Returning for its 11th year, the "Big Box" award-winning artists in residency program will be onstage January 17 – March 9, 2013.
Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to announce the participating artists for the 2013 Big Box series.
Big Box is an award-winning residency program, produced by CPT that focuses on giving independent, creative artists the space, time and resources to create new work. CPT is proud to support and foster the work of area artists in this unique program. Over eight weekends, local artists are given keys to the James Levin Theatre and the freedom to transform the space for the presentation of their work.
The goal of Big Box is to support new work and local artists.
For the Big Box series, CPT provides a number of things to these artists and new works, including use of the James Levin Theatre, basic production staff, stage management, box office support, as well as marketing and advertising assistance.
The artists provide the rest! The writers, directors, actors and designers selected for Big Box dedicate themselves to creating new and original work, or stretching their artistic powers by working in new disciplines. The resulting performances are always amazing and well attended. Big Box performances and artists often go on to receive larger exposure such as full production at CPT and Fringe Festivals.
The mission of Cleveland Public Theatre is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through ground breaking performances and life changing educational programs. Cleveland Public Theatre is an alternative performance company with a commitment to help develop original theatre artists from the Cleveland area; Big Box is one performance series dedicated to this goal.
2013 Big Box Series
January 17 – March 9, 2012
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for General Admission, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 on Thursdays. Also, don't forget Free Beer Fridays, where the audience is encouraged to stay after the show to mingle with artists and friends while enjoying a drink or two on CPT.
January 17 – 19, 2013 (Double Bill)
"Like a Doberman on a Quarter Pounder"
Written and Performed by Christine Howey
Directed by Scott Plate
The evening begins with poems, monologues and dialogues all touching on the human condition. Join Howey as she wonders what Beowulf had for breakfast, how it feels to be in forbidden love and the unexpected benefit of a bad day at McDonald's.
However, social commentary turns to the personal when Howey shares her journey from Richard to Christine. Beginning in 1950 as a boy wanting to be a girl and concluding in adulthood, the piece explores the pain, confusion and joy of seeking a gender that does not match one’s body.
"The Free Radical and the Late Night Sketch Book:
Part 2: The Wedding"
Conceived and Directed by Pandora Robertson
Created by Ensemble
"Free Radical and The Late Night Sketchbook" follows a woman’s journey that begins with a game-changing crisis, the horror of which repels, intoxicates and consumes her. This woman’s journey forces her to come face to face with multiple philosophical questions exploring confession, identity and truth.
Robertson collaborates with an ensemble of actors using dialogue and movement to consider “What happens when the world passes you by?” Are we remembered by what we confess or by the fanciful narratives we create? What is the boundary between what we think is the truth and what we want the truth to be?
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January 24 – 26, 2013 (Double Bill)
"The Bird Behind the Curtain"
Written by Amy Schwabauer
Directed by Adam Seeholzer
Trapped in an undefined, Claire and Esther’s fate seems to be sealed. They follow a daily routine to find a way out, but maybe today will be different. Today something could change; they could learn something new and find the way out by reliving their self-destructive past.
Based on the poem “The Tulips” by Sylvia Plath, "The Bird Behind the Curtain" teeters on the fine line between sanity and insanity.
"When The Moon Was Green Cheese, The Cracker Maker Was King"
Written by Michael Andrews-Hinders
Music and Lyrics by Molly Andrews-Hinders
Directed by Alison Garrigan
This whimsical yet gritty musical is a fable about time and space, addictions and the consequences of over-protective parenting. "When The Moon Was Green Cheese, The Cracker Maker Was King" interweaves a children’s story a father is writing with the alarming changes in his daughter’s behavior and attitude, causing the fantasy world of the story to collide with the hard reality of his daughter’s growing problems.
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January 31 – February 1, 2013
"The World Above Us"
Created by Greg D'Alessio
This mixed-media roots music dance opera follows four generations of women visited by angels, but not necessarily the nice kind of angels. This piece features the songs of Charlie Cheney, Greg D’Alessio and Quinn Sands, the dance of Antaeus Dance and Amy Compton, the paintings of John A. Sargent III, and the photography of Mark Slankard.
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February 7 – 9, 2013
"Vigil"
Written by Vickie L. Williams
Directed by Cornell Calhoun III
The tenants of a Cleveland inner-city apartment complex have their share of differences but are doing the best they can. Andy is trying to maintain his dilapidated apartment building; Adele puts all of her energy into advocating for missing children; Pat is raising her twelve-year-old son, Devin, on her own; and Devin just loves to play baseball. When Devin goes missing, the tenants must put aside their differences and pull together as a community to find him.
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February 14 -16, 2013 (Double Bill)
"Half Cut "
Written by Steve Maistros
Directed by Cat R. Kenney
While sprucing up and preparing to meet his potential father-in-law for the first time, Joel has an unexpected situation at the barber shop. This dark comedy follows Joel as he deals with a half haircut, unsympathetic girlfriend, uppity future father-in-law, insightful waitress and barbers with violent tendencies. Who knew that a bad hair day can make you reevaluate your entire life.
"An Unforgotten Memory: A Story Unfolded"
Conceived and Directed by Kevin D. Marr II
Told through the eyes of a young man, this choreopoem traces a family’s struggles with loss and abandonment. Using movement, spoken word and song, we see how no one goes through life’s trials alone.
Inspired by writings by Edgar Allen Poe, Pablo Neruda, Robert Frost and more, "An Unforgotten Memory: A Story Unfolded" strives to raise the awareness on abandonment and the effects it has on families.
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February 21 – 23, 2013 (Double Bill)
"The Mechanical Monster: Misunderstood"
Choreographed by Megan Lee Nicklos
Produced by The Movement Project
The Movement Project, Cleveland’s newest dance company, goes sci-fi and brings to life mechanical droids with human physique and high intellectual functionality. Can humankind and droids live together in harmony?
"A Canticle"
Directed and Produced by Tony Cintrony
Adapted and Performed by The Believers
While searching for the one she loves, a woman claims to have encounters with an otherworldly voice and finds herself in psychiatric confinement. As she struggles through sleep deprivation, sexual abuse and drug induced hallucinations, she finds that only one thing is certain; her desire. She longs for validation, but her obstacle is sanity. Based on the text of “The Song of Solomon”, A Canticle takes the Holiest of Old Testament texts and pairs it with the most depraved of minds.
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February 28 – March 2, 2013
"Love in a Time of Media"
Written by Sasha Thackaberry
Directed by Amanda Lin Boyd
Jake and Lola want to share and preserve their love by recording the history of their relationship in a StoryCorp bus for the NPR radio series. Over the course of the interview, minor betrayals are magnified and it becomes clear that a decision has to be made. A fusion of live theatre and film, is a piece about the complex nature of love in a world saturated with technology.
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March 7 – 9, 2013
"These are the Times"
Written by David Hansen
Directed by Mark Cipra
Fact and fiction overlap in this theatrical panorama during Cleveland’s heyday. Bernard Schrader discovers a life in the theater during the Cleveland Centennial, 1936, but decisions made then bring down a fledgling improv comedy troupe during the 1950s Red Scare.
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For more information on Cleveland Public Theatre, Big Box and all other CPT shows, visit www.cptonline.org. CPT is located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44102.
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Do you have a Cleveland area performing arts story? Contact KATE MILLER at KateMillerExaminer@yahoo.com. Please introduce yourself before launching your pitch or forwarding your release.
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