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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>Weathervane
Playhouse’s<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>‘The Great
White Hope’ a Strirring, Passionate Examination o</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT
color=#ff0000> Prejudice in America<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000080>Landmark
drama a three-way collaboration<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><FONT color=#000080><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>with Karamu House and Ensemble
Theatre</SPAN></I></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></B></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><o:p><FONT size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Weathervane Playhouse – in
collaboration with Karamu House and Ensemble Theatre – presents “The Great White
White Hope,” the epic landmark drama that examines the American Dream through
the prism of race, live on stage from April 1 to 18, 2010.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The play’s central character is
Jack Jefferson, a prize-winning boxer who is a fictionalized version of Jack
Johnson, the American fighter who in 1908 became the first black heavyweight
champion of the world. Howard Sackler’s Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning
drama charts Jefferson’s tumultuous career after he becomes a champion and
explores the nature of racism and racial conflict. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Strong, proud and ego-driven,
Jefferson can beat almost any opponent in the boxing ring but encounters a
greater foe in society at large when he dares to defy convention and his own
community. A combination of strength and swagger, Jefferson is an American
braggadocio. In part because he dares to have intimate relationships with white
women – and in part because he refuses to behave in the passive, submissive way
that white America expected of blacks of his day – Jack Jefferson aggravates
white society and even alienates some blacks, too. Outside the boxing ring,
Jefferson finds he must wage a separate fight for his own individuality in a
world determined to restrict him.<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Under the direction of <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT color=#ff0000>Terrence
Spivey</FONT></B>, Weathervane Playhouse’s production – featuring a cast of 40
actors – represents the culmination of a year-long, three-way collaboration with
two Cleveland theater companies, Karamu House and Ensemble Theatre. On March 14,
the production completed a four-week run at Karamu House as a prelude to its
three-week run in April at Weathervane Playhouse.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Weathervane’s production will
feature a seven of the principal actors from the Karamu cast as well as many new
actors who auditioned for roles in the Akron run of the play. Backstage, the
collaboration has extended to all technical areas: Weathervane’s resident
costume designer, <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jasen J. Smith</B>,
designed costumes for both the Cleveland and Akron runs of the play, and Karamu
House scenic designer <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Richard Morris</B>
designed the play’s set for both Karamu’s Jelliffe Theater stage as well as
Weathervane’s Founders Theater stage.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Support for Weathervane
Playhouse’s production of “The Great White Hope” comes from the Margaret Clark
Morgan Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Ohio Arts
Council, </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">The Kenneth
L. Calhoun Charitable Trust, KeyBank Trustee </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">and The Akron Beacon
Journal.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>About the
Director<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Terrence
Spivey</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> has won
accolades and received local and national acclaim as artistic director of
historic Karamu House in Cleveland, a position he has held since October 2003.
His directing credits include “Bee-luther-hatchee,” “For Colored Girls Who Have
Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf,” “Dream on Monkey Mountain,”
“Permanent Collection,” “Bourbon at the Border,” “The Fire Inside: The Story and
Poetry of Nikki Giovanni,” “The Blacks: A Clown Show” and “A House With No
Walls,” to name just a few. He serves on the board of trustees of the Community
Partnership for Arts and Culture and the Ohio Alliance for Arts and Education.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>About Some
of the Play’s Principal Actors<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P><B><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Anthony
Elfonzia Nickerson-El</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></B><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">(Jack
Jefferson)</SPAN></I><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">played</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Mister in
Karamu’s production of August Wilson's “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">King Hedley</SPAN> <SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">II<I>.</I>”</SPAN> His ensemble work
includes Karamu's production of “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Before It Hits Home</SPAN>,” “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Black Eagles”</SPAN> and “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">The Talented Tenth</SPAN>.” He starred in
“<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">John Henry</SPAN>” at The Cleveland
Play House, and he held ensemble roles in the Beck Center’s “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">A Few Good Men,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,”
“Romeo and Juliet” </SPAN>and “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Ma
Rainey’s Black Bottom</SPAN>.” Anthony also performed at Dobama Theatre in
“<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">In The Blood”</SPAN> and Ensemble
Theatre’s production of “</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The
Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">.”</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> He produced the
short film<I> </I><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">“Benjamin,”</SPAN>
which won the African-American Women’s Film Festival in 2007. He also appeared
in the 2007 indie film “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Unspeakable.”</SPAN> He currently divides
his time between Los Angeles and Cleveland working on film projects with his
wife, Traci, through their company, Omari Entertainment.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><B><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Ursula
Cataan*</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></B><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">(Eleanor
Bachman)</SPAN></I><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">was last seen in “<EM><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">The
Shadowbox</SPAN></EM>,” “<EM><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Chekhov
in Yalta”</SPAN></EM><EM><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"> </SPAN></EM>and
“<EM><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Return
to the Forbidden Planet”</SPAN></EM><EM><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica">
</SPAN></EM>in Cleveland State University's Summer Stages. Other Cleveland
credits include Playhouse Square's production of “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I Love You Because,” </SPAN>Sarah Ruhl’s
