CPT at Playhouse Square Presents David Sedaris' Acclaimed Holiday Comedy THE SANTALAND DIARIES

Cleveland Public Theatre's Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan, returns with a holiday favorite, The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello, produced by the Cleveland Theatre and presented at the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square this holiday season. Tickets are $30 can be purchased online at www.playhousesquare.org or by phone by calling The PlayhouseSquare Box Office at (216) 241-6000 or (866) 546-1353.

Written by acclaimed American humorist David Sedaris, The Santaland Diaries is told from the perspective of a jaded, out-of-work 33-year-old actor who takes a job as "Crumpet," a costumed Christmas Elf at Macy's department store in New York City. As thousands of holiday customers gaily tromp through his display, Crumpet regales the audience with wicked and hilarious observations about the realities of holiday cheer, performed with a sardonic wit that has made The Santaland Diaries an enduring, off-beat holiday favorite. Recommended for mature audiences only.

David Sedaris made his comic debut recounting his strange-but-true experiences of being a Macy's elf clad in green tights, reading his "Santaland Diaries" on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. Sedaris' sardonic humor and incisive social critique have since made him one of NPR's most popular and humorous commentators and a bestselling author in the United States and abroad. The great skill with which Sedaris slices through euphemisms and political correctness proves that he is a master of satire. Everywhere he goes David Sedaris delights his audience with his irreverent style and great humor. In addition to his commentaries on NPR, David Sedaris is the author of the best sellersBarrel Fever and Naked. His other book, a collection of Christmas related stories, is entitled Holiday on Ice. His most recent book of essays, Me Talk Pretty One Day, was published in June 2000 became an immediate bestseller. David and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name The Talent Family and written several plays which have been produced at La Mama and at Lincoln Center in New York City. These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie award, Incident at Cobbler's Knob and The Book of Liz. David is a regular contributor to Esquire magazine and his essays have also appeared in The New Yorker, Allure and Travel and Leisure. Sedaris' original radio pieces can often be heard on public radio's This American Life, distributed nationally by WBEZ in Chicago, as well as BBC radio in London. David Sedaris currently resides in Paris.

RAY CASPIO (Crumpet the Elf) is a performance and teaching artist whose original work explores identity and the performer/audience relationship. In 2016, Ray received a Creative Workforce Fellowship: a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Funding for the Fellowship program is made possible by the generous support of Cuyahoga County residents through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. This is Ray's second year in The Santaland Diaries for Cleveland Public Theatre at Playhouse Square. During his tenure as Associate Artistic Director of Theater Ninjas (2012-15), Ray conceived and performed TingleTangle, the acclaimed cabaret evening about marriage equality and sexuality; and he was a performer-creator in the original productions The Turing Machine (co-writer), The Excavation & Ninja Days @ the Cleveland Museum of Art (lead creative team & producer), among many others. This October, he created and performed Your Ask is Mine with frequent collaborator, Uncle Toots, for Ninjas' Positive Reinforcements. Cleveland Public Theatre credits include At-TEN-tion Span, The Importance of Waiting for the Eagle at Big Box '14; and co-creator of the performance installation, Peek, at Pandemonium '12. He recently appeared in the original play, Give Me the Map, written by Robert Hawkes, at convergence-continuum. He teaches for Playhouse Square, the Cleveland Museum of Art, MetroHealth Arts-in-Medicine, and independently. Ray is the creator and host of Who•Ray, a comedy and conversation podcast available on iTunes. Ray is currently developing Sunday Dinner with Toots, an intimate performance experience debuting February '17.

The Santaland Diaries was written by David Sedaris and adapted by Joe Mantello. The production is produced by Cleveland Public Theatre. The one-person show features actor Ray Caspio as "Crumpet."

The creative & production team includes: Raymond Bobgan and Beth Wood (Producers), Cathleen O'Malley (Director), Lauren Joy Fraley (Stage Manager), Aaron Benson (Set Design), Wes Calkin (Lighting Design), James Kosmatka (Sound Design), Kevenn T. Smith (Costume Designer), Esther M. Haberlen (Crumpet Costume Design).

The Santaland Diaries previews Thursday, December 1st, opens Friday, December 2nd and runs through Sunday, December 18th in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square, located at 1407 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. The show runs Wednesday through Sunday, times vary. See website for complete schedule. Tickets are $30 can be purchased online at www.playhousesquare.org or by phone by calling The PlayhouseSquare Box Office at (216) 241-6000 or (866) 546-1353.

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