[NEohioPAL]EVERYONE, PLEASE READ!!! THIS, FROM THE WESTSIDE PLAYHOUSE

[Westsideplayhous at aol.com]

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Dear Colleagues,
=20
            Some of you may have read the article that has appeared in the=20
=E2=80=9CFree Times=E2=80=9D by Marie Andrusewicz, headed =E2=80=9CA Full Se=
ason of Full Frontal.=E2=80=9D =20
=20
            As we are so outraged by the total misquoting and the deliberate=
=20
sensationalistic tone of the article, we feel we MUST explain to the theatre=
=20
community of Cleveland whathas happened here.  We were misquoted,and the=20
conversations with Mrs. Andrusewicz have been taken completely out of=20
context.  As someone who has dealt with the press many times due to my=20
associations with many performers of whom I represent I am very careful of=20
what I say, but this was a flagrant breach of trust, misquotes, and=20
journalistic sensationalism.  So here in this letter we would like to tell=20
the theatre community what we are about. =20
=20
            The Westside Playhouse is not a nude theatre as the =E2=80=9CFre=
e Times=E2=80=9D=20
would have you believe.  We will be presenting a wide array of productions=20
that will be of interest but not limited to the gay community.  One-person=20
shows that deal with gay issues, or by openly gay performers, plays written=20
by and about gay people, some may contain nudity, but not it is not=20
gratuitous.  We are also planning to bring in well-known performers such as,=
=20
Sherry Glaser who had the longest one-woman show in off-Broadway history=20
=E2=80=9CFamily Secrets.=E2=80=9D  Judith Sloan a New York based Jewish perf=
ormance artist,=20
whose work deals with being Jewish in America today, to David Schmader with=20
his one-man show =E2=80=9CStraight=E2=80=9D dealing with Christian conversio=
n therapy groups.
=20
            Chris Johnson was quoted by Mrs. Andrusewicz as saying =E2=80=
=9Cit=E2=80=99s=20
basically easy money-somethingyou can sell to the gay population, are you=20
selling out turning actors bodies into a product?=E2=80=9D  THIS IS THE MOST=
=20
AGREGIOUS MISQUOTE IN THE WHOLE ARTICLE.
=20
Here=E2=80=99s what was said, We are goingto present an original play by ST.=
 Louis=20
based playwright, Scott Miller called=E2=80=9CHead Games=E2=80=9D, which is=20=
a comical farce=20
looking at nudity in theatre today.  It makes fun of, and ridicules theatre=20
companies using nudity to draw patrons in both gay and straight plays.  It=20
played to great reviews in LA and in St. Louis, and is a very well written=20
piece. Mrs. Andrusewicz asked what this play was about and turned this into=20
aquote from us. =20
=20
            Mrs.Andrusewicz made great fun of the production =E2=80=9CPupper=
try of=20
the Penis=E2=80=9D inferring that we were bringing it to the Westside Playho=
use.  =20
Even saying that you can hire the actors for bacholorette parties, another=20
flagrant misquote. Charles Lago, during the course of the interview, told=20
Mrs. Andrusewicz thatwe had been approached by the New York producers=20
inquiring if we had anyinterest in producing that show.  Afterlooking into=20
it, seeing that it had been a huge hit all over Canada, London,and is still=20
maintaining a successful run off-Broadway, we considered it.  Charles told=20
the writer that we had decidedto not bring it, instead telling the New York=20
producers we will look into this again in the summer to possibly schedule th=
e=20
show in for 2003.
=20
            For some reason the =E2=80=9CFree Times=E2=80=9D after approachi=
ng us for an=20
interview has decided to turn this theatre company, which fully admits will=20
specialize in gay theatre into something we are not, Namely a theatre of=20
burlesque.  We are both deeply disturbed and saddened that this would happen=
=20
in the city that we have chosen to relocate to and opena new theatre.
=20
            We are writing this letter to you, the theatre community, as we=20
feel it is very important that you hear our side of the story. We have today=
,=20
1/01/02 lodged a very serious complaint with the editorsof the =E2=80=9CFree=
 Times.=E2=80=9D=20
 We told them we feel so strongly about this we will take legal action in=20
order to reverse this article.  After speaking at length with the editor,=20
Lisa Chamberlain, they have agreed to send another writer and will run a=20
corrected story.
=20
            Thank you for your time in reading this letter and perhaps NEOPA=
L=20
is our chance of at least vindicating ourselves slightly.
=20
            Thanksagain
          =20
             Westside Playhouse


