Cleveland Public Theatre presents TEST FLIGHT 2017

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to announce the Test Flight 2017 series. Test Flight is a multi-week series that showcases new work on its way to full production, providing both local and national/International Artists with the keys to the theatre and the opportunity to co-produce original works-in-progress. Test Flight encourages risk-taking and an entrepreneurial spirit towards creating new work while offering artists a structured support system, activating an art-focused environment. CPT's New Play Development Program is intended to move projects forward, whether through full productions at CPT, receiving larger exposure or participating in touring performances or Fringe Festivals.

Test Flight 2017 is onstage from March 23 - April 22 in CPT's James Levin Theatre, showcasing work that is extraordinary aesthetically, thematically or in the process used to create the work. Join us for the Test Flight 2017 Series Opening Night Party on Friday, March 24.

Test Flight 2017 features seven workshop productions, presented as single or double bills over five weekends. Show titles and descriptions are listed below and available at http://www.cptonline.org/performances/seasons/2016-2017/category/series/test-flight/.

CPT is an established leader in cultivating new work by local talent
CPT has led the community in producing new plays by local and nationally recognized playwrights. In just the past ten years, CPT produced 81 staged readings and showcases, 107 workshop productions and 42 full productions of world premieres-in addition to the hundreds of shorter plays read and workshopped through CPT's Dark Room programming, or the 50+ community-created shows produced through CPT's education programs.

According to CPT's Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan: "CPT's 2016-2017 season features an expanded approach and doubling-down of our ongoing investment towards supporting artists developing adventurous new work. The blend of structure and customization, the range of opportunities to engage at multiple points in the process, the volume of work we intend to support and the welcoming environment for work that is outside the mainstream makes CPT's New Play Development program exceptional in approach and scope."

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES

Week 1: March 23 - 25 (DOUBLE BILL)

OMENA

Written by Jeffrey Pence. Directed by Dale Heinen.

Old friends, a writer's colony and a marriage on the edge. A recipe for art? Or the owner's manual for disaster? What if we are the stories we are told about each other? This project is being produced by Sweet Reason Theatre.

Week 2: March 30 - April 1 (DOUBLE BILL)

NEITHER THERE, NOR HERE

Conceived & Directed by Sherrine Azab with A Host of People.

How do you create your own culture? This theatrical mashup-part-play, part-cooking show-shares the personal stories and experiences of those who exist within a mixed identity-racial, ethnic, cultural and beyond. The show celebrates multiplicity and community, while concocting a hybrid culinary dish to share with the audience.

I WENT DOWN TO THE WATER AND FOUND MYSELFIE THERE

Created & Performed by Marcia Custer. Directed by Jeremy Paul.

A one-woman avant-musical tragicomedy about the internet - that's also a self-help beauty pageant for the soul. Learn how to take the perfect selfie and practice self-care with performance artist and accredited interweb life-coach, Marcia Custer!

Week 3: April 6 - 8

NOONDAY

Created by Cathleen O'Malley & Lauren Joy Fraley, with Renee Schilling. Directed by Cathleen O'Malley.

On an otherwise unremarkable day, the furniture starts moving... and What's Been Hiding Under the Table (or in a bowl of breakfast cereal) turns a woman's world upside down.

Week 4: April 13 - 15

THE TONGUE THAT TELLS ME SO

Written by Mariah Sage & Bruce Seymour. Directed by Maureen Payne-Hahner.

At a young age, ambitious Anne is willing to pay any price to get ahead. Her mysterious mentor Simone is there to help. Once Anne becomes a mother and a successful physician, Anne must go to greater lengths to hold on to what she has. THE TONGUE THAT TELLS ME SO examines the ethics of protective parenting, modern medicine and virtue tested. This project is being produced by Dawn Landino.

Week 5: April 20 - 22 (DOUBLE BILL)

FAYETTENAM

Created & Performed by Jay Ruby.

"Fayettenam" = Water, Ghosts in the Mountain, Johnny Appleseed, Early Settlement, American Conscience/Transience. An actor excavates the fractured mirror of the past to apprehend the roots of the never ending frontier.

THE BLACK CARD PROJECT

Created by Inlet Dance Theatre's Dominic Moore-Dunson in collaboration with Kevin Parker.

This one-character show (played by 2 male performers) examines the African-American ideal of the "Black Card." Seen through a single school day, the main character soon discovers where "blackness" comes from and how to attain it.

Ticket & Show Information

Test Flight 2017 is (March 23 - April 22, 2017). Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 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 $12 - $18. Students/Seniors receive $3 off on Friday and Saturday nights. All Thursdays are $12.

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 newly renovated James Levin Theatre is ADA compliant, featuring a newly-installed patron elevator and the addition of a gender neutral, wheelchair accessible restroom.

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.

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