Michael Bloom Ends Tenure as CPH Artistic Director

Cleveland Play House (CPH) announced today that, with the May 19 finale of its 2012-13 season, Artistic Director Michael Bloom will close out his tenure with the theatre company.

"I am proud to have been a part of CPH for the past nine years," Bloom said. "We have an exceptional team and an extraordinary organization producing top-quality theatre. It's a valuable asset for Northeast Ohio. Now that we've wrapped up the 2012-2013 Season, and planning for next year is complete, I feel comfortable moving on. And I know CPH is in good hands as it moves to its second century."

"In his nine seasons with CPH, Michael has made many important contributions to the nation's first regional theatre," said Board Chair Sandra Kiely Kolb. "He has significantly raised CPH's production standards, attracted top-caliber talent to Cleveland, and played a key role in our historic relocation to Playhouse Square. We are grateful for his service and wish him much future success."

CPH's Board of Directors will form a committee to conduct a national search for new artistic leadership. Pending the selection, Associate Artistic Director Laura Kepley will serve as Interim Artistic Director for the 2013-14 Season, which was announced last March.

According to Kolb, the CPH Board will roll out a new strategic plan this summer to guide the company to its 2015 centennial and beyond. "We are confident that during this interim period, CPH artists, management and staff will sustain the highest professional standards and deliver a dynamic season of programming," she said. "Looking toward our centennial in 2015, we welcome the opportunity to reach out to Northeast Ohio audiences with powerful, contemporary productions that continue to position CPH as an essential community resource and a premier National Theatre."

Kepley assumes her interim responsibilities immediately, and will direct next season's production of Venus in Fur as previously announced. She joined CPH as Associate Artistic Director in 2010, and has directed acclaimed CPH productions of My Name is Asher Lev, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play, A Carol for Cleveland and Good People. She has been responsible for coordinating programming for New Ground Theatre Festival, which just completed its highly successful 2013 edition. Prior to coming to CPH, she was Resident Director and Artistic Associate at Trinity Repertory Theatre in Providence, RI for four seasons, spending a year as interim director of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA in Directing Program. She has directed at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Trinity Rep, and Contemporary American Theatre Festival, among others. A native Ohioan, Kepley received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her Masters in Fine Arts from Brown University/Trinity Rep. She is a Drama League Fellow and a recipient of the 2009-2011 National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Program for Directors.

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