Cleveland Public Theatre is holding general auditions for our 16/17 season. (Check out our season announcement on Cleveland.com.) All Northeast Ohio actors interested in working with CPT are encouraged to audition. CPT has a history of multicultural casting and is committed to representing our community on stage. There are many ethnically specific roles available for Latino, African American and Arab American actors. A casting breakdown for each show is below.

General Auditions

When: Sunday, June 12^th 12pm-4pm and Monday, June 13th from 6:30pm-9:30pm
Where: Cleveland Public Theatre (6415 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102)

Auditions are by appointment only and will be scheduled in five minute increments. Actors should prepare no more than two minutes of material which can include 1-2 brief monologues and/or a short a cappella song. (Please note: auditions will be stopped at 2 minutes.)

AEA contracts will be considered throughout the season.

When scheduling your audition, please provide your preferred date, time and phone number. Interested actors should schedule an appointment by emailing CPT New Play Associate, Caitlin Lewins (clewins@cptonline.org.)

Casting Breakdown

44 PLAYS FOR 44 PRESIDENTS
Written by Andy Bayiates, Sean Benjamin, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Chloe Johnston and Karen Weinberg.
Co-Directed by Dan Kilbane & Caitlin Lewins.
Previews October 6 – 8 & 13, Runs October 14 – 29. James Levin Theatre
5 females of a variety of ages and ethnicities  

LIGHT THE LIGHTS, OL’ MOSES CLE!  (A WILD HOLIDAY ROMP)
Created by Raymond Bobgan & Beth Wood and ensemble.
Previews November 25 –27 & December 1, Runs December 2 – December 17. Gordon Square Theatre
multiple actors of a variety of ages, genders and ethnicities

I CALL MY BROTHERS
By Jonas Hassen Khemiri. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. Directed by Evren Odcikin, 2015 National Directing Fellow.
Previews February 9 – 11 & 16, Runs February 17 – March 4. James Levin Theatre.
1 Arab-American man (AMOR)
1 man of color (SHAVI, AMPLIFIER, BULLY, THE SALESMAN)
2 woman—1 of color & 1 of any ethnicity (multiple characters)

BARBECUE
Written by Robert O’Hara. Directed by Beth Wood.
Previews February 16 – 18 & 23, Runs February 24 – March 11. Gordon Square Theatre
4 African-American women, 25 – 40
1 African-American man, 30 -40
4 Caucasian women, 35 – 55
1 Caucasian man, 40 – 50 

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE’S 2016-2017 SEASON:

ATTENTION: TENSION: INTENTION

“Attentiveness, the act of being present in the moment, takes effort and sometimes courage. When we look and see, it is often not pleasant at first. This tension, this friction, is the fuel that makes theatre so exciting and interesting – conflict and dynamism wakes us up to this present life and leads us to act with clear intention. We can decide for ourselves.”

Cleveland Public Theatre’s 2016-2017 season invites us to awaken to the present moment and to ourselves. With theatre, we experience the heart and the mind acting as one. The actor asks “what’s my intention?” – but it’s a question that we can all ask all the time. It’s not simple, it’s a process – that’s the kind of theatre CPT excels at – the layered, the nuanced, the dynamic. Whether it’s about celebration and fun, deep reflection, or a fantastical exploration, we are seeking a path from awareness through conflict into action… Attention: Tension: Intention.”

RAYMOND BOBGAN
EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE

PANDEMONIUM 2016: THE FIRE WITHIN

One Night Only. Saturday, September 10, 2016; Cleveland Public Theatre, various locations; 7:00 pm; Tickets $150 ($85 tax deductible)

Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual fundraising extravaganza transforms the CPT campus into a labyrinth of theatre, dance, visual and performance art in every corner. Ticket is all-inclusive with fabulous local food and complimentary drinks served all night long. A feast for the eyes, mind, appetite and imagination – proceeds benefit CPT’s groundbreaking artistic work and life-changing education programs.

Pandemonium. Photo by Steve Wagner.

44 PLAYS FOR 44 PRESIDENTS

Previews October 6 – 8 & 13. Runs October 14 – 29, James Levin Theatre.

Written by Andy Bayiates, Sean Benjamin, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Chloe Johnston and Karen Weinberg. Co-Directed by Dan Kilbane & Caitlin Lewins.

