Larry Shue's WENCESLAS SQUARE at Cesear's Forum

A minimalist cautionary tale based on the political suppression of late 1960's Czech theatre artists previously involved in "theatre as revolution," this semi-autobiographical "memory" play is relevant, haunting and very funny: "A good-natured man of the theatre taking us into his world abstractly through time and geography." WENCESLAS SQUARE is being presented by Cesears Forum in a limited September/Octtober engagement at Kennedys Theatre, Playhouse Square. The play parallels the Ukraine political unrest that has given way to Russian invasion.The telling, with humor, finds an American professor and his drama student confronting oppression and ruthlessness. Larry Shues WENCESLAS SQUARE: September 30th through October 29th. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Two Sunday Matinees at 3 pm; October 9th & 16th. Kennedys Theatre, Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Call 216-241-6000 or visit www.playhousesquare.org. Ticket price is: $18 ###__________________________________________________________________________________There is both relevance and humor in Larry Shues WENCESLAS SQUARE, the latest offering of Cesears Forum, being presented in a limited five week September/October engagement, at Kennedys Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio. A semi-autobiographical "memory" play based on the conflicts in the late 60's, early 70's when the, then, Soviet Union invaded the, then, Czechoslovakia. An American theatre graduate student went to Prague to interview Czech theatre artists involved in "theatre as revolution" to write a book, only to discover on his return a few years later that political suppression had virtually shut down the theatre as a voice. The play " fractionalizes time and characters alike as it swings through different settings, tones and themes." Relevant, haunting and very funny, WENCESLAS SQUARE mirrors naivet in the face of ruthlessnessLarry Shue (born in New Orleans in 1945) was an American playwright and actor, best known for his two often performed farces; THE NERD and THE FOREIGNER (written and first performed while he was playwright-in-residence at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater). He received his BFA from Illinois Wesleyan University, graduating cum laude in 1968, followed by a stint in the army until 1972. He then began his career as a professional actor and playwright with the Harlequin Dinner Theatre in both Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. He worked in regional theater and on the New York stage, and appeared in television's One Life to Live. Film appearances include the shorts A Common Confusion; Another Town; and The Land of the Blind: or The Hungry Leaves; and the feature-length Sweet Liberty. He died tragically young in a plane crash at the age of 39 in 1985.Cesears Forum, a small theatre collective that produces intermittently, continues its mission of interpreting unusual or lesser known plays and sharing those perceptions regionally. The company has been both criticized and praised for the scope of its work within a minimalist imprimatur, works that offer political, social, and cultural awareness. WENCESLAS SQUARE was presented by the New York Shakespeare Festival (Joseph Papp, Producer) at the Public/Martinson Hall Theatre in New York City on March 2, 1988. It was directed by Jerry Zaks. The Cleveland production will be staged by Artistic Director Greg Cesear, with a setting by Michael Larochelle, lighting by Andrew Kaletta and costumes by Betty Pitcher. The production is sponsored, in part, by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Bonne Bell Family Foundation. Larry Shues WENCESLAS SQUARE: September 30th through October 29th. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Two Sunday Matinees at 3 pm; October 9th & 16th. Kennedys Theatre, Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Call 216-241-6000 or visit www.playhousesquare.org. Ticket price is: $18###
Ages: 16 yrs and older