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<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span
style="font-size: 14pt; color: black;"><font face="Times New Roman"><strong>‘Miss
Daisy’ drives into Coach House Theatre March 13-30<o:p></o:p></strong></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><span
style="color: black;"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"> </font></font></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span style="color: black;">The
contemporary classic <i>Driving Miss Daisy</i> is coming to Coach
House Theatre. This </span><span style="color: black;">Pulitzer
Prize-winning play, which was also an Academy Award-winning 1989 movie,</span><span
style="color: black;"> opens Thursday, March 13 and runs through </span><st1:date
month="3" day="30" year="2008"><span style="color: black;">Sunday,
March 30, 2008</span></st1:date><span style="color: black;">.<o:p></o:p></span></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span style="color: black;">A
delicate depiction of racial tension and of growing old,</span><i><span
style="color: black;"> Driving Miss Daisy</span></i><span
style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">tells the
story of elderly Jewish matron Daisy Werthan and her chauffeur Hoke
Coleburn. At first Daisy is none too happy about being forced to rely
on a black man. But Hoke gradually wins her over and during the 25-year
span of the play (from 1948 to 1973) the two develop a deep-rooted
affection.<o:p></o:p></span></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span style="color: black;">Well-known
area director <strong>Nancy Cates</strong> is “behind the wheel” of <i>Driving
Miss Daisy</i>. </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color: black;">Nancy</span></st1:place></st1:city><span
style="color: black;"> returns to Coach House for her third
production, following </span><span style="color: black;">last season's
<em>Hay Fever </em>and this year's musical revue <em>Oh, Coward! </em></span><st1:city><st1:place><span
style="color: black;">Nancy</span></st1:place></st1:city><span
style="color: black;"> is one of the two Artistic Directors of the
Ohio Shakespeare Festival, which performs each summer at Stan Hywet
Hall and Gardens. She has been directing professionally for
twenty-eight years, and has worked widely in regional, stock,
university and dinner theatres around the country. A few favorites
include a dozen or so Noel Coward productions, the American classic <em>All
My Sons </em>(locally, at Weathervane) and <em>The King and I </em>with
the Richmond Symphony accompanying. <o:p></o:p></span></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span><strong>Marvin L. Mallory</strong>
makes his Coach House debut in the role of Hoke Coleburn. He has acted
in the </span><st1:place><span style="color: black;">Northeast Ohio</span></st1:place><span
style="color: black;"> area for a number of years appearing at The
Beck Center, </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span
style="color: black;">Karamu</span></st1:placename><span
style="color: black;"> </span><st1:placename><span
style="color: black;">Arts</span></st1:placename><span
style="color: black;"> </span><st1:placetype><span
style="color: black;">Center</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span
style="color: black;">, Geauga Lyric Theater, Lakeland Theater, and </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span
style="color: black;">Cuyahoga</span></st1:placename><span
style="color: black;"> </span><st1:placetype><span
style="color: black;">Community College</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span
style="color: black;">. His film credits include <i style="">Farmhouse</i>
and <i style="">Dead Silent</i>, and <i style="">Expect A Miracle.</i>
His latest movie, <i style="">Controlled, </i>was just completed and
is due for release later this year. Marvin also plays the role of Lt.
Charles B. Foster in an upcoming TV series, <i style="">Out Of Darkness</i>.</span><span
style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><span><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><strong>Richard Worswick</strong>
makes his second appearance at Coach House as Daisy’s son Boolie
Wertan. He recently appeared in <em><span style="">Drowning Sorrows. </span></em><em><span
style="font-style: normal;">He’s appeared many times at Weathervane,
most recently</span></em><em><span style=""> </span></em>in the
critically-praised production of <em><span style="">Someone Who'll
Watch Over Me</span></em>.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span><strong>Maureen E. Johnson</strong>
plays Miss Daisy. She last appeared at Coach House as Bunny in <em><span
style="">A Murder is Announced</span></em>. She turned up as Miss
Wulla Jean in the Ohio Shakespeare Festival's <em><span style="">The
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas</span></em> last summer and appeared in
<em><span style="">Moon Over Buffalo</span></em> at Weathervane this
past winter. </span></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span></span></font><font
size="3"><i style="">Driving Miss Daisy</i> will be presented
Thursday, March 13 through <st1:date month="3" day="30" year="2008">Sunday,
March 30, 2008</st1:date>. Curtain times are Thursday, Friday and
Saturday at <st1:time hour="20" minute="0">8 p.m.</st1:time>, with
Sunday matinees at <st1:time hour="14" minute="30">2:30 p.m.</st1:time>
There will be no performance on Easter Sunday, March 23. The house
opens a half hour before the show, and the box office opens one hour
before the show. Coach House Theatre is located at <st1:street><st1:address>732
W. Exchange Street</st1:address></st1:street>, in <st1:city><st1:place>Akron</st1:place></st1:city>,
next to the Akron Woman’s City Club. Tickets for <i style="">Driving
Miss Daisy</i> go on sale Feb. 28. Prices are $15 for adults, and $6
for students (with valid ID) and children. Reservations are recommended
by calling our box office at 330-434-7741 or visit </font><a
href="http://www.coachhousetheatre.org/"><span style=""><font
color="#0000ff" size="3">www.coachhousetheatre.org</font></span></a><font
size="3"> online for more information.<br>
For more information about group discounts or dining at the Akron
Woman’s City Club Ballroom before the show, please call Mona Reuscher
at 330-666-3252.</font></font></p>
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