High-energy, absurdity, delight and poignancy drive this chronological, biographical survey of the lives and presidencies of each of the 44 men who have held the office so far – featuring a singing, dancing all-female cast. An exuberant collection of short plays, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents was originally developed and performed by Chicago’s Neo-Futurists and features live music, farce, wicked satire and rapid-fire storytelling. Audience members consider their role in shaping the history they’ve just witnessed, as they are left to ponder where the presidency has gone since its fall from paradise… and where it will go next. “[a] zany, clever, ambitious and often surprisingly moving historical catalogue.” – Chicago Sun Times

TEATRO PUBLICO DE CLEVELAND (TITLE TBD)

Previews October 6. Runs October 7 – 15, Gordon Square Theatre.

Now in its fourth year, CPT’s resident Latin American theatre ensemble returns to the stage with their sixth major production. Performed primarily in English (and some Spanish), and featuring bilingual supertitles.
The Teatro Publico de Cleveland ensemble. Photo by Steve Wagner.

Y-HAVEN THEATRE PROJECT

Runs November 3 – 6, Gordon Square Theatre.

The one-weekend only production at CPT is followed by a community-wide tour.

Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual collaboration with Y-Haven, a transitional housing facility for homeless men recovering from substance abuse and mental health challenges. Since 1998, CPT and Y-Haven, a branch of the Greater Cleveland YMCA, have annually collaborated to create an original theatre production, performed by the men and based on their life stories.

LIGHT THE LIGHTS, OL’ MOSES CLE! (A WILD HOLIDAY ROMP)

Previews November 25 -27 & December 1. Runs December 2 – 17, Gordon Square Theatre.

Originated by Raymond Bobgan & Beth Wood. Multiple short works created, directed and performed by Northeast Ohio artists.

Ring in the season CPT-style with a vaudeville-inspired evening of holiday folly, mischief and merry-making. Staged in the round at cabaret tables in CPT’s historic Gordon Square Theatre, the show will feature a rollicking evening of holiday-themed sketch comedy, live music and larger-than-life antics by an assorted cast of characters. Originated by Raymond Bobgan (Fire on the Water) and Beth Wood (The Loush Sisters LOVE Dick’ns). World Premiere.
Holiday antics from one of the creators of ‘The Loush Sisters LOVE Dick’ns’ (pictured). Photo by Steve Wagner.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES

December 1 – December 18, Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square.

Written by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello. Directed by Cathleen O’Malley.

Join CPT at Playhouse Square for David Sedaris’ acclaimed holiday comedy. The Santaland Diaries follows the story of “Crumpet,” a jaded and out-of-work actor who takes a job as a Macy’s Christmas elf.

ENTRY POINT – NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT

January 12 – 21, CPT Campus, multiple venues.

Northeast Ohio creators.

Entry Point is a new platform for artists to develop their work in the early stages of creation, then share that work with the public in a festival forum. CPT will connect projects to mentors who can help offer feedback and guidance.

I CALL MY BROTHERS

Previews February 9 – 11 & 16. Runs February 17 – March 4, James Levin Theatre.

By Jonas Hassen Khemiri. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. Directed by Evren Odcikin,National New Play Network 2015 National Directors Fellow.

Something has happened. A car. An explosion. And a city is paralyzed with fear. But Amor has an important errand to run. He walks the city streets with his backpack and his cell phone, doing his best to blend in. But what looks normal? In this funny and fierce showdown with paranoia, I Call My Brothers offers an intense 24-hour journey inside one young man’s head. What happens when the lines between reality and fantasy, love and fear, criminal and victim, become increasingly blurred? Regional Premiere.

Crowded Fire Theatre’s production of ‘I Call My Brothers.’ Photo by Pak Han.

BARBECUE

Previews February 16 – 18 & 23. Runs February 24 – March 11, Gordon Square Theatre.

Written by Robert O’Hara. Directed by Beth Wood.

In this hilarious and devastating dark comedy by Robert O’Hara (Bootycandy, Antebellum), the O’Mallerys have gathered in their local park to share some barbecue and straight talk with their trainwreck of a sister Barbara, whose spiral of drugs and recklessness has forced her siblings to stage an open-air intervention. But the event becomes raucous and unpredictable as familial stereotypes collide with hard realities, and racial politics slam up against the stories we tell-and maybe even believe-about who we were and who we’ve become. “Fearless” – The New York Times. Regional Premiere.

