Christine Howey to Make Playhouse Square Debut with EXACT CHANGE, 6/11-27

Making its Playhouse Square debut this June is one of the first plays of its kind, Exact Change. Written and performed by noted Cleveland actor, poet, journalist and critic Christine Howey (formerly Dick Howey), Exact Change takes on a topic that deserves attention, but often goes unaddressed.

The content is best described by its creator and subject:

"I feel a strong need to communicate the challenging issues and deep satisfaction that comes from finding one's true gender. I know the idea of a gender change is a very foreign one for most people...so I wanted to make the feelings and aspirations of a transgender person accessible and as understandable as possible." - Christine Howey

A powerful new play about finding your voice and championing your identity, Exact Change is produced by Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). Ms. Howey originally developed the show through CPT's New Work Development Series, before premiering the full length work as part of the theatre's 2013-2014 season. Since its debut, Exact Change has toured regionally and undergone some adaptations.

Before transitioning in 1990, Ms. Howey was a celebrated stage actor in Cleveland, known for playing such heavy-hitting male roles as Lucifer, Goebbels, "Terrible Jim Fitch," Richard Nixon, God and others. Exact Change explores Howey's gender transition from many angles in a one-woman tour-de-force spiked with political rants, historical reflections and an incisive wit that packs a punch. Described as "rewarding and life-changing theatre" (Fran Heller, Cleveland Jewish News), Exact Change combines spoken word poetry, monologue and dialogue in a deeply personal show that is as amusing as it is poignant. Exact Change is written and performed by Howey, with direction by Scott Plate.

A native of Northeast Ohio, Howey is a graduate of Brecksville High School and Kent State University. She taught English in the Cleveland Public School system, followed by a 35 year career in advertising. In 1999, she began work on a solo show dealing with her transgender journey, which was performed in New York and later, at the East Cleveland Theatre. Ten years later, Howey joined a poetry workshop, where she developed an interest in performing her own poetry. These pieces, which often utilized character voices of both genders, were well received and later became the basis of Exact Change.

Exact Change takes the stage for two weeks only, Thursday, June 11 - Saturday, June 13 and Thursday June 25 - Saturday, June 27, 2015, in Playhouse Square's intimate Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre. Performance times are Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 5:00pm and 8:30pm. General admission tickets are $29.50 and available at playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 or the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Discounts are available for groups of 10+ by calling 216-640-8600.

For additional information, visit www.ExactChangeThePlay.com.

Cleveland Public Theatre develops new, adventurous work; and nurtures Northeastern Ohio artists - particularly those whose work is inventive, intelligent and socially conscious.

Playhouse Square is a world-class, not-for-profit performing arts center, arts education champion and downtown developer.