World & Regional Premieres Set for Cleveland Public Theatre's 2015-16 Season

Cleveland Public Theatre's Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan announces the 2015-2016 Season, which delivers on CPT's mission of raising consciousness and nurturing compassion through theatre that is daring, relevant and socially-conscious.

CPT invests in innovation and diversity, and is the leading producer of new work by Northeast Ohio creators, producing more original work annually than all the professional theatres in the area combined. The 2015-16 mainstage season includes six World Premieres and four Regional Premieres, along with two new work development series-Big Box and Out of the Box-which provide workshop and other production opportunities to emerging artists, as well as pathways for risk and innovation by more established theatre-makers.

The theme of CPT's 2015-16 season is Identity/Identify. According to Bobgan: "Identity/Identify represents two strong impulses: one-the urge to define identity in specific terms, to assert who we are as individuals, internally and in the world and the other-our yearning to empathetically connect with others, to truly identify with diverse perspectives. These two seemingly disparate actions are at the core of theatre's potential impact."

Phase III Renovations - James Levin Theatre: For the first half of the season, the James Levin Theatre will undergo renovations to update the facilities, install an elevator and bring the theater to full compliance with ADA accessibility requirements. CPT will reopen the space in March 2016 with the world premiere of The Ghosts of Lote Bravo. Until then, performances will continued to take place in CPT's main Gordon Square Theatre, along with two auxiliary venues: The Church at CPT and Parish Hall, both located on the east end of the CPT campus.

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE's 2015-2016 Season

PANDEMONIUM 2015: TRANSFORM

One Night Only. Saturday, September 12, 2015; Cleveland Public Theatre, various locations; 7:00 pm; Tickets $150 ($85 tax deductible)

Cleveland Public Theatre's annual fundraising extravaganza transforms the CPT campus into a labyrinth of theatre, dance, visual and performance art, along with fabulous food and drink all night long. A feast for the eyes, mind, appetite and imagination, Pandemonium was awarded Connectors Choice "Event of the Year" in 2013 and 2014. This year CPT honors Robert and Yan Maschke with the 2015 Pan Award.

WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT

(No Preview) Runs October 8-25, Parish Hall (performance) & Church (post-show reception). Produced by CPT, in association with Aurora Nova Productions. Written by Nassim Soleimanpour.

An absurdist adventure that sits at the intersection of comedy and drama, White Rabbit Red Rabbit is a solo play reading performed without a director or rehearsal, and will feature a different Cleveland actor each night-a person who has neither read the play nor knows anything about it. This moving and uniquely "live" production by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour explores the nature of theatre and themes of geo-political and social isolation, towards bridging a connection between people in a part of the world the playwright was forbidden to visit. Each performance will be followed by a reception and post-show discussion. Regional Premiere

URGENT: All media and press agents: This play is NOT overtly political, and should not be portrayed as such. It operates on a deeper, metaphoric level, and very expressly avoids overt political comment. We therefore ask the press to be judicious in their reportage.

Teatro Publico de Cleveland (title TBD)

Previews October 15, Runs October 16 - 24, Gordon Square Theatre

An original work created by Raymond Bobgan and the Teatro Publico de Cleveland ensemble. Directed by Raymond Bobgan.

Now in its third season, CPT's resident Latin American theatre ensemble returns to the stage with an original show developed from the personal stories, dreams, traditions and remembrances of the multinational ensemble of artists. Performances are presented in English with some Spanish. World Premiere

The Loush Sisters Love Dick'ns: Great Expectations

(No Preview) Runs November 27 - December 19, Gordon Square Theatre

Created by Beth Wood, Liz Conway and Michael Seevers, Jr. Directed by Beth Wood.

Join Holly and Jolly Loush (aka The Loush Sisters) for a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday cabaret. Fueled by song, sidekicks and a hefty dose of "holiday cheer," the Loush Sisters reinterpret A Christmas Carol as you've never, ever seen it before. World Premiere.

The SantaLand Diaries

Dates TBA, Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square

Written by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello. Directed by TBD.

Join CPT at Playhouse Square for David Sedaris' acclaimed holiday comedy. The SantaLand Diaries follows the story of "Crumpet," a jaded and out-of-work actor who takes a job as a Macy's Christmas elf.

Feefer Rising

Previews December 3 - 5 & 10, Runs December 11 - 19, Parish Hall

Created by Faye Hargate and Raymond Bobgan. Directed by Raymond Bobgan.

A devised solo performance by CPT artist Faye Hargate (2014 Creative Workforce Fellow, Theatre) that explores sexuality and selfhood through the eyes of a girl navigating the journey from pre-puberty through late adolescence. Woven with American pop references and personal narrative, Feefer Rising challenges a cultural context that alternately shames and sexualizes young women, proposing instead a murkier, more nuanced portrait of one girl's sexual coming-of-age. A brave and modern exploration of female identity, innocence, agency and power. World Premiere

Incendiaries (a Co-Production with Ohio City Theatre Project)

Previews January 7, Runs January 8 - 23, Gordon Square Theatre

Conceived and Directed by Pandora Robertson.

Based on the 1966 Hough race riots, Incendiaries is a fast-paced and muscular work that explores past conflicts between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Developed in part through CPT's Fire on the Water production and Station Hope 2015, Incendiaries is laced with historic text, trial transcripts and citizen accounts of a critical period in Cleveland history. World Premiere

Frankenstein's Wake

Previews January 7 - 9 & 14, Runs January 15-30, The Church

Created by Holly Holsinger and Raymond Bobgan. Directed by Raymond Bobgan.

Originally staged by CPT and toured Off-Broadway in 1998, Frankenstein's Wake is a twisted adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, co-created by Raymond Bobgan and Holly Holsinger, with Holsinger starring as Doctor Frankenstein and a multitude of others. The tour de force solo production was described as "an exhilarating bravura performance" by Time Out New York.

