<div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><br></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right">June 12, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right">Contact: Lauren Letellier</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><a href="mailto:pr@ancramoperahouse.org" style="color:rgb(149,79,114)">pr@ancramoperahouse.org</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right">917-747-5250</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b>Ancram Opera House’s REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b>Returns for its Eighth Season<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b><i>Captivating Tales Told by Local Storytellers</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in">Ancram Opera House (AOH) announced that its perennial audience favorite REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES will return to the Hilltop Barn in Roeliff Jansen Park on Saturday, June 24 at 7:30pm. REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES features area residents telling poignant, humorous, surprising true tales, and has been a signature part of every AOH season since 2016.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in">This edition’s storytellers are:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Carter Beers (Poughkeepsie, NY) with a story about confronting fear.</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Macey Levin (Taconic, CT) with a story about his short-lived career in film.</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>James Occhino (Athens, NY) with a story about the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background-image:none;background-position:0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">transformational power of summer.</span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal">     <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Paula Kaplan-Reiss (Canaan, NY) with a story about<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background-image:none;background-position:0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">her monumental experience climbing Monument Mountain.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in">Paul Ricciardi, AOH Co-Director and Professor, City University of New York - Kingsborough CC, curates and directs the series. “You don’t have to look far in our area for great stories: <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>every year I’m inspired by how the storytellers, in sharing their tales, show us what it means to be human, brave, and whole-hearted.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in">"Since 2016 we’ve staged 18 productions of REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES featuring more than 70 adult and 60 kid storytellers, each with an amazing tale to tell,” said Ricciardi. “Our community has embraced REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES as its own, so much so that we’ve expanded the concept. In 2016 we started hosting an annual<span class="gmail-apple-converted-space"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);background-image:none;background-position:0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box"> </span></span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);background-image:none;background-position:0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">workshop at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Since<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>2020 we’ve hosted two free workshops a year at Ancram Opera House, and another one at the North East Community Center. And for the 4th year, we’ll be teaching storytelling at the Taconic Hills Central School District Middle School during the 2023-2024 academic year.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in">This production of REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES is underwritten by Copake Wine Works. The Hilltop Barn is located at 9140 NY Route 22, Hillsdale NY 12529. Tickets can be purchased online at <a href="http://ancramoperahouse.org/real-people-real-stories-2023">ancramoperahouse.org/real-people-real-stories-2023</a>, or at the door. Price: $25 general admission, $15 with student ID. <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>Beer, wine, and Jimmy’s Hot Dogs will be available for purchase at the show.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Ancram Opera House is an award-winning theater located in New York's Hudson Valley. Housed in an historic Grange Hall, AOH has since 2016 presented groundbreaking theater and musical performances by nationally recognized theater artists. AOH receives significant annual support from the New York State Council on the Arts and in 2023 was awarded a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. As part of its mission to foster community connection through the performing arts, AOH conducts storytelling workshops for local adults and children in area schools.<span class="gmail-apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26)">For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.ancramoperahouse.org/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(149,79,114)"><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">www.ancramoperahouse.org</span></a><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26)">.</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);background-image:none;background-position:0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center;text-indent:0.25in"><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26)"># <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span># <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>#</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span></p><img src="cid:ii_lit3ahe50" alt="Screenshot 2023-06-12 at 12.48.05 PM.png" width="490" height="489"><br><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Lauren Letellier (she/her)<div>Press Representative, Ancram Opera House</div><div><a href="mailto:pr@ancramoperahouse.org" target="_blank">pr@ancramoperahouse.org</a></div><div>Lauren's phone: 413-458-4246</div><div>AOH phone: 518-329-0114</div><div><a href="https://www.ancramoperahouse.org" target="_blank">https://www.ancramoperahouse.org</a></div></div></div></div></div>