<html>
<head>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma
}
</style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT color=#000000>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">A Troy Legend Comes To Life In The Staged <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Reading</st1:place></st1:City> Of<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The Trial Of Bat Shea<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT color=#000000></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT color=#000000>Local history and forgotten legends will come to back to life in Troy when <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Trial of Bat Shea</I> </B>makes its musical debut<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">, with music, book and lyrics by Jack Casey, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>as a staged reading</SPAN> at 8PM on Friday, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">September 19 and Saturday, September20 at Bush Memorial on the Russell Sage College campus.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE">The Trial of Bat Shea</SPAN></I></B><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE"> </SPAN></I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE">chronicles the last gasps of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Troy</st1:place></st1:City>’s grand Victorian era, when class, religion and politics collide during a local ward election.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bat Shea is an ambitious Irish Catholic anti-hero, caught up in the accidental death of a young Protestant industrialist and the mob-baiting mentality of the American Protective Association</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><FONT color=#000000><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE">His life becomes a tug-of-war between </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">strong personalities vying for control of the reins of power, and as a result of the murder trial, U.S. Senator Edward J. Murphy was dethroned as state party boss and <st1:place w:st="on">Troy</st1:place> attorney Frank Black became New York Governor</SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE"><FONT color=#000000>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="COLOR: black">From the saloons of North Troy to the stage of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Trial of Bat Shea </I>captures <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Troy</st1:place></st1:City> at its best and worst.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE">Author Jack Casey studied literature at <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Yale</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Edinburgh</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He serves as Parliamentarian of the New York State Senate and maintains a law office in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Troy</st1:place></st1:City>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Trial of Bat Shea</I></B> began its life as a 1977 serial in the <I>Troy Record</I>, evolved into a novel in 1994 and was first adapted for theatrical presentation at Revolution Hall in 2006.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>David Baecker, Assistant Professor of Theatre at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Russell</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Sage</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, will direct with musical direction by Adam Jones.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The cast includes Carol Charniga (Mary Shea), Emily Curro (Nellie Mae Patton), Ward Dales (Jack McGough), David Girard (Bat Shea), Aaron Holbritter (William Ross), Philip Lance (Father Swift), Brian Nemiroff (Robert Ross), Byron Nilsson (Galen Hitt), Patrick McKenna (Frank Black), Joe Quandt (Halloran), Shannon Rafferty (Mamie Halligan), John Romeo (Boss Murphy) and Brian Sheldon (Joe Cleary).</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE"></SPAN> </P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE">
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">General admission is $20; reserved seating is $30.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>All proceeds from the reading go to benefit the Rensselaer County Historical Society. For tickets or more information, call the Historical Society at (518) 272-7232.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">For information, contact David Baecker, 244-2263</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"></SPAN> </P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p>
<DIV>Nancy Laribee<BR>Director of PR & Communications<BR>The Sage Colleges - Troy & Albany<BR>45 Ferry Street<BR>Troy, NY 12180<BR>(518) 244-3142 (ph) (518)331-1035 (cell)</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.sage.edu/"><U><FONT color=#0000ff>www.sage.edu</FONT></U></A></DIV></o:p></SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN><br /><hr />Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. <a href='http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_getmore_092008' target='_new'>Learn Now</a></body>
</html>