[NEohioPAL]Cleveland's Classic Theater Unveils Ambitious 45th Season

Mon Feb 27 12:28:17 PST 2006

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For Immediate Release

February 27, 2006

=20

Cleveland's Classic Theater

Unveils Ambitious 45th Season=20

Bolstered by Significant Audience Growth=20

and Hard Won Fiscal Strength =20

=20

Great Lakes Theater Festival's 2006-07 season features a=20

NEW September through April performance calendar and a

"Buy One Get One Free" offer on new subscription purchases.

=20

CLEVELAND, OH - Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes
Theater Festival (GLTF), announced plans for the classic theater
company's forty-fifth season with great confidence at an exclusive
2006-07 Season Sneak Peek event for subscribers, members and invited
guests at S.T.A.R Restaurant within Playhouse Square Center. "The 2005
season was an amazing success for Great Lakes Theater Festival,
artistically and financially," said Fee to the crowd of two hundred GLTF
guests that filled the restaurant to capacity.  "Last year, our regular
season attendance grew by an incredible 21% and response to our work in
the theater was overwhelmingly positive.  This resounding vote of
confidence from Northeast Ohio is a testament to the hunger in our
community for live theater and the classics.  Over the past several
seasons, we've built an extraordinary resident artistic company; begun
to define our approach to the classics - a wild, accessible,
full-blooded approach; reached out to our community and audience in
consistently meaningful ways and affected a positive financial
turnaround for this great theater company of Herculean proportions.  The
2006-07 season is the beginning of an exciting new era for Great Lakes
Theater Festival - one which will set the course for the future of this
company.  I am proud to say that the state of the Festival is strong -
stronger than it has been in decades.  If you thought the last
forty-five years were fun, you ain't seen nothing yet."

=20

Great Lakes Theater Festival's performance calendar will change in
2006-07.  The new season structure will follow a school year calendar,
running from September through April, and will feature a Fall Repertory,
the Festival's annual holiday classic A Christmas Carol and a new Spring
Repertory.  In the fall (September 15-October 21, 2006), GLTF will
present Stephen Sondheim's musical farce A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum, directed by Festival resident director Victoria
Bussert, in rotating repertory with William Shakespeare's early comedy,
Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Drew Barr.  GLTF's annual production
of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol (November
24-December 23, 2006), adapted and directed by Gerald Freedman and
staged by GLTF Associate Artistic Director Andrew May will bisect the
theater company's forty-fifth year.  GLTF will conclude its 2006-07
season with a new Spring Repertory (March 16-April 21, 2007) which will
pair Noel Coward's comedy Hay Fever, directed by Festival Producing
Artistic Director Charles Fee, with William Shakespeare's The Tempest,
directed by GLTF's Associate Artistic Director Andrew May who will make
his GLTF main stage directing debut with the production.  All season
offerings will be presented in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square
Center.  Each repertory will run for six weeks, while the Festival's
production of A Christmas Carol will run for four weeks.  (Consult the
enclosed season performance calendars for complete details.)

=20

Great Lakes Theater Festival's Fall Repertory is presented with generous
support from National City and American Greetings.  Season partners for
the Festival's forty-fifth year at the time of this release include SCK
Design and S.T.A.R. Restaurant.

=20

The reasons for the change in GLTF's performance calendar are two-fold
according to Festival head Charles Fee.  "First and foremost, education
is, and always has been, at the core of our mission.  Our work is a
critical resource to the region's teachers and students.  By performing
all five plays during the school year, we will maximize the ability of
teachers to ensure that future generations will have the chance to
experience the classics - live, the way that they were intended.
Secondly, a Fall/Spring performance calendar provides opportunities to
strengthen our business model.  Building on our relationship with Idaho
Shakespeare Festival, we will now be able to share entire productions
more efficiently, creating a richer artistic product while reducing
production costs and providing greater employment opportunities for our
artists." =20

=20

Great Lakes Theater Festival's unique rotating repertory format has
played a key role in the theater company's recent success with its
audience.  "Presenting a pair of classic plays in rotating repertory is
a great challenge for artists and great fun for audiences," offered Fee
in a recent conversation.  "The opportunity to see a single resident
company of actors perform two plays on the same stage alternating shows
every few nights makes the Great Lakes Theater Festival experience a
unique one in Northern Ohio.  Producing plays in rep enables audience
members to 'get to know' the actors in our company on a much deeper
level while it simultaneously allows us the opportunity to showcase the
company members' considerable talents.  In rep, audiences literally see
the actors flex their artistic muscles across a range of capacities. For
example, a leading actor in a comedy on one night might play a smaller,
dramatic, supporting role the following evening.  It is amazing to
witness the transformation.  Conversely, the actors in our company gain
a more intimate understanding of their audience in the process.  This
give and take deepens our appreciation of one another and breeds a sense
of personal familiarity between artist and audience - the kind of
profoundly rewarding alchemy that can only occur in a live theatrical
experience."

