FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2007

Gutsy, sexy, and stubborn Kyra and sophisticated, witty, and reserved Tom are an unlikely and volatile match. Intimate, thought-provoking, and often funny, Skylight asks the question: Can love stand still when time moves forward?

"These two people are inexorably drawn to one another with a passion so strong that it seems as if it will never end. For a moment in Skylight the chemistry is rekindled, but the tragedy is that those 'moments in time' can never be the same. That moment of loss, when we know for certain that it can never be again, crashes down with an impact that is as deep and profound as the joy of the memory." –Dan Kern, Director, Skylight

Lantern Theater Company proudly features the work of acclaimed British playwright Sir David Hare with this compelling modern classic. Hare, a powerful voice in contemporary theater, was hailed by London's The Guardian as a playwright who "engages the heart and mind." His work has been featured around the world, notably on Broadway and the West End with such works as Plenty, The Vertical Hour, Stuff Happens, and The Blue Room. Continuing the political commentary from these works, Skylight reflects on class distinction, education, and social justice.

"David Hare has made a specialty of chronicling the fragmentation of modern life and the sense of alienation that arises from it. Our modern affluent society should provide for everyone, but it doesn't; things should make sense, but they don't; Tom and Kyra should be able to make a go of it, but they can't. Hare sets his plays at the point where the political, the personal and the social intersect, where we all recognize the echo in our own lives." –Charles McMahon, Artistic Director, Lantern Theater Company

The Lantern welcomes back veteran Philadelphia-based actor Peter DeLaurier (QED, Barrymore winner for Underneath the Lintel) to play the role of wealthy restaurateur Tom. Geneviève Perrier returns to the Lantern for her third production this season (The Lonesome West, The Screwtape Letters) as Kyra, Tom's former lover who has recently started a career as a teacher in a low-income London community. Ryan Jones, a current undergraduate acting student at Temple University, makes his Lantern debut as Tom's teenage son Edward.

Dan Kern, Chair of Temple University's MFA Directing Program, directs this intimate chamber play. The artistic team also features acclaimed Philadelphia designers: Set Designer Dirk Durossette, Costume Designer Millie Hiibel (multi-Barrymore nominee, including the Lantern's La Ronde and the F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist), Lighting Designer David O'Connor, and Sound Designer Jeff Lorenz.

Skylight begins previews on Friday, February 1, 2008 with an opening on Wednesday, February 6. The closing performance is scheduled for Sunday, February 24. Tickets are $15-$35, with discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 12 or more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the box office at 215.829.0395.

SKYLIGHT SPECIAL EVENTS
Audience members will have an opportunity to gain insight into the Skylight production process, context and themes through Lantern's variety of discussions, lectures and a symposium during the run. With this expanded series, the Lantern continues the essential dialogue with its audience, extending the theatrical experience long after the play ends.

Lecture Series: Thatcher, Labour, and Love: Intimacy and Politics in Skylight
Monday, January 28 at 7pm
Alistair Howard, currently in his fourth year as a Dean's Appointment in political science at Temple University, joins the Lantern's Literary Manager Kathryn MacMillan for the third installment of the Lantern Lecture Series. They offer audiences a lively dialogue exploring the political and economic realities of Britain in the early 1990s and how they shape the characters of David Hare's Skylight. $15 admission includes coffee and pastries from Whole Foods Market. Discounts are available for subscribers and students.

Meet the Artists
Thursday, February 7 at 9pm and Wednesday, February 13 at 4pm
New for the 2007/08 season, this post-show event features members of Skylight cast and creative team onstage in dialogue with the audience.

Director's Discussion
Friday, February 8 at 7pm
A pre-show conversation with Skylight Director, Dan Kern and the Lantern's Literary Manager Kathryn MacMillan. Free for all ticket holders for the production, this event includes complimentary refreshments from Whole Foods Market.

Teacher Appreciation Night
Friday, February 22 at 7pm
Lantern Theater Company salutes our area teachers and their dedication to our region's students by hosting a teachers-only reception before the show. All teachers with a valid teacher ID are eligible for a student price, just $20 a ticket, when booking by February 8.

Symposia: David Hare - Activist, Satirist...Anarchist?
Saturday, February 23 at 4pm
Skylight is arguably one of the most intimate plays from the prolific David Hare, whose work includes the searing political dramas Plenty, Racing Demon, and Stuff Happens. We'll examine the complex moral and political message of Skylight in the greater context of Hare's outspoken and sometimes controversial career as a dramatist, filmmaker, and director.

Reviewing Press are invited to attend Opening Night of Skylight on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 7pm. Call 215.829.9002 x106 to reserve seats.

Other Press may arrange for tickets for the first week of production, February 5-10, by calling 215.829.9002 x106.

Cast and Creative Team
By David Hare
Directed by Dan Kern
Peter DeLaurier as Tom
Ryan Jones as Edward
Geneviève Perrier as Kyra
Dirk Durossette - Set Designer
Millie Hiibel - Costume Designer
David O'Connor - Lighting Designer
Jeff Lorenz - Sound Designer

Where
Lantern Theater Company
At St. Stephen's Theater
10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia

Tickets
Single Tickets: $15-$35; discounts available for students, seniors and groups of 12 or more

By Phone: 215.829.0395
Online: www.lanterntheater.org
In Person: St Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets

Box Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm. One hour prior before curtain on performance days.

When
February 1-24, 2008; Full schedule available at www.lanterntheater.org

About The 2007/08 Season
After Skylight, Lantern Theater Company's 2007/08 season continues with Othello by William Shakespeare (March 28-April 27, 2008). The 2007/08 Season began with The Lonesome West and The School for Wives, both of which were extended by popular demand. The Lantern will also present The Screwtape Letters, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, adapted by and starring Anthony Lawton, for a limited engagement run January 2-13, 2008.

For tickets and information, please contact the Lantern Theater Company box office at 215.829.0395 or visit us online at www.lanterntheater.org.

About the Lantern
Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, Lantern Theater Company has emerged as one of the most successful professional theaters in the Philadelphia region. Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in its choice of classic, modern and original works.

The Lantern commits itself to being a vibrant, contributing member of its community. To that end, each season the Lantern produces four mainstage productions, a variety of special events, and Illumination, the Barrymore-nominated education program designed to engage local students and adults alike in the world of theater and nurture their own artistic expression. This program reaches the Greater Philadelphia area in four vital ways: outreach in area schools, matinee performances for students, training teaching artists for after school programs, and our audience enrichment series of lectures, discussions, and symposia for each production of our season.

Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue. Since the inception of Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 10 awards and 46 nominations, including nominations in 2006 and 2007 for the Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award. Recent Barrymore wins include Outstanding Overall Production of a Play (for Richard III) and Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play (Peter Pryor in Richard III).

The 2007/08 season at Lantern Theater Company marks the company's 14th year of creating high-quality professional theater in Philadelphia.