Philly Theatre Presents FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THEATRE, Kicks Off 4/1

Imagine seeing a red couch parked in the middle of LOVE Park, and then a few days later it appears in Reading Terminal Market or even Independence Visitor Center. Each time, a Philadelphia theatre celebrity is sitting there, comfortably chatting with an everyday Philadelphian. Philly theatre wants to know what our audiences get from their experiences at the theatre - so we are going to invite them to sit on our "casting couch" and tell us how they "fill in the blanks" in their life with theatre. Each interview will be a "screen-test" for our next PSA video celebrating the audiences of Philly Theatre.

"The purpose of the event is to collect real faces and voices from Philadelphia talking about what they get from the theatre," says Theatre Alliance Executive Director Margie Salvante. "We're going out to meet our audiences where they are to hear from them." Local theatre and civic celebrities will make appearances as hosts and interviewees on the Philly Theatre Casting Couch. The "screen test" interviews will be auditions for a PSA about Philadelphia's theatre audiences. Screen tests will be posted online after each day of filming at phillytheatretix.com, where people can vote for their favorites, with the winner making an appearance in a PSA, set to premiere at the Barrymore Awards ceremony this fall. Phillytheatretix.com will also include the couch's full schedule of dates and locations so audiences can look for their opportunity to be interviewed, and enter to win dinner and a show or a theatre season sampler.

The official host of the Philly Theatre Casting Couch will be Fran Prisco, who is frequently seen on the Walnut Street Theatre stage, adding flow and consistency to the campaign. Fran will be joined by local theatre celebrities as co-hosts, as well as a number of other Philadelphia celebrities as guest interviewees in addition to the everyday Philadelphians who attend. Radio personalities John DeBella, Big Daddy Graham, and Preston & Steve will also make guest appearances, and possibly even conduct some of the screen tests.

The first screen test session will take place in JFK Plaza (better known as LOVE Park) on Thursday, April 1st. Fran Prisco will be joined by co-hosts Jen Childs, actress and artistic director of 1812 Productions and Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. actor and Head of the Acting Program at The University of the Arts. The hosts will be joined by special guest interviewees Mayor Michael Nutter, Sharon Pinkenson of the Philadelphia Film Office, and State Senator Larry Farnese. Each of them will share their passion for theatre, and why theatre is important to Philadelphia.

On April 9th, the Couch will travel to Reading Terminal Market where it will be co-hosted by actors Kala Moses Baxter and Joe Guzman. Since the theatre industry has great ties to the food industry, guest interviewees at the Market will include Philadelphia Inquirer Food Critic Rick Nichols and Fork Restaurant's Ellen Yin.

April 10th is Family Day and the Couch will be making an appearance at The Please Touch Museum where those attending the museum's production of "There's Something Under My Bed" can join actress and mother Grace Gonglewski after the show to chat about their experience at the theatre. A special guest appearance will be made by Philadelphia's most famous public school teacher, Tony Danza.

On April 17th Family Day returns as the Couch arrives at Independence Visitor Center co-hosted by Tom McCarthy. Historical Statesman Benjamin Franklin will join our hosts on the Couch that day to talk about the theatre in his day. Guests who stop by to check out the Couch on that day can then check with the world-class, multi-lingual concierge staff to see what they should go see next while they are in town.

On Wednesday, April 21st Fran Prisco and the Casting Couch will travel to North 5th Street to Taller Puertorriqueño and be joined by co-host director and educator, José Avilés. Taller Puertorriqueño is located in the heart of El Centro de Oro, The Regional Destination Place for Latino Business, Arts and Culture. Visiting the couch that day will be Quiara Alegria Hudes, the Pulitzer Nominated Playwright of Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue and Philadelphia native. Joining Quiara will be members of the cast of Elliot..., recently seen on the Independence Studio Stage at the Walnut Street Theatre.

Friday, April 23rd the Couch moves to Independence National Historical Park where Fran Prisco will be joined by actor Jeff Coon to host. Broadway stars from the cast of The Lion King, Tony Freeman and Ben Lipitz, will join Fran and Jeff on the couch. In addition to performing in the current tour of The Lion King, Tony and Ben have spent a good deal of time performing on other stages in Philadelphia.

The final Casting Couch screen test date is Friday, April 30th in Rittenhouse Square. Fran Prisco will be joined by actress and founder of Brat Productions, Madi Distefano and actress Geneviève Perrier, who can be seen onstage in Shining City from April 7 to the 25 with Theatre Exile. Philadelphia's Fashion Ambassador Rakia Reynolds will give the featured guest interview on the Couch.

Sponsors for the "Fill in the Blanks" campaign include 6ABC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and philly.com, PECO, Chorus Media Group and ZipCar Couch location partners include Fairmount Park Association, The National Park Service for Independence National Historical Park, Independence Visitor Center, The Please Touch Museum, Reading Terminal Market, and Taller Puertorriqueño.

Major funding for the Theatre Alliance is provided by the William Penn Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Philadelphia Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theater community, with more than 100 member organizations and 300 individual artists, by promoting positive awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy. For further information, visit www.theatrealliance.org or call the Theatre Alliance at (215) 413-7150.

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