Lantern Theater Company Presents the Philadelphia Premiere of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THOMAS JEFFERSON, CHARLES DICKENS AND COUNT LEO TOLSTOY: DISCORD

Lantern Theater Company concludes its record-breaking 2016/17 season with the regional premiere of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, an uproarious, razor-sharp exploration of legacy and faith from playwright, former stand-up comedian, and longtime Real Time with Bill Maher writer and executive producer Scott Carter. Award-winning Philadelphia playwright, director, and actor James Ijames will direct a cast that includes Andrew Criss as Count Leo Tolstoy, Gregory Isaac as Thomas Jefferson, and Brian McCann as Charles Dickens. Theater critics and members of the press are invited to attend opening night on Wednesday, June 7 at 7 p.m. A full schedule is included in the fact sheet below.

Scott Carter's provocative new comedy sets three of the world's greatest thinkers against each other in a battle of wits and wills. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, Victorian literary celebrity Charles Dickens, and a Russian aristocrat/anarchist Count Leo Tolstoy find themselves locked in a room with no exit. Attempting an escape, they ransack the philosophies of their lives and work, searching for a truth that will set them free. This whip-smart comedy examines just what happens when great men of history are forced to repeat it.

Carter wrote The Gospel According To... over the course of many years, following a nearly fatal asthma attack that set him on a path of spiritual exploration. Inspired by his discovery that Jefferson, Dickens, and Tolstoy had all compiled their own gospels from existing biblical literature, Carter's comedy explores the noble aspirations and comic foibles of these extraordinary men. Thrust together in death, these three remarkable minds grapple in spirited, hilarious debate about their beliefs and their ability - or lack thereof - to live up to their own ethical standards with nothing but a pen, a journal, and their squabbling roommates to judge them. Writing in Geffen Playhouse's show program, Carter notes that after his near-death experience he "entered a bliss state - loving all whom I met and forgiving previous transgressions done to me. It lasted about a week." Carter will appear at the Lantern on Saturday, June 3 for a special In Conversation Series program to discuss his play and its inspirations.

"Lantern Theater Company has long produced work that engages both the head and the heart, bringing to life explorations of philosophy, art, and literature," said Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon. "With a bracing mix of wit and clowning, underpinned with a deep soulfulness, this fresh satire forces three of history's most singular geniuses to confront the eternal question: 'What happens when we die?' and to reckon with the possibility that it 'turns out you just go to a room. And not even a room of one's own.'"

"This is just the kind of play that excites me," said director James Ijames. "At first glance it appears very simple, but underneath is a tightly coiled play about faith. Not just faith in a higher power, but also faith in humanity. These three men are not so much theatrical depictions of writers that we all know and love; they are the personifications of the ways in which we reach up to God and reach out to each other."

Tickets for The Gospel According To... are $24 - $42 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Student tickets are $15 in advance; $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID. Discounts are also available for theater industry professionals ($10 in advance or at the door), seniors 65 and up, groups of 10 or more, and U.S. military personnel. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Sts. in Center City Philadelphia.

In Conversation: Playwright Scott Carter on Saturday, June 3

As part of its ongoing In Conversation Series of fascinating discussions with theater artists and special guests, Lantern Theater Company will host Scott Carter for a post-show conversation immediately following the 8 p.m. preview performance on Saturday, June 3. Carter will participate in a talkback and answer questions from the audience in a program to be monitored by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon. Admission is free with ticket purchase to the performance.

About the Playwright

Scott Carter has served as executive producer and writer for Real Time with Bill Maher since its debut on HBO in 2003. He produced the first 1,100 episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher from its 1993 Comedy Central debut to its 1997 move to ABC. For his work at Politically Incorrect, Carter received eight Emmy Award nominations and three consecutive CableACE Awards for Best Talk Series. He has served as creator, producer, and/or writer for Root of All Evil with Lewis Black (Comedy Central, 2008), Earth to America (TBS, 2005), and The Conspiracy Zone with Kevin Nealon (Spike, 2002-03). In 2007, he was a co-recipient of the Producer's Guild of America's Johnny Carson Award for Real Time with Bill Maher. A former stand-up comic, Carter has written and performed two full-length monologues, Heavy Breathing and Suspension Bridge, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and other festivals around the world. He is former producing director and a founding member of The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Ariz. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

