Golden Flame Invitation

This three-act journey engages with dream and contemplation through fierce physicality, acapella song, and poetry.

The Body Play

A physical comedy about chronic illness, an unstable healthcare system, and the absurdity of being embodied.

El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

A struggling comic book artist creates an alter ego to save his fellow Puerto Ricans.

Showin’ Up Black

An affluent African American family's plans for the perfect debutante ball collide with a BLM protest.

THE BUCKTOOTHED F△GG⊙T (or THE NIJINSKY INCANTATION)

A durational performance and living art experience from 2024-25 Premiere Fellow Ray Caspio.

SoftLaunch 2025

A groundbreaking performance festival/conference featuring immersive installations and intimate performances.

The Light of Kinara: A Kwanzaa Celebration by Djapo Cultural Arts Institute

Vibrant spoken word, music and dance performance celebrating Kwanzaa and the enduring light within us all.

Tease the Season Part Deux: A Holiday Burlesque Spectacular

Bella Sin and friends return with burlesque, drag, aerials, live singers, comedy, and... more burlesque.

The Black Rose Xperience by Church of Starry Wisdom

Multi-media theatrical event combining goth and classic rock with an immersive cinematic narrative.

The Elephant in the Room

"One-Woman Wonder" Priyanka Shetty's The Elephant in the Room is a witty, dark comedy.

The Outstretched Hand يد الوصال

Three young adults push against and pull toward their heritage, communities, and families, as they work toward beco…

not-for-profit: or the equity, diversity and inclusion play

Satirical look inside a fictitious non-profit going through it.

Station Hope 2024

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

Funny, Like An Abortion

Set in a future America where even saying the word “abortion” is a crime, this play is about loyalty, friendshi…

Requiem

Requiem dares to tackle the big questions “life and death” with poetry, frankness, a lot of humor.

Alter

Using a self-help book titled “Hypnosis for Self Confidence,” customer service representative Maria seeks ultim…

Buried Words, Seeds of Hope

Buried Words, Seeds of Hope is a benefit for Ukraine which will feature readings of short plays, poetry and songs t…

Tease The Season: Burlesque Holiday Spectacular

The Outstretched Hand يد الوصال

Three young adults push against and pull towards their heritage, communities, and families, as they work towards be…

Our Lady of Common Sorrows

The assumed immaculate conception of a 15-year-old honor student incites a crisis of faith for her family.

Reverie Oracle

A long form improvisation of song, movement and poetry.

Station Hope 2023

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

can i touch it?

can i touch it? takes an often-humorous look at the politics of the Black hair care industry while prompting a dial…

How the Circus Stole Christmas: A Circus Holiday Extravaganza!

Will Christmas be saved? Each night, the audience will decide if they want to give in to the “big Eastern syndic…

BREAKOUT SESSION (OR FROGORSE)

In "Breakout Session (or Frogorse)," a corporate training company is vying for a city contract for de-escalation an…

Candlelight Hypothesis

Unlike anything you’ve ever seen, this immersive performance empowers the guests to curate their own experience.

Station Hope 2022

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

[Cancelled] Candlelight Hypothesis Workshop

Unlike anything you’ve ever seen, this immersive performance empowers the guests to curate their own experience.

THE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND TRUE ADVENTURES OF MS. JOAN EVELYN SOUTHGATE

A chronicle of Joan Evelyn Southgate's life through her 519-mile walk from Ohio to Canada.

The River Bride

Amazon folklore and lyric storytelling blend into a heartrending tale of love, grudges, and transformation.

Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation

Explore the lives and unique experiences of prominent Black women in America.

10 Minutes to Midnight: 9 Quirky Plays For The Holidays

Humorous, loving, and a party-like celebration, wrapped in a montage of short holiday (or non-holiday) plays.

FREE SUMMER SEASON OUTDOORS. LIVE. IN-PERSON.

CPT will once again be home to live and in-person programming that is daring, relevant, and socially conscious.

POP-UP PERFORMANCES FROM CPT’s VIRTUAL SEASONS

Intimate showings playing in repertory with limited “seats.” Though we cannot gather in person, we can come tog…

AN EXTRAORDINARY LOVE (THREE SHORT PLAYS IN PROGRESS)

In the context of three 10-minute plays presented as readings on Zoom, Black artists authentically explore this ext…

Station Hope

A virtual festival of performance honoring and exploring Cleveland's social justice heritage.

