Photos: RUST: A STORY OF STEEL AND GRIT at Dobama Theatre

The final production of Dobama Theatre’s 2024/25 mainstage season is the World Premiere of RUST: A Story of Steel and Grit by George Brant.  The production will run from April 24-May 18, 2025 at Dobama, Cleveland’s Off-Broadway Theatre. Check out photos below!

The creative team for the production includes Scenic Design by Ben Needham, Lighting by Michael Boll, Costumes by Tesia Benson, Projection Design by T. Paul Lowry, Sound Design by Megan Culley, Props by Colin Anderson, and Technical Direction by Jeremy Paul. The show is stage managed by Joel Rathbone* and assistant stage managed by Camille Henderson. 

Former Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Laura Kepley directs this World Premiere production. “The opportunity to return to Cleveland to direct RUST: A Story of Steel and Grit at Dobama is meaningful and deeply fulfilling,” says Kepley. “Cleveland, where I spent 12 years, will always hold a special place in my heart especially because of the people who embody the city’s spirit of tenacity, spiky humor, and civic pride.  Forged in Cleveland, Eliese’s story is one of overcoming fear and finding home and a sense of authentic belonging in unexpected places.”

The Dobama Theatre production’s cast includes Kelly Strand* (Eliese), Robert Ellis* (Actor 1), Eric Fancher* (Actor 2), and Kristie Lang (Actor 3) - *member Actors’ Equity Association

Adapted from the memoir by Eliese Colette Goldbach, this is the true story of one woman’s experience in the steel industry, her struggle to find peace, and the courage she summoned to rebuild her life. What she uncovers in the belly of a Cleveland steel mill is much more than molten metal and grueling working conditions. Under the steelyard’s orange flame, she finds hope. 

Rust was commissioned by Dobama Theatre. In 2020, Dobama reached out to playwright George Brant, a Cleveland resident at the time, to gauge his interest in adapting Ms. Goldbach’s celebrated memoir for the stage. After almost five years, two workshops, and numerous meetings and drafts, Rust will make its world premiere on April 25th. The script is already receiving interest from professional theaters across the country for future productions.