Category Archives: Press Releases

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Opens February 13

FT_In the Heat of the Night

Join The Whiskey Shambles Opening Weekend!
CEA Award winning blues artists The Whiskey Shambles are partnering up with us for a very special opening weekend– they’ll be playing from 7:30-8 to open In the Heat of the Night. We’re really excited about this special opening music, and we hope you’ll be there to enjoy it!

Since we closed Striking 12, we’ve been busy both rehearsing In the Heat of the Night as well as creating a brand new environment for our patrons. Join us for In the Heat of the Night, the local premiere of John Ball’s adaptation of the well-known movie, as well as the debut of a few improvements to our theater that should make your experience even more enjoyable!

It’s 1962. A hot August night lies heavy over the small town of Argo, Alabama. A dead white man is discovered and the local police arrest a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs. The police discover that their prime suspect is in fact a homicide detective from California. As it happens, Tibbs becomes the racially-tense community’s single hope in solving a brutal murder that is turning up no witnesses, no motives, and no clues.

We’re excited that Derek Snow, who was last seen in 2013’s Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, returns to Falcon to portray Tibbs and Mike Hall, last seen in The 39 Steps, will portray Gillespie.  Rounding out the cast is a group of Falcon veterans and talented new faces to the Falcon stage, and we think you’ll enjoy director Ed Cohen’s concept and staging, too.  We can’t wait for you to see this important show that is far more relevant today than we even imagined when we picked the show a year ago.“The play is taut and startlingly resonant, even as it deals with events taking place nearly 50 years ago. Pelfrey’s work is economical and uncompromising…suspenseful, thrilling, and stunningly theatrical.” – Nytheatre.com

Directed by Ed Cohen

Cast:

Tibbs – Derek Snow
Gillespie – Michael Hall
Sam – Simon Powell
Pete – Dan Maloney
Melanie – Dee Anne Bryll
Noreen – Allison Evans
Coroner/Mayor – Terry Gosdin
Oberst/Purdy – Tom Peters
Ralph/Kaufman – Jamie Ball
Tatum/Endicott/Jennings – Rich Setterberg

All performances are at Falcon Theatre, 636 Monmouth Street in Newport, Kentucky.  Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 513-479-6783. Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors or students with valid ID.

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DANCING FOR THE STARS 2015 | Sat., April 11, 2015 | Music Hall Ballroom

CAA_Dancing for the StarsCINCINNATI, OH – Who will be voted Cincinnati’s best celebrity dancer?  Which stars have the right moves to rule the dance floor?  Find out on Saturday, April 11, 2015 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) presents its ninth annual DANCING FOR THE STARS at the Music Hall Ballroom to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition – and arts education programs.

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The competitive dance for the evening will be Salsa, and each dance pair will have 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

In addition, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature:

  • Silent auction
  • Showcase performance by a 2015 Overture Award finalist in dance
  • Dance music by guest DJ “Rockin’ Ron” Schumacher, WGRR-FM
  • Pre-event reception and wine tasting
  • Open dancing before and after the competition
  • Lite bites provided by some of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants and caterers
  • Cash bar

Last year’s event introduced the DANCING FOR THE STARS Fundraising Champion – the celebrity dancer who raises the most revenue toward the event’s fundraising goal through table/ticket sales and donations from fans, who can add a donation under their favorite celebrity’s name at the time of ticket purchase, or simply make a donation if they cannot attend the event.  These donations will help one of the fans’ favorite celebrities win the Dancing for the StarsFundraising Champion award, which will be announced the evening of the event.  These direct donations (outside of the event ticket price) are 100% tax deductible.

The event will benefit the stars of tomorrow – the talented high school artists who participate each year in CAA’s Overture Awards – as well as CAA’s diverse arts education programs. DANCING FOR THE STARS committee includes: Dr. Tracey Skale (chair, Dancing for the Stars 2011 winner), Phil Schworer, Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey,Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, and Rosemary Schlachter.

