Hudson Players 41 S. Oviatt Street Hudson, Ohio 44236 www.hudsonplayers.com<http://www.hudsonplayers.com> Box Office: (330) 655-8522 Military Courtroom Drama A Few Good Men Kicks Off Hudson Players Season Half the proceeds from the November 11th Veterans Day performance will be donated to the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center's Akron Outpatient Clinic. When a play is adapted into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon that ends up being a huge box office success, the challenge for any subsequent stage version is to not be compared with the movie. Brian Westerley, of Stow, who is directing A Few Good Men to kick off the Hudson Players 2017-18 season, gladly accepted the dramatic challenge because it gave him an opportunity to bring to life one of his bucket list shows. "I have been in love with A Few Good Men ever since I saw the movie years ago," said Westerley. "The writing is engaging and you're interested in the narrative from the first moment. Who wouldn't want to direct something like that?! The biggest challenge is separating the play from the movie, making sure that people don't think they're going to get Jack Nicholson on the stage. The play is its own entity and we must make sure to treat it as such." Written by Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men will be presented November 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17 & 18, 2017, at the Barlow Community Center, 41 South Oviatt Street in Hudson. Showtime is 8:00 p.m., except for the 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, November 12. Owing to the military theme, all veterans will get ticket discounts throughout the entire run of the show when they purchase tickets. Plus, half the proceeds from the November 11th Veterans Day performance will be donated to the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center's Akron Outpatient Clinic. The story, which contains some adult language, follows two Marines on trial for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The Navy lawyer, a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case, expects a plea bargain and a cover up of what really happened. Prodded by an insistent female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, puts the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial. On the opposing side is Lt. Colonel Jessup, a harsh Marine with something to hide, who sees it as his duty to do whatever it takes to protect his men and his country. In its review, the New York Daily News said the show was "Enormously entertaining." After writing A Few Good Men, Sorkin also penned such movies as The American President, Moneyball, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and The Social Network, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also is known for creating the multi-Emmy Award winning The West Wing for television. Westerley is no stranger to Hudson Players, having directed the comedy Thumbs last season, which won multiple awards at the Ohio Community Theatre Association (OCTA) regional and state competitions. He has lived and worked in Ohio, Los Angeles and New York. While in L.A., Brian became an accomplished director, working with The Blank Theatre and Drama West. He also directed and starred in the world premieres of The Day I Said Goodbye and Shark Tank, as well as writing and directing Caught Up in the Moment. Locally, Westerley has directed at Brecksville Theatre on the Square, Broadview Heights Spotlights, Brecksville Little Theatre, Cassidy Theatre in Parma and Western Reserve Playhouse in Bath. In addition, he currently serves as a regional adjudicator for OCTA and is co-artistic director for Western Reserve Playhouse. The cast includes: Nicolas Peters, of Kent, as Navy Lt. Daniel Kaffee, the young defense attorney; Sean Donovan, of Akron, as Navy Lt. Sam Weinberg, assistant defense counsel; Charli Harbingreither, of Sagamore Hills, as Navy Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway, part of the defense team; Mitch Manthey, of Medina, as Lt. Colonel Nathan Jessup, Marine base commander; Mark H. Durbin, of Twinsburg, as Captain Matthew Markinson, Marine executive officer; Brian Bishop, of Stow, as Marine Lt. James Kendrick; John Sturdivant, of Ellet, as Marine Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and James Trombka, of Tallmadge, as Marine Private Louden Downey who are on trial for murder; Adam Yankay, of Hudson, as Lt. Jack Ross, prosecuting counsel; Jen Matas, of Kent, as Judge Julia Randolph; Roger Parker, of Northfield Center as Navy Captain Isaac Whitaker and Sergeant of Arms; Nathan Hill, of Hudson, as Private William Santiago/lawyer/orderly and an MP; Chris Macchione, of Hudson, as Doctor Walter Stone; John Peters, of Cuyahoga Falls, as Marine Corporal Owen Howard; and Dave Sherman, of Fairlawn, as a lawyer/Hammaker/Jessup's aide and an MP. The producers for A Few Good Men are Dana Herro, Tim Steiner, and Kimberly Borukhovsky; Jim Carrick is the stage manager; Todd Plone, set design; T. L. Codella is the lighting designer; the costumers are Kimberly Borukhovsky and Ellie Kelly; and Rachel Ossio is doing props. To purchase tickets for A Few Good Men go to www.hudsonplayers.com<http://www.hudsonplayers.com>, or call the Hudson Players box office at (330) 655-8522 for more information. Hudson Players season tickets offer the best opportunity for the best seats, the best savings and the best dates. A three-show season ticket subscription can still be purchased for only $30 - a $12 savings compared to purchasing the tickets at the regular price. Another advantage is season ticket holders get to pick their performance nights and seats in advance. Plus, they can exchange tickets to accommodate schedule changes at no added cost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The information contained in this message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. 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