FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ami Bennitt ,

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cntact: Ami Bennitt , ArtsEmersn Annunces ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME September 20 Thrugh Octber 4, 2015 Emersn/Paramunt Mainstage, Bstn The press perfrmance is Wednesday, September 23, 7PM. Click here t RSVP. [BOSTON, MA August 12, 2015] ArtsEmersn, under the leadership f Plly Carl, David Dwer and David Hwse, kicks ff its Seasn with Ernest Shackletn Lves Me, featuring Valerie Vigda and Wade McCllum, with directin by Lisa Petersn, musical directin by Ryan O Cnnell, and bk written by Tny Award winner Je DiPietr. Ernest Shackletn Lves Me is presented with special arrangement by Matthew Kwatinetz and perfrms September 20 thrugh Octber 4, 2015 at the Emersn/Paramunt Mainstage lcated at 559 Washingtn Street in Bstn s histric theatre district. Tickets are $25-65 and may be purchased by calling r nline at Grup and student discunts are available. Abut Ernest Shackletn Lves Me Kat is a single mm trying t make ends meet as a wrking artist/musician. After being fired frm her day jb as a vide game music cmpser, she experiences an extreme but f insmnia during which she is cntacted by nne ther than the legendary gentlemen-explrer, Ernest Shackletn! Tgether, the tw embark n an Antarctic quest and frge a time-traveling lve affair fr the ages. Cmplete with a tngue-incheek script by Tny-Award winner Je DiPietr (Memphis) and live accmpaniment frm Valerie Vigda and Wade McCullum, Ernest Shackletn Lves Me is a geeky, high-tech musical adventure abut hw a little curage and determinatin can help us vercme all dds. Click here t view the vide trailer. In the same spirit f wrk like Cheryl Strayed s Wild, Ernest Shackletn Lves Me is really abut ne wman s jurney in finding her inner strength and resilience, says Plly Carl, ArtsEmersn Creative 1

2 Directr. Kat s a single mther, trying t make ends meet, getting thrugh the day t day. She is truly a prtagnist fr ur times. Tw things that are extrardinary abut this piece: the art and the artists, adds David Dwer, ArtsEmersn Artistic Directr. The set is a multi-media extravaganza. The perfrmers, Valerie Vigda and Wade McCullum, are fierce musicians and ferciusly funny. Put them under the directin f the Lisa Petersn (ArtsEmersn alum wh directed An Iliad starring Dennis O Hare) and yu have ne fun, wild ride t start ur 2015/16 Seasn. Ernest Shackletn Lves Me September 20 thrugh Octber 4, 2015 Emersn/Paramunt Mainstage Presented with special arrangement by Matthew Kwatinetz, NYC Bk by Je DiPietr Music by Brendan Milburn and Lyrics by Valerie Vigda Directed by Lisa Petersn with Musical Directin by Ryan O Cnnell Featuring Valerie Vigda and Wade McCllum Perfrmance Schedule: Sunday, September 20, 2015 Tuesday, September 22, :30PM Wednesday, September 23, PM Thursday, September 24, :30PM Friday, September 25, PM pst-perfrmance lbby chat Saturday, September 26, 2015 Saturday, September 26, PM pst-perfrmance lbby chat Sunday, September 27, 2015 Tuesday, September 29, :30PM Wednesday, September 30, :30PM Thursday, Octber 1, :30PM Friday, Octber 2, PM pst-perfrmance lbby chat Saturday, Octber 3, 2015 Saturday, Octber 3, PM pst-perfrmance lbby chat Sunday, Octber 4, 2015 Abut the Artists Valerie Vigda is a classically trained musician wh has tured the wrld with Cyndi Lauper (pening fr Tina Turner and Cher), Je Jacksn, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She funded GrveLily (riginally The Valerie Vigda Band) in 1994, with the critically acclaimed CD Inhabit My Heart. Valerie is a 2009 winner f the ASCAP Fundatin Richard Rdgers New Hrizns Award, as well as a tw-time winner f the Jnathan Larsn Award fr Excellence in Writing fr the Theatre. Wade McCllum riginated the rle f Shackletn at bth the wrld premiere in Seattle and mre recently at Gerge Street Playhuse. Bradway: Wicked-the witch s father, first natinal tur f Priscilla, Queen f the Desert as Tick/Mitzi, Jersey Bys -Nrm. Other favrite rles include: The Velciraptr f Faith in the ff- Bradway musical Triassic Parq, Prir in Angels in America, Dracula in Steven Dietz s Dracula, Puck in A Midsummer Night s Dream, Crumpet in The Santaland Diaries, the Emcee in Cabaret (Dallas Frt Wrth Critics Circle Award fr Best Actr), Charltte in I Am My Own Wife, Batby in Batby the Musical and Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch fr which he garnered Backstage s Garland Award and the Ls 2

