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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Beck Center For The Arts Announces Political Thriller
<br>
<i>Cat’s-Paw</i> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org/"><span style="color:blue">Beck Center for the Arts</span></a> is pleased to announce masterful political thriller,
<b><i>Cat’s-Paw </i></b>as the opener to the historic 90<sup>th</sup> season in the intimate Studio Theater. The 90<sup>th</sup> season will start in the same space the Lakewood Little Theatre began years ago.
<br>
<b><i><u><br>
</u></i></b>Written by award-winning playwright <a href="https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/1890/william-mastrosimone">
William Mastrosimone </a>, and directed by Beck Center alum and NYC professional </span>
<a href="https://williamroudebush.com/about.html"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">William Roudebush</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">,</span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">
</span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">this play will have patrons on the very edge of their theater seats during the run September 22 to October 22, 2023.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In this tight drama, with intel reminiscent a Tom Clancy novel,
<span style="color:black;background:#FBFBFB">an unusual terrorist (who is brilliant….and oh, so correct) is the head of a group responsible for a bomb attack at the White House. When a reporter asks if he feels any guilt about the death of innocent people,
he replies that hundreds of innocent people die every hour because of what Mankind is doing to its water supply and do the people responsible feel guilt for this? The cat-and mouse-game between the young reporter and the terrorist leads to a shocking conclusion.</span><span style="background:#FBFBFB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:#FBFBFB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:#FBFBFB">Playwright William Mastrosimone, winner of a
</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#101518;background:white">Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1982, the John Gassner Award from Outer Critics’ Circle, and two Daytime Emmy Awards in 2003,</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:#FBFBFB">
stated, “</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In the early 80s I was shocked by the questionable methods of some activists who called themselves environmentalists. At a protest in the Northwest, so-called environmentalists drove 12 inch nails
in trees scheduled to be felled so that a logger’s chainsaw would be snagged and the logger injured. That nasty tactic cost a man his arm. A good cause was vitiated. When a car bomb exploded by mistake under misguided activists in California, I saw a clear
demarcation between passionate activism and criminality. That was the inspiration for the play. The ends never justify the means— or do they?”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:#FBFBFB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Director Bill Roudebush stated, “</span><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Cat’s-Paw</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">,</span></i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">
written in 1984, is a play conceived forty years ahead of its time. We weren’t listening back then. Today, even with the most recent events in Flint, Michigan, and East Palestine, Ohio, surrounding our consciousness, so many are still denying the reality of
pumping poisons into our environment. This play, unnoticed in its own time, predicts, in a most dramatic and entertaining manner, our present dilemma, as well as the toxic politics, threats and media that engulf and amplify our continued lack of action to
address the problems we still continue to ignore…Of course I want to direct one of the most impactful plays I have ever read!!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Cast includes local talents,
</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8971392/bio/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Chris Richards</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> (member of Actors’ Equity Association) playing Victor, and Lara Mielcarek (also a member
of Actors’ Equity Association) whom many saw in <i>Meteor Shower </i>at Beck Center, plays Jessica. Youngstown performer,
</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/demzer/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Michael Dempsey</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> will play David Darling, and Baldwin Wallace alum
</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10656531/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Grace Favaro</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> will play Cathy.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Recommended for ages 16 and older due to subject matter, onstage violence, and substantial adult language.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><u><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><i><span style="color:black;background:#FBFBFB">"Entertaining, informative, thoughtful and scary."</span></i><span style="color:black;background:#FBFBFB"> - <em><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The
Weekly, Seattle</span></em></span><i><span style="background:#FBFBFB"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Individual tickets may be purchased at
</span><a href="https://www.beckcenter.org/shows/catspaw"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">beckcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> with ticket prices from <b>$38</b> (adults),
<b>$34 </b>(for seniors 65 and older) and <b>$17</b> for high school and college students with valid ID. A $3 service fee per single ticket will be applied at time of purchase. Patrons who use promo code FELINE by September 20, 2023 save $5 off adult and senior
theater tickets. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Preview performances are at 7:30 p.m. the Thursday before opening night, with general-admission seating for $10. $10 Smart Seats® are available for each performance.
For more information on the <b>2023-2024</b> <b>Professional Theater Season</b> please visit
</span><a href="https://www.beckcenter.org/professional-theater"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">beckcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">. To purchase a subscription for season tickets please call 216-521-2540. Season
ticket packages run $120 to $168. Flex passes run $120 to $336.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Patrons who attend Opening Night, Friday, September 22, 2023 have the unique opportunity to meet playwright, William Mastrosimone at a free post-show reception in the lobby. Mr. Mastrosimone is best known for writing
<i>Extremities </i>for which Farrah Fawcett starred in the movie version of the play by the same title<i>.</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">All performances are at theaters inside </span><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue">Beck Center
for the Arts</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available. For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue">beckcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck Center for the Arts is proud to be a part of Northeast Ohio’s professional theater landscape, operating under a letter of agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. We are a Small Professional
Theater (SPT) based on the number of seats, number of our performances, and the maximum weekly hours of work we provide to actors. We produce every show on our stages, by choosing the play, casting and rehearsing it, building the sets, props, and costumes,
directing and performing the live music, and designing lights and sound. We proudly utilize regional resources and talent.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Beck Center for the Arts also offers arts education for all ages, all skill levels, and all abilities with classes and lessons in music, dance, visual arts, and
theater, as well as creative arts therapies. Financial assistance is offered to qualified applicants so that these programs can be enjoyed by all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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