Photo Flash: The Road Theatre Company presents THE LYONS

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, present the fourth and final show of its 2016-2017 season, the Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS, written by acclaimed playwright Nicky Silver and directed by Scott Alan Smith. THE LYONS will begin previews on Sunday, May 7 at 2pm; will open on Friday, May 12 at 8pm and run through Saturday, July 1 at the Road Theatre on Lankershim, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.

In this scathingly funny look at a family in crisis, the Lyons family is falling apart just when they need to pull together. Rita Lyons, in a heroic effort to keep the family united while her husband, Ben, is dying of cancer, has called their grown children together to say good-bye around his hospital bed. In the ensuing maelstrom of kvetching, guilt-giving, and recriminations, they discover that despite being a family, each of them is utterly isolated. Afraid of closeness and afraid of solitude, the Lyons are unexpectedly propelled into foreign territory- human connection.

Nicky Silver (Playwright) has been produced extensively in New York City as well as across Europe and as far away as South Korea (where The Lyons was called Happy Happy Family). His plays include Pterodactyls (Oppenheimer Award, Kesselring Award, Drama Desk nomination, Outer Critic's Circle nomination), The Eros Trilogy, The Food Chain (Outer Critic's Circle nomination), Fat Men In Skirts, Fit To Be Tied, The Maiden's Prayer, Free Will & Wanton Lust (Helen Hayes Award), My Marriage To Ernest Borgnine, The Altruists, Raised In Captivity (Drama Desk nomination, Outer Critics Circle nomination, Drama-Logue Award), Too Much Sun, Beautiful Child, This Day Forward and The Lyons (Drama Desk nomination).

Scott Alan SMITH (Director) Serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the award-winning Road Theatre Company and has been the Festival Director of the theater's annual Summer Playwrights Festival (the largest new play staged reading series in the nation) since it began in 2010. At The Road he has directed: Melissa Arctic (LA Times Critic's Pick), Sovereign Body, That Good Night Lady (4 Ovation nominations including best play and 5 LA Weekly Award nominations including best director), New York Mets (ADA nominated), So Nice to See You (1 Dramalogue award), The Petoskey Stones. At Pepperdine he has directed The Yellow Boat, Almost, Maine, These Shining Lives, Three Days of Rain, Bus Stop, Proof (with Michael O'Neill), The Roads to Home. Other directing credits include: Bus Stop (at Spokane's Interplayers Theater - People's Choice Award), Tabak (The Met), The Adding Machine, Lynette at 3AM, Mr. Happiness, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Bringin' Home the Girl. Scott is co-author along with Adam Paul of King of the Moon which ran Off-Off Broadway, in Los Angeles at the Groundlings Theater and HBO Workspace. He co-wrote and produced the film version which was made for FOX Searchlab and premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. He directed Ed Harris at Disney Hall, and Heart...Beat for the Boston Court's Music at the Court series.

Acting credits include Dinosaur Within (Theatre@Boston Court - Stage Scene L.A. Award), Apollo (Taper Too), Richard III (with Alfred Molina), King of the Moon, Kindertransport, Detachments, The Memorandum, The Water Engine, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Rose Tattoo and has appeared in over 100 television and film projects. Scott earned his MFA from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Pepperdine University and also teaches at CSUN and UCLA. He is member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, SDC and the Actor's Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit, and is also a proud alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theater Director's Lab West (Gold Medal Class of '05).

THE LYONS will feature James Handy ("Logan," "The Verdict," Coen Brothers upcoming "Suburgicon" and (in alphabetical order): Verity Branco, Chad Coe, Kris Frost, Liz Herron. Judith Scarpone and Amy Tolsky.

The Design Team for THE LYONS is as follows: Set Design by Sarah B. Brown; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Sound Design by David B. Marling; Costume Design by Mary Jane Miller. Properties Design by Christine Joelle and Amy Stoch. THE LYONS is produced by Jennifer Finch.

THE LYONS will preview on Sunday, May 7 at 2pm; Wednesday, May 10 & Thursday May 11 at 8pm; will open on Friday, May 12 at 8pm and run through Saturday, July 1 at the Road Theatre on Lankershim, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Performances are Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Ticket prices are $34; Students and Seniors are $17.50; Previews are $15.00. Special group rates available for parties of 8 or more. For tickets, please call 818-761-8838 or visit www.RoadTheatre.org to purchase tickets online or to view complete schedule.

Judith Scarpone and James Handy star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.
Verity Branco and Judith Scarpone star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.
Chad Coe and Judith Scarpone star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.
Kris Frost and Chad Coe star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.
Verity Franco and Judith Scarpone star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.
James Handy, Amy Tolsky and Judith Scarpone star in the ROAD THEATRE COMPANY's Los Angeles premiere of THE LYONS by Nicky Silver, directed by Scott Alan Smith and now playing at the ROAD THEATRE on LANKERSHIM.