U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott to Speak at Intiman Theatre on Sunday, August 15, Following the Final Performance of Ruined at 2 pm

Tickets for all remaining performances of the play are available now fromwww.intiman.org or 206.269.1900

SEATTLE— Intiman Theatre announces that U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott will speak and answer questions about his personal experience with and interest in African issues following the final performance of Lynn Nottage’s Ruined on Sunday, August 15 at 2 pm. This event is free for the audience and open to the public.

Tickets for all remaining performances of Ruined, which is directed by Artistic Director Kate Whoriskey , are on sale from www.intiman.org or 206.269.1900.

Congressman McDermott, whose political career began in 1970, is currently in his 11th term serving Washington State ’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has worked on African foreign policy issues throughout his career. Trained as a physician, he left politics in 1987 to serve as Regional Medical Officer in the U.S. Foreign Service. Based in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), he provided psychiatric services to Foreign Service, AID, and Peace Corps personnel throughout sub-Saharan Africa . In 2004, he was part of a bipartisan coalition of U.S. Representatives who championed the passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. In July 2010, the U.S. Congress passed the Wall Street Reform Bill, which includes provisions first introduced by Rep. McDermott, which will hold accountable American companies that use minerals in their products from mines that help fund the war in the DRC.

Congressman McDermott’s talk is presented through Intiman’s new International Cycle and the theatre’s efforts to raise awareness—through its plays and outreach programs—about global issues. The International Cycle will be produced annually in connection with Intiman’s ongoing American Cycle. Both Cycles include events, community conversations and opportunities for Intiman to work with a range of guest speakers who help illuminate the often surprising intersections between issues in our community and around the world, and inspire dialogue and activism both globally and in Seattle . For more information about the International Cycle, go to http://www.youtube.com/intimantheatre.