[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: Lively Post-Show Conversation Following May 5 Matinee of “Alison Larkin LIVE!”

Tue Apr 24 12:40:03 EDT 2018

*April 24, 2018Contact: Gail Burns, Marketing and Publicity
Associatewww.wamtheatre.com
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/#_blank>pr at wamtheatre.com <pr at wamtheatre.com>;
518.243.9627Press Photos can be found
at:https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157693935270091
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157693935270091> Lively
Post-Show Conversation Following May 5 Matinee of “Alison Larkin LIVE!”
 LENOX, MA (April 24, 2018) -  Immediately following the 2 pm matinee of
Alison Larkin LIVE!, presented by WAM Theatre on Saturday, May 5, all are
invited to a lively post-show conversation with Alison, Etta Lappen Davis,
Phyllis Lowinger, and Jean Strauss. The panelists will discuss adoption,
reunion and what the brave new world of donor conception can learn from
adopted people and their families. The conversation is free and open to the
public. “My one woman show is a comedy but it's based on the true story my
adoption by English parents, my reunion with my American birth parents, and
some of the challenges that followed,” Larkin explained. “I’m delighted
that three leaders in the adoption reform movement will be joining me for
this half hour after the matinee on Saturday, May 5.  Jean Strauss, Etta
Lappen Davis, and Phyllis Lowinger will answer questions and talk about the
work that needs to be done to protect donor conceived and adopted children
as they become adults. This post-show conversation will be of particular
interest to anyone touched by adoption, foster care, or donor
conception.” Jean Strauss is an author, filmmaker and one of the leading
advocates for adoption reform in the United States. Governors have cited
her films as being key to the passage of legislation in their states.
Inspired by state legislators across the country, she is currently running
for State Representative in the 5th Worcester District. Etta Lappen Davis
is the coordinator of Access Massachusetts, the grassroots organization
dedicated to passing legislation granting access to their original birth
certificates to ALL adoptees born in Massachusetts.  She has more than 30
years of experience in setting standards for practice in adoption and child
welfare, guiding placement agencies around regulatory compliance and best
practices, and working toward adoption reform through regulation.  Davis is
an extended family member in an intercountry adoption and an open kinship
adoption. Phyllis Lowinger, is a licensed clinical social worker who has
been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. She
 specializes in infertility, alternative family building options including
adoption and third party reproduction. She has presented at workshops and
conferences including the 92nd Street Y, Harvard Adoption conference. She
has written articles for magazines and was a featured therapist in the
documentary "Adoption: We Can Do Better" in the segment "Infertility, a
Complicated Loss". Alison Larkin is an adoptee, an internationally
acclaimed comedienne, an award-winning audiobook narrator, and the
bestselling author of The English American, a semi-autobiographical novel
based on the true story of Larkin’s adoption by British parents and reunion
with her birth parents in the US. In her hilarious, thought-provoking new
show, Alison Larkin LIVE!, Larkin will talk about her adoption and reunion,
 culture conflict, parenting teenagers, life in the Berkshires, and how to
brew that perfect cup of tea.  This night of laugh-out-loud comedy will be
presented for one weekend only right here in the Berkshires! There will be
three performances at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare &
Company: Friday, May 4, at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, May 5, at 2 pm and 7:30
pm, with the post-show conversation after the Saturday matinee, and an
exclusive champagne reception with Ms. Larkin for VIP ticket holders on
Saturday night. The performance will celebrate the audiobook release of
Larkin’s new AudioFile Earphones Award-winning recording of her bestselling
novel The English American, which includes an interview and other bonus
material. For every audiobook download of The English American purchased
online via the link below between now and the end of May, $5.00 will be
donated to WAM.
http://www.alisonlarkinpresents.com/product/the-english-american/
<http://www.alisonlarkinpresents.com/product/the-english-american/>Tickets
are $30-$60, with $15 student tickets also available. $60 VIP Tickets
include an exclusive post-show Champagne reception with Alison Larkin
following the 7:30 pm performance on Saturday, May 5. Tickets may be
purchased over the phone at 413-637-3353;  in person at the Shakespeare &
Company Box Office; or online at:
http://www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live/
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live/>AT A GLANCEMay 4 & 5Special
Spring Event: Alison Larkin LIVE!Friday, May 4 at  7:30 pmSaturday, May 5
at 2 pm - Lively post-show conversation about adoption and donor conception
followingSaturday, May 5 at 7:30 pm - champagne reception with Alison for
$60 VIP ticket holders following at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MATickets are $30-$60 and may be purchased
over the phone at 413-637-3353;  in person at the Shakespeare & Company Box
Office; or online at: www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live>$60 VIP Tickets include an
exclusive post show Champagne reception in the lobby with Alison Larkin –
Saturday, May 5th 7:30 pm only. Student tickets are available for $15 each.
Student tickets are not available for purchase online.ABOUT ALISON
LARKINKnown on both sides of the Atlantic as the English American, Alison
Larkin is a comedienne, award-winning audiobook narrator/producer,
screenwriter and the bestselling author of The English American, a novel.
Her autobiographical one woman show about an adopted English women who
finds her birth parents in the U.S. was a hit on both sides of the
Atlantic. As an actress she has appeared on Broadway with the Royal
National Theater and Off-Broadway with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Award-winning audiobooks narrated by Alison Larkin include The Complete
Novels of Jane Austen, The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie and Alice in
Wonderland. Larkin’s new one woman show Alison Larkin LIVE!  will premiere
at the Elayne Bernstein theater as part of WAM Theatre’s 9th season on May
4th and 5th.For more about Alison Larkin, visit http://alisonlarkin.com/
<http://alisonlarkin.com/>OUR SEASON SPONSORSOur 2018 sponsors include
Adams Community Bank, Baystate Financial, Berkshire Bank Foundation,
Berkshire Magazine, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, Blue Q, Brabson
Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon Ranch, The Charles H. Hall
Foundation, CMW Retirement Plan Services LLC, Custom Business Solutions,
The Dylandale Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, Frankie's Ristorante
Italiano, the Garden Gables Inn, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guido’s
Fresh Marketplace, International Schools Theatre Association, Interprint,
Lee Bank, Maggie Barry, Massachusetts Cultural Council, J.H. Maxymillian,
Inc., Methuselah Bar and Lounge, Natracare, No. Six Depot Roastery and
Café, Onyx Specialty Papers, Inc., RB Design Co., The Rookwood Inn, The Dr.
Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, The Rogovoy Report, Rouge Restaurant &
Bistro, Salisbury Bank, T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von
schlegell & co.WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from the
Alford-Egremont Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural
Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council,
Cultural Council of Northern Berkshires, Otis Cultural Council, Richmond
Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, and the Washington Cultural
Council – local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural
Council, a state agency. ABOUT WAM THEATREBased in Berkshire County,
Massachusetts, WAM Theatre is Where Arts and Activism Meet. The company was
co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer
Kristen van Ginhoven. WAM’s vision is to create opportunity for women and
girls through the mission of theatre as philanthropy. Inspired by the book
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by
Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds
from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.
Since 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $41,500 to thirteen nonprofit
organizations and provided paid work to more than 200 theatre artists. In
addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s
activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the
Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit
www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>*

-- 
Gail M. Burns

*Marketing + Publicity Associate*
www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com/>
413-274-8122

My gender pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Our 9th Season:
Fresh Takes <http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-2018/> | Alison Larkin
LIVE! <http://www.wamtheatre.com/alison-larkin-live/> | WAM Gala 2018
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/wam-gala-2018/> | ANN
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/ann/>

Make a donation now <https://www.wamtheatre.com/donateonline/> to WAM
Theatre!
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