Monthly Archives: June 2021

2021-2022 Season Announced by The Carnegie

TC_logo_newTHE CARNEGIE ANNOUNCES 2021-22 THEATRE SEASON

COVINGTON, KY – The Theatre Series is back! The Carnegie’s 2021-22 season features a fast-talking plant; an intimate glimpse into the complicated life of a Hollywood icon; a heartwarming, family musical that will have everyone humming “Do-Re-Mi”; and the debut of a new script by a local arts leader.

The season opens in August with outdoor performances of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, a deliciously hilarious musical about a man-eating plant. In September, audience members will finally have the opportunity to see Judy Garland as she navigates a comeback in END OF THE RAINBOW, the final production of The Carnegie’s 2019-2020 season that was canceled due to COVID. Families are welcome to return to The Carnegie Theatre with a winter production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC in January of 2022. Closing out the season in April will be a new play by D. Lynn Meyers – in a first-of-its-kind regional collaboration, The Carnegie and NKU School of the Arts will work together to produce a new play by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Producing Artistic Director.

Subscriptions and single tickets for the 2021-22 Theatre Season are on sale now. Full season subscriptions are $106 and $102 for Carnegie Members. Pick three subscriptions are available for $82-87 depending on selected titles. Subscriptions may be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940, Tuesday – Friday, Noon – 5 pm, or online at thecarnegie.com.

The Carnegie’s 2021-22 Theatre Series is presented by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

The Carnegie’s 2021-22 Theatre Series

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS | Playing August 13-22, 2021
Performances at Covington Plaza Amphitheater (144 Madison Ave, Covington KY 41011)
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman | Music by Alan Menken
Based on the film by Roger Corman | Screenplay by Charles Griffith
Originally produced by the WPA Theatre (Kyle Renick, Producing Director)
Originally produced at the Orpheum Theatre, New York City by the WPA Theatre, David Geffen, Cameron Mackintosh and the Shubert Organization

A Broadway and Hollywood smash musical, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS has devoured the hearts of theatregoers for over thirty years. Seymour is a down-on-his-luck floral assistant living on Skid Row and pining for the love of his co-worker, Audrey. But his fortunes change when he meets a fast-talking plant who promises him wealth, fame, and the love of his dream girl to boot. There’s just one problem. In exchange for his wildest dreams coming true, Seymour must follow the plant down a murderous path to world domination.

Featuring a beloved score in a Motown style, you’ll be hopping and bopping to hits like “Suddenly Seymour,” “Skid Row,” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.

Six Performances:

  • Friday, August 13, 8 pm
  • Saturday, August 14, 8 pm
  • Sunday, August 15, 6 pm
  • Friday, August 20, 8 pm
  • Saturday, August 21, 8 pm
  • Sunday, August 22, 6 pm

Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members and $25 for students.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS-Broadway Version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MIT). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MIT. www.MTIShows.com

Content Advisory: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.


END OF THE RAINBOW | Playing September 10-19, 2021
Performances at Covington Plaza Amphitheater (144 Madison Ave, Covington KY 41011)
By Peter Quilter 

The year is 1968 and Judy Garland is set firmly on the comeback trail. The failed marriages, the suicide attempts and the addictions are all behind her. At forty-six and with new flame Mickey Deans at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. But lasting happiness always eludes some people, and there was never any answer to the question with which Judy ended every show: “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why, can’t I?”

END OF THE RAINBOW is a savagely funny drama featuring a glorious ensemble of Judy Garland hits such as “The Trolley Song,” “The Man that Got Away,” and of course “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Six Performances:

  • Friday, September 10, 8 pm
  • Saturday, September 11, 8 pm
  • Sunday, September 12, 6 pm
  • Friday, September 17, 8 pm
  • Saturday, September 18, 8 pm
  • Sunday, September 19, 6 pm

Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members and $25 for students.

END OF THE RAINBOW is presented by special arrangement with CONCORD Theatricals, Inc.

CONTENT ADVISORY: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.


