Peterborough Players

PETERBOROUGH PLAYERS 2020 SUMMER SEASON UPDATE

4/24/2020

Peterborough, NH - Today the Peterborough Players shares the unfortunate news that, due to the ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19 and recommendations issued by health officials, we will not be able to produce our 2020 summer season. This decision was not made lightly, but was eased by our strong belief that the health and safety of our community - patrons, donors, volunteers, staff, and artists alike - is our top priority. You've taken care of us for 87 years. Let us do the same for you.

The Players will remain closed for now, but this is simply an intermission. With your gracious help and support, we've weathered many a storm in the past and come out on the other side. We take this hiatus in anticipation of a joyful return to the stage, with everyone healthy and well, sometime in the future. We very much look forward to reopening and welcoming you back to the theatre as soon as it is safe to gather.

Our staff loves the Players every bit as much as you do. Our small but dedicated team is working hard to make the appropriate accommodations for this unexpected change, and appreciates the patience of our patrons. We will reach out to anyone who has already purchased subscriptions for the summer to ensure that your purchase is handled in the way that feels best to you. We only ask for your patience as we take the time to make this contact with the care that it deserves. We are very grateful for your support and patience during this challenging time.

We will, of course, keep you updated on all the latest from the Players as we know more about our situation. We'll share news through our eblasts, on our social media channels, and on our website.

We know it's a difficult time for many folks. If you're able, your gracious donation will help us make new memories together in the future. While it’s never expected, it’s always appreciated, especially now.

We want to leave you with a few thoughts...During this time, please take care of yourself and others. Reach out to your friends and family. Think of the amazing people keeping things running day-to-day, and the incredible healthcare workers and public servants giving everything to keep us all safe.

And then, from time to time, think of your favorite Players memory - be it a play that broke your heart or made you think or laugh out loud, a post-show cabaret that brought you joy, a warm and cozy winter reception by the fire, or simply meeting friends, at intermission on the patio on a summer night, to chat about the evening's performance.

That will all be back. We can't wait for it, either.

With endless gratitude for your many years of love and support,

Your Peterborough Players

Gus Kaikkonen, Artistic Director
Keith Stevens, Managing Director
Beth Brown, Advancement Director
Joanne Stevens, Operations Manager
Bridget Beirne, Marketing Director

Peterborough Players Announce 2020 Summer Season with New Work, Mystery, Musical

2/21/2020

Peterborough, NH – Peterborough Players is proud to announce their 2020 Summer Season, where “Anything can happen…”! The Players has a lot to celebrate as this summer commemorates not only the 87th year of the Players, but the 25th season of lauded leadership team, Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen and Managing Director Keith Stevens.

The season begins with Last Call (Bernstein and von Karajan at the Sacher Hotel) by Peter Danish, on stage from June 17th-28th. A new play produced in collaboration with New York’s Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Last Call is based on a real-life encounter at the Bar of the Sacher Hotel between celebrated classical music figures and cultural icons Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan. After half a century of intense competition these giants of the 20th century wrestle over art, integrity, choices, values, and the complex nature of forgiveness. Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen will appear as Bernstein.

Duncan McMillan’s Lungs is a bristling dynamic love story that encapsulates the paradoxes of modern masculinity and empowered femininity in brilliant scenes that quick cut, leap forward in time, change locations instantly and range from comic, to tender, to enraged. Revived last year for a sold-out run at the Old Vic starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith (from The Crown), this Best New Play award-winning piece presents a perfectly imperfect couple grappling with what should be a simple question: whether or not to have a child. Lungs runs from July 1st-12th.

An impassable blizzard strands seven strangers in a country inn. A police inspector arrives on skis to inform them they have a murderer in their midst. In her inimitable style, Dame Agatha Christie creates an atmosphere of shuddering suspense and black comedy in the classic "whodunit" The Mousetrap, on stage July 15th-26th. Produced at the Players in 1996 as part of Kaikkonen and Stevens’ very first summer season, this beloved mystery (also the world’s longest running play!) will serve to celebrate their 25th season at the Players.