3 Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award fr Best Actr and Ovatin award fr best musical. While in Ls Angeles, Wade riginated the rle f Wdy in Milburn/ Vigda s Ty Stry: the Musical in several wrkshps fr Disney. Wade can currently be seen n the ppular BradwayWrld Web series Submissins Only! Je DiPietr is a Bradway veteran wh was nminated fr a 2012 Tny Award fr Nice Wrk If Yu Can Get It and wn Best Bk and Best Scre Tny Awards fr Memphis, which was als awarded the 2010 Tny Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award fr Best Musical. His ther shws include All Shk Up; I Lve Yu, Yu re Perfect, Nw Change (the lngest running musical revue in Off-Bradway histry); The Txic Avenger, and The Thing Abut Men (bth winners f the Outer Critics Circle Award fr Best Off-Bradway musical). Brendan Milburn is an accmplished recrd prducer and has dne a lt f arranging fr GrveLily. Seth Rgvy wrte: Milburn is a deft pianist, his nimble finger wrk ding duble-duty as the band s bassist and prvider f its harmnic fundatin, delivered with the jazzy sphisticatin f Steely Dan s Dnald Fagen and the rck and rll theatrics f Billy Jel. Brendan's music and lyrics have, and will, be featured in a number f ff and n Bradway shws. Abut ArtsEmersn ArtsEmersn is the prfessinal presenting and prducing rganizatin f the Office f the Arts at Emersn Cllege. Thrugh its internatinal theater prgramming and lcal cmmunity partnerships ArtsEmersn serves the city f Bstn, the Emersn cmmunity (students, faculty and staff), and the glbal field f perfrmance practice. Funded in 2010, the same year that the U.S. Census cnfirmed Bstn as a majrityminrity city, ArtsEmersn is cmmitted t building a cultural institutin that embraces and reflects the changing demgraphics f the City f Bstn. ArtsEmersn perates frm the cre belief that the arts are fr everyne. Fr mre infrmatin n ArtsEmersn, visit ArtsEmersn s Histry Funded in 2010 by Rbert J. Orchard, ArtsEmersn is designed t address gaps in Bstn s cultural landscape thrugh internatinal prgramming and inviting new audiences int Emersn Cllege s dwntwn venues. ArtsEmersn quickly established a reputatin fr putting great wrk frm arund the wrld n its stages wrk that emanates frm the language f theater, yet pushes the bundaries int dance, music, and pera. ArtsEmersn s first seasns fcused n building a wrld-class cultural institutin that achieved visibility and a leadership rle in the city in shrt rder. By 2012, Bstn Magazine named ArtsEmersn the Best Theatre in Bstn. By December f 2013, WBUR critic Ed Seigel cited in his annual Best f rund-up, saying: In fur shrt years, [they] have established ArtsEmersn as ne f the mst imprtant cultural institutins in New England. In 2015, ArtsEmersn repeated as Bstn Magazine s Best Theatre in Bstn, this time with a special citatin fr ur dual fcus n quality prgramming and deep cmmunity invlvement. ArtsEmersn cntinues t evlve its practice n bth pillars: artistic excellence and civic impact, cmmitted t building an audience fr the wrk that reflects the diversity f Bstn s demgraphics, and t establishing ArtsEmersn as an active civic partner in Bstn. In 2015 Orchard mved int the rle f Creative Cnsultant. Currently ArtsEmersn is led by Artistic Directr, David Dwer, Creative Directr, Plly Carl, and Managing Directr, David Hwse. This highly innvative, shared leadership mdel reflects the rganizatin s values that multiple vices are essential t leading a 21 st century arts rganizatin. 3