“<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">The Clean House”</SPAN> at The
Cleveland Play House and “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Who’s Afraid
of Virginia Woolf”</SPAN> with Ensemble Theatre. She has performed regionally
and off Broadwayat 59E59, HERE Arts Center, Centerstage, The Brick, Walnut
Street Theater, Coconut Grove Playhouse, The Kitchen Theater, Gables Stage,
Mosaic and many more. Her other favorite roles include three world-premiere
plays by Nilo Cruz, among them originating the role of Marela in the Pulitzer
Prize-winning drama “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Anna in the
Tropics</SPAN>.” She is a graduate of Carnegie MellonUniversity. *<B>Ursula
appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.<o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P><B><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Peter
Lawson Jones</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> (Tick)
</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">by
day serves a member of the Baord of Cuyahoga County Commissioners. He<B>
</B></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">ended a nearly
30-year hiatus from the stage in 2008 when he played the role of Tyrone
Washington in “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Bourbon at<U> </U>the
Border” </SPAN>at the Cleveland Play House. Next, he played Salif Camara in
Karamu’s “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">A House with No Walls.”
</SPAN>In addition to doing voice-over and commercial work, he is also a
playwright. His drama, “T<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">he Family
Line,” </SPAN>has been successfully produced at Karamu and at both Harvard and
Ohio University. When he was a student at Harvard, he appeared in several plays,
including “<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">A Day of Absence</SPAN>,”
“<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Goin’ a Buffalo</SPAN>,” “<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Ceremonies in Dark Old Men” </SPAN>and the
1979 and 1980 Harvard Law School musicals.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; PADDING-LEFT: 4pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt">
<P
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>About the
Play’s History<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In addition to the play’s
historic relevance, “The Great White Hope” made a bit of history of its own
during its development and journey to Broadway.<B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">It
materialized not from what was then the perceived theater capital of New York
City but instead from America’s emerging regional-theater movement. In December
1967, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., produced the first production of “The
Great White Hope.” Instant critical acclaim convinced Arena Stage and playwright
Howard Sackler to try something no other regional theater company had yet
attempted to do: to move the show to New York and to produce it on
Broadway.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">According to “The
New York Times,” Sackler himself financed the show’s commercial transfer to the
Great White Way with the $225,000 he received from selling his drama to its
eventual film producers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">On Oct. 3, 1968, the play opened
on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre, where it ran for 546 performances before
closing on Jan. 31, 1970. <SPAN style="COLOR: black">Sackler’s Broadway gambit
paid off handsomely, and the play found both the audiences and critical praise
it needed to ensure a good return on his
investment.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The play won both the 1969 Tony
Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as <SPAN
style="COLOR: #2d1812">the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best
Play</SPAN>. Lead actors James Earl Jones as Jack Jefferson and Jane Alexander
as Eleanor Bachman won Tony Awards for their performances – and Drama Desk
Awards were bestowed upon Jones and Alexander as well as director Edwin Sherin,
the latter of whom had also been with the show since its Arena Stage
inception.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The 1970 film adaptation of the
play offered Jones and Alexander the chance to re-create their star-making roles
– and each received Academy Award nominations for their
performances.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In 2000, Arena Stage revived
“The Great White Hope” in honor of the theater company’s
50<SUP>th-</SUP>anniversary season.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In spite of the
obvious historical context and relevance to the 1960s and beyond, playwright
Sackler preferred to emphasize the play’s universal themes of the human struggle
in a complex world. He told “The New York Times” that he</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> that he did not see his play
solely as a story of racial conflict. ''What interested me was not the
topicality but the combination of circumstances, the destiny of a man pitted
against society,'' he said. ''It's a metaphor of struggle between man and the
outside world.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">''Some people spoke of the play
as if it were a cliche of white liberalism,'' he continued. ''But I kept to the
line right through, of showing that it wasn't a case of blacks being good and
whites being bad. I was appalled at first at the
reaction.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p><FONT
color=#ff0000> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>About the
Playwright<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Howard
Sackler</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> was
born Dec. 19, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up mostly in Florida. He
returned to the Empire State to attend Brooklyn College, where he earned a
bachelor of arts degree in 1950.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">During college and after his
graduation, he wrote poems before turning to playwriting eventually. In 1954, he
published a collection of his verse entitled “Want My Shepherd: Poems.” His
poems also appeared in such publications as<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> </I>Poetry magazine the Hudson Review,
Commentary, and New Directions. Under the influence of his poetical leanings, he
wrote his first play, “Uriel Acosta,” entirely in verse. The University of
California at Berkeley produced the play, and it won the Maxwell Anderson Award
for verse drama in 1954. Sackler’s next play, The Yellow Loves, told the story
of Tristan Corbiere, a 19<SUP>th</SUP> century French poet. Sackler’s second
play was also written in poetic verse, and it won him the University of
Chicago's Charles H. Sergel Award for playwriting in 1959.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In addition to his poetry and
plays, Sackler also found work in writing for motion pictures. Working with a
then-relatively unknown director named Stanley Kubrick, Sackler wrote the
screenplays for “Fear and Desire” (1953) and “Killer’s Kiss” (1955). During the
1950s, Sackler complemented his screenwriting income with a couple of notable
grants, including one from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1953 and the Littauer
Foundation in 1954. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Also during this time, Sackler
directed several staged readings at the New School for Social Research in New
York City. Here, he chose dramatic works with a decidedly high-minded, literary
leaning, such as the plays of Ancient Greece, Shakespeare and T.S. Eliot.
Furthering his love of the classics, in 1954 he founded Caedmon Records, which
produced over 200 audio recordings under his direction. Featuring such notable
actors as Albert Finney, Julie Harris, Jessica Tandy, Michael and Vanessa
Redgrave, Paul Scofield, John Gielgud, and Peggy Ashcroft, Sackler’s popular
long-playing records introduced a new audience to a theatrical treasure trove of
classic plays. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In 1963 Sackler
<SPAN class=ilad1>married</SPAN> Greta Lynn Lungren. Together, the couple raised
two children, Molly and Daniel.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Following the Broadway success
of “The Great White Hope,” Sackler adapted his play for the 1970 motion-picture
version (directed by Martin Ritt), for which his screenplay was nominated for
Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium by the Writers Guild of America.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">In the years thereafter, Sackler
continued to direct and to write for both movies and the stage. In 1973, he
directed Marguerite Duras's play, "Suzanna Adler," in a Royal Shakespeare
Company production at the Aldwych Theatre in London, England. Sackler’s play
“Goodbye, Fidel” – a romantic drama set in the early years of the Cuban
Revolution – ran on Broadway for only six performances in 1980, but was notable
for its casting of “The Great White Hope” star Jane Alexander as well as the
Broadway debut of Kathy Bates. His other works as a screenwriter include “Gray
Lady Down” (1978) and “Jaws 2” (1978). <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Sackler died at the age of 52 in
October 1982 on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, where he and his wife had
maintained a home. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>Ticket and
Performance Information<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">“The Great White Hope” plays on
Weathervane Playhouse’s Founders Theater stage from April 1 to 18,
2010.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The low-cost preview performance
is Thursday, April 1; the official opening-night performance is Friday, April 2
at 8 p.m.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Between April 2 and 18,
performance days and times are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at
8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. (with no performance on Easter Sunday, April 4).
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Tickets for the April 1 preview
performance only are $15. Tickets for performances after April 1 are
$21.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">$19 tickets for seniors and
college students are available for Thursday and Sunday performances. Tickets for
children ages 17 and younger are $17 for all performances after April 1.
Discounted tickets are also available for groups of 12 or larger. Due to
language and adult situations, “The Great White Hope” is not recommended for
children under the age of 13.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">For tickets, call the
Weathervane Box Office at (330) 836-2626 or connect online to <A
href="http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com/"><FONT
color=#800080>www.weathervaneplayhouse.com</FONT></A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>Sponsors:
Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, Knight Foundation, <SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Kenneth L. Calhoun
Charitable Trust, KeyBank Trustee</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#ff0000>Media
Sponsors: WKSU-FM, Akron Beacon Journal<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><o:p></o:p></I></FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">* * *<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><U><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Mission of Weathervane
Playhouse<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Weathervane Playhouse and its
dedicated volunteers offer vital performing arts resources for the people of
Northeast Ohio. We create exciting and thought-provoking shows with impressive
production values. Through educational programs and volunteer opportunities for
people of all ages and backgrounds, Weathervane Playhouse serves the theater
community, our patrons and our volunteers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><o:p><FONT size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">The Ohio Arts Council helped fund
this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational
excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Additional 2009-2010 Season
Sponsors:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">89.7
WKSU-FM<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">The Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Janis Harcar<BR>Director of
Advancement<BR>Weathervane Playhouse<BR>330-836-2323 X16<BR><A
href="http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com">www.weathervaneplayhouse.com</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>