Local Celebrities to Appear in Two Muses Theatre's LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE, 5/30-6/15

Two Muses Theatre presents Love, Loss and What I Wore by famous screenwriter sisters, Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron. The show will be performed with a unique cast each weekend, headed up by a different local celebrity, May 30 through June 15. In conjunction with this production, Two Muses Theatre is partnering with Closet NV to raise clothing donations for Dress for Success, a worldwide organization, whose mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire to help them thrive in work and in life.

Love, Loss and What I Wore won the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience and is now the second longest-running show in the history of New York's off-Broadway Westside Theatre. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser, this show, based off the best-selling book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman, has now already been produced in at least eight countries, and on every continent but Antarctica. The late famous screenwriter, Nora Ephron (Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) adapted the book for the stage, along with her frequent writing partner and sister, Delia Ephron (co-writer, You've Got Mail, Bewitched).

Love, Loss and What I Wore is a lighthearted look at affairs of the heart and fashion, in which five women playing multiple characters reminisce about their lives, loves and the wardrobes that helped them get where they are today-- with odes to black clothing, cowboy boots and outfits that make mothers cringe.

Directed by Two Muses Theatre Co-Founder, Diane Hill, each weekend will feature a totally different cast of five actresses, and will feature a local celebrity in the role of Gingy.

WEEK ONE: STACEY DuFORD is the co-host of Bobby & Stacey on 104.3 WOMC Monday - Fridays 5-10 am. She is a children's book author (The Fairy Painting) and has performed in local community theater productions including Steel Magnolias and The Heidi Chronicles. She served as a contributing writer for a national comedy radio service, an advice columnist for national website for women's health and body image, and has done freelance television reporting and hosted several TV specials. Over the years, Stacey has donated her name and talent to numerous fundraisers for community and national charities. Among these are Gleaners, Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, Special Olympics, Gilda's Club, The Detroit Lions Charities, Furniture Resource Group, Breast Cancer Awareness and PBS-TV. Stacey lives in Beverly Hills with her husband and two children.

WEEK TWO: LILA LAZARUS is an award-winning journalist who has anchored the news in Michigan, Maryland and Massachusetts. Lila runs a production company, Lila Productions, and currently hosts the award-winning Discover Remarkable series on WXYZ. Lila swam the Straits of Mackinac (a 5-mile swim) to raise money and awareness for Mentor Michigan, and each fall, she climbs from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other (21 miles) and back again. In 2007, Lila was appointed to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. An avid motorcyclist, Lila was recently named Michigan's Ambassador of Motorcycle Safety. Extremely active in community and charitable organizations, Lila serves on multiple boards and is currently President of Kids Kicking Cancer. She's also very involved with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. She's been a Big Sister for 20 years. A graduate of Kalamazoo College, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts and the University of Bonn in Germany, Lila holds two Masters Degrees. Her professional accomplishments include covering Nelson Mandela's inauguration in South Africa and receiving multiple Emmy Awards, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award, two Clarion Awards and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Award in back-to-back years.

WEEK THREE: ANQUNETTE JAMISON is the news anchor on FOX 2 Morning News and FOX 2 News "Live at 11". Anqunette helped launched FOX25 Morning News in Boston in 2003 and loved being part of the unpredictable format. She joined FOX25 from KVBC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Las Vegas, Nevada where she was weekend anchor and general assignment reporter. Prior to KVBC-TV, Jamison spent four years in "Notre Dame" country where she was a general assignment reporter at WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. Her first job in broadcasting took her to the cornfields and farms of rural Indiana near West Lafayette. While there, she produced the early morning newscasts and reported on stories ranging from Purdue University football to local and state political issues. Anqunette was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. She's a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis with a degree in radio-television and journalism. She enjoys speaking at area schools about television reporting and anchoring.

In conjunction with this production, Two Muses Theatre is partnering with Closet NV to raise donations for DRESS FOR SUCCESS, a worldwide organization, whose mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire to help them thrive in work and in life. Donations are being accepted starting May 26 through June 14 at Closet NV in The Boardwalk, 6889 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield. No appointment is necessary to make Dress for Success donations. For more information concerning donations, call Closet NV at 248-626-9996.

Two Muses Theatre, recent recipient of an operational grant from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and the NEA, performs in the intimate 150-seat theatre inside Barnes & Noble Booksellers, located at 6800 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield (south of Maple). This is Two Muses Theatre's third season.

Performances are May 30-June 15, on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm. Advance tickets are available for $20 for adults and $17 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are also available at the door for an additional $3. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance. Group discounts are also available. There is ample free parking and handicap accessibility. For tickets and information, call 248-850-9919 or visit www.twomusestheatre.org.

Founded in November 2011 by Diane Hill and Barbie Amann Weisserman, Two Muses Theatre is a nonprofit, professional theatre dedicated to increasing opportunities for female artists and artisans. All funds raised from performances and educational workshops go directly into maintaining the theatre and contributing to charitable organizations centered on women and families. For more information, visit www.twomusestheatre.org.

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