[NEohioPAL]Great Lakes Theater Festival Announces Ambitious 2007-08 Season

Fri Apr 20 10:58:24 PDT 2007

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For Immediate Release

April 20, 2007

=20

Cleveland's Classic Theater Company
Announces Ambitious 2007-08 Season=20

Great Lakes Theater Festival celebrates its twenty-fifth year at
Playhouse Square Center=20

in downtown Cleveland with a profound sense of optimism and a dynamic
season lineup.

=20

CLEVELAND, OH - Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes
Theater Festival (GLTF), announced plans for the classic theater
company's forty-sixth season on Monday, April 9th at an exclusive Season
Sneak Peek event for subscribers, members and invited guests. "These are
exciting times for Great Lakes Theater Festival," said Fee to the crowd
of guests assembled at Playhouse Square Center's Hanna Theatre for the
announcement.  "Twenty-five years ago, we embarked on an amazing journey
when we moved from our home at Lakewood High School to the Ohio Theatre
in downtown Cleveland.  Working with our great partners at Playhouse
Square Center, the next two and a half decades would prove to be a
period of remarkable artistic and financial growth for the Festival.  We
are proud to set the bar in regards to the amazing things that are
possible when you think creatively and work collaboratively toward your
mission.  And, it is absolutely essential that we continue to think
dynamically - that we think boldly and change with our world in order to
remain vital and relevant to our community.  I am thrilled to say that
Great Lakes Theater Festival stands at the brink of the next exciting
leg of the journey that it began twenty-five years ago - the details of
which we look forward to announcing very soon.  Working together with
our amazing resident company of artists, our loyal and adventurous
audience, our region's educators and students and with our great
community partners like Playhouse Square Center, we look forward with
optimism to the future.  And this bright future begins today with the
announcement of our forty-sixth season of classic theater - our
twenty-fifth in downtown Cleveland - one that exemplifies the bold,
ambitious artistic vision and dynamic, entrepreneurial spirit that has
made this company great."

Great Lakes Theater Festival's 2007-08 season will run from September
through April, and will feature a Fall Repertory, the Festival's annual
holiday classic A Christmas Carol and a Spring Repertory.  In the fall
(September 21-October 21, 2007), GLTF will present Joseph Kesselring's
great American comedy Arsenic and Old Lace, directed by veteran Festival
director Drew Barr, in rotating repertory with William Shakespeare's
middle-period play, Measure for Measure, directed by Risa Brainin.
GLTF's nineteenth annual production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic,
A Christmas Carol (November 23-December 23, 2007), adapted and directed
by Gerald Freedman, will be staged by GLTF Associate Artistic Director
Andrew May for the third consecutive season.  The Festival will conclude
its 2007-08 season with a Spring Repertory (March 28-April 27, 2008)
pairing Arthur Miller's powerful American drama, The Crucible, with
William Shakespeare's rarely produced comedy, All's Well That Ends Well.
The directors of both Spring Repertory productions will be announced at
a later date.  All season offerings will be presented in the Ohio
Theatre at Playhouse Square Center.  Each repertory will run for five
weeks, while the Festival's production of A Christmas Carol will run for
four weeks.  (Consult the enclosed season performance calendars for
complete details.)

Great Lakes Theater Festival's unique rotating repertory format has
played a key role in the theater company's 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 repertory enables audience
members to 'get to know' the actors in our company on a much deeper
level while simultaneously allowing us the opportunity to showcase the
company members' considerable talents.  It is amazing to witness the
actors' transformation each night as they take the stage."

GLTF's Fall Repertory directing corps features faces familiar to
Festival audiences.  Drew Barr will celebrate his sixth consecutive
season with Great Lakes Theater Festival when he returns to direct the
2007-08 season opener, Arsenic and Old Lace, after acclaimed GLTF
productions of Love's Labour's Lost (2006), You Can't Take It With You
(2005) and The Taming of the Shrew (2004).  Barr has directed in each
year of Fee's tenure at GLTF.  Rounding out the Fall Repertory, Risa
Brainin will direct Measure for Measure and mark her third season with
the Festival.  Brainin's 2004 production of Julius Caesar at Great Lakes
Theater Festival was named the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement
winner for Theater.