THE SOUND OF MUSIC | Playing January 29-February 13, 2022
Performances at The Carnegie Theatre (1028 Scott Blvd, Covington KY 41011)
Music by Richard Rodgers | Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse | Suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is one of the most beloved musicals of all time! In Austria, 1938, an exuberant young governess brings music and joy back to a broken family, only to face danger and intrigue as the Nazis gain power.

Featuring an iconic score including “My Favorite Things,” “Sixteen going on Seventeen,” and “Climb Every Mountain,” this family-friendly favorite shares a meaningful story for all ages.

Ten Performances:

  • Saturday, January 29, 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, January 30, 3 pm
  • Friday, February 4, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, February 5, 2 pm & 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, February 6, 3 pm
  • Friday, February 11, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, February 12, 2 pm & 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, February 13, 3 pm

Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members, $25 for students and $15 for children.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is presented by special arrangement with CONCORD Theatricals, Inc.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This is a family-friendly production. Appropriate for all ages.


The Carnegie Presents, in Collaboration with NKU School of the Arts
A New Play by D. Lynn Meyers | Playing April 1-16, 2022
Performances at The Carnegie Theatre (1028 Scott Blvd, Covington KY 41011)

In a first-of-its-kind regional collaboration, The Carnegie and NKU School of the Arts will work together to produce a new play by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Producing Artistic Director, D. Lynn Meyers. This bold pairing of educational and creative goals will allow the students of NKU’s School of the Arts Theatre + Dance Program to work intimately with Meyers to workshop and refine the new playscript through the ‘21-22 school year. The Carnegie will then debut this world premier script and kick-off the 20th anniversary of NKU’s YES festival, the oldest collegiate new-play festival in the country.

Eight Performances:

  • Friday, April 1, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, April 2, 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, April 3, 3 pm
  • Friday, April 8, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, April 9, 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, April 10, 3 pm
  • Friday, April 15, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, April 16, 7:30 pm

Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for Carnegie members and $21 for students. 

CONTENT ADVISORY: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.

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About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030. 

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the City of Covington. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

About The Carnegie Theatre Series
The Carnegie Theatre Series produces professional, innovative stagings of an eclectic range of theatrical works. Striving to unite the greater Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati theatre community through partnerships and collaborations, the series engages and nurtures both emerging and established talent, including working professionals, committed part-time theatre artists, university performing arts students and younger students. The Carnegie Theatre Series productions bring together these forces to provide quality theatre for Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.

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CCM’s Streaming Series Continues with Opera Gala Concerts Premiering on June 17 and 18

CCM_Opera Gala 2021CCM’s award-winning student singers take the stage with the Philharmonia Orchestra to perform excerpts from iconic operas 

CINCINNATI, OH—The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s virtual performance series continues with a pair of Spring Opera Gala concerts, which will be released back-to-back at 7:30 p.m. EDT on June 17 and 18.

CCM’s Spring Opera Gala is a double-casted production: the same repertoire is performed during both broadcasts, but each features a different cast of singers performing arias and duets from such classic Italian operas as Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Gioacchino Rossini’s Otello and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.

Each concert stream also begins with a spirited performance of the Overture to Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri by the CCM Philharmonia and concludes with a rousing rendition of the “Sola, sola in buio loco” sextet from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

CCM Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson conducts both performances, with musical preparation by Associate Professor of Opera Kathleen Kelly along with Professor of Opera/Voice Coaching and J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera Marie-France Lefebvre (preparation for the Don Giovanni sextet). See below for complete program and cast information for both broadcasts. Watch an excerpt from the June 18 broadcast here.

All episodes of CCMONSTAGE Online can be digitally streamed for free. After the premiere broadcast, each installment in this ongoing series will remain available for on-demand viewing on CCM’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

CCM’s Spring Opera Gala was recorded live in CCM’s Corbett Auditorium on March 26 and 28, 2021. Both performances observed all of the COVID Careful protocols that were required at the time of recording. Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. Audio production by Joel Crawford Recording. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.

View full details online

Receive broadcast reminders and information on future episodes of CCMONSTAGE Online by subscribing to CCM’s YouTube channel and email newsletter.

