Great Lakes Theater Festival Announces 2010-11 Season

Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF), formally announced plans for the company's ambitious forty-ninth season over the weekend. Scheduled to run from September 2010 through April 2011, the new season will be performed at PlayhouseSquare's Hanna and Ohio Theatres.

In the fall (September 24-October 31, 2010), the Festival will present Shakespeare's captivating psychological thriller, Othello in rotating repertory with Oscar Wilde's witty comedy, An Ideal Husband. Risa Brainin will direct Othello. Sari Ketter will direct An Ideal Husband. GLTF's annual production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol (December 3-December 23, 2010), originally adapted and directed by Gerald Freedman, will mark the midpoint of the Festival's 49th season. In the Spring, GLTF will present Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield's riotously irreverent romp The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (March 11- 27, 2011) followed by Shakespeare's doubly-delightful romantic comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (April 8 - 23, 2011). GLTF Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee will direct both of the Festival's Spring productions. (For complete summaries of the plays, visit http://www.greatlakestheater.org/season/#newSeason)

The Festival's 49th season is presented with generous support from The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. In addition, Great Lakes Theater Festival is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

The Festival's four regular season offerings in 2010-11 (Othello, Husband, Works and Two Gents), will take place in GLTF's revolutionary, audience-friendly home at PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre while A Christmas Carol will remain in its traditional Ohio Theatre setting.

Great Lakes Theater Festival's revolutionary, award-winning home at the Hanna Theatre affords its audiences an intimate and visceral theater experience unlike any other. The Hanna's visionary "Great Room" inspired design concept creates a single unified environment that integrates the artist and audience into one realm and dissolves the formal separation between the social experience of the lobby and the artistic experience of the stage. In addition, the Hanna offers patrons a variety of seating options including traditional theater seats, club chairs, banquettes, private boxes and lounge/bar enabling visitors to self define their theater experience.

In 2010-11, Opening Night performances of Othello, An Ideal Husband, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and The Two Gentlemen of Verona have been scheduled for Saturday evenings, while A Christmas Carol's Opening Night is slated for a Friday night. 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. All five productions in the Festival's 49th season will continue to offer sign interpreted and audio described performances as well as the popular Director's Night and Playnotes pre-show discussion series. (For a complete performance calendar, visit http://www.greatlakestheater.org/calendar/.)

Subscriptions to Great Lakes Theater Festival's 2010-11 season are on sale now. An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival starts as low as $105. Student subscriptions begin at $39. For more information about becoming a Festival subscriber, patrons should contact the Great Lakes Theater Festival subscription office at (216) 664-6064 or visit http://www.greatlakestheater.org/tickets/subscriptions.shtm .

Single tickets will be available beginning in August. Regular priced adult single tickets will range from $15 - $70. Regular priced student/youth tickets for the Hanna Theatre are $13 ($26 for A Christmas Carol in the Ohio Theatre) and will be available for all performances. Additional handling fees may apply and may vary depending on point of purchase. Further details and pricing specifics for single performance tickets will be announced in August. Single tickets will be available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at www.greatlakestheater.org and by visiting The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts, as do educators.

Great Lakes Theater Festival has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. The first resident company of PlayhouseSquare, GLTF will celebrate its 28th year in downtown Cleveland this season. Festival programming reaches 85,000 adults and students annually.

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