America's First Regional Theatre - Cleveland Play House - Announces Centennial Season

The Nation's first professional regional theatre, Cleveland Play House (CPH), has announced the highly-anticipated lineup of shows in its record-breaking 100th Anniversary Season, under Artistic Director Laura Kepley. The productions, all of which are being built, rehearsed and launched in Cleveland, will be comprised of world-premieres, contemporary plays, American classics and fan favorites. The season aims to continue CPH's mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences with bold, distinctive works that will reflect the conversations occurring in and around Northeast Ohio.

"The shows you will see on CPH's stages this year will appeal to your head, heart, spirit, social consciousness and civic pride," notes Kepley. "We will introduce you to artists with Cleveland roots and welcome back some of your favorite performers, giving them the opportunity to imagine something new and transformative. With the support of our loyal audiences, CPH has earned its place in Cleveland's history, and we look forward to honoring our past and launching the next 100 years of great theatre for every generation, and for generations to come."

CPH's historic season will open with the world-premiere of Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors. Featuring some of Ludwig's most beloved characters from his critically acclaimed comedic smash hit, Lend Me a Tenor, this laugh-out-loud farce will have audiences in stitches from beginning to end.

From a witty comedy to an intense classic drama, the second show of the season comes from one of America's most celebrated playwrights: Arthur Miller. CPH's production of The Crucible will offer a 21st century take on this masterful work, which was last seen on CPH's stages in 1954. Coincidentally, one of the many performances of The Crucible will fall on what would have been Arthur Miller's 100th birthday.

Committed to paying tribute to the past, CPH has chosen a musical with puppets - a staple of some of its earliest productions - for the next show of the season, Little Shop of Horrors. Little Shop of Horrors will bring the ferociously ravenous plant Audrey II to life in this hit musical which combines dark comedy and sunny doo-wop.

Next up is the powerful Olivier Award-winning play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. Hall's imaginative, fictitious account of the events that occurred on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, has established her as one of the most vibrant new voices in modern theatre.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman's suspenseful and topical drama Luna Gale will follow, and will be directed by acclaimed director, actor, and Ohio-native, Austin Pendleton. Gilman's gripping story "reaches the heart and head with equal force" (Time).

The season will close with a piece by another Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rajiv Joseph's Mr. Wolf. Cleveland-native Joseph will be making his CPH premiere with this hauntingly beautiful piece about family, faith and survival. Mr. Joseph will team up with director Giovanna Sardelli (CPH's The Whipping Man) on this piece, which anchors the 2016 New Ground Theatre Festival.

The 100th Season will also offer two non-subscription productions, beginning with the return of the CPH holiday hit, A Christmas Story. This fan favorite will be brought to life on stage in all its holiday glory for the young - and young-at-heart - to enjoy. Finally, CPH will offer a fresh take on a beloved classic when Steel Magnolias takes the stage in May 2016. This hilarious, sassy, and heart-warming tale about love and friendship will take place in the intimate Allen Theatre.

Cleveland Play House's 2015-2016 Season:

Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors

WORLD PREMIERE

Sept 5-Oct 3, 2015 • Allen Theatre

Written by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Stephen Wadsworth

Co-produced with McCarter Theatre Center

Three tenors. Three egos. One stage. What could possibly go wrong? Producer - and former mayor of Cleveland - Henry Saunders is about to find out as he attempts to stage the concert of the century. But with an amorous Italian superstar and his hot-blooded wife causing chaos on an operatic level, all bets are off! As opening night draws near, flaring tempers, mistaken identities, and bedroom hijinks bring new meaning to the phrase "the show must go on," in this laugh-out-loud farce set amidst the glitz and glamour of 1930s Paris.

The Crucible

Oct 10-Nov 8, 2015 • Outcalt Theatre

Written by Arthur Miller

Directed by Laura Kepley

The village of Salem is run wild with tales of witchcraft. Deep-seated jealousies, lust and greed are bubbling to the surface from the heat of each neighbor's exaggerated accusations. Revenge has replaced reason; mere rumors are now damning evidence - and no one is safe. Astoundingly relevant, Arthur Miller's controversial American classic dares to put us all on trial.