=20

GLTF's 2006-07 artistic company features a dynamic combination of
familiar faces and notable firsts.  Veteran Festival artist Victoria
Bussert will continue her twenty year affiliation with Great Lakes
Theater Festival when she returns to direct the 2006-07 season opener, A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum after a two season hiatus.
Forum represents the first musical theater offering in a GLTF season
since the company's 2003 production of Anything Goes which was also
helmed by Bussert.  Local designer and Director of Drama of the
Baldwin-Wallace College Theatre Department Jeff Herrmann, a new addition
to the Festival family, will create the setting for the production and
mark the first time that a Cleveland scenic designer has graced the
Festival main stage since GLTF moved to the Ohio Theatre in 1982.
Rounding out the Fall Repertory, Cleveland favorite Drew Barr will
return to GLTF for the fifth consecutive season as a director to stage
Love's Labour's Lost after acclaimed GLTF productions of The Taming of
the Shrew (2004) and You Can't Take It With You (2005).  Barr has
directed in each year of Fee's tenure at GLTF. =20

=20

The Festival's new Spring Repertory will showcase the pairing of two
familiar Festival faces who also serve the theater in a leadership
capacity, when Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee directs Noel
Coward's comedy Hay Fever and Festival Associate Artistic Director
Andrew May makes his GLTF directorial debut with The Tempest.  "I
couldn't be more thrilled with the company that we've been able to
assemble for our forty-fifth season," remarked Fee of the Festival's
artistic corps in 2006-07.  "It is a real honor be able to provide a
home for such a fine collection of artists - a home that can support a
director's amazing vision, as in the case of Vicky, provide the
opportunity for exciting artistic growth as we have the chance to offer
this year to Andrew with The Tempest and celebrate the talents of
fantastic Cleveland artists like designer Jeff Herrman.  As far as the
acting company goes, I will tell you that it takes an extraordinarily
talented group of actors to be able to perform a great work of
Shakespeare on one night and then switch gears completely to perform a
Broadway musical or a 20s comedy the following evening.  It's going to
be a real treat for our audience to witness this new musical facet of
our resident company.  I simply can't wait to see the fruits of their
artistic labor and share their amazing work with Northeast Ohio."

=20

At the business end of the spectrum, the Festival's financial health is
robust and remarkable according to GLTF Executive Director, Bob Taylor.
"Great Lakes had an accumulated deficit of $1.059 million at June 30,
2002 when Charlie took over.  Four season's later, we are projecting an
accumulated surplus at June 30, 2006 of $44,000.  That is a positive
swing of over one million dollars," said Taylor during a recent
interview about the financial position of Cleveland's classic theater.
"This incredible turnaround is due to a number of factors.  Under
Charlie's [Fee] leadership and direction, every facet of our
organization has been, and continues to be, examined to determine how we
can continue our work most efficiently and remain firmly focused on our
mission and the quality and integrity of our programming.  Supporting
Charlie, the administrative staff that we have in place is skilled,
motivated, and extremely collaborative.  Furthermore, our Board of
Trustees has been outstanding in their financial commitment, and their
entrepreneurial spirit matches that of the staff.  In addition, we have
had incredible support from local foundations and corporations.  They
have applauded our ability to think creatively, take risks and make hard
decisions about our organization, and we view them as trusted and
essential partners in our success.  Overall as an organization, we have
operated under balanced budgets for four consecutive seasons, and have
realized operating surpluses at each year-end, while maintaining all of
our core programming and services.  With an eye toward the future, last
June, we launched a $500,000 working capital campaign which was
completed by our Board of Trustees in six months.  This means that for
the first time Great Lakes is able to manage its cash flow needs from an
asset position rather than from a bank line of credit.  When viewed in
context, this financial turnaround is even more rewarding for us given
the economic climate of northeast Ohio and the rest of the country
during this four-year period.  We have devoted much energy to
restructuring this company, eliminating our deficit, and getting our
finances in order. We are now positioned to focus that energy on a great
future for Great Lakes, one that includes artistic and educational
programming of the highest quality, and a firm commitment to the
economic development of downtown Cleveland and the greater Northeast
Ohio community."=20

