LION EYES Comes to Whitefire Theatre in June

Lion Eyes is about the emergence of a young actress from Iowa and her journey into the world of Hollywood. After meeting an eccentric well-known director at the age of 21, her career takes off, but there are severe consequences, as she finds herself in a relationship with a man 40 years her senior. Surrounded by stars, celebrities, and people who want to posesses her life, she loses herself in drugs and alcohol when the real reality of her situation gradually sets in and collapses around her. Her rise and fall lead to life and death survival as she struggles to find redemption, and Lion Eyes.

Lion Eyes is a fictional narrative, informed by actual events.

Writer-performer Tanna Frederick had a run of some years as a star of indie arthouse films including her breakout role in Hollywood Dreams, Irene in Time, Train to Zakopane, The M Word, and more. Ironically, her most acclaimed film was made during a return to her native Iowa, the multi-award-winning Two Ways Home. Her most recent film is the just-released Swiss production South of hope Street. While in Los Angeles, she also accumulated a long list of stage credits including roles in Dutchman (directed by Levy Lee Simon), The Rainmaker (L.A. Times Critic's Pick), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (L.A. Times Critic's Pick, directed by Carl Weathers), Just 45 Minutes from Broadway (with Karen Black), Why We Have a Body (with Barbara Bain), and more.

Levy Lee Simon directs Lion Eyes. He is an acclaimed director, actor, and playwright. His plays include The Haitian Trilogy: For the Love of Freedom (L.A. Times Critic's Pick), The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel (L.A. Times Critic's Pick), The Bow-Wow Club (Lorraine Hansberry Award), The Guest at Central Park West (Audelco Award), and A Heated Discussion- Revisited He starred in his solo performance piece, Odyssey: Race and Racism, a mix of recollection and fiction. His screenplays include The Last Revolutionary (in which he also starred) and The Stuttering Preacher. His memoir, Odyssey Towards the Light, was published last year.

Lion Eyes is a riveting look at what it sometimes takes to survive and thrive in Hollywood.

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