Cleveland Play House Presents THIS WONDERFUL LIFE 12/26-12/19

One clever actor, James Leaming, plays over 30 characters including George Bailey, Clarence, Mr. Potter, Mary, Martini and Zuzu, in THIS WONDERFUL LIFE, an enchanting and witty one-man stage telling of Frank Capra's Hollywood classic. Directed by Peter Amster, THIS WONDERFUL LIFE begins in the Drury Theatre at Cleveland Play House on Friday, November 26 and runs through Sunday, December 19, 2010. Tickets are available at Cleveland Play House box office by calling 216.795.7000 ext 4 or online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com. This Wonderful Life is presented with support from Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital, Premier Printing Corp, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and the Ohio Arts Council. Media sponsors of This Wonderful Life are WEWS NewsChannel 5 and Yelp.com.

"I'm delighted to have our holiday show back on subscription," states Michael Bloom, artistic director of Cleveland Play House. "And a one-man show about one man who makes a difference is a delightful conceit and a wonderfully entertaining show."

Returning to helm his fourth production at Cleveland Play House, THIS WONDERFUL LIFE director Peter Amster (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, EMMA and THE 39 STEPS) remarks, "The story of George Bailey's journey from frustration to despair to understanding and happiness is one that celebrates the American ideal of community. The way to find value in this world as individuals is by looking more closely at the people who pass through our lives: our family, our friends, our town." When asked about staging this as a one-man show, Amster explains, "It gives us a chance to fall under the spell of the storyteller, the single voice of the community who brings the story up from a shared past and impels it forth, so that we may taste again, as we do almost every year, the sweetness of the holiday dish, and its savory, if paradoxical message: we can only find our best selves in selflessness."

Actor James Leaming notes, "THIS WONDERFUL LIFE reminds us that the world is full of heroes and most of them go unnoticed; that we change the world right here, where we touch it. And we can never take that for granted."

Frank Capra's film classic 'It's a Wonderful Life' was released in 1946. Featuring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the film received five Academy Award nominations. It has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE Cast:

James Leaming (Narrator/All Characters) was last seen as Peabody and Payne in TOBACCO ROAD at American Blues Theater, Chicago; Anatole and Uncle Tom in JEEVES IN BLOOM at First Folio, Chicago; and everybody in THIS WONDERFUL LIFE at Syracuse Stage, New York (2009) and Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida (2008), where he joined the rep ensemble for THE DEVIL'S DESCIPLE, WINTER'S TALE, and INVENTING VAN GOGH. Mr. Leaming spent eight seasons at Peninsula Players in Wisconsin, where favorites include THE FOREIGNER, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, and CAUGHT IN THE NET. In Chicago he has worked for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Goodman Theatre, Next Theatre Company, Fox Theatricals, and Canamac Productions in Botanic Garden with his wife Carmen Roman, directed by Olympia Dukakis. He is a founding member of American Blues Theater (1985). He has been invited twice to the William Inge Festival in Independence, Kansas. He trained with American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and Chicago's Second City. Honors include an After Dark Award, Best Actor for The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon at Running With Scissors Theatre; Sarasota Magazine, Best Actor and Best Show for THIS WONDERFUL LIFE; and a Joseph Jefferson Award just this past October for the set design of TOBACCO ROAD at American Blues. Film and television work includes "Prison Break," "Early Edition," Running Scared, Code Of Silence, and numerous commercials, both on-camera and voice-over.

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE Creative Team:

For complete bios, go to http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/thiswonderfullife_cast.asp?eventID=134

Stever Murray (Playwright) is a playwright and arts journalist based in the Southeast. He graduated with honors from Oxford College of Emory University (Oxford, Georgia) and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. For more than 20 years he was an award-winning film, theater and book critic and reporter for Atlanta newspapers, and continues to contribute to the arts blog, www.artscriticatl.com. His plays include HUNGRY TO BED, RESCUE AND RECOVERY, MILEAGE, THIS PASSION THING, and many more, which have been produced nationally. His work has been commissioned by Actor's Express and Theater Emory in Atlanta, and Portland Center Stage (Oregon).

Mark Setlock (Originating Artist) - For FULLY COMMITTED, a piece he helped create with playwright Becky Mode, Mr. Setlock won the 2000 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Solo Performance, and he received a Drama Desk nomination. He went on to perform FULLY COMMITTED in Los Angeles; Boston; Portland, Oregon; Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre; and London. He was privileged to be in the original Broadway company of RENT. He co-wrote and acted in PAGEANT PLAY (with Matthew Wilkas) which premiered in June, 2008 at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. His New York theatre experience includes RENT, FULLY COMMITTED, THE LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE, ROULETTE, TEA AND SYMPATHY, THE SAFETY NET, NEVER TELL, and THE UMBRELLA PLAYS, among others. Television credits include "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order," and "All My Children." In film he can be seen in New Suit and Life in Flight. Mark Setlock is currently a middle school teacher and a trainer at the Apple Store on New York's Upper West Side. He plans to start culinary school in the next few years so that he can teach kids to cook.

Peter Amster (Director) returns to Cleveland Play House, where he directed THE 39 STEPS, EMMA, and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. He has been nominated for Chicago's Jeff Award for his direction of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, THE WORLD GOES ROUND and THE ROTHSCHILD'S at Apple Tree Theatre, and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at Northlight Theatre. Other Chicago area theatres where he has worked include Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Court Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Live Bait, Pegasus, and Route 66. He has directed at many regional theatres, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Indiana Repertory Theatre; Syracuse Stage; Asolo Repertory Theatre; Peninsula Players; American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin; Milwaukee Rep; and the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in Vermont. Amster has directed and choreographed operas for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theatre, Skylight Opera in Milwaukee, and Light Opera Works in Evanston, Illinois. He has taught theatre, opera, and performance studies at Northwestern University, California Institute of the Arts, Louisiana State University, DePaul University, and Roosevelt University.

The design team for THIS WONDERFUL LIFE includes Jeffrey W. Dean (Scenic Designer), Aaron Muhl (Lighting Designer) and Kevin Kennedy (Sound Designer).

Tickets for THIS WONDERFUL LIFE range from $46 to $66, with discounts available for groups of ten or more, for senior citizens aged 60 and over, and for military reservists and their families. Tickets are $10 for all students under the age of 25. A limited number of $10 rush tickets go on sale 90 minutes before curtain and remain on sale until 30 minutes before curtain, based on availability. Cleveland Play House is located at 85th and Euclid Ave. next door to the Cleveland Clinic near University Circle.

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America's first professional regional theatre. More than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 productions at Cleveland Play House - including more than 130 American and/or World Premieres. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Bloom and Managing Director Kevin Moore, Cleveland Play House is an artist-driven theatre that serves the community by holding true to its mission: To inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards.

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

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