ORDINARY DAYS to be Presented at Playhouse Square in March

For their 17th annual collaboration, Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace University will present an original and innovative musical, Ordinary Days. Performances will be held Friday, March 15th, through Sunday, March 17th. Tickets are $35 and are available by calling 216-241-6000 or online.

Ordinary Days is an original musical that follows the contemporary and intimate experiences of four young New Yorkers as they navigate the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery in the bustling city. The musical unfolds through a series of interconnected stories, highlighting the simple yet profound moments that shape our lives. The characters grapple with personal challenges, relationships, and the pursuit of meaning and love, creating a touching and relatable narrative that resonates with audiences everywhere. With a vibrant score that combines heartfelt melodies and insightful lyrics, Ordinary Days captures the essence of urban life and human connection.

Ordinary Days marks the 17th anniversary of spring partnership productions with Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace University. Through this partnership, BW senior students studying Arts Management & Entrepreneurship acquire practical experience and have the chance to collaborate with mentors from Playhouse Square’s professional staff, all while students from BW’s nationally recognized Music Theatre program perform at a professional venue. The artistic team features director Victoria Bussert with music direction by Matt Webb. The team also includes Russ Borski as Production Designer and Jack-Anthony Ina as production manager.

Adam Gwon, writer and creator of Ordinary Days, has been a part of the production since an early rehearsal when he visited with the cast and creative team. He will be in Cleveland for the performances and offer a free talkback after the Saturday evening 8 p.m. performance.

Gwon was selected as one of The Dramatist magazine's "50 to Watch" and praised by The New York Times as "a promising newcomer to our talent-hungry musical theater" with songs that are "funny, urbane, with a sweetness that doesn't cloy." He has written several acclaimed musicals, includingScotland, PA, All The World’s A Stage, String, and more.

Gwon credits Victoria Bussert, director, in her work on this show, saying, “I've always admired Vicky, for being really invested and investing her students in the process of new work...one of the things I love about writing shows is that you're really you…let other people bring their point of view and put their own stamp on it, and that to me is something that's so exciting about theatre is that every production is going to be different, because every team of people is bringing something new to the piece.

The show is built to have that kind of openness to interpretation. It's not meant to be replicated exactly the same way every time. The script is the same, the songs are the same, but the interpretation is always so different. So I'm particularly excited to see how Vicky's interpretation and my reaction to it will have evolved as we've evolved as people since the show came into our lives.”

Gwon also speaks to the importance of doing this musical with BWMT at Playhouse Square, the 15th year anniversary of its premiere, and the impact it will have on the audience.

“One of the reasons I find Baldwin Wallace's Music Theater program so exciting is that they are…invested in what's coming down the pike, the new writers, the new musicals, which I think is such a vital part of not only the theatre community that the students are going to enter…but just the lifeblood of theatre as an art form. If we're not introducing audiences and introducing new artists to new work, we're just recycling the same old thing, and that's not how art moves forward…

The show has always been at its deepest core about the importance of finding connection. I think one of the ideas that the show presents is that when it feels really hard to find those connections and to feel like you are living in community with other people, sometimes that connection is actually right in front of you. You just have to sort of take a breath and see it. And so I think that is one of the things that has made the show sort of as vital as it has seemed to be.”

Ordinary Days runs for one weekend only, with performance times Friday, March 15th at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16th at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 17th at 7:00 p.m at Playhouse Square’s Helen Theater. Tickets are on sale now at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000.

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