http://gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=B7077AE2-94F8-4CCA-8730-C631EBEAC462

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: James Rahm (Gillibrand), (202) 224-3873
June 10, 2011 Matt House (Schumer), (202) 224-7433

GILLIBRAND, SCHUMER SECURE COMMITMENT FROM NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR ARTS CHAIR TO KEYNOTE LEAGUE OF HISTORIC THEATRES CONFERENCE IN SCHENECTADY
Renovated, Fully Sustainable Proctors Theatre Draws Over 600,000 Visitors, Leveraged Over $250 Million in Investment, Led to Over 3,500 New Jobs
Washington, DC – At the invitation of U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Rocco Landesman, announced he will tour Proctors Theatre in Schenectady this summer and give the keynote address at the annual conference of the League of Historic American Theatres.

In their invitation to Chairman Landesman, the Senators highlighted the theatre as a national model of “art that works” by renovating a former vaudeville theatre, and transforming it into a beacon of vitality in the community. Proctors now hosts nearly 1,730 evens each year, draws over 600,000 visitors, helped leverage over $250 million in investment in the community, and helped create over 3,500 new local jobs.

“Proctors Theatre is a shining example of what we can do when we restore the livelihood of one of our most treasured local landmarks,” Senator Gillibrand said. “I am so pleased to welcome Chairman Landesman to the Capital Region, giving Proctors Theatre the chance to show the nation how we can revitalize communities, bring new energy, new businesses and new jobs.”

“I’m so pleased that Chairman Landesman will have the opportunity to see firsthand how Proctors has revitalized downtown Schenectady,” said Schumer. “The Chairman’s visit will highlight the positive impact this theatre has had on the community – helping create jobs and boosting the local economy.”

“Proctors is tickled to have attracted the attention of the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors Theatre. “It's rare for such a visit to the capital region by that office and a testament to the regional significance of Proctors efforts and work, from education to downtown to Capital Repertory Theater.”

In addition to being an economic engine for the region, Proctors Theatre is leading in sustainability, using federal and state funding to build a water-based renewable energy source that powers its own needs, and using its own waste to heat and cool itself and neighboring businesses.

The full text of Senators Gillibrand and Schumer’s letter inviting Chairman Landesman is below:

June 7, 2011

Mr. Rocco Landesman
National Endowment for the Arts, Chairman
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 520
Washington, DC 20506

Dear Chairman Landesman,
As you continue to tour the country on behalf of the Endowment, we hope that will you consider visiting Proctors Theatre in Schenectady this summer to address the annual conference of the League of Historic American Theaters. From July 12th through 15th, Proctors will be host to the leaders of 250 American theaters of historical significance. We join with Proctors in inviting you to be the keynote speaker at the concluding dinner of the conference on the evening of July 15th.
We applaud your efforts to promote the principle that “Art Works” and to establish that the arts are central to a community’s public, economic and creative life. Through programs such as Our Town, as well as through collaboration with other federal agencies, such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regional planning grants program, you have demonstrated that arts leaders can partner with local political and civic leaders to create more vibrant, prosperous and livable communities.
Proctors Theatre is a prime example that “art works” – the renovation of a former vaudeville house that saved a historic theater and became a magnet drawing others to downtown. Proctors now hosts over 1,728 events each year, and is attended by over 600,000 people. Proctors is widely recognized as a catalyst in the economic transformation of downtown Schenectady. In the last 10 years, over 3,500 new jobs have been created, and over $250 million has been invested in new building, renovation and infrastructure, including 2 new hotels, corporate offices, many more restaurants and bars, and a new 6-screen cinema.
Moreover, the theater is a leader in “green” technology. With the assistance of federal and state funds, Proctors built a water-based renewable power source that supplies its own needs and uses waste heat to provide institutional heating and cooling to neighboring businesses.
Schenectady is located in the greater New York Capital Region, in the historic and beautiful Hudson River Valley. Proctors has become a cultural leader for the region; it established the first organization for regional arts executives, Capital Arts Alive, and is developing the first regional “arts celebrating technology” festival, scheduled for October 2011, which will feature over 50 arts organizations. If you should be interested in combining a visit to Proctors Theatre and the conference with meetings with other local organizations, we would be happy to assist.
Thank you again for your attention to this important request, and your continued work promoting the arts in our communities. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ben Rosenbaum in Senator Gillibrand’s office or Grant Kerr in Senator Schumer’s office.

