<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Why are audiences being blown away
by HBTI's production of RENT?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Honestly,
often we don't go out of our way to see shows featuring young adult
performers. But when student productions
are extraordinary, there's a special kind of excitement you don't get anywhere
else,”</span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> said theatre director/actor Michael Dempsey. <i> “I was there to support the director. But ten minutes into the show, something
happened. This was a professional-level
production. Every actor had powerful
voices and serious acting talent. And
they were being directed so skillfully...
I walked out of there utterly blown away. The icing on the cake was this extra level of
appreciation that the audience clearly shared:
we'd been given this gift by these young people who were so serious about
their craft. And I realized that I might
have denied myself this experience. I'll
never think the same way about young people's theatre again."</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Last Friday night, the
audience for Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute's production of RENT had the same
kind of experience, as evidenced by TWO spontaneous standing ovations during
the show and the following kinds of reactions:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)">"I have...attended local shows in the past few years and
have enjoyed them all. But this show was the best directed, produced and performed
show I've ever seen. The singing and acting were absolutely phenomenal. This
was Broadway in Ohio – I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone! Truly
amazing!"</span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)"> – Jeff Urbaniak</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">"It was easy to be moved to tears
throughout this extraordinary production...and even easier to be pulled to my
feet like a magnet before the final note was even sung. It was just that powerful. Thank you for
moving me in that way." </span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">– Staci
Adelman Vincent</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">"Wow!
The emotion, energy, and talent that graced the stage at HBTI last night was
phenomenal! The connection between the audience and the performers was amazing.
Everyone in the theatre took a journey of love, pain, loss, joy, and friendship
together, rising up as one for a standing ovation like I've never
experienced." </span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"> – Julie Billinghurst</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">"I don't have adequate words to describe the performance of
Rent that we saw today. Fearless, amazing, stunning, moving. The audience was
both brought to tears, and lifted to a standing ovation. The production was as
good as many professional performances we've seen.... Bravo!" – </span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">Cindy
Saltzer</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">"All
the actors were amazing. I can't get over all the powerful voices. Cheers to
you all!!!" </span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">– </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)">Beth
Gumbel</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)">Come
see why HBTI's shows are winning awards and garnering such rich praise. RENT's final weekend of performances are </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)">Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 9-11 at 7:30 p.m.
and Sunday, July 12 at 2:00 p.m.. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)">Performances are in the Ahuja Auditorium at Hathaway
Brown School, 19600 North Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122. Tickets are
$11-15 and can be purchased online at <a href="http://www.hb.edu/tickets">www.hb.edu/tickets</a>, by calling
216-932-4214 x7270 or at the door (if available) the day of the
performance. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.5in"><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(20,24,35)"> </span></p><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Bebe Weinberg Katz<div>Director</div><div>Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute</div><div><br></div><div><a href="mailto:bkatz@hb.edu" target="_blank">bkatz@hb.edu</a></div><div>216 4020785</div></div></div></div>