=20

Based on the extraordinary success of last season's introductory
discount subscription campaign, GLTF will extend its Buy One Get One
Free offer on new subscription purchases through the 2006-07 season.
The Buy One Get One Free offer is designed to make subscribing to the
Festival easier and more affordable.  As part of the offer, the Festival
will match every NEW subscription package purchased with one FREE
subscription package of equal value.  "The response of our audience to
last year's Buy One Get One Free subscription offer was overwhelmingly
positive and played a considerable role in the 32% increase in
subscription package purchases that we experienced in 2005," said Fee,
regarding the reason for the extension of the Buy One Get One Free
offer.  "Subscribers are vital to the health of theater companies.  It
is critical that audiences buy into the idea of a body of work, a series
of plays.  The Buy One Get One Free subscription offer that we are
extending this season is both an invitation to current GLTF subscribers
to introduce their friends to the excellent work of this company and a
direct appeal to audiences that love our work but have been hesitant to
commit.  What have you got to lose?"  GLTF's Buy One Get One Free
subscription offer is valid on all NEW Classic, Best Value and Family
and Senior Matinee subscription package purchases only.  The offer is
not valid on Youth or Fest Pass subscription package purchases.

=20

"This is a dynamic and ever-changing world in which we live," said Fee
in closing a recent conversation.  "Especially in Cleveland, it is
absolutely essential that we think dynamically - that we think boldly
and change with the world in order to remain vital and relevant to our
community.  At Great Lakes Theater Festival, I think we have proven that
we are not afraid of change.  We are not afraid to rethink how we can
most effectively serve our community.  Our adventurous audience has
itself shown a willingness to look at our work in a different light and,
in the process, has been exhilarated by the ride.  Many people talk
about Cleveland as a city that fears change.  That has not been our
experience.  There is a lot to celebrate about this great city, its
people, its legacy...its arts and cultural institutions.  As a healthy
and forward-thinking arts organization dedicated to bringing a community
closer together around universal classic issues, we are proud to set the
bar for Northeast Ohio in regards to the amazing things that are
possible when you think creatively and work collaboratively toward your
mission.  We are living proof of the success that is possible.  Classic
theater is alive and thriving again in Cleveland.  Who'd have made that
bet four short seasons ago?"   =20

=20

Opening Night performances of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum, Love's Labour's Lost, Hay Fever and The Tempest have been
scheduled for Saturday evenings while A Christmas Carol's opening night
is slated for a Friday night.  Curtain times for all evening
performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for
Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees.  The
Sunday, September 17th curtain time for A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum has been adjusted to 1:30 p.m. to accommodate a GLTF
Fall Repertory production sponsor event.  All five productions in the
Festival's forty-fifth season will continue to offer sign interpreted
and audio described performances as well as the popular Director's Night
and Playnotes pre-show discussion series.  (Consult the enclosed season
performance calendars for complete details.)

=20

An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival starts as low as
$78. Regular priced single tickets range from $22.00-$56.00.
Student/Youth (ages 25 years or younger) tickets for any seat in the
Ohio Theatre are $13.00 ($18.00 for A Christmas Carol) and are available
for all performances. (Additional handling fees may apply and may vary
depending on point of purchase.) Subscriptions are available now by
calling (216) 664-6064. Single tickets go on sale July 17, 2006, and
will be available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at
www.greatlakestheater.org <http://www.greatlakestheater.org/> and by
visiting the Playhouse Square Center Box office or any Tickets.com
outlet located within all Tops Friendly Markets. Groups of ten or more
receive discounts as do educators. (Consult the enclosed information
sheet for complete ticketing and contact details.) =20

=20

The first resident company of Playhouse Square Center, Great Lakes
Theater Festival will celebrate twenty five years in the Theatre
District this season.  Since 1962, the Festival has brought the
pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible
audience in Northern Ohio. =20

=20

#     #     #

=20

=20

For More Information

Todd Krispinsky

Marketing and Public Relations Director

(216) 241-5490 x317

tkrispinsky at greatlakestheater.org / www.greatlakestheater.org
<http://www.greatlakestheater.org/>=20