Sincerely,

Kirsten E. Gillibrand Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator United States Senator

http://blog.timesunion.com/philipmorris/dont-miss/639/

Philip Morris
CEO of Proctors, Schenectady

About Proctors

Don’t miss
June 9, 2011 at 1:40 am by Philip Morris

I am on the train returning from my last of the season trips to Manhattan to see shows in order to vote for the Tonys.

It is definitely one of those responsibilities that falls into the wink category of “tough work, but someone has to do it!”

After a giggle, though, it is actually not easy scheduling enough time, while the shows are still running, to travel and, typically, pack as many shows as possible in three or four days per trip.

Admittedly, too, seeing some great performers doing some great work makes the late night trains or missed family time seem like a fair trade.

This year’s list of shows worth seeing is really long, but a few are particularly notable. I would say even, don’t miss them. While one or two of these might come to Proctors over the next few years, if you love the theater and like going to The City, I recommend them:

First, War Horse. A remarkably told story of a young boy and an amazing steed sent off to the continent to fight for England in World War One. Amazing puppets, lighting, acting. One of the best plays ever.

Second, and with an acting job by its lead, Mark Ryland, that amazes, the play Jerusalem. Also a British import, it is an “blow away” character study.

Third, Book of Mormon. Risky, outrageous language bordering and going over the line of sacrilegious, this musical dares to place myth and faith in context of human life.

Fourth, The Normal Heart. A play, with an unusual story of how it came to be produced, that focuses on the personalities of the early efforts to gain public attention and resources to acknowledge and research the beginning AIDS crisis. If you are near my age, this is a haunting telling of a time when the arts world was shaken and many friends lost.

Finally, and maybe oddly, Catch Me If You Can. I liked the film and read more about its amazing character, Frank Abagnale, Jr., but this musical tells the story surprisingly well using the “show” as metaphor for the two years or so of Frank’s “made up” life. It was my biggest surprise this spring.

So, hope you might partake and certainly share your reactions if you have or do!

The Capitol Pressroom for June 6, 2011

Hear what happens for yourself...

http://thecapitolpressroom.org/the-capitol-pressroom-for-june-6-2011/

M&T Bank Awards Education Grant to Capital Rep; Thousands of Capital Region Students to Benefit

Albany, NY – June 7, 2011 -- Delight and appreciation characterize the reaction of Capital Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director to a recent financial award from the Albany-based regional headquarters of M&T Bank. The funding will be used to provide scholarships to schools in which 50 percent or more of the student body qualifies for the Federal Lunch Program.

“M&T Bank has been a loyal and staunch supporter of the work we do at Capital Rep,” said Maggie Mancinelli Cahill. “By returning as The Classics on Stage Education/Production Sponsor in the amount of $10,000, M&T continues to help make the arts accessible to more than 14,000 students in 2011-12.”

"As a bank serving the Capital Region, our business is tied to the health of our community,” said Michael Keegan, Regional President for M&T Bank. “We have a vested interest in supporting organizations that improve the quality of life in the region. That's why M&T Bank has a long history of supporting important cultural institutions like Capital Repertory Theater and the educational opportunities and access to the arts that it provides to the children in this community.”

For two decades, Capital Rep’s Classics on Stage initiative has encouraged the support of business sponsors to create and expand programs that nurture appreciation of diverse cultural heritages and increase critical thinking skills through participation in the arts.

The Classics on Stage series produces dramatic literary works each season chosen with Capital Region school curriculum in mind. The program includes attendance at a morning matinee at the theatre, complimentary study guides to expand classroom lessons, post-performance discussions with artists and free workshops with trained teaching artists who help prepare for the performance and classroom work.

Last year, with the generosity of M&T Bank, Capital Rep brought more than 4,000 students to Classics on Stage performances of A Christmas Story, the hilarious play based on Jean Shepherd’s short story collection, and Crowns, the acclaimed adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s photographic essay on Black women in America.

