Cleveland Public Theatre Announces Premiere Production of RED ASH MOSAIC

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to announce the world premiere of Red Ash Mosaic, created by Raymond Bobgan and Cleveland Core Ensemble and directed by Raymond Bobgan. Red Ash Mosaic is onstage May 25th through June 17th, 2017, in CPT's historic Gordon Square Theatre.

Set in a modern America filled with fears and forgetting, Red Ash Mosaic reaches back to the cradle of our civilization and a crux of our future - the resource-rich and archaeologically potent Nile valley. Based loosely on The Egyptian Book of the Dead (or Coming Forth by Day), the story follows one man as he strives to unite the seemingly irreconcilable forces of his life, memory and splintered selves.

Red Ash Mosaic is an experiment in theatrical form, with interwoven and contradictory narrative threads, powerful physical action, chanting and poetic texts - designed not to show, but to invoke; not a presentation, but a transmission. Beginning in the daily doldrums of a video game store, Red Ash Mosaic erupts into a fracturing of realities and parallel lives launching into an otherworldly land of dreams, spirits and the awakening of one man as he confronts his own death/life.

Conceived over three years, Red Ash Mosaic is the culmination of a collaborative ensemble-based process which engages actors in the authorship of the play. According to Red Ash Mosaic creator and director Raymond Bobgan: "I think theatre is best when the artists making it are on their own journey of self-discovery; so I feel compelled to experiment, to keep learning and growing. My work develops from deep encounters between director and actors, collaborating artists and the audience. I endeavor to empower each artist to explore his or her personal source material - dreams, memories, reflections - and to participate in creating unique performance."

In 2012, Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan began working with a group of actors to create Rusted Heart Broadcast. The principles of this work were guided by Raymond's long experience in ensemble theatre creation. Raymond formed a core group of actors to continue working together as an ensemble company, aligning with the Network of Ensemble Theaters (a national organization of which CPT is a member) which defines ensembles as "a group of individuals dedicated to collaborative creation, committed to working together consistently over years to develop a distinctive body of work and practices."

As part of its growth, the group has claimed a name-Cleveland Core Ensemble-and is working on a multitude of projects, including the full scale creation and production of Red Ash Mosaic. The ensemble is made up of Raymond Bobgan, Dionne Atchison, Faye Hargate, Adam Seeholzer and Darius Stubbs. On occasion, other actors will work inside the ensemble as guests and the ensemble will continue to be part of other theatrical projects, both independently and as company members. The purpose of the ensemble goes beyond the creation of new work, as it also influences the approach to theatre throughout the season, instills core values in the broader artistic work of CPT, contributes to CPT's community work in events like Station Hope and forms the pedagogical basis for CPT's education programs. Click here to read more about Cleveland Core Ensemble.

To support the development and production of Red Ash Mosaic, CPT received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts - the largest NEA production grant in CPT's history.

The cast is Cleveland Core Ensemble: Dionne Atchison, Raymond Bobgan, Faye Hargate, Adam Seeholzer, Darius Stubbs AND Holly Holsinger, Colleen McCaughey, Sarah Moore.

Red Ash Mosaic was created by Raymond Bobgan and Cleveland Core Ensemble. The production team is Raymond Bobgan (Director and Scenic Designer), Benjamin Gantose (Lighting Designer) Holly Holsinger and Irene Mack-Shafer (Co-Costume Designers), Matthew Ryals (Sound Designer and 2016/2017 Kulas Foundation Theatre Composer Fellow), Maura Krause (Dramaturg) and Colleen McCaughey (Stage Manager).

Red Ash Mosaic (May 25 - June 17, 2017) previews May 25 - May 27 and June 1 (no show May 29). Press Night is Friday, June 2 and the show runs through Saturday, June 17. 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, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District. Red Ash Mosaic is performed in two acts with one 15 minute intermission and runs 2 hours and 15 minutes.

**Due to the intimate nature of the performance, there is absolutely NO LATE SEATING. Doors close at show time - please plan accordingly.**

Tickets are $12 - $30. Students/Seniors receive $3 off on Friday and Saturday nights. All Thursdays and Mondays are $12. Friday/Saturday previews are $20.

PURCHASE TICKETS at www.cptonline.org or call the CPT Box Office at (216) 631-2727 x 501. Group discounts are available - call the Box Office to inquire. (Reserve early! - CPT never charges any ticket fees, ever.)

The Gordon Square Theatre is ADA compliant featuring a ramped entrance and an all gender, wheelchair accessible restroom. For this production, there is special seating for wheelchairs and patrons who cannot walk steps. Please let us know when making a reservation if special seating is preferred.

Every Friday is Free Beer Friday at CPT. Mingle with the artists after the show and discuss the performance in a lively, social atmosphere - your drinks are on CPT.

Raymond Bobgan
This is Raymond Bobgan's 11th season in the leadership position at CPT. Raymond specializes in working through an ensemble process to create new performances that are bold, multilayered and highly physical. In 2014, he became the first recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize in the discipline of Theatre. Raymond's work has been seen in Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Serbia, Turkey, The United Kingdom and Canada and has been featured in American Theatre Magazine, Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Journal and in Lisa Wolford's book Grotowski's Objective Drama Research. Raymond has created many works for CPT including: Rusted Heart Broadcast; Insomnia, with Holly Holsinger and Chris Seibert; Cut to Pieces, with Chris Seibert; Blue Sky Transmission: A Tibetan Book of the Dead, co-produced by CPT and La Mama ETC (NY); and The Confessions of Punch and Judy, co-produced by CPT, NaCl (NY) and Number 11 Theatre (Toronto), which was published in New Canadian Theatre Volume 9.

In 1994, Raymond initiated the Student Theatre Enrichment Program, a job training program that engages at-risk youth in writing, producing and performing new plays. Raymond was also the first director of CPT's Y-Haven Theatre Project. Under his leadership CPT has eliminated significant debt, run consistent operating surpluses and formed both a Building Reserve and an Innovation Reserve. This financial advancement was a result of mission-focused programming including a strong emphasis on supporting new works and local artists, a bold aesthetic vision and CPT's educational and engagement programs.

Raymond is a two-time recipient of the Creative Workforce Fellowship (2010 for Theatre, 2014 for Music Composition), a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture funded by the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. He is an alumnus of Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust's National Theatre Artist Residency Program and the TCG/NEA Career Development Program for Directors. Raymond was Acting Artistic Director of CPT (1995-1997) and served CPT in many roles including Stage Manager, Guest Director, Associate Artistic Director, Education Director and Resident Director at various times since 1991.

To post a comment, you must register and login.