[NoHo Arts District, CA] – THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Founder/Artistic Director Taylor Gilbert are thrilled to announce the award-winning theatre’s second show of its 2025-2026 season, the world premiere of LIFELINE, written by Robert Axelrod and directed by Ken Sawyer.
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About LIFELINE
In the aftermath of an unforeseen, life-changing event, Patti, a well-meaning mother, becomes a volunteer at a suicide hotline. Over the course of the intense and emotional training, through laughter and tears, a new understanding bridges the divide between people from very different perspectives and walks of life.
Lifeline participated in The Road’s 15th Annual Summer Playwrights Festival and has been selected for a fully produced production this season!
The Cast
The cast of LIFELINE will feature: Brittany Visser as “Jen,” Tommy Dickie as “Drew,” Amy Tolsky as “Patti,” Clifton J. Adams as “Kai, Naomi Rubin as “Sarah Beth” and Xoë Sazzle as “Maya.” Musicians for LIFELINE are Joh Chase and Lou Roy.
The Team
ROBERT AXELROD (Playwright) is a screenwriter and playwright based in Los Angeles, originally hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Most recently, Robert’s play Dry Summer had its world premiere at Theatre NOVA.
His work has also been presented as part of IAMA Theatre Company’s New Works Festival, The Road Theatre Company’s Summer Playwrights Festival, and Syracuse New Playwrights Festival. Previous fellowships and labs include the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Writers Program, Humanitas New Voices fellowship, CineStory TV fellowship, Jewish Writers’ Institute Digital Storytelling Lab, and The Road Theatre Company’s Under Construction Playwriting Lab. Robert was named a winner of the Echo Theater Company’s inaugural playwriting competition and previously won the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition. His work has also been recognized as a finalist by the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Orchard Project Performance Lab, and Blue Ink Award for Playwriting. In addition to his professional and creative pursuits, Robert has volunteered with The Trevor Project, the nation’s leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention service for LGBTQ youth.
KEN SAWYER (Director) is an award-winning director based in Los Angeles, California. His work has spanned a wide range of venues with projects that include musicals, plays, experimental theatre, concerts and special events. Ken is honored to return to The Road Theatre Company where he was a founding member and former artistic board member. Directing projects at The Road include the award-winning The Woman In Black, which had a sold-out three-month run in North Hollywood before moving to the Coronet Theatre.
His collaboration with Jon Imparato and the Los Angeles LGBT Center further built his reputation as a lover of theater that not only entertains and thrills the senses but also tackles challenging and thought-provoking issues. Highlights include The Goat Or Who Is Sylvia, a collaboration with Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner to produce a full cast version of The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe, and the immersive Hit The Wall.
Other career highlights include collaborating with Emmy Award winner Paris Barclay on the Vietnam era musical One Red Flower,…with rock icons Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s) and Anna Waronker (That Dog) on Lovelace: The Rock Opera starring Katrina Lenk; with Stephen Schwartz and David Stern on the development of Snapshots; and with Colin Escott on development of the Broadway hit, Million Dollar Quartet.
Ken has guest directed at Carnegie Mellon University, USC, and California State University, Northridge and is an adjunct professor at USC. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School.
The Design Team for LIFELINE is as follows: Scenic Design by Desma Murphy; Lighting Design by Matthew Richter; Projection Design by Nicholas Santiago; Sound Design by Ken Sawyer; Costume Design by Mary Jane Miller; Properties Design by Aaron Lyons. Original Music by Joh Chase. The Production Stage Manager is Maurie Gonzalez. LIFELINE is produced by Danna Hyams and Taylor Gilbert.
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