This year’s Main Stage musical is a favorite among musical lovers and a timeless masterpiece – Steven Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods. A dazzling, sophisticated mash-up of the world's most popular fairy tales, the original Broadway production garnered the Drama Desk, a Grammy Award, and multiple Tony Awards. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and his Beanstalk, and a fabulous Witch combine forces to fend off a pair of powerful and angry Giants. Sondheim’s witty, ravishing score, James Lapine’s moving, darkly humorous book, and the perfect setting of the Players’ historic barn combine to make this adventure in the woods unlike any other. On stage July 29th -August 9th.

Shaw returns to the Players stage with Getting Married August 12th-23rd. In this humorous, breezy, and thought-provoking play, Shaw turns marriage inside out and upside-down, looking at the institution from every conceivable angle. The wedding day of an Anglican bishop's young daughter brings the bishop's extended family to London for a comic feast – or perhaps a "roast" – of the institution of Matrimony. Originally written for the stage in 1908, its conflicts remain current regarding marriage, its purpose and sanctity.

"Just call it splendid…” the New York Times said of Ben Butler by Richard Strand, the sixth play of the Main Stage season, on stage from August 26th -September 6th. Asking the question, “What if what’s right is not legal?” the play introduces General Ben Butler, a lawyer who finds himself commander of union troops during the Civil War, who knows the law states that escaped slaves must be returned to their owners. But an escaped slave – an extremely singular individual, one Shepard Mallory – arrives at Fort Monroe seeking sanctuary, and makes a powerful case for himself. This clever, funny, beautifully crafted play is part comedy, part historical drama, part biography, and often all at the same time!

The Main Stage season concludes with The Things They Carried, adapted by Jim Stowell and based on the book by Tim O’Brien. It’s the powerful telling of Tim O’Brien’s personal journey from his innocent years in rural Minnesota to the jungles of Vietnam. A one-person, multi-character tour-de-force that explores and blurs the lines between truth and reality as fact and fiction in this unforgettable soldier’s journey. On stage September 9th-13th.

The Second Company will present two plays for young audiences: The Frog Princess, book by Joseph McDonough, Music and Lyrics by David Kisor, running from June 20th-July 18th, and Peter/Wendy by Jeremy Bloom, August 17th-22nd. The Frog Princess is based on a classic Russian fairytale with a rousing, modern score that finds a young man named Ivan unhappy to discover that his bride turns out to be a frog named Vasilisa. But Vasilisa is really a princess under a curse. To rescue her, Ivan must face many trials and travel around the world, using bravery and kindness to guide him along the way. Peter/Wendy is a lyrical, atmospheric interpretation of Peter Pan, stripped down to its emotional essence. Peter lures Wendy away from her nursery to the magical world of Neverland, where she joins his adventures with Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, and the menacing Captain Hook.

Local auditions for the 2020 Summer Season will be held on March 5th, 2020 at the Peterborough Players, 55 Hadley Rd., Peterborough NH 03458. Information on what to prepare for this audition can be found on the audition page of the Peterborough Players’ website.

For more information on the Summer Season, Subscription Packages, Barn Door Flex Passes and more, visit our website www.peterboroughplayers.org, or call (603) 924-7585.

Peterborough Players Announce 2020 Summer Season at February First Friday

1/23/2020

Peterborough, NH – A glimpse of summer arrives on February 7th as the Peterborough Players announce their 2020 Summer Season at the Mariposa Museum on First Friday! Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen will be on hand to reveal the shows that have been chosen, discuss the season in general, and introduce audience members to a bit about each one. Prosecco will be served, to toast the upcoming season.

This summer is a milestone year for the Players, as they celebrate not only their 87th year of operation, but the 25th anniversary year of their leadership team, Gus Kaikkonen and Managing Director Keith Stevens. Under their guidance, the Players has expanded both the theatre and the season, introduced new HD on-screen offerings, undertaken major construction projects like the on-campus housing and more while continuing to create exceptional theatre at the highest level. This summer also marks the 25th anniversary of popular company members Kraig Swartz and Lisa Bostnar, and scenic designer Charles Morgan. The season promises to surprise, intrigue, and delight audiences once again, with newer works, classics, and the mid-summer musical.