=20

=20

=20

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<h1><b><font size=3D4 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Arial;
font-variant:small-caps'>For Immediate =
Release<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>February 27, 2006<b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></=
p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D6 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:23.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Cleveland’s Classic =
Theater<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D6 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:23.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Unveils Ambitious <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>45<sup>th</sup>
Season</span></b> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D5 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:19.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Bolstered by <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Significant
Audience Growth</span></b> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D5 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:19.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>and <b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Hard Won =
Fiscal
Strength</span></b>  <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<h2><b><font size=3D1 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></fon=
t></b></h2>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><i><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Great Lakes =
Theater
Festival’s 2006-07 season features a =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><i><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>NEW September =
through
April performance calendar and a<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><i><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>“Buy One Get =
One
Free” offer on new subscription =
purchases.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;font-weight:=
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>

CLEVELAND, OH – Charles Fee, Producing Artistic
Director of Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF), announced plans for the
classic theater company’s forty-fifth season with great confidence =
at an
exclusive 2006-07 Season Sneak =
Peek
event for subscribers, members and invited guests at S.T.A.R Restaurant =
within <st1:place
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> =
<st1:PlaceType
 w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType =
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
“The 2005 season was an =
amazing
success for Great Lakes Theater Festival, artistically and =
financially,”
said Fee to the crowd of two hundred GLTF guests that filled the =
restaurant to
capacity.  “Last year, our regular season attendance grew by an incredible 21% and response to =
our work
in the theater was overwhelmingly positive.  This resounding vote =
of
confidence from <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northeast Ohio</st1:place> is a =
testament
to the hunger in our community for live theater and the classics.  =
Over
the past several seasons, we’ve built an extraordinary resident =
artistic
company; begun to define our approach to the classics - a wild, =
accessible,
full-blooded approach; reached out to our community and audience in
consistently meaningful ways and affected a positive financial =
turnaround for
this great theater company of Herculean proportions.  The 2006-07 =
season
is the beginning of an exciting new era for Great Lakes Theater Festival
– one which will set the course for the future of this =
company.  I am proud to say that the state of the =
Festival is
strong – stronger than it has been in decades.  If =
you thought
the last forty-five years were fun, you ain’t seen nothing =
yet.”<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><u><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
Arial;font-weight:bold'>Great Lakes Theater Festival’s performance
calendar will change in 2006-07.</span></font></u></b><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>  The new season structure will follow a school =
year
calendar, running from September through April, and will feature a Fall
Repertory, the Festival’s annual holiday classic <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>A Christmas Carol</span></i> and a new =
Spring
Repertory.  In the fall (September 15-October 21, =
2006)</span></font></b><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
Arial'>, GLTF will present Stephen Sondheim’s musical farce =
<b><i><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>A Funny Thing Happened on =
the Way to
the Forum</span></i></b><i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>, =
</span></i>directed
by Festival resident director <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Victoria
Bussert</span></b>, in rotating repertory with William =
Shakespeare’s
early comedy, <b><i><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Love’s
Labour’s Lost</span></i></b><i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>,</span></i>
directed by <b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Drew =
Barr</span></b>. 
GLTF’s annual production of Charles Dickens’ holiday =
classic, <b><i><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>A Christmas Carol =
</span></i>(November
24-December 23, 2006)</b><i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>,</span></i>
adapted and directed by Gerald Freedman and staged by GLTF Associate =
Artistic
Director <st1:PersonName w:st=3D"on"><b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Andrew =
May</span></b></st1:PersonName><b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'> </span></b>will bisect the theater =
company’s
forty-fifth year.  GLTF will conclude its 2006-07 season with a new =
<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Spring Repertory</span></b> <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:
bold'>(March 16-April 21, 2007) </span></b>which will pair Noel =
Coward’s
comedy <b><i><span style=3D'font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Hay =
Fever,</span></i></b><i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'> </span></i>directed by Festival Producing =
Artistic
Director <b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Charles Fee,</span></b> =
with William
Shakespeare’s <b><i><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>The
Tempest,</span></i></b><i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'> =
</span></i>directed
by GLTF’s Associate Artistic Director <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Andrew
May who will make his GLTF main stage directing debut with the =
production.</span></b> 
All season offerings will be presented in the Ohio Theatre at <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName
 w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType =
w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType>
 <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.  =
Each
repertory will run for six weeks, while the Festival’s production =
of <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>A Christmas Carol </span></i>will run for =
four
weeks.  (Consult the enclosed season performance calendars for =
complete
details.)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

