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<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=3 face=Arial><STRONG>Weathervane Playhouse
News</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><EM>"August: Osage County" opens this
week!</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Dad vanishes. Mom pops pills. A
marriage has fallen apart. A hidden romance has been simmering. A lie is about
to be revealed. And three sisters harbor shady little secrets.</FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Weathervane Playhouse opens it 78th season by
exposing the dark side of the American family with <EM>August: Osage County</EM>
– a critically celebrated play that unflinchingly — and uproariously — depicts a
Midwestern American family in crisis.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Described by <EM>The New York Times</EM> as "the most
exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years," <EM>August: Osage
County</EM> in 2008 won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Tony
Award for Best Play. Under the direction of Jacqi Loewy, <EM>August: Osage
County</EM> is presented live on stage at Weathervane Playhouse between Sept. 6
and 23, 2012.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed
plays in recent Broadway history, <EM>August: Osage County</EM> is a blistering
portrait of the modern dysfunctional American family at its finest – and
absolute worst. Beverly Weston is the hard-drinking patriarch of the Weston clan
who disappears one hot summer night. Unsure whether he is dead or just missing,
his extended family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets
are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>The fractured, multi-generational Weston clan must
also deal with the deeply unstable Violet Weston, the sharp-tounged,
pill-popping matriarch who stands at the center of this domestic
storm.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Grand, gripping, blisteringly honest, bitingly funny
– and yet sensationally entertaining – <EM>August: Osage County</EM> reveals a
family full of unforgettable characters who are forced to confront uncomfortable
truths.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Due to adult language and situations, <EM>August:
Osage County</EM> is recommended for mature audiences only.</FONT></P>
<H4><FONT face=Arial>Weathervane's <EM>August: Osage County </EM>Performance and
Ticket Information</FONT></H4>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><EM>August: Osage County</EM> plays on the
Weathervane Playhouse Founders Theater stage between Sept. 6 and 23,
2012.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>The low-cost preview performance is Thursday, Sept. 6
at 7:30 p.m.; the official opening-night performance is Friday, Sept. 7 at 8
p.m.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Between Sept. 6 and 23, 2012, the 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.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Tickets for the Sept. 6 preview performance only (at
7:30 p.m.) are $15 each. Tickets for performances after Sept. 6 are $21
each.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>$19 tickets for seniors are available for Thursday
and Sunday performances. Tickets for children (ages 17 or younger) and college
students are $5 each at all performances. Additional discounts for groups of 12
or larger are also available.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>The Weathervane Playhouse Box Office is open Mondays
between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays between 10 a.m. and 5:30
p.m. and is also open beginning one hour before each performance. For tickets,
visit or call the Weathervane Box Office at 330-836-2626 during Box Office hours
or connect online to </FONT><A href="http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com"><FONT
size=3 face=Arial>www.weathervaneplayhouse.com</FONT></A><FONT size=3
face=Arial> to purchase tickets online.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </P>
<H4><FONT face=Arial>Weathervane’s <EM>August: Osage County</EM> Cast and their
Ohio Residences</FONT></H4>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Alex Cikra</STRONG> (of Hartville)
plays the role of Beverly Weston</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Harriet DeVeto</STRONG> (of Akron)
plays the role of Violet Weston</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Tari Bergoine </STRONG>(of Aurora)
plays the role of Barbara Fordham</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Jim Fippin </STRONG>(of Wadsworth)
plays the role of Bill Fordham</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Erin Moore </STRONG>(of Stow) plays the
role of Jean Fordham</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Laura Stitt </STRONG>(of Cuyahoga
Falls) plays the role of Ivy Weston</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Mary Mahoney </STRONG>(of North
Lawrence) plays the role of Karen Weston</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>April Deming</STRONG> (of Cuyahoga
Falls) plays the role of Mattie Fae Aiken</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Tom Stephan</STRONG> (of Stow) plays
the role of Charlie Aiken</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Frank Castorena</STRONG> (of Akron)
plays the role of Little Charles Aiken</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Tina Thompkins</STRONG> (of Akron)
plays the role of Johnna Monevata</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Richard Worswick</STRONG> (of Bath
Township) plays the role of Steve Heidebrecht</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>Michael Cranston</STRONG> (of
Wadsworth) plays the role of Sheriff Deon Gilbeau</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </P>
<H4><FONT face=Arial>Weathervane’s <EM>August: Osage County</EM> Backstage Team
and their Ohio Residences</FONT></H4>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Stage Manager – <STRONG>Scott Custer</STRONG> (of
Wadsworth)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Sound Designer – <STRONG>Michelle Conner</STRONG> (of
Akron)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Lighting Designer – <STRONG>Erin Katz Ford</STRONG>
(of Cuyahoga Falls)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Properties Co-Designers – <STRONG>John
Grafton</STRONG> (of Bath Township) and <STRONG>Barbie Trotter</STRONG> (of
Akron)<BR><BR>Costume Designer – <STRONG>Jasen J. Smith</STRONG> (of
Akron)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Scenic Designer and Technical Director – <STRONG>Alan
Scott Ferrall</STRONG> (of Cuyahoga Falls)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Assistant Technical Director – <STRONG>Kathy
Kohl</STRONG> (of Akron)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </P>
<H4><FONT face=Arial>About the Show’s Director</FONT></H4>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><STRONG>JACQI LOEWY</STRONG> returns to
Weathervane Playhouse, where her prior directing credits include They’re Playing
Our Song, Man of La Mancha, I Do! I Do!, The Full Monty, Proof, Little Shop of
Horrors, The Laramie Project and The Last Five Years. An Assistant Professor of
Communication and Theatre Director at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, her
direction has been seen on the stages of Cleveland Play House, Ensemble Theatre,
Dobama Theatre, Case-Western Reserve University, Charenton Theatre, Lyric Opera
Cleveland, PlayhouseSquare and Cleveland Public Theatre. She also had the
privilege of supervising all three years of PlayhouseSquare’s production of Tony
n’ Tina’s Wedding, the longest-running show in Cleveland’s
history.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </P>
<H4><FONT face=Arial>About the Show’s Production History</FONT></H4>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><EM>August: Osage County</EM> originated at
Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where playwright Tracey Letts is a
member of the theatre’s artistic ensemble. Following the show’s highly
successful 2007 premiere at Steppenwolf, the show transferred to Broadway, where
it ran for 648 performances. The play also enjoyed a successful run at London’s
National Theatre and a 40-week tour across the United States. <EM>August: Osage
County</EM> won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2008 Tony Award for Best
Play and the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. A motion-picture
adaptation of <EM>August: Osage County</EM> is slated to begin filming in
September on location in Oklahoma with a cast featuring Meryl Streep and Julia
Roberts.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">Weathervane Playhouse * 1301 Weathervane
Lane * Akron, Ohio 44313 * Box Office telephone number: 330-836-2626 * Web site:
</FONT><A href="http://www.WeathervanePlayhouse.com"><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">www.WeathervanePlayhouse.com</FONT></A></P></FONT></BODY></HTML>