[NEohioPAL]Great Lakes Theater Festival Presents World Premiere of Seven Age s

[Todd Krispinsky]

For Immediate Rele ase:



Great Lakes Theater Festival Presents
World-Premiere of Seven Ages
Free touring production features seven new plays from=20
seven Cleveland-based playwrights and=20
travels to Twenty neighborhoods across Northern Ohio.


Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) will launch the world premiere of =
Seven
Ages, a free outreach touring production scheduled to visit twenty
neighborhood venues throughout Northern Ohio, to kick off the =
company=92s 2005
Surround programming.   The production features seven new plays written =
by a
team of seven Cleveland-based playwrights that includes Eric Coble, =
Linda
Eisenstein, Daniel Hahn, Margaret Lynch, Sarah Morton, Eric Schmiedl =
and
Terrence Spivey.  Each play within Seven Ages is inspired by one of the
=93seven ages of man=94 from the =93All the World=92s a Stage=94 speech =
in William
Shakespeare=92s As You Like It.  Sonya Robbins directs the production.  =
Seven
Ages begins April 24 and runs through May 13, 2005.  All performances =
of the
production are free and open to the public. (A complete tour schedule,
company biography information and a Seven Ages publicity photo is =
attached
to this email.)

=93A program like the outreach touring production affords communities =
the
unique opportunity to experience art where they live=85right in their
backyards=85in their neighborhoods,=94 remarked Daniel Hahn, Great =
Lakes Theater
Festival=92s Director of Education, when asked about the Festival=92s =
annual
tour.  =93There are a lot of people that don=92t go or are unable to go =
downtown
for a variety of reasons=85preventing them from experiencing the plays =
we
produce on our mainstage.  The outreach tour offers us [GLTF] a unique
opportunity to connect with these people and their own communities.=94

=93Collaborating with seven extraordinary Cleveland playwrights on this
project has been a wonderful and rewarding experience,=94 continued =
Hahn,
highlighting the unique nature of this season=92s touring production.  =
=93How
often in Cleveland do we have the opportunity to have one new play by a
Cleveland playwright produced, let alone seven?  One of the wonderful
ironies about the tour is that Great Lakes Theater Festival is known =
for
being Cleveland=92s classic theater company not necessarily for =
producing new
work.  With Seven Ages, we have really been able to spread our =
wings=85to
explore new territory=85and give seven writers a platform to develop =
plays.
It really is exciting.=94

The process of creating Seven Ages was a unique experience according to
Sonya Robbins, the director of the touring production.  =93It was a
collaboration in the truest sense of the word. The playwrights have =
been
unbelievable,=94 said Robbins of her fellow artists.  =93As a director, =
when
you=92re working on a new play, you=92re usually working with one =
playwright.
The process is a very private one between the writer and the director =
until
you begin readings or rehearsals.  Working with seven writers on Seven =
Ages
meant that the playwrights had to share with one another from the very
beginning.  It was great.  They were talking amongst themselves, not =
only
about their own work, but about how their individual plays fit into the
larger context of what would become Seven Ages.  That kind of =
connection and
communication is pretty exceptional.  It=92s been a privilege to help =
shape
this piece and to experience the rich diversity of these seven =
writers=92
voices along the way.=94

=93I love the idea of a lifetime viewed from seven distinct Cleveland
perspectives,=94 said Eric Coble, one of the seven playwrights involved =
in the
production, regarding the concept for the Seven Ages project.  =93As
playwrights we're so often responsible for everything that is said on =
the
stage, with only ourselves to generate ideas.  But, what has made this =
so
great, is knowing that I'm just one piece of a bigger event.  My work =
has to
compliment and coordinate with everyone else's, and still be a complete
story in and of itself=85I love that challenge.=94

The four-actor touring ensemble features Reagan Kendrick, Anne McEvoy,
Michael Regnier and Corene Woodford.  =93Casting Seven Ages was =
exciting
because we didn=92t start with any plays,=94 said director Robbins of =
the
production process.  =93We decided that we would cast the production =
first so
the playwrights knew what types of actors they had to work with before =
they
began writing.  We were really lucky to find four immensely talented =
actors
that are both deeply committed to this community and able to bring a
uniquely dynamic voice to the process.=94

The play=92s production team consists of Joseph R. Lenkey (scenic =
design),
Naima Hadden (costume design) and Richard Ingraham (sound design).  =
=93From
the beginning, the production team was energized by the challenge of
creating a world that transformed every ten minutes,=94 reflected =
Robbins
about her collaborators.  =93In Seven Ages, as an artistic team, we =
were
essentially dealing with seven different plays.  I couldn=92t be more =
thrilled
with their work.  With creativity, ingenuity and determination, the
designers have created something truly beautiful.=94

Seven Ages is a ninety-minute program that includes an introduction and
post-performance discussion. Times and dates are subject to change.  =
Call
individual venues for more information about the performances.=20

Seven Ages is part of All The World=92s A Stage, a series of community
programs surrounding Great Lakes Theater Festival=92s production of As =
You
Like It, by William Shakespeare (September 30 - October 22, 2005 at the =
Ohio
Theatre, Playhouse Square Center). Held throughout Northern Ohio from =
March
through October, Surround programming is designed for audiences of all
backgrounds and ages.  All Surround events are free and open to the =
public.
For more information, visit the Great Lakes Theater Festival website at
www.greatlakestheater.org/education/surround
<http://www.greatlakestheater.org/education/surround> or call the =
Festival=92s
education department at (216) 241-5490 x307.

#     #     #

Seven Ages=20
is presented through the generous support of:
The Cleveland Foundation
The GAR Foundation
The George Gund Foundation
The Giant Eagle Foundation
Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation
The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
MBNA
The Nord Family Foundation
The Ohio Arts Council
Laura and Alvin Siegal
The Stocker Foundation

All the World=92s A Stage=20
is a community collaboration between Great Lakes Theater Festival and:
Akron Summit County Public Library System
Bay High School
Clague Playhouse
Cleveland Public Library System
Cleveland Municipal School District
Cleveland Sight Center
Cuyahoga County Public Library System
Elyria Catholic High School
Fairview Public Library System
John Carroll University
Karamu House
Lorain County Community College
Lorain Public Schools
Noble Public Library
Nordonia Hills Public Library
Oberlin Public Library System
Playhouse Square Center
St. Augustine Church
TrueNorth Cultural Arts
90.3 WCPN ideastream

#     #     #

Media Contact:
Todd Krispinsky
Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Great Lakes Theater Festival
1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite 300
Cleveland, Ohio  44115
(216) 241-5490 x317
(216) 241-6315 Fax
tkrispinsky at greatlakestheater.org
www.greatlakestheater.org

Discover Shakespeare's Great Company!
We are thrilled to announce our NEW 2005 season.  Subscribe today!
Visit our website at www.greatlakestheater.org for a complete list of =
shows,
performance calendars and subscription options.