Phoenix Theatre to Stage World Premiere of ACID DOLPHIN EXPERIMENT

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the World Premiere of Acid Dolphin Experiment opening July 21, 2016 on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. This production runs through August 14, with Bill Simmons serving as director.

Acid Dolphin Experiment follows the life of Dr. John C. Lilly, a neuroscientist ahead of his time. Using isolation tanks, dolphins, and psychedelic drugs, he broke barriers... and created one of the most controversial experiments in the history of science.

Playwright Tom Horan takes us on the "trip" of a lifetime through Lilly's LSD experiences, following the evolution of his attempts to communicate with dolphins, as well as his encounters with the celestial beings of E.C.C.O., the Earth Coincidence Control Office. Risking his career, relationships, and sanity, Dr. Lilly explores what the science world dismisses as "mere hallucinations," the separation of the human mind and body, and the boundaries of reality...

"In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true." - Dr. John C. Lilly

Bill Simmons returns to the Phoenix Theatre as director for the fourth time with Acid Dolphin Experiment. His previous directing credits include 4000 Miles, Miles & Ellie, and last season's critically acclaimed Typhoid Mary. He recently directed Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project's The Merry Wives of Windsor. In addition to acting and directing, he will soon begin teaching his second two-year Sanford Meisner Acting Technique class at the Phoenix Theatre.

Tom Horan is a writer and Sound Designer who serves as the Playwright-in-Residence at the Phoenix. His works have been honored with several awards, including Best-of-Fest at the Austin FronteraFest for The King and the Clockmaker, and two Austin Table Critics Awards for The Poison Squad. Acid Dolphin Experiment will be his third premiere at the Phoenix; previous productions include last season's Typhoid Mary and this season's Leyenda, created in collaboration with Bryan Fonseca. Elsewhere, his play Static was workshopped this summer at the Source Festival in Washington D.C. This Fall, he will join the faculty of the Ball State Theatre Department.

The cast includes Lauren Briggeman, Joshua Coomer, Michael Hosp, Jolene Mentink Moffatt, and Chelsey Stauffer.

Lauren Briggeman's previous Phoenix Productions include Typhoid Mary and Seminar. Most recently she could be seen in To Kill A Mockingbird at Indiana Repertory Theatre and up next, she will be in Finding Home, also at the IRT.

Joshua Coomer previously appeared at the Phoenix Theatre in Pulp, Clark Gable Slept Here, North of the Boulevard, and Rancho Mirage. Other local credits include A Christmas Carol at IRT, and Murder at the Howard Johnson's at Brown County Playhouse.

Michael Hosp's most recent Phoenix credits include Pulp; One Man, Two Guvnors; and The Cripple of Inishmaan. Native to Indy, he graduated from Butler University Theatre. This summer, he can be seen in Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian during the IndyFringe Festival.

Jolene Mentink Moffatt has appeared on Phoenix stages in The Book of Merman; One Man, Two Guvnors; Miles and Ellie; Rancho Mirage; Spring Awakening; and Zippers of Zoomerville. She has been seen at IRT, Jewish Theatre of Bloomington, ShadowApe Theatre Company, TOTS, DivaFest, IndyFringe, and The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

Chelsey Stauffer has been stage manager for forty Phoenix Theatre productions in the last four and a half years. This isn't Chelsey's first time to step out from behind the scenes onto the Basile stage-you may have seen her last summer as Clarice in SILENCE! The Musical.

Tickets for Acid Dolphin Experiment are on sale now. Tickets are $27.00 per person on Thursdays and Sundays, $33.00 per person on Fridays and Saturdays, and $20.00 for anyone 21 & under. During CheapSeats Weekend, July 21-24, all tickets are $20. Tickets for Acid Dolphin Experiment may be purchased by calling the box office at 317.635.7529 or visiting phoenixtheatre.org. Curtain times for the production are: Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm.

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