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THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY

GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO LIVE ON PARK SQUARE THEATRE STAGE WITH
THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY

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Media Contact – Connie Shaver
shaver@parksquaretheatre.org

Saint Paul, Minn., January 9, 2020 –Mondays are for mystery as Park Square Theatre kicks off the New Year with a five-part residency with The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. Shows are scheduled for January 20, February 17, March 9, April 20, and May 11 on the Andy Boss Thrust Stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Society will revisit the great horror and suspense shows from the golden age of radio, performed in the style of a classic radio broadcast, including original commercials, eerie music and live sound effects. The opening performance on Monday, January 20 includes live lobby music with Ben Cook-Feltz.

“We’ve been wanting to partner with this talented team of performers for ages,” notes Park Square Theatre Executive Director Michael-jon Pease. “They are a perfect fit for Saint Paul, breathing fresh life and a spirit of fun into a classic genre from the age of the ‘well-made play.’ After visiting Heimie’s Haberdashery or strolling through Rice Park, you can go back to the days of live radio with these talented artists and delightful scripts.”

Members of The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society include local theatrical favorites: Eric Webster (Shade’s Brigade), Shanan Custer (2 Sugars, Room for Cream), Joshua English Scrimshaw (Comedy Suitcase) and Tim Uren (Ghoulish Delights).

For their first night in residence, Monday, January 20, The Society will present The Best of Old-Time Radio with two legendary thrillers. “Sorry, Wrong Number,” from Suspense, was first broadcast May 25th, 1943. Lucille Fletcher’s famous radio play tells the story of a woman confined to her bed who overhears two men plotting a murder. No less an authority than Orson Welles called it “the greatest single radio script ever written.” Voiced by Agnes Moorehead, the radio play, was added to the National Recording Registry in 2015. In “Three Skeleton Key,” three lighthouse keepers battle a horde of rats off the coast of French Guiana in the classic story from French writer George Toudouze. First broadcast on Escape on November 15th, 1949, the show’s popularity led to multiple radio productions, famously starring Vincent Price.

MORE ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY PODCAST:
The Society’s live performances are inspired by the podcast of the same name. The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast revisits the great crime, horror and suspense shows from the golden age of radio, including tales from Suspense, Lights Out, Quiet Please, The Shadow, and more. Each episode features a classic, or maybe-not-so classic story from the mysterious old-time radio vault, complete with historical notes and nerdy trivia. At the end of each podcast, your hosts, Tim, Joshua and Eric discuss the merits of the story and decide whether or not it stands the test of time.

Subscribe to The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast on iTunes, Youtube, or download episodes directly at ghoulishdelights.com.

MORE ABOUT THE CAST:

Four performers gathered around a 1940's style radio. They are surrounded by instruments for making sound effects

Eric Webster, Shanan Custer, Tim Uren, Joshua English Scrimshaw. Photo by Ben Theitje


Shanan Custer
is half of the 2 Sugars Show (with Carolyn Pool) that includes their Ivey Award winning show 2 Sugars, Room for Cream, their Park Square 2018-2019 season opener hit Sometimes There’s Wine and—coming soon—Bad Things, Good Whiskey. Other original work includes the 2018 MN Fringe Golden Lanyard Winning musical Not Fair, My Lady! (with Colleen Somerville and Anita Ruth).

Joshua English Scrimshaw is the co-founder of the Twin Cities-based all-ages theater company Comedy Suitcase, and the dance and physical comedy troupe English Scrimshaw Theatrical Novelties. Joshua has been called “a clever and inventive voice in Twin Cities comedy theater” by The Star Tribune, and “a modern-day Buster Keaton” by mnartists.org. When not making comedy, Joshua enjoys performing and listening to old-time radio with his Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society pals.

Tim Uren has been performing, writing, and directing theater at festivals and small venues in the Twin Cities for over 25 years. Along the way, he has worked with companies such as Theater Pro Rata, the Brave New Workshop, and Theater in the Round. In 2013, he established Ghoulish Delights, a theater company dedicated to bringing tales of horror and suspense to Twin Cities stages. Additionally, Uren has written and designed for board games, including Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror.

Eric Webster is an actor, producer and writer for stage, radio and television for 25 years. On stage credits include; Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre, Artistry Theater, Workhaus Collective, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Pioneer Place Theater. He also directs Theater and Improv for the Centennial School District. He is the creator of the original radio theater drama Shades Brigade.

