[Capdist-announce] RELEASE: Special Events for WAM Theatre's World Premiere of 'The Old Mezzo'-October 12-28

[Kristen van Ginhoven]

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*



Contact: Kristen van Ginhoven

www.wamtheatre.com

518 243 9627

kristen at wamtheatre.com

Photos of cast:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/sets/72157631052808990/





*Talkbacks and 2 for 1 movie/theatre deals all part of WAM Theatre’s World
Premiere of The Old Mezzo*

*Presented October 12-28 at the Berkshire Museum*

*Starring Elizabeth Donnelly, Rylan Morsbach, Erin Ouellette, Eileen
Schuyler and Ryan Winkles***





PITTSFIELD, MA (20-09-12)- WAM Theatre announces the Special Events
associated with their upcoming October 12-28 World Premiere production of *The
Old Mezzo* by Berkshire based playwright Susan Dworkin presented at the
Berkshire Museum. Talkbacks with the playwright as well as 2 for 1 deals
with the Museum’s Sunday Noon Opera and Ballet offerings in the Little
Cinema plus 20% restaurant discounts for pre or post performance fare are
all on offer.



*Talkbacks*



*Susan Dworkin*, the playwright, will be on hand for two talkbacks, Sunday,
October 14 and 21 following the 5pm performance of *The Old Mezzo.*



Ms*.* Dworkin is best known for her books *The Viking in the Wheat Field*and
*The Nazi Officer’s Wife *as well as her play *All Day Suckers*. She was
also a finalist for the Susan Blackburn Prize in 1980-1981 for her play *Deli’s
Fable*. Ms. Dworkin was one of the original writers and editors at Ms.
Magazine.



Gloria Steinem, when asked about Ms. Dworkin, recently said, “As a writer
and as a human being, Susan Dworkin has always had the ability to draw us
into new dreams of justice, and to make them irresistibly practical,
humorous and human. She makes clear that progress and pleasure go together.”



The *actors* will also be on hand for the Oct. 14 and 21 talkbacks.



*Eileen Schuyler* of the *Capital Region* (NY) plays the title role of
Alyssa, the old mezzo. Ms. Schuyler has worked with professional theatres
across the Capital Region and beyond including Stageworks/Hudson and
Capital Repertory Theatre, most recently in their critically acclaimed
production of *33 Variations*. *
*

*
*

*Ryan Winkles* of *Berkshire County* plays Joe, one of Alyssa’s students.
Mr. Winkles is familiar to Berkshire audiences for his many notable and
wide-ranging roles at Shakespeare & Company, most recently as Ferdinand in *The
Tempest*. *
*

*
*

*Rylan Morsbach* plays Billy, another of Alyssa’s students. Mr. Morsbach is
from the *Pioneer Valley* and wowed audiences in the summer of 2011 with
his tour de force solo performance in Pauline Productions *Scaramouche Jones
*.


Alyssa’s other two master class students are played by *Erin Ouellette* of
the *Capital Region*, graduate of Shakespeare & Company’s Conservatory and
recently seen at Hubbard Hall in *Amadeus*, and *Elizabeth Donnelly*, a *
Connecticut* based actress with credits ranging from Hartford Stage in CT
to Stoneham Theatre in MA. Both Erin and Elizabeth were part of WAM
Theatre’s sold out 24hr Berkshire/Capital Region Theatre project held in
April at Shakespeare & Company.



*2 for 1 Sunday Movie/Theatre deal with Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema*



The Berkshire Museum and WAM Theatre have teamed up to offer a 2 for 1
Sunday deal for anyone wanting to take in an Opera or Ballet film at noon
and the play performance at 5pm. Offer is available for all three Sunday’s
at $30 total. Tickets can be purchased at 1-800-838-3006 or
www.wamtheatre.com with the code ‘2for1’.


Sunday, October 14 at noon: Giacomo Rossini’s Opera *L’Italiana in
Algeri* Sunday,
October 21 at noon: La Scala Ballet with *L’altra Metà del Cielo (The Other
Side of the Sky)* *Sunday, October 28 at noon: Teatro Regio di Torino’s
Ballet **Un Ballo in Maschera*


All followed by the 5pm performance of WAM Theatre’s *The Old Mezzo.*



*Restaurant Discounts:*



The following restaurants are offering 20% discounts for patrons of *The
Old Mezzo:*

* *
Mission Bar & Tapas, 438 North Street, Pittsfield, MA Spice Dragon, 297
North Street, Pittsfield, MA Ybar, 391 North Street, Pittsfield, MA   Simply
bring proof of your ticket purchase to enjoy this pre or post performance
discount.



