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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">NEWS RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:line id="_x0000_s1026" style='position:absolute;z-index:251658240' from="0,0" to="457.2pt,0" strokeweight="1pt" /><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style="mso-ignore:vglayout;position:relative;z-index:251658240"><span style="position:absolute;left:-1px;top:-1px;width:612px;height:2px"><img width="612" height="2" src="cid:image001.png@01CDA86F.7E461210" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026"></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CONTACT:
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Kathleen Caffrey, 216.521.2540 x22 or
<a href="mailto:kcaffrey@beckcenter.org">kcaffrey@beckcenter.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> October 11, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Come Home to “Our Town” at Beck Center in Lakewood<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Youth Theater presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, November 1-4, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="Default" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext">Lakewood, OH—</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext">Beck Center Youth Theater
presents Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, <i>Our Town</i>, November 1 through 4, 2012 on the Mackey Main Stage.
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext">Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There is a 10 a.m. student matinee on Thursday, November 1. Tickets are now on sale.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Described as the greatest American play ever written,
<i>Our Town</i> tells the story of the Webb and Gibb families who live in the small town of Grover’s Corners. Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal set and props, the play is performed in three acts –
<i>Daily Life</i>, <i>Love/Marriage</i>, and <i>Death/Loss</i>. Audiences follow the families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually, in one of the most famous scenes in American theater, pass away.
<i>Our Town</i><i> </i>reminds us that life is both precious and ordinary, and that these two fundamental truths are intimately connected.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Directed by
<b>Jonathan Kronenberger</b>, <i>Our Town</i> features a cast of 33 students from Beck Center’s arts education programs.
<span style="color:black">“With the 75<sup>th</sup> anniversary of <i>Our Town</i> coming up early next year, I felt it was perfect timing to explore this classic play with our students.” said Kronenberger, associate director of Beck Center’s Theater Education.
“Having the chance to work on this challenging piece of literature with actors ranging from 9 to 18 years old has been a real gift.” remarked Kronenberger “There is so much to discuss, explore and share with these young actors. It reminds us how fleeting time
is and yet how we never quite lose that child inside.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This production of
<i>Our Town</i> is dedicated to Tony Award-winning writer, <b>Mark O’Donnell</b> who passed away suddenly this past summer at the age of 58. A Cleveland native, O’Donnell got his start in theater over 40 years ago when he performed in
<i>Our Town</i> at Lakewood Little Theatre, now known as Beck Center for the Arts. O’Donnell was a playwright, novelist, poet, cartoonist, and sometime, songwriter, but was best known for co-writing the book for the Broadway hit musical,
<i>Hairspray</i> for which he won a Tony Award with co-author, <b>Thomas Meehan</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tickets for
<i>Our Town </i>are $12 for Adult/Senior (65 and over) and $10 for Children/Student (18 and under). To purchase tickets, visit
<b><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org/">beckcenter.org</a></b> or call 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just 10 minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available. Beck Center’s production
of <i>Our Town</i> is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. New York City and is sponsored by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Ohio Arts Council, and Music Is Elementary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance,
music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists. For more information about the Beck Center, visit beckcenter.org.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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