The Spring Repertory at Great Lakes Theater Festival is headlined by a
significant Festival event designed to serve the company's bi-fold
mission of bringing "the pleasure, power and relevance to the widest
possible audience...on its main stage and through its education
programs..."  This will be the first time Great Lakes Theater Festival
has ever produced Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  "Part of what makes
this company unique is that it was founded by parents, educators and
civic leaders to provide a cultural resource for their children and for
future generations," responded Fee when asked about The Crucible as a
programmatic choice.  "Our revolutionary education programming is one of
the great hallmarks of this company.  Each year, we serve over forty
thousand students, at the Ohio Theatre as well as in their own
classrooms and neighborhoods, from over two-hundred schools across
Northern Ohio.  Arthur Miller's The Crucible is a very important element
in the curricula of many of these students and their teachers.  I think
we owe it to the educators and students of this region that they
experience this great work the way that it was intended...live and of
the highest artistic caliber.  It is a massive undertaking.  But whether
it is a student matinee or a public performance, I think it will be a
real treat for our audience.  I can't wait to bring it to life as only
Great Lakes Theater Festival can in Cleveland."

Cleveland favorite Andrew May will take center stage as an actor this
season at Great Lakes Theater Festival playing multiple roles in
2007-08.  May will portray Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace and Angelo
in Measure for Measure during the Festival's Fall Repertory.  After
staging A Christmas Carol, he will undertake the role of John Proctor in
The Crucible.  "Andrew is one of the primary faces of our great resident
acting company and audiences absolutely adore him," said Fee of his
artistic collaborator, Associate Artistic Director Andrew May.  "This
will be an amazing season for Andrew and for audiences that love him.
He is an actor of great range and this season will allow him the
opportunity to flex the full spectrum of his artistic muscles both
dramatically and as a comic actor.  We are very fortunate to have him as
part of our acting company."

Based on the extraordinary success of GLTF's introductory discount
subscription campaign over the past two years, GLTF will extend its Buy
One Get One Free offer on new subscription purchases through the 2007-
08 season.  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 the Buy One Get One Free
subscription offer has been overwhelmingly positive and has played a
considerable role in the 37% increase in subscription ticket purchases
that we have experienced over the past two seasons," said Todd
Krispinsky, GLTF's Marketing and Public Relations Director.  "What is
even more thrilling to us is that new subscribers are returning.  Last
season, over 26% of the patrons who purchased subscriptions through our
Buy One Get One Free program in 2005 returned for our 2006-07 season at
full price.  This retention rate is a real vote of confidence for us
regarding the quality of theater that we are producing at Great Lakes
Theater Festival."  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.

"The state of Great Lakes Theater Festival is stronger than ever," said
Fee of the Festival in a recent conversation.  "Over the past three
seasons we [GLTF] have had enormous success in righting the Festival's
financial 'ship.'  We now feel confident that we are poised for the
future.  With the support of an amazing Board of Trustees and by
employing sound management, a revolutionary business model and an
amazingly talented staff of administrators and artists, we have been
able to post a budget surplus in each of the last four seasons, erase
every dollar of this company's $1M debt while growing our subscription
ticket base by 37%.  That is a truly amazing turnaround in just three
seasons.  The future is bright for this company.  Buttressed by our
artistic success and newfound financial health, I simply can't wait to
see what the next five years hold for Cleveland's classic theater."

Opening Night performances of Arsenic and Old Lace, Measure for Measure,
The Crucible and All's Well That Ends Well 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.  All five productions in the
Festival's forty-sixth 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.)

An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival starts as low as
$84. 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 ($28.00 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 August 20, 2007, 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 Ticket office. Groups of ten or
more receive discounts as do educators. (Consult the enclosed
information sheet for complete ticketing and contact details.) =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

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 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
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<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
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20, 2007<B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: =
normal"><o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: =
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size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 20pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Cleveland’s Classic =
Theater=20
Company<BR>Announces Ambitious <SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: =
bold">2007-08=20
Season </SPAN></SPAN></B><B><I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: =
normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><BR=20
style=3D"mso-special-character: line-break"><BR=20
style=3D"mso-special-character: line-break"></SPAN></I></B><B><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT =
size=3D3>Great Lakes=20
Theater Festival celebrates its twenty-fifth year at <?xml:namespace =
prefix =3D=20
st1 ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PlaceName =

w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType =
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType>=20
</FONT></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT =
size=3D3>in downtown=20
<st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place> with=20
</FONT></SPAN></I></B><B><I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT =
size=3D3>a profound=20
sense of optimism and a dynamic season=20
lineup.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B =

style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial"><o:p> </o:p>
<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">CLEVELAND, OH –=20
Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater Festival =
(GLTF),=20
announced plans for the classic theater company’s forty-sixth =
season on Monday,=20
April 9th at an exclusive <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Season Sneak Peek event for =
subscribers,=20
members and invited guests. <SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">“These are=20
exciting times for Great Lakes Theater Festival,” said Fee to the =
crowd of=20
guests assembled at <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> =