Dragon Hypothesis

A mythical meditation on worlds of dream and divinity exploring sacrifice, dreams, and our deep interconnectedness.

Savory Taṇhā (sixteen short plays performed by a rotating ensemble)

A virtual memory play of longing and loss, happiness and hopefulness, and navigating the pathways of human desire.

…Or Does it Explode?

This piece uses contemporary theatre to question what it means to be Black, male, and young in the 21st century.

The Loush Sisters Pay Per View (Buffer This!)

A bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday celebration, fueled by song and a hefty dose of “holiday cheer.”

Dream Rust Workshop (a hypothesis project)

Emerging from the increase of dreamtime in 2020, this surreal theatrical experiment follows a network of dream line…

…Or Does it Explode?

An unflinching portrayal of anger, hurt, and joy, blending stories gathered from men ages 16-35 in Akron, OH.

Frankenstein’s Wake

This twisted adaptation of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece revives a tour-de-force solo performance.

Station Hope 2020

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice history.

[CANCELED] Candlelight Hypothesis #1-12

A bold, multi-layered, and highly physical performance presented by Cleveland CORE Ensemble.

[CANCELED] The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Ms. Joan Southgate

A chronicle of Joan Southgate's life through her 519-mile walk from Ohio to Canada.

Marisol

A primal, fantastical, and humorous contemporary classic inspiring us to wake up and change the world around us.

Breakout Session (or Frogorse)

Can a society legislate a change of heart?

وبعدها التقينا And Then We Met…

An original production created by the ensemble members with Raymond Bobgan & Faye Hargate.

The Loush Sisters Love Dick’ns: Oops!… They Did It Again

Join Holly and Jolly Loush for their return to the stage in a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday cabaret.

A Xmas Cuento Remix

TPC blows the roof off with this Latino culture and modern music-infused take on Dickens’ classic Christmas tale.

Rastus and Hattie

Needra and Marlene enjoy a perfect post-racial friendship until “black” robots walk into their lives.

Test Two Image Gallery

Central Concern

A satirical look the real estate profession and how it championed property values at the expense of civil rights.

Station Hope 2019

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

Gloria

A simultaneously funny and shocking adrenaline rush of a show skewering the opportunistic culture of modern media.

Fire on the Water

The acclaimed theatrical event returns to honor the 50th anniversary of the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River.

La Gringa (Spanish)

LA GRINGA (SPANISH) is a heartwarming and hilarious comedy performed in Spanish with English subtitles.

Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant: A Snowball’s Chance

One of CPT’s most popular holiday entertainments is BACK!

Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies)

In this hot mess musical, a group of close friends struggles to navigate the tragedies of life.

Ya Mama!

The autobiographical story of a young Afro-Creole girl losing a mother, gaining a stepmother, and becoming a mother.

STATION HOPE 2018

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

BR’ER COTTON

Deeply affected by recent killings of young black men like himself, a boy’s anger grows beyond containment.

Red Ash Mosaic

Find us. Request an invitation.

EN EL TIEMPO DE LAS MARIPOSAS / IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES

Based on the famous novel, a true story revealing the beauty of courage, sisterhood, and community resistance.

AMERICAN DREAMS

What if game shows controlled who receives the "ultimate prize:" U.S. citizenship?

HOW TO END POVERTY IN 90 MINUTES (WITH 119 PEOPLE YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW)

An experiment in dialogue, collective decision-making, shared responsibility and the potential for art to transform.

THE LOUSH SISTERS GET HARD FOR THE HOLIDAYS (YIPPIE-KAI-YAY MOTHER-LOUSHERS)

Join Holly and Jolly Loush for their return to the stage in a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday cabaret.

THE ART OF LONGING

Themes of race, gender and the nature of art interlace in this theatrical experiment.

THE FAMILY CLAXON

An insane romp into the absurdity of life in our communally duct-taped home.

RED ASH MOSAIC

The daily doldrums of a video game store erupt into a fracturing of realities as a man confronts his own death/life.

Station Hope 2017

Powerful art and performance honoring Cleveland's social justice heritage at a historic Underground Railroad site.

LABIO DE LIEBRE (THE LIP OF THE HARE)

A magical and wildly dark comedy by Fabio Rubiano Orjuela. Performed in Spanish with English Subtitles.

