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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">NEWS RELEASE
</span><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"AGaramond","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<br style="mso-ignore:vglayout" clear="ALL">
<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>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<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""> May 13, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Pitmen Painters</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Takes Center
Stage at Beck Center<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">New play by Tony Award-winning writer of
<i>Billy Elliot</i> based on a triumphant true story<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lakewood, OH—</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Beck Center for the Arts is proud to present
<i>The Pitmen Painters</i>, <b>May 31 through July 7, 2013</b> in the intimate Studio Theater. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are now on sale.
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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Written by Tony Award-winning author Lee Hall,
<em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Pitmen Painters</span></em> is inspired by a book by William Feaver about The Ashington Group, a crew of Northern England coal miners who took an art appreciation class and became overnight art world sensations.
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Like Hall’s acclaimed film and musical
<b><i>Billy Elliot</i></b>, this script tells another inspiring story about the way the arts can be life-changing. Heralded in London’s West End and on Broadway,
<i>Variety</i> called <i>The Pitmen Painters</i> <span style="color:black">“a feel-good, make that a feel-great hit…inspirational…heartbreakingly funny.” For more information about The Ashington Group, visit ashingtongroup.co.uk</span>.
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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Beck Center’s production of
<i>The Pitmen Painters</i> is directed by acclaimed director <strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sarah May</span></strong> and features an ensemble of nine talented area actors including Equity actors
<b>Chris Bohan</b> and <b>Dana Hart</b> who appear courtesy of the Actors' Equity Association. “This is a remarkable true story that reaffirms my belief that
<em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">art can change lives</span></em>.” remarked May. “I am thrilled to be working with an excellent cast that is committed to honoring these hard-working blokes who discovered their potential through the stroke
of a paintbrush." </span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Pitmen Painters
</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">contains brief nudity.<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><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 are $28 for adults and $25 for seniors (65 and older) with an additional $3 service fee per ticket applied at time of purchase. Student tickets
are $15 with valid I.D. (includes service fee). Preview Night on Thursday, May 30 is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more. Purchase tickets online at
<a href="http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=BECKCENTER">
beckcenter.org</a> or call Customer Service at 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center for the Arts is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Opening night patrons are invited to come early for
<b>Marquee Friday</b> from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Cleveland Artists Foundation gallery. This happy hour event includes complimentary appetizers, free musical entertainment by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Lounge Kitty</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and
happy hour priced drinks; plus free gallery exhibits including Beck Center’s Student Art Show in the Jean Bulicek Galleria and
<i>Pioneering Modernism: Post-Impressionism in Cleveland (1908-1913)</i> in the Virginia Q. Foley Gallery of the Cleveland Artists Foundation.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">This production of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Pitmen
Painters</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. and is sponsored by the residents of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><em><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">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 for special needs students, and free gallery exhibits featuring local, regional, and international artists.</span></em><em><span style="font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p>
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