<st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType>’s <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Hanna</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Theatre</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> for the =
announcement.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“Twenty-five years ago, =
we embarked on=20
an amazing journey when we moved from our home at <st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Lakewood</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">High=20
School</st1:PlaceType> to the Ohio Theatre in downtown <st1:City=20
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place =
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Working with our great =
partners at=20
<st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName =
w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName>=20
<st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, the next two and a half =
decades=20
would prove to be a period of remarkable artistic and financial growth =
for the=20
Festival.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">We are proud to set the bar in =
regards to=20
the amazing things that are possible when you think creatively and work=20
collaboratively toward your mission.</B><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN><B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">And, it is absolutely =
essential=20
that we <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">continue to think=20
dynamically</I></B> – that we think boldly and change with our =
world in order to=20
remain vital and relevant to our community.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>I am thrilled to say that <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Great Lakes Theater Festival =
stands at the=20
brink of the next exciting leg of the journey that it began twenty-five =
years=20
ago</B> – the details of which we look forward to announcing very =
soon.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Working together with our =
amazing=20
resident company of artists, our loyal and adventurous audience, our =
region’s=20
educators and students and with our great community partners like =
Playhouse=20
Square Center, we look forward with optimism to the future.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>And <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">this bright future begins today =
with the=20
announcement of our forty-sixth season of classic theater – our =
twenty-fifth in=20
downtown <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City=20
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:City></st1:place></B> - one that exemplifies =
the bold,=20
ambitious artistic vision and dynamic, entrepreneurial spirit that has =
made this=20
company great.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Great =
Lakes=20
Theater Festival’s 2007-08 season will run from September through =
April, and=20
will feature a Fall Repertory, the Festival’s annual holiday =
classic <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Christmas Carol</I> and a Spring =

