INTO THE HEART OF ONE STAR World Premiere to Take Place at Cleveland Public Theatre

Cleveland Public Theatre will present the World Premiere of Into the Heart of One Star by Raymond Bobgan with contributions from Anastasía Urozhaeva. This also marks Raymond's first time on stage in a major role in 34 years. Performances will run through April 11, 2026.

The piece comes in time for Raymond's 20th Anniversary as Cleveland Public Theatre's Executive Artistic Director. He, in his own right, has elevated the theatre to the next level having been mentored and hand-picked to take over by Founder James Levin.

Raymond is balancing this along with the pending multi-million-dollar renovations to the CPT campus, which have started and mark an incredible new era for Cleveland Public Theatre.

ABOUT INTO THE HEART OF ONE STAR

Icarus is gone but his father Daedalus is left to wonder about the flight that went so wrong. Could he have prevented it all and should he now choose death? Dagny, a “simple woman from Siberia,” begins in a U.S. secret intelligence interrogation room, and rises to become a leader in science, business, and space flight all the while wishing for a home she is not sure existed. Both journeys reflect on each other in a duet about yearning, loneliness, navigating this world, and seeking the light beyond. Performed by Raymond Bobgan and Anastasía Urozhaeva.

The play will be performed in CPT's Gordon Square Theatre which is ADA-compliant featuring a patron elevator and an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.

SOME OF Raymond Bobgan'S ACHIEVEMENTS:

In 2009, he was featured in the top industry trade magazine American Theatre as “one of 25 theatre artists who are working to shape the next 25 years of theatre in America.”

In 2013, he established Cleveland's first Latine theatre company Teatro Público de Cleveland presenting works by Latine artists that speak of their local and global experience.

Establishing Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi, Cleveland's first theatre focused on presenting works by and about the Arab-speaking community in 2018.

Establishing Test Flight, in its 10th year has become one of Cleveland's quintessential festivals of new work with an entrepreneurial focus for playwrights.

Launching the careers of India Nicole Burton, who's play Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation was developed at CPT and went on to have critically acclaimed productions in Cleveland, and Chicago.  She's also now on the board of the National New Play Network.  He's also nurtured the career of Melissa Crum, who has directed several successful shows in the Greater Cleveland area including Dobama's production of Little Women, as well as multi-media sensation Chris Webb and his The End of Black Excellence.

As an artist, his productions Fire on the Water, Red Ash Mosaic, The Confessions of Punch and Judy, to name a few, went on to critical acclaim.

He has also led the theatre through two major renovation/capital campaigns and kept the theatre afloat through the Pandemic—most impressive for a theatre of Cleveland Public Theatre's size.

Has mounted productions globally in Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Canada, most recently in Korea. 

Established the Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) the city's first work study program for high school students.

Co-created the Y-Haven Theatre Project with CPT Founder James Levin, now in its 27th year, offers a work-study theatre program for homeless, formerly incarcerated people many of whom are recovering from substance abuse.  It's one of the earliest of its kind and Cleveland's first.

He was also the first recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize in theatre.

TICKET and SHOW INFORMATION

CPT offers a Choose What You Pay policy with no handling fees. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the CPT Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext. 501.

The Gordon Square Theatre is ADA-compliant featuring a ramped entrance and an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.