Playwright Robert O’Hara. Photo by Brian McConkey.

TEST FLIGHT – NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT

March 23 – April 22, James Levin Theatre.

Test Flight is the mid-point of CPT’s New Play Development program. An evolution of the popular Big Box series, Test Flight offers artists the keys to the theater and the opportunity to self-produce works-in-progress, presented as part of a multi-week workshop series at CPT. In addition to serving local artists, Test Flight will also be open to national and international artists who wish to come to Cleveland to develop their original pieces.

DANCEWORKS 2017

Runs May 11 – June 3, Gordon Square Theatre.

Featuring Northeast Ohio choreographers.

Each year, Cleveland Public Theatre welcomes Northeast Ohio’s most adventurous contemporary dance companies to the Gordon Square Theatre stage for four weeks of single and double bill performances.

RED ASH MOSAIC

Previews May 25 – 27 & June 1. Runs June 2 – June 17, Gordon Square Theatre.

Devised by Raymond Bobgan and the CPT Ensemble. Directed by Raymond Bobgan (Cleveland Arts Prize recipient 2014/Theatre, Creative Work Force Fellow 2014/Music Composition and 2010/Theatre).

Red Ash Mosaic is an experiment in theatrical form, with interwoven and contradictory narrative threads, powerful physical action, chanting and poetic texts – designed not to show, but to invoke; not a presentation, but a transmission. Beginning in the daily doldrums of a video game store, Red Ash Mosaic erupts into a fracturing of quotidian realities and parallel lives before launching into an otherworldly land of dreams, spirits and the awakening of one man as he confronts his own death. World Premiere.

The CPT ensemble. Photo by Steve Wagner.

NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT AT CPT

The 2016-2017 season will feature the next evolution of CPT’s New Play Development.

In addition to the Entry Point and Test Flight series detailed above, an ongoing fellowship program throughout the 2016-2017 season, Catapult, is intended to help artists move their projects to a “production ready” stage through multiple readings, rehearsal time at CPT, workshop productions and/or invitational showings. Catapult playwrights and creators will be awarded a Nord Family Foundation Fellowship and play an active role in the life of the theatre while they are developing their work.

And, as always, The Dark Room open mic for playwrights continues the second Tuesday of every month (7:30pm at The Church at CPT), pairing playwrights with actors to perform (mostly) cold readings of scripts-in-progress in a fun, low-risk atmosphere.

BOX OFFICE, TICKETS & LOCATION

Cleveland Public Theatre is located at 6415 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District on Cleveland’s near west side. Unless otherwise noted, all performances take place in venues inside the CPT campus.

The Cleveland Public Theatre campus is comprised of two primary venues – the historic Gordon Square Theatre and James Levin Theatre. Both mainstage venues are fully ADA-accessible, featuring a newly-installed patron elevator and the addition of gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

In addition to CPT’s primary spaces, the campus includes three auxiliary venues, the Storefront Studio, The Church at CPT and Parish Hall, the latter two of which are located on the east end of the CPT campus. Due to the historic nature of the Church and Parish Hall, these venues are not handicap-accessible at this time.

Unless otherwise noted, shows at the Gordon Square Theatre begin at 7:30 p.m. and shows at the James Levin Theatre and other venues begin at 7 p.m. For special venues and event times, check the website for details.

Single tickets are $12-$30, with premium pricing for CPT’s holiday show and other special events. Student and senior discounts are available for Friday and Saturday nights.

For more information, call the CPT box office at 216-631-2727, ext. 501.

CPT’s mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through ground-breaking performances and life-changing educational programs.

CPT’s programming agenda is to produce work that is outside the mainstream offering a much broader range of work available to the Cleveland public and expanding the impact and originality of theatre across the country.  CPT strives to make work that is excellent, extra-ordinary, and nationally competitive.

Our NEW New Play Development is based on our years of experience, community input, and key principles of:

• focusing on artists;
• valuing diversity of approach, aesthetics, and perspective; and
• balancing impact with investment.

