Cleveland Public Theatre is leaking a few hints about what's on the company's 2009-2010 schedule in advance of its announcement party Saturday (see "Get Out" this week), but no specific titles. A little bird told us, for example, that the football season will bring the world premiere of a cabaret-style performance "about a beloved Cleveland sports team and its die-hard fans."
Also in the category of world premieres, executive artistic director Raymond Bobgan will present his own re-imagining of "works by a highly lauded and rarely produced classical playwright."
That's as much as we could gather from the bird's song, though the company will again present three performance series that give the stage to other local companies, as well as individuals trying out new work. The Big [BOX] series, the experimental Little Box, and the spring Danceworks series — which has an important part of the local dance schedule — will all be back this year. So will the company's holiday staple, David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries.
The best news isn't about a production, but the fact that the company isn't reducing the number of shows it will put on stage. Bobgan promises nine full productions in addition to the three annual series.
"Though we have been struck with the same challenges facing nonprofits across the country, CPT's programming is vital," says Bobgan. "We are finding the way to increase services to the community and enact our mission to nurture great artists and produce fulfilling and compelling theatre."
Don't hold back on our account. For information, go to cptonline.org.
Speaking of the coming season, SPACES has announced that four Northeast Ohio artists have been selected for this year's SPACELab program. SPACELab has evolved into a mini residency designed to give the artists a forum — complete with a sounding board in SPACELab program director Susan Vincent — to try techniques and ideas outside their standard practice. The artists are ceramic-based, mixed-media sculptor Elizabeth Emery of Cleveland Heights, installation artist Elaine Hullihen of Kent, painter Robin Latkovich of Cleveland Heights and sculptor/designer Mark Moskovitz.
The artists will present their work during the first half of the exhibition season, beginning September 11. Artists over age 21 living in Northeast Ohio are encouraged to apply for next year's SPACELab program before the September 18 deadine. For details, go to spacesgallery.org.
