NEWS RELEASE

ONE NIGHT ONLY!  MONDAY, OCTOBER 6

Bruce Dow and Festival stars present Sondheim's Company

in support of PAL Stratford

September 9, 2008... Expect the Extraordinary from Bruce Dow and a cast of Festival stars as they present the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical Company, to support PAL Stratford, as the charity moves toward its goal of building a Performing Arts Lodge for aging members of the arts community.

Mr. Dow will produce and direct the concert version of this hilarious musical comedy, with musical direction by Laura Burton and choreography by Marc Kimmelman. Mr. Dow will also perform in the show, along with Sean Arbuckle, Jewelle Blackman, Diana Coatsworth, Laura Condlln, Lindsay Croxall, Kelly-Ann Evans, David W. Keeley, Trish Lindström, Monique Lund, Andrew Moyes, Paul Nolan, Lucy Peacock and Sam Strasfeld.

Don't miss this opportunity to see a remarkable cast perform a memorable musical on Monday, October 6 at 8 p.m. at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre.

The evening will also feature a silent auction, beginning at 7 p.m. Items include an autographed special advance copy of Christopher Plummer's memoir In Spite of Myself, an autographed copy of Simon Callow's script for his singular performance, There Reigns Love, as well as a complete set of Ken Nutt/Eric Beddows books and an original sketch by Ken Nutt. There is also a special Paddy Crean package which includes an autographed poem by the late Irving Layton dedicated to Paddy, the Festival's former fight arranger, and an autographed copy of Paddy's autobiography, More Champagne Darling.

Everyone attending is invited to join the cast members for a reception following the performance in the Chalmers Lounge, on the Avon Theatre's upper level.

Company is a funny, clever and bittersweet, portrayal of five married couples - as seen through the eyes of their bachelor friend Bobby, played by Paul Nolan. The story explores the themes of love and commitment, fear and longing as well as the simple joy of being alive.

It premiered on Broadway in 1971 and enjoyed two Broadway revivals, the latest in 2006. The original production, directed by Hal Prince, won a Tony Award for best musical and for the book by George Furth.

The production team for the 2008 PAL Stratford Expect the Extraordinary fundraiser also includes co-director Sam Strasfeld, stage manager Emma Laird and production co-ordinator Elissa Horscroft.

Tickets are $45 and go on sale Saturday, September 13 through the Stratford Shakespeare Festival box office, 519-273-1600 or 1-800-867-1600.

PAL Stratford, incorporated in 2002, is a registered charity dedicated to providing affordable housing for aging members of the arts community.

PAL Stratford is pleased to acknowledge the support of our Partners in this presentation:

• Benefactor Partner: Scotiabank
• Leader Partners: Anne Hathaway Residence/Chartwell Seniors Housing REIT, Howley Design, Marcia Matsui Law Office; Jim & Connie MacDougall; Quinlan Road Productions
• Partners: Dominic Clarke, Marklevitz Architects, Stratford Business Centre

Company is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 421 West 54^th Street, New York, NY 10019. Phone: 212-514-4684. Fax: 212-397-4684. http://www.mtishows.com/.

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For more information please contact:

Keith Courtney: 519-273-3060

John Banks: 519-273-0131

www.palstratford.org