[NEohioPAL]Actors' Summit opens Jacques Brel

Sun Apr 28 11:21:53 PDT 2002

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For Immediate Release
For additional information contact:=20
Neil Thackaberry 330-342-0800

Hudson, Ohio=20
April 28, 2002
               =20
Actors' Summit Theater presents
Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris on its Hudson stage May 9 - 2=
6=20

Actors' Summit announces the opening of the musical revue Jacques Brel is=20
Alive & Well & Living in Paris at its theater, 86 Owen Brown Street, one=20
block north and two blocks west of the clock tower, in downtown Hudson. A=20
preview performance on May 9 will be followed by a 12-performance run, with=20=
a=20
scheduled closing on May 26.

The Revue
The music and commentary of the Belgian-born French troubadour Jacques Brel=20
are at the heart of the show, which was created by producer-translator Eric=20
Blau and rock composer Mort Shuman. The original production opened in 1967 a=
t=20
The Village Gate in New York and ran for five years. The show had Brel's=20
blessing but he skipped the premiere because of his opposition to U.S.=20
involvement in Vietnam. Brel did see the show =E2=80=93 in 1969 at The Villa=
ge Gate=20
and again in 1972, when the show played to a packed house at an anniversary=20
performance at Carnegie Hall, at which he was invited to take a bow.=20
Preparing for the Actors' Summit production, artistic director A. Neil=20
Thackaberry consulted Blau, who described his discovery of Brel's poetry and=
=20
music in 1959 and the eight-year effort to stage the original show, which=20
features 24 of more than 300 songs Brel wrote and performed during his=20
lifetime. Thackaberry located Blau in New York City through Joe Garry, who=20
directed the Cleveland production of Brel, which enjoyed 522 performances on=
=20
Playhouse Square as the theater district's renaissance was beginning in the=20
early 1970s.

The Cast
Wayne S. Turney helped launch the Actors' Summit season last fall as Sir in=20
The Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd. In March, he presented The=20
Gospel According to St. Mark, his solo performance piece, on the Actors'=20
Summit stage, where his other credits include I Do! I Do! and Oedipus Rex.=20
Wayne is best known to Cleveland audiences for his long-running children's=20
television show, Hickory Hideout. He is a trustee of Actors' Summit, was a=20
member of the Cleveland Play House resident company for many years, and=20
founded the Cleveland Actor's Theater.=20

MaryJo Alexander is associate artistic director of Actors' Summit and has=20
more than 25 years' experience as a professional actress and designer. MaryJ=
o=20
played Agnes to Wayne Turney's Michael in the Actor's Summit production of I=
=20
Do! I Do! last season, and has performed at Ensemble Theatre, Cain Park,=20
Porthouse Theatre and at Stan Hywet. She holds an MA from the University of=20
New Orleans where she was a member of the Resident Acting Company, and has=20
been married for 30 years to A. Neil Thackaberry. They have two daughters,=20
Connie and Sasha.=20

Sally Groth delighted audiences in the Actors' Summit production of The=20
Memory of Water earlier this season, and also has performed here in Cotton=20
Patch Gospel, Romeo & Juliet, Candida, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and W=
it
. Her credits include roles at Ensemble and Porthouse theaters here in=20
Northeast Ohio and at theaters in New York City, the Denver Center, the=20
Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., the Wayside Theater in Virginia,=20
Trustus Theater in South Carolina, and a national tour of The Little Prince.=
=20
Sally is a graduate of Hiram College and the University of South Carolina.=20
She and her husband, John Gill, have a year-old daughter, Anne.

Scott Plate is a freelance performing artist who appears regularly in=20
Northeast Ohio venues. His recent credits include the Ghost of Christmas=20
Present in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of A Christmas Carol,=
=20
a role in the HBO pictures release Proximity, opposite James Coburn and Rob=20
Lowe and roles in the Eugene S. & Blanche R. Halle Theatre productions of Ol=
d=20
Wicked Songs, Rags and Visiting Mr. Green. Scott recently published Voices i=
n=20
the Dark, an original play he will adapt into a film under the SAG=20
experimental agreement.

The Playwright
Jacques Brel was born in Belgium in 1929, but made France, specifically=20
Paris, his home by the time he was in his early 20s. Brel was the son of a=20
cardboard manufacturer, but he eschewed all thoughts of going into the famil=
y=20
business in favor of writing songs and singing them in the taverns and cafes=
=20
around his adopted country. By the time he arrived in the City of Lights, he=
=20
was France's leading "chansonnier" or troubadour. He died in 1978 having=20
produced more than 300 songs dealing with the bittersweet aspects of life. I=
t=20
was this body of work that inspired producer-translator Eric Blau to begin=20
work in 1959 on the show that would become Jacques Brel is Alive & Well &=20
Living in Paris.

The Production Team=20
The production is directed by A. Neil Thackaberry, artistic director of=20
Actors' Summit Theater. John Banks is the Musical Director. Set and lighting=
=20
designs are by resident designer Bob Stegmiller. Costume and prop design are=
=20
by MaryJo Alexander.

Performance Dates and Tickets
Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris runs from May 9 through May=20
26, 2002, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday.=20
Tickets are $22 on Fridays and Saturdays and $20 on Thursdays and Sundays,=20
except as noted below. Students and Seniors receive a $4 discount. Group=20
discounts are available.=20
A special morning performance has been added on May 16 for Walsh Jesuit High=
=20
School French Students.
Tickets for May 9 are being handled by the Hudson Community Foundation, whic=
h=20
is host for the performance and receptions before and after the show. Ticket=
s=20
are $30 and may be ordered by calling 330-342-4777. Tickets for May 16 are=20
being handled by the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, which is host for that=20
performance and receptions before and after the show. Tickets are $25 and ma=
y=20
be ordered by calling 330-650-0621.

Web site=20
Actors Summit Theater can be found on the web at www.actorssummit.org.=20
Actors' Summit is a professional, not for profit, 501-c-3 professional arts=20
organization. We are seeking volunteers and board members. For more details=20
please call MaryJo or Neil at 330-342-0800.=20

Actors' Summit is a member of PACT, The Professional Alliance of Cleveland=20
Theaters.=20

Actors' Summit is working under a developmental agreement with Actors' Equit=
y=20
Association (the Union of professional Actors and Stage managers).

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<HTML>For Immediate Release
 For additional information contact:=20
 Neil Thackaberry 330-342-0800
 
 Hudson, Ohio=20
 April 28, 2002
            &nbsp=
;   
 Actors' Summit Theater presents
 Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris on its Hudson sta=
ge May 9 - 26 
 
 Actors' Summit announces the opening of the musical revue Jacques=20=
Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris at its theater, 86 Ow=
en Brown Street, one block north and two blocks west of the clock tower, in=20=
downtown Hudson. A preview performance on May 9 will be followed by a 12-per=
formance run, with a scheduled closing on May 26.
 
 The Revue
 The music and commentary of the Belgian-born French troubadour Jacques B=
rel are at the heart of the show, which was created by producer-translator E=
ric Blau and rock composer Mort Shuman. The original production opened in 19=
67 at The Village Gate in New York and ran for five years. The show had Brel=
's blessing but he skipped the premiere because of his opposition to U.S. in=
volvement in Vietnam. Brel did see the show =E2=80=93 in 1969 at The Village=
 Gate and again in 1972, when the show played to a packed house at an annive=
rsary performance at Carnegie Hall, at which he was invited to take a bow. P=
reparing for the Actors' Summit production, artistic director A. Neil Thacka=
berry consulted Blau, who described his discovery of Brel's poetry and music=
 in 1959 and the eight-year effort to stage the original show, which feature=
s 24 of more than 300 songs Brel wrote and performed during his lifetime. Th=
ackaberry located Blau in New York City through Joe Garry, who directed the=20=
Cleveland production of Brel, which enjoyed 522 performances on Playhouse Sq=
uare as the theater district's renaissance was beginning in the early 1970s.
 