As in years past, the Players Summer Season will consist of seven Main Stage shows and two Second Company shows for young audiences. Season Subscription packs, Barn Door Flex Passes, and Single Tickets will go on sale at later dates in the Spring and early Summer.

Join the Players for this exciting announcement and mark your calendars for what’s to come this Summer! Doors open at 5:30pm, and the program will begin at 6pm. Admission is free. The Mariposa Museum is located at 26 Main Street, downtown in Peterborough, NH.

Emmy Winner Gordon Clapp Brings Frost Back to the Players in ROBERT FROST: THIS VERSE BUSINESS

1/22/2020

Peterborough, NH – The perfect marriage between a treasured American poet and a beloved actor, Emmy-winner (NYPD Blue) and Tony-nominee Gordon Clapp returns for an encore performance as Robert Frost in A.M Dolan’s Robert Frost: This Verse Business, on stage at the Peterborough Players from February 6th-16th. Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen directs this lively and inspired solo performance.

Fresh from the Lincoln Center production of The Great Society, Clapp once again breathes life into Frost, poised and waiting for the birth of a new poem. “Why don’t I say some poems to ya I’ve already written...and we’ll see if another one creeps up on me.” Frost’s endless quest to express life through metaphor – and encourage the reader to find their own meaning of life – is beautifully captured through this intimate moment between actor and audience, featuring timeless Frost classics such as Mending Wall, The Road Not Taken and Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Celebrated American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) penned some of the great poems of the twentieth century. He often wrote unmistakable portrayals of New England life that lead the reader on a search for greater meaning. He is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, as well as receiving the Congressional Gold Medal for his poetry and the Edward MacDowell Medal from the MacDowell Colony. He was also the Poet Laureate of Vermont.

While Mr. Clapp has had an extensive and celebrated career in tv, film, and on Broadway, he is perhaps best known for his Emmy Award winning turn as Det. Greg Medavoy on NYPD Blue. Audiences will also recognize him from films like Eight Men Out and Rules of Engagement, as well as television shows like Damages and Chicago Fire. Of his performance, the Nashua Telegraph has said, “When Clapp walks on…stage, he is fully Robert Frost.”

The Players Gives Community Partner for this production is the Peterborough Town Library. The Players salutes the library for its storied history and the myriad of ways it serves and enriches our community. Patrons are invited to visit the library or their Facebook page to find out more about a ticket deal for library card holders. In addition, the Pay-What-You-Can night for select members of our community will be February 7th at 7:30pm. More details about that program can be found on the Players Gives page of the Peterborough Players website.

Robert Frost: This Verse Business opens on February 6th. Performances are February 6th and 7th at 7:30pm, February 8th at 2pm and 7:30pm, February 9th at 2pm, February 13th, 14th, and 15th at 7:30pm, and February 16th at 2pm. Tickets are $43, and may be purchased online at www.peterboroughplayers.org or by calling the box office at (603) 924-7585 during box office hours.

Peterborough Players Warms Up Winter Season With Musical, ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE

12/23/2019

Peterborough, NH – The Peterborough Players rings in the New Year – and new decade! – with an audience favorite, Always…Patsy Cline, created and originally directed by Ted Swindley, from January 16th -26th . This rousing musical, featuring classic Patsy Cline hits, has not been seen on the Players’ stage since 2003. The Players has a long history with the music of the country legend, having produced a separate look at Patsy Cline’s life in a different show, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, in 2014.

Always…Patsy Cline is full of down-home laughs and 27 of Patsy’s hit songs (including Crazy, Walking After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams, and more). In 1961, Patsy Cline was one of the biggest stars in country music. A chance encounter before a concert began the true-to-life, long-time friendship between Patsy and her great fan, Louise Seger. Over beers and bacon-and-eggs, fan and idol became confidants, supporting each other through letters until Patsy’s untimely death at age 30. This rich, heartfelt, toe-tapping musical brings audiences on a journey through one of country music’s greatest friendships.

