<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Dear Press & Media Friends,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">In the coming month, GBPT has four solo shows opening in quick succession. <i>Grief, the Musical...a Comedy</i> opens this weekend. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Here is info on <i>The Shot, </i>and <i>w</i>e will soon send you a release on Will LeBow's<i> The Bard The Beat The Blues. </i>Apologies for having to stack these releases up, but our stage is busy this month. Thank you for keeping eyes out for info coming soon on </span><i style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The Bard The Beat The Blues.</i><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </span><b style="color:black;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><a name="m_186649464361101834__Hlk103605051"></a><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">For Immediate Release</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Contact: Mike Clary</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><a style="color:blue;text-decoration-line:underline"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">MrMikeClary1@gmail.com</span></b></a><b><u><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue"></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">518-267-0683</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">May 31, 2022</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Great Barrington Public Theater Stages Special Event: Sharon
Lawrence stars in five performances of <i>The Shot</i>, Robin Gerber’s new
play exploring the little-known domestic violence suffered by Katharine Graham
before she became famed publisher of <i>The Washington Post</i>.</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">GB Public Theater punctuates the 2022 stage season with four
new, solo performances that run for five weeks, themed to stories of humanity and
the power of a single voice to tell them.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The third show opening in the series is the world premiere
of Robin Gerber’s new play,<b> <i>The Shot</i> </b>(June 16-19), directed
by Michelle Joyner and starring Emmy Award-winning actress Sharon Lawrence as
Katharine Graham, whose journey from an isolated, abused young mother to
powerful publisher of <i>The Washington Post</i></span><span style="font-size:8pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">,</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> brought down Richard Nixon’s
White House. Her backstory takes audiences into the shadows of an abusive
marriage that led to a stunning, life-altering trauma. Katharine's struggle to
discover herself leads her to become the woman who shook up Washington and
became a model of determination and power.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Before her celebrity, Graham was consigned and resigned to
the shadows of male dominion, expected to follow the patterns of quiet if not
servile wifely domestication common to the time. Obedient to rules and standard
roles, she married young and began a family, even stepping docilely aside when
her father turned the family finances and publishing business over to her husband,
although she had long aspired to be a writer and journalist. From there
followed child-rearing, domestic abuse, a publicly, demeaning spousal affair, societal
humiliation, a broken-down marriage and the eventual violent trauma that
changed her forever. On her own, she resurrected herself, marshalling her mettle
to return to writing and the iron will to take control of her life and the
family company, and to strategize and assemble the publishing empire that made
her name and changed the country.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The Shot</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">
is a work of fiction based on playwright Robin Gerber’s book, <b><i>Katharine
Graham: The Leadership Journey of An American Icon</i></b>. The backstory exposes
the scourge of intimate partner abuse and domestic violence, and deals with issues
that still define our times--gender bias; financial power; guns in America; and
power structures that subjugate women. Along the way, <b><i><span style="color:black">The Shot</span></i></b><i><span style="color:black"> </span></i><span style="color:black">explores Katharine Graham’s distinct, winning character, inner
conflicts, fear, and deep faith in love and duty. Her struggles to persevere
and persist exemplifies survival and triumph against overwhelming odds.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">In
playwright Robin Gerber’s words, “<b><i>The Shot</i></b> is a story for
this moment. The #metoo focus on harassment and abuse outside the home
must look inside as well. The first refuge for sexism and misogyny is the
treatment of women as objects for abuse in their domestic life. </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">If we can be abused with impunity, we can be
paid less, denied opportunity and control over our bodies.”</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">In choosing <b><i>The Shot </i></b>to show the power of a
single human voice Jim Frangione, GB Public Artistic Director, explains, “<b><i>The
Shot </i></b>is a<b><i> </i></b>personal story of a famed person who faces and
conquers harrowing circumstance that too many women are forced and expected to face
every day. She took on gender shaming, grappled with self-conflict and mastered
self-discovery. It’s a story of human character that makes us all exceptional.”</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The Shot</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">
is onstage for five performances only, June 16-June
19, Thurs.-Sun., 7:30pm and 3pm, in the Liebowitz Black Box Theater, Bard
College at Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Tickets and
information are on the </span><a href="https://www.greatbarringtonpublictheater.org/" style="color:blue" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Great Barrington
Public Theater website</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br></span></p><img src="cid:ii_l3vps5b72" alt="The-Shot image.jpg" width="290" height="411" style="margin-right: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">###</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Sharon Lawrence as
Katharine Graham</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">: </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">After earning a degree
in journalism from the UNC-Chapel Hill, Sharon went on become a prominently
featured on stage and screen actor. Her television work includes her multiple
EMMY nominated and SAG award-winning run on NYPD Blue, work in THE GAZE on
YouTube earned a 5th Emmy nomination. Her series, JOE PICKETT, on Spectrum and
Paramount+ is in its 2nd season of production and her Hallmark movies THE
CHRISTMAS HOUSE 1 & 2 have both earned GLAAD nominations. Notable stints on
hit shows such as REBEL, QUEEN SUGAR, SHAMELESS, DYNASTY, ON BECOMING A
GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, RIZZOLI & ILES and GREY'S
ANATOMY which earning her an EMMY nomination. Film work includes the indie hits
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE from Ava DuVernay and THE LOST HUSBAND, both on
Netflix. Sharon spent 10 years on Broadway in <i>Cabaret, Fiddler on
the Roof </i>and as Velma in <i>Chicago </i>and since in LA at The Mark Taper
Forum, in <i>Poor Behavior </i>and <i>The Mystery Of Love and Sex, </i> the
cabaret, <i>Love, Noel, </i>at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing
Arts, in several roles at the Geffen Playhouse and at the Pasadena Playhouse in
<i>A Song At Twilight, A Kid Like Jake and Orson’s Shadow, </i>for which she
was nominated for an Ovation Award and won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">She has been part of
THE SHOT’s creative team since it’s first reading at Ojai Playwright’s
Conference in 2017. Non-profit service plays a major role in Sharon's life as
former Chair of the Women in Film Foundation, current Chair the BoD of
Heal The Bay and as a Trustee of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<img src="cid:ii_l3vpoc140" alt="image.png" width="278" height="269" style="margin-right: 0px;"><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;font-size:9pt;font-family:Cambria,serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);font-style:italic"><span style="color:windowtext;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">Actor
Sharon Lawrence, credit GBPT</span><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Michelle Joyner-Director
</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Michelle has had a
career as a successful hyphenate for over 30 years in New York, Los Angeles,
and more recently, the Berkshires. As an actor she enjoys a prolific career in
television and film including numerous series regular roles, guest stars, has
dozens of commercials and feature films. She is probably best remembered by
those with vertigo as the girl who fell from Sylvester Stallone’s grasp in CLIFFHANGER.