MORE ABOUT GHOULISH DELIGHTS:
Ghoulish Delights is a Minneapolis-based theater company that specializes in bringing tales of suspense and horror to the stage. For more information visit ghoulishdelights.com

 

TICKET PRICES:

All tickets $23
Tickets are on sale at the Park Square Ticket Office, 20 W. Seventh Place, or by phone: 651.291.7005, (Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday), or online at parksquaretheatre.org.   Tickets will also be available at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

Performances: January 20, February 17, March 9, April 20, and May 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Andy Boss Thrust Stage

Photo by Ben Thietje Left to right: Eric Webster, Shanan Custer, Tim Uren and Joshua English Scrimshaw

Photo by Joe Weismann Left to right: Joshua English Scrimshaw, Tim Uren and Eric Webster.

The Ticket Office is open from noon to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday. Call 651.291.7005.

PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. Ticket Office: 651.291.7005. parksquaretheatre.org

Coming Soon: Park Square’s General Auditions

Sign-ups for Park Square’s General Auditions are now open for AEA members!

Sign up opens to EMC members on January 9th and Non-Union Members on January 10th. 

Click Here to Sign Up!

This year, Park Square has added an accompanist to support musical theater artists on Monday, January 27th, from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Picture of Stage with an arrow pointing to center stage with text saying "insert hundreds of actors here."

Audition Times and Location

The General Auditions will be held in Park Square Theatre’s Thrust Stage. Audition dates are:

  • Sunday, January 26th 10am-5pm (Lunch Break 1pm-2pm)
  • Monday, January 27th 12pm-9pm (Dinner Break 4pm-5pm) *AEA/EMC featured
    • 12pm-4pm – Accompanist provided for singers
  • Saturday, February 1st 10am-5pm (Lunch Break 1pm-2pm)
  • Monday, February 3rd 12pm-9pm (Dinner Break 4pm-5pm) *AEA/EMC featured

Audition Preparation

  • You will have two minutes TOTAL to present your materials after introducing yourself onstage. We ask that you please prepare two contrasting monologues. If you would like to sing as part of this audition, you may substitute one monologue for a 32-bar cutting of a song, to be sung a cappella in the audition. In order for each actor to be seen, these auditions will be timed. Our apologies, but it is the most respectful way to protect everyone’s time.
  • Park Square will provide an accompanist on Monday, January 27th from 12-4 pm. If you are able, please send a .pdf copy of your music for the accompanist to review prior to the day of your performance. Please clearly mark the start and end of the song you will be performing. If you are unable to provide music ahead of time, please make sure to place your music in a binder with the start and end of song clearly marked.
  • Talent Profile: We are asking everyone to create a FREE talent profile on Minnesota Playlist. This profile will be used by directors and producers to view headshots and resumes in the audition room. Instructions can be found on our sign-up page.

Park Square Artistic Associate Jillian Robertson will be joined by Park Square’s production directors, local area producers, and freelance directors.

While we offer the opportunity to be seen by dozens of local companies at no cost to the actor or theater, we cannot guarantee an organization’s attendance on a specific day. There will be a whiteboard in the lobby listing all additional directors and producers in the room.

Park Square is committed to programming for and collaborating with a wide range of talent. Our General Auditions is a color inclusive, ability inclusive, and gender inclusive audition.

Button Poetry Live at Park Square!

Image of white man in an orange hat holding a sheet of paper and speaking into a microphone. Text states upcoming event Button Poetry Live, featuring Michael Lee on Monday January 6.Park Square theatre is proud to host Button Poetry Live, a monthly poetry slam competition that features nationally renowned poets and local talent, as well as free writing workshops open to the public. Join us on Monday, January 6th, on the Boss Stage for their next exciting and engaging slam! Learn more about Button Poetry Live.

Button Poetry Live: January feat. Michael Lee
Monday, Jan 6
Doors at 7PM // Show at 7:30PM
Sign-up for the slam closes at 7:25PM SHARP!
Tickets: $12 in advance // $15 at the door

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About your Feature: Michael Lee is a Norwegian-American writer, youth worker, and organizer. He has received grants and scholarships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the LOFT Literary Center, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Winner of the Scotti Merrill Award for poetry from the Key West Literary Seminar, his poetry has appeared in Ninth LetterHayden’s Ferry ReviewIndiana ReviewPoetry NorthwestCopper Nickel, and Best New Poets 2018 among others.

Michael has worked as a dishwasher, a farmhand, a teaching artist, a social studies teacher, a case manager for youth experiencing homelessness, and he currently manages a youth program using food as a tool for health, wealth, and social change. He works, lives, writes, organizes, and dreams in North Minneapolis, spending his free time reading books and working in his garden.

