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<p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after:avoid"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">PREVIEWS THIS THURSDAY 1/11/17
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after:avoid"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after:avoid"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">NEWS RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#343434">Media Contact:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#343434">Fred Gloor
<br>
Associate Artistic/Marketing Director <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#343434">Weathervane Playhouse<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#343434">330.836.2626 Ext 16<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:fgloor@weathervaneplayhouse.com"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">fgloor@weathervaneplayhouse.com</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">December 22, 2017<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Weathervane Playhouse to present
<i>Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i>Step back in time to relive one of Billie Holiday’s final performances.
<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><o:p> </o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">AKRON -
<span style="color:black">Weathervane invites playgoers to be transported to a seedy bar in Philadelphia during the year of 1959 to relive one of Billie Holiday's final performances, given four months before her death. More than a dozen musical numbers are
interlaced with salty, often humorous, reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music.
<i>Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill</i> is directed by Terrence Spivey, who ran Karamu House for over 12 years and was selected as
<i>Scene Magazine’s</i> Best Director of 2017. Ed Ridley, who most recently received a Cleveland Critics Circle Award for his music direction of
<i>Ain’t Misbehavin’</i>, serves as the music director for this production. <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><i><span style="color:black">Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill</span></i><span style="color:black"> runs January 11 through January 21, 2018 in Weathervane’s Founders Theater.
The show runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. There is also one student matinee (recommended for high school students) on January 16<sup>th</sup> at 10 a.m. Tickets are $10 - $22 and can be ordered by calling the box office
at 330-836-2626 or going to </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">www.weathervaneplayhouse.com</span></a></span><span style="color:black">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">On working at Weathervane and the production, Spivey says, “I am excited to be back at the wonderful Weathervane Playhouse, having directed their productions of<i> Fences
</i>and <i>The Great White Hope. </i>Billie Holiday's music is as timely now as ever, touching the hardships and happiness that we all experience. Kudos to Melanie and Weathervane for bringing this dynamic and historical figure to the Akron stage.”<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">THE CAST<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">MARISSA NICOLE DAVIS<br>
Billie Holiday<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">THE CREATIVE TEAM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">TERRENCE SPIVEY<br>
Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">ED RIDLEY<br>
Musical Director/Jimmy Powers <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">BRADFORD MCGHEE<br>
Bass Player <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">JASON MAURER<br>
Stage Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">BARBARA TROTTER<br>
Properties Designer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">AYRON LORD<br>
Lighting Designer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">HAZEN TOBAR<br>
Sound Designer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">LOREN “COCO” MAYER<br>
Costume Designer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">RICHARD MORRIS, JR.<br>
Scenic Designer/Technical Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">KATHY KOHL<br>
Assistant Technical Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">KELLIE ROSSINI<br>
Master Electrician <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><br clear="all" style="page-break-before:always">
</span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt">###</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<u><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<u>Weathervane Playhouse’s 2017-2018 Season Support Provided by:</u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Aimee Lambes Photography<br>
AARP<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Akron Community Foundation<br>
The Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau <br>
Beatrice K. McDowell Family Fund of Akron Community Foundationz<br>
The Big Love Network<br>
Best Buy <br>
Clear Gold Audio and Lighting<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Mary and Dr. George L. Demetros Charitable Trust<br>
Margaret Dietz <br>
Corinne L. Dodero Foundation for the Arts & Sciences<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
GAR Foundation <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Kenneth L. Calhoun Charitable Trust (KeyBank, Trustee)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services, LLC<br>
Northeast Ohio Boomer and Beyond Magazine<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Ohio Arts Council<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation<br>
The Weathervane Playhouse Volunteer Guild <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
Visit Mickey Vacations<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
WKSU 89.7 FM<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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