BARBECUE

A hilarious and devastating comedy by Robert O’Hara.

I CALL MY BROTHERS

A bomb goes off. A city paralyzed with fear. An intense 24-hour journey inside one young man’s head.

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

A vaudeville-inspired evening of holiday folly, mischief and merry-making, CPT style.

44 PLAYS FOR 44 PRESIDENTS

The life and times of the 44 Presidents of the United States… featuring a singing, dancing, all-female cast!

¡CELEBRANDO THREE YEARS!

Celebrated stories from TPC's repertoire presented as a one-weekend-only event with live music and food.

Lines in the Dust

A working-class single mom risks everything for the sake of her daughter.

Red Ash Mosaic (Work-In-Progress)

A richly poetic and physical new work based loosely on "The Egyptian Book of the Dead."

Wrestling Jerusalem

Between America, Israel and Palestine, a man grapples with the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Station Hope 2016

A free multi-arts event that celebrates freedom, hope and Cleveland’s social justice heritage at Ohio City’s hi…

Uz, El Pueblo

A satirical romp that explores religious faith and small town dynamics. Performed in Spanish.

Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play

A post-apocalyptic tale of survival, passion and…the enduring power of Bart Simpson.

Frankenstein’s Wake

A twisted, one-woman adaptation of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece "Frankenstein." Starring Holly Holsinger.

Incendiaries

A fast-paced and muscular work that explores past conflicts between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

The Loush Sisters Love Dick’ns: Great Expectations

Join Holly and Jolly Loush (aka The Loush Sisters) for a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday cabaret.

Feefer Rising

A devised solo performance that explores emerging sexuality and selfhood through the eyes of an adolescent girl.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

An absurdist adventure by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, performed by a different actor each night.

¿Dónde Está My Home? (Where is Mi Hogar)

Teatro Publico de Cleveland returns with an original show created and performed by the ensemble.

Johanna: Facing Forward

Inspired by the true story of Johanna Orozco, a Cleveland teen who survived a gunshot wound to the face by her boyf…

Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea

It's a month before his first day of college and Dontrell Jones III wakes up from a dream that will change his life…

in a word

Two years have passed since Fiona's seven-year-old son mysteriously vanished. As she delves back into her memories…

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays

Back by popular demand, "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" is a powerful collection of short plays that…

Fire on the Water (Part Four of the Elements Cycle) (2015)

"Fire on the Water" is a fast-paced series of short plays inspired by a pivotal moment in Cleveland’s history—t…

Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant (2014)

One of CPT's most popular holiday entertainments is back! Hailed as "a deliciously demented feast for the holidays"…

American Falls

This stunning drama follows the story of eight people in a small town— six are living and two are dead. "American…

She’s Wearing White…

An art/performance installation that investigates purity, idealized femininity and sexual role-playing through the…

Spirits to Enforce

Now that their arch-nemesis, Professor Cannibal, is locked away in a correctional facility, twelve superheroes— T…

Teatro Publico de Cleveland: A Recipe para la Vida

Inspired by the foods that are rooted to our heritage, Teatro Publico de Cleveland's second full-length production…

Ancestra

Inspired by the 1853 National Women's Rights Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, "Ancestra" weaves a historical accoun…

Left in Ink

A devised documentary performance about people who have memorial tattoos for suicide victims. Created from intervie…

This is Not the Play

A gritty, in-your-face comedy that digs into what we naturally turn away from, racism. "This Is Not the Play" ima…

The Drowning Girls

With their first look at him their lungs filled with air; their hearts began to beat. With their last look at him t…

A Killing Game

"A Killing Game" is a theatre-meets-party-game in an evening of laugh-out-loud fun! Actors and audience work toget…

Titus: A Grand and Gory Rock Musical

Shakespeare rolls over in his grave as his bloodiest, most horrifying script— "Titus Andronicus"— gets a total…

Air Waves (Part Three of the Elements Cycle)

"Air Waves" is a fantastical journey of wish-fulfillment that weaves sustainability themes into a uniquely theatri…

Exact Change

A moving play about finding your voice and championing your identity, "Exact Change" is the powerful and personal s…

The Loush Sisters DO The Nutcracker

Back by popular demand, The Loush Sisters return to celebrate the holidays in a hilarious and bawdy evening of song…