Repertory.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In the fall =
(September=20
21-</SPAN></B><B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">October 21,=20
2007)</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, =
GLTF will=20
present Joseph Kesselring’s great American comedy <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Arsenic and Old Lace</I></B><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">, </I>directed by veteran Festival =
director=20
<B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Drew Barr</B>, in rotating =
repertory=20
with William Shakespeare’s<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> =
middle-period=20
play, <B><I>Measure for Measure</I></B></SPAN><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">,</I> directed by <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Risa Brainin</B>.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>GLTF’s nineteenth annual =
production of=20
Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, <B =
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Christmas Carol </I>(November =
23-December=20
23, 2007)</B><I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">,</I> adapted and =
directed=20
by Gerald Freedman, will be staged by GLTF <SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Associate Artistic Director</SPAN> =
<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Andrew May </B>for the third =
consecutive=20
season.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The Festival will =
conclude=20
its 2007-08 season with a <B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: =
normal">Spring=20
Repertory</B> <B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">(March 28-April =
27, 2008)=20
</B>pairing Arthur Miller’s powerful American drama, <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: =
normal">The=20
Crucible, </I></B>with William Shakespeare’s rarely produced =
comedy, <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">All’s Well That Ends =
Well.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN></I></B>The directors of both =
Spring=20
Repertory productions will be announced at a later date.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>All season offerings will be =
presented=20
in the Ohio Theatre at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Each repertory will run for =
five weeks,=20
while the Festival’s production of <I =
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A=20
Christmas Carol </I>will run for four weeks.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>(Consult the enclosed season =
performance=20
calendars for complete details.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Great =
Lakes=20
Theater Festival’s unique rotating repertory format has played a =
key role in the=20
theater company’s success with its audience.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“Presenting a pair of =
classic plays in=20
rotating repertory is a great challenge for artists and great fun for=20
audiences,” offered Fee in a recent conversation.</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“The opportunity to see =
a single=20
resident company of actors perform two plays on the same stage =
alternating shows=20
every few nights makes the Great Lakes Theater Festival experience a =
unique one=20
in <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northern Ohio</st1:place><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>Producing plays in repertory enables audience members to =
‘get to know’=20
the actors in our company on a much deeper level while simultaneously =
allowing=20
us the opportunity to showcase the company members’ considerable=20
talents.</B><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It is =
amazing to=20
witness the actors’ transformation each night as they take the=20
stage.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">GLTF’s Fall=20
Repertory directing corps features faces familiar to Festival=20
audiences.</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Drew Barr will celebrate his =
sixth=20
consecutive season</B> with Great Lakes Theater Festival<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B>when he returns to direct =
the 2007-08=20
season opener, <B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Arsenic and Old Lace,</I></B><I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> </I>after acclaimed GLTF =
productions of <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Love’s Labour’s Lost =
</I>(2006),<I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> You Can’t Take It With You =
</I>(2005) and=20
<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Taming of the Shrew =
</I>(2004).<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Barr has directed in each year =
of Fee’s=20
tenure at GLTF.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Rounding out the Fall Repertory, =
Risa=20
Brainin will direct <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Measure for =
Measure=20
</I>and mark her third season with the Festival.</B><SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Brainin’s 2004 =
production of <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Julius Caesar </I>at Great Lakes =
Theater=20
Festival was named the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement winner =
for=20
Theater.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The =
Spring=20
Repertory at Great Lakes Theater Festival is headlined by a significant =
Festival=20
event </SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">designed to=20
serve the company’s bi-fold mission of bringing “the =
pleasure, power and=20
relevance to the widest possible audience…<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">on its main stage <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">and</I> through its education=20
programs...”<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This =
will be the first=20
time Great Lakes Theater Festival has ever produced Arthur =
Miller’s <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Crucible</I>.</B><SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“Part of what makes this =
company unique=20
is that it was founded by parents, educators and civic leaders to =
provide a=20
cultural resource for their children and for future generations,” =
responded Fee=20
when asked about <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Crucible =
</I>as a=20
programmatic choice. <SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">“Our revolutionary =
education programming is=20
one of the great hallmarks of this company.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Each year, we serve over forty =
thousand=20
students, at the Ohio Theatre as well as in their own classrooms and=20
neighborhoods, from over two-hundred schools across <st1:place=20
w:st=3D"on">Northern Ohio</st1:place>.</B><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>Arthur Miller’s <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: =
normal">The Crucible=20
</I>is a very important element in the curricula of many of these =
students and=20
their teachers.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>I think =
we owe it=20
to the educators and students of this region that they experience this =
great=20
work the way that it was intended…live and of the highest artistic =
caliber.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It is a massive =
undertaking.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But whether it is a student =
matinee or a=20
public performance, I think it will be a real treat for our =
audience.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>I can’t wait to bring it =
to life as only=20
Great Lakes Theater Festival can in <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place=20
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P=
>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">Cleveland=20
favorite Andrew May will take center stage as an actor this season at =
Great=20
Lakes Theater Festival playing multiple roles in 2007-08. =
</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>May will portray <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Mortimer in <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Arsenic and Old Lace</I></B> and =
<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Angelo in <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Measure for Measure </I>during the =

Festival’s Fall Repertory</B>.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>After staging <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A =
Christmas=20
Carol</I>, he will undertake the role of <B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">John Proctor in <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Crucible</I></B>.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“Andrew is one of the =
primary faces of=20
our great resident acting company and audiences absolutely adore =
him,” said Fee=20
of his artistic collaborator, Associate Artistic Director Andrew =
May.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“This will be an amazing =
season for=20
Andrew and for audiences that love him.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>He is an actor of great range and this season will allow him the=20
opportunity to flex the full spectrum of his artistic muscles both =
dramatically=20
and as a comic actor.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>We =
are very=20
fortunate to have him as part of our acting =
company.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: =
150%"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Based =
on the=20
extraordinary success of GLTF’s introductory discount subscription =
campaign over=20
the past two years,<B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> GLTF will =
extend its=20
<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Buy One Get One Free</I> offer =
on new=20
subscription purchases through the 2007- 08 season.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN></B>As part of the offer, the =
<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Festival will match every <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">NEW</I> subscription package =
purchased with=20
one <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">FREE</I> subscription =
package of=20
equal value.</B><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  =
</SPAN>“The response of=20
our audience to the <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Buy One Get =
One=20
Free</I> subscription offer has been overwhelmingly positive and has =
played a=20
considerable role in the <B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">37% =
increase in=20
subscription ticket purchases that we have experienced over the past two =

