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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT size=2 face=Arial><STRONG><FONT size=3>For
Immediate Release</FONT><BR>August 26, 2010</STRONG><BR><BR><FONT
size=5><STRONG>Cleveland’s Classic Theater Company<BR></STRONG>Commences 2010-11
Season with <BR><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=5><STRONG>A
Shakespearean Thriller</STRONG> and <BR><STRONG><SPAN
class=435002920-26082010>A </SPAN>Wilde-ly Witty
Comedy</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial><BR><BR><FONT size=3><STRONG><EM>OTHELLO and AN IDEAL HUSBAND play in
rotating repertory to kick off Great Lakes Theater Festival’s 49th
year.<BR><BR>NEW NIGHTCAP NIGHTS feature free, live music performed by bands and
musicians in the Hanna’s lounge following Saturday evening
performances.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT size=2 face=Arial>CLEVELAND, OH (August 26,
2010) - <STRONG>Great Lakes Theater Festival</STRONG> (GLTF) will commence its
2010-11 season in the company’s revolutionary home at the Hanna Theatre,
PlayhouseSquare, with a Fall Repertory that features William Shakespeare’s
psychological thriller, <STRONG><EM>Othello</EM></STRONG> and Oscar Wilde’s
witty comedy, <STRONG><EM>An Ideal Husband</EM></STRONG>. The productions will
be performed in rotating repertory September 24 – October 31, 2010. The
Fall Repertory features GLTF’s resident artistic company of actors performing
two alternating plays on the same stage over six weeks. <STRONG>Risa
Brainin</STRONG> will direct <EM>Othello</EM> and <STRONG>Sari Ketter</STRONG>
will direct <EM>An Ideal Husband</EM>.<BR><BR>Great Lakes Theater Festival is
generously funded by the citizens of <STRONG>Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga
Arts and Culture</STRONG>. In addition, the Festival’s 2010-11 season is
presented with support from <STRONG>The Cleveland Foundation</STRONG> and the
<STRONG>Ohio Arts Council</STRONG>. Media sponsors for the GLTF’s 49th
season are Cleveland Scene, The Plain Dealer, WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM
ideastream and WKSU 89.7 FM.<BR><BR><STRONG>"I am thrilled to kick off Great
Lakes Theater Festival’s 49th season as Cleveland’s classic theater
company</STRONG> with a fall repertory that features Shakespeare’s
<EM>Othello</EM> and Oscar Wilde’s <EM>An Ideal Husband</EM>,” said <STRONG>GLTF
Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee</STRONG>. “This year marks our
third season in the beautifully re-imagined Hanna Theatre and speaks to the
breadth of experience we are dedicated to creating in PlayhouseSquare. For
the occasion, I am proud to welcome back to our company two extraordinary
directors, working for the first time in our new home, Risa Brainin and Sari
Ketter. Both have long been associated with our companies in Cleveland and
Boise and it is a joy to have them working on the Hanna’s Parker Hannifin
Stage! I simply can’t wait to share the outstanding productions that
they’ve created with our audience.”<BR><BR><STRONG>GLTF’s 2010 Fall Repertory
commences with the Shakespearean thriller,
<EM>Othello</EM></STRONG>. William Shakespeare’s supreme
villain meets literature’s most tragic hero in one of the greatest dramas of all
time. After being passed over for a military promotion and suspecting his
wife’s infidelity with the man responsible for his slight, vengeance drives the
duplicitous Iago to plant potent seeds of doubt in the mind of the Moor.
Will Othello fall into Iago’s evil trap and forsake his wife, the innocent
Desdemona? Culminating in Shakespeare’s most powerful scene, Othello
weaves a tragic tapestry of jealousy, trust and betrayal. The production
features David Alan Anderson, the newest member of the Festival’s acting
company, in the title role.<BR><BR><STRONG>Oscar Wilde’s witty comedy <EM>An
Ideal Husband</EM> completes GLTF’s Fall Repertory pairing</STRONG>.