About the Director

One of Philadelphia's most in-demand actors, directors, and playwrights, James Ijames has appeared regionally at Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, People's Light, and InterAct Theatre Company. Ijames' plays have been produced at Orbiter 3 and Flashpoint Theatre Company, and have been developed with PlayPenn, The Gulfshore Playhouse, The Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, and Victory Gardens; the world premiere of his play WHITE is currently being staged by Theatre Horizon in Norristown. Ijames is a four-time Barrymore Award-winner, including one award for directing, two for acting, and the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He is a 2011 Independence Foundation Fellow, a 2015 Pew Fellow, 2015 winner of the Terrence McNally New Play Award, 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner, and a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, which is bestowed annually by the Whiting Foundation to ten emerging writers who exhibit great promise. Ijames is an alumnus of the InterAct Core Writers Group, a mentor for The Foundry, and a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia's first playwright producing collective. He holds a BA in drama from Morehouse College and an MFA in acting from Temple University. He is an assistant professor of theater at Villanova University and resides in South Philadelphia.

About the Cast and Production Team

Andrew Criss returns to the Lantern as Count Leo Tolstoy, following his appearance as Sir George Crofts in this season's production of Mrs. Warren's Profession. Also a voiceover artist and painter, Criss' credits include stage, film, television, and radio with companies throughout the United States. Criss divides his time between Philadelphia and Rehoboth Beach with his partner and collaborator, artist Chad States, and their dog, Cleopatra.

Gregory Isaac will make his Lantern debut as Thomas Jefferson. A recent transplant to Philadelphia's Mount Airy neighborhood, his local stage credits include numerous productions with Quintessence Theatre Group. He was previously based in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York City, where his credits include productions with ALLIANCE THEATRE, Georgia Shakespeare, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Secret Theatre, Wandering BArk Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, and TimeLine Theatre.

Brian McCann stars as Charles Dickens, fresh off his acclaimed performance as Menenius in the Lantern's production of Coriolanus. Previous Lantern stage credits include Happy Days, Othello, Travels with My Aunt, King Lear, and The Lady from the Sea. Other regional credits include Delaware Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre Center, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, George Street Playhouse, Arden Theatre Company, 1812 Productions, and numerous productions with the Philadelphia Artists' Collective. McCann is a 16-year member of ComedySportz Philadelphia and resides in South Philadelphia.

The talented design team for The Gospel According To... includes scenic designer Lance Kniskern, whose previous Lantern design credits include Informed Consent, Oscar Wilde: From the Depths, and The Taming of the Shrew, for which he received a Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Scenic Design. The design team also includes costume designer Millie Hiibel (Oscar Wilde: From the Depths at the Lantern; costume director for Opera Philadelphia), lighting designer Shon Causer (Barrymore Award nominee for Oscar Wilde: From the Depths and A Child's Christmas in Wales at the Lantern), and sound designer Christopher Colucci, a seven-time Barrymore Award-winner whose many Lantern credits include Mrs. Warren's Profession, Oscar Wilde: From the Depths, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Arcadia.

About Lantern Theater Company

Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company is closing its twenty-third season with a record number of subscribers, its largest-ever operating budget at $1.3 million, and a growing community of theater artists engaged in its productions and audience enrichment events. Last season, the Lantern launched its Theater Artist Fair Pay Initiative, which was recently featured in American Theatre magazine as a leading national success story for increasing artist compensation through a combination of fundraising and higher ticket sales. The Lantern seeks to be a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, engaging audience members on artistic and social issues, and employing theatrical language and techniques to enrich learning in the classroom. Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 94 nominations and 19 awards, including the 2009 Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award for its innovative education program, Illumination. The Lantern's upcoming 2017/18 season includes the Philadelphia premiere of Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti, the world premiere of The Craftsman by Philadelphia playwright Bruce Graham, Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, The Tempest by William Shakespeare, and the Philadelphia premiere of Don't Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti and adapted by Robin Hawdon. More information is online at www.lanterntheater.org.

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