<div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red"> </span><font size="6"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red"> </span><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red"> Tough women quilt
in Actors’ Summit’s
‘Quilters’</span></font></b></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="6" style="font-weight:bold"> </font><font size="4"> 10/15/2015 -</font></span><font size="4"><span class=""><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">West Side</span></em><em><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> Leader </span></em><em><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">By David Ritchey</span></em></font></p>
<h3 align="center" style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><em><u><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:blue"><font size="6">Show features
‘excellent’ cast</font></span></u></em><u style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:blue"></span></u></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">DOWNTOWN AKRON — Women are tough. That raw toughness surfaces in </span><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red">“Quilters,”</span></b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> which is playing through Nov. 1 at Actors’ Summit Theater.</span></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
production isn’t a long, evolving story, but instead features scenes about
pioneer women who struggle to hold together their families as they move
westward toward a new life. They pause to give birth, bury their dead and move
forward to build a new nation.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
women made quilts to keep the family warm at night, and the quilts provided an
artistic outlet for the women. Often the women in the family gathered together
around the quilting frame to work on one quilt — this shared experience
provided an opportunity for the family to draw even closer.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">One
woman in the story tells of her husband helping her quilt.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">This
production of </span><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red">“Quilters”</span></b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> complements the Summit County
Historical Society’s Mutton Hill Quilt Show, which will take place Oct. 16-18
at the John S. Knight Center.</span></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
first act sets up the plan of the play. Women reminisce and tell stories of
quilts they’ve made. The stories fit together nicely with old favorite hymns
and original music written by Barbara Damashek. The book was written by Molly
Newman and Damashek.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
first act is light and whimsical. The second act is more painful and rugged. In
the second act, the characters deal with birth, children and abortion. These
women gave birth often without the benefit of a midwife. Many raised five, 10
or more children. They shared a recipe for easy-to-find spices that would cause
a miscarriage.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
women worked with the men to build their log cabin homes. They finally have a
place to live. In another scene, they face prairie fires that destroy their homes,
crops and livestock. Yet, they move on — they were tough and had no choice.</font></span></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><i><u><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><font color="#ff0000" size="6">The cast is one of the best ensembles
to come </font></span></u></i></b></p><p align="center" style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><i><u><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><font color="#ff0000" size="6">to an Akron
stage in a long time.</font><font color="#000000" style="font-size:large"></font></span></u></i></b></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">Charlene DeJournett<u> </u></span></b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">plays Sarah, the mother. She
brings maturity and wisdom to the production. Sarah’s daughters are played by <b>Sally Groth, Shani Ferry, Hope Caldwell,
Sarah Slagle and Rachel Irwin.</b></span></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
excellent cast brought laughter, tears and stunned silence to the theater. They
sang solos, but the women were at their best when the six sang together and
blended beautifully.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">Ferry’s</span></b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> character tells of not being
able to have children. She falls in love with a man and he loves her, but he
wants children and marries another woman. <b>Ferry’s
</b>character is a teacher and later teaches his children.</span></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black">Groth’s</span></b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"> character, a mother of many
children, has to deal with the death of her husband and find a way to keep
herself and her children alive on the plains.</span></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">These
women have a resilience, which keeps them going through the pains of the
westward trek. They tell the stories of their lives in their quilts.</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">The
instrumentalists for “Quilters” include Deborah Ingersoll (keyboard), Ian Leroy
(alternate keyboardist), Groth (fiddle), Jon Mosey (banjo) and Brian Mosey
(guitar).</font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">MaryJo
Alexander directed this moving production. She works well with musical shows.
She caught the mood and spirit of each vignette in “Quilters” and made that
section meaningful.</font></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font size="4"><b><i><u><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red">This is a satisfying production and is appropriate for the whole
family</span></u></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:red">.</span></i></b></font></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">For
tickets, call 330-374-7568. </font></span></p>
<p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><em><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4">David Ritchey
has a Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of communications at The University of Akron. He is a member of the American
Theatre Critics Association and the Cleveland
Critics Circle.</font></span></b></em><b><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"></span></b></p><p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><em><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4"><br></font></span></b></em></p><p style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><em><b><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:black"><font size="4"><br></font></span></b></em></p><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><em><font color="#000099" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong><font><font>MaryJo Alexander</font></font></strong></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><font><font><b>Artistic Director</b></font></font></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><font><font>Actors' Summit Theater</font></font></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><font><font>Greystone Hall---6th floor</font></font></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><font><font>103 S. High St</font></font></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><font><font>Akron Oh 44308 </font></font></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><strong><font><font>330-374-7568</font></font></strong></font></em></div>
<div><em><font color="#000099"><a href="http://www.actorssummit.org/" target="_blank"><font><font>www.actorssummit.org</font></font></a></font></em></div></div></div></div></div>
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