Cesear's Forum to present Lanford Wilson: TAKE 5

Many of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson's plays found life at a New York City coffeehouse, Caffe Cino, in the 1960's. The venue established itself as one of the first Off-Off-Broadway theatres. These early plays were often one-act ensemble pieces or, later, sharply drawn character studies less concerned with plot as with revelatory behavior. Wilson liked the format and Cesear's Forum, Cleveland's small professional "minimalist" theatre company, is pleased to present five such works entitled Lanford Wilson: TAKE 5. The 90 minute evening utilizes eight actors, sometimes together, sometimes individually, to reflect on aspects of American life. The writing is at once heartfelt and funny. The characters' struggles are our struggles, their stories told simply but complicated by societal concerns replete with emotional baggage. Ideals and illusions are sustained tenuously. The five plays (in order of appearance) are: WANDERING, SEXTET (YES), A BETHROTHAL, BRONTOSAURUS and A POSTER OF THE COSMOS. The limited engagement production runs late September through October at Kennedy's Down Under, Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio.

Lanford Wilson was born in Missouri, April 1937 and lived principally in New York City and later Sag Harbor, Long Island. He died in March 2011. Considered one of the most distinguished American Playwrights of the late 20th century, Mr. Wilson's early career gave way to wider stages, Off-Broadway, Broadway and as a staple of regional theaters throughout the United States. Mr. Wilson was a founder of the Circle Repertory Company, a highly regarded collective of actors, directors, playwrights and others known for its collaborative approach. He received the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for his one-act, two character play TALLEY'S FOLLY, set in his hometown of Lebanon, Missouri. An eventual trilogy, the cycle comprised TALLEY & SON and FIFTH OF JULY. Other works include: BALM IN GILEAD, THE HOT l BALTIMORE, THE GINGHAM DOG, LEMON SKY, ANGELS FALL and REDWOOD CURTAIN.

Cesear's Forum continues to present works of social commitment and theatre experimentation. The production will be staged by Artistic Director Greg Cesear, with a setting by Michael Larochelle, lighting by Andrew Kaletta and costumes by Aimee Kluiber. The production is sponsored, in part, by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Lanford Wilson: TAKE 5, September 23rd through October 29th, Friday and Saturday

at 8pm. Two Sunday Matinee's at 3 pm on October 9th and 16th, Kennedy's Down Under,

Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Call 216-241-6000 or visit

www.playhousesquare.org. Ticket price is: $18