In 2011-12 Capital Rep will continue the Classics on Stage program with two productions, beginning with an inspiring holiday production of the award-winning, Man of La Mancha¸ the musical version of Cervantes’ classic novel, Don Quixote. An expanded student matinee schedule will enable high school English students to experience the brilliant literary beginnings of the iconic figure of the knight errant, Don Quixote, who has become a symbol of perseverance, fortitude and truth around the world, inspiring young audiences to “Dream the Impossible Dream.”

Performing Arts Education at Capital Rep

Capital Repertory Theatre is a professional, not-for-profit theatre and the only member of the League of Resident Theatres (L.O.R.T.) within fourteen counties of New York’s Upper Hudson-Mohawk Valley.

Capital Rep produces a year-round season of plays and musicals drawn from classics and contemporary sources providing more than 250 performances annually, attracting more than 75,000 visits to downtown Albany every year. Capital Rep returns more than 83% of its annual $2.3 million budget back to the local community, standing behind its mission, “to create meaningful theatre with an authentic link to the community it serves.”

In its 30-year history, Capital Rep has employed more than 1,600 artists, produced more than 5,500 performances and inspired generations of young citizens through the joy and power of live performing arts.

One of the primary goals of the theatre is to ensure that every child within the 14 counties of the Capital Region experiences live professional theatre before graduating from high school.

A study conducted by Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre states that if a child does not attend the theatre before graduating from high school, “there is a 98% chance, that he/she will never attend the theatre in his/her life time.”

The opportunity to increase understanding and intellectual capacity through the performing arts must be captured while tomorrow’s citizens are still in school.

The United States Department of Education has documented that the arts provide essential links for students to develop skills for achieving at higher levels, especially students who are economically or socially disadvantaged.

Chicago school-district studies have demonstrated that test scores improved faster for students in low-income schools that linked arts across the curriculum than scores for students in schools without such programs.

It is not by accident that Capital Rep dedicates more than 13 percent of its total operating budget toward educational and outreach programs, the aim of which is to instill critical thinking skills in the next generation, to enhance empathy-building capacities and to help create citizens who are

community-oriented. Capital Rep’s arts-in-education programming strives to inspire youth though art with a goal nothing short of transforming young lives.

An Exciting New Season Ahead

In March 2012, Capital Rep will produce the Regional Premiere of Frank Higgins’ celebrated new play, Black Pearl Sings, a stirring drama in which a music historian finds a woman, jailed for vagrancy, who carries a rich oral history of the songs of America’s slave plantations. The women recognize that each can help the other – or exploit the other – and walk a dramatic tightrope to reveal and conceal the truth each seeks. The play’s content meets English and Social Studies New York State Learning Standard criteria and will be offered in an expanded student matinee schedule to accommodate high school teachers and students.

Informative, Entertaining, Affordable

Classics on Stage student matinees are priced at $12-15 per student – far below the $65 per ticket necessary to actually cover all costs of production. Even with these discounted ticket prices, more than 80 percent of participating schools request scholarships or subsidies to bring the price down even further. In order for schools to bring Teaching Artists in the classroom, services must be offered at nominal costs or for free.

Consolidation for the Arts

With a 30-year history of acclaimed productions and education programs, but with operational deficits resulting from the economic downturn, Capital Rep made a bold move in January 2011 to ensure the future of keeping quality professional theatre alive in the Capital Region.

As a means to strengthen the theatre’s financial foundation, Capital Rep entered into an administrative/management partnership with Proctors in Schenectady to retain management services and reduce administrative expenses.

In this collaboration, Capital Rep remains an independent not-for-profit organization (501C3) dedicated to the creation of meaningful theatre for all the people of the Capital Region. By retaining Proctors financial, marketing and administrative management services, Capital Rep has reduced administrative overhead by $300,000, thereby, making it possible for the theatre to balance its budget this year and implement the first phase of a three-year stabilization plan.

In Appreciation to M&T Bank

"In today's economy, this grant from M&T Bank is especially meaningful, said Ms. Mancinelli Cahill.

