Station Hope // Road to Hope
Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, December 15th.
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 26th 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.
How to get involved with “Hope”
These are large and complex projects, and we need a lot of support to make it a success. There are many different roles available; ranging from creative to technical assistance. Below is a list of different ways to participate in the event:
| Lead Artist: | Lead a team of collaborators (or work individually) to create an original piece of theatre, performance, choir or visual art. A Lead Artist can be an individual or an organization. Lead Artists will be selected through an application process, outlined in this document. |
| Actor: | There will be multiple opportunities in various performances. CPT will compile and share an “Interested Actor” list with all Lead Artists. Casting decisions are in the complete control of the Lead Artists. |
| Stage Management & Technical Support: | We will need help setting up spaces and running those spaces during the event(s). |
| Volunteer: | There will be multiple volunteer needs to make this event run smoothly, such as parking assistance, ticket takers, runners, etc. CPT will forward your information to our partners that are managing the volunteers. |
Individuals interested in being involved in Station Hope through the following roles, Actor, Stage Management & Technical Support or Volunteer, should email CPT New Play Associate Caitlin Lewins (clewins@cptonline.org) with your name, contact information, role interested in filling and resume*. (*resumes not needed for Volunteer inquiries)
Individuals and organizations interested in being a Lead Artist, should read the additional information and complete the application included in this document.
What to expect…
This is an ongoing experiment in neighborhood arts presentation. CPT is a learning organization, and we value generosity, professionalism and a spirit of good-will. We expect our partners to enter into the spirit of this experimentation and the event as a whole.
Limited technical support is available to all lead artists. Each space will have basic lighting and sound support. Elaborate, highly-specific and proprietary technical needs can rarely be offered, and Station Hope is more about the performance and the art, than elaborate technical elements. However, don’t confuse minimalism and resourcefulness with lack of style and quality. Artists are welcome to make elaborate plans for their space, but they must be ready to implement the plans themselves with little time in the space and technical support from CPT.
These events have extreme limitations and sometimes we need to fit things in that don’t really fit the limitations. We need you, the artist, to work creatively to adapt your program to fit into the event and work well with the other various performances going on.
There will be a Stage Manager (if necessary) available for the event, but lead artists should provide their own artistic collaborators and produce their individual performance or installation. CPT staff will be available for consultation and support where possible.
Proposing for Station Hope
Proposals should be bold, inventive and thought provoking. Proposals can range from choirs, dance, short plays, art installations, poetry, performance art, wandering characters, solo pieces, etc. In selecting works for this event we will be looking at a number of factors.
- Has the artist/organization demonstrated the ability to produce the proposed work? We aren’t looking for top notch producers, but we want to feel confident that the artist/group has a clear understanding of what it takes to pull off a show and the ability assess their own capacity.
- How is the proposed art inspired by the Underground Railroad and contemporary issues of social justice? We are open to all kinds of works, but are most interested in contemporary theatre work that is inspired by the UGRR and its current parallels.
- Can the work be fully accomplished in the time limitations and how will it fit in the spaces available?
All Station Hope proposals will also be considered for inclusion in Road to Hope, based on format and curation needs.
We are looking to curate an aesthetically diverse range of work and open to educational, amateur and professional groups.
We are anticipating a special need for interactive performance and visual art, especially pieces that could engage audiences while waiting in line outside and works that could take over the brick wall facing the church.
Special Proposals for Road to Hope Special
If you are interested in proposing something beyond the limitations of Station Hope or of larger scale, you may also propose to Road to Hope. These proposals should include more information on production and artistic experience and should state the needs of the project more clearly. CPT is interested in commissioning new work, exploring large scale projects, and investigating partnering on a larger scale through shared ownership/curation of sites.
To propose for Road to Hope use the Station Hope proposal guidelines but include up to one more page describing the project, if applicable provide a budget (preferably in Excel) and you must include a full resume of lead artists and producers.
Tours of St. John’s Church…
To make the best proposal possible for Station Hope, we strongly recommend that artists/organizations attend one of two tours of St. John’s Church and the venues described below before submitting an application.
Tour #1: Saturday, December 5th at 1:00pm
Tour #2: Sunday, December 13th at 1:00pm
The tours are open to anyone considering a proposal for Station Hope but require RSVP. Please RSVP by emailing CPT New Play Associate Caitlin Lewins at clewins@cptonline.org. Be sure to include your name, contact information and preferred tour date.
Venues for Station Hope
| Outdoor stage | Outdoor Wandering | Parish Hall |
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| Basement | Main Sanctuary | |
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| Visual Art Installation | Other Venues | |
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