Cleveland's Classic Theater Company Commences 2010-11 Season

Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) will commence its 2010-11 season in the company's revolutionary home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, with a Fall Repertory that features William Shakespeare's psychological thriller, Othello and Oscar Wilde's witty comedy, An Ideal Husband. The productions will be performed in rotating repertory September 24 - October 31, 2010. The Fall Repertory features GLTF's resident artistic company of actors performing two alternating plays on the same stage over six weeks. Risa Brainin will direct Othello and Sari Ketter will direct An Ideal Husband.

Great Lakes Theater Festival is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. In addition, the Festival's 2010-11 season is presented with support from The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. Media sponsors for the GLTF's 49th season are Cleveland Scene, The Plain Dealer, WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM ideastream and WKSU 89.7 FM.

"I am thrilled to kick off Great Lakes Theater Festival's 49th season as Cleveland's classic theater company with a fall repertory that features Shakespeare's Othello and Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband," said GLTF Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee. "This year marks our third season in the beautifully re-imagined Hanna Theatre and speaks to the breadth of experience we are dedicated to creating in PlayhouseSquare. For the occasion, I am proud to welcome back to our company two extraordinary directors, working for the first time in our new home, Risa Brainin and Sari Ketter. Both have long been associated with our companies in Cleveland and Boise and it is a joy to have them working on the Hanna's Parker Hannifin Stage! I simply can't wait to share the outstanding productions that they've created with our audience."

GLTF's 2010 Fall Repertory commences with the Shakespearean thriller, Othello. William Shakespeare's supreme villain meets literature's most tragic hero in one of the greatest dramas of all time. After being passed over for a military promotion and suspecting his wife's infidelity with the man responsible for his slight, vengeance drives the duplicitous Iago to plant potent seeds of doubt in the mind of the Moor. Will Othello fall into Iago's evil trap and forsake his wife, the innocent Desdemona? Culminating in Shakespeare's most powerful scene, Othello weaves a tragic tapestry of jealousy, trust and betrayal. The production features David Alan Anderson, the newest member of the Festival's Acting Company, in the title role.

Oscar Wilde's witty comedy An Ideal Husband completes GLTF's Fall Repertory pairing. Romantic, clever and marvelously convoluted, this comedy of manners insightfully examines the crossroads where money, power and ethics collide. Sir Robert Chiltern, a rising political star and a pillar of virtue, is an ideal husband for the charming Lady Chiltern. But when the enchanting and conniving Mrs. Cheveley returns from abroad threatening to reveal a dark secret from Sir Chiltern's past, a brewing scandal impends to destroy both his career and marriage. Wilde's wit takes center stage, rambunctiously holding a mirror up to nature while wreaking havoc on its occupants, in a deliciously decadent comedy that disarms and delights.

GLTF's 2010 Fall Repertory reunites acclaimed Festival directors, Risa Brainin and Sari Ketter, with Northeast Ohio audiences. Brainin celebrates her 4th year at Great Lakes Theater Festival this season. Her work was last seen by Festival audiences in 2007 when she directed Measure for Measure. Other GLTF productions include As You Like It (2005) and Julius Caesar (2004). Sari Ketter directed Great Lakes Theater Festival's 2005 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Great Lakes Theater Festival's award-winning home at the Hanna Theatre features a visionary "Great Room" inspired design concept that integrates the artist and audience experience into a single unified environment. Hanna patrons select from a variety of seating opportunities including traditional theater seats, club chairs, lounge/bar seats, banquette couches and private box seating. Boasting a fully flexible hydraulic thrust stage, a complete array of state-of-the-art theatrical systems and an intimate 550-seat house arranged in a thrust configuration, the Hanna is one of the most innovative theaters in the country.

In 2010-11, GLTF will expand its popular Experience Enhancement Series at the Hanna by programming free, live music performed by the region's finest local bands and musicians in the Hanna's bar and lounge following Saturday evening performances (non-opening night). Nightcap Night Saturdays - an eight-date music series coordinated by Jim Wadsworth, the director of programming for Cleveland's landmark music venue Nighttown - is designed to encourage patrons to extend their stay at the Hanna and to highlight the GLTF/Hanna experience as one of the most unique entertainment options in the region. A complete calendar of concerts and artists will be announced at a later date.

Great Lakes Theater Festival's Experience Enhancement Series is organized by day of week. The series is designed to augment a patron's theater experience by highlighting the Hanna's unique amenities and by affording extraordinary access to Festival artists.

--"Salon Thursdays" feature an engaging pre-show discussion/presentation beginning one hour before curtain with a Festival artist. (Offered: Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28)

--"Happy Hour Fridays" afford audience members the opportunity to gather and socialize at the Hanna's bar and lounge immediately after work. A fine assortment of savory hors d' oeuvres and a complete range of beverages are available for purchase beginning ninety minutes before the performance. (Offered: Sept. 24 & Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29)

--"Nightcap Night Saturdays" are designed to encourage audience members to stay after the evening performance and enjoy entertainment performed by the region's finest musicians and bands while mingling with the GLTF artistic company in the Hanna's lounge. The Hanna's bar is open until ninety minutes after the performance on "Nightcap Night Saturdays." (Offered: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30)

--"Ice Cream Social Sundays" offer patrons the opportunity to enjoy a London theatre tradition brought state-side. Audience members are invited to purchase a cool, personal ice cream treat before the show or at intermission. Ice cream will be offered at every performance in GLTF's Fall Repertory, but on "Ice Cream Social Sundays," the treat is half price. (Offered: Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24)

--"Director's Nights" offer audiences the opportunity to take part in a lively pre-show discussion with GLTF's Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee, and the director of each production before preview performances. (Offered: Sept. 24 & Oct. 1)

--"Playnotes Pre-Show Discussions" inform patrons with illuminating introductions to the content and history of each play in GLTF's season presented by a guest scholar before Saturday matinee performances. (Offered: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30)

Great Lakes Theater Festival will continue to afford patrons extraordinary access to its artists and production process at every Hanna Theatre performance this fall. The Hanna always opens its doors ninety minutes before each performance allowing patrons to observe the complete pre-show preparation process of GLTF's actors and technical staff. Elements traditionally hidden from audiences such as stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic pre-sets, technical cue rehearsals and actor warm-ups will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLTF audiences an unprecedented glimpse into the theatrical process.

The Festival will continue its New Deal pricing initiative this fall - designed to increase accessibility for audiences. As part of the program, adult tickets for every performance always begin at $15 and student tickets for any seat at any show are $13 - making the Great Lakes Theater Festival experience one of the most affordable entertainment options in the region. "It is absolutely vital to the mission and long-term health of our organization that we create affordable opportunities for every person in our region to experience live theater," said GLTF Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee of the program.

Opening Night performances of Othello (September 25th) and An Ideal Husband (October 2nd) have been scheduled for Saturday evenings with preview performances of both productions scheduled for the preceding Friday nights. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. Both productions in GLTF's Fall Repertory will continue to offer sign-interpreted and audio-described performances.

Single performance tickets for Great Lakes Theater Festival productions range in price from $15-$70 (Student tickets are $13 - any performance / any seat) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at www.greatlakestheater.org or by visiting The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts of up to 40% by calling the Great Lakes Theater Festival Group Sales Department at (216) 241-5490 x302. (Additional handling fees may apply and may vary depending on point of purchase.)

Great Lakes Theater Festival, the first resident company of PlayhouseSquare, has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. Festival programming reaches 85,000 adults and students annually.

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