THE CIVIL TWILIGHT

[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Plays With People Productions in association with the Road Theatre Company presents a world premiere play, THE CIVIL TWILIGHT, written by Shem Bitterman, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky (Mercury, Through the Eye of A Needle) and starring Taylor Gilbert and Andrew Elvis Miller.

ABOUT THE CIVIL TWILIGHT 

A twisty thriller, THE CIVIL TWILIGHT takes place over a single night during a once-in-a-century storm when a popular radio personality winds up trapped in a motel room in the  Midwest with his biggest fan.  

Comments writer Shem Bitterman, “I got this idea traveling across the country to see my son in at the University Missouri where he is studying journalism. I was struck by how the economic, cultural and population decline of Midwestern towns has left among those who  remain an opening where hucksters and charlatans can, for a few bucks or some cheap outrage, offer a path to desperately needed change. In these areas, despite widespread  disillusionment, hope lives on — in fact, hope is often all that is left.”  

Director Ann Tobolowsky agrees, adding, “There is a deep longing for community and a desire to find connection. This play is a cautionary tale of what can happen when that impulse is betrayed. In the end, THE CIVIL TWILIGHT asks — what is the cost of a lie?” 

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST 

SHEM BITTERMAN (Playwright) PEN USA Award Harm’s Way; LA Drama Critics Circle  Award, The Job; National Play Award, Beijing Legends; Humanitas Nominee, Betty and  Coretta; Image Award Nominee, Whitney. His films include The Job, which he also directed,  starring Ron Perlman and Joe Pantoliano, Lenexa; 1 Mile, starring Paul Wesley, Jason Ritter,  Chris Klein, and William Baldwin, Out of the Rain, starring Bridget Fonda, Off the Lip,  starring Marguerite Moreau, Tinsletown, starring Ayre Gross and Kristy Swanson, Open  House, which he also directed, starring Jason Wiles, and most recently, The Civil Twilight,  which he also directed. Mr. Bitterman has developed and acted in plays at CTG, Sundance,  Midwest Playlabs, and Steppenwolf, and has written films for Warner Brothers, Dreamworks,  Disney, and many independent film companies. Locally, his plays have been performed at The  New American Theatre, The Skylight, Padua Playwrights Festival, The Elephant, CTG, South  Coast Rep, Beyond Baroque and elsewhere. He has taught screenwriting, playwriting, and acting in the California Prisons and in Beijing, China. In 2015, together with then Humanitas  Executive Director, Cathleen Young, he founded PLAY LA, dedicated to developing plays by  Los Angeles-based writers “from the ground up” and seeing them done on local stages. 

ANN HEARN TOBOLOWSKY (Director) Most recently at The Road Theatre, Ann directed  Mercury by Steve Yockey and Scintilla, by Alessandro Camon. In 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, Ann directed Reykjavík by Steve Yockey, which was filmed live, going on to win the award for Best Stage Play at the Swedish International Film Festival and Ediplay  International Film Festival. Also at The Road, Jami Brandli’s Through the Eye of a Needle and roughly twenty readings for The Road’s Word series, Summer Playwrights Festivals, and  Under Construction. For Theatre 40: The Half Light, Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual  Help, Silent Sky, Good People, As Good As Gold, Bus Stop, Holy Days, Driving Miss  Daisy, and Another Part of the Forest. For Skylight Theatre, play readings of works by Shem  Bitterman and Wendy Kout, and two short charming plays by Anna Mathias inspired by the  Beatles song Eleanor Rigby (Streamyard).  

THE CAST

THE CIVIL TWILIGHT will feature: Taylor Gilbert as “Ann Carlson” and  Andrew Elvis Miller as “John Pine.”  

TAYLOR GILBERT (Ann Carlson) is the founder and co-artistic director of The Road Theatre, executive producing more than 60 productions. She co-directed Hitler’s  Head and Homefires with Ken Sawyer. Taylor has been seen on The Road stages in numerous productions over the years, including The Other Place, The Play About The Baby and Stupid  Kid. In 2022, she appeared in Beloved, directed by Cameron Watson and, most recently, in  Scintilla, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky. Taylor’s film credits include Spiderman 1 &  2, Hancock, The Island, Twister, Tucker, The Dead Pool, The McMartin Trials, and Torment. 

ANDREW ELVIS MILLER (John Pine) was honored to be the first invited outside actor officially cast during the early years of Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theatre, where he remained for five years. After many years acting in downtown and Off-Broadway New York theatre, Andrew moved to LA in 2007 with the West Coast premiere of Tracy Letts’ Bug. He began working in film and television on the CSIs, the NCIS, the FBIs, the Law &  Orders, as well as Halston, Dexter, Mozart in the Jungle, Pretty Little Lies, just to name a few. During the Screen Actors Guild strike in 2023, he returned to the stage as Harry the genius chef in need of an attitude adjustment and reality check in Theresa Rebeck’s  Seared at the Ensemble Theatre Company in Santa Barbara. Andrew previously worked with  Shem Bitterman on his film The Job, and is thrilled to be collaborating again.  

THE TEAM

Production Design by Joel  Daavid; Sound Design by Chris Moscatiello; Costume Design by Jenna Bergstraesser.  Original Score by Roget Bellon. The Production Stage Manager is Andreya Nevarez.  THE CIVIL TWILIGHT is produced by Danna Hyams.