[NEohioPAL]CPT and GLTF extend Nickel and Dimed!

[Dan Kilbane]

CPT AND GLTF EXTEND RUN OF NICKEL AND DIMED

NICKEL AND DIMED
Produced by Cleveland Public Theatre, in association with Great Lakes
Theater Festival
Written by Joan Holden
Based on the book Nickel and Dimed:  On (Not) Getting By in America, by
Barbara Ehrenreich
Directed by Melissa Kievman
Added performances June 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Gordon Square Theatre

Cleveland Public Theatre and Great Lakes Theater Festival
are proud to announce an extended run of the hit play Nickel and Dimed,
written by Joan Holden.  Due to popular demand, five performances have been
added:  Wednesday, June 2 at 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, June 3 at 8:00 p.m.;
Friday, June 4 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m.;
and Sunday, June 6 at 3:00 p.m.  Ticket prices are $19 for the Wednesday,
Thursday, and Sunday performances; $24 for the Friday
and Saturday 8:00 p.m. performances; and $9 for students at any of the
performances.   Ticket purchases can be made by calling 216/631-2727.

First a best-selling book, now a riveting new play, Nickel and Dimed tells
the story of author, social critic, and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich’s
undercover journey as a minimum wage worker.  Posing as a server, cleaning
person, and retail clerk, Ehrenreich thrusts herself into the struggles of
the working poor, surviving on $6.65/hour and straining to cover next month’
s rent.  This fascinating adaptation by Joan Holden is one woman’s eye
opener about self and the underside of making a living in America.

“The success of this production shows that arts organizations can combine
their resources to great effect,” comments CPT Artistic Director Randy
Rollison.  “The overwhelming response is due to the extraordinary artistic
and production team we assembled and their hard work and great spirit. Most
importantly, people are receiving the message about the working poor in
America.”

“We are delighted and grateful that the community has embraced this
compelling production,” says GLTF Managing Director Greg Quinlan.  “We have
accomplished so much by working together:  created a popular and populist
piece of theater, developed new audiences for both companies, and expanded
what theater in Cleveland can be.   If the response stays strong, this
production could do much to improve the health of both our theaters.”

Positive critical response has been overwhelming:  Cleveland Plain Dealer
theatre critic Tony Brown calls the show “…a remarkable
production….something potentially transformative might be happening
here….fluid, entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny….it works
beautifully….a true ensemble effort….potent and urgent and essential.”

Denise Grollmus of The Akron Beacon Journal notes the “superb cast of
six….So much amazing material…” She notes that the show’s “greatest
accomplishment is implicating the audience in their own association with the
exploitation of the working class.”

Theatre critic Fran Heller of The Cleveland Jewish News comments that the
show is “…a real eye-opener….It is suffused with humor to make it
entertaining and contains enough polemics to make it enlightening….Director
Melissa Kievman navigates the herculean production challenges with
aplomb….The supporting cast handles their panoply of characters with
 relish.”

Adds Cool Cleveland theatre critic Tom Perrino “Rarely does theater deliver
a performance that makes us laugh as well as provide us with the inspiration
to make a difference.”   He continues, “…with this phenomenal cast and
production they bring a combination of rolling laughter and a special
‘dare-you-to-look-away’ emotion.”

James Damico of The Cleveland Free Times says “…the GLTF-CPT production is
blessed with a trio of heaven-sent angels.  Director Melissa Kievman and
designer Todd Krispinsky have combined to make…a completely fluid and mobile
theatrical occasion….Angel Three is Jill Levin as the narrator….In its
ingenuously engaging way, this is an exceptional performance.”

Lorain County Times critic Roy Berko calls the production “superlative….the
production, the acting, the setting all work perfectly….the cast….is
flawless.”

Christine Howey, theatre critic for Scene, notes “…this production sparkles
like a restaurant’s well-scrubbed kitchen counter, thanks to imaginative
direction by Melissa Kievman and an ever-inventive six-person cast….the
production is a triumph.”

West Side Leader writer David Ritchey comments “this joint effort moves this
show to the top of the ‘MUST SEE’ list….first-rate entertainment.”

“Two words….See it,” comments Westlife reviewer Art Thomas.  “This landmark
collaboration is a feather in the cap of both groups.”

Nickel and Dimed is supported in part by The Cleveland Teachers Union,
AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Cleveland Public Library, The Doll Family Foundation,
Goldstein and O'Connor LPA, Key Bank, Teamsters Local 507, UAW Region 2B,
Communications Workers of America, United Labor Agency, Warrren Wolfson,
American Postal Workers Union, and Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine
Health System.

CPT’s mission is to inspire, nurture, challenge, amaze, educate, and empower
artists and audiences, in order to make the Cleveland public a more
conscious and compassionate community.

The mission of GLTF is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic
theater to the widest possible audience in northern Ohio.  Since the company
’s inception in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but the
Festival’s commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures,
forms of theater and time periods including the 20th century, and provides
for the occasional mounting of new works that compliment the classical
repertoire.


Extension		Wednesday, June 2, 2004			8:00 p.m.
			Thursday, June 3, 2004			8:00 p.m.
			Friday, June 4, 2004				8:00 p.m.
			Saturday, June 5, 2004			8:00 p.m.
			Sunday, June 6, 2004			3:00 p.m.

Extension Ticket Prices
Regular Admission Wednesday, Thursdays, and Sundays $19;
Fridays and Saturdays $24.
Students Admission:  $9

Reservations and information
216/631-2727