Cleveland Public Theatre Premieres EVERYTHING IS OKAY (AND OTHER HELPFUL LIES)

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to present the world premiere of Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies). The production is onstage from October 20 - November 10, 2018, in CPT's James Levin Theatre.

In this hot mess musical, a group of close friends struggles to navigate the tragedies of life. Guided by poor decision-making and way too much alcohol, these buddies try anything to find happiness while the ties of friendship fray. This dark musical comedy is a celebration of the not-so-happy ways in which we persevere, grow, and change-whether we want to or not. Cheers!

According to CPT's Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan: "In the theatre, we use the word 'proud' a lot, but there's no better word for me to describe my feelings as we move to open this brand new musical. I am so proud of Cleveland Public Theatre's commitment to women artists, and I'm so proud of these two brave women who have shared their stories in such a candid way with such original voices."

Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) was developed as part of the Nord Family Foundation Catapult Fellowship which included showings in CPT's Entry Point new play festival, and Test Flight, CPT's workshop production series. Melissa Crum and Caitlin Lewins were both Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellows and completed the Theatre Creation and Directing Classes taught by Raymond Bobgan, CPT Executive Artistic Director.

CPT is a leader in providing platforms for new work and emerging artists locally and nationally. Nurturing artists whose work goes beyond conventional theatre in style and content, New Play Development at CPT seeks to create extraordinary new works of theatre. Our nationally recognized approach is a blend of structure and customization, supporting artists at various points in their creative process. Rigor and joy are at the core of the process, leading to risk, surprise, delight, and discovery as we deepen the ongoing work of our craft-to explore the human condition while championing consciousness and compassion.

CPT has led the community in producing new plays by local and nationally recognized playwrights. In just the past 12 years, CPT produced 118 staged readings and showcases, 114 workshop productions, and 50 full productions of world premieres-in addition to hundreds of community-created plays read, workshopped, and performed through our education and community programs.

Catapult is the most extensive of CPT's development programs and is intended to move projects from early to mid-development phase to being "production-ready." Each process is customized to the work. Projects may receive a series of readings, significant rehearsal time, and workshop productions. Artists selected for Catapult receive funding support through the Nord Family Foundation Playwright Fellowship.

CAST and CREW of Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies)
The cast includes Melissa Crum, Madelyn Hayes, Caitlin Lewins, Joshua McElroy, Matt O'Shea, and Jerry Tucker.

Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) was written and composed by Melissa Crum & Caitlin Lewins, 2016/2017 Nord Family Foundation Catapult Fellows, and is directed by Matthew Wright. The creative production team includes Raymond Bobgan - Producer; Buck McDaniel, 2018/2019 Kulas Theatre Composer Fellow - Music Director, Orchestrator, Arranger; Sarah Lynne Bailey - Stage Manager; Aaron Benson - Scenic Designer; Benjamin Gantose - Lighting Designer; Nina Rossi - Choreographer; Cyrus Taylor - Sound Designer; Jaclyn Vogel - Costume Designer.

Research and development collaborators include Ashley Aquilla, Sean Booker, Luke Brett, Chennelle Bryant-Harris, Roderick S. Caldwell III, Chelsea Jordan Cannon, Sara Chapman, Craig J. George, Brenton Sullivan, and Jonathan Walker White. Arrangements by Melissa Crum & Caitlin Lewins, Buck McDaniel, Tim Moon, and Jake Briggs.

Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) previews October 20 & 25. Press Night is Friday, October 26 and the show runs through November 10. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday nights at 7:00pm in CPT's James Levin Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District.

Tickets are $15-35. Students/Seniors receive $5 off on Friday and Saturday nights. Previews, Thursdays, and Mondays are $15.

PURCHASE TICKETS at www.cptonline.org or call the CPT Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext. 501. Group discounts are available-call the Box Office to inquire. (Reserve early! - CPT never charges any ticket fees, ever.)

Artwork by Sean Higgins

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