Lisa Kron's 2.5 MINUTE RIDE to Make Philly Area Premiere at Theatre Horizon

Theatre Horizon's season of #WomenWhoDare starts off with a moving story of one family's history and culture that is made huge and universal by the power of theatre. Lisa Kron's 2.5 Minute Ride will have it's Philadelphia-area premiere at the Norristown theatre from October 6 through October 29, 2017.

Every year, Lisa and her father ride America's biggest roller coasters together. As her dad's health begins to fail, Lisa experiences the ups and downs of documenting his life as a Holocaust survivor, and in the process, takes us through the family album of one very funny Jewish lesbian.

The play, written by 3-time Tony-winner Lisa Kron, writer of Broadway's Fun Home, was hailed by The New York Times as "seriously funny...2.5 Minute Ride boldly assumes the task of looking for the connections between two very different family outings: a recent trip to an Ohio amusement park and Ms. Kron's visit six years ago with her septuagenarian father to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where her grandparents were killed. There's no way you can draw a straight line between these excursions, and Ms. Kron doesn't try."

Theatre Horizon's production stars Barrymore Winner Leah Walton, recently seen in Stinky Cheese Man at the Arden, Laughter on the 23rd Floor at the Walnut, Bunny Bunny at 1812, and Field Hockey Hot at 11th Hour Theatre. She'll be directed by Philadelphia theatre artist Elaina Di Monaco, who has worked extensively with PlayPenn, On The Rocks, and the Philadelphia FringeArts Festival.

On the title page of the 2.5 Minute Ride script, the time is listed as "tonight"; the place is "this theater." Theatre Horizon believes the play does what only theater can do: allow for an audience to be here now, together. Kron's work fits perfectly into the company's season of #WomenWhoDare as the protagonist dares to share family idiosyncrasies, to be out and confident as a lesbian...and to eat pizza at a roadside stand in Poland: it's American cheese melted on white toast with a layer of ketchup.

Tickets to 2.5 Minute Ride go on sale to the public on August 28, 2017. Performance schedule is listed below. Details can be found at theatrehorizon.org.

IF YOU GO:

2.5 Minute Ride

By Lisa Kron

Performance Schedule:

10/6/17, 8PM, Pay what you decide preview

10/7/17, 8PM, Preview

10/8/17, 3PM, Preview

10/10/17, 6:30PM, Norristown Night, Preview

10/11/17, 7:30PM, Opening Night

10/13/17, 8PM

10/14/17, 8PM

10/15/17, 3PM

10/19/17, 8PM

10/20/17, 8PM

10/21/17, 3PM and 8PM

10/22/17, 3PM

10/23/17, 7:30PM, Industry Night

10/26/17, 8PM

10/27/17, 8PM

10/28/17, 8PM

10/29/17, 3PM

At Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA

Tickets available at theatrehorizon.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Leah Walton (Lisa): Leah is an AEA member who has worked as an actor, teacher, storyteller, and collaborator for over fifteen years. Her Off-Broadway performances include The Lapsburgh Layover at Ars Nova with the Berserker Residents, and a workshop of Blood Play with The Debate Society at Playwrights Horizons SuperLab. As a Philadelphia-based actor, Leah has performed with numerous local theatre companies, including the Walnut Street Theatre (Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Odd Couple, A Christmas Carol), Arden Theatre (The Stinky Cheese Man-2016 Barrymore Nomination Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, Charlotte's Web), People's Light (Three Musketeers: A Musical Panto, Noises Off), 1812 Productions (Bunny Bunny), InterAct Theatre Company (The Three Christs of Manhattan, Skin in Flames, Jihad Jones), 11th Hour Theatre Company (Field Hockey Hot-2015 Barrymore Award Winner Best Supporting Actress in a Musical) Great American Trailerpark Musical--2011 Barrymore Nomination Best Leading Actress in a Musical, Nomination Best Ensemble), Pig Iron Theatre Company (Pay Up-2006 Barrymore Nomination Best Ensemble in a Play), EgoPo Productions (A Dybbuk, Vieux Carre, Spring Awakening-2007 Barrymore Nomination Best Ensemble in a Play), Montgomery Theatre Company (10% of Molly Snyder), Mum Puppettheatre (Rhinoceros), Azuka Theatre (Nerve, Act a Lady), Temple University (Macbeth, The Crucible) among many others. Leah's training began as a Drama Student at Ithaca College where she received a BA degree and graduated Magna Cum Laude. While enrolled at Ithaca College, she spent three semesters abroad and trained at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute in Waterford, CT, the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, and the Gate Theatre of London, England. It was during her undergraduate career that she became interested in theatrical movement work, particularly that of Michael Chekhov, and began to study his acting technique with the International Michael Chekhov Association. She is graduate of Temple University's MFA Acting program. Leah has taught acting in Philadelphia at the University of the Arts, Temple University, the Walnut Street Theatre, the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and privately. Visit www.leah-walton.com.

Elaina Di Monaco (Director) is a director, dramaturg, producer and new work enthusiast. She holds a BFA in Directing, Playwriting & Production from the University of the Arts and happily resides in South Philadelphia. Elaina's most recent directing credits include Birdie's Pit Stop (and the tribe of queers who fucked everything up), Buzzfeed, Donald Trump & Dead Black Kids (Philly Fringe, both by Haygen Brice Walker), and Hear Me War (a new musical by Sarah Galante and Jaime Jarrett.). Elaina has produced and directed in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival since 2012 and is most notably recognized for her collaborations with playwright Haygen Brice Walker and their collaborative umbrella, On The Rocks. As a dramaturg, she has collaborated with PlayPenn New Play Development Conference since 2012. In addition, Elaina works as a freelance dramaturg/director and is currently developing plays with Writers On The Rocks, a Philadelphia writers group created under the On The Rocks umbrella, where she serves as the group's co-founder and dramaturg. Go to www.ontherocksphilly.com for more.

ABOUT THEATRE HORIZON: Theatre Horizon, founded in 2005, is a professional nonprofit theatre company headquartered in the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: Norristown, located 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Since its inception, Theatre Horizon has produced critically-acclaimed productions that fulfill its mission of connecting audiences and students with professional theatre artists through relevant and compelling theatre, and has been the recipient of multiple Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The company has also presented original works and has an extensive education program that reaches hundreds of students in the greater Philadelphia region. Through theatre, the company creates a community of artists, students and audiences in which each member is encouraged to grow. More info at theatrehorizon.org.

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