Tickets are currently on sale at the following levels (a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible):

$100 – Patron (includes pre-event reception and two drink tickets)
$1,000 – Corporate Table (ten Patron level tickets and a half-page black-and-white program ad)
$1,500 – Celebrity Circle Table (premium “first-row” viewing of competition area, ten Patron level tickets, full-page black-and-white program ad, recognition on event signage)

RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION:
(513) 977-4188
Aronoff Center Ticket Office
www.CincinnatiArts.org 

THE STARS:

  • Cristen Appleton (Northern Kentucky real estate agent; reality TV star)
  • Mary Bettman (owner, Chef’s Café – Sharonville)
  • Doug Bolton (managing principal, DTZ, formerly Cassidy Turley)
  • Johnny Chu (owner, AmerAsia Kungfood Restaurant)
  • George Foster (former member of the Cincinnati Reds’ ”Big Red Machine”; Cincinnati business owner)
  • Barbara Hauser (manager, Ohio Government & Community Relations, Procter & Gamble)
  • Diana Maria Lara (corporate director of media & public relations, UC Health)
  • Devinder Mangat, MD, FACS (founder, Mangat-Kuy-Holzapfel Plastic Surgery Centers)

THE PROS with Star pairing:

  • Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company) – Doug Bolton
  • Bonita Brockert (independent dance instructor) – Devinder Mangat, MD, FACS
  • J. Patrick Clements (Step-n-Out Studio) – Cristen Appleton
  • Doreen Beatrice (Step-n-Out Studio)- Johnny Chu
  • Brian McNamee (Cincinnati Ballroom Company) – Barbara Hauser
  • Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) – Mary Bettman
  • Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) – George Foster
  • Jozsef Parragh (independent dance instructor) – Diana Maria Lara

THE HOSTS:  Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM)

THE JUDGES:

  • Douglas Beal (independent dance instructor)
  • Britney  Ruby-Miller (director of operations,  Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment;  Dancing for the Stars alum, 2014)
  • Third judge to be announced

PRESENTING SPONSOR:  UC Health

EVENT SPONSORS:  Alleen Company, Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Bonita Brockert, Carey Digital, Cincinnati Ballroom Company, Heidelberg Distributing Company, Jozsef Parragh Pebble Creek Group, and Step-n-Out Studio.

Cincinnati Arts Association’s Arts Education Programs
CAA’s Education Department promotes life-long learning through its programs, which are diverse, multidisciplinary, and accessible to all ages and cultural groups. SchoolTime presents a series of programs that feature nationally-recognized artists at CAA’s two venues (the Aronoff Center and Music Hall), and Artists On Tour brings the finest local artists in the region to Tri-state schools for interactive arts experiences aligned with the curriculum.

The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country.  The program annually provides a $4,000 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $1,000 scholarship. Each year, more than 450 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Finals, and Final.

The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools.  Now in its 19th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies, including Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony/Pops Orchestras, May Festival, and Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, presented by TriHealth. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.3 million students.

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AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at Clifton Performance Theatre

CP_August Osage CountyAUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is Tracy Letts Tony award winning family drama set in the arid flat lands of the Oklahoma plains.  The Weston sisters return to their Oklahoman homestead once their father Beverly goes missing. In the summer heat they’re forced to examine their own lives, their futures and their relationship with their sharp-tongued mother. Family secrets, generational conflict and repressed truths explode in this portrait of one of the most dysfunctional families the stage has ever seen. Family dysfunction unfolds as family secrets and decades of pain are slowly revealed. Hilarious, taut and truthful.

The cast is comprised of Clifton Players (Carol Brammer, Carter Bratton, Kevin Crowley, Mindy Heithaus, MaryKate Moran, Leah Strasser and Reggie Willis) and features guest artist Dale Hodges as the matriarch of the Weston clan, Violet.  Dale, veteran of New York and Cincinnati stages returns to Clifton after appearing in Krisit in 2013.

