[NEohioPAL]Weathervane Playhouse presents "Faithful Father" with Charles S. Dutton

Mon Mar 8 11:10:53 PST 2004

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WEATHERVANE PLAYHOUSE
is proud to present
Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads
With Special Guest, CHARLES S. DUTTON

Weathervane Playhouse announced today that they will present its special 
project titled Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads on April 3, 2004.  Special guest for 
the day's events will be actor Charles S. Dutton.  This actor's true life story 
is as amazing as anything ever depicted on screen: Dutton quit school, spent 
time in reform schools, and then went to jail at the age of 17 for killing a 
man in a street fight.  He spent some eight years in and out of prison and 
gradually developed an interest in theater, acting with other inmates in a drama 
group.  When he was released in 1976, Dutton studied theater and was later 
accepted at the Yale School of Drama.  There he met director Lloyd Richards, who 
chose Dutton to star in August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Broadway in 
1984; the performance earned Dutton a Tony nomination.  He had similar 
theatrical triumphs in Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988) and The Piano 
Lesson (1990).  He began appearing in films - No Mercy (1986), "Crocodile" Dundee 
II (1988), Jacknife (1989) and Q & A (1990).  He played strong supporting roles 
in Alien 3, Mississippi Masala, The Distinguished Gentleman, Menace II 
Society and Rudy.  He is also familiar to TV audiences as the title character of the 
series Roc, a nickname taken from his former street name.  Roc was seen on 
FOX-TV during 1991-1994.

Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads is a Weathervane special event designed to 
acquaint African American fathers with the exciting and rewarding opportunities 
available to them and their children to work together on performing arts projects 
at Weathervane Playhouse.  With the strong support of Alpha Phi Alpha 
Fraternity, Inc. Eta Tau Lambda Chapter, Akron, Ohio and the Akron Community 
Foundation, we have developed this family-centered initiative.

To kick off the project, several community meetings, led by Alpha Phi Alpha, 
have been held in Akron during which community members discussed issues of 
fatherhood and parental responsibility.  The last of these community meetings 
will be held on March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Weathervane Playhouse.  A panel of 
community members and fathers, who are involved at Weathervane Playhouse, will 
discuss issues of parenting and paternal responsibility.

The culminating events will be held at Weathervane Playhouse on Saturday, 
April 3, 2004, with guest speaker Charles S. Dutton.  The day will begin at 11:30 
a.m. with an "Inside the Actor's Studio"- like question and answer session 
with Mr. Dutton that will be geared to high school and college students.  He 
will discuss his career as a stage, television and film actor as well as touch on 
his experiences while in prison.  Then, at 7:30 p.m., Mr. Dutton will give 
his keynote address, "From Jail to Yale." 

Free tickets for the 11:30 a.m. question-and-answer session are available by 
calling Sean McConaha at 330-836-2323 X17.  Admission is free, but ticket 
reservations must be made in advance.

A limited number of discounted tickets for the keynote address are available 
to community groups and service organizations.  Group and organization leaders 
should call McConaha for information regarding discount tickets.

General-admission seating for the address and artist reception is $25. Charge 
by phone at the Weathervane box office at 330-836-2626, Tuesday - Friday 
between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

This project is also sponsored in part by Bank One, the Robert A. Kutz 
Charitable Trust, OMNOVA Solutions Foundation and the Pan-Hellenic Council of Akron.

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<HTML>WEATHERVANE PLAYHOUSE
 is proud to present
 Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads
 With Special Guest, CHARLES S. DUTTON
 
 Weathervane Playhouse announced today that they will present its special=
 project titled Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads on April 3, 2004</=
B>.  Special guest for the day's events will be actor Charles S. Dut=
ton.  This actor's true life story is as amazing as anything ever d=
epicted on screen: Dutton quit school, spent time in reform schools, and the=
n went to jail at the age of 17 for killing a man in a street fight.  H=
e spent some eight years in and out of prison and gradually developed an int=
erest in theater, acting with other inmates in a drama group.  When he=20=
was released in 1976, Dutton studied theater and was later accepted at the Y=
ale School of Drama.  There he met director Lloyd Richards, who chose D=
utton to star in August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Broadway in 198=
4; the performance earned Dutton a Tony nomination.  He had similar the=
atrical triumphs in Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988) and The Piano=
 Lesson (1990).  He began appearing in films - No Mercy (1986), "Crocod=
ile" Dundee II (1988), Jacknife (1989) and Q & A (1990).  He played=
 strong supporting roles in Alien 3, Mississippi Masala, The Distinguished G=
entleman, Menace II Society and Rudy.  He is also familiar to TV audien=
ces as the title character of the series Roc, a nickname taken from his form=
er street name.  Roc was seen on FOX-TV during 1991-1994.
 
 Faithful Fathers/Stage Dads is a Weathervane special event design=
ed to acquaint African American fathers with the exciting and rewarding oppo=
rtunities available to them and their children to work together on performin=
g arts projects at Weathervane Playhouse.  With the strong support of=20=
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Eta Tau Lambda Chapter, Akron, Ohio and the=
 Akron Community Foundation, we have developed this family-centered initiati=
ve.
 
 To kick off the project, several community meetings, led by Alpha Phi Al=
pha, have been held in Akron during which community members discussed issues=
 of fatherhood and parental responsibility.  The last of these commu=
nity meetings will be held on March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Weathervane Pl=
ayhouse.  A panel of community members and fathers, who are involved at=
 Weathervane Playhouse, will discuss issues of parenting and paternal respon=
sibility.
 
 The culminating events will be held at Weathervane Playhouse on Satur=
day, April 3, 2004, with guest speaker Charles S. Dutton.  The day wil=
l begin at 11:30 a.m. with an "Inside the Actor's Studio"- like question and=
 answer session with Mr. Dutton that will be geared to high school and colle=
ge students.  He will discuss his career as a stage, television and fil=
m actor as well as touch on his experiences while in prison.  Then, at=20=
7:30 p.m., Mr. Dutton will give his keynote address, "From Jail to Yale."=20
 
 Free tickets for the 11:30 a.m. question-and-answer session are availabl=
e by calling Sean McConaha at 330-836-2323 X17.  Admission is free,=20=
but ticket reservations must be made in advance.
 
 A limited number of discounted tickets for the keynote address are avail=
able to community groups and service organizations.  Group and organiza=
tion leaders should call McConaha for information regarding discount tickets=
.
 
 General-admission seating for the address and artist reception is $25=
. Charge by phone at the Weathervane box office at 330-836-2626, Tuesday -=20=
Friday between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
 
 This project is also sponsored in part by Bank One, th=
e Robert A. Kutz Charitable Trust, OMNOVA Solutions Foundation and the Pan-H=
ellenic Council of Akron.</HTML>

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