[NEohioPAL] THE BOOK CLUB PLAY opens with a great cast at Actors' Summit

Mon Feb 23 14:22:14 PST 2015

*“Book Club is like Lord of the Flies with wine and dip.”*

*THE BOOK CLUB PLAY*

*Opens at Actors’ Summit*

*with stellar cast.*

Actors’ Summit, Akron’s professional theater, announces the opening of *THE
BOOK CLUB PLAY* by Karen Zacarias.  The comedy marks another regional
premiere for Akron’s professional theater.

The show will have a preview performance on February 26 with the official
opening on Friday night, February 27.  *THE BOOK CLUB PLAY* is currently
scheduled for a 12 performance run, closing on March 15.  Performances are
given Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 P.M. and Sundays at 2
PM, and take place at Greystone Hall, in downtown Akron.  The show is
appropriate for all ages.  A free dessert reception with the cast follows
the opening night performance on Friday, February 27.

*The Cast*

Of the six cast members, five are members of the Actors’ Summit company,
and have performed a total of 76 roles.  Danea Rhodes is making her Actors’
Summit debut.

*   Rachel Gehlert *(Jennifer) is happy to return to Actors' Summit stage,
where she previously played Samantha in Eric Coble’s world premiere of *The
Girls Guide to Coffee*.  Most recently, she appeared in *Every Christmas
Story Ever Told (And Then Some)* at Weathervane Playhouse.  Additional
Stage Credits:  *Tigers Be Still* (Dobama), *The Farndale Avenue House
Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of A Christmas
Carol *(Weathervane), *The Man Who Came To Dinner, You Can't Take it With
You, Pipe, God's Favorite, Top Girls*.  Rachel previously served as
Educational Director for Israel Horowitz's Gloucester Stage Company.
Rachel holds her undergraduate degree in Photography and English from
Fordham University.

*   Sally Groth* (Anna) has performed in over 30 productions at Actors’
Summit, most recently on our stage in *Photograph 51*.  Other local
credits: Cleveland PublicTheater (*Ancestra, Rusted Heart Broadcast, The
Book of Grace*), Beck Center (*The Underpants*), Dobama Theater (A* Civil
War Christmas*), Ensemble Theater (Louisa) and Porthouse Theater (*Twelfth
Night*).  Regional/ NYC:  Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. (*Macbeth, Merchant
of Venice*), the Denver Center Theater (*Beethoven’N’Pierrot*), a national
tour of *The Little Prince*, the *Hotkeys* series at Naked Angels Theater.
She has an MFA from the University of South Carolina.

   *Bob Keefe* (Alex) is a native Clevelander.  Chicago: Demetrius in *A
Midsummer Night’s Dream* (Pegasus Players), *What the Butler Saw* (Theatre
Shoppe), and *Where’s Charlie? directed by Gary *Griffin (*Apple Tree*).
He toured as Stanley in *A Bed Full of Foreigners* (The Old Creamery
Theatre).  Since returning to Cleveland a decade ago, Bob has appeared
frequently at Actors’ Summit, and occasionally at Cleveland Public Theatre,
the Cleveland Play House, Lakeland Theater, and in two long running
improvisational shows at Playhouse Square; *We Gotta Bingo*, and *Flanagan’s
Wake*.  His most recent stage work was at Dobama Theatre in *A Civil War
Christmas*.

   *Danéa Rhodes* (Lily) was born and raised in Akron, OH.  She is an
alumna of Miller South School, Firestone High School and Kent State
University and is working on her MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University.  Most
recently, she was seen in *Crazy Man* (Regina) at Weathervane Playhouse.
Danéa works with the Docherty Agency, and has appeared for Goodyear, Rue
21, Comcast, and others.

*   Scott Shriner* (Will) last appeared at Actors' Summit in 2005's *The
Herbal Bed*.  Locally, Scott is a company member of Ohio Shakespeare
Festival and a frequent performer at both Weathervane Playhouse and Coach
House Theatre.  Past productions include *Rabbit Hole* (Howie), *All My
Sons* (Chris), *Lend Me A Tenor* (Max), *Proof* (Hal), *Who's Afraid of
Virginia Woolf *(Nick), *Angels in America Part II* (Joe), *Noises Off*
(Garry), *Present Laughter* (Roland), *Othello* (Cassio) and *A Midsummer
Night's Dream* (Theseus).

*   Keith E. Stevens** (Rob) is a graduate of The Actors Studio Drama
School (MFA) and Cleveland State (BA).  Favorite AS credits include:  *MMLJWW,
Manning Up, Photograph 51, Freud’s Last Session, Proof, Macbeth* and *I
Love a Piano*.  NYC credits:  *The Snob* (Actors Studio), *Audience*
(Brooklyn Playwright’s Collective), *Fool for Love, The Honey Makers*, the
world premiere of *2:51 *(all at Circle in the Square Downtown), *Deserters*
(Bernie West Theater), *Loader #26 *(Theater for a New City) and *Big
Al *(ASDS).
Keith is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and a proud company member
at Actors’ Summit.

*Keith Stevens and Sally Groth are members of Actors’ Equity.

“Loads of laughter and literature collide in this smart comedy about books
and the people who love them.”

*The Play *

Ana lives in a letter-perfect world with an adoring husband, the perfect
job, and her greatest passion: Book Club.  But when her cherished group
becomes the focus of a documentary film, their intimate discussions about
life and literature take a turn for the hilarious in front of the
inescapable camera lens.  Add a provocative new member along with some
surprising new books titles, and these six friends are bound for
pandemonium.  A delightful new play about life, love, literature, and the
side-splitting results when friends start reading between the lines.

Karen Zacarías comically explores the pervasive past time of book clubs
that has exploded in recent years, embraced by women, men, people from all
demographics, walks of life, political views, and interest areas.  What
makes them so popular?  In the play, a “famous documentarian” is tackling
that very question by installing a camera in Ana’s living room to record
what goes on in her inner book club sanctum and unlock its secrets.  Of
course, under the inescapable eye of the camera and this witty playwright’s
pen, the stakes and comedy rise, and the perfect book club goes haywire.

*Tickets:*

Tickets for *THE BOOK CLUB PLAY* are on sale now through the box office at
330-374-7568 and online at www.actorssummit.org.  Preview tickets (February
26) are $20.  Tickets for all other performances: $33 for adults, $28 for
seniors over 65; and $10 for all full time students under 30.  Special
discounts are available for book clubs attending as a group.

*The Theater:*

The theater is located on the sixth floor of historic Greystone Hall in
downtown Akron. The facility features barrier free access and free parking.

More information is available at the Actors’ Summit website:
www.actorssummit.org.
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