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All's Well That Ends Well at Youngstown Playhouse
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- William Shakespeare said it best -- "all's well that ends well" -- and this morning at the Youngstown Playhouse there is no more ado about who's in control.The Playhouse board of directors, the Save Our Stage Committee and former executive director Bentley Lenhoff announced they have resolved a two-month dispute that threatened to bring the curtain down on the financially troubled community theater.At a board meeting last night, two directors resigned -- Mary Jane Karem and board president Ida McLaughlin -- attorney Anthony Donofrio was named president, and Lenhoff was hired for $1 per year as managing director. A joint statement issued this morning by the board, Lenhoff and the Save Our Stage Committee said board members also agreed to "welcome back into the theater anyone and everyone who wants to help restore the Playhouse to its former position as one of the nation's largest and most successful community theaters."Lenhoff, who started work this morning, said he would announce a comprehensive plan to revive the Playhouse at a press event Thursday morning.The public is invited to join the board, Lenhoff and SOS committee members at 7 p.m. today for a celebration. "We will be toasting the past and the future. We will come together as one group whose only goal is to preserve and strengthen the Youngstown Playhouse," said Donofrio. "As a board, we inherited an organization that was deeply troubled and have worked very hard to resolve the current controversy," he continued. "I am so elated that we have been able to resolve differences and clear up misunderstandings that have been crippling the Playhouse, and I am extremely grateful to the board members and to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen."In an interview with The Business Journal, Donofrio expressed frustration that board members have been blamed for the Playhouse's debts and other problems. "They're raising questions, how was $1.6 million [federal grant] was spent, how the Playhouse lost its liquor license. These can't be answered by current board members because the problems didn't take place while this board was seated."An audit of the community theater's finances should be completed in the next month, Donofrio notedJack Ballantyne, one of the leaders of the Save Our Stage Committee that has been outspoken about problems plaguing the Playhouse, said he and other members of the SOS committee look forward to working together with others to help secure the future of the Playhouse."The Playhouse is a community asset," Ballantyne said. "We have the energy, enthusiasm and now, with Lenhoff, the leadership to save the Playhouse.Lenhoff said he is grateful to Save Our Stage Committee members for the attention they brought to troubling issues affecting the organization. He also praised current board members for the hard work, dedication and cooperative spirit."They held this place together and they must be commended for that. They worked tirelessly and steered the Playhouse through troubled times," Lenhoff said.Lenhoff said the current board inherited countless problems, including financial instability, and worked hard to resolve the issues.Lenhoff and Donofrio also said they hope to never again talk about the troubles that have plagued the organization.They urged the public to attend a 7 p.m. Friday performance planned several weeks ago as a benefit for the Playhouse. The performance will showcase some of the talented actors, singers and dancers who have appeared or likely will appear on the Playhouse stage in the future.Tickets for that event are $10 and can be purchased by calling (330) 788-8739. Tickets may also be purchased at the door the evening of the performance."