We envision CPT as a nationally recognized hub for the development of new theatre that is extraordinary, edgy, and relevant. We hope to be a model for nurturing local talent in similar sized markets, the most regarded cultivator of new theatre for Cleveland audiences, a laboratory for promising research and investigation, and a launcher of nationally significant new plays.

Our approach is to combine:

• efficient programs that can stretch our limited resources to include many artists and
• highly customizable approaches that directly serve specific needs of projects with extraordinary potential

The Dark Room: 
An “open mic” for playwrights, a gathering of artists interested in new work, and an insider view of early creation. The Dark Room pairs playwrights with actors to perform (mostly) cold readings of short segments of scripts-in-progress in a spontaneous, low-risk, fun atmosphere. The Dark Room provides a space for informal feedback and is a great way to meet allies and potential mentors.

Entry Point:
Every project is unique and has unique needs. Some playwrights need a producer to develop a staged reading, others just need time in the rehearsal room with their ensemble, help in gathering the right team together, or a way to share a short fragment and get feedback. Entry Point is a platform for artists to develop their work in the early stages of creation. CPT will customize its support of projects and provide a festival forum to share that work with the public. We imagine, for example, audiences/artists together seeing a staged reading in one space, then seeing a short devised work in a studio, and then hanging out in a feedback session.  Feedback at Entry Point will be low-risk and focus on nurturing projects. CPT will connect projects to mentors who can help offer feedback and guidance.

Test Flight:
Based on CPT’s success with our Big Box series, Test Flight offers opportunities to artists who are interested in co-producing works with us. Test Flight is a multi-week series where artists are given the keys to the theatre to develop their projects to a workshop level. In addition to serving local artists, Test Flight will also be open to national and international artists who wish to come to Cleveland to develop their pieces. Feedback for this series will be specific to each project, developed by the artist, and vetted/approved by CPT. CPT will suggest potential allies/mentors for each selected project.
Local Requests for Proposals
Non-Local Requests for Proposal

Catapult:
The most extensive of CPT development programs, Catapult focuses on select projects that we believe have a high likelihood to be fully produced by CPT in the future. This program is intended to move projects from whatever point they are a, to being “production ready.” Each process will be totally customized to the work. Projects may receive a series of readings, significant rehearsal time, workshop productions, and/or invitational showings. Playwrights/Creators of Catapult projects will receive the Nord Family Foundation Fellowship and, while developing their work, will play an active role in the life of the theatre.

Feedback methodology will be customized, focusing on the direct relationship between CPT and the Playwright/Creators. One CPT staff member will function as producer and ally of the project and one additional ally/mentor will be selected for each project.

The application process for Catapult will engage nationally recognized artistic leaders.

Full Productions:
In the past 10 years, CPT has fully produced more than 42 world premieres, 35 of which were by local artists. CPT will continue to fully produce new plays, and investing extra rehearsal time, dramaturgical support, and production time. CPT is well-positioned to build national allies around these productions and help make connections to other theatres.

Other Opportunities:
CPT will continue to explore other opportunities to support new work and the growth of artists. CPT’s creation class offered by Raymond Bobgan has spawned projects leading to many performances on CPT stages and has spurred many collaborations that have been very fruitful for the community. We plan to continue to offer this class. The Joan Yellen Horvitz Fellowship for Directors provides critical growth opportunities for early-career directors. The Kulas Theatre Composer program will continue to support entry-level and early-career composers/sound-designers in working on new plays.

Rigor and enjoyment are at the core of the process leading to risk, surprise, delight, and discovery as we deepen the ongoing work of our craft—to explore the human condition while championing consciousness and compassion.

For information about General Submission, check out this link.

***Interested in submitting a proposal? Join us for a free workshop to hone your proposal and application skills.

The CPT Artistic team will lead workshops on:

• Saturday, May 14^th from 7pm-9:30pm
• Sunday, May 15^th from 1pm-2:30pm
• Location: Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102 – there will be signs to direct you to the correct location

To attend one of the workshops, RSVP to New Play Associate, Caitlin Lewins at clewins@cptonline.org. Please specify which workshop date/time you prefer.

