Cleveland's Classic Company Presents THE TEMPEST, April 10 - 26

Cleveland's Classic Company, crowns its 2014-15 season with William Shakespeare magical masterpiece, THE TEMPEST. The production will be performed in the company's intimate and audience-friendly home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, April 10-26, 2014. Drew Barr directs the production.

Generous production support for THE TEMPESTt was provided by John and Barbara Schubert. Special Student Matinee Series support for THE TEMPEST was provided by AkzoNobel Packaging Coatings and GLT's Student Subscription Program was generously sponsored by Eaton Corporation. GLT is supported in great part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Season support is also provided by The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. Media sponsors for GLT's 53rd season are The FORM Group, Ideastream (WCLV 104.9 FM and WCPN 90.3 FM), The Northeast Ohio Media Group and WKSU 89.7 FM.

For Great Lakes Theater, Drew Barr most recently directed the company's critically acclaimed and record breaking production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap in 2012. Previous GLT productions include The Seagull (2009), The Crucible (2008), Arsenic and Old Lace (2007), Love's Labour's Lost (2006), You Can't Take It With You (2005), The Taming of the Shrew (2004) and Tartuffe(2003).

THE TEMPEST is Shakespeare's final glorious gift to the theater. Tempted by spirits, teased by sprites, and tormented by a monster, a shipwrecked king and his party face the wrath of the betrayed conjurer, Prospero - a man they marooned on the enchanted island years ago. But revenge yields to redemption in Shakespeare's magical masterpiece. Along the magically tempestuous journey, passions are unleashed, villainy is thwarted and a family is reunited in a comic and cathartic tale of romance and renewal.

"There's something resonantly modern in Shakespeare's exploration of human consciousness," said director Barr of Shakespeare's romance. "Writing twenty years before Rene Descartes shook the philosophical world with his foundational assertion, 'I think therefore I am,' and three hundred years before Albert Einstein formulated his theories of relativity, Shakespeare dramatized the power of the mind both to imprison and to liberate. Like his contemporary, John Donne, Shakespeare reminds us that 'No man is an island;' The Tempest dares us to open our hearts and minds fully enough to drown with all the world in the deluge of our senses."

Great Lakes Theater's award-winning home at the Hanna Theatre features a visionary "Great Room" inspired design that integrates the artist and audience experience into a single unified environment. Hanna patrons select from a variety of seating opportunities including traditional theater seats, club chairs, lounge/bar seats, banquette couches and private box seating. Arranged in an intimate 550-seat thrust configuration where the audience surrounds the stage, no seat is further than 12 rows from the performance.

Great Lakes Theater will continue to afford patrons extraordinary access to its artists and production process at every Hanna Theatre performance of THE TEMPEST. The Hanna always opens its doors ninety minutes before each performance allowing patrons to observe the complete pre-show preparation process of GLT's actors and technical staff. Elements traditionally hidden from audiences such as stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic pre-sets, technical cue rehearsals and actor warm-ups will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLT audiences an unprecedented glimpse into the theatrical process.

Great Lakes Theater will also renew its New Deal pricing initiative this spring - designed to increase accessibility for audiences. As part of the program, adult tickets begin at $15 and student tickets for any seat at any performance are $13 - making GLT one of the most affordable entertainment options in the region.

The Opening Night (also Press Night) performance of THE TEMPEST is scheduled for Saturday, April 11th. A preview performance is scheduled for the preceding Friday night evening (April 10th). Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees.

Single performance tickets range in price from $15-$70 (Student tickets are $13) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at GreatLakesTheater.org or by visiting the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts of up to 25% by calling (216) 241-5490 x302.

Great Lakes Theater, Cleveland's classic company, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. The first resident company of Playhouse Square, GLT celebrates its 34th year in downtown Cleveland this season. On its main stage and through its extensive education programming, Great Lakes Theater positively impacts the lives of over 100,000 adults and students annually.

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