Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Public Theatre’s (CPT) Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to announce the 2024/2025 Season aptly named “Cultivate.”
The theme is a nod to the theatre’s ongoing dedication to the expansion of new work partly supported by a generous grant from Mellon Foundation as part of the Future of American Theatre Cohort that was announced earlier this year.
“This is an incredible time of reinvention and of planting new seeds and appreciating the fruition of some projects we have been working on for years! CPT is one of the few theatres in the country to produce seasons of virtually all brand new plays, and we are thrilled to continue this work, while also looking for reinvention across the field and nurturing great local and national talent.”
―Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan
Highlights this year include the World Premiere of the non-profit workplace comedy not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play) by francisa da ilveira (can I touch it?)*, the return of Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi’s The Outstretched Hand, the world premiere of Jeanne Madison’s Showin’ Up Black, and three holidays shows! Also, cultivating this season, is the launch of a brand-new play development program called Soft Launch.
Cleveland Public Theatre 2024/2025 Season
not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play)*
By fran da silveira*
Directed by Jeannine Gaskin
October 24 -November 9, 2024
It’s a typical day for the employees of RiseUp, an education nonprofit focused on urban youth mentorship―interim CEO Lisa is dealing with un-woke board members who can’t remember what organization they’re supporting, Gen X Melissa is trying to use the latest Gen Z slang in a sentence, Kiki thinks they’re being held back because they go by “they,” Nadine is too lazy to call IT even though she hasn’t received an email in a month, “cultural” consultant Nick is a total FREE-gan who spends most of the day raiding the staff lunch room for freebies, and Alkanna’s got the tea-flavored Lacroix on everybody. Will they take the time out of their day to…you know…check on the children? francisca da silveira’s (can i Iouch it?) not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play) takes a satirical look inside a fictitious non-profit going through it.
*Note that the playwright prefers to list their plays and name in lowercase; thus, this is not a typo.
يد الوصال The Outstretched Hand
Jointly created by Raymond Bobgan and Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi مسرح كليفلاند العربي
World Premiere
November 7 – November 10, 2024
Back by popular Demand after a second sold-out run!
Mira wants to move out of her parent’s home without losing her connection. Third Generation American Sami seeks travels overseas to connect with his roots. Hassan is breaking under the pressure of work, community commitments and his family needs here and overseas. These three young adults push against and pull towards their heritage, communities, and families, as they work towards becoming their full selves. The Outstretched Hand يد الوصال is about connections to our families, our heritage and ourselves.
About Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi مسرح كليفلاند العربي
Cleveland Public Theatre believes when communities come together to share their stories, we grow a stronger and more vibrant city. Through Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi مسرح كليفلاند العربي, Arabic-speaking communities of Cleveland share vital, life-affirming stories celebrating family, dignity, and freedom of expression. These stories affirm a rich heritage and seek to move Cleveland to shed preconceptions and stereotypes and grow empathy and understanding.
Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi مسرح كليفلاند العربي is open to all people who share a heritage from Arabic-speaking cultures with an interest in theatre regardless of experience. The ensemble broadly includes third generation Americans, as well as recent arrivals, Muslims, Christians, and those of other faiths, who are curious and passionate.
Día De Muertos
Presented by Cleveland Public Theatre/Teatro Público de Cleveland & Día de Muertos Ohio
Artistic Director: Héctor Castellanos Lara
Saturday, November 2, 2024
CPT campus, 11:00am – 10:00pm
In its 20th year, this is a vibrant free cultural celebration for the whole family. The annual “Day of the Dead” honors the memory of those who have passed and is a treasured holiday in Mexico and throughout Latin America.
The Elephant in the Room
Written by and featuring Priyanka Shetty*
Presented by Cleveland Public Theatre and Federation of India Community Associations Cleveland
November 14 – November 17, 2024
“O“e-Woman Wonder” ”riyanka Shetty’s’The Elephant in the Room is a witty, dark comedy about just your typical Indian metalhead and software-engineer-turned-actor who must navigate life as an immigrant arriving in Trump’s’America.
*Actor appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
For the Holidays…
The Black Rose Experience by Church of Starry Wisdom
December 5 – December 8, 2024
A multi-media theatrical rock event that combines the music of Church of Starry Wisdom with an immersive cinematic narrative. Set in a dystopian America, this event explores themes of rebellion and revelation in a fallen civilization. Don’t’miss this unique exploration of revolution and redemption.
