Dysnomia, a new comedy from The Four Faced Liar award-winning playwright Marja-Lewis Ryan, opened at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood this weekend.
Dysnomia is a fast-paced, real-life family comedy that successfully brings to life two suburban families in crisis after one housewife comes out of the closet to her delinquent teenaged son, her precocious daughter, her buttoned-up husband and her wine-swilling best friend.
Meet the Wentworth Family: Mary, a suburban working mother who likes her husband, but hates his hands, loves her kids, but recognizes that her parenting skills are amiss, and doesn’t have a word for how she’s been feeling lately; Henry, a straight laced, workaholic type who insists that a book club could breathe some new life into his wife’s routine; John, a fifteen year old who is best known for his delinquent antics at school, including the time he got suspended for jumping out of the first floor window during math class; Jodi, the self-described perfect child.
Meet the Flynn Family: Carol, a wine-guzzling trophy wife on a permanent vacation, who constantly (despite any evidence whatsoever) thinks that her husband has been unfaithful; Scott, a simple, dry humored roll-with-the-punches type; Samantha, Scott’s daughter from his first marriage, a 22 year old at Smith college who is as comfortable with herself as the adults ought to be.
Marja Lewis Ryan
Dysnomia chronicles the chaos that ensues when Mary Wentworth finally finds the word that describes how she’s been feeling. It isn’t bored. It isn’t lonely. It isn’t apathetic. It’s gay. The word is gay.
Themes of love, trust and self fulfillment are carefully woven in through witty one-liners and perfectly flawed protagonists.
“We were drawn to the characters,” says Jessie Warner, producer and cast member of Dysnomia, “they feel like people we all know and love…or know and loathe.”
Directed by Anthony Frisina Dysnomia stars theatre, film and television veterans Heidi Sulzman, Jessie Warner, Trevor H. Olsen, Isabella Palmieri, Monroe Makowsky, Ryan Stathos and Marja-Lewis Ryan.
Ryan is best known for her sharp scripting on The Four Faced Liar, the 2010 hit that swept the international film circuit last year, in addition to taking home the Emerging Artist Award (Miami, LGBT Festival) and the coveted HBO Audience Award for Best First Feature (Los Angeles, Outfest).
Dysnomia opened Saturday July 16, and will continue to run at 8:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 7:00 pm on Sundays through August 21. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased here.