Cleveland Public Theatre Announces a New Staff Position:  EDUCATION ASSOCIATE

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) produces groundbreaking performances and life-changing educational programs to raise consciousness and nurture compassion. CPT seeks an Education Associate willing to join its hard-working team with the ambitious goals of growing the organization and changing the community. CPT is committed to reviewing a diverse pool of applicants for this position.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Education Associate works closely with and reports directly to Education Manager/Brick City Theatre Program Director. This position is a year-round, salaried, staff position.  Salary range: 26,000-30,000/annually, with benefits.

The position requires a highly motivated and organized individual who will take on administrative, creative and teaching responsibilities in support of the continued expansion of Brick City Theatre and CPT’s Family Collective, the family component of Brick City Theatre and CPT’s other core education programs. The successful candidate will bring their talent and discipline to the Brick City Theatre and the Family Collective, proposing and implementing programming that supports the greater goals and vision of the program.

The successful candidate will be collaborative, eager to learn, obsessed with working in the theatre, and have experience in administration, education and performance. Ideal candidates will have experience in program management, curriculum planning, and teaching theatre to children and adults with little or no previous exposure to the arts.  Candidate must possess excellent logistic skills, and have the desire and creativity to create warm, exciting, empowering community experiences for our program’s participants and families.

CPT cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. CPT has a demanding working environment with long, intense hours, but we have fun and love what we do. We value hard work, kindness, generosity, passion, and grace-under-pressure. For applicants considering relocation to Cleveland: our city is an excellent community to live in, with top-notch arts and culture, a vibrant theatre scene, beautiful public parks, a great lake, and VERY affordable housing.

Responsibilities

The Education Associate will be responsible for assisting, inventing and facilitating Brick City Theatre and Family Collective programming. This includes – but is not limited to – family workshops; guardian-teacher conferences; teaching and creating curriculum for Brick City classes; facilitating and teaching adult-only workshops for CMHA residents; organizing and managing family field trips; conducting program evaluations; and providing teaching and administrative support to CPT’s other core education programs. The Education Associate will also be expected to maintain their own artistic work at Cleveland Public Theatre, while also contributing their skills, energy and talents to the larger organization. This includes – but is not limited to – production assistance on community events: Station Hope, Road to Hope, Test Flight Fall Fest, Pandemonium; audience engagement planning; technical support on mainstage productions; performance and artistic opportunities on mainstage productions.

Competitive applicants will have a strong desire to be fully engaged in the Cleveland Public Theatre environment.

CPT’s core Education programs:

Brick City Theatre A partnership with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority that offers afterschool and summer theatre arts activities for children 5-14 who live in public housing.

Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) Arts education and job training for teens, who create and perform an original play that is toured to public parks across Cleveland.

Y-Haven Theatre Project A theatre program for residents of Y-Haven, a transitional facility for homeless men in recovery. The men learn performance and technical theatre skills and create an original play based on their life experiences.

Deadline to Apply is May 15th.

Review of candidates begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. To apply for the position, send email to careers@cptonline.org  Please put your last name as the subject header followed by Education Associate. The email should include two attachments: a resume and a cover letter describing your history, passion, why you are interested in this position, and what you have to offer (up to two pages).

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) produces groundbreaking performances and life-changing educational programs inside of our mission to raise consciousness and nurture compassion. CPT seeks an Education Director interested in joining its hard-working team with the ambitious goals of growing the organization and changing the community.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) produces groundbreaking performances and life-changing educational programs inside of our mission to raise consciousness and nurture compassion. CPT seeks an Education Director interested in joining its hard-working team with the ambitious goals of growing the organization and changing the community.

The position requires a highly motivated servant-leader to: oversee two long-standing core education programs: STEP, a job-training summer theatre creation program for low-income youth and Y-Haven Theatre, which creates new plays with homeless men in treatment for drug and alcohol abuse; support the director of Brick City Theatre Brick City Theatre, an after-school/summer-school program with youth and families residing in public housing. The ED oversees and is typically involved in other education programs that might be shorter-term or new, and works to develop new programs and explore new avenues for growth. Currently CPT has four full time year-round employees in the education department and plans to add two new full time positions to accommodate growth and new programs.

