Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) Performs Virtually on August 7

Cleveland Public Theatre's (CPT) will presented its celebrated Student Theatre Enrichment Program's (STEP) 2020 performance. STEP is Cleveland's longest-running arts and job training program for teens. This summer, the 2020 STEP ensemble presents a double-bill virtual performance: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE: Artist & Activist ACT OUT! and The Trail of Black Degradation followed by a short post-show conversation. Continue reading below for more information about the works being shared.

The Trail Of Black Degradation

Written and performed entirely by the STEP ensemble, The Trail of Black Degradation is a fictional story of a young Black girl's tragic rape and murder that ultimately results in the brutal killing of a young, Black, boy protester by a white police officer. This fictional story collides with non-fictional themes, as it is a representation that is all too well connected to the current reality in America.

Rage Against The Machine: Artist & Activist Act Out!

What do you do when feel your voice isn't being heard? When you feel oppressed, marginalized, and ignored? You find a creative, joyful, and empowering way to give voice to the voiceless. Do not miss this powerful and transformational experience of what can take place when imaginations collide with modern day technology, self-expression, and personal creativity.

About Student Theatre Enrichment Program

CPT's Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) is a rigorous arts-based program that provides hands-on job training, engaging Cleveland youth in a powerful 8-week intensive that focuses on excellence in performance, play creation, writing, production, and set design/construction. Students ages 14-19, with little or no previous performance experience, are eligible for participation, and earn money while learning and practicing valuable job skills such as timeliness, communication, commitment, and teamwork. Under the guidance of CPT artistic mentors, teens develop an original play and then tour it to public parks throughout the city of Cleveland. The majority of these teens come from families defined as low-income, live within the city limits, attend public schools, and are artists of color. Since its beginning in 1994, STEP has received multiple awards and recognitions including those from the City of Cleveland, The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. STEP is the longest running arts-based, job-training program in Cleveland and is an international model for engaging youth. Through STEP, teens see themselves as a positive and inspirational force, and watch as their work has an impact on the larger Cleveland community.

Producer Raymond Bobgan
Co-Director & Program Manager India Nicole Burton, NNPN Producer in Residence
Co-Director & Co-Lead Teaching Artist Ed Blunt
Movement/Dance Instructor Nehemiah "Neemo" Spencer
Stage Manager & Teaching Instructor Jaytionna Wells
Administrators Molly Andrews-Hinders, Colleen McCaughey

Performance Ensemble: Angeles Cortes, Samone Cummings, Brian Currie, Da'Nita Goins, Ste-vee Lang, Azizah Muhammad, Shaniya Patterson, Angelo Sanford, Kierra Stover, Jayla Swanson, Moises "Antonio" Tuyas, Zhavaughn Twitty