THE SOLDIER DREAMS Begins at The Lion Theatre, 3/25

Theatre East presents "The Soldier Dreams" by Daniel MacIvor, Off Broadway at The Lion Theatre (Theatre Row), 410 West 42nd Street, NYC. Judson Jones directs the new play. Previews begin this Friday, March 25 and the opening is next Tuesday, March 29 at 8pm. Lea Anello is the set designer; Jessica M. Burgess, Lighting Designer; Scott O'Brien, Composer & Sound Designer; Kohli Calhoun ,Voice & Dialect Coach; Eric Kasprisin, Production Manager and Megan O'Brien is the Production Stage Manager. http://www.theatreeast.org/thesoldierdreams.html

The cast for the production includes Nick Cianfroga (David 1); William Franke (Sam); Heather Hill (The Nurse); Bryan Jarrett (David); Christa Kimlicko Jones (Judy); Denny Lawrence (Richard); Helen Merino (Tish); and Joseph Mitchell Parks (The German Student).

"THE SOLDIER DREAMS" is an emotionally rich drama. David's family is gathered by his bed at home as he lies in a coma and dreams of his secret life. His two sisters, Tish and Judy, his brother-in-law, Sam, and his partner Richard wrestle with emotions -and sometimes each other-as they struggle to come to terms with losing David. What would he want? They all come up with the same answer: "If David had his way we'd all be dancing." 80 mins (no intermission)
Daniel MacIvor (Playwright) is a stalwart of Canadian theatre, having written and directed numerous award-winning productions. His play Never Swim Alone won the award for overall excellence at the New York Fringe Festival in 1998 and in 2002, he won a GLAAD Award and a Village Voice Obie Award for his play In On It (PS 122).

For 10 years, he ran da da kamera, an interNational Theatre touring company that brought his work to Australia, Israel, Europe, the UK, and extensively throughout Canada and the US. As a filmmaker (writer & director), Daniel's work includes the festival favorite shorts: Wake Up Jerk Off, Margaret Atwood and the Problem With Canada, Permission and Until I Hear From You. He wrote and starred in the Genie award-winning short film The Fairy Who Didn't Want to be a Fairy Anymore, House and Parade (with Brad Fraser). His first feature film, Past Perfect, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, along with his screenplay adaptation of his play Marion Bridge winning the CITY TV Best First Feature Award. His second feature film, Wilby Wonderful also premiered at the Film Festival went on to other festivals around the world. Daniel co-wrote and starred in Amnon Buchbinder's Whole New Thing for which he won Best Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actor at the Atlantic Film Festival.

Judson Jones (Director/Executive Producer) has been working professionally as an actor, director, and producer for over a decade. He produced the Off Broadway premiere of Tim Blake Nelson's Eye of God, as well as a producing partner of Christopher Durang's The Vietnamization of New Jersey (NY Times Critic Pick) and of Harvest (Smith and Kraus Best New Plays of 2008; Backstage Critic's Pick), which he also co-directed. Prior to forming Theatre East, he served as Associate Director for Alchemy Theatre Company of Manhattan (2005-2008), and was a founding member of the dirigo group in Texas Judson has appeared in over twenty regional theatre productions, including tours performing in Julius Caesar and the title role in Henry V.

Theatre East (Judson Jones, Artistic Director; Christa Kimlicko Jones, Associate Artistic Director) is a New York based theatre company committed to ensemble collaboration through production of vivid theatrical works that explore our mortality and the shared human experience. They seek to build community by confronting isolation, allowing for a better understanding of their audience and ourselves.

Performances are: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm; Matinees Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3 pm (no mat 4/9) through April 9th. Tickets are: $18 and Students/Seniors $15. There is $1.25 theatre facility fee. TDF vouchers are accepted. Tickets are on sale at the TheatreRow Box Office and through - Telecharge 212-239-6200 and at www.telecharge.com. - Theatre Row website: www.theatrerow.org