CPT & OCTP to Stage World Premiere of INCENDIARIES

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan is proud to announce the world premiere of Incendiaries, a co-production with Ohio City Theatre Project. Incendiaries was conceived and directed by Pandora Robertson and features a 7-person ensemble cast. The production previews January 7 before opening for a three-weekend run from January 8-23 in Cleveland Public Theatre's historic Gordon Square Theatre venue, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH.

About Incendiaries

Based on the race riots that tore through Cleveland's east side Hough neighborhood in the late 1960s, Incendiaries delves into historical text, trial transcripts and citizen accounts to explore past conflicts between law enforcement and the communities they serve. With muscular intensity and a dynamic physical style, Incendiaries sheds light on the past to better see the present.

According to creator/director Pandora Robertson: "I believe my job as an artist is to tackle difficult topics and inspire others to venture out into the unknown. And I am inspired by theatre's potential to convene citizens and empower them to confront challenging contemporary issues within the parameters of an artistic arena... Unfortunately, the stories that we are interpreting in Incendiaries are hugely relevant and present tense. Drama is conflict and where there is great struggle, there is potential for significant change."

Incendiaries was originally performed as a 15-minute excerpt in CPT's 2015 production of Fire on the Water, a multidisciplinary work that explored the environmental and social conditions of Cleveland in the late 1960s, and has been presented at CPT's Station Hope in May 2015 and various venues throughout Northeast Ohio. Incendiaries has since been developed into a full, evening-length work.

About Creator/Director Pandora Robertson

Pandora Robertson is Co-Director at Ohio City Theatre Project and was a Joan Yellen Horvitz 2011-2012 Director Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre. Credits include Mamai Theatre's Woman and Scarecrow (director - 2014, Cleveland Critics Circle "Superior Achievement"), Ohio City Theatre Project's Free Radical and The Late Night Sketchbook (director/creator), Theatre Ninja's [sic] (director), Cleveland Shakespeare Festival's The Two Gentlemen of Verona (director), Dobama Theatre's Shorn (director), and at CPT Meantime Anthropocene (director, creator), 13 Most American Dreams (director, creator), Crash Project (director, creator), and Voice Over (director, creator). The Cleveland Play House credits include Galileo (choreographer), The Emperor's Groovy New Clothes (choreographer), and Ferdinand the Bull (choreographer). Pandora has worked in Ohio as a director, actor, choreographer and dancer with Great Lakes Theatre, Porthouse Theatre, convergence-continuum, and Ensemble Theatre, among others. She danced for seven years with Ohio Ballet. She is a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellow.*

*The Creative Workforce Fellowship is a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. The Fellowship program is supported by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

FREE OPENING WEEKEND PERFORMANCES (JANUARY 7 - 9) & Road to Hope
Cleveland Public Theatre is proud to offer free tickets to all opening weekend performances of Incendiaries, offered to the public as part of Cleveland Pubic Theatre's "Road to Hope" celebration. Road to Hope is a series of free performing arts events that celebrate hope and address modern day social justice issues. Activities will take place in Cleveland-area neighborhoods from January through April 2016, culminating in Cleveland Public Theatre's 3rd annual Station Hope event on April 30 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 2600 Church Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113.

Free tickets to opening weekend of Incendiaries (January 7-9) can be reserved by calling the CPT Box Office at 216.631.2727 x 501 or ordered online at www.cptonline.org using code "HOPE." Tickets must be claimed by 7:15pm day of show.

For more information on Station Hope and Road to Hope events near you, visit www.cptonline.org/roadtohope. Road to Hope and Station Hope are generously funded by the "Our Town" program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Cast and Crew of Incendiaries

Incendiaries was conceived and directed by Pandora Robertson, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Ohio City Theatre Project and recipient of the 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship* in Theatre.

The cast of Incendiaries includes Wesley Allen, Ashley Aquilla, Laprise Johnson, Daniel McNamara, Randi Renee, Brittni Shambaugh Addison and Chris Walker.

The creative production team is Pandora Robertson (Director), Sherrie Tolliver (Dramaturg), Benjamin Gantose (Lighting Designer), Darryl Dickenson (Sound Designer), Inda Blatch-Geib (Costume Designer), Lauren Sturdivant (Stage Manager) and Lauren Garson (Production Manager).

Incendiaries is made possible with in-kind support from Playhouse Square. Funding support provided by The George Gund Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, and Mary Ann and Jack Katzenmeyer.

Ticket & Show Information

Incendiaries previews Thursday, January 7. The production opens Friday, January 8 and runs through Saturday, January 23. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday nights at 7:30pm in CPT's Gordon Square Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102.

Tickets are $12 - $30. Students/Seniors get $3 off on Friday and Saturday nights. Thursdays and Mondays are $12. Fridays and Saturdays are $30.

Tickets are available at www.cptonline.org or by phone at (216) 631-2727 x 501. Group discounts available for 10+. Call to inquire.

For more information about Incendiaries or to arrange an interview, please contact Cathleen O'Malley, Director of Audience Engagement & Media Relations at (216) 631-2727 x 212 or email comalley@cptonline.org. More information about CPT's complete 2015/2016 theatrical season is available online at www.cptonline.org.

Photo by Steve Wagner

To post a comment, you must register and login.