A strong background in theatre is a must. CPT education programs use ensemble devising techniques in all of its long-term programs. Experience in ensemble and/or devised theatre is important for the Education Director as is a passion for theatre that is fits CPT’s bold aesthetic (non-mainstream). CPT programs primarily engage with underserved, underprivileged youth and adults, and the Education Director needs to be well suited for engaging in such communities. Experience in producing theatre is beneficial but not necessary. Ideal candidates will have experience in program management, curriculum planning, and teaching or administration.

Past Education Directors have served as core artists at CPT creating original work, directing plays, and performing and we are especially interested in candidates who are working artists of high caliber.

All positions at CPT work across departmental lines and the ED becomes involved in nearly all aspects of the theatre.  The Education Department is very involved in all organization-wide activities such as Station Hope, a neighborhood festival focusing on the triumphs of the Underground Railroad and challenges of current issues of inequity and social justice. As part of the senior leadership team the ED helps shape the future of the theatre.

The successful candidate will be collaborative, eager to learn and lead, and have strong experience in administration, education, and performance. Ideal candidates will have five years of experience in program management, curriculum planning, and teaching or administration. Candidate must possess excellent logistics skills, and have the creativity to create warm, exciting, empowering community experiences for our programs’ participants and families. Because of our track record of success we are particularly interested in candidates who are eager to support current programs and ultimately move into evolving new programs. CPT is open to artist-administrators and when appropriate supports the professional artistic work of its education staff.

CPT cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. CPT has a demanding working environment with long, intense hours, but we have fun and love what we do. We value hard work, kindness, generosity, passion, and grace-under-pressure. For applicants considering relocation to Cleveland: our city is an excellent community to live in, with top-notch arts and culture, a vibrant theatre scene, beautiful public parks, a great lake, and VERY affordable housing.

ABOUT CPT’s core Education programs:

STUDENT THEATRE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (STEP)

Arts education and job training for teens, who create and perform an original play that is toured to public parks across Cleveland.  The program serves 30-50 youth annually and has been historically managed by the Education Director. Currently CPT has a succession plan for this program with the Education Coordinator moving into leading this program. STEP engages 4-7 full time employees for the summer months.

Y-HAVEN THEATRE PROJECT

A theatre program for residents of Y-Haven, a transitional facility for homeless men in recovery. The men learn performance and technical theatre skills and create an original play based on their life experiences. The play performs at CPT and tours to about 5-8 local venues. The program is typically managed by 1-2 education full time staff members (Director, Associate, or Coordinator) and/or 1-2 outside contractors who function as co-creator, co-directors, and/or tour manager.

Brick City Theatre

A partnership with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority that offers afterschool and summer theatre arts activities for children 5-14 who live in public housing through year-round programs. In the 15-16 season CPT will serve 400 children at two CMHA estates. We are currently working to radically expand this program in the next two years, potentially tripling the number of sites and overall programming. Brick City Theatre is primarily run by the Education Manager, who will continue to lead this program with support from the Education Director.

 Deadline to Apply is May 15th. 

Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. To apply for the position, send email to careers@cptonline.org. Subject line should read: [LAST NAME], Education Director. The email should include two attachments: a resume, and a cover letter describing your history, passion, why you are interested in this position, and what you have to offer (up to two pages). Candidates may be asked to provide additional materials after original application.

By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer
Follow on Twitter
on April 01, 2016 at 8:02 AM, updated April 01, 2016 at 9:14 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Foundation has launched a sweeping new arts education initiative for children of low-income families with a $500,000 grant to Cleveland Public Theatre to fund a three-fold increase of participants in its year-round Brick City program.

Brick City, which engages 300 children from ages 5 to 14 at the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Lakeview Terrace and Woodhill Homes, will be expanded to 700 more participants over the next two years at four additional CMHA sites that have yet to be determined.

Scaling up

The grant will also enable Cleveland Public Theatre’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP), which works every summer with at-risk teens to write plays and perform them on tour throughout the city, to become a year-round program.

The theater programs are just the beginning, however. By the end of 2017, the foundation wants to expand its arts education project with additional grants to reach thousands of children in low-income neighborhoods who are interested in visual arts, photography, music and dance in coming years.

“We need to infuse the arts into every neighborhood,” said Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the foundation. “Every neighborhood should have theater or painting and sculpture or ceramics or dance or orchestral music or some other kind of art form. I want Cleveland to be the place in the world that says arts is one of the main avenues for children to become educated and stay in school and end the violence.”

