Cleveland Play House
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The Cleveland Play House is a regional theater company and also the name of a theater complex in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. As of 2005, the artistic director of the theater company is Michael Bloom, the eighth since its inception. At 300,000 square feet, the Philip Johnson-designed Cleveland Play House complex houses five performance spaces, making it the largest regional theater complex in the United States.[1]
Founded in 1915, it is the oldest regional theater in America. An expansion designed by architect Philip Johnson was added in 1983. The complex consists of the 548-seat Bolton Theatre, the 505-seat Drury Theatre, the 138-seat Brooks Theatre (all three proscenium), the 312-seat Baxter stage (black box) that makes use of the Bolton's main stage, and a 120 seat black box theater named Studio One.
In addition to producing new and classic works, the Play House rents its spaces to various Cleveland companies, including Dobama Theater, Ensemble Theater, and Cleveland Signstage Theater.
[edit] The Playwrights' Unit
The director of new play development is Seth Gordon. Members of the Playwrights' unit are:
- Eric Coble
- Nina Domingue
- David Hansen
- Margaret Lynch
- Deborah Magid
- Michael Oatman
- Sandra Perlman
- Eric Schmiedl
- Faye Sholiton
[edit] References
- Cleveland Playhouse Web site, [1].
[edit] External links
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The Play House is organized like most theatres in the US , with a board of directors, and a number of administrators. The board has many, many members, and is chaired by Peter A. Kuhn, and the national directors are Alan Alda, Austin Pendleton, and Joel Grey. The Artistic Director is Michael Bloom, The Managing Director is Kevin Moore, and the Associate Artistic Director is Seth Gordon.
At the present, the Play House has 5 performance spaces, and these exist in 3 adjoining buildings. The total ‘campus’ of the facility is more than 12 acres, with many other spaces, rehearsal halls and studios, classrooms and offices. The performance spaces are as follows: 1. The Bolton 2. The Drury 3. The Brooks 4. The Baxter 5. Studio One These performance spaces are used for a myriad of purposes, from the mainstage season performances, staged readings, the Case Western Reserve University MFA student performances (see And the Theatre for Children season as well. New plays and famous premiers The list of plays and playwrights that have had premiers at the Cleveland Playhouse is impressive, the most notable being Tennessee Williams’ You Touched Me and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage. Others include: The Pleasure of Honesty, Luigi Pirandello; Simone, Ben Hecht; Translations, Brian Friel; A Decent Birth, William Saroyan; Command, William Wister Haines; Ten Times Table, Alan Ayckbourn; The March on Russia, David Storey; The Archbishop’s Ceiling, Arthur Miller; The First Monday in October, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee; Lillian, William Luce; The Cemetery Club, Ivan Menchell; The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, Paul Zindel; Jerusalem, Seth Greenland; The Smell of the Kill, Michele Lowe; and Bright Ideas, Eric Coble. The Play House has a strong commitment to new works, especially those written by Ohio playwrights. The current policy for submission of new plays ONLY permits unsolicited works to be submitted by playwrights who currently reside in the state of Ohio . (http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/gi-auditions.asp) At least one mainstage production in each season is a new play. \ Education/MFA Program The MFA program at the Cleveland Play House is affiliated with, and degrees awarded by, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland . (www.case.edu) The program is in its 12th year since 1996, with many successful graduates and a growing reputation. The program is 3 years, with a new class beginning study every 2 years. Tuition is waived, and an annual living stipend awarded to each student automatically. The most notable graduate to date is Rich Sommer, who is featured on the AMC series Mad Men, as well as a recurring role on NBC’s The Office (The American version). Graduates of the program perform in an agent showcase in New York at the end of their third year, and can choose upon graduation to automatically join Actors' Equity. Students in this program are cast in performances both on the mainstage, and the smaller venues. Each year of study focuses on a different area and period of theatre, as well as a cumulative study of voice, movement, and technique.