CCMONSTAGE Online Presents
SPRING OPERA GALA
Featuring CCM Opera and Voice Majors and the CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
Kathleen Kelly, musical preparation
Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation for the Don Giovanni Sextet

Streaming Premieres 

  • Spring Opera Gala 1: 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 17, 2021
  • Spring Opera Gala 2: 7:30 p.m. EDT Friday, June 18, 2021

Performance Details
(both concerts feature the same repertoire)

  • Overture to L’Italiana in Algeriby Gioacchino Rossini
  • Aria: “Ah! Per sempre” from I Puritaniby Vincenzo Bellini
  • Duet: “Esulti pur la barbara” from L’Elisir d’Amoreby Gaetano Donizetti
  • Aria: “Eccomi in lieta vesta … O quante volte” from I Capuleti e i Montecchiby Vincenzo Bellini
  • Duet: “Non m’inganni,” from Otello by Gioacchino Rossini
  • Duet: “Verranno a te” from Lucia di Lammermoorby Gaetano Donizetti
  • Duet: “Silvio, a quest’ora” from Pagliacciby Ruggero Leoncavallo
  • Sextet: “Sola, sola in buio loco” from Don Giovanniby W. A. Mozart

View the cast list, orchestra roster and additional performance details by visiting the CCM website


A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music offers nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.

The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world stage.

For more information, please visit us online at https://ccm.uc.edu/.

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2021-2022 Season Announced by The Drama Workshop

TDW_VERTThe Drama Workshop 2021 – 2022 Season

August 6 – 22, 2021
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ABRIDGED
By Long, Singer & Winfield. Directed by Becky Collins

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ABRIDGED features
three actors performing parodies of all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 97 minutes! It makes for one fast, funny evening. The Shakespearean “canon” gets loaded with jokes! Whether you love, hate or just don’t understand Shakespeare, it’s a blast!
Presented by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing, Inc, NYC

November 12 – 14, 2021
ALL TOGETHER NOW!
by Music Theatre International
Directed by Linda Abbott

One Weekend Only! The Drama Workshop and Music Theatre International invite you to attend a unique, one-time only musical revue celebrating the return of live theatre. ALL TOGETHER NOW! is a unique, one-time only revue that features favorite songs from over 20 of Broadway’s most loved songwriters as well as the Disney songbook. This show will be performed on the same weekend by theaters all over the world!
Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International, Inc.

MAKING GOD LAUGH
December 3 – 19, 2021
By Sean Grennan
Directed by Michael L. Morehead

MAKING GOD LAUGH is a touching family comedy which follows a family
across 30 years of holidays. Bill and Ruthie’s grown children — a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former football star – return home, where we learn that their plans and dreams reshape over time, ending at unexpected destinations.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc (www.playscripts.com)

HOME BREW THEATRE
January 14 – 16, 2022
Ten Short Plays by Ten Authors

We’re back! …in January! HOME BREW THEATRE is the fifth installment TDW’s
celebration of local playwrights and local beer. Join us for a selection of witty and thought-provoking ten-minute plays by local authors, and a chance to raise a glass with the actors, directors and writers at a reception afterwards.

BRIGHT STAR
March 4 – 20, 2022
By Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Directed by Dennis Murphy

Featuring the Grammy-nominated bluegrass-based score by Steve Martin and
Edie Brickell, Broadway’s BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping, tuneful tale of love, loss and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40s. Made possible by our show sponsor: Greg Schaper.
Presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide

FOOLISH FISHGIRLS AND THE PEARL
May 7 – 23, 2022
By Barbara Pease Weber
Directed by Rose Vanden Eynden

FOOLISH FISHGIRLS AND THE PEARL is a feisty fairytale about a mermaid’s
life on dry land after true love is found and lost. Three former deep-sea divas didn’t get the storybook “happily ever after” lives when they followed love and came ashore thirty years ago. Now a new mermaid has appeared, and they try to warn her of the perils of falling for fallible mortal men.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc (www.playscripts.com)

For more information on season subscriptions, visit www.thedramaworkshop.org/subscribe

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Video Auditions Announced for CABARET and BACK TO THE 80S at Dare 2 Defy Productions

D2D_logoDare 2 Defy Productions is currently accepting video submissions for CABARET and BACK TO THE 80s!