PLAYGROUND from StoryLens Pictures on Vimeo.

Speaking of low-income children the foundation wants to reach, Richard said they should have the same access to high quality arts education as children at Greater Cleveland’s elite private schools.

“These kids should have same opportunities that kids at Hawken and University School and Hathaway Brown have,” he said.

Lillian Kuri, the foundation’s program director for arts and urban design, said the program would scale up rapidly over the next two years as the charity seeks partners in the city’s rich cultural community to conduct programs.

Addressing an injustice

“We’re not looking for small interventions,” she said. “It’s a really big initiative.”

Kuri said that while children in low-income parts of the city may have access to sports programs, access to the arts is often extremely difficult. She called the disparity an injustice.

Richard said: “I don’t think people understand the level of deprivation we have in our city.”

The foundation’s program is conceived as a way to instill values of creativity, self-esteem and teamwork. And it comes at a time when public schools have been scaling back investments in arts education.

The initiative has two core principles. One is to bring arts education programming directly to areas where low-income children live, rather than requiring them to travel after school.

The other is to aim for “mastery,” which the foundation defines as learning a discipline, following through and experiencing the kind of creativity and teamwork the arts can foster.

A long-term commitment

Richard said the foundation would seek additional support for the program in the years ahead from other foundations and corporations, but said his board sees the arts initiative as a long-term commitment.

“The wonderful thing about our board is they don’t have this foundation-project-du-jour approach,” he said.

Richard and Kuri said the foundation was impressed enough by the 17-year-old Brick City project to launch the arts initiative by expanding the Cleveland Public Theatre program.

In Brick City, students attend theater lessons at Lakeview and Woodhill with a pair of educators each two afternoons a week during regular sessions, and four afternoons a week during rehearsal periods. Adult residents from the housing estates also attend with the children.

Programming is divided into four cycles throughout the year, culminating in community performances that include participating in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Parade the Circle in June.

“They have stories, they have dreams we can’t begin to imagine,” Raymond Bobgan, Cleveland Public Theatre’s executive artistic director said of Brick City’s students.

Learning from the children

“As an artist, when I started doing arts education, I thought, ‘This is what I was going to do to make money to support my art.’ What I didn’t understand was that my art would be incredibly affected by this.”

Jeffrey Patterson, the housing authority’s CEO, said of the Brick City children, “You’re putting them in front of an audience to hone their craft, but a big part of this is to see not just their educational development, but their social development.”

Patterson said: “It’s highly significant that the Cleveland Foundation is taking the step to invest in CMHA and Cleveland Public Theatre. To invest in our home, to invest in where the kids are living — I think that says a lot about the foundation. I hope that others will follow this model.”

In conjunction with the Brick City announcement, the foundation StoryLens Pictures is releasing a documentary film (embedded above) that records the making and performance of “Playground,” a fictional drama based on the story ofTamir Rice, the 12-year-old shot and killed by police while playing with a realistic-looking toy gun.

Holding back tears

One of the performers is Dezhanay Simmons, a 19-year-old Lakeview resident and alumna of Brick City who now works as a teaching assistant in the program.

In an interview at Lakeview Thursday after a Brick City workshop, she said her ambition is to continue working with children in the program, because “I want to help kids come out of their shells, so they can be who they want to be.”

As she thought back to her performance in “Playground,” she recalled learning discipline and focus.

“Every time I did it, I was always trying to hold back my tears,” she said.

JOBS FOR TEENS

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE

SUMMER 2016

Teens ages 14-19 interested in the arts can work at Cleveland Public Theatre this summer through CPT’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program STEP

STEP runs June 20^th – Aug 12^th, 4pm-9pm Monday-Friday at Cleveland Public Theatre. Teens will work with professional theatre artist-mentors in the following areas: acting, singing, dance, writing, set construction, marketing, performance creation and touring.

Teens receive bus tickets and healthy snacks. Those who successfully complete the program will earn a stipend ($300) and will perform in city parks all over Cleveland. Read More ›

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is hiring a new full-time position, Box Office Manager. This role will function as a department head, will be a core part of the CPT staff and will make a meaningful contribution to life at CPT and its success.

