For Immediate Release Contact: Christine McBurney, Co-Producing Artistic Director mamaitheatrecocleveland@gmail.com 216.382.5146 <file://localhost/tel/216.382.5146> *Mamai Theatre Company* *Presents* *THREE SISTERS** by Anton Chekhov* *Cleveland, Ohio, May 9, 2015* — Mamai Theatre Company <http://www.mamaitheatreco.org/> opens its third season with new private and public funding grants, two new venues, and a production of Anton Chekhov <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Anton_Chekhov_with_bow-tie_sepia_image.jpg>'s beloved classic, THREE SISTERS, directed by Co-Producing Artistic Director, Bernadette Clemens. *THREE SISTERS* *THREE SISTERS* follows Olga, Masha, and Irina as they struggle to let go of their past and to shape their future. A domineering sister-in-law, romance, soldiers, and money all challenge the Prozorov family’s happiness and unity. With artful depiction of three very different women, Chekhov fascinates audiences with his ability to articulate the chaos or peace of a single moment and the comedy of life’s struggles. Director Bernadette Clemens notes: “*THREE SISTERS* is like a very fine still-life painting. The play has rich composition, intriguing contrast, and dark shadow highlighting the most delicate, ephemeral detail. It is everything we suspect a classic of a major playwright to be. Just when we enjoy the most infinitesimal, personal moment --a clock striking, a top spinning, finding a loose fork on the terrace-- Chekhov invites us to peek at the gaping, universal experience: love, war, time. Only Chekhov lets us laugh this way at the very things that are so frustrating, so mysterious about living. In *THREE SISTERS, *as in all of Chekhov’s plays, life is never about the future. It is inevitably, torturously, gloriously, and comically about the present moment.” Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov Directed by Bernadette Clemens Scenic Design by Don McBride Costume Design by Debbie Marino Sound Design by Bernadette Clemens Lighting Design by Jeff Lockshine Live Music by Joseph Milan, Accordion & Joshua Smalley, Violin *JUNE 4 - 21, 2015 * Cleveland Masonic Performing Arts Center <http://www.paccleveland.com/> DeMolay Room 3615 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115 *Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 pm* *Sundays at 2:30 pm* *With, as the Three Sisters:* Natalie Green+ *as Olga* Anjanette Hall* *as Masha* Meghan Grover *as Irina* *And:* Tom Woodward* *as Vershinin* Robert Hawkes *as Chebutykin* Nate Miller *as Tuzenbach* Curt Arnold *as Kulygin* Shawn Mann *as Andrei* Hillary Wheelock *as Natasha* Tony Zanoni+ *as Solyony* Ryan Stafford *as Fedotik* Patrick D. Mooney *as Rohde* Bernice Bolek *as Anfisa* Stephen Vasse-Hansell *as Ferapont* Joseph Milan *as Accordion/Ensemble* Joshua Smalley *as Violin/Ensemble* Kayla McDonald *as Maid/Ensemble* * *Actor appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association* *+**Equity Membership Candidate* *Sunday, June 6th post-show talk-back event:* *ANTON CHEKHOV'S PLAYS: LAUGH, LOVE, LIVE!* *With Special Guest, Tom Fulton* *Veteran director of THREE SISTERS, THE SEAGULL,* *& THE CHERRY ORCHARD* *Director, Academy for the Performing Arts* *Former Artistic Director, Center Repertory Theatre, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Cain Park Summer Theatre, Cleveland Theatre Company, & Fairmount Center for the Arts* *Former 5-year Company Member, The Cleveland Play House* *& the Cast of THREE SISTERS* *TICKETS: * <http://sic.brownpapertickets.com/>www.mamaitheatreco.org or 216.382.5146 <file://localhost/tel/216.382.5146> *Adults: $22* *Seniors (65 & older): $20* *Students (25 & under): $15* *Air-Conditioned. Ample free parking in gated lot and on street. Open seating with the exception of press and sponsors. Please arrive early.* *Mamai Theatre Company *was co-founded in 2010 by Bernadette Clemens, Wendy Kriss, Christine McBurney, and Derdriu Ring. Mamai (pronounced Mah' may) is the Gaelic word for “mother.” Four working mothers, theatre artists, colleagues, and friends arrived at a place where it was time to create opportunities for themselves and their community. “Don’t wait to create” became the inspiration for Mamai Theatre Company. *Our mission is to create intelligent, relevant classical theatre that offers an artistic home for Cleveland's theatre artists, and equal opportunity for women in the professional theatre community.* In 2013 *The Plain Dealer* announced, “Mamai Theatre Company...has made a howling entrance onto the city’s artistic scene” and named their inaugural production, *Medea*, a top-10 theatre event of the year. In 2014 *LandofCleve.net* added, “In only a few short years, Mamai Theatre Company has established themselves as a major player in the Cleveland theatre community. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. *Subscription Series Continues with...* A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Tennessee_Williams_NYWTS.jpg> Directed by Mitchell Fields JULY 16 - AUGUST 2, 2015 Cleveland Masonic Performing Arts Center <http://www.paccleveland.com/> DeMolay Room 3615 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 *Sunday, July 19th post-show talk-back event:* *TENNESSEE WILLIAMS ON STAGE & SCREEN With Special Guest, Mitchell Fields * *Director of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE & Adjunct Professor of Film and Theatre, Baldwin Wallace University* *& the cast of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE* *Air-Conditioned. Ample free parking in gated lot and on street. Open seating with the exception of press and sponsors. Please arrive early.* Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/DorfmanA1.jpg/250px-DorfmanA1.jpg> Directed by Katia P. Schwarz SEPTEMBER 17 - OCTOBER 4, 2015 Kennedy's at Playhouse Square <http://www.playhousesquare.org/venues/detail/kennedys-theatre> 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 *Sunday, September 20th & 27th talk back events:* *Sunday, September 20th* * LIVING UNDER A DICTATORSHIP Panelists will include guests who have experienced life under dictatorship. Sunday, September 27th HEALING FROM TRAUMA Panelists will include Alexander Leslie, Director of Prevention Programs from the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.* *Air-Conditioned. Ample area garage and street parking. Open seating with the exception of press and sponsors. Please arrive early.* Note: This production venue is *not* ADA Accessible. www.mamaitheatreco.org <http://www.mamaitheatreco.org/> mamaitheatrecocleveland@gmail.com ###