*The Old Mezzo* concerns the political awakening of a great opera singer.
Alyssa, the old mezzo, is driven by the recent death of a famous conductor
to teach a master class concerning the Politics of Singing. The class
becomes a play within a play where we revisit important scenes from
Alyssa’s past. She has assigned parts to four of her students and as the
exercise unfolds, we see how Alyssa had to risk her fame and success to
preserve the freedom that is so essential to the arts. By the end of the
play, through a surprising connection to recent events, the importance of
politics in art is revealed.



Tickets, ranging from $12-$30, can be purchased by calling
1-800-838-3006or online at
www.wamtheatre.com. The production runs October 12-28 at the Berkshire
Museum at 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, playing Friday and Saturday
nights at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm. In keeping with WAM’s double philanthropic
mission, the beneficiary for the production will be Berkshire-based Shout
Out Loud Productions, a non-profit helmed by Jeanet Ingalls that takes
action to address sexual trafficking. Shout Out Loud will receive up to 25%
of the box office proceeds.



"By selecting Shout Out Loud Productions as the beneficiary for 'The Old
Mezzo', WAM Theatre demonstrates that it not only understands our mission
and purpose to raise awareness to protect victims of sex trafficking, but
it also wants to be proactive in this effort as well," said Jeanet Ingalls,
Founder / President.



Pier Boutin, Vice President, continues "We thank WAM for its bold action,
are honored by their choice, and we hope the power of our outreach project
will inspire and motivate others to do what they can to help the victims of
sex trafficking."



*WHERE:*

Berkshire Museum

39 South Street

Pittsfield, MA



“Berkshire Museum is delighted to host WAM Theatre this fall,” says Van
Shields, Berkshire Museum’s executive director. “The innovative nature of
their work, from their dedication to producing art that engages the
community to their unique philanthropic model, makes collaborating with
them most rewarding. And that they have chosen to produce a play by a
Berkshire-based author makes this production particularly appropriate for
presentation in our theater.”



*WHEN:*

Friday, October 12 @ 8pm (Preview)

Saturday, October 13 @ 8pm (Opening Performance)

Sunday, October 14 @ 5pm*

Friday, October 19 @ 8pm

Saturday, October 20 @ 8pm

Sunday, October 21 @ 5pm*

Friday, October 26 @ 8pm

Saturday, October 27 @ 8pm

Sunday, October 28 @ 5pm



*Performance followed by a talkback

* *

*TICKETS:*

$25 adults

$15 students + groups of 10 or more

$20 adults/ $12 students + groups (Preview Price for Friday, October 12 8pm
Performance)

$30 2 for 1 Sunday Movie/Theatre deal with Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema
(code 2for1)



Purchase by calling 1-800-838-3006 or online at
www.WAMTheatre.com<http://www.wamtheatre.com/>



*CAST:*



Elizabeth Donnelly*- Sally/Pow

Erin Ouellette - Marcy/Marcelle

Rylan Morsbach - Billy/Captain Billy/Louie

Eileen Schuyler*- Alyssa

Ryan Winkles*- Joe/Johannes



*Member of Actors Equity Association

* *

*CREATIVE TEAM:*



Director-Kristen van Ginhoven

Scenic Designer- Juliana von Haubrich

Costume Designer-Rita Watson

Lighting Designer-Meryl Joseph

Sound Designer-Brad Berridge

Choreographer-Rosie Spring

Stage Manager-Chris Donovan

Technical Director-Sam Craig

Associate Producer-Corissa Bryant

Graphic Designer-Enrico Spada



The production sponsor is Mission Bar & Tapas. Other sponsors include:
Berkshire Museum, Adams Community Bank, Arizona Pizza, Berkshire Bank
Foundation, Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook LLP, Greylock Federal Credit
Union, Interprint and Pittsfield Coop Bank.



Other organizations helping to make this production possible include:
Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Theatre Group,
Luminix Light and Williams College.



*About WAM Theatre:*

WAM Theatre is a theatre company based in the Berkshires of Massachusetts
and the Capital Region of New York State. Inspired by the book ‘Half the
Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide’ by Nicholas
Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM Theatre was founded in 2009 by professional
theatre artists Kristen van Ginhoven and Leigh Strimbeck. WAM’s
philanthropic mission is two-fold; first, producing theatrical events for
everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and
girls; second, to donate a portion of the proceeds from those events to
organizations that benefit women and girls. WAM has donated nearly $5000 to
its beneficiaries by creating professional theatre for everyone that
benefit women and girls. www.wamtheatre.com



*###***

Kristen van Ginhoven
Artistic Director, WAM Theatre
518-243-9627
www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>
http://www.facebook.com/WAMTheatre

Click here<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=263XAT6LNRMZQ>to
make a secure donation to WAM Theatre
*Thanks for your support!*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://capdisttheater.org/pipermail/capdist-announce/attachments/20120924/9fee05de/attachment.html>