“With significant losses of State and City funding for arts education, support from private sources is critical. This grant from M&T represents a true understanding of the important role the arts play in sustaining the quality of life and education in the Capital Region.

“Together, M&T Bank Foundation with Capital Rep can continue to make a positive impact our community by helping to meet the educational, intellectual and emotional needs of our local Capital Region students through the power of art,” said Ms. Mancinelli Cahill.

For More Information

For more information on the M&T Bank Foundation, visit www.mtb.com/community.

For more information about Capital Rep, contact Maggie Mancinelli Cahill, Artistic Director, 518-382-3884, x400; artisticdirector@capitalrep.org

Blood Type: Ragu at the Capital Repertory Theater, Review
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Blood Type: Ragu, Capital Repertory Theater, Review

http://thefreegeorge.com/thefreegeorge/blood-type-ragu-capital-repertory-theater-review/

You know, it must be tough being Frank Ingrasciotta, writer and star of the one-man show Blood Type: Ragu. Not because he had a father who was not exactly touchy-feely. Not because he found his mother after a failed attempt at suicide. It must be tough to be Frank Ingrasciotta because he wrote a ninety minute autobiographical play and the biggest knock against it is that the story seems recycled. Boy cannot understand parents, endures cultural differences, grows up, understands, forgives, meets girl, dances in a field. That said, while the story may be one you’ve seen before, Blood Type: Ragu makes for a worthwhile and enjoyable night at the theater, regardless of nationality.

The night I went, June 1st, was opening night, and upon entering the theater I was met with a very… well… Italian scene. Loud, boisterous, joyous, I half expected some in-law or another to come and cover my cheeks with a fresh coat of red lipstick. Vincent M. Bonafede played Italian standards on a piano, adding an appropriate and appreciated ambience. Richard Lovrich, art director at Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady and a local staple in the artistic community, could be seen chatting it up, moving from group to group and leaving people with smiles on their lips, bringing new laughter to the room.

All this had the effect of an opening act. Everyone was warmed up and ready to be entertained, and so it was a relief that Ingrasciotta entertained so capably. The set was minimal. A chair, a doorway, and a series of screens far upstage upon which were projected different images as befitting the “scene” (there were no formal scenes, just a turn in the narrative with a correlating change in the projection). The energy of the piece was the first thing I noticed. There was no humble bow, no half-wave, just an immediate and effective launch into the work.

At first, the play is difficult to follow, not so much because the story is complex, but because the man plays over twenty-five different people and they all have different voices. Also, much of the play is initially spoken in Italian, though Ingrasciotta takes pains (often hilarious pains) to translate for his audience. For example, “[Italian words]. Translation: You piece of whore without a husband.” Eventually, however, I became accustomed to the voices and was able to identify who was speaking purely through inflection. The fact that Ingrasciotta was able to move with such dexterity between accents and the tonal characteristics of men and women (without lapsing into an overdone, goofy falsetto) must be respected here, for it did much to keep the audience’s attention. Somehow, though I was always looking at one man, the speed with which he could speak through a variety of characters gave the impression that my eyes were always moving across the stage, darting back and forth throughout inter-character exchanges.

My only knock, as previously stated, is that I felt like I had heard this story before, but frankly I admire Ingrasciotta for not making Blood Type: Ragu into something completely outlandish for the sake of originality, because, although I am not Italian, I felt I could relate to the story. It touches on more than cultural differences, but generational, on growing up and getting a life, even if that takes you a bit longer than you planned.

Capital Repertory Theater ended this night with champagne and Italian pastries for all, compliments of the house, and though this was of course just an opening night thing, it rounded out the night well. A touch like this makes it easy to believe this was the last show of the thirtieth season at Capital Rep, and that another season is on the way. With so many budgetary cuts and donor cutbacks due to the economy being what it is, another season was no guarantee (just ask NYSTI). Ingrasciotta came out and mingled with the audience, shaking hands and thanking them for their support of him and of the arts in general, to which many thanked him for providing something of value to support. Personally, I count myself among the grateful.

