Road Theatre Company to Present THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY This Fall

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, are thrilled to announce that they will be starring in the first show of its 2016-2017 season, Edward Albee'S THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY, written by Tony award-winning playwright Edward Albee and directed by Andre Barron, reuniting the three for the first time since the critically acclaimed The Other Place. Edward Albee'S THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY will begin previews on Tuesday, September 13 at 8pm; will open on Friday, September 16 at 8pm and run through Saturday, November 5 at the Road Theatre Company's second home, The Road on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

In this rarely produced dark comedy by one of America's greatest playwrights, a young couple who are madly in love with each other, have a child - the perfect family - that is, until a mysterious older couple steal the baby. Through a series of mind games and manipulations, they call into question both couples' sense of reality and fiction, joy and sorrow.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Edward Albee (Playwright) American dramatist and theatrical producer best known for his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), which displays slashing insight and witty dialogue in its gruesome portrayal of married life.

Albee was the adopted child of a father who had for a time been the assistant general manager of a chain ofvaudeville theatres then partially owned by the Albee family. At the time of Albee's adoption, though, both his parents were involved with owning and showing saddle horses. He had a difficult relationship with his parents, particularly with his mother, whom he saw as distant and unloving. Albee grew up in New York City and nearby Westchester county.

Among Albee's early one-act plays, The Zoo Story (1959), The Sandbox (1959), and The American Dream (1961) were the most successful and established him as an astute critic of American values. But it is his first full-length play,Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, that remains his most important work. Virginia Woolf won immediate acclaim and established Albee as a major American playwright. It was followed by a number of full-length works-including A Delicate Balance (1966; winner of a Pulitzer Prize), which was based in part on his mother's witty alcoholic sister, andThree Tall Women (1994; Pulitzer Prize). Among his other plays are Tiny Alice (1965); Seascape (1975; also winner of a Pulitzer Prize); and Edward Albee'S THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY (1998); The Goat; or, Who Is Sylvia? (2002) andOccupant (2001). Albee also expanded The Zoo Story into a two-act play, called Peter and Jerry (2004). (The play was retitled At Home at the Zoo in 2009.)

In addition to writing, Albee produced a number of plays and lectured at schools throughout the country. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996. A compilation of his essays and personal anecdotes, Stretching My Mind, was published in 2005. That year Albee also received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement.

ANDRE BARRON (Director) is an award-winning resident director at The Road Theatre Company. Most recently he directed the West Coast Premiere of Broken Fences by Steven Simoncic (Stage Raw Recommended Top Ten), the international tour of iTed E by ventriloquist/comedian David Strassman for Puppetronics Inc. At The Road - LA Premiere The Other Place by Sharr White (Broadway World Nominee - Best Director, Critic's Choice LA Times & LA Weekly Go!) LA Premiere Things Being What They Are by Wendy MacLeod (Stage Raw Top 10). West Coast Premiere. Summer Playwrights Festival: After Us The Savage God, Boy Friends, Mid-Century Modern and Missed Connections. Last year, Andre directed The Fourth Estate by Colin Mitchell, a fundraiser with Edward Asner and Ed Begley Jr. Other acclaimed productions: West Coast Premiere Dreams Of The Washer King by Christopher Wall (LA Weekly Go!) & LA Premiere The Ice-Breaker by David Rambo, Rosen's Son by Joe Pintauro (Critic's Choice LA Times),Bedside Companion, A Death In Bethany at Theatre 40. World Premiere Fernando Richardson's Treacherous Brain by Monica Trasandes (Critic's Choice BackStage West & LA Weekly Go!) at The Open Fist, Some Of My Parts by Dari Lallou Mackenzie for United Solo Theatre Fest at Theatre Row in NYC.

Sam Anderson (Man) is the artistic director of The Road Theatre Company, a position he shares with founder Taylor Gilbert. Road Theatre Acting credits include: The Other Place, The Bird and Mr. Banks (Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award - Best Actor), Napoli Millionaria (Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award - Best Actor) andMadagascar. Rogue Machine: Blackbird (Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award - Best Actor, LA Weekly Award - Best Duo Performance). Road directing credits include Clete Keith's The Different Shades of Hugh, Theresa Rebeck'sThe Water's Edge, Stacy Sims' As White As O, and Shove by Mark Eisman (LA Weekly Directing Nomination.) Film & Television audiences know him from 35 years of performances, including his recent recurring turn as the evil Lee Paxton on "Justified," Bernard on "Lost," Dr. Kaysen on "E.R." (SAG Award, Best Ensemble), Holland Manners on "Angel" and the films "Water for Elephants," "Forrest Gump," "La Bamba," "Frankie Go Boom," "Breaking the Girls" and the recently release horror thriller from Fox, "Devil's Due." Upcoming Sam stars in "Modern Love" and the A&E pilot, "Damien" due in 2016. Sam holds an MA in American Lit/Creative Writing, as well as his theatre degrees. He teaches a professional acting class combining scene study, improv, monologues and audition technique. He is also a graduate of The Grantsmanship Institute and studied Horticulture at Descanso Gardens. He is most proud of his 22-year old twin theatre graduates, Elizabeth and Ben.

TAYLOR GILBERT (Woman) is celebrating her 26th season as Founder and Artistic Director of The Road Theatre Company. Producing credits include more than 80 critically acclaimed productions for The Road Theatre Company. Directing credits include the award-winning In The Name of the People, Mooncalf, My Last Confession, The Chisholm Trail Went through Here and Slumber Party. As Co-Director (with Ken Sawyer): Hitler's Head, Homefires. Awards: As a Producer, over 130 regional theatre awards, including: the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre, the 2002 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award (Best Production of a Small Play) for The Woman in Black. Acting credits at the Road include 'White People' LA Weekly nominee best actress, Madagascar, Oroborous, Pagans, Neither Have I Wings to Fly, Sovereign Body and a plethora of others for most recently The Other Place.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

Edward Albee'S THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY will begin previews on Tuesday, September 13 at 8pm; will open on Friday, September 16 at 8pm and run through Saturday, November 5 at the Road Theatre Company's second home, the Road on Magnolia, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Performances are Fridays & 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.

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