 The Cast
 Wayne S. Turney helped launch the Actors' Summit season last fall as Sir=
 in The Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd. In March,=
 he presented The Gospel According to St. Mark, his solo perfo=
rmance piece, on the Actors' Summit stage, where his other credits include <=
B>I Do! I Do! and Oedipus Rex. Wayne is best known=20=
to Cleveland audiences for his long-running children's television show, Hick=
ory Hideout. He is a trustee of Actors' Summit, was a member of the Clevelan=
d Play House resident company for many years, and founded the Cleveland Acto=
r's Theater.=20
 
 MaryJo Alexander is associate artistic director of Actors' Summit and ha=
s more than 25 years' experience as a professional actress and designer. Mar=
yJo played Agnes to Wayne Turney's Michael in the Actor's Summit production=20=
of I Do! I Do! last season, and has performed at Ensemble Thea=
tre, Cain Park, Porthouse Theatre and at Stan Hywet. She holds an MA from th=
e University of New Orleans where she was a member of the Resident Acting Co=
mpany, and has been married for 30 years to A. Neil Thackaberry. They have t=
wo daughters, Connie and Sasha.=20
 
 Sally Groth delighted audiences in the Actors' Summit production of <=
I>The Memory of Water earlier this season, and also has performed he=
re in Cotton Patch Gospel, Romeo & Juliet, Candida, You're a Good=20=
Man Charlie Brown and Wit. Her credits include roles a=
t Ensemble and Porthouse theaters here in Northeast Ohio and at theaters in=20=
New York City, the Denver Center, the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C=
., the Wayside Theater in Virginia, Trustus Theater in South Carolina, and a=
 national tour of The Little Prince. Sally is a graduate of Hi=
ram College and the University of South Carolina. She and her husband, John=20=
Gill, have a year-old daughter, Anne.
 
 Scott Plate is a freelance performing artist who appears regularly in No=
rtheast Ohio venues. His recent credits include the Ghost of Christmas Prese=
nt in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of A Christmas Carol=
, a role in the HBO pictures release Proximity, opposite Jame=
s Coburn and Rob Lowe and roles in the Eugene S. & Blanche R. Halle Thea=
tre productions of Old Wicked Songs, Rags and Visiting Mr.=20=
Green. Scott recently published Voices in the Dark, an original p=
lay he will adapt into a film under the SAG experimental agreement.
 
 The Playwright
 Jacques Brel was born in Belgium in 1929, but made France, specifically=20=
Paris, his home by the time he was in his early 20s. Brel was the son of a c=
ardboard manufacturer, but he eschewed all thoughts of going into the family=
 business in favor of writing songs and singing them in the taverns and cafe=
s around his adopted country. By the time he arrived in the City of Lights,=20=
he was France's leading "chansonnier" or troubadour. He died in 1978 having=20=
produced more than 300 songs dealing with the bittersweet aspects of life. I=
t was this body of work that inspired producer-translator Eric Blau to begin=
 work in 1959 on the show that would become Jacques Brel is Alive &amp=
; Well & Living in Paris.
 
 The Production Team=20
 The production is directed by A. Neil Thackaberry, artistic director of=20=
Actors' Summit Theater. John Banks is the Musical Director. Set and lighting=
 designs are by resident designer Bob Stegmiller. Costume and prop design ar=
e by MaryJo Alexander.
 
 Performance Dates and Tickets
 Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris run=
s from May 9 through May 26, 2002, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday,=20=
and 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $22 on Fridays and Saturdays and $20 on Th=
ursdays and Sundays, except as noted below. Students and Seniors receive a $=
4 discount. Group discounts are available.=20
 A special morning performance has been added on May 16 for Walsh Jesuit=20=
High School French Students.
 Tickets for May 9 are being handled by the Hudson Community Foundation,=20=
which is host for the performance and receptions before and after the show.=20=
Tickets are $30 and may be ordered by calling 330-342-4777. Tickets for May=20=
16 are being handled by the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, which is host for th=
at performance and receptions before and after the show. Tickets are $25 and=
 may be ordered by calling 330-650-0621.
 
 Web site=20
 Actors Summit Theater can be found on the web at www.actorssummit.org. A=
ctors' Summit is a professional, not for profit, 501-c-3 professional arts o=
rganization. We are seeking volunteers and board members. For more details p=
lease call MaryJo or Neil at 330-342-0800.=20
 
 Actors' Summit is a member of PACT, The Professional Alliance of Clevela=
nd Theaters.=20
 
 Actors' Summit is working under a developmental agreement with Actors' E=
quity Association (the Union of professional Actors and Stage managers).
 </HTML>

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