Cleveland Public Theatre announces Auditions for

Fire on the Water

Created & Performed by Northeast Ohio artists
Conceiver, Producer, and Co-Lead Director: Raymond Bobgan;
Co-Lead Director: India Nicole Burton

Looking to cast…

A variety of performers, diverse in age, race, physical ability, background, and theatre experience.

Equity agreements may be considered for this production.

About the play…

Fire on the Water, the acclaimed multimedia theatrical event, returns to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River in an all-new version. Fire on the Water is a fast-paced series of short plays inspired by this pivotal moment in Cleveland’s history. Created by a team of playwrights, directors, and actors, the production features original work woven into a powerful production exploring how the environment shapes identity, while celebrating the remarkable recovery of Cleveland’s waterways.

About The Creation Process*…

Fire on the Water is a partnership between CPT and multiple NEO playwrights, as well as Blank Canvas Theatre, Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, and Talespinner Children’s Theatre. The production is a semi-scripted and semi-devised piece. The full script will be assembled during the rehearsal process. Actors who are cast in this production will be involved in multiple scenes with different creators/directors.

*Fire on the Water will include extreme physical theatre with the use of rigged flying of actors. We acknowledge and disclose that there is an inherent danger within that acrobatic context. Some actors may be asked to participate in these scenes even after they have started development but will only be expected to do so if consent is given. The choreographer of these particular scenes has special rigging/flight training; additionally, CPT has had ongoing training with rigging and flight choreography over the course of the last 5 years.

About the rehearsals…

Some scene work will begin around mid-December for actors working with certain prepared scenes. Full cast rehearsals begin January 2. Rehearsals are 5-6 times a week, with evening weekday rehearsals and some daytime weekend rehearsals.

Runs February 9, 2019 – March 2, 2019, Thu/Fri/Sat/Mon, at 7:30pm in CPT’s Gordon Square Theatre. There will also be a performance of select scenes in partnership with Cuyahoga Valley National Park on 2/27 and a special rehearsal for this show on 2/26.

Auditions…

Saturday, October 27, 4-8pm
Monday, October 29, 6-10pm

Callbacks: we have not yet decided if callbacks will be needed and will announce that during or shortly after auditions.

Auditions are by appointment only. You can schedule for a 2 hour slot on either Sat 10/27 OR Mon 10/29.

Auditions will be held in a group, so your work will be seen by others auditioning. In addition to showing monologue and song, you will be asked to participate in group physical work. Please plan on staying the full 2 hours of the audition.

What to prepare…

• Two minutes of prepared material (monologue, contrasting monologues, 16 bars of a song?)
• Come dressed ready to move
• Be ready to work physically and vocally within a group
• Bring a water bottle, notebook, and pen
• Headshot and Résumé

To schedule an audition appointment, please email NNPN Producer in Residence at CPT, India Burton, at

ib*****@cp*******.org











. Be sure to include your name, email address, phone number, and preferred audition date & time in your email. Please include [Fire on the Water Auditions] in your subject line. No phone calls please.

About the Co-Lead Directors:

Raymond Bobgan is the Executive Artistic Director of Cleveland Public Theatre and is the founding director of the Cleveland Core Ensemble and is dedicating a majority of his creative work to this group. He has devised over 30 full-length works for the stage with professional performers, students, and community groups, and countless shorter works and workshop productions. In 1993, Raymond founded Theatre Labyrinth (later becoming Wishhounds) which was housed at Pilgrim Church in Tremont and was a resident company at CPT. Their last creation was Blue Sky Transmission: A Tibetan Book of the Dead which was co-produced by La Mama Experimental Theatre Company (Off-Broadway) and CPT. Currently, he is envisioning a number of new works including The Mask of Flight, a collage of short pieces springing from various works created for Station Hope and Pandemonium; Ceremony and Spectacle, a two evening event loosely based on Cleveland Core Ensemble’s founding piece, Rusted Heart Broadcast; and Invitational #, an interactive experiment.

India Nicole Burton is the 2018/2019 National New Play Network Producer in Residence at Cleveland Public Theatre. She is an actress, director, playwright, and producer. She is a native of Akron, OH and graduated from The University of Akron in 2011 with a BA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis on performance. Upon graduating, India founded Ma’Sue Productions, an African American theatre company located in Akron. She has directed, produced, and performed in several of Ma’Sue’s plays and acted as artistic director until 2015. India has worked with many prominent Akron, Cleveland, New York, Atlanta, and L.A. actors, directors, and playwrights. She is the director of drama at Dike School of the Arts where she trains students in acting and performance, grades pre-K through 8th. India is currently working on developing and devising an original play about women in the Black Panther Party.