<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14pt">Actors’ Summit Theater</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:10pt">and</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;color:red">The Farndale Avenue
Housing Estate </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;color:red">Townswomen’s Guild</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;color:red">Dramatic Society </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10pt;color:red">Presents</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:16pt;color:red">A Christmas Carol</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:red"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Actors’ Summit, Akron’s professional theater,
announces the opening of the play with the longest title in the theater’s 15
seasons: <b><i><span style="color:red">The Farndale Avenue
Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Presents A Christmas Carol </span></i></b>by
David McGillivray & Walter Zerlin, Jr.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The holiday comic farce will have a preview performance on
the day before Thanksgiving, November 27<sup>th</sup> and will play through
Sunday, December 22. There is no
performance on Thanksgiving Day. Performances
are given Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 P.M. and Sundays at 2
PM, and take place at Greystone Hall, in downtown Akron.
The show is appropriate for all ages.
A free desert reception follows the opening night performance on Friday,
November 29<sup>th</sup>. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>The Show: </u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ladies of the <b>The
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society</b> have
been producing the very best community theater in their small town in England for
years. What they lack in theater
training, technical skill, performance discipline, and common sense they more
than make up for with their wild enthusiasm and passionate commitment. Although their numbers are small (4
performers and a much put upon stage manager) they manage to play all the
roles, male & female, in <i>A Christmas
Carol</i>, just as they did in their recent smash hit productions of <i>Macbeth, The Mikado, and ye aulde murder
mystery.</i> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>The Cast </u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To add to the confusion of the play, in the Actors’ Summit production,
directed by Paula Kline Messner, all of the women’s roles in the show are being
performed by men and the single male role is being played by a woman.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The cast features five members of the Actors’ Summit company.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Equity actors Neil Thackaberry and Frank Jackman lead a cast
that also includes Zach Griffin, Gabriel Riazi, and Laura Valendza (playing the
one male character.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Neil Thackaberry is the Founder and Artistic Co-Director of
Actors’ Summit. In addition to his work at Actors’ Summit he has performed
with the Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Ensemble Theater,
and Oberlin Summer theater.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Frank Jackman holds the record for the most roles played at
Actors’ Summit
by any actor since its creation in 1999.
He was seen most recently at Porthouse Theatre as Lazar Wolf.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gabriel Riazi is a graduate of the theater program at Kent State
University. He was seen last year at Actors’ Summit in the regional
premiere of <i>Motherhood Out Loud</i>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Zach Griffin is a senior theater student at Kent State
University. He was seen last year in the regional
premiere of <i>My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish
Wiccan Wedding </i>at Actors’ Summit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Laura Valendza is a teacher in the Akron Public School
system. She was seen here at Actors’ Summit two years ago in
the world premiere of <i>A Girl’s Guide to
Coffee</i>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"><font color="#ff0000"><b>CHECK OUT THE PICTURES AT <a href="http://ACTORSSUMMIT.ORG">ACTORSSUMMIT.ORG</a></b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>The Production Team</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Paula Kline Messner, director, is no stranger to Actors’ Summit having first
performed with the company 10 years ago in <i>Charley’s
Aunt</i>. Recently she’s been seen in <i>Becky’s New Car,</i> <i>Motherhood Out Loud, </i>and <i>The
Bikinis</i>. She has enjoyed a long
association with <i>Menopause, the Musical</i>
having toured nationally with the show.
She will reprise her role when <i>Menopause</i>
returns to Cleveland
for a limited run in January. This is
her first directing assignment for Actors’ Summit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MaryJo Alexander (Artistic Co-Director) designs and executes
both costumes and props. As a costumer
she has designed over 200 productions for professional and academic
theaters. She is also a director and
actor. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The production team also includes stage manager Brianna
Laybourn; lighting and sound designer Kevin Rutan; head carpenter Fred Sellers:
and technician and board operator Perry Catalano. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Tickets:</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tickets for <i>“Farndale”</i>
are on sale now through the box office at 330-374-7568 and online at
<a href="http://actorssummit.org">actorssummit.org</a>. Preview tickets are
$20. Tickets for all other performances:
$33 for adults, $28 for seniors over 65; and $10 for all full time students
under 30. Season subscriptions are
available and range in price from $84 to $128 for all 6 shows. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Theater</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The theater is located on the sixth floor of historic
Greystone Hall in downtown Akron.
The facility features barrier free access, free parking, and full bar
service. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">More information is available at Actors’ Summit website: <a href="http://www.actorssummit.org">www.actorssummit.org</a>.</p></div></div>