</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Theater credits
include originating the lead in LIFE SENTENCES by Richard Nelson at Second
Stage NY, ANNAPURNA at The Chester Theater in the Berkshires, 8: THE PLAY at
The Public Theater, ROMEO AND JULIET at Indiana Rep, opposite Michael Cerveris
and Viggo Mortensen, as well as many Los Angeles productions. Since returning
to western Mass, Michelle has worked at PS21 performing an original piece in
SHE/HER last season which she will be taking to Edinburgh this summer. She is
also a member of Shakespeare and Co and there was recently in THE APPROACH.
Michelle has written, directed and performed in many plays at Berkshire
Playwrights Lab and is a member of Berkshire Voices. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">As a screenwriter,
Michelle has written 10 studio films for FOX SEARCHLIGHT, WORKING TITLE,
UNIVERSAL, MIRAMAX, and HBO FILMS. She has done film adaptations from books by best-selling
authors Jane Smiley, DH Lawrence, Katherine Harrison, Richard Bausch and many
others. She wrote and performed the short play ASKING FOR A FRIEND for
Berkshire Playwrights Lab, and recently completed her first full-length play
IODINE.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">As a director,
Michelle has helmed plays with Shakespeare and Co, most recently THE WAVERLY
GALLERY; Santa Monica Rep; Greenlight Productions; The Edinburgh Fringe
Festival; Ojai Playwrights Conference and others. She directed the short film
SWEET NOTHINGS and a filmed version of THE SHOT. She will direct THE SHOT in
the United Solo Festival in New York City in the fall, with Sharon Lawrence. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">She is also a spoken
word performer and a repeat performer on THE MOTH and other story salons on the
west coast. She is a professional acting coach and dramaturg, and leads THE
LONG TABLE, a women’s writing group.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="break-after:avoid;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"></span></p>
<img src="cid:ii_l3vpq2fu1" alt="image.png" width="271" height="220" style="margin-right: 0px;"><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;font-size:9pt;font-family:Cambria,serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);font-style:italic"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">Director Michelle Joyner-Credit GBPT</span><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Robin Gerber-Playwright</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">The
Shot</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">, </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Robin’s first play, was
selected for the 2017 Ojai Playwrights Conference. After a well-spent youth
involving drugs, sex and feminist activism, Robin took the next logical step
and became a Washington, D.C. lawyer. She worked on Capitol Hill for a
legendary leader of the House of Representatives, before leaving to be a union
lobbyist during the Clinton years. Robin’s post-politics writing life includes:
The bestselling advice book,<i> Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way</i> (Penguin), <i>Katharine
Graham</i> (Penguin), <i>Barbie and Ruth</i>, about the founder of
Mattel (HarperCollins), and the novel <i>Eleanor vs. Ike</i>, which
imagines Eleanor Roosevelt running for President in 1952 (HarperAvon). Robin
has toured the professional speaking circuit, motivating audiences at many
Fortune 500 companies with stories from the lives of great women leaders. She
has also appeared as a guest historian for the Biography and History channels
and as a featured historian on the CNN/HBO documentary series <i>First
Ladies</i> speaking about Eleanor Roosevelt. </span><span style="color:black"><a href="http://robingerber.com/" style="color:blue" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(17,85,204)">robingerber.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria,serif"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.greatbarringtonpublictheater.org/" style="color:blue" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Great Barrington
Public Theater</span></b></a></span><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">was founded by Artistic Director Jim Frangione and Executive
Director Deann Simmons Halper to create opportunities for theater artists in
the Berkshires and neighboring regions. Great Barrington Public Theater
recognizes the many excellent playwrights, actors, directors, designers,
administrators and technicians living in the Berkshires and surrounding areas.
Our objective is to bring a mix of new and contemporary plays to the stage in a
variety of formats; to generate and foster creative and rigorous opportunity
for local theater artists, while engaging our theatergoing public with new and
contemporary readings, workshops, and fully staged productions, involving local
talent as often as possible, and always keeping ticket prices affordable.</span><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></b></p>
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