MN Monthly Interview with China Brickey

“I’m noticing the deeper I go into my career, everything I do as an actor, in this body, is a statement because I’m not someone you see normally in that role. It’s a big responsibility, and I definitely don’t take it lightly.” – China Brickey
China Brickey, the warm and witty actor playing Elizabeth Bennet in Park Square’s current production of Pride and Prejudice, sat down with Minnesota Monthly Magazine’s Lianna Matt McLernon to dish about her love of Jane Austen, her hilarious cast-mates, and what it means to her to play the inimitable Elizabeth Bennet.

Read the full interview

Picture of Elizabeth Bennet, played by China Brickey, holding hands with Mr Darcy, played by Paul Rutledge. Mr Darcy is on one knee as though proposing marriage.

China Brickey as Elizabeth Bennet. Paul Rutledge as Mr. Darcy. Photo by Dan Norman.

Cyber Monday Specials!

Share the joy of great theatre this holiday season with our 2 for 1 Cyber Monday Specials. Choose Area 1 (2 for $55-60) or Area 2 (2 for $40-45) tickets* to select Park Square performances!
Use code MON when ordering.

ONLINE ONLY! Cyber Monday Specials start Sunday, Dec 1, and are valid through Monday, Dec 2 at midnight. Offers do not apply to previously purchased tickets or with other offers.

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
On Stage through Dec 22, 2019
Love is a serious game and the Bennets are playing for keeps!

Cyber Monday Special Dates
Wednesday, Dec 18, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 19, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec 20, 7:30 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Pride and Prejudice


FACE TO FACE: OUR HMONG COMMUNITY
Mar 5-15, 2020
Community members tell their unique stories.

Cyber Monday Special Dates (All tickets 2 tickets for $30! No seating areas.)
Thursday, Mar 5, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Mar 6, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Mar 7, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Mar 8, 2:00 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Face to Face

HOLMES AND WATSON
Jun 12-Jul 26, 2020

Sherlock Holmes is Dead, or is he?

Cyber Monday Special Dates
Thursday, Jun 25, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jun 26, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jun 27, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jun 28, 2:00 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Holmes and Watson


GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE ONLINE, BY PHONE or IN PERSON

Now through Dec 31, 2019, buy $80 in gift certificates and receive a $10 voucher for tickets through December 2020 – just for you! PURCHASE GIFT CERTIFICATES

 

*2019-2020 season seating areas. (No seating areas for Face to Face).
Graphic Seating Chart for Proscenium Stage - Please phone the ticket office at 651.291.7005 for assistance with accessibility and seat selectionGraphic Seating Chart for Boss Thrust Stage - Please phone the ticket office at 651.291.7005 for assistance with accessibility and seat selection

Black Friday Specials!

Share the joy of great theatre this holiday season with our 2 for 1 Black Friday Specials. Choose Area 1 (2 for $55-60) or Area 2 (2 for $40-45) tickets* to select Park Square performances! Use code FRI when ordering online, or call the ticket office at 651.291.7005.

Black Friday Specials are valid through Saturday Nov 30 at midnight. See details below.

Order online or call 651.291.7005 (The Ticket office is open Fri & Saturday 12-5 p.m.)

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
On Stage NOW – Dec 22, 2019
Love is a serious game and the Bennets are playing for keeps!

Black Friday Special Dates
Fridays: Dec 6, 13 & 20 at 7:30 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Pride and Prejudice


FACE TO FACE: OUR HMONG COMMUNITY
Mar 5-15, 2020
Community members tell their unique stories.

Black Friday Special Dates
Fridays: Mar 6 & 13 at 7:30 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Face to Face

HOLMES AND WATSON
Jun 12-Jul 26, 2020

Sherlock Holmes is Dead, or is he?

Black Friday Special Dates
Fridays: July 3, 10, 17 & 24 at 7:30 p.m.
BUY TICKETS to Holmes and Watson


GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE ONLINE, BY PHONE or IN PERSON

Buy $80 in gift certificates and receive a $10 voucher good for tickets through December 2020 – just for you!
PURCHASE GIFT CERTIFICATES

 

*2019-2020 season seating areas.
Graphic Seating Chart for Proscenium Stage - Please phone the ticket office at 651.291.7005 for assistance with accessibility and seat selectionGraphic Seating Chart for Boss Thrust Stage - Please phone the ticket office at 651.291.7005 for assistance with accessibility and seat selection

CHALLENGE MATCH ANNOUNCED

CHALLENGE MATCH INVESTMENT IN IN PARK SQUARE’S MISSION AND FUTURE

Saint Paul, Minn., November 22, 2019 – Park Square Theatre’s artistic director Flordelino Lagundino and executive director Michael-jon Pease announced today that a group of Park Square board members, long-time patrons, and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation have compiled a $100,000 challenge to match gifts made to the theatre this season dollar for dollar.

