The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis Presents THE LYONS, Opening 2/28

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis has announced the Indiana Premiere of Nicky Silver's corrosive comedy, The Lyons in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre. Opening Thursday, February 28, and running through Sunday, March 31, 2013, The Lyons was chosen by Phoenix Producing Director Bryan Fonseca specifically for Diane Kondrat in the lead role of Rita Lyons, as her last role before moving to the West Coast.

The Lyons is the funny and stirring tale about a family grappling with the impending death of its patriarch, Ben Lyons. As his wife Rita and their grown children gather to say goodbye, they learn that despite being a family, each of them is completely isolated. Afraid of closeness and afraid of solitude (and trapped in a hospital room for the entire first act) they are propelled into the foreign territory of human connection. At a distance these characters are hilarious as they kick the ego out of one another. But look at them closely and the audience will likely find an intimate mirror of their own frightened self.

The Lyons will be Diane Kondrat's 20th play at The Phoenix Theatre. "When you tally up all my days and nights of rehearsal and performance at The Phoenix Theatre, it adds up to about four years of my life. It seems it should be more," says Bloomington resident Kondrat. "The first time I visited the theatre in 1988, with playwright Marcia Cebulska, I got onstage, down right, in the empty house. It felt right then and it continued to feel right for the next 25 years. I have been driving the 120 mile circuit from Bloomington for all that time, learning lines in the car, and it has been worth the trip."

"It's always exciting to work with Diane Kondrat. She is dedicated, passionate, smart and intuitive," says Phoenix Theatre Producing Director Bryan Fonseca. "She is fearless when approaching a role and challenges everyone on a project to bring their best work to the table. Her work is inspiring. Very few actors I've worked with have Diane's range and depth of emotion. Some of my favorite roles that she's done with us include: Miss Witherspoon, August: Osage County and Frozen. Our loss is Portland's gain.

Always a fan of the Phoenix mission, Kondrat states "The shows that are chosen for production (at the Phoenix) more often than not coincide with my theatrical preferences: edgy, of-the-moment, meaningful scripts that aren't afraid to push the boundaries of society." Those words are also a good description of Kondrat's career. She has graced the Phoenix stages as the besieged oldest daughter in August: Osage County, as the struggling caretaker Lee in Marvin's Room, and a woman caught in a complicated relationship in Sight Unseen.

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