THE GALLERY PLAYERS’ AUDIENCES RAISE OVER $3,000 FOR HAITI RELIEF

AUDIENCES VISITING ‘CAROLINE, OR CHANGE’ CONTRIBUTE GENEROUSLY TO DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

(NEW YORK, NY) – Audiences to the first ever NYC revival of Caroline, or Change at The Gallery Players proved to be generous with more than praise, contributing to a total of $3,495.03 toward the tragedy in Haiti. The Caroline, or Change performers made a direct appeal to the audience after each performance to give what they could towards those affected by the tragedy in Haiti, and the donations proved to be extremely charitable. All funds collected by the company will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Caroline, or Change had a successful limited engagement at The Gallery Players January 30-February 21, 2010, selling out 13 of 16 performances. Doug Strassler of offoffonline said of Caroline, or Change: “Every aspect of Jeremy Gold Kronenberg’s carefully nourished production – is magnificent.” Caroline, or Change was produced by Lanie Zipoy for The Gallery Players, and was directed by Jeremy Gold Kronenberg. The cast featured: Gisela Adisa*, River Aguirre, Teisha Duncan, Heather Davis, Markeisha Ensley*, Peter Gantenbein*, Marcie Henderson*, Daniel Henri Luttway, Gael Schaefer*, Nikki Stephenson*, Elyse McKay Taylor*, Eileen Tepper*, Ellisha Marie Thomas, Elyse McKay Taylor*, Barrington Walters, Bill Weeden* and John Weigand*. *appeared courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association.

“I am delighted by the generosity shown by our audiences at Caroline, or Change to Doctors Without Borders,” says Executive Director Neal Freeman. “We weren’t sure what to expect when we decided to make this collection, and it was thrilling to see our audience members contribute so graciously. It is particularly gratifying to produce a show about ‘change’ in all its many iterations and to see that change and hope reflected tangibly in the donations we collected every night. It reminds me that theater can indeed be an instrument of transformation.”

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. For more information, or to donate, visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org

A New York institution since 1967, The Gallery Players has served actors and audiences alike for more than 4 decades by showcasing burgeoning new talent and offering a home base for theater professionals. Its eclectic programming of intimate revivals and ambitious new work in inventive productions has earned it the reputation of “New York’s Best Kept Secret.” The Gallery Players is the recipient of the Off-Off Broadway Review’s 2000 Award for Lifetime Achievement and is the three-time recipient of New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical in 2007, 2008 and 2009 for their productions of Urinetown! The musical, Yank! A New Musical and Like You Like It. Among its famous alumni are founding member Harvey Fierstein; Broadway regulars Nancy Anderson, Jeffry Denman and Diedre Goodwin; New York theater personality Seth Rudetsky and many others. The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St., between 4th and 5th Avenues in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The Gallery Players’ 43rd season continues with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible March 20-April 4th 2010, City of Angels May 1-23, 2010, and closes with The 13th Annual Black Box New Play Festival, June 10-27, 2010. For more information, visit www.galleryplayers.com.