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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2006 Media Contacts: Jacquelyn Rardin, Public Relations Manager (425) 392-1942 x124 [email protected] Frank Stilwagner, Director of Marketing (425) 392-1942 x129 [email protected] www.villagetheatre.org VILLAGE THEATRE PRODUCES DEVELOPMENTAL PRODUCTION OF FAIRYSTORIES New Version to Debut at Village Theatre

What: Fairystories Book, Music and Lyrics by Paul Graham Brown Directed by Vanessa Miller Musical Direction by Tim Symons

Where: First Stage Theatre 120 Front Street North Issaquah, WA 98027 When: December 7-23, 2006 Wednesday-Saturday evenings: 8:00 PM Sundays: 2:00 PM Selected Sundays: 7:00 PM Tickets: $20-$25 or FREE with a Village Originals Membership Box Office: (425) 392-2202 Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 AM-7:00 PM www.villagetheatre.org Issaquah, WA – Village Theatre Village Originals presents the developmental production of an all new version of Fairystories by Paul Graham Brown. Fairystories originally premiered as a concert reading at Village Theatre’s Fifth Annual Festival of New Musicals in August 2005. Since then, it has moved on to two more readings at the Academy for New Musical Theatre in Los Angeles (2005/2006), as well as a month-long run in a workshop presentation at the well-known Theatre Building’s Festival of New Musicals in Chicago (August 2006). Even with readings and productions around the country, however, writer Paul Graham Brown wanted to bring Fairystories back to Village Theatre because, “I like the way Village Theatre has a clear path along which a piece can grow; a series of presentations adding production elements bit by bit. The opportunity that Village Theatre provides for the development of a new piece is second to none.” -more-

Page Two…Village Theatre Produces Developmental Production of Fairystories

Inspired by the true case of the Cottingley Fairies, this graceful, romantic musical transports us to 1920s England, and into a tale of imagination and inner lives, grief, and healing. A young boy, Henry Coleshaw (Collin Morris) grieving about his late mother, hears elves speaking to him by a stream, and together with his precocious new friend, Polly Van Dorsen (Caitlin Kinnunen), they develop photographs of the magical creatures. When the photographs are “authenticated” as real, attracting the attentions of the press and the inquisitive author of the Sherlock Holmes series, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (Dennis Bateman), the kids become a national sensation and consequences ensue when their secret is discovered. Though Brown used the basic elements of the true story to create Fairystories, the show focuses greatly on relationships and the cycle of loss and grief, and the magical power of the inner life to let us grow and love. “All the characters in Fairystories are dealing with a loss of some kind or another; loss of a loved one, a home, an ideal. I think that people, at some point, all reach a time in their lives where they choose to let an aspect of their life go in order to let a new one in,” said Brown. “That cycle of grief and healing is a powerful element in so many people’s lives that it makes the story accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.” With melodic songs and heartwarming characters, Fairystories is a delightful family show sure to enchant and move audiences of all ages. It will be directed by Vanessa Miller; choreographed by Crystal Munkers with musical direction by Tim Symons; scenic/lighting design by Alex Berry; and costume design by Deb Skorstad. Fairystories is a developmental production and is not open for reviews. For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact Jacquelyn Rardin at (425) 392-1942 x124 or [email protected].

About the Author Paul Graham Brown is based in Germany where his musical Bonnie & Clyde has received three professional and subsequent student and schools productions. He was composer and music director for Create Your Life! (Neu-Köllner Opera, Berlin) and A Piece of The Moon (Bavarian Theatre Academy, Munich). Das Newsical for which Paul was producer and composer, played at Berlin’s Tribüne Theater. His current projects include an adaptation of Noël Coward’s Nude With Violin and a musical about Germany’s 1954 world cup victory; The Heroes of Bern. Paul also writes and directs for youth theatre in the UK and is a regular Guest Vocal Coach at the Abraxas Musical Academy, Munich.

About Village Originals Village Theatre’s nationally-recognized Village Originals program is dedicated to every aspect of new musical development: workshops, readings, seminars and full productions. To date, over 60 new musicals have been developed, many of which have gone on to stages throughout the world, including The Ark (opened off-Broadway November 2005), After the Fair, Play It By Heart, Making Tracks, The Wedding Banquet, and Eleanor. Village Theatre is highly respected on a national level for its significant contribution to the world of musical theatre--only a handful of theatre companies throughout the country commission and develop new musicals!

About Village Theatre Based in Issaquah, WA, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. What began in 1979 with the vision of a small group of dedicated theatre artists has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 16,500 subscribers to the current season and 165,000 projected total attendance, performances on seven stages in the Puget Sound area, youth education programs serving over 53,000 young people, families, and schools annually, and a nationally recognized program that has enabled the development of over 55 new musicals. Serving a still-growing, ever more diverse community, Village Theatre has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years with the start of our contract as the resident performing and management company at the Everett Performing Arts Center in 1998.

Mission of Village Theatre: • To be a regionally recognized and nationally influential center of excellence in family theatre • To promote a season of top quality productions • To commission and produce new musicals that achieve national exposure • To train young people in theatre skills for career opportunities and enriched lives • To develop a broad based appreciation for live theatre • To promote positive values through art -more- Page Three… Village Theatre Produces Developmental Production of Fairystories

Village Theatre season sponsors are The Boeing Company and Continental Airlines and Microsoft

Village Theatre is also funded in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax Revenue, ArtsFund, ArtsUnited, Bellevue Arts Commission, City of Everett, City of Issaquah, Freixenet/Deakin Estates, Issaquah Arts Commission Lombardi's, The National Endowment for the Arts, Northwest Suites, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, PONCHO, The Shubert Foundation, Snohomish County Hotel/Motel Tax Fund, Standing Ovation, and the Washington State Arts Commission.

Editor’s Notes:

Production history: 2005 Final round show in the Global Search for Musicals, Cardiff/London 2005 Final round show in the National Alliance of Musical Theatre competition, New York 2005 Concert reading at Village Theatre Village Originals Fifth Annual Festival of New Musicals, Issaquah 2005/2006 Development with Academy of New Musical Theatre, Los Angeles and Theatre Building, Chicago 2006 Staged reading at Theatre Building, Chicago as part of “Monday Night Musicals” 2006 Workshop production at Theatre Building, Chicago for “STAGES 2006”

Production team: Directed by Vanessa Miller Musical Direction by Tim Symons Scenic & Lighting Design by Alex Berry Costume Design by Deb Skorstad

Cast in alphabetical order: Dennis Bateman* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle John Bogar* Edward Coleshaw Beth DeVries* Elsie Van Dorsen Caitlin Kinnunen† Polly Van Dorsen Collin Morris† Henry Coleshaw Kevin Pitman* Toby

*The actors are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

† Denotes actor is under the age of 18 years

**Cast subject to change prior to run.