Also returning to Clifton are Christine Dye (who was last seen at Clifton in Sarge and The Riverside) and Nathan Neorr (fresh from All New People).  Newcomers to the  Clifton stage are local favorite Bob Allen and Cincinnati native, Sarah White.  Sarah relocated to New York City following a professional internship at The Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (where she was featured as Alice in Alice In Wonderland) and plans to commute between here and the Big Apple during the run of AUGUST.  Commuting between NYC and Cincinnati for the run of a show is familiar territory to director/scenic designer Buz Davis, who pulled off the trick 20 years ago to appear in The Philadelphia Story here In Cincinnati.  Davis directs OSAGE having last directed The Whale here at Clifton and Harvey last spring at The Carnegie.

On staging AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY in the intimate basement space at Clifton, Davis says,  “AUGUST presents another welcome opportunity to bring the audience and the actors into close proximity.  I think folks who’ve come to Clifton are used to having the action within arms reach and this time it’s no different.  In fact this design will surround the audience in a way I don’t think they’ve experienced before.  I am very excited about it.”

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Featuring

  • Dale Hodges as Violet Weston
  • Bob Allen as Charlie Aiken
  • Carol Brammer as Barbara Fordham
  • Carter Bratton as Little Charles
  • Kevin Crowley as Bill Fordham
  • Buz Davis as Beverly Weston
  • Christine Dye as Mattie Fae Aiken
  • Mindy Heithaus as Karen Weston
  • MaryKate Moran as Ivy Weston
  • Nathan Neorr as Steve Heidebrecht
  • Leah Strasser as Johnna Monevata
  • Sarah White as Jean Fordham
  • Reggie Willis as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau

DATES
Feb 19 at 8pm
Feb 20 at 8pm
Feb 21 at 8 pm
Feb 22 at 7 pm

Feb 26 at 8 pm
Feb 27 at 8 pm
Feb 28 at 8 pm

Mar 1 at 3 pm
Mar 2 at 8 pm

Mar 6 at 8 pm
Mar 7 at 8 pm
Mar 8 at 3 pm
Mar 9 at 8 pm

Mar 12 at 8 pm
Mar 13 at 8 pm
Mar 14 at 8 pm

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Cast List Announced for Beechmont Players Inc.’s INHERIT THE WIND

BPI_logoBeechmont Players, Inc. (BPI) is proud to announce the cast of its spring production, INHERIT THE WIND, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee:

  • Henry Drummond – Joel Lind
  • Matthew Harrison Brady – Gary Glass
  • E.K. Hornbeck – Tim Rogers
  • Rachel Brown – Morgan Carter Woodring
  • Bertram Cates – Alec Bowling
  • Rev. Jeremiah Brown – Jim Waldfogle
  • Meeker – Ray Lebowski
  • Howard – Wesley Schmidt
  • Judge – Steve Phelan
  • Mayor – David Abbott
  • Davenport – Garek Bushnell
  • Mrs. Brady – Sandy Schlueter
  • Bannister – Roberto Henriquez
  • Melinda – Catherine Voorhees
  • Sillers – Bryce Willson
  • Mrs. Krebs – Brandy Buckingham
  • Mrs. Blair – Lee Anne Waldfogle
  • Mrs. McLain – Mary Ann Fagel
  • Male Ensemble – Michael Surber

INHERIT THE WIND is directed by Jerry Wiesenhahn and produced by Darcy Little.

Synopsis:
This fictionalized account ofthe Scopes “Monkey” trial in Tennessee addresses basic issues which arestill controversial today. Thinly disguised characters portraying William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow oppose each other in this dramatic re-creation of the trial of a teacher for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class. It’s faith versus science in a play that reflects conflicts that still trouble our society.

INHERIT THE WIND will run May 8 – 16, 2015, at the Anderson Center Theatre. Tickets are $15 general admission and $13 students, seniors and active military. Tickets are available a twww.beechmontplayers.org, by calling 513-233-2468 or at the door during the run of the show.

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West Side Group Makes Double Season Announcement

Covedale Center ‘Marquee Series’ and Warsaw Federal Incline Theater ‘District Series’ Highlight Exciting Titles Through Spring 2016

CLPTen shows. Two theaters. One busy production company.

When Cincinnati Landmark Productions announced its plans to build the new Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, it designed three production seasons at its two venues to appeal to its current patrons and to reach new audiences.

