Week #4: Zoodiac & Dividual
April 11, 2019 - April 13, 2019
7:00pm, Thu/Fri/Sat, James Levin Theatre.,
Test Flight is a multi-week series that showcases new work on its way to full production. Test Flight provides both local and national artists with the keys to the theatre and the opportunity to co-produce original works-in-progress. The series encourages risk-taking and an entrepreneurial spirit towards creating new work while offering artists a structured support system. New Play Development.
The James Levin Theatre is fully ADA compliant featuring a patron elevator and an all gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.
Standard Price (Thursday): $10
Standard Price (Friday, Saturday): $15
double bill
zoodiac
Written by Rich Stimac
While an innocent puppet play about the Chinese zodiac is performed, a serial killer is on the loose backstage. Characters begin to drop like flies and the race in the play becomes a race against time.
Artwork by: Rich Stimac
Rich Stimac is an actor, writer, director, and producer who has been involved in over 100 stage, film, and television productions with his company Loan Star Productions. He has worked in the entertainment industry for BackStage, Drama-Logue, Universal Studios, NBC Research, Sony Video Institute, and ABC/Disney. Returning to Cleveland in 2013, he started an entertainment group called Land of Cleve which includes a theatre troupe, a production company, and an arts blog. www.InTheLandOfCleve.com
dividual
Text by Paul Manganello
Music by Michael Malis
Data, deep loneliness, and coffee are at the center of this collision between live music and monologue. One stark moment in the life of a programmer spirals into a pulsing sonic puzzle that asks what it means to exist in 2019.
Performers: Paul Manganello, Michael Malis
Artwork by: Paul Manganello
Michael Malis (b. 1988) is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit, MI. A multi-faceted musical artist, he performs as a jazz musician, composes for the concert stage, and contributes to multidisciplinary collaborations. In 2018, his compositions were commissioned by organizations such as Chamber Music Society of Detroit and the Great Lakes Music Festival. In 2017, he released an album of duets with saxophonist Marcus Elliot, entitled Balance. The album was praised by the Detroit Metro Times as “contemporary jazz of the highest order, a benchmark for where the genre can go.” He has been lauded for his scores for film and theatre, which have garnered awards, critical acclaim, and have reached international audiences. He has shared the stage with such luminaries as Marcus Belgrave, Tyshawn Sorey, William Hooker, Jaribu Shahid, John Lindberg, Dave Douglas, A. Spencer Barefield, Ken Filiano, J.D. Allen, Andrew Bishop, Dennis Coffey, and Marion Hayden. www.michaelmalis.com
Paul Manganello is an actor and writer based in Los Angeles. A co-founder of Fratellanza Theater, he has played a central role in all the company’s projects, including The Judge, featured in Cleveland Public Theatre’s workshop series, Test Flight 2018, and The Mute Quire (Best International Production, 2014 Galway Fringe). Last year he performed the solo children’s show Balloonacy at the Flint Youth Theatre, created Five After Five for the Detroit Dance Race, and wrote 2-minute plays for UnTheatre’s Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. In LA, Paul performs standup in venues around the city and is developing an absurdist webcast that combines philosophy and personal stories. Training: 2012 Fulbright Arts Scholarship to Scuola Teatro Dimitri; École LASSAAD; Malcolm Tulip (University of Michigan). www.fratellanzatheater.org
The goal of Test Flight is to support new work and local/national artists.
CPT provides:
– The James Levin Theatre
– Basic production staff, stage management, box office support
– Marketing and advertising support
The artists provide the rest!
The writers, directors, actors, and designers selected for Test Flight dedicate themselves to creating new and original work, or stretching their artistic powers by working in new disciplines.
