Just a few years ago my wife, Alanna, and I made the drive north from Akron to Cleveland Public Theatre, where Christine Howey was debuting her one-woman show, Exact Change, directed by Scott Plate. Having been involved with theatre in N.E. Ohio for many years, I was well aware of Christine's writing as a theatre critic for Cleveland Scene and her personal blog Rave & Pan. There have been countless Thursday mornings where Alanna and I would find ourselves huddled around a computer screen to read Christine's latest theatre review. Whether she loved a particular show or hated it, whether you agreed with her or not, you have to admit that Christine's writing is sharp, witty, intelligent, deeply researched, and just plain fun to read. Though I didn't personally know Christine, I had met her many times before and after our shows at The Bang & The Clatter Theatre and none too fragile theatre. Christine was always soft-spoken and very un-assuming. Although I heard about her past as Richard Howey through the gossip circles that too often permeate our industry, I could not begin to understand or relate to what I had come to believe about her story. Having grown up in a small town in S.E. Ohio, my circle of influence has always been quite small and though I have travelled extensively, studied and worked abroad, I have never personally known an individual who was transgender besides Christine. So, when I heard about Exact Change opening at CPT, I felt that I needed to be there. I owed it to others like Christine. I owed it to society as a whole. Most of all, I owed it to myself to step out of my "norm", my comfort zone, my tiny social circle, to better understand the life journey of someone who I had always respected professionally. Outside of knowing that Exact Change was about Christine's life journey first as a man and then later as a woman, I was in the dark to anything else. It was so much more. With each poetic monologue, I was mesmerized by her story, amazed by her talent as a performer and humbled by her courageous spirit as an individual. I am a better person for having experienced Christine Howey's Exact Change that night. It was because of that experience that Alanna and I asked Christine to bring her story to none too fragile theatre. Akron audiences needed this same experience and opportunity to be challenged, blessed and truly ministered to. Thankfully, she obliged! That was two years ago. Since then, Exact Change has evolved and grown as a story and is now an Independent Film. In just three weeks on Wednesday, June 21st, Christine Howey's film, Exact Change will receive its World Premiere at the Capital Theatre in the Gordon Square Arts District @ 7pm. Get your tickets at the following link: squareup.com/store/exact-change You would be remiss to not purchase tickets for this one-nigh- only experience that will go a long way in helping Christine's brave story and tremendous performance make that leap to an International Audience that it so deserves! There are also "Donation Level" tickets available for those who would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to help in the distribution of the film. For those interested, please visit the following link: bit.ly/2ppvsNO For more info about this project, please visit the following links: Website: www.exactchangethefilm.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exactchangehowey I can only hope that by sharing my personal experience with this project, some of you reading may be interested or even intrigued to witness for yourself... Thank you for your time and attention, -sean derry- Co-Artistic Director @ none too fragile theatre