At its Double Season Announcement Event, the west-side theater group announced its 2015-16 Covedale Center ‘Marquee Series’ as well as the debut 2015-16 Warsaw Federal Incline Theater ‘District Series.’

The shows are:

Covedale Center Marquee Series, presented by Cincinnati Federal and TriHealth:

  • A Chorus Line, September 3 – 27, 2015
  • Fox On The Fairway, October 22 – November 15, 2015
  • Mary Poppins, November 27 – December 20, 2015
  • Chapter Two, January 21 – February 14, 2016
  • She Loves Me, March 10 – April 3, 2016
  • Brigadoon, April 28 – May 22, 2016

Warsaw Federal Incline Theater District Series:

  • Extremities, September 30 – October 18, 2015
  • Rent, December 2 – 20, 2015
  • Avenue Q, February 17 – March 6, 2016
  • Glengarry Glen Ross, April 6 – 24, 2016

Subscriptions for both seasons immediately were available for purchase.

The Covedale Center Marquee Series subscriptions are $126 for all 6 shows. Current subscribers can renew their seats through June 19, 2015. Tickets to single shows go on sale July 20, 2015. The Covedale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 4990 Glenway Avenue.

District Series subscriptions for the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater are $84 for all 4 shows. Summer Classics Season subscribers can lock in their summer season seats for the District Series through January 31, 2015. All seats not purchased by that date will be released for sale. Tickets to single shows go on sale July 20, 2015. The Warsaw Federal Incline Theater is located at 801 Matson Place.

“We’ve created distinct seasons of exciting show titles that our audiences will absolutely love,” said Tim Perrino, executive artistic director of Cincinnati Landmark Productions. “One season will represent the legacy of our company, the other an expansion of our programming.  Together, they deepen the impact of Cincinnati Landmark Productions in the communities we call home.”

The Marquee Series and District Series seasons complement Cincinnati Landmark Productions’ previously announced 2015 Summer Classics Season at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, presented by TriHealth:

  • The Producers, June 3-21
  • 1776, July 8-26
  • 9 to 5, August 12-30

The Warsaw Federal Incline Theater will be a brand new, purpose-built, 220-seat performing arts center and parking garage in the Incline District in East Price Hill. Located at the corner of Matson Place and West 8thStreet, the $6 million project is under construction and on schedule to open this spring. The Warsaw Federal Incline Theater will be programmed year-round by Cincinnati Landmark Productions, culminating in over 120 show nights.

Cincinnati Landmark Productions has been serving the West Side for over 30 years – first through its Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre program and then through its ownership and management of the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts in West Price Hill. Since opening in 2002, the arts center quadrupled its subscribership. Attendance ballooned from 13,990 in the 2002-03 season to over 37,000 (representing 336 zip codes) in the 2013-14 season.

Donor programs and sponsorships for the theaters and new seasons are still available. For more information, call (513) 241-6550.

# # #

Complete Show Information:

Covedale Center Marquee Series:

A Chorus Line                             September 3 – 27, 2015

Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett; Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante; Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban; Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian; Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.

A CHORUS LINE is a stunning musical-vérité about a chorus audition for a Broadway musical. It tells of the achingly poignant ambitions of professional Broadway gypsies to land a job in the show, and is a powerful metaphor for all human aspiration. Memorable musical numbers include I Can Do That, At the Ballet, Dance: Ten; Looks: Three, The Music and the Mirror, What I Did for Love, One (Singular Sensation) and I Hope I Get It. It is a brilliantly complex fusion of dance, song and compellingly authentic drama. The show was instantly recognized as a classic.

Fox On The Fairway                        October 22 – November 15, 2015
Book by Ken Ludwig

A tribute from Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) to the great farces of the 1930s and 1940s, The Fox On the Fairway takes audiences on a hilarious romp which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club. Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors, and over-the-top romantic shenanigans, it’s a furiously paced comedy that recalls the Marx Brothers’ classics. A charmingly madcap adventure about love, life, and man’s eternal love affair with… GOLF!

