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IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Press Contact: August 22, 2012 Misho Ceko info@sitaramthemusical.com WHOS WHO OF CHICAGOS PERFORMING ARTS COMMUNITY BRINGS ORIGINAL WORLD MUSICAL SITA RAM TO THE STAGE DECEMBER 14 AND 15 Chicago David Kersnar of Lookingglass Theatre Company, Josephine Lee of Chicago Childrens Choir, and Krithika Rajagopalan of Natya Dance Theatre will bring Sita Ram, an original world musical, to the stage at Harris Theater for Music and Dance on December 14 and 15, 2012, for three highly anticipated shows. In 2002, Josephine Lee commissioned David Kersnar and Jai Uttal to create a world musical that reflects the rich diversity and cultures of our great city and the mission of Chicago Children's Choir. Premiered in 2006, Sita Ram presents a modern interpretation of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, fusing the past, present, and future in a fantastical world of song, dance, fashion, and design that leads its audience on a path of reflection and self-discovery. Sita Ram will be directed by David Kersnar, founding ensemble member of Chicagos Lookingglass Theatre Company. It will feature vocal performances by Chicago Childrens Choir, dance by Natya Dance Company, and costume design by Azeeza Khan, creative director of Chicago-based Atelier AZZA and TimeOut Magazines 2012 Breakout Emerging Designer. "Sita Ram is an adaptation of a sacred Hindu text not familiar to Western culture, Kersnar says. Its The Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars meets Romeo and Juliet. For countless generations, this 3,000-year old Hindu epic has brought together Indias people, despite their caste or language, Kersnar continues. In a world today where war is fought and blood is spilled because of the differences in the worlds religions, it is imperative now more than ever that we dive into the worlds stories to gain a better understanding of each other. Ramayana is as popular today in India as it was when it was first told, and its message is as relevant. Were excited to bring this moving story to Chicago once again, says Lee. Sita Ram is made possible by the generous support of the shows presenting sponsorWalgreens. TICKET INFORMATION Harris Theatre for Music and Dance 200 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL Friday, December 14, 2012 (7:30PM) Saturday, December 15, 2012 (2:00PM) Saturday, December 15, 2012 (7:30PM) Tickets: $15-65 Tickets available in September on the Harris Theater website.

ABOUT DAVID KERSNAR David Kersnar is a founding ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company. Kersnar founded and currently instructs with the Lookingglass Education and Community Program and served as its director from 1992 1997. David recently directed and co-wrote The Last Act of Lilka Kadison for Lookingglass and Charles Mees Iphigenia 2.0 for the Next Theatre Company. Kernsar is also writing and co-directing sequences for Don Pasquale at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. David holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Northwestern University. ABOUT CHICAGO CHILDRENS CHOIR Chicago Childrens Choir is a multiracial, multicultural choral music education organization, shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children and youth through musical excellence. The Choir currently serves 3,000 children, ages 8-18, through choirs in 51 Chicago Public Schools, after- school programs in eight Chicago neighborhoods, and the internationally acclaimed Concert Choir. Under President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee, the Choir has undertaken many highly successful national and international tours, received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for the 2008 documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom, and has been featured in nationally broadcast television and radio performances, most recently on The Oprah Show, NBCs Today and the PBS series From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall. ABOUT NATYA DANCE THEATRE The Natya Dance Theatre (NDT) is amongst the most critically acclaimed and culturally treasured Indian dance companies in the United States. The professional dance company was founded in 1994 and is based in Chicago. The highly innovative work of NDT offers profound and subtle expressions of humanity's deepest questions and values in the context of our present-day lives. Rooted in Bharata Natyam, one of the great classical dance forms of India, NDT preserves and perpetuates Bharata Natyam in all its classical rigor, and moves the art form in innovative directions to foster cultural exchange through dance. # # # For more information about Sita Ram, please contact Misho Ceko at info@sitaramthemusical.com.