“Park Square Theatre is an important part of the rich arts and culture community of Saint Paul and the greater MSP region,” says Ann Mulholland, Executive Vice President of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. “The foundation is proud to invest along with Park Square board members, in strengthening the financial future of this vital community organization.”

Picture of Artist Director Flordelino sits smiling in the seats of the Proscenium stage.

Artistic Director Flordelino Lagundino. Photo by Amy Anderson.

“The impact of these gifts will provide crucial support for our award-winning educational matinee program and main stage programming,” agrees Lagundino. “The generosity of these funders, along with all the donors who help meet the match, assures that plays like The Diary of Anne Frank and Face To Face – a project with members of the Twin Cities’ Hmong community – will give a diverse group a people the ability to see their stories on stage.”

Picture of Executive Director Michael-jon Pease standing in front of the theatre.

Executive Director Michael-jon Pease. Photo by Amy Anderson.

Pease reported that Park Square’s Give to the Max Day goals were exceeded and hundreds of patrons have been donating their tickets back and even making additional contributions towards this significant challenge match. “The dedication of the both long-standing and new fans is truly heartwarming,” he says. In November, Park Square announced significant financial losses which led to the cancellation of its winter and spring musicals.

“With these cancellations and the challenge match, we are using this time to pause and right size Park Square,” adds Lagundino. “We see a clear path forward in the light of this year’s financial reality and the generous response of our community.”

The Park Square season continues with PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill (Nov 15 – Dec 22, 2019); FACE TO FACE: OUR HMONG COMMUNITY with Ping Chong + Co. (Mar 5 – 15, 2020); HOLMES AND WATSON by Jeffrey Hatcher (Jun 12 – Jul 26, 2020); and a remount of MARIE AND ROSETTA by George Brandt (Dates TBD).

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PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. Ticket Office: 651.291.7005. www.parksquaretheatre.org

NOT ONLY ENTERTAINING BUT TIMELESS AND FEMINIST

A Pride and Prejudice Director’s Note from Lisa Channer

I’m not sure how I avoided her for so long but until Park Square artistic director Flordelino sent me Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, I had never cracked a Jane Austen book. Ever. Not even Pride and Prejudice. I did not know what I was missing all those years! Her portrayals of family dynamics, gender, marriage and class through witty recognizable characters makes her not only entertaining but timeless and feminist.

That this play is funny is undeniable, but it is the desperate stakes of their world that roots all the humor and sets the context in which these characters play out their decisions. With no brothers to inherit the family home the Bennet women face the prospect of poverty, homelessness and desperation if they can’t “win” husbands. But also, for a woman in Regency era England, marriage meant “civil death” in which she ceases to be a separate human being with individual autonomous rights. Tough choice. Poverty or Erasure? And lest we congratulate our modern world too quickly, as recently as 1972 my own mother was unable to apply for a bank account in her own name without a husband’s signature and we still do not have an Equal Rights Amendment. And so Jane Austen remains current.

As I laugh at these brilliant characters in the hands of these talented actors, I am reminded of the great 17th century French playwright Molière. Like Molière, Austen is a genius of comedic social commentary, pointing out preposterous
social rules with a pen as sharp as a knife.

-Lisa Channer, director of Pride and Prejudice

Tickets and Information

 

PARK SQUARE THEATRE PAUSES TO RIGHT-SIZE

Park Square Theatre pauses to right-size and roll out a new vision by its new leader

Saint Paul, Minn., October 29, 2019 – To better serve its stakeholders, Park Square Theatre has made the difficult decision to revise its season and cancel its planned productions of the major musicals EVITA and MISS YOU LIKE HELL.

Financial challenges, brought on by less than expected ticket sales and fundraising shortfalls, led to this difficult decision. “Park Square is taking this valuable opportunity to regroup so that we may become a stronger organization and meet the needs of the Twin Cities theater community,” states artistic director Flordelino Lagundino. “This was a very difficult decision to make as it causes hardships, especially to the artists working with us. As an actor and director, I do not take lightly the impact it has on the talented people I came to Minnesota to work with.”

Lagundino further states Park Square is working towards a healthy business model that supports stellar artistry for appreciative audiences. “It is a natural pattern for a 47-year-old theater to evolve, and this is part of that maturation process.”