Mary Poppins                                                November 27 – December 20, 2015

Original Music and Lyrics by  Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Book by  Julian Fellowes

New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by  George Stiles and Anthony Drewe; Co-Created by  Cameron Mackintosh

Everyone’s favorite practically perfect nanny takes the stage in this Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical adventure.  Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven TONY Awards, including Best Musical. The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren’t the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that “Anything can happen if you let it.” Features heartwarming songs like:  “Chim Chim Cher-ee”, “Jolly Holiday”, “A Spoonful of Sugar”, Let’s Go Fly A Kite” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Chapter Two                                             January 21 – February 14, 2016
By Neil Simon

Recent widower, writer George Schneider, is encouraged by his younger brother Leo to start dating again. Which sends George into even more depression after a series of bad matches. Then Leo comes up with Jennie Malone and she’s a keeper. Still, it’s a bumpy trip on the road to Dreamland for these not-so-young lovers. George and Jennie stumble on, overcoming both their hesitation on the rebound and emotional neediness. In a hilarious, farcical subplot, Leo has a fling with Faye, Jennie’s neurotic married friend. “Lovely whimsical and touching and always funny…most of the time downright hilarious.” -New York Post

She Loves Me                                                 March 10 – April 3, 2016
Book by  Joe Masteroff; Music by  Jerry Bock; Lyrics by  Sheldon Harnick; Based on a play by Miklos Laszio

An intimate and touching show, featuring music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler On The Roof) and book by Joe Masteroff (Cabaret), She Loves Me was nominated for five TONY Awards in 1964, the 1993 Broadway revival won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the 1994 Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. She Loves Me is a warm romantic comedy with an endearing innocence and a touch of old world elegance.  Set in a 1930’s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks Amalia and Georg, who more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. After both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement” in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. The movies “The Shop Around The Corner” and “You’ve Got Mail” are both based on this romantic tale!

Brigadoon                                                         April 28 – May 22, 2016
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Music by Frederick Loewe; Original dances created by Agnes de Mille

One of the most intriguing and delightful aspects of a musical show is its ability to open up a whole new world to both its audience and cast. The show that does this better than any other is BRIGADOON. This is a Scottish fantasy about a town that disappears into the Highland mist and returns for only one day every one hundred years. Songs include:  Waitin’ for My Dearie, I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, Come to Me, Bend to Me, Almost Like Being in Love, There But for You Go I, The Heather on the Hill and My Mother’s Weddin’ Day. This is a tribute to simplicity, goodness and the power of true love.

Warsaw Federal Incline Theater District Series:

Extremities                                   September 30 – October 18, 2015
By William Mastrosimone

In a vicious encounter, Marjorie is attacked in her home by a would-be rapist. She manages to turn the tables on him, imprisoning him in her fireplace. But when her roommates come home to find the assailant bound and blinded, tensions rise to a raging fever pitch. All the players must now deal with their own pasts and their future decisions – should the attacker pay with his life or not?  A searing story that featured Farah Fawcett on Broadway and in the film.

Rent                                                                     December 2 – 20, 2015
Book, Music and Lyrics by  Jonathan Larson

An inspiring musical about friends struggling with addiction, poverty, AIDS and most of all, love. Winner of the TONY Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s story follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians surviving and creating in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams makes for an unforgettable, groundbreaking musical.

Avenue Q                                    February 17 – March 6, 2016
Music and Lyrics by  Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx   Book by  Jeff Whitty

This laugh-out-loud musical tells of a recent college grad who discovers that Avenue Q is not your ordinary neighborhood. He and his new-found “friends” struggle to find jobs, dates, and the ever-elusive purpose in life. Filled with gut-busting humor and a delightfully catchy score, not to mention LOTS of puppets, Avenue Qis a truly unique show that has become a favorite for audiences everywhere. For a show with lots of adult issues, this is one puppet-filled comedy, where puppets are friends, monsters are good and life lessons are learned.

Glengarry Glen Ross                   April 6 – 24, 2016
By David Mamet

For two days we see into the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents as they lie, bribe, betray, flatter, intimidate and even burglarize their way to elusive, illusory success. As they do anything to “win” – selling worthless real estate to unwitting prospective buyers – the men hustle others and fool themselves into thinking that they have what it takes to make an “honest” living.

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