Tease the Season: A Burlesque Holiday Spectacular
Conceived and produced by Bella Sin, presented by Cleveland Burlesque & Cleveland Public Theatre
December 12 – December 15, 2024
Back by popular demand!
After a sold-out run last year, “Cleveland Burlesque Queen” Bella Sin and friends are back for a second adults-only evening of burlesque, drag, aerials, live singers, comedy, and … more burlesque.
The Light of Kinara: A Kwanzaa Celebration by Djapo Cultural Institute
December 19 – December 22, 2024
This vibrant performance guides viewers from an invocation of unity to a final reflection on faith. It is more than a celebration of Kwanzaa—it is a powerful reminder of the enduring light within us all, a light that shines brightest when we come together as a community, honoring our heritage and illuminating a future grounded in shared values. The celebration features spoken word, music and dance.
*Note that in addition to the Choose What You Pay option, these events offer VIP seating options with special benefits. Check the website for updates.
Soft Launch
A new play development event!
January 23 – January 26, 2025
(CPT Campus)
CPT has been a national leader in advancing theatre practice through its innovative programs and development series. Soft Launch is CPT’s next platform for research and development. Soft Launch engages audiences in an open, conference-like setting of new theatrical experiences. Soft Launch includes interactive performances, intimate shows for 1-3 people, performance installation, and other works that defy expectations of what theatre can be. Much of this work is in beta-testing and audiences can choose to go deeper by providing feedback to artists and supporting the growth of the new projects and potentially new forms of performance.
Test Flight 2025
February 6 – March 8, 2025
Test Flight is a multi-week series that showcases new work by new and seasoned playwrights on its way to full production. The series provides artists with the keys to the theatre and the opportunity to co-produce original works-in-progress. It also encourages risk-taking and an entrepreneurial spirit towards creating new work while offering artists a structured support system. Writers learn firsthand how to be a producer and receive a small stipend and percentage of the box office.
Showin’ Up Black
By Jeanne Madison
February 20 – March 8, 2025
Following a sold-out run in TestFlight 2023, Showin’ Up Black is back in a full production! On the eve of their daughter’s cotillion, the Hopegoodes, an affluent African American family, see their plans for the perfect debutante ball collide with a Black Lives Matter protest. And that’s not all that collides―their secrets and competing desires get shaken loose by the nearness of the protest, and tear at the fabric of this family, challenging what, exactly, it is to be Black.
Teatro Público de Cleveland
March 20 – April 5, 2025
(Production TBD)
Teatro Público de Cleveland is a collective of Latino theatre artists and produces performances that preserve and promote the cultures of Cleveland Latinos for Spanish-speaking audiences and the broader public. TPC’s spring show, selected by the company, seeks to connect with Latino and non-Latino audiences in a powerful experience of cross-cultural work. In 2013, Cleveland Public Theatre launched Teatro Público de Cleveland (TPC), a local Latinx theatre company, whose work reflects the artistic goals, interests, and ideals of its members. The purpose of this theatre ensemble is to share the rich diversity and perspectives of the Latinx-Cleveland culture, and to fulfill CPT’s core mission.
The Body Play
By Madison Wetzell
Directed by Paige Conway
March 27 – April 12, 2025
(A World Premiere)
Amy and Amy’s body take us through a physically comedic meditation on chronic illness, unresponsive medical personnel and an unstable healthcare system.
DanceWorks25
April 17 – May 17, 2025
Every year, Cleveland Public Theatre welcomes Northeast Ohio’s’most adventurous contemporary dance companies to the CPT stage for remarkable and premiere dance performances. Audiences can expect a mix of styles and genres from established and new groups.
About Cleveland Public Theatre
Cleveland Public Theatre has been at the forefront of new play development since 1981. Through four developmental programs, CPT serves local artists at every step of the creative process, from early ideas all the way to full productions and the entrepreneurial step of launching a new work.
With a national reputation for developing new plays and producing innovative interpretations of classic works, CPT has garnered praise for its work and received acknowledgement and recognition from The New York Times, American Theatre magazine, Theatre Journal, The Dramatists Guild, and Canadian Theatre Review. Shows created at CPT have toured to New Orleans, New York, Toronto, Minneapolis, Belgrade, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. CPT engagement programs have served as a model for similar programs in Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Most recently, CPT announced its participation in the newly formed The Future of American Theatre Cohort, which is being funded by a generous grant made by the Mellon Foundation. The cohort includes four other small to mid-sized theaters across the United States that are dedicated to serving artists and patrons from BIPOC communities through play development, audience development and inexpensive tickets.
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