Elements Theatre Company to Present THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVE THEATER IN OUR CULTURE Panel, 9/17

On Tuesday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m., Elements Theatre Company of Orleans, MA will host a panel discussion, "The Importance of Live Theater in Our Culture: The Art of Making Humans More Human" at Back Bay Events Center (180 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA). Panelists are Jared Bowen, WGBH Executive Arts Editor, Joyce Kulhawik, President of the Boston Theater Critics Association, Julie Hennrikus, Executive Director of StageSource; Georgia Lyman, award-winning actress, and Fr. Thomas Kane, Professor at Boston College. Danielle Dwyer, Elements Artistic Director, will moderate. Panel discussion is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing and other violence in schools and in our culture, this panel will shine new light on the power of the arts to redeem tragedy, cultivate empathy, and provide personal connection in our digital age. Panelists will discuss how live theater creates community and provides a vehicle for catharsis that can heal and transform individuals.

As a springboard for discussion, Elements Theatre Company will present Yasmina Reza's 2009 Tony Award-winning play The God of Carnage on Tuesday, September 17 at 5:30 p.m. prior to the panel discussion (Tickets $25, FREE for students and faculty) at the Back Bay Events Center. The God of Carnage is a scathing comedy of the absence of manners when two urban couples duke it out over their young sons' playground scuffle. Performances will also run Wednesday-Friday, September 18-20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Back Bay Events Center.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Jared Bowen, WGBH Executive Arts Editor, is an Emmy Award-winning reporter with WGBH-TV's nightly news magazine program, Greater Boston with Emily Rooney, and appears regularly on 89.7 WGBH, where he covers the latest happenings in Boston theater, art, music, dance, and film for Boston Public Radio and on WGBH's Morning Edition every Thursday. In February 2013, Jared debuted in his own weekly arts series, Open Studio with Jared Bowen, featuring a blend of local and national stories and profiles. He is a member of the Elliot Norton Awards Selection Committee recognizing achievement in Boston theater, and he serves on the Board of Governors for the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Jared also is a guest contributor to Boston Common magazine.

Joyce Kulhawik, best known as the Emmy Award-winning Arts and Entertainment Critic for CBS-Boston (WBZ-TV 1981-2008), is currently leading her enterprise as an arts advocate, motivational speaker and cancer crusader all over the region. Kulhawik is president of the Boston Theater Critics Association, and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics. Kulhawik has covered local and national events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood, reporting live from the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Grammys. Nationally, Kulhawik co-hosted the syndicated movie review show "Hot Ticket" with Leonard Maltin and was a continuing co-host on "Roger Ebert & The Movies." Look for her Arts & Entertainment reviews online at joyceschoices.com.

Julie Hennrikus is the Executive Director of StageSource, a non-profit theater service organization whose mission is to advance the art of theater in the Greater Boston region. In 2004 Julie became the General Manager and Director of Marketing for Emerson Stage, which is the producing arm of the Department of Performing Arts at Emerson College. In this role she is an avid communicator and community builder. She has built an online community of theater fans that share her passion for theater. In her role as an educator Julie has inspired new generations of theater enthusiasts and professionals through the development of arts management curriculum at Emerson College.

Georgia Lyman is an award-winning Boston actress whose credits include New Repertory Theatre's Chesapeake (Elliot Norton Award for Solo Performance, 2013); Love Song (Orfeo Group, Best Fringe Production, 2011); and Look Back in Anger (Orfeo Group, Best Fringe Production, 2009), among others. An accomplished producer, she recently co-produced both the award-winning The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) and Love Song for Orfeo Group. Her film and television credits include the upcoming Hallmark movie The Makeover; RIPD; Brotherhood; Law & Order: SVU; and The Town.

Fr. Thomas A. Kane, CSP is a professor at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and a Paulist priest. His research includes the area of arts, communication, liturgy and culture. Dr. Kane has written and lectured on liturgy and creativity throughout the world, and has created video documentaries about the church and culture in Africa, Latin America, and the South Pacific. As the Director of Paulist Reconciliation Ministries in Washington, D.C., he coordinates various ministry outreach projects throughout North America, and he has been a liturgical consultant to the World Conference of Churches in Geneva.

Danielle Dwyer, Artistic Director and founding member of Elements Theatre Company, has either directed or performed in nearly 60 productions since the company's inception in 1992. Sr. Danielle earned her Master of Arts Degree from England's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of London. She also studied voice, acting, and writing with Joanna Weir at Central School of Speech and Drama in London; David Male of Cambridge University; Shakespeare & Company; and the Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Sr. Danielle's directorial experience ranges from Shakespeare (Twelfth Night) and Chekhov (The Cherry Orchard) to Neil Simon (Rumors) and Oscar Wilde (Lady Windermere's Fan).

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