Job Description

CPT is experiencing rapid growth while trying to maintain an intimate, resilient, team-driven staff. In response, it has created a new role, Box Officer Manager (BOM) who is the first and primary contact for CPT patrons. CPT is looking for an upbeat, charming, helpful person to engage with patrons by phone and in person and get them excited about their CPT experience. This role is responsible for managing and recording box office transactions including online ticketing, and production and season ticket reporting. The BOM will manage the CPT ticketing and CRM database. This role also provides general reception duties for the organization, some clerical tasks and provides support for house managers, bartenders and other front of house staff. This role will also engage with donors around benefit events in the off-season. Like all staff members, the role will actively contribute to the working environment and culture at CPT and the success of the organization. This employee will report to the General Manager and must frequently exercise independent judgment, initiative and the ability to constantly re-prioritize competing responsibilities. Candidates fluent in Spanish are especially desirable. CPT serves a diverse audience and works to make its staff diverse as well. Work week is 40+ hours, with regular evenings and weekends required October through June. Pay ranges from $26,000 to $29,000 depending on experience and includes health benefits. CPT seeks to fill the position by April 1, 2016.

Overall Responsibilities

• Provide the Best Possible Patron Experience
  • Make patrons feel welcome
  • Provide clear information about our performances, organization, neighborhood, aesthetic and mission
  • Conduct ticket sales by phone and in-person directly with patrons
  • Prevent and resolve customer disputes to mutual satisfaction
• Provide Insight into Patron Reactions and Concerns
  • Document specific patron reactions to pricing, amenities, parking and other comments that patron make on their experience.
  • Share impressions of patron satisfaction based on daily interactions.
  • Anticipate patron needs and concerns
  • Participate in CPT Audience Engagement Committee
• Manage and Record Box Office Transactions
  • Maintain regular public box office hours
  • Manage and maintain online ticketing transactions and ticketing server
  • Reconcile box office cash drawer and generate box office activity reports on daily basis
  • Management of box office deposits
• Provide Ticket Sales and Patron Activity Reporting
  • Production ticket sales reporting and accounting reconciliation
  • Ongoing and end-of-season ticket sales reporting and analysis
  • Data analysis of patron activity, (first-time buyers, returning patrons, discount programs, etc.)
  • Managing ticketing database
• Support Bar Management Activities
  • Manage bar cash box deposits and deposit entry
  • Assist in stocking of bars and concessions
  • Assist with bar for special events
• Support House Management Activities
  • Create patron lists and Front of House Notes for House Managers.
  • Assist with usher management, including scheduling ushers for performances.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

Skills

• Exceptional conversation skills, verbal expression and warm attitude
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and exceptional knowledge of Excel
• Experience with ticketing software or use of customer relation management (CRM) databases
• Candidates fluent in Spanish are especially desirable.
• Basic knowledge of QuickBooks and accounting is a plus
• Background in Information Technology Management is a plus

Experience

• Previous live theatre box office experience. Box office management experience a plus.
• Previous retail or customer service experience
• Cash handling and cash drawer reconciliation experience
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, performing arts, humanities or related fields

Qualities & Personality

• A genuine interest in the arts and knowledge of live theatre
• Enjoy speaking with and helping the general public
• Natural curiosity in how things work
• Able to work efficiently and calmly in a fast paced environment
• Ability to multi-function/prioritize and keep busy at all times
• Ability to focus on details and work with numbers
• Energetic, enthusiastic and always willing

Other

• Must be able to lift and transport cases of beverages throughout a multi-level facility
• In addition to normal business hours, availability required to work most Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, October through June

Interested candidates should send a resume and a letter of interest to Natividad Uehara, Director of Patron Services at careers@cptonline.org or via mail to 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44102.

No phone calls, please.

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is a nationally recognized center for contemporary performance and new plays, with an annual budget of $1.9 million and a full-time staff of fourteen. A non-profit with a culture of staff collaboration, our mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through ground-breaking performances and life-changing education programs. CPT is the place to discover original, adventurous and relevant theatre. Each season CPT produces world premieres of cutting edge theatre, utilizing mostly local artists, and addressing vital community issues. CPT’s education programs serve hundreds of disadvantaged youth and vulnerable men and women.