Blood Type: Ragu runs through June 19, 2011. For tickets and general info, visit www.capitalrep.org

–Matthew Holden is an Assistant Editor of The Free George.
The Free George is the online magazine and visitors’ guide of Upstate NY, covering things from Albany to Lake Placid, including Saratoga, the Lake George region and the Adirondacks. Check out our new City Blogs section for our extended coverage areas as well.

Proctors to host an evening of fun, fashion and food for women
Saturday, May 28, 2011
By Joanne E. McFadden

Photographer: Marc Schultz

Jes Constantine conducts a willPower & grace exercise class at Best Fitness in the Crosstown Plaza. Adina Lawton follows the movements. A willPower & grace demonstration is among the scheduled activities at Proctors’ “Indulge.”

Text Size: A | A | A

Wine . . . chocolate . . . shopping . . . and more. The Theatre Guild at Proctors is hosting a special evening on Thursday, designed for women. “We were thinking that it was time that we had an event geared towards women,” said Judy Decker, special-events manager at Proctors.

The organizing committee wanted the event to be fun, first and foremost, and it has crafted an evening where fun, relaxation and education are woven together to offer women a chance to treat themselves. “We wanted it to feel like a night off to relax with other women,” Decker said.

There will be champagne to start the evening, followed by demonstrations, workshops, shopping, a fashion show and free “speed readings” by psychic Corbie Mitleid.

Best Fitness in Schenectady is collaborating with Proctors on the event to bring demonstrations of the latest in fitness classes, including willPower & grace, a patented method described as “a synthesis of barefoot physical training, emotion and integrity.” Instructors from Best Fitness will also demonstrate Zumba, a dance fitness program developed in Colombia that has become very popular.

Tickets for the event are $10, with the proceeds to benefit Proctors.

“The whole idea is about having some fun, relaxing, picking up some good information, but mostly feeling like you come away relaxed,” Decker said.

‘Indulge: A Night Out For Women’
WHERE: Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady
WHEN: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday
HOW MUCH: $10
MORE INFO: 382-3884, www.proctors.org

Read full story at http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/may/28/0528_indulge/

Ingrasciotta writes himself in
Published: Thursday, May 26, 2011
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2011/05/26/entertainment/doc4ddd75495616a478675480.txt?viewmode=fullstory
By Phil Drew
The Record

Click to enlarge
On the heels of its presentation of "Kingdom of the Shore," Terrence Lamude’s debut as a playwright, Albany’s Capital Repertory Theater is closing out its current season with "Blood Type: RAGU," another closely observed ethnic family saga that is also an actor-director’s first full playwriting effort.

"I had written a lot of sketch comedy skits, musical revues, and I had written a lot of parodies for corporate events and other things, but never anything in this genre," says Frank Ingrasciotta, the author of "Blood Type: RAGU," in which he also stars as a one-man gang of more than a score of characters. The play is his personal, biographical coming-of-age tale of growing up in an extended family of first-generation Italian immigrants.

"For a lot of years, I had these stories about growing up that would make people laugh," he says. "They were rich and personal. People would tell me I should do it as a comedy piece. But I wanted it to be more than just funny."

And more than just Italian. As the work developed he came to understand the universality of his experience even in the very specific ethnicity of it. "It’s really about a family, and we all have those. It’s about a family that just happens to be Italian. People of all backgrounds resonate with it."

It was his marriage to a fellow Italian that sparked his reconnection with his family story. "I had kind of divested myself of the culture but on our honeymoon, we went to Italy and to the village my family came from, and (my wife) said, you really should look up these relatives you haven’t seen in so long. I did go back. I didn’t know how accepting they’d be but it turned out to be a very accepting experience."

Then he began evolving his idea for how to tell his story. "It started out as a performance piece, and in working its way through different workshops, trying it out in different theaters, it became a one-man play, with me playing 20 different people." He credits the work’s development to "the experience of a good director, Ted Sod, who helped me structure it and put it together.

“Ted helped me look at this objectively."

Ingrasciotta had been introduced to theater by "my sister, who happened to take me to my first Broadway musical at thirteen. I loved that ability to move people through song and dance."

