Dentyne and Manhattan Theatre Club Sponsor Playwrighting Contest

Dentyne®, the gum brand behind the popular Make Face Time^TM campaign and Manhattan Theatre Club, one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies, today announced two playwriting contests about personal relationships in the digital age - one a national contest open to the public and the other a contest open to students at participating colleges and universities. As part of the contests, Dentyne® and MTC are inviting budding playwrights from across the country to write short plays about sustaining personal relationships in the age of technology.

Students from participating colleges and universities, in the case of the student contest and other amateur playwrights, in the case of the national public contest, can submit their entries for a chance to have their original, short two-person plays performed by professional actors in New York City before a live audience, along with cash prizes. Entries for the contests must be postmarked by 3/9/09 and received by 3/16/09; official rules and entry forms for both contests are available at www.dentyne.com/realationships/.

In a joint statement, MTC's Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove said, "We are so grateful to the team at Dentyne gum for their support of this new initiative that will take MTC's Education Program onto college campuses and help cultivate the next generation of American playwrights."

"When it comes to live theater, nothing is more important than the relationships you develop with your fellow actors and with the audience," said three-time Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actress Laura Linney, who is also an arts education advocate and an artistic friend of Manhattan Theatre Club. "I'm delighted that Dentyne and Manhattan Theatre Club are giving aspiring playwrights this exciting opportunity to express their views on the importance of personal relationships in the digital age." Ms. Linney has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with MTC, having made her professional debut with the company and more recently having played Patricia in MTC's production of Sight Unseen for which she received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.

The theme of the plays resonates with Dentyne® gum's popular Make Face Time^TM ad campaign, which depicts everyday people spending time getting face to face. In fact, a recent national survey conducted by the brand shows that an overwhelming two-thirds of Americans wish they could get more face-to-face time with family and friends while nearly 80% said they feel more connected to another person when they're face-to-face, rather than when communicating through technology.

The national survey also revealed that:
o Three-fourths of Americans agree that online social networks can never replace face time with friends and/or family.
o About half of Americans feel they don't get enough (face) time with the ones they care about most.
o Young Americans are texting more than touching: two-thirds say they have used technology to tell someone they love them; one in five (20%) have used technology to break up with someone.

"The 'Make Face Time' campaign is a simple but powerful reminder that the most important connection of them all is the human connection," said Josette Barenholtz, marketing director for Dentyne®. "Most everyone uses technology to connect, but there really is no substitute for the powerful emotional bond we create when we get face to face. We are pleased to be supporting Manhattan Theatre Club, which provides the unique face-to-face experience of live theatre."

About the Dentyne® Playwriting Contests
Undergraduate students* from Stanford University, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), Northwestern University and Hunter College of the City University of New York, can enter the student contest.

Four finalists will be selected from the eligible entries for the student contest. Each finalist will receive a trip to New York City in early May to have their plays performed by professional actors in front of a panel of judges and a live audience at one of MTC's theatres at New York City Center. One grand prize winner will be chosen, and he/she will receive a $7,500 cash prize plus a one-year mentorship with MTC.

Others* who wish to participate can do so by entering the national public contest; one grand prize winner will receive a trip to New York City in early May to have his/her play performed by professional actors in front of a live audience at one of MTC's theatres at New York City Center the day of the student performances. The grand prize winner of the national public contest will also receive a $7,500 cash prize.

For additional information on the Dentyne® playwriting contests and for official rules and entry forms, visit www.dentyne.com/realationships/.

About Manhattan Theatre Club
MTC is one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC productions have earned numerous awards, including 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Kimberly Akimbo; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin'. MTC produces work on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and off-Broadway at New York City Center. MTC is committed to reaching out to young audiences with innovative programs in education and maintaining a commitment to cultivating the next generation of theatre professionals.

About Cadbury North America
Headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, Cadbury North America is the Canadian and U.S. combined business unit of Cadbury plc - a leading global confectionery business with number one or number two positions in over 20 of the world's 50 largest confectionery markets.

In the United States, the brand portfolio of Cadbury includes some of the best-loved confections in the US, including Trident®, Dentyne®, Halls®, Bubblicious®, Sour Patch®, Swedish Fish®, Chiclets®, Certs® and Stride®, The Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum® and Green & Black's® organic chocolate. Our people create brands people love with passion, dedication and drive. For more information visit www.cadbury.com.

*Legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry only.