Cleveland Public Theatre Announces Fall Season ALIVE ON LINE

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT)'s Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to announce CPT's Fall Season: Alive On Line, 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 has been recognized regionally and nationwide as a leader in the support and development of new work and the amplification of emerging voices, and for producing and presenting work from artists creating theatre outside the mainstream.

According to Bobgan: "Like flowers growing up through cracks in the sidewalk, water rushing through the Cuyahoga River, or dreams that come to us at night, art will find the way."

Alive On Line features intimate showings playing in repertory with limited "seats." Though we cannot gather in person, we can come together as a community to experience and celebrate the power of live art. As theatre artists we have dedicated our lives to explore, nurture, and deepen human connection-unmitigated, direct, and visceral. It is about connection, and more-it gets under the skin and into the heart. Though it is important to remain temporarily distanced, we believe theatre is the place where society dreams, debates, and experiments. CPT's mission has always been boldly aligned with this thinking-theatre is about consciousness and compassion, and we cannot afford to let these qualities atrophy in ourselves or our society.

CPT's Fall Season has been designed as a special Zoom experience. When you come to a CPT virtual performance, you will see and connect with your fellow audience members. Our intimate performances are under an hour, with limited "seats," and conclude with brief post-show discussions. For tickets to CPT's Fall Season: Alive On Line, visit www.cptonline.org.

Visit www.cptonline.org to witness Awakenings, A Celebration of Cleveland Public Theatre presented by WKYC Studios.

CPT's Fall Season: Alive On Line

FRANKENSTEIN'S WAKE
A Premiere Zoom Adaptation
Created by Holly Holsinger & Raymond Bobgan. Directed by Raymond Bobgan.
Performed by Holly Holsinger.
October 30, 31 & November 8, 14, 20 | 7:00pm (ET)
Special late-night show on October 31 at 10:00pm.

This twisted adaptation of Mary Shelley's masterpiece revives a tour-de-force performance, first performed off-Broadway in 1997 by Cleveland's own Theatre Labyrinth. Frankenstein's Wake met critical acclaim and was described as "an exhilarating bravura performance" by Time Out New York. With this virtual restaging of the work, the creators seek to reflect a deeper knowledge and evolved perspective on the themes of longing, the search for one's origin, conflict with the maker, and what it means to be human.

...OR DOES IT EXPLODE?
A Premiere Zoom Adaptation
Written & Directed by John Dayo-Aliya.
Performed by Austin Sasser, Benjamin Black, De Andre Hairston-Karim, & Dar'Jon Bentley.
November 6, 7, 12, 13, 19, 21 | 7:00pm (ET)

This theatrical piece uses poetry, dance, and other contemporary theatre forms to explore questions of what it means to be Black, male, and young in the 21st century. ...Or Does it Explode?, an unflinching portrayal of profound anger, hurt, and joy, blends stories gathered from men ages 16-35 in Akron, Ohio. Thought-provoking vignettes display social conditions and contradictions, and what it means to do justice to one another.

THE LOUSH SISTERS PAY PER VIEW (BUFFER THIS!)
A Zoom Premiere
Created by Liz Conway, Michael Seevers Jr., & Beth Wood. Directed by Beth Wood.
Performed by Liz Conway & Beth Wood.
November 27, 28 & December 2, 3, 10, 11, 17, 19 | 8:00pm (ET)

This holiday season, join Holly and Jolly Loush (aka The Loush Sisters) for their deeply anticipated return (after months of isolation) in a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday celebration. Fueled by song and a hefty dose of "holiday cheer," The Loush Sisters will reinvigorate your spirit with rowdy shenanigans and good ol' sisterly love.

CPT WITH THE KENNEDY CENTER!
December 7 | 7:00pm (ET)

Stay tuned for more information about an exciting premiere Zoom performance at the prestigious center for the performing arts in Washington, D.C.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND PRODUCTIONS
Our incredible partners and friends throughout Cleveland are a major part of the special sauce that makes CPT a hub for compassion, innovation, and community.

DIA DE MUERTOS 2020 | VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING
Presented by Cleveland Public Theatre/Teatro Público de Cleveland & Día de Muertos Ohio.
October 31 & November 1

A vibrant cultural celebration for the whole family, the annual "Day of the Dead" honors the memory of those who have passed and is a treasured holiday in Mexico and throughout Latin America. This year's activities include indoor, outdoor, and virtual altar and cemetery presentations, created with safety as the highest priority.

A CELEBRATION OF MASRAH CLEVELAND AL-ARABIمسرح كليفلاند العربي
November 4 & December 16

Join the ensemble for a sharing of past work, the premiere of a mini-documentary, and a discussion with the ensemble about the founding of this group.

Teatro PUblico de Cleveland Grandes MonOlogos
November 10 & 11

Teatro Público de Cleveland (TPC) presents an evening of monologues by local playwrights and from previous TPC productions. These extraordinary monologues explore the heart of change through the lens of the past, present, and future.

WINTERTIDE AT GORDON SQUARE
Presented by Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization in collaboration with CPT.
December 12

WINTERTIDE at Gordon Square is a free, all-ages, arts-infused festival, presented virtually this year. This event features local businesses paired with neighborhood arts organizations presenting live performances, mixing holiday merriment with artistic wonder like nowhere else in Cleveland.

STUDENT THEATRE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (STEP)
December 18 & 19

Cleveland Public Theatre's celebrated Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) is Cleveland's longest-running arts and job training program for teens. This fall, the 2020 STEP ensemble, led by India Nicole Burton, will present a virtual performance followed by a short post-show conversation.

NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE
Catapult is an ongoing fellowship program intended to help artists move their projects to a "production ready" stage through multiple readings, rehearsal time at CPT, workshop productions, and/or invitational showings. Catapult playwrights and creators will be awarded a Nord Family Foundation Fellowship and play an active role in the life of the theatre while they are developing their work. 2020/2021 Catapult Fellows to be announced in the coming weeks.

Premiere Fellowships, made possible by dedicated funding from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), celebrate, reward, and support artists who have demonstrated excellence in and are committed to new play development. 2020/2021 application to be released in the coming weeks.

The Dark Room open mic for playwrights continues pairing playwrights with actors to perform (mostly) cold readings of scripts-in-progress in a fun, low-risk atmosphere. The Dark Room has been incredibly successful in the virtual realm and is now happening twice a month.

Alongside the above programming, CPT continues year-round education programming throughout Cleveland. When the schools and community centers closed and orders were put in place, Cleveland Act Now Academy continued on and immediately moved to a virtual format where CPT Teaching Artists began prototyping how to translate our unique classroom experience into a virtual platform. We're collaborating with our partners at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CHMA) to find new ways to serve the youth and families of CMHA. We continue our partnership with Youth Opportunities Unlimited, the City of Cleveland, and our many partners to reinvent CPT's Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) so that teens can continue to grow and learn through the experience of creating theatre. The Y-Haven Theatre Project is scheduled to take place virtually this winter.

Based on CPT's guiding education principles of Empowerment, Equity, Excellence, and Enthusiasm, CPT's Teaching Artists work to build close, long-term relationships with participants, families, and community partners by facilitating trust and open exchange. Our education programming seeks to create, for participants and teachers alike, a reciprocal collaborative learning environment that supports awareness and fosters powerful and life-affirming artistic experiences.

CMHA CAN (formerly Brick City Theatre) takes place in partnership with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) at community centers for children and families who live in public housing. Under the guidance of CPT Teaching Artists, young artists learn how to create and perform their own plays, dance, poetry, music, and visual art. These original performances are crafted and presented annually at CMHA and Cleveland community centers as well as arts festivals throughout Cleveland. CMHA CAN is offered at four CMHA community center sites: Lakeview Terrace CAN, Woodhill Homes CAN, Outhwaite Homes CAN, and Riverside Park CAN. CAN also partners with local community centers.

CAN Academy is a free performing arts program at Cleveland Public Theatre for younger teens and youth from Cleveland and surrounding neighborhoods. Young artists engage in rigorous (and fun!) theatre training, learning acting fundamentals, script analysis, storytelling techniques, and play creation. CAN multidisciplinary performing arts activities improve academic skills, instill empathy and responsibility, build character, and enhance creative thinking.

STEP, a rigorous arts-based program that that provides hands-on job training, engaging Cleveland youth from families defined as low-income in a powerful learning experience that develops job skills, academic achievement, and interpersonal skills. As part of this eight-week summer program, 30 youth, ages 14-19, work together to create, produce, perform, and tour their own play. This program is the longest-running arts-based, workplace development program in Cleveland and is an international model for engaging youth.

The Y-Haven Theatre Project is a 21-year partnership between Cleveland Public Theatre and Y-Haven, a branch of the Greater Cleveland YMCA. Y-Haven is a transitional housing facility for formerly homeless men recovering from substance abuse and mental health challenges. Every year, CPT collaborates with the clients of Y-Haven to create an original theatre production, performed by the men and based on their life stories. The Y-Haven Theatre Project captures an authenticity and emotional power as the cast shares their true-to-life experiences often hidden from the world.

Frankenstein's Wake, ...Or Does it Explode?, The Loush Sisters Pay Per View (Buffer This!), CPT with The Kennedy Center!:
Tickets are $1 with a suggested donation of $1 to $99. Patrons must use Zoom to see virtual performances. Patrons will receive an email 1-2 hours before showtime with the meeting login information. Online sales for each performance will close 2 hours before start time.

To purchase tickets, visit www.cptonline.org.