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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">NWPL’s</span></font>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Stairway to Paradise: Songs of Sin and Redemption</i>
</b>comes to
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<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Akron</st1:place></st1:City> as part of PLAY!
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><st1:City w:st="on"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">Akron</span></st1:City><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">,
<st1:State w:st="on">OH-</st1:State> <st1:place w:st="on">New World</st1:place> Performance Laboratory's cabaret performance of
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Stairway to Paradise</i></b>, featuring NWPL member Megan Elk and jazz saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio, will be presented as part of the Akron International Festival of Alternative Theatre:
"PLAY!" on August 21-22 at 8pm, in Sandefur Theatre, Guzzetta Hall, on The University of Akron campus. Tickets are $15, $10 for under 18 and UA students. Tickets for<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Stairway to <st1:place w:st="on">Paradise</st1:place></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
</i>and other PLAY! events, plus Festival Passes, are available online at<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">
<a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><font color="#800080">www.BrownPaperTickets.com</font></span></a>
</b>or by phone at 1-800-838-3006<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">.</b>.</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">Stairway to
<st1:place w:st="on">Paradise</st1:place>: Songs of Sin and Redemption</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">
</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">is the product of a 5-year long exploration of the music of Jewish-American theatre composers Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Kurt Weill conceived by vocalist Megan
Elk in collaboration with co-artistic director James Slowiak and some of the region's most accomplished jazz musicians. Its current incarnation takes the form of a virtuosic dialogue between voice and saxophone featuring local alto sax great, Bobby Selvaggio.
The cabaret style evening weaves haunting melodies, scathing comedic tunes, and pop music standards of the 1940's and 50's with the personal narrative of a young woman searching for her voice amidst the confusing clash of culture and spirituality in the 21st
century. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Stairway to Paradise</i></b> has been called, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">...hypnotic, ethereal... strangely captivating... Elk uses her lovely soprano voice
to infuse each tune with such honest emotion that it's impossible not to join her on this trek.</i>" -Christine Howey,
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Cleveland</i></st1:place></st1:City><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Scene</i></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">Megan Elk is an award-winning actress, singer, and composer. As a member of New World Performance
Laboratory, she has performed new works and assisted in the facilitation of voice and movement workshops throughout Europe and the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">Bobby Selvaggio has toured the
<st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">
Canada</st1:country-region>, and Europe promoting/performing his original music, and has taught Jazz clinics throughout The United States and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Bobby’s new CD,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Modern Times</i></b>, on Arabesque Records is receiving rave reviews and climbing the Jazz Radio Charts.</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial">This ground-breaking performance marks Elk and Selvaggio's first collaboration.</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><font size="3">PLAY! is funded in part by the
<b>Pittman Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>New World Performance Laboratory works in residence at The University of Akron.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
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