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PRESS CONTACTS: Maggie Haddock, marketing and public relations manager (920) 730-3757 · [email protected] · Media Resource Room

FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER REPRESENTED WITH VOTE FOR THE ®

PRESIDENT MARIA VAN LAANEN NAMED AMOUNG TONY AWARD® VOTERS

APPLETON, WI (Oct. 20, 2014) — This year the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center will have a voice in which theatrical productions receive the prestigious Tony Award®.

Fox Cities P.A.C. President Maria Van Laanen has been selected as a Tony Award® voter.

Tony Award® voters must first be recommended by industry leaders and then submit an extensive application outlining their role in the arts. Van Laanen was selected to become a Tony Award® voter after an application process that examined her experience and the Center’s role in presenting the best touring Broadway titles. Van Laanen will have the opportunity to submit her votes in the weeks before this year’s award program. Aside from her Tony Award® voting, this experience will help her discover the best new Broadway shows to bring to the Fox Cities and gives the Center a place among the top performing arts centers in the country.

“It is such an honor to have the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center recognized among industry leaders and a privilege to represent the Center in the Tony Award® voting,” Van Laanen said. “By making a point to see and examine the most talked about performances in New York, I’m also gaining the tools and knowledge to bring the best shows back to our audiences in the Fox Cities.”

According to the Tony Awards® there are approximately 868 eligible voters, a number that fluctuates slightly from year to year. Eligible voters include the board of directors and designated members of the advisory committee of the , members of the governing boards of Actors’ Equity Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, United Scenic Artists, and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, members of the Theatrical Council of the Casting Society of American and voting members of .

The Tony Awards® are presented by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The awards have been recognizing achievement in the performing arts since 1946. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry (1888-1946) who was the actress, stage director and philanthropist that founded the American Theatre Wing. The 69th Annual Tony Awards® will take place on June 7, 2015 at and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8/7c. More information is available at tonyawards.com.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Fox Cities Performing Arts Center President Maria Van Laanen is available for an interview Monday Oct. 20 from 11-11:30 a.m. Maggie Haddock at (920) 419-6315 or [email protected] to secure a time. ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. Since 2002, the Center has proudly served as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of the live performing arts. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center — Where the Arts Come Alive!

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