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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Child actor goes from
in utero to Figaro<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT
size=3>News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times
Courier<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>This
article appeared in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Chagrin Valley
Times </I>4/02/09</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">A tourist walks into
a New York City bar.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He orders a
beer and says, “Excuse me, bartender.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The bartender replies, “Practice.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Substitute the
tourist for a second-grader at Moreland Hills Elementary School, change the
question to “How do you get to Playhouse Square,” and the response would be
“answer an e-mail from Opera Cleveland.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Better change the
beer to milk while you’re at it.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The e-mail was sent in
January from the artistic administrator of Opera Cleveland, who was looking for
children to appear in the 2009 season opener <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">The
Barber of Seville</SPAN></I><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> by
composer Gioacchino Rossini. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
libretto does not actually call for children but, according to director Linda
Brovsky in a recent <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Plain Dealer</I>
interview, children on stage solves the nearly 200 year old awkwardness of
Figaro singing his solo with the famous refrain "Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!" to no
one.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their presence adds logic to
the moment and a bit of playfulness to the
aria.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Eight-year-old Ryan
Vincent from Orange Village is the youngest of five children selected to appear
in this professional production<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, with
performances on </SPAN>March 27, March 29 and April 4 in the State Theater.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The opera is in Italian, but during the
10 days of rehearsal, Ryan and the others were only required to learn key words
so they can follow the action, know when to react and know when to
exit.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">For Ryan, learning to
act is something that was accomplished long ago.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It has been said that great performers
like George M. Cohen and Eddie Foy were born in a backstage costume trunk and
raised on the Vaudeville stage.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Ryan has them beat by being on stage in utero during one of his mother
Staci’s community theater performances.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>He appeared in a local television commercial when he was a year old and,
shortly thereafter, modeled for print ads for Step 2, Little Tikes, and World
Bank coins, among others.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His Mom
and his Dad, Leland, were approached by a talent agent when their son was only
18 months old.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">By age four, Ryan was
perfecting his acting chops in Playmakers Performing Arts productions in
Beachwood under the direction of Sheri Gross.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A seasoned veteran by age seven, Ryan
landed the role of Peter Dennis in the Hudson Players’ production of the musical
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Mame</I>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Chagrin Valley Times</I> ran a review of
this show and noted that while some of the featured performers unfortunately
sucked the air out the room, young Ryan Vincent was a breath of fresh air.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He was charming and natural and all the
other things that Opera Cleveland personnel obviously saw when casting local
children for <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">The Barber of
Seville.</SPAN></I><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>For three
nights Ryan will have the unique opportunity to look out at the 3500 seats and
the grand domed ceiling of the State Theatre from the vantage point of its
historic stage.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is the same
view witnessed by vaudevillians like George M. Cohen and Eddie Foy back in the
1920s.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">For three nights he will
perform with professional opera singers, including </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Brian
Leerhuber as Figaro, Daniela Mack as Rosina, Alek Shrader as Almaviva and Thomas
Hammons as Dr. Bartolo.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ryan takes
none of this for granted and is cherishing each and every
moment.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">What has
most impressed him, however, is the huge private dressing room he’s been
given.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“It comes with </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">couches and lights around the mirrors
and lockers,” he proudly announces, “and I even have my own shower.” <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: red"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Young Ryan Vincent is
now a bona fide professional actor, having gone from in utero to Figaro in only
eight years.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Better change the milk
to evian with a twist. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>