The Jersey kid began auditioning professionally in the city, and finally scored a role in soap opera — by sending the producers an outline of a scenario involving himself. "I kind of wrote myself into the script of ‘One Life to Live’ as a background character, a maitre d’ in a restaurant."

From there, he began picking up acting work "off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway, summer stock and regional theater. I do a lot. That’s how I’ve thrived in the business. The more you know, the more you do."

He was the original off-Broadway stage manager of the hit musical "Godspell," and began picking up work as a director of cabarets and musical revues and corporate shows, eventually directing for regional theater.

For three years he wrote, directed and produced "NY Cable Follies." He is an arts educator serving on the teaching faculty of SUNY Purchase and Manhattanville College.

For the last decade, while engaged in his many pursuits, Ingrasciotta developed "RAGU" in regional workshops. It scored an off-Broadway run at New York’s Belmont Playhouse where it became that theater’s longest-running project, then moved on to the Actors Playhouse in New York, where "RAGU" won critical acclaim. "Since we closed off-Broadway, we had a short stint in Connecticut, and this is the first run since. We’re actually looking for it to continue a life on the road."

And there may be more. Ingrasciotta and his wife are collaborating on a family cookbook, and he hopes to sell a screenplay for a film based on his play. "There is another story to be told," he says. "There is definitely a sequel, if I want one."

The regional premiere of Frank Ingrasciotta’s "Blood Type: RAGU" will be performed at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany May 27 through June 19. For a full schedule, ticket information and reservations, call 445-SHOW (445-7469) or visit www.capitalrep.org

'Ragu' appeals to all tastes
By Michael Eck Special to the Times Union
Published 12:01 a.m., Thursday, May 26, 2011
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Frank Ingrasciotta wrote and stars in ?Blood Type: Ragu,? which opens Tuesday at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. (CAROL ROSEGG)

"Can I make the obvious but appropriate metaphor that boiling a life's worth of experiences down into a one-man play is like making sauce,' the intrepid reporter asks the actor/playwright.

"Oh, yeah," says Frank Ingrasciotta, author and star of "Blood Type: Ragu," which comes to Capital Repertory Theatre this week, on its first major stop outside of Manhattan.

"In fact, the play starts with a recipe for all the ingredients that make up my life."

"Blood Type: Ragu," as you may have guessed, concerns the Brooklyn-born Ingrasciotta's Italian-American upbringing, as well as his youthful urge to run away from it.

"I wanted to divorce my culture at one point," he says.

Ingrasciotta's father was born in America, but as an infant his family returned to Sicily, where the playwright's mother was born, effectively making Ingrasciotta first-generation on this side of the pond.

He grew up -- the youngest of three -- in what he calls "a dramatic, volatile family" with battling parents and a "severe" father who "wanted everything done the way he wanted it done."

Ingrasciotta foiled his own efforts at staking an alternative cultural turf for himself by falling in love with and marrying a fellow Sicilian -- chef and nutritionist Teresa Russo.

"As fate would have it," he laughs, "I found Teresa. That's not what I was looking for, it's just how it happened."

Russo urged Ingrasciotta to return to Italy, where he hadn't been since a childhood visit almost 30 years prior. That trip, and the bonding he found with distant relatives, sparked the writing of "Ragu."

"When you meet someone and marry them, you marry their family, too. Teresa had a huge, warm Italian family, which showed me the positive side of what being Italian could be.

"So, on our honeymoon in Sicily, I looked up some of my old relatives and it turns out they were very loving and embracing, too. By walking the same streets my parents had when they were kids, I totally got who they were, and I finally understood them. It was very healing, and in that moment I realized that this is my story and it needs to be told."

Ingrasciotta, who now lives in White Plains, wasn't always a playwright. "Ragu," in fact, is his first published effort.

He started out as an actor and director, making the rounds of TV soap operas, including "All My Children" and a five-year stint on "One Life to
Live," where "I was Rene Buchanon's maitre'd at the Palace Hotel Restaurant."

After making a career for himself, Ingrasciotta decided he wanted more and returned to school to study writing and theater education. He now spends much of his time in education and arts advocacy.