Doug is a D-Bag

Rules are made to be broken! This highly interactive devised work asks the audience to tune in and turn ON their ce…

Cuando Cierras Your Eyes

"When You Close Tus Ojos" weaves comedic scenes, ancestral stories, and haunting tales to create a story that cele…

Insomnia: The Waking of Herselves

"Insomnia" returns to CPT! Ev is trapped in the attic; Evelyn is fronting downstairs; and Zelda, a former imaginar…

Rusted Heart Broadcast

"Rusted Heart Broadcast" is an epic production with powerful visual elements, original music, and fast paced story…

There Is a Happiness That Morning Is

This contemporary comedy in rhymed verse about the difficulties and miracles of love is told via two lectures on th…

Tender Napalm

Following a young couple's quirky, imaginative and savage fantasies, "Tender Napalm" is a high-impact, high-conce…

NICK&JEREMY

"NICK&JEREMY "is a loosely structured evening centered around the title characters (played by Nick and Jeremy, or…

struck

In 2011, performer Tannis Kowalchuk suffered a stroke. As she struggled with recovery and the profound shock to her…

Earth Plays (Part Two of the Elements Cycle)

"Earth Plays (Part Two of the Elements Cycle)" is a diverse selection of premieres ranging from comedy to tragedy,…

Water Ways (Part One of the Elements Cycle)

In "Water Ways", controversy over water rights breaks out in the desert amidst the celebration of a new well. The…

The Secret Social

Select artists from the popular Conni's Avant-Garde Restaurant team up with CPT artists to create a new celebration…

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays

CPT opens the season with a bold new work of theatre by 8 of the nation's best playwrights. "Standing On Ceremony"…

The Kardiac Kid

A celebration of Cleveland, the Browns and the infamous 1980 season, "The Kardiac Kid" explores how Clevelanders'…

Akarui

"Akarui" is an exuberant and haunting take on transformation and love that transports its characters to a 'rave ca…

13 Most American Dreams

"13 Most American Dreams" provides contrasting snapshots of contemporary culture and its attitudes and relationshi…

Not The Flying Stupendas

A show for the whole family! The audience has been promised The Flying Stupendas, acrobats extraordinaire, but due…

Iphigenia 2.0

How fresh can a 2,400-year-old story be? "Iphigenia 2.0", Charles Mee's striking update on Euripides' "Iphigenia a…

poor little Lulu

Part classical chamber piece, part gritty garage 'happening', and part drag cabaret; this vintage circus of comic d…

Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man

Back by popular demand! Argentine Cristobal has stolen the original Charles Darwin manuscripts from rare book libr…

Antebellum

"Antebellum" unfolds against the backdrops of a southern American plantation, a German concentration camp, the wor…

At-TEN-tion Span

A CPT favorite from the past, the 10-minute play series returns! The 2012 "At-TEN-tion Span" will be made up entire…

Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant: Home for the Hollandaise (2011)

Come dine with Conni and the Avantgardists! "Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant" (a Time Out New York favorite and Vi…

Ya Mama!

"Ya Mama!" is a one woman show that explores how being an artist, a wife, a mother, a Christian, and a Black woman…

Royal Ann’s Preserve

Created by a mother/daughter team, "Royal Ann's Preserve" is a performance art installation about cleanliness, swe…

Monster Play

Lock your doors, bar the windows and build up the fire as CPT and Theater Ninjas unleash an evening of hideous, inh…

Cut to Pieces

Chris Seibert's haunting, tour-de-force solo show returns for two weekends only. What begins as a classic "whodunit…

My Barking Dog

Highly acclaimed local playwright Eric Coble brings his newest work to CPT. Two lonely people's lives take a dramat…

Insomnia: The Waking of Herselves

Holly Holsinger and Chris Seibert, two of CPT's most beloved actors are together again in a new work about self loa…

I Hate This/And Then You Die

David Hansen performs his two award winning solo shows in a single show. One is an exploration of personal loss and…

FEVER/DREAM

Say your father was the President of a multi-national corporation and you were chained to the customer service desk…

Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man

Cristobal has stolen the original Charles Darwin manuscripts from rare book libraries around the world. Why? Becaus…

Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant: Feast of Miracles (2010)

CPT doing dinner theatre??? "Conni's Avant-Garde Restaurant" (a Time Out New York favorite and Village Voice Choice…