seasons</B>,” said Todd Krispinsky, GLTF’s Marketing and =
Public Relations=20
Director.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“What is =
even more=20
thrilling to us is that new subscribers are returning.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Last season, over 26% of the =
patrons who=20
purchased subscriptions through our <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: =
normal">Buy=20
One Get One Free</I> program in 2005 returned for our 2006-07 season at =
full=20
price.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN></B>This retention =
rate is a=20
real vote of confidence for us regarding the quality of theater that we =
are=20
producing at Great Lakes Theater Festival.”<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>GLTF’s <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Buy One Get One Free =
</I>subscription offer=20
is valid on all NEW Classic, Best Value and Family and Senior Matinee=20
subscription package purchases only.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN>The offer is not valid on Youth or <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Fest</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Pass</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> subscription package=20
purchases.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">“The state of=20
Great Lakes Theater Festival is stronger than ever,” =
</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">said =
Fee<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B>of the Festival in a recent=20
conversation.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>“Over =
the past three=20
seasons we [GLTF] have had enormous success in righting the =
Festival’s financial=20
‘ship.’<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>We =
now feel confident that=20
we are poised for the future.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  =
</SPAN>With=20
the support of an amazing Board of Trustees and by employing sound =
management, a=20
revolutionary business model and<B style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: =
normal"> </B>an=20
amazingly talented staff of administrators and artists, we have been =
able to=20
post a budget surplus in each of the last four seasons, erase every =
dollar of=20
this company’s $1M debt while growing our subscription ticket base =
by 37%.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>That is a truly amazing =
turnaround in=20
just three seasons.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The =
future is=20
bright for this company.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  =
</SPAN>Buttressed=20
by our artistic success and newfound financial health, I simply =
can’t wait to=20
see what the next five years hold for <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place=20
w:st=3D"on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>’s classic=20
theater.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">Opening Night=20
performances of <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Arsenic and Old =
Lace,=20
Measure for Measure, The Crucible </I>and <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">All’s Well That Ends Well =
</I>have been=20
scheduled for Saturday evenings, while <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: =
normal">A=20
Christmas Carol</I>’s<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> =
</I>opening night=20
is slated for a Friday night.</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Curtain times for all evening=20
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.<SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>All five productions in the =
Festival’s=20
forty-sixth season will continue to offer sign interpreted and audio =
described=20
performances as well as the popular <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Director’s Night</I> and <I=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Playnotes</I> pre-show discussion=20
series.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>(Consult the =
enclosed=20
season performance calendars for complete =
details.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">An =
adult=20
subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival starts as low as $84.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Regular priced single tickets =
range from=20
$22.00 - $56.00.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  =
</SPAN>Student/Youth=20
(ages 25 years or younger) tickets for any seat in the Ohio Theatre are =
$13.00=20
($28.00 for <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Christmas =
Carol</I>) and=20
are available for all performances.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes"> =20
</SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; =
mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">(Additional=20
handling fees may apply and may vary depending on point of =
purchase.)</SPAN><B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  <SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">Subscriptions=20
are available now by calling (216) 664-6064. Single tickets go on sale =
August=20
20, 2007, and will be available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering =
online at=20
<A =
href=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/">www.greatlakestheater.org</A> =
and by=20
visiting the Playhouse Square Center Ticket office. Groups of ten or =
more=20
receive discounts as do educators. =20
(Consult the enclosed information sheet for complete ticketing =
and=20
contact details.) =20
<o:p></o:p>
<B=20
style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The =
first=20
resident company of <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName=20
w:st=3D"on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Square</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType=20
w:st=3D"on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Great Lakes Theater =
Festival will=20
celebrate twenty-five years in the Theatre District this =
season.<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Since 1962, the Festival has =
brought the=20
pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible =
audience=20
in <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Northern Ohio</st1:place>.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: =
150%"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"=20
align=3Dcenter><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial">#<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">     </SPAN>#<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">    =20
</SPAN>#<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"=20
align=3Dcenter><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-VARIANT: =
small-caps; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">For=20
More Information<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Todd=20
Krispinsky<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Marketing and Public =
Relations=20
Director<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(216) 241-5490=20
x317<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A=20
href=3D"mailto:tkrispinsky at greatlakestheater.org">tkrispinsky at greatlakest=
heater.org</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A=20
href=3D"http://www.greatlakestheater.org/">www.greatlakestheater.org</A><=
o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><STRONG><FONT =
face=3DArial></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft> </DIV>
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