Little Shop of Horrors

Jan 9-Feb 7, 2016 • Allen Theatre

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken

Based on a film by Roger Corman; Screenplay by Charles Griffith

Directed by Amanda Dehnert

Seymour is a nerdy floral clerk with a knack for plants, but not much else. However, one peculiar plant he's tending might just be his ticket to fame, fortune - and the girl of his dreams. There's only one teeny - but 'growing' - problem: This plant has an unquenchable thirst for the red stuff (type O, A, or B...he's not picky.) Mixing Motown, B-movies, and The American Dream, Little Shop of Horrors is the screamingly funny, gleefully twisted, out-of-this-world hit musical.

The Mountaintop

Jan 23-Feb 14, 2016 • Outcalt Theatre

Written by Katori Hall

April 3, 1968. The Lorraine Motel. Room 306. Tomorrow, it will become the scene of one of our nation's greatest losses. But tonight, it is just another stopover motel room for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That is until an extraordinary maid enters the scene and begins to challenge this American icon. Full of vivid theatricality, poetic language, and surprising twists, The Mountaintop delivers a portrait of the man behind the myth that is as provocative as it is inspiring.

Luna Gale

Feb 27-Mar 20, 2016 • Allen Theatre

Written by Rebecca Gilman

Directed by Austin Pendleton

How do we make the right decision when there is no clear "right?" It's a quandary seasoned social worker Caroline faces every day. But her newest case is proving to be her toughest yet, and the fate of baby Luna Gale hangs in the balance. This riveting, suspenseful, and topical play from Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman plunges us headfirst into the turbulent waters of parenthood, faith and love.

Mr. Wolf

Anchor production of the 2016 New Ground Theatre Festival

Apr 2-24, 2016 • Outcalt Theatre

Written by Rajiv Joseph

Directed by Giovanna Sardelli

The blink of an eye. A matter of seconds. Your whole world changes. For Michael, it happened when his daughter Theresa went missing. For Theresa, it was when she was found. Cleveland native Rajiv Joseph makes his CPH premiere with this story of a family's desperate and determined attempt to heal each other and rebuild their world. Mr. Wolf is a hauntingly beautiful and mysterious tale of adaptation and survival.

Special non-subscription engagement!

Steel Magnolias

Coming May 2016 • Allen Theatre

Written by Robert Harling

Directed by Laura Kepley

Honey. It's the 1980s. In Louisiana. At Truvy's beauty shop-motto: "There is no such thing as natural beauty"-the women are all sass and brass. Through clouds of hairspray and over the buzz of blow dryers, six southern spitfires gather each week to gossip and support each other through thick and thin. But those bonds are about to be tested when M'Lynn and her daughter Shelby face a life-changing event. Infused with heart and humor, Steel Magnolias is a hilarious story of love, loss, and enduring friendship.

Special non-subscription holiday engagement!

A Christmas Story

Nov 27-Dec 23, 2015 • Allen Theatre

Written by Phil Grecian

Based on the motion picture written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark

Directed by John McCluggage

He's Back.

One boy. One holiday wish. And a world that seems to be conspiring to make certain it doesn't come true. The record-breaking show returns to the CPH stage in all its pink-bunny-suit, glowing-leg-lamp, triple-dog-daring glory. The perfect holiday treat for the entire family.

Ticket and Contact Information

All CPH performances are in the venues of the Allen Theatre Complex, Playhouse Square, Cleveland. Shows preview the first week (Saturday through Thursday), open at 7:30 p.m. the first Friday, and close on a Sunday. There is one Thursday matinee performance at 1:30 p. m. for each production.

Subscriptions: Subscribers see one show free when they subscribe to all six shows, and season packages start at $226. To purchase subscriptions or get more information, call 216-400-7096 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com

Single show tickets: Go on sale in early August and prices start at just $20. Call 216-241-6000 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, Cleveland Play House has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse udiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. It has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 CPH productions. Cleveland Play House looks toward its centennial while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. We also thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for supporting Cleveland Play House through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.