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Press release - january 26, 2012

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CONTACT:
Victoria Endsley, Public Relations Consultant
(415) 749-6341 / (415) 749-6361 (Fax)
publicrelations@gracecathedral.org / www.GraceCathedral.org
1100 California Street, San Francisco, CA  94108

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GRACE CATHEDRAL EMBARKS ON INAUGURAL

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH PREMIERES PLAY EXPLORING “WHAT IS GRACE?”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (JANUARY 19, 2012): Grace Cathedral announces the launch of its Artist in Residence program with noted playwright and actor Anna Deavere Smith. During January and February 2012, Ms. Smith will share in the life of the cathedral, preach, host Forum events, and create a new work centering on the topic of grace.  Ms. Smith will also be featured in Carnivale – a gala to benefit Grace Cathedral – on February 16.  She will premiere her new work, entitled On Grace, at two evening performances inside the cathedral on February 17 and 18.  On Grace also features internationally celebrated cellist Joshua Roman.  

“We are excited to have Anna with us for the inaugural Artist in Residence program at Grace Cathedral,” says The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, Dean of Grace Cathedral.  “Anna has a special connection to the cathedral because she was confirmed as an Episcopalian here while attending the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.  She initiated the idea to write and perform a play at the cathedral that explores ‘What is Grace?’  We are so delighted that she will be with us to participate in our cathedral life in the coming weeks and we hope the community will enjoy the premiere of On Grace. Her presence reinforces how important the arts are at Grace Cathedral.”

Throughout her stay, Ms. Smith will be appearing at the Forum with journalist and author Belva Davis, composer John Adams, and the Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, Dean of Grace Cathedral.  The Forum, held select Sundays at Gresham Hall at 9:30 am, features leading public figures, musicians, theologians, artists and writers who share innovative and provocative thinking, stimulating our minds and hearts to engage the world around us in new ways.  Ms. Smith’s appearances at the Forum are January 29, February 5 and February 12.  She will also be preaching on February 5 at the 11:00 am Choral Eucharist immediately following the Forum.

For more information about the Artist in Residence program and to buy tickets for Ms. Smith's performances of On Grace, please visit gracecathedral.org/air.  Proceeds from these performances will benefit arts and cultural events at Grace Cathedral.

Grace Cathedral’s 2012 Artist in Residence program is presented with major support from the Cockayne Fund in association with Anna Deavere Smith Works.

About Anna Deavere Smith

Actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith is said to have created a new form of theater.  She has won numerous awards, among them two Obies, two Tony nominations, a Drama Desk Award, the USA Susan V. Berresford Award from United States Artists, and a MacArthur fellowship.  She was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for her play Fires in the Mirror.  Her most recent play, Let Me Down Easy, was featured recently at Berkeley Rep and tells the human side of the healthcare story in the United States.  Let Me Down Easy aired on PBS's Great Performances recently and will be frequently rebroadcast. 

Ms. Smith is known for looking at controversial events from multiple points of view, combining the journalistic technique of interviewing her subjects with the art of interpreting their words through performance.  The New York Times has called her “the ultimate impressionist; she does people's souls.”

Ms. Smith's television and movie credits include Nurse Jackie, The West Wing and The American President.  Honorary degrees include those from Juilliard and Northwestern, and a Radcliffe Medal.  She is a University Professor at New York University and serves on the board of the Museum of Modern Art and the Aspen Institute.  Ms. Smith is founding director of Anna Deavere Smith Works, a nonprofit that convenes artists whose work addresses the world's most pressing problems.

About Joshua Roman

Joshua Roman, dubbed a “Classic Rock Star” by the press, debuted in San Francisco at the San Francisco Symphony in 2010 under Herbert Blomstedt. Roman has been playing the cello since he was three and performed his first recital at age ten.  He became the youngest principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony at age 22 and after the 2007-2008 season, moved on to pursue a solo career.  Among highlights from this past season, Roman performed duos with Yo-Yo Ma at a State Department event hosted by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden for the President of China, participated in the 2011 TED Conference in Long Beach and played at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway.  He was named a 2011 TED Fellow for his innovations in music, joining a select group of Next Generation innovators of unusual accomplishments with the potential to positively affect the world. 

About Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral is home to a community where the best of Episcopal Christian tradition courageously embraces innovation and open-minded conversation, where inclusion is expected and people of all faiths are welcomed, where beliefs are put into action and where people are encouraged to seek God and progress on their own spiritual journey.  This renowned San Francisco landmark serves as a regional magnet where diverse people gather to celebrate, seek solace, converse and learn.

For more information, go to www.gracecathedral.org.

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