In her brief career, Patsy Cline left an indelible impact on the music of the 20th century. As one of the first successful crossover artists from country to pop music, she became known for several major hits, including the Willie Nelson-penned Crazy. Popular company member Bridget Beirne returns as Patsy Cline, having played Patsy Cline twice before, once in the Players’ 2014 production of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. Fellow Players’ favorite Lisa Bostnar returns as Patsy’s true-blue friend, Louise Seger. The production is directed by Tom Frey, and features a live band on stage.

Players Gives! Be sure to join the Players as they return to First Friday in downtown Peterborough at the Mariposa Museum on January 3rd! Beirne will perform a few Patsy Cline numbers, and be joined by director Tom Frey to discuss their process and collaboration to bring Patsy to life. The event is FREE and open to the public, doors open at 5:30pm and the program begins at 6:00pm. At the Friday, January 17th 7:30pm performance of Always…Patsy Cline, the Players will be hosting their next Pay-What-You-Can evening for select members of the community as outlined on their website. Kindly call the box office if you have any questions regarding Pay-What-You-Can Nights. The Players is also pleased to announce Andy’s Summer Playhouse as their Community Partner for this production. On Saturday, January 18th and Sunday, January 19th, the Players will be collecting donations of any size on behalf of Andy’s, as a way to say thank you to Andy’s for their many years of fostering the next generation of theatre artists and audiences.

Always…Patsy Cline runs from January 16th -26th , 2020. Tickets are $43, and maybe purchased online at peterboroughplayers.org or by calling the box office at (603) 924-7585. Barn Door Flex Passes are still available, and are always a great way to see more for less!

Peterborough Players Open Winter Season with Comedy A TUNA CHRISTMAS, Announce PLAYERS GIVES

11/21/2019

Peterborough, NH – Peterborough Players raise the curtain on their 2019/2020 Winter Season with A Tuna Christmas, a boisterous comedy by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard, running from December 5th-15th. As part of the season, the Players announce Players Gives, a program to reach ever deeper into the community.

A Tuna Christmas features popular company members Tom Frey (2 Pianos, 4 Hands) and Kraig Swartz (Fully Committed) and is directed by Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen. In this boisterous and hilarious romp, Frey and Swartz portray over 20 different characters – everyone in the tiny, tight-knit, irreverent town of Tuna, Texas. As usual, the annual tree decorating contest is underway, and who knows if Vera Carp will once again take the prize. Joe Bob is trying to salvage the local theatre production of A Christmas Carol from both the town censors and the wrath of the electric company. Didi is arming the good people in town with protection against the Christmas Phantom, who’s wreaking holiday havoc and may (or may not!) be Bertha’s fresh-from-probation son, Stanley. And everyone just wants a burger from the Tastee Kreme. The Players welcome audiences to celebrate Christmas in the Greater Tuna area – a great way to add a laugh to your holidays.

In addition, the Players is pleased to announce Players Gives. The program aims to expand the reach of Players’ productions by providing reduced-cost tickets to select groups, while lending a helping hand to meaningful organizations who do a lot of good in the community. The Players look forward to being able to lower barriers to opportunity, show gratitude, and give back to some wonderful organizations, groups, and institutions.

At the Friday, December 6th 7:30pm performance of A Tuna Christmas, the Players will hold the first of three Pay-What-You-Can Nights during the Winter Season for members of select groups who serve our community each day and help make it such a great place to live and work. Members of the Armed Forces, Police, Firefighters, EMTs, Nurses and Health Aides, Teachers, and Artists are invited to see the performance with a guest for whatever they feel they can pay. The Players simply ask that you bring ID such as membership cards, websites, business cards, or anything that establishes belonging to these groups. Pay-What-You-Can tickets may be purchased ahead of time over the phone with our box office, or in-person on the evening of the performance.

In celebration of A Tuna Christmas, on December 7th at 2:00pm, December 7th at 7:30pm, and December 8th at 2:00pm, the Players will be collecting cans of tuna in the lobby on behalf of End 68 Hours of Hunger-ConVal and the Peterborough Food Pantry. For every can of tuna you bring to the Peterborough Players, you will be entered to win 2 tickets to the 2020 Summer Season at the Players! One winner will be chosen per show during those three performances.

