<html><body><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">“LOOKING AT CHRISTMAS” OPENS FRIDAY </span></b></span></p>
<span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">AT SCHENECTADY CIVIC PLAYERS <br></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:-.5in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:-.5in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman""><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i>Attached photo shows: Looking at Christmas_26 (foreground) Jason Biszick & Brigitta Giulianelli (Background ( l to r) Cristine Loffredo, Michael Shaefer, Meigg Jupin, Martin O'Connor (Photo by Jenn Moak)</i><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:-.5in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman""><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:-.5in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">SCHENECTADY – The second play of Schenectady Civic Players’ 91<sup>st</sup> Season, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Looking at Christmas </i></b>by Steven Banks and<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">directed by Mark Stephens, </span>opens Friday, December 7, and plays through Sunday, December 16, at its 12 South Church Street Playhouse in Schenectady’s <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>historic Stockade district.</span></p>
<p class="font9" style="line-height:18.6pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">It’s <span class="color15">Christmas
Eve. New York City. An aspiring writer and a struggling actress meet
while looking at the famous holiday windows, and the characters in the
displays come to life and look back at them, including a lecherous elf
with eyes for Mrs. Claus, Scrooge and Tiny Tim arguing about being
portrayed as zombies, a street-wise Little Match Girl, Jim from "The
Gift of the Magi" enjoying his wife's new androgynous haircut, and a
jealous Joseph The Carpenter. A smart, sweet, slightly twisted holiday
romantic comedy.</span></span></p>
<p class="font9" style="line-height:18.6pt"><span class="color15"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>NYTheater.com
called it “original, brash, and bursting with theatrical energy. The
charming characters and the author’s occasional pokes at tradition, make
this play a very good gift.”</span></span></p>
<p class="font9" style="line-height:18.6pt"><span class="color15"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>The six-person cast features Jason Biszick (as John), <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Brigitta Giulianelli (as Charmian), <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Laura Graver (as Tiny Tim, Little Match Girl), <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Meigg
Jupin (as Mrs. Claus, Model, Della Betty, Cathleen, Mary), Martin
O’Connor (as Scrooge, Jim, Johnny Pat, Joseph), and Michael Schaefer (as
Elf, Snowman, Buddy, Joseph).</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:18.6pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Looking at Christmas </i></span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (December 7, 8, 9) and Wednesday through Sunday (December<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>12 through 16).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Friday
and Saturday curtains are at 8 pm. Wednesday and Thursday curtains are
at 7:30 pm., and Sundays are matinees only at 2:30 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> <i> </i></span><i>Recommended for PG-13 audiences</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:18.6pt"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 240, 0);">Tickets are $20.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Order on-line at </span></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 240, 0);"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.civicplayers.org"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">www.civicplayers.org</span></a><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 240, 0);"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or call (518) 382-2081</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 240, 0);"> </span> </span></span></p></body></html>