<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt;line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:
2"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:#2C5783">FAIRMOUNT PERFORMING ARTS CONSERVATORY TO
PRESENT<br>
RENT: SCHOOL EDITION</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt;line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:
2"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:#2C5783"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt;line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:
2"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:#2C5783">February 9, 2009<br>
For Immediate Release<br>
Contact:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Fairmount Center for the Arts
440-338-3171</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">From the Pulitzer Prize to the Tony sweep, from
the critical accolades to the nightly ovations, <i>Rent</i> has become an
American icon. You can experience the decade's most exuberant and original
American musical live when it comes to the Mayfield Village Civic Center for
ten performances under the auspices of FPAC (Fairmount Performing Arts
Conservatory), February 19 – March 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The Civic Center is located at 6622 Wilson Mill Road in Mayfield
Village, at the corner of Wilson Mills and SOM Center Roads.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">Set in New York City 's East Village , <i>Rent</i>
is an emotionally stirring story about of a community of young artists
struggling to live and celebrate life. Transposing Puccini's 100-year-old La
Bohème into modern day Bohemia , Rent celebrates life among the young, sick and
unconventional. Composer Jonathan Larson, who died at age 35 just days before
his musical opened, managed to sculpt vivid characters and scenes that bring
Avenue A as close as it will ever come to 42nd Street .</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">Full of songs that are funny and catchy,
inspiring and touching, smart and hip, <i>Rent</i> mixes show tune pop with
elements of rock, R&B, dance, gospel and tango. From the resounding title
track to the final reprise of "No Day But Today," the score is
electrifying.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">After its opening in 1996, <i>Rent</i> won four
Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize, becoming only the fifth musical to ever win
both awards. During that same year, the show received the New York Drama
Critics Circle award, six Drama Desk awards, three Obie awards, the Outer
Critics Circle award, and the Drama League award. In February 2004, Rent
surpassed Fiddler on the Roof to become the 10th longest-running show in
Broadway history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Rent: Student Edition</span></i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> marks the third Teen Theatre production developed by Fairmount
Performing Arts Conservatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The first
two productions, <i>Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat</i> and
William Shakespeare's <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> played<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>to audience and critical acclaim and big houses last summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now, veteran stage actor, director and
choreographer, Sean Szaller takes the reins of <i>Rent: Student Edition</i>,
with support from music director Mike Caraffi, set design by Ben Needham,
costume design by Colleen Bloom and lighting design by Cassie Goldbach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Fred Sternfeld, artistic director, is
providing producing support. The cast is made up of an exceptional cast of
young Cleveland actors: </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black">Edie
Anderson, Shelby Berger, Carlos Cruz, Danielle Dorfman, Hunter Evans, Joel
Furr, Shayla Gordon, Catherine Gorman, Codie Higer, Duane Horton, Molly Israel,
Sarah Konishi, Nikki Leavitt, Katy Lucas, Jesse Markowitz, Gaby Martinez,
Colleen McCaughey, Patrick Mooney, Zach O'Connor, Andrew Parmelee, Sidney
Perelman, Patrick Plucinsky, Miles Sternfeld and Ryan Thurman.</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"> seniors and special rates available for groups
of 10 or more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tickets<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>may be purchased at the Fairmount Center for
the Arts by calling 440-338-3171.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Tickets are also available</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> at
the door. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">Rent </span></i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">, the second show in
Fairmount's 2008-2009 performance season at Mayfield Village,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>is produced by Fairmount Center for the
Arts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For more event information, call
440-338-3171, or visit us online at</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> </span><a href="http://www.fairmountcenter.org/"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">www.fairmountcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> .</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:14.4pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>