Tuesdays with Morrie Actors Spend a Tuesday with ALS Association


KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Actors Richard Alan Nichols and Craig Benton want to learn all they can about ALS; and, they have a good reason. May 6 through June 26, Nichols and Benton are starring in the Kansas City premiere of the 2-person play Tuesdays with Morrie at the American Heartland Theatre.

The actors contacted the local ALS Association Keith Worthington Chapter to ask for help in preparing for their roles. The Chapter's program director, Sally Dwyer, spent a Tuesday afternoon talking with the 2 actors about the physical and emotional impact on individuals and families who are living with ALS. To make it more "personal" Dwyer then took them to the home of a man who has had ALS for over 2 years.

Unable to speak, Jim Petersen, a mechanical engineer, communicated with wit and intelligence, using an adult version of a Magna Doodle. The actors witnessed first hand the emotional strength and determination of Peterson, and his wife, Nancy to continue their lives as normally as possible. The couple, who have 2 children of their own, have been foster parents for approximately 400 children during the past 33 years, and they know the challenges and joys that uncertainties in life can bring.

Jim and his wife, Nancy, will be the Co-chairs of the Keith Worthington Chapter's special event during the midwest stage debut of Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. In addition to the performance, the night features a reception, cash bar and a display of artwork provided by The ALS Association. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and the performance starts at 6:30 p.m. on May 15, 2005 at the American Heartland Theatre, Crown Centre, 2450 Grand blvd., Suite 314, Kansas City, MO. Tickets may be purchased by calling (913) 648.2062 or emailing info@alsa-midwest org. Tickets for regularly scheduled performances may be purchased through the theatre box office at (816)842-9999.

Tuesdays with Morrie is based on the runaway best-selling novel and an Emmy-winning film by the same title. This autobiographical story follows Mitch Albom as he rekindles a friendship with his former college professor and mentor, Morrie Schwartz. A simple Tuesday visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage between Mitch and his professor, who only has months to live. This touching play will have you laughing, smiling, and emotionally involved as life's lessons are pondered.

Mitch Albom's true story speaks to individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases. His professor and friend, Morrie, battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. But it's not just Lou Gehrig's disease; it's anyone's disease. As many as 30,000 Americans may have ALS at any given time.

The ALS Association is the only non-for-profit voluntary health organization devoted solely to the fight against ALS. Its mission is to find a cure for ALS and improve living with ALS. ALSA aggressively funds research and actively helps patients and families cope with the day-to-day challenges of living with ALS and remaining physically and emotionally dependent. The local chapter, The ALS Association Keith Worthington Chapter, has been providing services for 27 years and is located at 8340 Mission Road, Suite B4, Prairie Village, KS. For more information call (913) 648.2062 or go to the web site at www.alsa-midwest.org

Photo & interview opportunity: Actor Richard Alan Nichols (Morrie) and actor Craig Benton (Mitch), local actors who have appeared together in a previous American Heartland Theatre production of Over the River and Through the Woods, are available for photos and interviews by calling The American Heartland Theatre at (816) 842.0202. Please contact Susan Henderson (ext. 107) to schedule.


            

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