The Park Square Theatre’s nine-show season continues with THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW and PAIGE IN FULL, both of which close this week. Upcoming productions include:  PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill (Nov 15 – Dec 22, 2019); FACE TO FACE: OUR HMONG COMMUNITY with Ping Chong + Co. (Mar 5 – 15, 2020); HOLMES AND WATSON by Jeffrey Hatcher (Jun 12 – Jul 26, 2020); and a remount of MARIE AND ROSETTA by George Brandt (Dates TBD).

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Your help is needed at this critical time. Make a donation today HERE.

Purchase tickets to Pride and Prejudice HERE.

For questions regarding subscriptions and ticketing, email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org.

 

PARK SQUARE’S FIRST TAKE ON JANE AUSTEN IS A FROLICSOME GAME OF GENDER POLITICS

BUT TRUE LOVE DOES WIN IN THE END

Neal Beckman, Sara Richardson, China Brickey and Kiara Jackson in Pride and Prejudice. Photo by Richard Fleischman.

Park Square Theatre rings in the winter holidays with its first ever production of a Jane Austen novel with the regional premiere of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (Nov 15 – Dec 22, 2019) adapted from the classic by Kate Hamill (SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, LITTLE WOMEN) and directed by Lisa Channer in her Park Square debut. This clever comedy offers a decidedly progressive take on the trials of Lizzy, Mr. Darcy, and the whole Bennet clan, with a few dance breaks thrown in for good measure.

“I love it because of the emphasis on the actor and the emphasis on theatricality,” says Park Square Theatre Artistic Director, Flordelino Lagundino. “Many of the actors play multiple roles and there is a sense of joy and abandon. Like the original Austen, it also gets to the depths of what it means to really fight for love and family.”

Many consider Austen to be one of the early feminist writers. To fully mine the gender politics of Austen’s most famous story, Hamill has constructed the role doubling in such a way that some characters have to be played by an actor of the opposite gender. Neal Beckman, for example, plays both Mr. Bingley and Bennet sister Mary, while McKenna Kelly-Eiding, who delighted audiences as Sherlock Holmes in KEN LUDWIG’S BASKERVILLE, plays the bumbling Mr. Collins and the dastardly Wickham.

Hamill also plays on the idea of the “perfect match,” by constructing the action like a game and or military strategy. “As I was writing, I started thinking about when you meet someone and you fall in love or something happens that changes your life beyond your control, and I wanted a way to make that more tangible. So, I thought bells are things you can’t ignore—church bells, wedding bells, alarm bells, door bells—they let us know something has changed, and I wanted to incorporate those in the script. So, every time something happens beyond the character’s control, something happens with a bell.”

Channer sets this decidedly frolicsome world as a play within a play. The entire proscenium stage will be open to the back wall with no side curtains, allowing the audience to see the actors preparing “offstage” for their next time in the “ring” which serves as the playing space.

The cast includes Sara Richardson* (Jane, Miss De Bourgh), China Brickey* (Lizzy), Kiara Jackson* (Lydia), Paul Rutledge (Mr. Darcy), McKenna Kelly-Eiding (Mr. Collins, Wickham), Neal Beckman (Mr. Bingley, Mary), Alex Galick* (Charlotte, Mr. Bennet), George Keller* (Mrs. Bennet).

The Production team includes:  Ruth Coughlin Lencowski (Vocal Coach), Annie Katsura Rollins (Scenic Designer), Sonya Berlovitz (Costume Design), Dan Dukich (Sound Designer), Karin Olsen (Lighting Designer), Josephine Everett (Properties Designer), Scott Stafford (Choreographer) Tim Komatsu (Park Square Theatre Dramaturgy Fellow), Rachael Rhoades (Advance Stage Manager), Megan Fae Dougherty (Production Stage Manager) Jaya Robillard (Assistant Stage Manager), Rane Oganowski (Wardrobe) Charlotte Deranek (Sound Board Operator)  *Member, Actors Equity Association

Ticket prices: Previews: $27-$37. Regular Run: $40-$60. Discounts are available for students, seniors, military personnel, those under age 30, and groups. Tickets are on sale at the Park Square Ticket Office, 20 W. Seventh Place, or by phone: 651.291.7005, (Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday), or online at parksquaretheatre.org.   #PSTAusten   SEASON TICKETS are on sale now.  Subscription package prices begin at $66.

CALENDAR INFORMATION

Previews: Nov 15 – 21, 2019

Opening Night: Nov 22, 2019

Regular Run: Nov 22 – Dec 22, 2019

Tickets: Previews: $20-$37; Regular Run: $25-$65

PARK SQUARE THEATRE, 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul

Ticket office: 651.291.7005 or parksquaretheatre.org

 

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