Great
Lakes Theater Festival’s Fall Repertory is presented with generous
support from <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">National =
City</st1:City></st1:place> and American
Greetings.  Season partners for the Festival’s
forty-fifth year at the time of this release include SCK Design and S.T.A.R.
Restaurant.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>The reasons for the change in GLTF’s performance
calendar are two-fold according to Festival head Charles =
Fee.</span></font></b><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
Arial'>  “First and foremost, <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>education
is, and always has been, at the core of our mission.</span></b>  =
Our work
is a critical resource to the region’s teachers and =
students.  By
performing all five plays during the school year, we will maximize the =
ability
of teachers to ensure that future generations will have the chance to
experience the classics – live, the way that they were =
intended. 
Secondly, <b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>a Fall/Spring performance =
calendar
provides opportunities to strengthen our business =
model.</span></b> 
Building on our relationship with Idaho Shakespeare Festival, we will =
now be
able to share entire productions more efficiently, creating a richer =
artistic
product while reducing production costs and providing greater employment
opportunities for our artists.”  =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

Great Lakes Theater Festival’s unique rotating
repertory format has played a key role in the theater company’s =
recent
success with its audience.  “Presenting a pair of classic =
plays in
rotating repertory is a great challenge for artists and great fun for
audiences,” offered Fee in a recent =
conversation.  “The opportunity to see a single resident company of =
actors
perform two plays on the same stage alternating shows every few nights =
makes
the Great Lakes Theater Festival experience a unique one in <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Northern
 Ohio</st1:place>.  Producing =
plays in
rep enables audience members to ‘get to know’ the actors in =
our
company on a much deeper level while it simultaneously allows us the
opportunity to showcase the company members’ considerable =
talents. 
In rep, audiences literally see the actors flex their artistic muscles =
across a
range of capacities. For example, a leading actor in a comedy on one =
night
might play a smaller, dramatic, supporting role the following =
evening.  It
is amazing to witness the transformation.  Conversely, the actors =
in our
company gain a more intimate understanding of their audience in the =
process. 
This give and take deepens our appreciation of one another and breeds a =
sense
of personal familiarity between artist and audience – the kind of
profoundly rewarding alchemy that can only occur in a live theatrical
experience.”<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>GLTF’s 2006-07 artistic company features a =
dynamic
combination of familiar faces and notable firsts.</span></font></b><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
Arial'>  Veteran Festival artist <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Victoria
Bussert will continue her twenty year affiliation with Great Lakes =
Theater
Festival </span></b>when she returns to direct the 2006-07 season =
opener, <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the =
Forum </span></i>after
a two season hiatus<i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>.</span></i>  Forum
represents the first musical theater offering in a GLTF season since the
company’s 2003 production of <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Anything
Goes</span></i> which was also helmed by Bussert.  <b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Local designer and Director of Drama of the =
Baldwin-Wallace
College Theatre Department Jeff Herrmann, a new addition to the Festival
family,</span></b> will create the setting for the production and mark =
the
first time that a <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place>
scenic designer has graced the Festival main stage since GLTF moved to =
the Ohio
Theatre in 1982.  Rounding out the Fall Repertory, <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:City
 w:st=3D"on"><b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Cleveland</span></b></st1:City></st1:place><b>=
<span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'> favorite Drew Barr will return to GLTF for =
the fifth
consecutive season as a director</span></b> to stage <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:
italic'>Love’s Labour’s Lost </span></i>after acclaimed GLTF
productions of <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>The Taming of the =
Shrew </span></i>(2004)<i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'> </span></i>and <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>You
Can’t Take It With You </span></i>(2005).  Barr has directed =
in each
year of Fee’s tenure at GLTF.  <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>The Festival’s new Spring Repertory will =
showcase the
pairing of two familiar Festival faces</span></font></b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'>
who also serve the theater in a leadership capacity, when <b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee =
directs Noel
Coward’s comedy <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>Hay =
Fever</span></i> </span></b>and
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Festival Associate Artistic Director =
<st1:PersonName
w:st=3D"on">Andrew May</st1:PersonName> makes his GLTF directorial debut =
with <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>The Tempest.</span></i> =
</span></b> “I
couldn’t be more thrilled with the company that we’ve been =
able to
assemble for our forty-fifth season,” remarked Fee of the
Festival’s artistic corps in 2006-07.  “It is a real =
honor be
able to provide a home for such a fine collection of artists – a =
home
that can support a director’s amazing vision, as in the case of =
Vicky,
provide the opportunity for exciting artistic growth as we have the =
chance to
offer this year to Andrew with <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>The =
Tempest </span></i>and
celebrate the talents of fantastic Cleveland artists like designer Jeff
Herrman.  As far as the acting company goes, I will tell you that =
it takes
an extraordinarily talented group of actors to be able to perform a =
great work
of Shakespeare on one night and then switch gears completely to perform =
a
Broadway musical or a 20s comedy the following evening.  It’s =
going
to be a real treat for our audience to witness this new musical facet of =
our
resident company.  I simply can’t wait to see the fruits of =
their
artistic labor and share their amazing work with <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Northeast
 Ohio</st1:place>.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