Please send 1-2 songs in the style of the show to auditions@dare2defy.org along with your headshot and resume. Once we have received your video audition, we will send callback materials. Please upload all videos to YouTube or Vimeo or send via large file transfer service (Dropbox, etc).

All roles are paid, non-union contracts.

If you do not wish to send a video but want to be considered, please email auditions@dare2defy.org and we will schedule you an audition time on the callback dates below. If you cannot attend callbacks, please let us know and we will conduct them over video or set up another time.

CABARET – CALLBACKS ON MONDAY, JULY 12 AT 6PM
BACK TO THE 80S – CALLBACKS ON FRIDAY, JULY 16 AT 6PM


CABARET
Presented by The Rubi Girls and Square One Salon
Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and Stories by Christopher Isherwood
Directed by Philip Drennen

Rehearsals begin Sept 7
Presented Oct 14-16 at the PNC Arts Annex

Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.

Casting Adults 18+ of all ethnicities and gender identities for all roles
**Please note that the roles of the Emcee and Fraulein Schneider have been cast

CASTING

  • SALLY BOWLES – A British Cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub
    Vocal Range – Low A to High C – Strong Belt A quirky character that comes across as flighty – yet at times struggles with knowing the darkness of the reality of her life as a cabaret performer. Comfortable with stage movement and light dance Age Range 20s to 30s. Speaks with a British Accent.
  • CLIFFORD BRADSHAW – An American novelist and English teacher traveling to Berlin
    Vocal Range – Low A to High E – Tenor Presented as a closeted gay man exploring his sexuality. Comfortable with stage movement and light dance Age range Late 20s to Mid 30s. Speaks with an American accent.
  • HERR SCHULTZ – One of Fraulein Schneider’s roomers and the proprietor of a Fruit Shop. Vocal Range – Low G to High F Age Range 40+ . Speaks with a German accent.
  • FRAULEIN KOST – Another of Fraulein Schneider’s roomers.
    Vocal Range – Low A flat to High F – Alto/Mezzo She earns money by offering favours to sailors. Age Range – 20s to 40s. Speaks with a German accent.
  • ERNST LUDWIG – A friendly and Likeable German Sings in the Chorus
    Vocal range – flexible Takes English lessons from Cliff and smuggles funds for the Nazi Party. Age Range – 25+. Speaks with a German accent.
  • KIT KAT GIRLS – Kit Kat Club Performers and Various Features
    Vocal Range – Strong Singers in all voice parts. The individuals will also be part of various scenes as performers and as club patrons. Features (“Two Ladies,” “Telephone Dance,” etc.) will be drawn from this group. Strong dance skills required. Age Range – 18+.
  • MALE ENSEMBLE – Kit Kat Klub Waiters and Patrons and Various Features
    Vocal Range – Strong Singers in all voice parts. Features (Bobby, Victor, “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” etc.) will be drawn from this group. Strong dance skills required. Age Range – 18+.


BACK TO THE 80s
Written by Neil Gooding, Additional Material by Stuart Smith
Revised Orchestrations and Arrangements by Brett Foster
Original Musical Adaptation by Scott Copeman
Directed by Becki Norgaard

Rehearsals begin July 26
Presented September 3-4 at The Victoria Theater

From the era that brought the world the Rubik’s Cube, Max Headroom and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comes the “totally awesome” musical Back to the 80’s. In the style of movies such as Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Karate Kid, Back to the 80’s is a nostalgic romp through the greatest hits of the decade.
Casting actors who are or can convincingly play high school students, all ethnicities and gender identities for all roles
**The roles of Michael and Mrs. Brannigan have been cast