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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><FONT  SIZE=3D2>Dear Colleagues,
<BR>=20
<BR>            Some=20=
of you may have read the article that has appeared in the =E2=80=9CFree Time=
s=E2=80=9D by Marie Andrusewicz, headed =E2=80=9CA Full Season of Full Front=
al.=E2=80=9D  
<BR>=20
<BR>            As we=
 are so outraged by the total misquoting and the deliberate sensationalistic=
 tone of the article, we feel we MUST explain to the theatre community of Cl=
eveland whathas happened here.  We were misquoted,and the conversations=
 with Mrs. Andrusewicz have been taken completely out of context.  As s=
omeone who has dealt with the press many times due to my associations with m=
any performers of whom I represent I am very careful of what I say, but this=
 was a flagrant breach of trust, misquotes, and journalistic sensationalism.=
  So here in this letter we would like to tell the theatre community wh=
at we are about.  
<BR>=20
<BR>            The W=
estside Playhouse is not a nude theatre as the =E2=80=9CFree Times=E2=80=9D=20=
would have you believe.  We will be presenting a wide array of producti=
ons that will be of interest but not limited to the gay community.  One=
-person shows that deal with gay issues, or by openly gay performers, plays=20=
written by and about gay people, some may contain nudity, but not it is not=20=
gratuitous.  We are also planning to bring in well-known performers suc=
h as, Sherry Glaser who had the longest one-woman show in off-Broadway histo=
ry =E2=80=9CFamily Secrets.=E2=80=9D  Judith Sloan a New York based Jew=
ish performance artist, whose work deals with being Jewish in America today,=
 to David Schmader with his one-man show =E2=80=9CStraight=E2=80=9D dealing=20=
with Christian conversion therapy groups.
<BR>=20
<BR>            Chris=
 Johnson was quoted by Mrs. Andrusewicz as saying =E2=80=9Cit=E2=80=99s basi=
cally easy money-somethingyou can sell to the gay population, are you sellin=
g out turning actors bodies into a product?=E2=80=9D  <B>THIS IS THE MO=
ST AGREGIOUS MISQUOTE IN THE WHOLE ARTICLE.</B>
<BR><B> </B>
<BR>Here=E2=80=99s what was said, We are goingto present an original play by=
 ST. Louis based playwright, Scott Miller called=E2=80=9CHead Games=E2=80=
=9D, which is a comical farce looking at nudity in theatre today.  It m=
akes fun of, and ridicules theatre companies using nudity to draw patrons in=
 both gay and straight plays.  It played to great reviews in LA and in=20=
St. Louis, and is a very well written piece. Mrs. Andrusewicz asked what thi=
s play was about and turned this into aquote from us.  
<BR>=20
<BR>            Mrs.A=
ndrusewicz made great fun of the production =E2=80=9CPuppertry of the Penis=
=E2=80=9D inferring that we were bringing it to the Westside Playhouse. &nbs=
p; Even saying that you can hire the actors for bacholorette parties, a=
nother flagrant misquote. Charles Lago, during the course of the interview,=20=
told Mrs. Andrusewicz thatwe had been approached by the New York producers i=
nquiring if we had anyinterest in producing that show.  Afterlooking in=
to it, seeing that it had been a huge hit all over Canada, London,and is sti=
ll maintaining a successful run off-Broadway, we considered it.  Charle=
s told the writer that we had decidedto not bring it, instead telling the Ne=
w York producers we will look into this again in the summer to possibly sche=
dule the show in for 2003.
<BR>=20
<BR>            For s=
ome reason the =E2=80=9CFree Times=E2=80=9D after approaching us for an inte=
rview has decided to turn this theatre company, which fully admits will spec=
ialize in gay theatre into something we are not<B>, Namely a theatre of burl=
esque</B>.  We are both deeply disturbed and saddened that this would h=
appen in the city that we have chosen to relocate to and opena new theatre.
<BR>=20
<BR>            We ar=
e writing this letter to you, the theatre community, as we feel it is very i=
mportant that you hear our side of the story. We have today, 1/01/02 lodged=20=
a very serious complaint with the editorsof the =E2=80=9CFree Times.=E2=80=
=9D  We told them we feel so strongly about this we will take legal act=
ion in order to reverse this article.  After speaking at length with th=
e editor, Lisa Chamberlain, they have agreed to send another writer and will=
 run a corrected story.
<BR>=20
<BR>            Thank=
 you for your time in reading this letter and perhaps NEOPAL is our chance o=
f at least vindicating ourselves slightly.
<BR>=20
<BR>            Thank=
sagain
<BR>           
<BR>            &nbsp=
;Westside Playhouse
<BR></FONT></HTML>

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