By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer
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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.

Our friends are awesome.

And one of the equally awesome things about Northeast Ohio is that publicly-funded programs, such as the Creative Workforce Fellowship, exist to support their work: making plays that stir the soul, building companies, championing change and contributing to the vibrant arts and culture offerings that make our region a great place to live.

Congratulations to the 40 Northeast Ohio artists selected for the 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship – among whom, we are bursting with pride to note, are a number of friends and collaborators of CPT, past and present. In fact, 6 of the 6 Fellows in the Theatre category are artists that have played an important role in the life of the theatre. They are directors, performers and creators, joined by an additional 4 artists creating work in the disciplines of film and dance – take a look, see who you might recognize from CPT’s pages and stages over the years.

We are proud that organizations such as CAC and CPAC have taken a stand to support research and development by individual artists and, to our peeps who have worked with us over the years (and in the 1516 season to come!), we are proud to have been part of that journey.

Click here to read the cleveland.com article about the Creative Workforce Fellowships.

-Cleveland Public Theatre Staff

Read More ›

Dear Northeast Ohio artists,

CPT is planning the 2016-2017 Season, and once again we are reaching out to you for great ideas.

CPT is focused on new work that is surprising, unexpected and somehow outside the realm of conventional theatre.

CPT is looking for proposals from Northeast Ohio artists for complete projects. Proposals may be for world premieres, second or third US productions, radical re-envisionings of classic plays or other projects. The show could be your own show or a script you would like to work on.

Based on the success of past co-productions and our Big Box series, we are also interested in creating opportunities for artists and groups that would like to retain greater ownership of projects and who can share risk with CPT. Read More ›

“CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland Public Theatre has canceled Big Box 2016, the annual centerpiece of CPT’s eclectic season, citing delays in the renovations of the James Levin Theatre.

Designed to showcase and develop new work, Big Box is one of the theater’s most popular events and the sort of grassroots nurturing of artists CPT brass rightly says sets it apart from other Cleveland theaters.

Christine Howey built “Exact Change,” her one-woman show about her gender journey from man to woman at Big Box before taking it to CPT’s mainstage, Playhouse Square and then on to New York’s acclaimed Fringe Festival this summer. Read More ›

Job Title: Graphic Design Intern

Job Description: Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is seeking a graphic design intern to perform design and layout of marketing materials to support the theatre’s 2015‐2016 season. The ideal candidate will be available 15 hours per week on site at CPT, with some periods of increased or decreased workload during special events. Design and/or layout projects will include:

• Postcards, Flyers, Brochures
• Posters
• Programs (show, season and annual fundraiser)
• Advertisements (CPT and sponsor)
• Image formatting for web and social media

Applicants for this position should be fluent in the principals of layout and print production. Other duties may include hanging, framing and mounting of posters and display materials as needed. Read More ›

Station Hope // Road to Hope

Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, December 15^th.

Cleveland Public Theatre is planning the third annual STATION HOPE, a one night event of entertainment and art inspired by the history of St. John’s Church and the Underground Railroad, the repercussions of oppression, and contemporary struggles for social justice on April 30, 2016.

ROAD TO HOPE is a series of performances and art projects that will be programmed in various sites in the Cleveland area. Road to Hope expands our work to include other neighborhoods in our community and will offer additional opportunities for artists and audiences February-April, 2016.

Station Hope Format

Audiences explore the St. John’s campus on the corner of W 26^th St and Church Ave. With 30+ performances to choose from, attendees will encounter choirs, dance, theatre, intimate solo performance, and interactive art – all happening at the same time in multiple indoor and outdoor venues.

Most Station Hope performances are 10 – 15 minutes in length, presented multiple times throughout the evening. Art installations will range from large to small, depending on the individual needs and space available.

Road to Hope Format

Road to Hope is a new program in development. This will be an experiment as we learn about the best way to support artists and have the maximum impact on the community.

Currently we are envisioning a wide range of possibilities:

• full length works
• a sort of “truth vaudeville” format with a variety of acts
• a mini-Station Hope event with multiple short acts in multiple spaces
• community participatory performance events (like Parade the Circle)
• installation and duration pieces
• and a variety of other permutations.

Read More ›

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

Description of Position

The Education Assistant works with the Education Staff at CPT, and works closely with and reports directly to the Education Manager/Brick City Theatre Program Director. This position is a year-round, salaried, staff position.  Salary range: 23,000-26,000/annually, with some 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.  In addition, all positions at CPT work across departmental lines on multiple organization-wide events 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.

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, both to children and to adults with little or no previous exposure to the arts.  Candidate must possess excellent logistics skills, and have the creativity to create warm, exciting, empowering community experiences for our programs’ participants and families. CPT education staff members are expected to maintain their own artistic work, while also contributing their skills, energy, and talents to the larger organization.

CPT cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. CPT has an intense working environment with long working hours (10-14 hour days during tech weeks), but we have fun and love what we do. We value hard work, kindness, generosity, passion, and grace-under-pressure.

Responsibilities

Education Assistant 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; creating curriculum for Brick City classes; facilitating and teaching adult-only workshops for CMHA residents; organizing and managing family field trips; conducting program evaluations; providing teaching and administrative support to CPT’s other core education programs; and providing as-needed support to CPT initiatives and events.

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 November 20th.

Review of candidates will 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 Assistant. 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).