At the business end of the spectrum, the =
Festival’s
financial health is robust and remarkable according to GLTF Executive =
Director,
Bob Taylor.  “<st1=
:place
w:st=3D"on">Great =
Lakes</st1:place> had an accumulated
deficit of $1.059 million at June 30, 2002 when Charlie took
over.  Four season’s =
later,
we are projecting an accumulated =
surplus at
June 30, 2006 of $44,000.  That is a positive swing of =
over one
million dollars,” said <st1:City w:st=3D"on">Taylor</st1:City> =
during a
recent interview about the financial position of <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:City
 w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place>’s classic =
theater. 
“This incredible turnaround is due to a number of factors.  =
Under Charlie’s [Fee] leadership and =
direction,
every facet of our organization has been, and continues to be, examined =
to
determine how we can continue our work most efficiently and remain =
firmly
focused on our mission and the quality and integrity of our programming.
 Supporting Charlie, the =
administrative
staff that we have in place is skilled, motivated, and =
extremely
collaborative.  Furthermore, our Board
of Trustees has been outstanding in their financial =
commitment, and
their entrepreneurial spirit matches that of the staff.  In =
addition, we have had incredible support from local =
foundations
and corporations.  They have applauded our ability to =
think
creatively, take risks and make hard decisions about our organization, =
and we
view them as trusted and essential partners in our success. =
 Overall as an
organization, we have operated under =
balanced
budgets for four consecutive seasons, and have realized =
operating
surpluses at each year-end, while maintaining all of our core =
programming and
services.  With an eye toward the future, last June, we launched a $500,000 working capital campaign which =
was
completed by our Board of Trustees in six months.  This =
means
that for the first time <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Great Lakes</st1:place> =
is able to
manage its cash flow needs from an asset position rather than from a =
bank line
of credit.  When viewed in context, this financial turnaround is =
even more
rewarding for us given the economic climate of northeast <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:State
 w:st=3D"on">Ohio</st1:State></st1:place> and the rest of the country =
during this
four-year period.  We have devoted much energy to restructuring =
this
company, eliminating our deficit, and getting our finances in order. We =
are now
positioned to focus that energy on a great future for Great Lakes, one =
that
includes artistic and educational programming of the highest quality, =
and a
firm commitment to the economic development of downtown <st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City>
and the greater <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northeast Ohio</st1:place>
community.” <o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>Based on the extraordinary success of last =
season’s
introductory discount subscription campaign, GLTF will extend its =
<i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One Free</span></i> offer on new
subscription purchases through the 2006-07 season.  =
</span></font></b><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
Arial'>The <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One Free =
</span></i>offer
is designed to make subscribing to the Festival easier and more =
affordable.<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>  </span></b>As part of the offer, the =
<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Festival will match every <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:
italic'>NEW</span></i> subscription package purchased with one <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>FREE</span></i> subscription package of =
equal value.</span></b> 
“The response of our audience to last year’s <i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One Free</span></i> subscription =
offer
was overwhelmingly positive and played a considerable role in the =
<b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>32% increase in subscription package =
purchases that we
experienced in 2005</span></b>,” said Fee, regarding the reason =
for the
extension of the <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One =
Free </span></i>offer. 
“Subscribers are vital to the health of theater companies.  =
It is
critical that audiences buy into the idea of a body of work, a series of
plays.  The <i><span style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One =
Free </span></i>subscription
offer that we are extending this season is both an invitation to current =
GLTF
subscribers to introduce their friends to the excellent work of this =
company
and a direct appeal to audiences that love our work but have been =
hesitant to
commit.  What have you got to lose?”  GLTF’s =
<i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Buy One Get One Free </span></i>subscription =
offer is
valid on all NEW Classic, Best Value and Family and Senior Matinee =
subscription
package purchases only.  The offer is not valid on Youth or =
<st1:place
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Fest</st1:PlaceName> =
<st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Pass</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
subscription package purchases.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>“This is a dynamic and ever-changing world in =
which we
live,” said Fee in closing a recent conversation.  =
“Especially
in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place>,
it is absolutely essential that we think dynamically – that we =
think
boldly and change with the world in order to remain vital and relevant =
to our
community.</span></font></b><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'>  <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:
bold'>At Great Lakes Theater Festival, I think we have proven that we =
are not
afraid of change.</span></b>  We are not afraid to rethink how we =
can most
effectively serve our community.  Our adventurous audience has =
itself
shown a willingness to look at our work in a different light and, in the
process, has been exhilarated by the ride.<b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'> 
</span></b>Many people talk about <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place>
as a city that fears change.  That has not been our =
experience. 
There is a lot to celebrate about this great city, its people, its
legacy…its arts and cultural institutions.  As a healthy and
forward-thinking arts organization dedicated to bringing a community =
closer
together around universal classic issues, <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>we
are proud to set the bar for <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northeast =
Ohio</st1:place> in
regards to the amazing things that are possible when you think =
creatively and
work collaboratively toward your mission.</span></b>  We are living =
proof
of the success that is possible.  Classic theater is alive and =
thriving
again in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place>. 
Who’d have made that bet four short seasons =
ago?”   
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>

