Dan Caffrey (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and pop culture critic. His play KAIJU was developed through The Road's Summer Playwrights Festival, as well as The Workshop Theater and ScriptWorks Austin. Other work includes The Amphibians (Weber State Theatre, ThinkTank Theatre, Cypress Productions, Sundown Collaborative Theatre, St. Lawrence University), The Tusk Hunters (The Civilians' Finding Series, Gloucester Stage's Water's Rising Festival, The Workshop Theater's Lab Series, cell theatre residency), and Matawan (The Ruckus, UT Austin, Atlantic Acting School, Brooklyn College). His audio drama "Mortality Rate" was commissioned by 20th Century Studios as a tie-in to the 2023 Stephen King film The Boogeyman.
Residencies and development programs include Tofte Lake Center, an MFA Scholarship at the Sewanee Writers' Conference, Cry Havoc's Playlist, UCF Pegasus PlayLab, Kitchen Dog Theater New Works Festival, The Orchard Project, and Hot Playwright Summer. He has been a Princess Grace Finalist, O'Neill Finalist, Next Forever Finalist (Princeton/The Civilians), Jerome Fellowship Semi-Finalist, shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize, and his work has been published/licensed by Methuen Drama, Smith & Kraus, and Gitelman & Good. Additional companies who have produced or developed his plays include Concord Theatricals, American Records, Salvage Vanguard, Northlight Theatre, Mixily Presents, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Jarrott Productions, Genesis Ensemble, Hot Kitchen Collective, and Tympanic Theatre (RIP). His work has been supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation, NYSCA, and Brooklyn Arts Council, and been the recipient of five B. Iden Payne Awards.
His non-fiction book, Radiohead FAQ, is available from Bloomsbury Publishing, and he co-hosts The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast and Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast. MFA: The University of Texas at Austin, BA: Florida State University.
Ken Sawyer (Director/Sound Designer) is an award-winning director based in Los Angeles, California. His work has spanned a wide range of genres with projects that include musicals, plays, experimental theatre, concerts and special events. Ken is honored to be back at The Road Theatre Company where he was a founding member and former artistic board member, and directed numerous productions including the award winning The Woman In Black, which enjoyed a 3-month sold out run in North Hollywood before moving to the Coronet Theatre. Most recently at The Road, Ken directed the critically acclaimed production of Lifeline in April of this year. His collaboration with Jon Imparato and the Los Angeles LGBT Center further built his reputation as a creator 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, by Edward Albee, 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, rock icons Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s) and Anna Waronker (That Dog) on Lovelace: A Rock Opera starring Katrina Lenk; Stephen Schwartz and David Stern on the development of Snapshots; and with Colin Escott developing the Broadway hit, Million Dollar Quartet. Ken has guest directed at Carnegie Mellon University, USC, and California State University, Northridge and is currently an adjunct professor at USC. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School.
Taylor Gilbert As the Founder and Artistic Director of The Road Theatre Company in North Hollywood, California, TAYLOR GILBERT has been the Executive Producer of over 100 productions over the last 35 years. The Road has received numerous awards for their productions, including the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre Arts, and, most recently, the 2024 LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Season. In 2010, Taylor and her team created The Road’s Summer Playwrights Festival (SPF), which has since become the largest festival of its kind, presenting over 400 staged readings of original plays over the last 16 years. Supporting writers and developing new work is key to The Road’s mission.
Additionally, as a director, Taylor’s credits include the critically acclaimed hits, Hitler’s Head, Homefires, The Chisholm Trail Went through Here, Mooncalf and In the Name of the People. As an actor, Taylor recently appeared in the long running, award winning production of The Civil Twilight, by Shem Bitterman, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, for which she won the award for Best Actress from Stage Raw, Ticket Holders and Stage Scene. At The Road Theatre, Taylor appeared in productions of The Other Place, The Play About The Baby, Stupid Kid, Beloved, Scintilla and Hell Mouth. Her film credits include Spiderman 1&2, Hancock, The Island, Twister, Tucker, The Dead Pool, The McMartin Trials and, her favorite, 80’s cult classic, Torment.
Taylor continues to helm the Road Company as it enters its 36th Season.
Danna Hyams (Producer) Danna Hyams has been producing theater in Los Angeles for over forty years. She began in 1983 as a founding member and Artistic Director of City Stage Theater Company, part of the first wave of artists creating performance spaces in Downtown Los Angeles. In addition to developing new works and producing lesser-known published plays, City Stage provided workshops in writing, acting, music, and visual art to members of the nearby Skid Row community, culminating in original productions created by participants.
Following her years with City Stage, Danna worked extensively as a freelance producer throughout Los Angeles before becoming the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of The Hayworth Theatre from 2004–2013. During her tenure, The Hayworth presented numerous critically acclaimed productions, including Carlos Lacámara’s Havana Bourgeois, Exiles, and Nowhere on the Border, which later received successful regional productions in Portland, Miami, Chicago, and New York. Acclaimed writer-director Paul Mazursky directed Adam Baum and the Jew Movie, starring Richard Kind and Hamish Linklater, as well as The Catskill Sonata. Frances Fisher and Paul Ben-Victor starred in the world premiere of Sexy Laundry. The Hayworth also developed the award-winning Lovelace: A Rock Opera, written by Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go’s and Anna Waronker, and starring future Tony Award winner Katrina Lenk.
Beginning in 2014, Danna expanded into audio production, developing and producing the original drama Christmas Eve, 1914 for Audible. She has since produced and directed numerous scripted and nonfiction series for Wondery, including Business Wars, Locked Up Abroad, and more than 85 episodes of Catfish: The Podcast. She currently produces and directs audiobooks for Simon & Schuster while continuing her work as a freelance script consultant.
Since 2021, Danna has been closely associated with The Road Theatre, where she first produced Steve Yockey’s Reykjavik, filmed for streaming during the pandemic and later recognized at multiple film festivals. She has produced the last 4 seasons at The Road, including the company’s award-winning 2024 season and their most recent production of Hell Mouth. Also in 2024, she produced the critically acclaimed world premiere of Shem Bitterman’s The Civil Twilight at The Broadwater and, in 2026, the world premiere of Bitterman’s newest play, The Typist at The Hudson Theatre.
