We asked Director Nadia Tarnawsky, and Line Producer Anastasía Urozhaeva what audiences can expect from the event.  

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“Over the past months Melissa has demonstrated leadership in advancing CPT aims. Her powerful belief in our mission and how we implement it, along with her keen understanding of development and fundraising will support CPT’s advancement in the coming years. “― Raymond Bobgan, executive artistic director

Melissa Waddell joined Cleveland Public Theatre as the Associate Development Director in January 2023 and was promoted to Interim Director of Development this summer. She is a Pittsburgh native (but don’t hold it against her!) who has called Cleveland home for the last four years. Melissa earned a bachelor’s degree in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship from Baldwin Wallace University, where she spent her senior year working alongside the Director of Academic Grants to craft compelling proposals in support of academic programming. Upon graduation, Melissa joined the staff of the Cleveland Foundation, where she provided administrative support to the Philanthropic Services team and oversaw several projects related to their online donor portal. She earned her Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University in the summer of 2022 and is thrilled to put her experience and education to work at an organization that has amazed and inspired her since her freshman year of college. Melissa lives in Cleveland with her husband, her dog, and a few dozen freshwater fish.

Cleveland Public Theatre is proud to announce the new Kulas Foundation music fellow Ryan Charles Ramer.  This is the theatre’s first new fellow since the pandemic. 

Ryan was selected for his keen musical talent in classical compositions. The central focus of this fellowship is composing original music for the National Premiere of Requiem by Hanoch Levin directed by Raymond Bobgan. Ryan is also working on scoring music from ensemble generated music in Candlelight Hypothesis and as part of the fellowship participates in a variety of other CPT activities.  

“Ryan’s sense of how music can amplify impact of performance in both conventional and unconventional is profound.” ― Raymond Bobgan, CPT executive artistic director 

Ryan is a composer who has lived in Cleveland for over 20 years. He began writing classical music in 5th grade, and by 9th grade was studying under the associate dean of music at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music.   

He has been an active member of the Cleveland Composers Guild since 2012 and was the composer for the Gordon Square Classical Concert series for five years. He has been an active contributor to Cleveland Public Theatre’s The Dark Room for over a decade and has had plays performed for CPT’s Catapult series and Test Flight.   

His work has been produced by Oddyfest Theatre Labs, Cleveland Opera Theatre, Greater Cleveland Flute Society, Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, and several times for Ingenuity Festival.  His work can be heard regularly on the radio for WVIZ Ideastream as well as YouTube and Spotify.   

His output includes opera, chamber, choral, orchestral, and keyboard music. 

The last Kulas Foundation grantee was Obediya Jones-Darrell who has gone on to do music for a number of CPT projects as well as projects in Cleveland and his native Canada.  

About the Kulas Foundation 

The Kulas Foundation was established in 1937 with the primary purpose of supporting the musical arts in the Greater Cleveland area. Today, the Foundation continues to focus on music and also makes grants in the areas of arts and culture, community, education, and music therapy research. 

Director Tania Benites on Pilar and Paloma

(A Featured Play in Debut de Piezas Teatrales: Festival de Lectura)

A Festival of New Play Readings

Pilar and Paloma asks “What do we owe to nature and to the ones who came before us? How do we treat people who are born under different circumstances? And what do we do with our privilege if we have it?”

The play definitely has a fairytale/folktale feel. It deals with our relationship to nature and what we owe to her. It can also be seen as a bit of a cautionary tale that feels very fable-like.

I love the presence of indigenous concepts in this play. We see desert and wind personified as two characters who advocate for nature, and we also see characters who can transform into Coyote. This adds to so much of the beauty of the play.

There is a moment where one of the characters has a monologue that provides some exposition to explain how the desert world operates. It is poem-like. We also see the passage of time in this monologue as we see two pairs of siblings grow up. It feels very magical but also a bit somber. I think it’s a lovely moment.

Debut de Piezas Teatrales is an opportunity to utilize our many talented members both new and familiar. We chose two plays with large casts in order to provide an opportunity for as many of our members as possible to perform and tell stories. It’s been such a great way to meet new artists and make new connections. It’s also a wonderful way to support one of our founding members, Ernesto, whose play Grandeza is being performed. We love finding ways to support the artistic growth of our members!

The play centers on the relationship between a Pilar and Paloma, sisters and twins born under unique circumstances and on opposite sides of the US border. Based on the specific location of each of their births, their lives are forever marked. One’s opportunities are limited which leads her to feel trapped and restless. The other who is given the privilege of US citizenship can’t wait to take flight and leave her past behind. Their relationship illustrates a very real experience for so many people.

I really loved the fairytale/folktale feel of this play. The story is told in a magical way, but the message is so grounded in reality. I love the relationship between Pilar and Paloma, the sisters.

Not many people realize how long it takes to get a play produced and how much work is involved in the development process. These types of workshops are a wonderful opportunity for the audience to be actively involved in the development process which will lead to the final product. It is so immensely helpful to hear your work presented and to hear the audience’s reactions to it.

A staged reading usually involves actors reading with scripts in hand and does not usually involve any blocking. The audience gets to hear the play performed by actors in a way that lets the text be the star. We also get to hear the stage directions read out loud. (not something one would hear in a fully produced performance).  I love hearing the stage directions because there are usually some interesting easter eggs or insights from the playwright. It feels a bit like you’re listening in on a secret from the writer.

