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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Near West Theatre presents:</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:72.0pt;font-family:"Engravers MT",serif;color:#92D050">THE</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:72.0pt;font-family:"Engravers MT",serif">
<span style="color:#92D050">WIZ</span></span></i></b><i><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Engravers MT",serif;color:#7030A0"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:28.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">February 10-19, 2017<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#0070C0">Adapted from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#0070C0">Book by William F. Brown<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#0070C0">Music & Lyrics by Charlie Smalls</span></b><span style="color:#0070C0"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#EE0060;background:white">Join arms and "Ease On Down the Road" with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman & Lion!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#EE0060;background:white">"Freedom, you see, has got our hearts singing so joyfully!"<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:18.0pt">THE WIZ</span></i><span style="font-size:18.0pt"> is an urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context
of the modern African-American experience. It stormed onto Broadway in 1978 with the energy of a Kansas twister and a score featuring rock, gospel and soul music.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:7.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt">Winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical!
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:7.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">Later came a film version starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and recently
<i>THE WIZ</i> was performed on NBC Live. This timeless tale of Dorothy's adventures in Oz is entertainment magic and meaningful for the whole family. A fantasy for today; mysterious, opulent and side-splittingly funny. Come 'Ease on Down the Road' with our
large <u>multi-racial</u> youth cast of 9-15 year olds, and re-discover how leaving home can change our ideas of life and the world we live in forever...and for the better.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:36.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#7030A0">Performances:<br>
</span></b><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">February 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 & 19, 2017<br>
<span style="color:black">(Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.)</span></span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Tickets can be purchased at
<a href="http://www.nearwesttheatre.org">www.nearwesttheatre.org</a>,<br>
or by calling our Box Office at 216-961-6391 from 11am-4pm M-F.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:1.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Accessibility notes:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Near West Theatre's
new home is fully accessible! Dedicated spaces will be available to view the performance from a wheelchair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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