FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1, 2016 CLEVELAND'S CLASSIC COMPANY AT THE HANNA THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD'S LONGEST RUNNING MUSICAL THE FANTASTICKS CLEVELAND, OH - Great Lakes Theater (GLT), Cleveland's Classic Company, concludes its 2016-17 season with the classic musical, The Fantasticks. The production will be performed in the company's intimate and audience-friendly home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, May 13-29, 2016. Victoria Bussert directs the production. The Fantasticks is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). Generous support for The Fantasticks was provided by the Kulas Foundation. The production is part of the Kulas Musical Theater Series at Great Lakes Theater. Production support was also generously provided by John and Barbara Schubert. Great Lakes Theater is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Season support is provided by The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. Media sponsors for GLT's 54th season are The FORM Group, Ideastream (WCLV 104.9 FM and WCPN 90.3 FM) and WKSU 89.7 FM. A charming and romantic musical about one young couple, two "feuding" fathers and an infinite love that transcends over time, The Fantasticks whimsically whisks audiences on a journey of imagination into a world of moonlight, magic and memory. Along the way, love is found, lost and rediscovered again after a poignant realization that "without a hurt, the heart is hollow." Director Victoria Bussert balances the professional and academic worlds, dividing her time between an active career as an award-winning freelance director while holding the position of Director of Music Theatre for Baldwin Wallace University. Nationally, her work has been seen at Manhattan Theatre Club, York Theatre, New World Stages, Goodspeed Opera, Playhouse Square, Portland Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pegasus Players, Anchorage Opera, Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Play House and Beck Center for the Arts, among others. Her international credits include Friar Tuck in Russia, The Who's Tommy in Brazil, the Danish premiere of Avenue Q (2012 Reumert Award nomination) and the European premieres of [title of show] and Lizzie for the Fredericia Teater in Denmark. Prior to her teaching career, Victoria served as associate director for Great Lakes Theater and continues her long association with the company as resident director, most recently directing the award-winning The Secret Garden. Upcoming projects include My Fair Lady for Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Forever Plaid for Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and West Side Story for Baldwin Wallace University. Great Lakes Theater's acclaimed home at the Hanna Theatre features a visionary "Great Room" inspired design that integrates the artist and audience experience into a single unified environment. Hanna patrons select from a variety of seating opportunities including traditional theater seats, club chairs, lounge/bar seats, banquette couches and private box seating. Arranged in an intimate 550-seat thrust configuration where the audience surrounds the stage, no seat is further than 12 rows from the performance. Great Lakes Theater will continue to afford patrons extraordinary access to its artists and production process at every Hanna Theatre performance of The Fantasticks. The Hanna always opens its doors ninety minutes before each performance allowing patrons to observe the complete pre-show preparation process of GLT's actors and technical staff. Elements traditionally hidden from audiences such as stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic pre-sets, technical cue rehearsals and actor warm-ups will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLT audiences an unprecedented glimpse into the theatrical process. Great Lakes Theater will also renew its New Deal pricing initiative this spring - designed to increase accessibility for audiences. As part of the program, adult tickets begin at $15 and student tickets for any seat at any performance are $13 - making GLT one of the most affordable entertainment options in the region. The Opening Night (also Press Night) performance of The Fantasticks is scheduled for Saturday, May 14. A preview performance is scheduled for the preceding Friday night evening (May 13). Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. Single performance tickets range in price from $15-$70 (Student tickets are $13) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at GreatLakesTheater.org or by visiting the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts of up to 25% by calling (216) 241-5490 x302. Great Lakes Theater, the first resident company of Playhouse Square, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. On its main stage and through its extensive education programming, Great Lakes Theater positively impacts the lives of over 100,000 adults and students annually. # # # Media Contact: Todd Krispinsky, Director of Marketing and Strategic Advancement (216) 453-4449 tkrispinsky@greatlakestheater.org<mailto:tkrispinsky@greatlakestheater.org>