Regular priced tickets to A Tuna Christmas are $43 and are on sale now. Subscriptions and Barn Door Flex Passes are available and are a great way to see more for less! Gift Certificates make holiday shopping easy. Tickets and more information can be found at www.peterboroughplayers.org, or by calling the Box Office at (603) 924-7585.

Small-Group Travel Opportunity with Peterborough Players "London On Stage"

11/15/2019

Peterborough, NH – The Peterborough Players is making its first journey to the London Stage! Discover Europe Ltd and the Players have teamed up to offer theatre and travel fans alike the opportunity to take a truly unique, insider’s tour of the London theatre scene from April 26 - May 3, 2020.

This small-group tour will allow travelers to experience the joy of a week in London seeing plays, meeting the people who make London theatre wonderful, and enjoying the beauty of springtime in London. Everything will be arranged for you by Discover Europe, a highly regarded local small-group travel company with over 20 years’ experience. As a very special bonus, Players' favorites Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen and company member Kraig Swartz will be traveling with the group as artistic hosts!

The trip includes 6 nights' accommodation in a first-class hotel, including all taxes and service charges, all ground transportation as detailed in the itinerary, breakfast daily, 1 afternoon tea and 2 dinners, a Discover Europe tour guide throughout, the best seats to 4 major productions and special tours and discussions arranged exclusively for our group. You will have the chance to really explore and experience the best of London.

To ensure that the group will see the best the West End has to offer, the four productions included in the trip will be chosen at a later date. Travelers will have the opportunity to explore the modern drama of London and see it with a lens focused on the legacy of dramatic production from the Globe Theatre to the National Theatre. While the tour will have the theatre at its core, there will be plenty of time to explore other things like England’s historic homes and galleries to give travelers a glimpse into the world of London beyond the stage.

For a full itinerary and to be a part of this very special, inaugural theatre tour, contact Kelsey Matson at Discover Europe for more information: kelsey@discovereuropeltd.com, (866) 563-7077.

Peterborough Players November First Friday Event a Chance to Join the Party and Win Tickets

10/22/2019

Peterborough, NH – Whether or not you’re able to be at the Players 31st Gala and Auction on Saturday, November 2nd, November’s First Friday offers you a chance to join in the party, for free! On November 1st, the Peterborough Players brings a glimpse of the annual auction to downtown Peterborough at the Mariposa Museum as part of the First Friday festivities.

The Players’ auction is always a great party, full of opportunities for attendees to have fun, connect with fellow patrons and actors, and do good for the Players, while having the chance to bid and win some fabulous items. This special First Friday event will offer a sneak peek at the auction entertainment (performed by Players’ favorites Kraig Swartz, Bridget Beirne, and Pedro Ka'awaloa), and have an introduction of the Players’ upcoming Winter Season by Managing Director Keith Stevens. You’ll hear more about what the Players has scheduled to warm you during the coldest months of the year.

In addition, the Players will offer a few lucky people a chance to win tickets to the show of their choice in the 2019-2020 Winter Season, just for attending! Everyone in the First Friday audience will be automatically entered to win tickets, absolutely free.

As November rings in the holiday season, the Players look forward to kicking off the celebrations at their always one-of-a-kind, behind the scenes, First Friday event. Be sure to join in the fun on November 1st at the Mariposa Museum. Admission is free, doors open at 5:30 pm, and the program will begin at 6:00pm. For more information on the Players’ Winter Season shows, the Arts on Screen Season, and more, please visit www.peterboroughplayers.org or call (603) 924-7585.

A Comedy, A Musical, and Great Poetry Light Up Peterborough Players Winter Season

10/11/2019

PETERBOROUGH, NH – The Peterborough Players celebrates the return of their on-stage Winter Season with three selections sure to delight audiences during this cold time of year. A boisterous comedy, a return of a country music legend, and an encounter with one of America’s most revered poets come to life in A Tuna Christmas, Always…Patsy Cline, and This Verse Business December 2019 – February 2020.