Opening Night performances of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Love’s
Labour’s Lost, Hay Fever and The
Tempest have been scheduled for Saturday evenings while =
A Christmas Carol’s opening night is slated for a =
Friday
night.  Curtain times for all evening
performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for
Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday =
matinees.  The
Sunday, September 17th curtain time for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has =
been
adjusted to 1:30 p.m. to accommodate a GLTF Fall Repertory production =
sponsor
event.  All five productions in the Festival’s forty-fifth =
season
will continue to offer sign interpreted and audio described performances =
as
well as the popular Director’s Night
and Playnotes pre-show =
discussion
series.  (Consult the enclosed season performance calendars for =
complete
details.)<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival =
starts
as low as $78. Regular priced single tickets range from =
$22.00-$56.00. 
Student/Youth (ages 25 years or younger) tickets for any seat in the =
Ohio
Theatre are $13.00 ($18.00 for A =
Christmas
Carol) and are available for all performances.  =
(Additional handling fees may apply and may vary depending on =
point of
purchase.)  =
Subscriptions are
available now by calling (216) 664-6064. Single tickets go on sale July =
17,
2006, and will be available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering =
online at <a
href=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/"
title=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/">www.greatlakestheater.org</a>=
 and by
visiting the Playhouse Square Center Box office or any Tickets.com =
outlet
located within all Tops Friendly Markets. Groups of ten or more receive
discounts as do educators.  (Consult the enclosed information sheet =
for
complete ticketing and contact details.)  =
<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><b><font size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'>The first resident company of <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName
 w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType =
w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType>
 <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Great =
Lakes
Theater Festival will celebrate twenty five years in the Theatre =
District this
season.</span></font></b><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'>  Since 1962, the Festival has =
brought
the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest =
possible
audience in <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northern Ohio</st1:place>.  =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial'><o:p> =
</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter style=3D'text-align:center'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>#    
#     #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter style=3D'text-align:center'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></fo=
nt></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter style=3D'text-align:center'><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></fo=
nt></p>

<h1><b><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;
font-variant:small-caps'>For More =
Information<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Todd Krispinsky<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Marketing and Public Relations =
Director<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>(216) 241-5490 x317<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href=3D"mailto:tkrispinsky at greatlakestheater.org"
title=3D"mailto:tkrispinsky at greatlakestheater.org">tkrispinsky at greatlakes=
theater.org</a>
/ <a href=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/"
title=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/">www.greatlakestheater.org</a>=
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

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