Antebellum (an Ohio Premier)

The Second U.S. Production
February 23 to March 10, 2012 --- Thur-Sat, Mon @ 7:30pm
By Robert O'Hara --- Directed by Beth Wood

Cleveland Public Theatre proudly presents the 2nd U.S. Production of Antebellum, an intense exploration of discrimination written by nationally recognized playwright, Robert O'Hara and directed by CPT Associate Artistic Director, Beth Wood.

Antebellum unfolds against the backdrops of a southern American plantation, a German concentration camp, the world premiere of Gone With The Wind and 1930s Berlin cabarets. Two stories merge as a love affair between two men, one Jewish and the other African-American, bridges time, space and gender. Through juxtaposed realities of Nazi cruelty and Hollywood dreams, this sweeping romance challenges intolerance of race and religion and discrimination on both sides of the Atlantic.

FEVER/DREAM

April 7 - 23, 2011
By Sheila Callaghan --- Directed by Elizabeth R. Wood
at Gordon Square Theater at CPT

Say your father was the President of a multi-national corporation and you were chained to the customer service desk as soon as you could dial a phone... if someone made you CEO for a day, would you go crazy? This raucous and highly physical comid reinvention of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's classis Life is a Dream, gleefully skewers corporate America with razor-sharp wit, and forecasts a corporate-world transformation as Gen-Y takes over the world.

"Boom" at Cleveland Public Theatre

November 28 - December 20, 2008 --- Thur-Sat: 7:30pm, Sun: 3pm
by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb --- directed by Beth Wood
at Cleveland Public Theatre in the James Levin Theatre
"Sex to change the course of the world..."

In Boom, something is about to explode and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. CPT presents the regional premiere of this exciting work that premiered at Ars Nova in NYC in March 2008. In this hilarious new work, female journalism student Jo answers male marine biologist Jules' casual- encounters ad seeking "intensely significant coupling." She gets stuck in his makeshift lab-turned-shelter and finds herself surrounded by bourbon, fish tanks and a bunch of scary levers. It's the end of the world as we know it and this is the date to end all dates!

REVIEWS:
The Plain Dealer - by Tony Brown
"... The funniest play seen hereabouts this season and on of the most thoughtful."
Cleveland Scene - by Christine Howey
"... Not-to-be-missed ... so fiercely funny, while being simultaneously brainy, that it keeps you nailed to your seat - laughing and shaking your head in wonderment ... a fast-paced and fascinating mind game."
Cleveland Jewish News - by Fran Heller
"... A breathless 90 minutes that will leave audiences thinking, laughing and scratching their heads in wonderment ... 'boom' is a play you will ponder and talk about all the way home."
Spangle Magazine - by Brian Patrick Thornton
"... An outrageous and often hilarious comedy ... A rumination on sex, sexuality, media and science in the modern age - but ultimately, it's just good, naughty fun."
Cool Cleveland - by Roy Berko
"... What appears to be a casual date evolves into something far more momentous which includes Pampers, a baster, a broken leg, fish, Tampons, drums and chains ... If you like Theater of the Absurd, this is for you!"

CPT's Big[BOX] Presents "Ictus"

February 22-24, 2008
by Barbara Becker --- Directed by Rose Leininger
at Cleveland Public Theatre
Featuring Laurel Johnson
Victimized by a stroke while traveling in Italy, a once robust, 35-year-old woman struggles to find her way back to a sense of self on her painful journey through the foreign country of paralysis.
REVIEW:
by weebelly.com
"...She does a fantastic job demonstrating the physical difficulties faced by Becker: walking, speaking, struggling to stand, etc. And does a compelling job demonstrating the anguish and frustration that surely must have dominated, and still must dominate, Becker’s daily life."