<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">June 20, 2024</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Contact: Lauren Letellier</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><a href="mailto:pr@ancramoperahouse.org"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:blue">pr@ancramoperahouse.org</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:right"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">917-747-5250</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br><br></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ancram Center for the Arts’ REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Returns for the Summer Season </span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><b><i><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ancram Center for the Arts announced that its perennial audience favorite REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES will return to the Hilltop Barn in Roeliff Jansen Park on Saturday, June 29 at 7:30pm. REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES features area residents sharing poignant, humorous, surprising true tales, and has been a signature part of every Ancram Center season since 2016.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This summer’s storytellers are:</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",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><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Margaret Rubin</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> (Millerton, NY) with a story about defining yourself and the life you want to live.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,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><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">Lori Evans</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">(Lenox, MA) with a story about exploring her intuition on the road.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,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><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">Mark Senak</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Copake, NY) with a story about discovering the magic of being able to do anything.</span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Aptos,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><b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box">Rick Reiss</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Canaan, NY) with a story about kidnapping his mother.</span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"><br><br></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Paul Ricciardi, Ancram Center Co-Director and Professor, City University of New York - Kingsborough CC, curates and directs the series. “We don’t have to look far in our area for great stories: every year I’m inspired by how people, in sharing their stories, show us what it means to be human, brave, and whole-hearted.”<br><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"Over 9 years of storytelling, we’ve staged 22 productions of REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES that have featured more than 51 adult and 900+<b><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>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><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-size:auto;background-repeat:repeat;background-origin:padding-box;background-clip:border-box"> workshop at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Starting in<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">2020 we’ve hosted two free workshops a year at Ancram Center and at many others at area organizations, including NECC, Roe Jan Community Library, Claverack Library and Perfect 10. And for the fifth<b><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>year, we’ll be teaching storytelling at the Taconic Hills Central School District Middle School during the 2023-2024 academic year.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This production of REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES is underwritten by Herrington Fuels. The Hilltop Barn is located at 9140 NY Route 22, Hillsdale NY 12529. Tickets can be purchased online at <a href="http://ancramcenter.org">ancramcenter.org</a>, or at the door. Price: $25 general admission, $15 with student ID.  Beer and wine will be available for purchase at the show.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ancram Center for the Arts is an award-winning theater located in New York's Hudson Valley. Housed in an historic Grange Hall, Ancram Center has since 2016 presented groundbreaking theater and musical performances by nationally recognized theater artists. Ancram Center for the Arts 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. For tickets and information visit </span><a href="http://www.ancramcenter.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">www.ancramcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br><br><br></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-align:center;text-indent:0.25in"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(26,26,26)">#  #  #</span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br><br></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></p><img src="cid:ii_lxns7u0m0" alt="RPRS Image.jpg" width="542" height="542"><br><div><br></div><div>Clockwise from top right: Rick Reiss, Margaret Rubin, Mark Senak, Lori Evans.</div></div>