I think TPC is all about serving our Latine community. Staged readings such as this not only serve Latine playwrights, they also serve to support new and emerging actors! We have many new members joining us for Piezas and it would be so wonderful to have our community support all our artists, especially the new ones who are just getting their feet wet. It’s truly such an honor to have them on our stage and we just want to be able to share their talent with everyone else!

Director Obed Medina on Grandeza

(A Featured Play in Debut de Piezas Teatrales: Festival de Lectura)

A Festival of New Play Readings

Grandeza is a rapid-paced comedy. These 2 families [featured in the play] have a lot to say and they don’t hold back from saying it! It can get savage, as familial love sometimes gets. But deep down, there is love.

My favorite moment in the play comes in 2 places: Act 1 is hilariously funny and honest, and I love how these characters are not afraid to speak their mind – even to their own loved ones. And my second favorite moment in the play is towards the end, with the metaphor of the giant tree.

I think audiences should come to see the play to support new works from local writers. The play speaks to everyone, and I’m sure we will relate to more than one character in the play.

It is exciting to be working on an all-Spanish play because I’ve never had the opportunity to do that: to hear a play spoken in your native language.

I was attracted to this play, especially as a reading, because it’s such a kinetic play and I love a challenge, to create movement even as the actors stand with scripts in hand. My hope is that audiences will be absorbed by the story; that it will seem as if they were watching a fully staged production.

A staged reading is a rehearsed reading of a play with script in hand. The actors have only really read through a play a couple of times to familiarize themselves with the words and the character. There aren’t any costumes or sets… it’s really a time to really hear the words without any distractions.

Workshops are very important for a new play in development because it’s the first time that the writer and everyone else working on the project can look at the play through fresh eyes. The feedback is especially important for developing the play further.

It is so important for Latine audiences to support Latine artists. The stories we are writing are a direct reflection of our lived experiences and it is a great way to see ourselves on stage… something we don’t’ always get to see regularly. But we want to change that.

I want audiences to leave with the understanding that one’s own sexuality is just one small aspect of what makes us human. We are not defined by it, though we are forced to hide it.

Grandeza means grandeur… especially in our appearance and the way we carry ourselves. We all strive to be seen and respected. Ultimately, that is the message of Grandeza.

By Hanoch Levin
Translated by Leland Frankel and Lee Ishri
Directed by Raymond Bobgan
Starring Peter Lawson Jones as The Old Man

Seeking a female identifying performer who identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color for the role of The Old Woman: Wife of The Old Man, resilient, tolerant, stubborn, sick, resolved to her fate.  

*All other roles in this production have been cast and we are only looking to fill this role at this time. 

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Cleveland Public Theatre is hiring a Teaching Artist and Site Coordinator for the Cleveland Act Now Academy (CAN Academy) program to continue to serve Cleveland Public Theatre’s mission to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through life-changing education programs.

Review of candidates will begin immediately. To apply for the position, send an email to Nicole Sumlin, Director of Education, at 

ns*****@cp*******.org











 by end of day December 15, 2023. Subject line should read: YOUR LAST NAME, Teaching Artist and Site Coordinator, CAN Academy. Your email should include two attachments: a resume and a cover letter giving examples of work that illustrate the experience required in the description and explaining why you are interested in this position. No phone calls, please.

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Request for Proposals – Deadline: December 1st 

CPT seeks local dance companies for DanceWorks 2024! For consideration, please fill out this form by December 1, 2023 at 5pm. 

DanceWorks offers an opportunity for emerging and established Northeast Ohio dance companies and choreographers to present world premiere works in a series with other local dance companies as an important part of Cleveland Public Theatre’s 2023-2024 Season.  

DanceWorks aims to create a bold experimental playground for companies and choreographers. We seek to represent a diverse array of forms, genres, and aesthetic values. Performances should be comprised of at least 50% world premiere work. Pieces will be selected with special consideration to impact and quality. 

Through a submission process, CPT is looking to select 3-6 local dance companies for a slot between April 15 and May 12. Each group selected will perform for one weekend. Applicants may apply to be on a double bill and split the evening of entertainment with another company. 

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By Hanoch Levin
Translated by Leland Frankel and Lee Ishri
Directed by Raymond Bobgan
Starring Peter Lawson Jones as The Old Man

Seeking Jewish, Latiné, and MENA (Middle Eastern North African) performers for the following roles. 

• The Old Woman: Wife of The Old Man, resilient, tolerant, stubborn, sick, resolved to her fate.  

• The Prostitute with a Freckle & The Zuchini Shaped Drunk—Female identifying actor to play two roles in campy scenes as a female sex worker and a male drunk.  
• The Medic: Think “urgent care nurse” in a village. 
• Non-speaking ensemble roles that fill the play with movement and scenery.  

Much of the show has been pre-cast and we are only looking to fill these roles at this time. 

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Featuring staged readings of

Pilar and Paloma by Milta Ortiz
Directed by Tania Benites

Grandeza by Ernesto Luna Camargo
Directed by Obed Medina

This event is a bilingual reading series that features two new works from the Latine community: Grandeza by Ernesto Luna Camargo, a founding member of Teatro Público de Cleveland and Pilar and Paloma by Milta Ortiz of Borderlands Theatre.

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