Kill Will

Back by popular demand! Murder. Revenge. Suicide. Cannibalism?? A new Tarantino movie? No, it's Shakespeare! Josh B…

Don’t Call Me Fat

"Don't Call Me Fat" centers around morbidly obese John Doe who can't get out of bed, yet his spiritual self flies…

The Book of Grace

CPT is proud to open their 2010-2011 Season: Go Deep, Go Long, with "The Book of Grace", by Pulitzer Prize-winning…

Open Mind Firmament: An Evening of W. B. Yeats

Cleveland Public Theatre is proud to present "Open Mind Firmament: An Evening of W. B. Yeats", developed by Raymon…

Wanderlust: A History of Walking

CPT is proud to present the World Premiere of "Wanderlust: A History of Walking", Based on the book by Rebecca Soln…

Things of Dry Hours

CPT is proud to present the Ohio and Regional premiere of "Things of Dry Hours", onstage in the Storefront Studio…

Anna Bella Eema

CPT is proud to present the regional premiere of "Anna Bella Eema", dark comedy about a woman, her daughter, and a…

The Santaland Diaries

CPT is proud to present the return of "The Santaland Diaries", onstage in the James Levin Theatre from November 27…

Browns Rules

CPT is proud to present the World Premiere of "Browns Rules", onstage in the Gordon Square Theatre from November 19…

Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them

The always absurd and sometimes offensive Durang turns political humor upside down with a raucous and provocative s…

No Child…

"No Child..." is the award-winning one woman show based on Sun's experiences teaching at Malcolm X High School in…

The Alice Seed

A world premiere by one of Cleveland's most noted playwrights, "The Alice Seed" is a moving and exceptional tale o…

Cut to Pieces

"Cut to Pieces" is a new original work written by CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan and CPT Education…

The Aperture

"The Aperture" is a new play by Sean Christopher Lewis and the inaugural winner of the Rosa Parks Playwright Award…

The Red Human-Headed Bull

"The Red Human-Headed Bull" will be presented following a 15-minute intermission after "The Santaland Diaries". T…

Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)

CPT is proud to present this quirky comedy about an old house and Janice, a twelve year old girl whose Christmas wi…

The Santaland Diaries

CPT presents the return of "The Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris, Adapted by Joe Mantello, Directed by Dan Kilb…

boom

CPT is proud to present the Regional and Ohio Premiere of "boom" by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, onstage in the James Le…

Goldstar, Ohio

CPT opens the 08-09 season with the world premiere of "Goldstar, Ohio", a new play by Cleveland native Michael Tis…

Matt and Ben

"Matt and Ben" is the funny, scathing, delightfully venomous story of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (played by two wo…

Two Plays by Gao Xingjian

Gao Xingjian is the 2000 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Born in China he now lives in exile in France. X…

In the Continuum

The powerful “In the Continuum” explores the devastating problem of AIDS among African and African-American wom…

Ms. Adventures

A smash hit from the 2007 Big [BOX] series, "Ms. Adventures" is a series of monologues that illuminate issues of i…

Two Rooms

Cleveland Public Theatre and Charenton Theater Company present "Two Rooms" by Lee Blessing. "Two Rooms" follows…

Living Tall

Salesman Jeffrey Weaver shares his secrets on how to increase sales and earn respect in the business community, the…

The Vagina Monologues

A must see! The production that launched a movement that changed the world! Produced by Queen Bee Productions feat…

The Confessions of Punch and Judy

Don't miss this wild all-night argument that captures the anarchic spirit of the classic Punch and Judy puppet show…

Pulp

"Pulp" is a musical comedy takeoff of lesbian pulp fiction of the 1930's, 40's and 50's. Join the girls at "The We…

The Santaland Diaries

"The Santaland Diaries" is told from the perspective of a 33 year-old slacker who takes a job as Crumpet, a Macy's…

Osama the Hero

Join Cleveland Public Theatre for this explosive, controversial new work by Dennis Kelly. High school student Gary…

AtTENtion Span: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays

A series of 10-minute plays curated by Greg Vovos take over the Gordon Square Theatre. Featuring works by local and…

M4M: An all male version of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure

In "M4M", powerful leaders take it upon themselves to rid Vienna of freedom, brothels and unlawful sexual activity,…