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Look for more Broadway shows in Akron, beginning this fall, thanks to a new partnership between E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall and Clear Channel Entertainment, the largest promoter of Broadway musicals in the United States.
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| "The Full Monty" comes to the E.J. Thomas Hall stage next spring. |
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The inaugural season of “Broadway in Akron” will open with “Cats,” the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Rounding out the schedule of Broadway musicals on the Thomas Hall stage will be “42nd Street,” Jan. 20-25; “Fosse,” March 19-21; and “The Full Monty,” April 13-18.
The partnership with Clear Channel was announced in early April during a press conference held, quite fittingly, on the Thomas Hall stage.
In his remarks, President Luis M. Proenza noted that, “The University of Akron has been re-shaping its campus and continues to take bold steps toward capturing its destiny. Indeed, the University is a catalyst for new growth and prosperity in a variety of ways, including the arts.
“Let me extend my appreciation to Dan Dahl, executive director of E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, who has created a level of excellence in entertainment, worthy of this outstanding facility,” added Proenza.
With Thomas Hall and the New Civic Theatre now drawing 600,000 people annually to Akron, the new partnership with Clear Channel represents “a very promising opportunity for the city of Akron” in its revitalization efforts, said Marco Sommerville, Akron City Council president.
Also on hand for the announcement was Scott Zeiger, CEO of Clear Channel. In 2002, more than 65 million people attended approximately 29,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company — ranging from concerts and touring theatrical shows to sports events.
“Theatre in New York and across the country is thriving,” Zeiger said, the economy and the war notwithstanding. “Audiences are finding comfort in an evening at the theatre.”
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