With "Ragu," Ingrasciotta already has his eyes on Hollywood and is actively at work on turning the 80-minute one-act into a fleshed-out screenplay.

"Many of the people who've come to watch the play say, 'I see this as a movie.'"

Despite its title and its red sauce detail, Ingrasciotta says an audience doesn't need to be Italian to get his play. Like a good Italian meal, he feels "Ragu" has universal appeal.

"It doesn't matter because it's a story about a family. That family happens to be Italian, but the dynamics are very identifiable, so much so that people of all walks come up to me after the play and want to share their stories -- African-American, Latino, everybody."
"In my playwriting class, I explain to students that the more personal you make something, the more universal it becomes."
At a glance

"BLOOD TYPE: RAGU"
When: In previews; opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Capital Repertory Theatre, 111 N. Pearl St., Albany
Continues: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Through June 19
Tickets: $30-$50
Info: 445-7469; http://www.capitalrep.org

Capital Rep/Proctors Alliance Gets Thumbs Up in Early Assessment

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Ticketing Expertise Offered to Other Arts Organizations

Schenectady, NY – May 23 – Albany’s Capital Repertory Theatre and Schenectady’s
Proctors might well be modern poster children for French psychologist Emile Coué’s
signature mantra of optimistic autosuggestion -- "Every day, in every way, I’m
getting better and better."

Like newlyweds riding the tide of high expectations well above the threshold of
reasonable uncertainty, these two esteemed Capital Region entities are flashing a
high-five and thumbs up for progress achieved since the announcement of their
management agreement less than six months ago.

The agreement, announced in January 2011, focused on increasing efficiencies,
reduction of duplication, improvement of Capital Rep's financial prospects and
increased artistic opportunities — and enabling Proctors to continue to develop a
more regional vision. To achieve these goals, Proctors assumed management of Capital
Rep’s administrative functions, including ticketing, finance, marketing, development
and education programming.

To date, efforts to fully integrate Proctors and Capital Rep's administrative
operations is close to 90 percent complete after only five months.

Proctors CEO Philip Morris credits the noteworthy success to date to the dedication
and drive of staff at both Proctors and Capital Rep.

“They worked voluntarily on nights and on weekends,” says Morris. “They even
manually entered data that was not easily transported electronically from one
operating process to another.”

And, he adds, they managed the changeover during the ticket-sales crunch of Disney’s
The Lion King sales. He compared the experience to “changing the tires while the
bus was moving.”

Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, producing artistic director of Capital Rep, concurs. "The
idea of change can sometimes be fraught with fear of the unknown. Because of that,
we have made every effort to be sure that longstanding Capital Rep subscribers and
supporters understand how important our management agreement with Proctors is and
how we all will benefit over time.”

While Capital Rep's creative staff is intact, few remain on the administrative side;
eight staffers were lost, including former managing director Michele Desrosiers, who
had been expected to stay when the administrative deal was announced in January but
who later took a marketing position with a Fortune 500 company.

Originally projected at more than $200,000, Capital Rep’s savings related to the
alliance are on target, said Morris.

Have patrons, ticket buyers, and supporters felt these changes? Yes and no, say the
principals: phone calls to the box office may be answered by a new person with a
different welcome message. While contributions will go to each organization's
individual bank accounts, letters of acknowledgement and fulfillment might be
written by someone different. These changes, however, are expected to support the
work of the Capital Rep's artistic staff to deliver great theatre and will continue
to support the growing activities of Proctors.

The success of the Capital Rep- Proctors agreement has had a halo effect on regional
arts groups who also have an interest in the benefits of Proctors state-of-the-art
ticketing system. With its limited financial resources choral ensemble Albany Pro
Musica was the first to switch over to Tickets by Proctors. The service is free to
participating groups. Costs are covered by Proctors' standard ticketing fees, paid
by purchasers.

“This is a big step for our organizations,” said Morris. “Continued support will be
as critical to the future of Capital Rep and to Proctors as it ever has been. And
supporters of both entities have the measurable assurance of success that will
instill even more confidence that both Proctors and Capital Rep are being efficient
and responsible with that support.”

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