CPT & Teatro Publico de Cleveland to Celebrate Three Years of Original Bilingual Plays

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan announces the cancellation of The Ghosts of Lote Bravo by Hilary Bettis, which was previously scheduled to premiere at CPT during the 2016-2017 theatrical season. In its place, the theatre will premiere a new work by the Teatro Publico de Cleveland ensemble, ¡Celebrando Three Years!, to run October 6-8, 2016 in CPT's historic Gordon Square Theatre.

Bobgan had originally scheduled The Ghosts of Lote Bravo for the spring of 2017, but issues with the English-to-Spanish translation resulted in an agreement to move the production to October. Ultimately, unforeseen artistic differences led to the decision to cancel the production and replace the show with a new, original, bilingual production to be created and performed by Teatro Publico de Cleveland ensemble, CPT's resident Latin American theatre ensemble.

"We appreciate the support of the National New Play Network and the Teatro Publico de Cleveland (TPC) ensemble as we worked through the circumstances surrounding the decision to pull The Ghosts of Lote Bravo from our season. Moving forward, we are excited to announce our updated plans for Teatro Publico's fall season opener-entitled ¡Celebrando Three Years!-which will feature a festive community celebration and new work highlighting the last three years of Teatro Publico de Cleveland original shows," said Bobgan, who will be directing the production.

¡Celebrando Three Years! will premiere new ensemble-created works and revive celebrated performances from the TPC repertoire, woven together into an evening-length performance by new and veteran TPC ensemble members. Audience will enjoy collected stories, ancestral tales, dreams and remembrances from the company's repertoire in a festive evening event complemented by live music, Latin food and dance.¡Celebrando Three Years! will be performed in English and Spanish, with bilingual supertitles thanks to thegenerous support of The City of Cleveland's Cable Television Minority Arts and Education Fund.

¡Celebrando Three Years! is a one-weekend-only special production, to take place October 6-8, 2016. Doors open at 6:30pm with live music and complimentary Latin food. Performances are Thursday, Friday andSaturday at 7:30pm in CPT's historic Gordon Square Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District.

CPT's Gordon Square Theatre is fully ADA-accessible, ramped entry and a gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible restroom.

Tickets are $12 - $30. Thursday is "Family Night" with discount tickets for adults ($12) and youth under 18 ($8). Friday and Saturday tickets are $30 and feature a post-show DJ and dance party. Purchase online at www.cptonline.org or by calling the CPT Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext 501. CPT doesn't charge ticket fees, ever. Group discounts available for parties of 10+.

In 2013, Cleveland Public Theatre launched Teatro Publico de Cleveland, a Cleveland-based Latin American theatre ensemble, whose work reflects the artistic goals, interests and ideals of its members. The purpose of this theatre ensemble is to share the rich diversity and perspectives of the Latino Cleveland culture towards fulfilling CPT's core mission: to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performance and life-changing educational programs. The ensemble of actors and creators has a broad range of experience, from amateur to professionally trained artists. A majority of members can trace heritage to Puerto Rico, and there is representation from other countries of origin: Mexico, Uruguay, Guatemala, Peru, Nicaragua and Colombia. The ensemble was founded through a series of free public workshops presented by Cleveland Public Theatre, in partnership with Cleveland's Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, and its founding was supported by the Cleveland Foundation's Engaging the Future program.

Photo Credit: Steve Wagner Photography