Romantic, clever and marvelously convoluted, this comedy of manners insightfully
examines the crossroads where money, power and ethics collide. Sir Robert
Chiltern, a rising political star and a pillar of virtue, is an ideal husband
for the charming Lady Chiltern. But when the enchanting and conniving Mrs.
Cheveley returns from abroad threatening to reveal a dark secret from Sir
Chiltern’s past, a brewing scandal impends to destroy both his career and
marriage. Wilde’s wit takes center stage, rambunctiously holding a mirror
up to nature while wreaking havoc on its occupants, in a deliciously decadent
comedy that disarms and delights.<BR><BR><STRONG>GLTF’s 2010 Fall Repertory
reunites acclaimed Festival directors, Risa Brainin and Sari Ketter, with
Northeast Ohio audiences</STRONG>. Brainin celebrates her 4th year at
Great Lakes Theater Festival this season. Her work was last seen by
Festival audiences in 2007 when she directed Measure for Measure. Other
GLTF productions include As You Like It (2005) and Julius Caesar (2004).
Sari Ketter directed Great Lakes Theater Festival’s 2005 production of The Merry
Wives of Windsor.<BR><BR><STRONG>Great Lakes Theater Festival’s award-winning
home at the Hanna Theatre features a visionary “Great Room” inspired design
concept that integrates the artist and audience experience into a single unified
environment</STRONG>. Hanna patrons select from <STRONG>a variety of
seating opportunities</STRONG> including traditional theater seats, club chairs,
lounge/bar seats, banquette couches and private box seating. Boasting a
<STRONG>fully flexible hydraulic thrust stage</STRONG>, a complete array of
<STRONG>state-of-the-art theatrical systems</STRONG> and an <STRONG>intimate
550-seat house</STRONG> arranged in a thrust configuration, the Hanna is
<STRONG>one of the most innovative theaters in the
country</STRONG>. <BR><BR><STRONG>In 2010-11, GLTF will expand its
popular <EM>Experience Enhancement Series</EM> at the Hanna</STRONG> <STRONG>by
programming</STRONG> <STRONG>free, live music performed by the region’s finest
local bands and musicians in the Hanna’s bar and lounge following Saturday
evening performances</STRONG> (non-opening night). <STRONG><EM>Nightcap
Night Saturdays</EM></STRONG> - an eight-date music series coordinated by Jim
Wadsworth, the director of programming for Cleveland’s landmark music venue
<STRONG><EM>Nighttown</EM></STRONG> - is designed to encourage patrons to extend
their stay at the Hanna and to highlight the GLTF/Hanna experience as one of the
most unique entertainment options in the region. A complete calendar of
concerts and artists will be announced at a later date.<BR><BR><STRONG>Great
Lakes Theater Festival’s <EM>Experience Enhancement Series</EM> is organized by
day of week.</STRONG> The series is designed to augment a patron’s theater
experience by highlighting the Hanna’s unique amenities and by affording
extraordinary access to Festival artists. <BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Salon
Thursdays” </EM></STRONG>feature an engaging pre-show discussion/presentation
beginning one hour before curtain with a Festival artist. (Offered:
Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28) <BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Happy Hour
Fridays”</EM></STRONG> afford audience members the opportunity to gather and
socialize at the Hanna’s bar and lounge immediately after work. A fine
assortment of savory hors d’ oeuvres and a complete range of beverages are
available for purchase beginning ninety minutes before the performance.
(Offered: Sept. 24 & Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22,
29) <BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Nightcap Night Saturdays”</EM></STRONG> are
designed to encourage audience members to stay after the evening performance and
enjoy entertainment performed by the region’s finest musicians and bands while
mingling with the GLTF artistic company in the Hanna’s lounge. The Hanna’s
bar is open until ninety minutes after the performance on “Nightcap Night
Saturdays.” (Offered: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30)<BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Ice
Cream Social Sundays” </EM></STRONG>offer patrons the opportunity to enjoy a
London theatre tradition brought state-side. Audience members are invited
to purchase a cool, personal ice cream treat before the show or at
intermission. Ice cream will be offered at every performance in GLTF’s
Fall Repertory, but on “Ice Cream Social Sundays,” the treat is half
price. (Offered: Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24)<BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Director’s
Nights”</EM></STRONG> offer audiences the opportunity to take part in a lively
pre-show discussion with GLTF’s Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee, and
the director of each production before preview performances. (Offered:
Sept. 24 & Oct. 1)<BR><BR>--<STRONG><EM>“Playnotes Pre-Show
Discussions”</EM></STRONG> inform patrons with illuminating introductions to the
content and history of each play in GLTF’s season presented by a guest scholar
before Saturday matinee performances. (Offered: Oct. 9, 16, 23,
30)<BR><BR><STRONG>Great Lakes Theater Festival will continue to afford patrons
extraordinary access to its artists and production process at every Hanna
Theatre performance this fall.</STRONG> The Hanna always opens its doors
ninety minutes before each performance allowing patrons to observe the complete
pre-show preparation process of GLTF’s actors and technical staff.
Elements traditionally hidden from audiences such as stage combat rehearsals,
dance calls, prop/scenic pre-sets, technical cue rehearsals and actor warm-ups
will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLTF audiences an
unprecedented glimpse into the theatrical process.<BR><BR><STRONG>The Festival
will continue its <EM>New Deal</EM> pricing initiative this fall - designed to
increase accessibility for audiences.</STRONG> As part of the program,
adult <STRONG>tickets for every performance always begin at $15</STRONG> and
<STRONG>student tickets for any seat at any show are $13</STRONG> - making the
Great Lakes Theater Festival experience one of the most affordable entertainment
options in the region. “It is absolutely vital to the mission and
long-term health of our organization that we create affordable opportunities for
every person in our region to experience live theater,” said GLTF Producing
Artistic Director Charles Fee of the program.<BR><BR><STRONG>Opening Night
performances of <EM>Othello</EM> (September 25th) and <EM>An Ideal Husband</EM>
(October 2nd) have been scheduled for Saturday evenings</STRONG> with preview
performances of both productions scheduled for the preceding Friday
nights. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30
p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m.
curtain time for Sunday matinees. Both productions in GLTF’s Fall Repertory will
continue to offer sign-interpreted and audio-described
performances.<BR><BR>Single performance tickets for Great Lakes Theater Festival
productions range in price from $15-$70 (Student tickets are $13 – any
performance / any seat) and are available by calling <STRONG>(216)
241-6000</STRONG>, by ordering online </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>at
<STRONG>www.greatlakestheater.org</STRONG> </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>or by
<STRONG>visiting the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office</STRONG>. Groups of ten
or more receive discounts of up to 40% by calling the Great Lakes Theater
Festival Group Sales Department at (216) 241-5490 x302. <EM>(Additional
handling fees may apply and may vary depending on point of
purchase.)</EM><BR><BR>Great Lakes Theater Festival, the first resident company
of PlayhouseSquare, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic
theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. Festival programming
reaches 85,000 adults and students
annually.<BR><BR>#
# #<BR><BR>Media
Contact:</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Todd
Krispinsky<BR>Marketing and Public Relations Director<BR>Great Lakes Theater
Festival<BR><?xml:namespace prefix = ns0 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><ns0:Street><ns0:address><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:address
w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite
300</st1:Street><BR></ns0:address></st1:address></ns0:Street><ns0:place><ns0:City><st1:City
w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:City></ns0:City>, <ns0:State><st1:State
w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State></ns0:State> <ns0:PostalCode><st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">44115</st1:PostalCode><BR></ns0:PostalCode></ns0:place>(216) 241-5490
x317 / (216) 241-6315 Fax<BR><A href="http://www.greatlakestheater.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: purple">www.greatlakestheater.org</SPAN></A><BR><BR><SPAN><STRONG>Stay
connected to Great Lakes Theater Festival...</STRONG></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
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