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E W S<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>R E L E A S
E<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
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</SPAN>HEIGHTS YOUTH THEATRE TO OPEN 2011-2012 SEASON WITH <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">ANNIE</I></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><st1:City
w:st="on"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></SPAN></st1:City> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><st1:City
w:st="on"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">University
Heights</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">,
<st1:State w:st="on">OH</st1:State> –<SPAN class=style31> Heights Youth Theatre
(HYT), with the generous support of Eaton Charitable Fund, the Ohio Arts
Council, the O’Neill Foundation and the citizens of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Cuyahoga</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, is proud to
announce its 2011-2012 season<SPAN style="COLOR: black">, </SPAN>opening in
October<SPAN style="COLOR: red"> </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black">with one of
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s all-time classics,
<B><I>Annie</I></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">,</I></B> directed by Pierre-Jacques
Brault.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>HYT will
produce a total of four productions in its upcoming season.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In addition to <B><I>Annie,</I></B> the
season will feature the classic, <B><I>Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,</I></B>
directed by HYT veteran director, Sean Szaller, who most recently directed HYT’s
production of <I>Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></I>The show will take place
during the holiday season in December. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Treva Offutt, who brought us <I>The
Wiz</I> during HYT’s 2010-2011 season, will direct <B><I>The King and I</I></B>
opening in March 2012.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The season
will culminate in May 2012 with the Tony award winning show <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><B><I>Chicago</I></B></st1:place></st1:City><B>
</B>directed by Nathaniel Motta. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><SPAN
class=style31><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
class=style31><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Participants
in Heights Youth Theatre range in age from 6-18 from all over Greater
Cleveland.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Theatre generally
produces </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class=style31><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">three
to four full<SPAN style="COLOR: black">-length musicals each year, servicing
over 200 children and entertaining thousands.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'">HYT has
been in existence for over 50 years and serves close to 5,000 youth and families
each season. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'">For
countless numbers of children, Heights Youth Theatre is their first exposure to
live theater. It has been a place where young people from kindergarten through
the 12th grade, from the inner ring suburbs of Greater Cleveland and beyond,
enjoy a safe, nurturing environment and a cooperative learning experience as
they work together to create a production. The extraordinary artistic quality of
Heights Youth Theatre's productions and the sense of connection to a larger
community, are but a few of the compelling reasons children and adults choose to
become involved with the Theatre.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Says
Pamela Fine, Executive Director, we are so grateful that we are able to continue
to provide a venue for young performers and audiences alike to experience the
excitement of live theater.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our
upcoming season is sure to carry on the amazing legacy of
HYT!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Heights
Youth Theatre is considered one of the gems of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>, having been named in <SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Cleveland Magazine</SPAN>'s "Best of
Cleveland" issue (2006) for tops in children's theater.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Several HYT youth have gone on to study
Musical Theater at major colleges and universities such as Boston University,
Carnegie Mellon, NYU Tisch School, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory
of Music and Ithaca College.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some
have attended summer programs at Interlochen Arts Academy, Fairmount Performing
Arts Camp, Stage Door Manor, Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern, and others have
gone on to perform on Broadway in shows such as <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Hair, Rent, Mama Mia, Wicked, Spring
Awakening, and the 25<SUP>th</SUP> Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee.<o:p></o:p></I></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; tab-stops: 333.0pt"><I
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">For
more information on auditions, tickets, sponsorships and donations, please call
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'">216.923.1583
</SPAN><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">or
visit </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">www.heightsyouththeatre.org</SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">.</SPAN></STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Book Antiqua'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
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