*PRESS RELEASE* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 9/30/2024 ------------------------------ *Press Photos Available!* Contact: Andrew Rothman Digital Media Volunteer arothman@cvlt.org 40 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44122 Box Office: 440-247-8955 cvlt@cvlt.org www.CVLT.org <http://www.cvlt.org/>*Chagrin Valley Little Theatre revives its second stage with "The Gin Game"* CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — The lights rise again on Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's second stage, the River Street Playhouse, with D. L. Coburn’s award-winning *The Gin Game* on October 18, 19, and 20, 2024. The drama, directed by Michael J. Rogan and starring Stephen Morse and Kate Williams-Bernardo, will be the first public performance at CVLT's smaller venue since the pandemic shutdown. Performances of this one-weekend production are 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday and 2:00 pm Sunday at 56 River Street in Chagrin Falls. Tickets are $15. This winner of the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Drama debuted with Jessica Tandy (winning her a Tony) with husband Hume Cronyn. It was revived on stage with Julie Harris and Charles Durning as well as James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson, and for television with Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke. Morse and Williams-Bernardo performed it together at the Willoughby Summer Theater at Andrews Osborne Academy in 2024 and are pleased to reprise it for this special event in Chagrin. *The Gin Game* uses gin rummy as a metaphor for life's struggles. Weller Martin (Morse), a nursing home resident, is playing solitaire on a shabby nursing home porch when he's joined by the prim Fonsia Dorsey (Williams-Bernardo). United by their dislike of the home and love for cards, they begin playing gin. As Fonsia wins every game and personal details are revealed, their shared confidences become weapons in an escalating conflict. Weller, desperate to overcome a lifetime of defeats, seeks a victory that remains elusive. Will he leave a broken man? Will her rigidity lead to bitter and lonely twilight years? Through their interactions, the work explores themes of aging, competition, and the search for connection. CVLT’s River Street Playhouse, housed in a former industrial space across the parking lot from the main CVLT building, was founded in 1978 through the vision of Don Edelman and the building's owner, Steve Shields. Throughout the early 2000s it focused on smaller, newer, or more unusual material, as well as serving as CVLT's primary storage space for costumes, props, and scenery. CVLT took ownership of the building when Mr. Shields passed away in 2011 and has been working to revive the aging building at the end of River Street. *The Gin Game* marks the first time audiences will be invited into the 65-seat proscenium space post-COVID, following improvements including updated lighting and sound. The proceeds from this volunteer performance will help to continue much needed repair and maintenance work. *The Gin Game* contains some strong language and expressions of anger that may not be suitable for younger or more sensitive audiences. Tickets can be purchased online 24/7 at CVLT.org or by calling the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre Box Office at 440-247-8955, Tuesday - Friday afternoons from 1:00pm - 6:00pm. Door purchase in cash is also available. Early reservations and arrival are highly recommended as parking is limited. CVLT's 95th Season also includes *The Sound of Music, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, Jersey Boys, Clue: On Stage,*and *Freaky Friday*. ### Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through individual and corporate contributions. Our programming is made possible in part by the citizens of Cuyahoga Country through Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture and by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. -- Unsubscribe <https://multisend-unsubscribe.gmail.com/p/AJkpobySPAaU65Vr35asmsYi9oaXdRLFSw6R9bog3Ic_BHcu97VsYJLxbWqsvJP6wNXUbFv3Lr1os_kLBtNCKcje3Ntf3MORmyTcvYmgyCmvnDQQ4EuI3BfnA8b-6O_eslmdbJg35Vrkl3_UUnCFF48wTvFOyTEpfTDCd9H573ZF7vP3o3AdcIk97FJ2j66cAZQ0N17tbcQm1GMTRi_B03BPxFp3Qk4mqy6ocqfoy_pC>