Leo Lion Named Associate Artistic Director at Phoenix Theatre Ensemble

Company expands programming into rockland county

New York, NY  December 17, 2018: Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, a nonprofit ensemble theatre company now in its 15^th season, announces the appointment of Leo Lion as Associate Artistic Director effective January 1, 2019.

Mr. Lion is the Founder and Artistic Director of the New York based award-winning Firebird Project, a young person theatre company for teenagers and adults.  He directed eight Off-Off-Broadway productions with youth and mixed-age ensembles (adults and teens).  Four productions received numerous National Youth Arts awards and nominations, including awards for Direction and Ensemble.

Mr. Lion has adapted two classic books for the stage (Treasure Island, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) and co-adapted Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for a present-day mixed-age production. He was the assistant director for Phoenix Theatre Ensemble’s 2018 production of Robert Patrick’s JUDAS and is the director of the company’s upcoming 2019 production of Stephen Sharkey’s new adaptation of Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich.  Mr. Lion is a freshman at Fordham University at the Lincoln Center campus.

Producing Artistic Director Craig Smith says “We have known Leo for some time and have watched his work grow and expand at Firebird Project.  As assistant director Leo was an essential part of the success of our production of Judas.  He is smart and motivated and we are thrilled to have someone of his talent joining our organization.”

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble has recently expanded programming from its home base in Manhattan’s East Village to Rockland County NY with readings, workshops, and performances in both NYC and Rockland County. Next up on January 17 is an unusual and somewhat unpredictable theatre event which will beThree Commissioned Short Plays on Greed by noted Rockland County playwrights Samuel Harps, Christopher Kyle and Angelo Parra. The plays will be read impromptu by Rockland County area actors whose roles will be assigned on the spot–regardless of age or gender–by drawing actor names out of a hat and actors have five minutes of prep time.

Following in February will be the New York premiere of Eileen Glenn’s acclaimed stage adaptation ofMargaret Atwood’s Good Bones and Simple Murders presented in both Manhattan and Rockland County at Nyack, New York.

For further information:  email info@PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org  or 212-465-3446

  art director, Firebird Project, Leo Lion, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble