alliance, visit www.greenwaycourt.org

IF YOU GO:

FRONT DOOR OPEN

Previews are November 11and 12 at 8:00 PM.

The show opens November 13.

The play runs November 13 - December 13.

Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM; Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM

Appropriate for ages 13+

General admission: $25. Reserved seats: $35.

Buy tickets online at www.greenwaycourt.org or via phone by calling (323) 673-0544

Greenway Court Theatre is located at 544 N. Fairfax Boulevard, in Los Angeles, 90036.

Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the theatre.

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