Arden Cabaret Series Presents Steve Pacek In THE MAN YOU MAY NOT KNOW

Arden Theatre Company Cabaret Series presents Steve Pacek on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 8pm. Pacek performs THE MAN YOU MAY NOT KNOW in the Bob and Selma Horan Studio Theatre at the Hamilton Family Arts Center, 62 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia. The cabaret is one of four being offered as part of the 2017/18 Arden Cabaret Series. The Presenting Sponsor of the Arden Cabaret Series is Univest.

Steve Pacek is a Philadelphia actor, vocalist, director, choreographer, movement artist and teacher. He has performed on many area stages including 11 shows at the Arden (A Year with Frog and Toad, The Secret Garden, Metamorphoses, Sideways Stories from the Wayside School, Peter Pan, Clybourne Park, Pacific Overtures, The Dead, The Borrowers, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Franklin's Apprentice. He also co-directed The Cat in the Hat and directed last season's The Light Princess.) Philadelphia: A New Brain, Into the Woods and 39 Steps (Theatre Horizon), A Christmas Carol and Something Wicked Comes This Way (Delaware Theatre Company), Gutenberg!: The Musical (Act II Playhouse and Montgomery Theatre), Ordinary Days (11th Hour Theatre Company.) Regionally he has performed in Hand to God (Alley Theatre), Peter and the Starcatcher (Arkansas Rep), The Hound of Baskervilles and Little Shop of Horrors (Hangar Theatre), Bomb-itty of Errors (Milwaukee Rep.) Pacek is the Associate Artistic Director and a Co-Founder of 11th Hour Theatre Company. He earned a BFA in Musial Theatre from Ithaca College.

In THE MAN YOU MAY NOT KNOW Pacek recalls, through stories and song, his relationship with actor Jorge Maldonado, who he met in the Arden's production of PACIFIC OVERTURES in 2003. Maldonado died suddenly in 2007.

Pacek says, "This January is the ten-year anniversary of Jorge's death and was really the impetus for me performing this piece. So many new people in my life don't know the story of me and Jorge and I wanted to share it because it is such an important part of who I am."

He adds, "This is my first foray into solo performance and though a little nervous, I am excited to be able to connect to audiences in this way. It helps keep Jorge close to me by sharing songs that he introduced me to or that remind me of him."

Pacek's cabaret will include a mix of musical theatre, folk and pop songs. Dan Kazemi accompanies Pacek on piano.

The Arden Cabaret Series was created to provide an opportunity for artists to perform, develop and present work that is important to them, and offers a unique and intimate conversation between Arden artists and audiences.

Premium tables for four patrons each are available for $200. General table seating is also available for $30 per person. Arden donors and subscribers receive a $5 ticket discount. For tickets, call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, visit www.ardentheatre.org or walk-up at the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers-on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. Five productions are staged each season as part of the Mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children's Theatre, the city's first resident professional children's theatre program. New work is produced through the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden's Education Department includes: Arden for All (AFA), a theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, the after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre-K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers; and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program. The Hamilton Family Arts Center is the new facility dedicated to education programs and new play development.

The Arden has received numerous honors including 65 awards and 373 nominations from the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The Arden is a winner of four "Theatre Company of the Year" designations (Philadelphia Inquirer), six Philadelphia Magazine "Best of Philly" awards and three "Best of Philly Kids" awards, the City Paper's Reader's Choice Award and the prestigious "Great Friend to Kids Award" from the Please Touch Museum for Arden Children's Theatre work. For accessibility efforts, the Arden was named a "Keystone of Accessibility" by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Arden Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company and a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Old City Arts Association. The Arden also participates in The Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia.