Cleveland Public Theatre Presents STUDENT THEATRE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (STEP) 2020

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

WOMEN IN FINDING: W.T.A. (WHO THEY ARE)

Written by: STEP Ensemble | Directed by: India Nicole Burton | Cast: Ali Alia, Samone Cummings, Ste-vee Lang, Azizah Muhammad, Kaylee Yaw

Coming of age in present day America as a young woman of color can be challenging and sometimes hopeless. The 5 young women who are the focal point of this devised piece present 5 different stories with 5 different arcs to interrogate themselves and find meaning in the worlds into which they were born. In order to achieve their objective, they must become detectives, investigators, and venture on a relentless journey of self-healing and exploration. They are a part of a unique squad called: Generation Z. This program contains adult language.

CPT's Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) is a rigorous arts-based program that provides hands-on job training, engaging Cleveland youth in a powerful 8-week intensive that focuses on excellence in performance, play creation, writing, production, and set design/construction. Students ages 14-19, with little or no previous performance experience, are eligible for participation, and earn money while learning and practicing valuable job skills such as timeliness, communication, commitment, and teamwork. Under the guidance of CPT artistic mentors, teens develop an original play and then tour it to public parks throughout the city of Cleveland. The majority of these teens come from families defined as low-income, live within the city limits, attend public schools, and are artists of color. Since its beginning in 1994, STEP has received multiple awards and recognitions including those from the City of Cleveland, The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. STEP is the longest running arts-based, job-training program in Cleveland and is an international model for engaging youth. Through STEP, teens see themselves as a positive and inspirational force, and watch as their work has an impact on the larger Cleveland community.

Student Theatre Enrichment Program's (STEP) 2020 December performance takes place online December 18 at 7pm (ET) and December 19 at 4pm (ET).

Tickets are FREE. 1 ticket per email address. Please note online sales for December 18 will close at 5:00pm (ET). Online sales for December 19 will close at 2:00pm (ET). The virtual "house" will be limited to 100 "seats".

You must use Zoom to see this work. You will receive an email 1-2 hours before showtime with the meeting login information. Have questions? Email boxoffice@cptonline.org.

RESERVE YOUR TICKET at www.cptonline.org.