The season begins with A Tuna Christmas, a comedy by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard, running from December 5th-15th. In this hilarious romp, Players’ favorites and masters of comedy Tom Frey (2 Pianos, 4 Hands) and Kraig Swartz (Fully Committed) portray over 20 different characters – everyone in this tiny, tight-knit, irreverent town of Tuna, Texas. As usual, in Tuna, the annual tree decorating contest is underway, with Vera Carp vying for top prize. Jim Bob is trying to salvage the local theatre production of A Christmas Carol from both the town censors and the wrath of the electric company. Didi is arming the good people in town with protection against the Christmas Phantom, who’s wreaking holiday havoc and may or (may not!) be Bertha’s fresh-from-probation son, Stanley. Welcome to Christmas in the Greater Tuna area – a great way to add a laugh to your holidays. A Tuna Christmas will be directed by Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen.

The Players kicks off the New Year with the return of a country music legend in Always… Patsy Cline, from January 16th-26th. Full of down-home laughs and 27 of Patsy’s hit songs (including Crazy, Walking After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams, and more) Always…Patsy Cline was created and originally directed by Ted Swindley. In 1961, Patsy Cline was one of the biggest stars in country music. A chance encounter before a concert began the long-time friendship between Patsy and her great fan, Louise Seger. Over beers and bacon-and-eggs, fan and idol became confidants, supporting each other through letters until Patsy’s untimely death at age 30. Patsy and Louise bring the audience on a honky-tonk journey through one of country music’s greatest real-life friendships. Popular company members Bridget Beirne and Lisa Bostnar return as Patsy Cline and her dear friend, Louise. Tom Frey directs.

Rounding out the season is the return of a play that premiered in 2010 at the Players, This Verse Business by A.M. Dolan, from February 6th-16th. The perfect marriage between a treasured American poet and a beloved actor, Emmy-winner (NYPD Blue) and Tony-nominee Gordon Clapp returns for an encore performance as Robert Frost. Following quickly after his performance at Lincoln Center in The Great Society, Clapp will once again breathe life into Frost, poised and waiting for the birth of a new poem. Frost’s endless quest to express life through metaphor – and encourage the reader to find their own meaning of life – is beautifully captured through this intimate moment between actor and audience, featuring timeless Frost classics such as Mending Wall, The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

The Players invites you to come warm your winter months with exceptional professional theatre! Winter Season tickets are on sale now. Subscriptions and Barn Door Flex Passes are also available and are a great way to see more for less! Visit peterboroughplayers.org or call the box office at (603) 924-7585 for tickets.

Turandot, Manon, and Madama Butterfly Screen at the Players from the Met: Live in HD

10/7/2019

PETERBOROUGH, NH – The first three offerings from the Met: Live in HD in the Peterborough Players Arts on Screen season are an opera lover’s dream. Two Puccini masterworks and a timeless Massenet classic screen at the Players this October and early November. Broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera and shown on the big screen at the Players in stunning HD, the programs also include exclusive, behind-the-scenes material that create a one-of-a-kind viewing experience.

The Met: Live in HD screenings begin on October 12th with the dazzling Franco Zeffirelli production of Puccini’s Turandot. The performance is under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and features renowned dramatic soprano, Christine Goerke as the princess. Massenet’s Manon, about the irresistible and tragically beautiful title character who yearns for life’s finer things, is on-screen on October 26th. Soprano Lisette Oropesa stars and Maurizio Benini conducts. Then, on November 9th, Puccini’s glorious Madama Butterfly comes to the Players’ screen, featuring soprano Hui He as the heartbreaking Butterfly and Paulo Szot as Sharpless. All operas start at 1pm.

Audiences for the Met: Live in HD series also have the opportunity to enjoy Opera Bites - delicious treats like hot soups, quiche, sandwiches, wraps and more from Sunflowers Restaurant. Opera Bites are sold before the screening and during intermissions and are a great topper to the opera experience! Items served cost between $4.50 and $10.

Arts on Screen subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. Tickets for the Special Screening series and the National Theatre Live are $20; the Met: Live in HD is $25. Subscriptions are always a great way to see more for less! Find information about the full 2019-2020 Arts on Screen series on the Players’ website, peterboroughplayers.org, or by calling (603) 924-7585.

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