Skylight Theatre Brings YEARS TO THE DAY to Edinburgh Fringe, Beginning Tonight

Skylight Theatre Company sends original work to New York and Edinburgh Fringe Festival - YEARS TO THE DAY, A DARK COMEDY written by Allen Barton and directed by Joel Polis. Performances will run today, July 30th - Aug 24th at Ines Wurth, Pleasance Road, Edinburgh. Edinburgh tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/years-to-the-day.

Developed in Skylight Theatre's INKubator program, the critically acclaimed, Ovation recommended 2013 production of Allen Barton's YEARS TO THE DAY goes global, after being picked up for an Off Broadway run this summer at 59e59 Theaters, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

These days, we hang on to people and friendships through the impressions we get from their online profiles. Yet, over the years, people seldom share any deep and personal changes through social media. In YEARS TO THE DAY, which made its world premiere at the Skylight Theatre's Beverly Hills Playhouse space, Allen Barton explores the collision of these relationships.

Two 40-something men, who have been friends for decades but only cursorily in touch via social media over the past four years, finally get together for coffee. However, their long anticipated "face to face" meeting reaps surprising consequences now that truthful and dramatic changes in each of their lives are revealed. Can this long time relationship survive?

"After meeting an old friend, four years to the day from our last get together, it struck me that though we knew what phones and computers we were using, we had no clue about each other's lives, or what had truly happened to us in those years." - Allen Barton (Playwright)

ALLEN BARTON (Playwright) is a Los Angeles-based writer-director, and classical pianist. He has written & directed five short films. Allen's first feature screenplay; REAL MUSIC was a top-three finalist in the CAPE New Writers Award Competition. He is author of several one-act plays and has earned numerous stage, TV, and film credits as an actor. Allen performed Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at the 25th Annual S.T.A.G.E. fundraiser (Wilshire Theatre), was a prizewinner in the 2002 Los Angeles Liszt Society Competition, and has recorded five CD's (available on iTunes). In 2010 he was made a Steinway Artist. A graduate of Harvard University, his selected directing credits include ENGAGEMENT (writer), THE INTERVIEW, THE REAL THING, RABBIT HOLE, the world premieres of ABOUT FAITH, PINK DOT, Suzanne Whang's hit one-person show, I MAKE YOU LAUGHING, and Guerrilla Rep's inaugural production of BURN THIS.

JOEL POLIS (Director) directed the award winning world premiere of Kathy Graf's highly acclaimed award winning drama HERMETICALLY SEALED (starring Gigi Bermingham) at the Skylight Theatre. Selected directing credits include Jerry Lambert's STRAIGHT TIME at the Odyssey and Joe Bay's LAST FLING at the Hayworth. An actor-turned director, Joel has over 100 TV and movie credits as well as scores of plays on his resume, most recently Kathy Graf's THE SNAKE CAN at the Odyssey Theatre. He is a graduate of Yale Drama School and USC's School of Theater.

SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY is about discovering, developing and producing new, impassioned theater while nurturing and educating the artists that create it. We offer writers a home to test and refine their work through our programs, and before a live audience, giving voice to new perspectives of American life. We are a vibrant and expanding family of artists. Our goal is to help establish Los Angeles as a center of innovation in the American Theatre. Skylight's world premiere production of Hermetically Sealed was on the LA Times Top Ten Plays for 2011. In 2013, Skylight's productions of Years To The Day and Sexsting, and were on the LA Weekly's list of Top Ten Plays for the year.

Gary Grossman (Producer/Artistic Director of Skylight Theatre Company) started his career at New York's Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse, eventually owning two theaters and a theatrical lighting company by the age of 23. He has produced over 300 stage plays, including more than 50 world premieres. Among his celebrated productions are Pray To Ball, Years To The Day (2 LADCC nominations; Edinburgh Festival), Hermetically Sealed, Sexsting, Mad Women (Best Solo Performance), Romeo and Juliet directed by Milton Katselas (3 LADCC Awards), Dylan (3 LADCC Awards), Influence, Dream Man, Beautified and La Ronde de Lunch. In addition to his work for Skylight Theatre Company, Gary produced at The Cast Theatre, Director's Theatre, and co-produced The Homecoming, Endgame, and The Seagull for the Matrix Theatre Company. For television he created and co-produced "Sadie and Son" (CBS-MOW) and the sitcom pilot "Man In The Kitchen" (ABC). He is the Executive Producer for award-winning director Chuck Workman's documentary, "The Actor's Life."

JEFF LeBEAU (Jeff) is an EMMY AWARD winner and has numerous stage credits Off Broadway; US (Lion Theatre, directed by Jennifer Gelfer), THE LAST PITCH (Noho Arts), and nationally; AGENCY (Coast Playhouse), HURLYBURLY (Geffen Playhouse, directed by David Rabe), TRANSLATIONS (Capital Rep, NY), HARRY BLACK (Ensemble Studio), THE CHAIN and HOT N' THROBBING (Circle Rep, directed by Anne Bogart), BURNING IN CHINA (directed by Caleb Deschanel, NY International Fringe Festival). He appeared in the West Coast premiere include SWIMMING and the LA Premiere of BIG DEATH AND LITTLE DEATH at the Road Theatre Company. Selected Film/TV: AMERICAN FROM THE SOUTH, SPIRIT-STALLION OF CIMARRON, THE BIG EASY, MOVING PIECES, BLACK LISTED (directed by Robert Townsend), THE PRACTICE, LIFE AS A HOUSE, and SUMMERLAND. Jeff has voiced work for Dreamworks Animation, Narration for A&E, and the Discovery Channel, a Short Video Special for which he received an Emmy Award.

MICHAEL YAVNIELI (Dan) has collaborated on three projects with Emmy Award winner Gene Reynolds (THE TENTH MAN, OF MICE AND MEN, and THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, which also starred Tony Award winner John Glover). Michael was seen in the critically acclaimed Hermosa Beach Playhouse Production of TRACERS, and played various roles in BALM IN GILEAD, ROMEO AND JULIET, RICHARD III, and ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS. Selected TV and film credits include working opposite Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Toni Collette, and Kiefer Sutherland among others.

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