4 ArtsEmersn s Prgramming Perfrming Arts: ArtsEmersn presents live perfrmance frm arund the wrld in its dwntwn venues. It uses its internal curatrial expertise in cnjunctin with the curatrial expertise f its cmmunity partners t present wrk that reflects the multicultural vibrancy f Bstn. Whether the wrk cmes frm Suth Africa, Russia, Chile, r Rxbury the artists n ArtsEmersn s stages are pushing the bundaries f frm, inviting prvcative cnversatins, and fstering cnnectin and cllabratin with its grwing and evlving audience. Film: ArtsEmersn uses the same curatrial apprach t present films frm arund the wrld, supprting a variety f partnerships with lcal cmmunity rganizatins including the Bstn Internatinal Film Festival, the Asian American Film Festival, and the Bstn LGBT Festival. ArtsEmersn als presents a Live n Screen series f sme f the best theatre captured n film frm the Natinal Theatre in Lndn, the Ryal Shakespeare Cmpany, and Shakespeare s Glbe. Music: Black Bx Sunds brings lcal Bstn bands t the Black Bx space (in the Emersn/Paramunt Center) in an effrt t revitalize the dwntwn music scene. Civic Engagement: A series f initiatives aimed at ArtsEmersn s cre beliefs that the arts belng t everyne, that art is a cmmn right, and civic engagement is part f ArtsEmersn s DNA. All Civic Engagement initiatives spring frm a cmmitment t cmmunity partnerships and evlve thrugh a curatin by listening prcess, develped in dialgue with these partners. These initiatives include: The Seats Lab, a research effrt that uses seats at ArtsEmersn perfrmances as a tl fr understanding barriers t participatin. Seats Lab initiatives include: The Ambassadrs Prject, where current nn-theatergers in diverse cmmunities see theater arund the city fr a full year as we, tgether, try t diagnse and dismantle the barriers t regular theaterging. The Play Reading Bk Club, meets in branch libraries thrughut the city, t test the thery that theater literacy fsters a greater sense f adventure and resilience in theaterging fr infrequent attenders. The Audience Residencies, a series f initiatives designed and led by audience members with innvative ideas f hw t increase participatin with ArtsEmersn prgramming amng their wn netwrks and cmmunities. Welcme t Bstn Cast Parties, where lcal Bstn artists and rganizatins welcme visiting artists with an evening f perfrmance, music, and fd at a neighbrhd venue. A Public Dialgue Series, built arund ArtsEmersn s perfrming arts seasn where artists and audiences talk as a cmmunity abut cultural tensins and scial challenges fr the sake f building civic chesin. 4

5 Abut Emersn Cllege Based in Bstn, Massachusetts, ppsite the histric Bstn Cmmn and in the heart f the city s Theatre District, with sites in the Netherlands and Ls Angeles, Emersn Cllege educates individuals wh will slve prblems and change the wrld thrugh engaged leadership in cmmunicatin and the arts, a missin infrmed by liberal learning. The Cllege has 3,750 undergraduates and 750 graduate students frm acrss the United States and 50 cuntries. Supprted by state-f-the-art facilities and a renwned faculty, students participate in mre than 90 student rganizatins and perfrmance grups. Emersn is knwn fr its study and internship prgrams in Ls Angeles, Washingtn, D.C., the Netherlands, Lndn, China and the Czech Republic. The Cllege has an active netwrk f 32,000 alumni wh hld leadership psitins in cmmunicatins and the arts. Fr mre infrmatin, visit emersn.edu. -###- 5