Cleveland Native to Lead THE SANTALAND DIARIES at PlayhouseSquare, 11/28-12/21

The hilarious holiday favorite, The SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello and produced by Cleveland Public Theatre, makes its return to PlayhouseSquare this holiday season, Nov. 28 - Dec. 21, starring native Clevelander Eric Schmiedl as "Crumpet."

Written by acclaimed American humorist David Sedaris, The SantaLand Diaries is told from the perspective of a 33-year-old out-of-work actor who takes a job as "Crumpet," a costumed Christmas Elf at Macy's department store. As thousands of holiday customers gaily tromp through his display, Crumpet regales the audience with hilarious observations about the realities of holiday cheer, all performed with a sardonic wit that has made The SantaLand Diaries an enduring holiday favorite.

The SantaLand Diaries runs Friday, November 28 through Sunday, December 21st in the Outcalt Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. The show runs Thursdays (7:30pm), Fridays (7:30pm), Saturdays (5:00pm & 8:30pm) and Sundays (3:00pm & 7:00pm). Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at www.playhousesquare.org, by phone at (216) 241-6000 and at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Groups of 15 or more call (216) 640-8600.

About the Playwright: 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 sellers Barrel 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.

About the Performer: Eric Schmiedl is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of Kent State University and the University of Hawai'i. His plays have been produced by theatres including the Denver Center Theatre Company, Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre, Lantern Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Oregon Children's Theatre, Karamu House, Signal Ensemble Theatre and Great Lakes Theater. His adaptation of Kent Haruf's acclaimed novel Benediction is scheduled for production at the Denver Center Theatre Company in the 2014 / 2015 season, and his play Huck Finn opened the 2014 Lantern Theatre season. He is currently working on a theatrical adaptation of Frankenstein for the Denver Center Theatre Company as well as a new original play with his wife, Nigerian storyteller Adaora Nzelibe Schmiedl, developed through PlayhouseSquare's innovative Launch program with the generous support of Cleveland Public Theatre. Eric also recently had the great pleasure of celebrating his love of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns with a remounting of The Kardiac Kid a one-man journey into the remarkable 1980 Kardiac Kids Browns team produced by Cleveland Public Theatre and presented at PlayhouseSquare. Eric is the recipient of a 2012 Creative Workforce Fellowship as well as an Aurand Harris Fellowship, two Edgerton Awards and a Sloan Foundation Commission. Eric is the incoming artistic director of the Fairmount Center for the Arts, a vibrant incubator of artistic growth and community development in northeast Ohio. He is also a member of Cleveland Play House's Playwrights' Unit and is on the faculty of the Low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

About the Director: Beth Wood has been the Associate Artistic Director of the Cleveland Public Theatre since 2007. An actress, educator, director, administrator and theatre technician, she holds a BA in Communications and Theatre from John Carroll University. A former Actor-Teacher for Great Lakes Theater, Beth has taught a variety of theatre and acting courses throughout Northeast Ohio, and has served as the technical director for John Carroll University, Lakeland Theatre and Stagecrafters. CPT acting credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Mrs. Bob Cratchet's Wild Christmas Binge, A Bright Room Called Day, Fefu and Her Friends, The Rocky Horror Show, Our Town, Pulp, Matt & Ben, Anna Bella Eema (co-production with Theater Ninjas), Open Mind Firmament, Don't Call Me Fat, Akarui, Standing on Ceremony, Earth Plays and The Loush Sisters DO the Nutcracker. As a director of adventurous scripted work, Beth's CPT directing credits include BOOM by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (third U.S. production), Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang (second U.S. production), FEVER/DREAM by Sheila Callaghan, The SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris at PlayhouseSquare's 14th Street Theatre, Antebellum by Robert O'Hara (second U.S. production), There Is a Happiness That Morning Is by Mickle Maher, The Loush Sisters DO the Nutcracker (world premiere) and in the Spring of 2015, the World Premiere of IN A WORD by Lauren Yee. In addition to her work with scripted productions, Beth co-created The Loush Sisters for PlayhouseSquare in 2011 and CPT in 2013.

Cast and Crew of The Santaland Diaries:

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 Eric Schmiedl as "Crumpet."

The creative & production team includes: Raymond Bobgan & Beth Wood (Producers), Beth Wood (Director), Amanda Lin Boyd (Stage Manager), Aaron Benson (Set Design), Jeff Lockshine (Lighting Design), James Kosmatka (Sound Design) and Esther M. Haberlen (Costume Design).

PlayhouseSquare is a world-class, not-for-profit performing arts center, arts education champion and downtown developer.

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