CASTING

  • COREY PALMER (SENIOR) – The narrator of the show. Corey Snr is pushing 30, living in the year 2000, and reminiscing about the 80s (his school days), and his love for Tiffany Houston.
  • COREY PALMER (JUNIOR) – He is 17 and in his Senior Year. A very likeable, very ordinary American teenager.
  • ALF BUELLER – One of Corey Junior’s two best friends. A likeable teenager, only just coming out of childhood.
  • KIRK KEATON – Corey’s other best friend. Corey, Alf and Kirk are very close, but they are rather naïve, particularly about women.
  • TIFFANY HOUSTON – One of the group of girls that “Just Wanna Have Fun”. A cute, bubbly teenage female from the 80s, innocent, naïve and doe-eyed about boys and love – aspiring to be Cyndi Lauper and Madonna rolled into one.
  • CYNDI GIBSON – One of Tiffany’s best friends. More street-smart than Tiffany, Cyndi knows that boyfriends are a passport to attention and presents.
  • MEL EASTON – Another one of the inner click of “The Cool Girls”. An all-singing, all-dancing party girl.
  • KIM EASTON – The twin sister of Mel – although for ease of casting, they will probably be fraternal, not identical.
  • BILLY ARNOLD – One of Michael Feldman’s posse. Another popular, good-looking, athletic guy. The kind of person that every 17 year old wants to be (particularly if they are not popular, good-looking or athletic!!)
  • LIONEL ASTLEY – Lionel is fairly similar to Billy. Not quite as cool as the others, but because he is in the group, the girls put up with him anyway.
  • HUEY JACKSON – The final guy to round out the group of Michael Feldman’s friends. Not much else to be said – big hair, wears clothes that were cool at the time, but now just look like fluorescent mismatches of colour.
  • FEARGAL McFERRIN – The school nerd.
  • EILEEN REAGAN – The new arrival, charming, full of life and vitality – and a dreamer who lovingly longs for the day when she has a boyfriend.
  • LAURA WILDE – One of the girls that adopts Eileen into their group when she arrives at the school.
  • DEBBIE FOX – Laura’s best friend. Both girls have trouble distinguishing between reality (i.e. that they have had no boyfriends) and fantasy (that they are married to Neil Patrick Harris).
  • MR STEVIE COCKER – The Deputy Principal and maths teacher at William Ocean High School. One of only two teachers who will appear in the show. Stevie sees a future together with Sheena, but has major problems when he discovers he is dating a former centrefold (even though she is now a respectable, conservative English teacher.)

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OTR International Film Festival Announces 2021 Film Line-up

OTRIFF_2021 Announcement PartyThe 2021 Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival:
Film Line-up Announcement

CINCINNATI, Ohio (June 14, 2021) – Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, organized by LADD, is the nation’s first diversity film festival led by people in the disability community. We will announce the 2021 Film Festival line-up June 21st at 5:00 p.m. on Fountain Square. This event is free and open to the public!

The festival, which returns July 8-11th, will screen at outdoor & indoor venues around the city as well as virtually, featuring 24 film blocks made up of 46 films from around the world. This year’s festival includes films that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, South by South West, and Sundance. The films were selected from nearly 500 films submitted for consideration. These selections reflect the festival’s commitment to creating a platform to see through another’s eyes, while connecting across differences through stories and shared experiences.

“The films selected for the competition slate emerged from the largest and most diverse pool of submissions the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival has ever received,“ Says tt stern-enzi, festival Artistic Director. “Nearly 500 films from over 50 countries. To narrow the field down to 36 was a herculean task that our festival screening committee embraced.”

Post screening panels are available to both virtual and in-person audiences, and will include directors, stars of the films, and leaders in film and media at the festival for continued conversation.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Thursday, July 8th through Sunday, July 11th!

About Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival
The Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, organized by LADD, was founded by the Saul Schottenstein Foundation B and is presented by the Edwards Initiative, formerly Financial Independence Project. The festival, set to return July 8-11, 2021, showcases stories that celebrate the human spirit by providing a platform for audiences to see through another’s eyes. The festival also aims to spotlight the Queen City and its role in reframing how we see disability in the entertainment industry’s ongoing discussion of diversity. Learn more at otrfilmfest.org.

About LADD
Guided by the belief that every person has ability and value, LADD empowers adults with developmental disabilities to live, work, and connect. Founded in 1975, the Cincinnati non-profit now supports more than 600 individuals through housing, employment and meaningful community engagement programs. Learn more at laddinc.org.

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