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play

Previews February 11 - 13 & 18, Runs February 19 - March 5, Gordon Square Theatre

Written by Anne Washburn. Score by Michael Friedman. Lyrics by Anne Washburn. Directed by Matthew Wright.

Mr. Burns is a post-apocalyptic tale of survival, passion, and...the enduring power of Bart Simpson. Across a devastated landscape, gangs of survivors band together to keep the pilot light of civilization burning, exchanging memories for currency as society rebuilds itself one Simpsons episode at a time. Told over three acts and several decades, Mr. Burns culminates in a DIY musical spectacular, suggesting that humanity's path to redemption is as unexpected as it is inevitable. Regional Premiere

The Ghosts of Lote Bravo

Previews March 3, Runs March 4 - 19, James Levin Theatre

Written by Hilary Bettis. Directed by Dante Fernando Larzabal.

The opening production of the newly-renovated James Levin Theatre, CPT and Teatro Publico de Cleveland present The Ghosts of Lote Bravo, developed in collaboration with playwright Hilary Bettis and El Círculo theatre of Mexico City. Set in Mexico's Cuidad Juarez, where young girls often disappear-or too often turn up murdered-a mother, Juanda Cantu, has lost her daughter Raquel to violence. Through visions offered by La Santa Muerte, Juanda peers into Raquel's past to reveal the young woman's previously secret dreams, yearnings and unflinching courage. The Ghosts of Lote Bravo is a play about great hope in the midst of relentless violence, poverty and grief. Translated and performed in Spanish. National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere

DanceWorks 2016

Runs March 17 - April 9, Gordon Square Theatre

Each year Cleveland Public Theatre welcomes the opportunity to showcase Northeast Ohio's contemporary dance companies as they premiere new work and revive celebrated performances. The DanceWorks 2016 lineup will include a special performance by guest tap dancing troupe Dorrance Dance (NYC), presented in partnership with Dance Cleveland.

BIG BOX '16

Runs March 17 - April 9, The Parish Hall

The centerpiece of CPT's new work development programming, Big Box is one of CPT's most popular events. Over a period of four weeks, selected local artists will have the chance to showcase their works-in-progress. Big Box productions range in genre from theatre, dance, and opera to genre-defying performances, all by Northeast Ohio artists.

Out of the Box

Runs March 24 - April 2, James Levin Theatre

The 2015-2016 season marks CPT's growth as a presenter of national and internationally recognized new work. Running in tandem with the second and third weeks of Big Box '16 new work development series, Out of the Box offers features two out-of-the-ordinary theatrical experiences created by guest touring artists: "SeXcurity," a workshop solo production created by Darren Katz (NYC) and starring Yuval Boim (Israel), and the regional tour of Don Quixote: a pilgrimage by Jennifer Schlueter and Available Light Theatre (Columbus, OH).

Station Hope 2016

One-night-only. Saturday April 30. St. John's Episcopal Church (Ohio City) and surrounding neighborhoods

Back for a third year, Station Hope is a free one-night-only multi-arts event that celebrates the triumphs of the Underground Railroad, Cleveland's social justice history, and contemporary struggles for freedom and justice. Staged in and around Ohio City's historic St. John's Episcopal Church-the first authenticated Underground Railroad location in Cleveland-Station Hope is a jubilant, immersive community event, featuring original work created by professional and community-based artists from across Northeast Ohio, working across many disciplines to address some of the most important issues of our time. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant, Station Hope 2016 will expand to include auxiliary touring events in 4 west side Cleveland neighborhoods.­­­ Station Hope is free and open to all ages.

Wrestling Jerusalem

Previews May 5, Runs May 6 - 22, James Levin Theatre

Written and Performed by Aaron Davidman. Directed by Michael John Garcés.

Set in America, Israel, and Palestine, Wrestling Jerusalem follows one man's journey to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Giving voice to seventeen different characters, writer-performer Aaron Davidman grapples with the complexities of identity, history, and social justice. "While cleaving to core values of equity and justice throughout, Davidman respectfully represents views that range to extreme points on either side of the messy debate... marked by often-anguished gestural passages, stirring liturgical verses, unexpected humor, and a series of neatly etched characters." (SF Bay Guardian) Regional Premiere

Blue SAND Dreaming

Previews May 26 - 28 & June 2, Runs June 3 - 11, Gordon Square Theatre

Devised by Raymond Bobgan and Ensemble. Directed by Raymond Bobgan (Cleveland Arts Prize recipient 2014/Theatre, Creative Work Force Fellow 2014/Music Composition and 2010/Theatre).

Set in a modern America filled with fears and forgetting, Blue Sand Dreaming reaches back to a cradle of our civilization and a crux of our future. Inspired loosely by The Egyptian Book of the Dead (or Coming Forth by Day) this story follows one woman as she grapples with seemingly irreconcilable forces: her life, her memory and her selves. Following Bobgan's signature works, this piece is rigorously physical and richly poetic with a haunting actor-performed soundtrack. Featuring CPT favorites Chris Seibert and Darius Stubbs. World Premiere

Lines in the Dust - Previews June 2, Runs June 3 - 18, James Levin Theatre

Written by Nikkole Salter. Directed by Beth Wood.

Essex County, New Jersey, 2010: When Denitra, a working-class single mom, loses the charter school lottery for her teenage daughter, she is determined to find another way to escape their underperforming neighborhood school. The answer seems a risk well-worth taking, until Denitra's deception comes under scrutiny by a close friend, testing personal loyalties and blur the line between legal and fair. Lines in the Dust is a compelling and contemporary new work that explores how community informs identity and peers down the ever-widening gulf between people on either side of the opportunity gap. Regional Premiere