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LOCAL THEATRE ICONS TO BE HONORED AT THE PLAYERS CENTRE’S 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Contact Name: Amanda Heisey Contact Email: amandah@theplayers.org Contact Phone Number: 9413652494 Sarasota, FL – Jan. 15, 2020 – On Saturday, April 18, 2020 at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, The Players Centre for Performing Arts will celebrate 90 years of community theatre. The evening will include the recognition of extraordinary individuals in our community who have made significant contributions to the arts through their hearts, performances, and overall dedication. The Players Centre for Performing Arts would not be theatre it is today without the passion of our remarkable Birthday Celebration honorees. Heritage Honoree: Eva Slane Eva feels that her DNA contains theater genes which have influenced her involvement and love of theatre throughout her life. Her father was an opera singer, her mother an actress, and her uncle a concert pianist and composer. When fleeing Vienna in 1939, learning English was her first accomplishment. After graduating Hunter College, her life was devoted to her own career as a performer and in 1958, she became an Equity-licensed Theatrical Agent. As an agent, she met and married Stephan Slane, Founder and Managing Director of the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. The couple retired in 1983 and traveled extensively until they moved to Sarasota in 1991. After the death of her husband in 2002, Eva returned to her first passion – the arts and theatre. Since then, she has been deeply involved with the area’s many arts organizations including The Players, encouraging the love of the arts to new audiences and generations. Hometown Talent: Eve Caballero Eve’s love affair with the theater started early in life. Her mother was clever enough to use the arts to encourage and entertain her nine children on a tight budget after their father passed away. Since moving to Sarasota in 1995, Eve has graced our stage with 12 leading roles including Sarah Brown, Dolly Levi, Morticia Addams, Mama Rose and Dulcinea. Her favorite roles performed elsewhere include Eliza Doolittle, Fannie Brice, Blanche DuBois & the Spider Woman. Eve and her husband, Dr. Carlos Caballero have also been a part of The Players family by donating to the theatre and producing a Cabaret series called SMITTEN, which is performed by Eve and her daughter, Cassandra, benefitting our Building Better Grown Ups Scholarship Fund. Community Philanthropists: Angela & John Fain Angela founded Grapevine Communications Inc; an award-winning, full-service ad agency in 1988 in Montreal, Canada. In 1998, Grapevine Communications was acquired by one of its customers, Intertape Polymer Group (IPG), a publicly traded corporation in the packaging industry located in Sarasota, FL. Angela partnered with John Fain to re-establish Grapevine Communications in 2002. This was the start of their very successful, community-minded agency that has crafted the messaging for many of the area’s nonprofits, donating hours of time to their missions. After building the company to new heights for 15 years, Angela and John sold the Grapevine Communications brand in 2017. Over the years, Angela & John have given their hearts to many organizations in the arts and humanities. Both sit on several boards and were recognized in 2016 with the C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award, presented by the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund & Manatee Community Foundation. They have sponsored shows in our Wilde Broadway Series and our Smitten event, along with being steadfast patrons. Hearts of Gold: Barbara & Dick Johnson It can be said that Barbara literally grew up on the stage of The Players Theatre. Her family moved to Sarasota in 1944 where she attended Southside Elementary, McClellan Park School and Out-of-Door School and graduated from Sarasota High School in 1952. She made her debut on our stage in December 1949 at the age of 16 in YEARS AGO. Her academic path took a different trajectory after meeting Richard Adams, Technical Director of Denison University while playing his onstage daughter in GOOD-BYE, MY FANCY in 1950. Through that connection, she was accepted as an apprentice at Denison University Summer Theatre, where she transferred and majored in Theatre. Dick is born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from Youngstown State University in 1953. He moved to Chicago in 1953 where he started out as a telegrapher for the Illinois Central Railroad, transitioning into the public relations department which set his direction for the rest of his career. After many successful years in public relations for major corporations like Pullman Standard and Ingersoll Rand, he retired in 1999. In November 2000, Barbara and Dick returned to live in Sarasota in Barbara’s family home. Through Barbara’s former and renewed relationship with The Players Centre, Dick became a devoted supporter as well. Barbara and Dick have been dedicated volunteers, donors, patrons, and trusted advisors of The Players for many years. Barbara is a past chair of the Board of Trustees and Advisory Council member. Join us for an exciting night celebrating these individuals and much more! Proceeds from the event support The Players Centre’s education programs, community outreach, and affordable live theatre. The success of our 2019 “Smitten with the 70’s” event helped us to serve nearly 100 students with almost $30,000 in scholarships and support the year-round production of our performances. For our 90th Birthday Celebration, we’ve set the bar higher to reach more students with transformative classes and bring high quality live theatre to wider audiences. Sponsorship opportunities and reserved tables are still available. Please visit www.theplayers.org or contact The Players Centre at 941-365-2494 for tickets or more information. Dates: April 18, 2020 Tickets: $150 per person Photos can be found here (Courtesy of The Players Centre): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uevhyvnrbycjl6n/AACQmmySm9oPaDo2ygnOJv0ta?dl=0 About The Players Centre for Performing Arts The Players Centre for Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to entertaining, educating and engaging the community through high-quality live theatre. Its Main Stage features the Broadway Series, SNAP (Something New At The Players) and Summer Sizzler Series. Backstage at the Players is home to more thought-provoking, eclectic pieces. In addition to providing entertainment to the community, The Arnold Simonsen Players Studio offers a wide range of education and outreach programs for children and adults. # # # The Players Centre For Performing Arts 838 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota FL 34236, 941-365-2494, Fax: 941-954-0282 www.theplayers.org. Box Office: Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and one hour prior to curtain time. The Players Box Office is located on Tamiami Trail between 10th Street and Blvd. of the Arts.