Cleveland Public Theatre's New Arts Festival SOFTLAUNCH Blasts Off In January
Presented January 23 through January 25, 2025.
By: A.A. Cristi Dec. 20, 2024
Cleveland Public Theatre will present the World Premiere of its most experimental artistic development program to date, SoftLaunch.
This groundbreaking festival seeks to reinvent what theatre and art can be. Patrons get to be part of the art as they immerse themselves in installations and intimate performances. These works burst beyond CPT's theatres into lobbies, hallways, and even the rooftop. Pieces exist in various stages of development, giving the audience a crucial role in the creative process.
The event will feature 20+ experimental performances and visual art installations ranging in level of completion―some pieces are new, while some have been developed over a longer period. Some pieces will operate as an art exhibit where patrons can come and go as they choose, while some will be timed and presented at multiple times throughout the day.
Performances run Thurs., Jan. 23 and Fri., Jan. 24 from 7pm to 11pm, and Sat., Jan. 25 from 4pm to 10pm. There will also be free panel discussions on Jan. 25 at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. These discussions are free with a ticket purchase for that day's performances.
Some of the projects were developed out a workshop for artists called The Pilot Project led by Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan in the fall; thus, a few of these artists will be featured in SoftLaunch.
One artist who will be presented is Ray Caspio who was one of four artists who received the theatre's inaugural Premiere Fellowships, a $10,000 award sponsored by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Assembly for the Arts earlier this year. Caspio will present his interactive piece THE BUCKTOOTHED F△GG⊙T (or THE NIJINSKY INCANTATION)*. The artist describes the piece as “a transmutation of sexuality and an autobiography in dream.” *The artist requests that the title be written in this manner.
Participating creators include the following: Raymond Bobgan, Molly Andrews-Hinders, Caroline Breder-Watts, Isaiah Burns, CHIMI, Ray Caspio, Michael Glavan, Brooke Lynlee, Demetria McCulloh, Molly McFadden, Dave Maher, Fatima Matar, Elizabeth Pollert, Lacy Talley, Nadia Tarnawsky, Anastasía Urozhaeva, Kerstin Vaughn and Chris Webb.
Ticket And Show Information
Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.cptonline.org through the theater's Choose-What-You-Pay option starting at $1.
Most of the performance spaces are ADA-compliant, and there is also a patron elevator and there are all-gender, wheelchair accessible restrooms.
About Cleveland Public Theatre
Cleveland Public Theatre has been at the forefront of new play development since 1981. Through five developmental programs, CPT serves local artists at every step of the creative process, from early ideas all the way to full productions and the entrepreneurial step of launching a new work. Most recently, CPT announced its participation in the newly formed The Future of American Theatre Cohort, which is funded by a generous grant made by the Mellon Foundation. The cohort includes four other small to mid-sized theaters across the United States that are dedicated to serving artists and patrons from BIPOC communities through play development, audience development and inexpensive tickets.
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