[NEohioPAL]CPT Opens Season with Obie Arward Winning Play: One Flea Spare

Thu Sep 13 11:47:06 PDT 2001

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CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE PRESENTS
THE 1997 OBIE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST NEW PLAY
One Flea Spare
Written by Naomi Wallace
Directed by Randy Rollison
September 14 – 29, 2001

CLEVELAND, OH - Artistic Director James A. Levin and Producing Director
Randy Rollison are proud to announce the launch of Cleveland Public Theatre’
s 2001-02 season, The Social Order, with the Obie Award winning production
of One Flea Spare. Written by international playwright Naomi Wallace and
produced & directed by CPT’s Producing Director Randy Rollison, One Flea
Spare uses the plague crisis of 1665 London as the backdrop to a powerful
examination of class, sexuality and mortality. Performed in Cleveland Public
Theatre’s Gordon Square Theatre, One Flea Spare opens Friday, September 14
at 8:00 p.m. and runs through Saturday, September 29, 2001 with previews on
September 12 and 13. All performances will be held on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday evenings at 8:00p.m. Matinees will be Sunday afternoons at 3:00p.m.
Tickets are $15.00 and $10.00 for seniors and students and $8.00 for
previews. For more box office information and reservations please call
216.631.2727.

London in 1665 has ground to a halt. Ships don’t sail, trade has stopped,
and people are dying in the streets. Sick residents are quarantined in their
own houses by armed municipal guards. Inside their urban mansion, two
aristocrats seeking to beat the plague with isolation and vinegar baths have
dismissed their servants and secluded themselves from the rest of the city
in one closed room. When two refugees, a destitute sailor and a 12-year-old
girl, break into their home, the profiteering local government decrees the
house quarantined for thirty days. One Flea Spare (which takes its name from
Donne: “Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare”), explores what happens to
the individual when the rules of class and gender give way as sexual
tensions mount in the ugly shadow of death and disease. Inspired by the 1992
L.A. riots and their warning of civic breakdown, One Flea Spare’s darkly
comic story of four disparate humans trapped together during the great
plague of 1665 strikes a chord with today’s climate of growing class
divisions. Tony Kushner writes of this piece “As the play draws to its
shattering close I was filled
with thoughts of the children of Sarajevo and Rwanda and the slums of
America. One of the finest works of dramatic literature written here or in
England in the last two decades. Everyone who loves theatre should see this
play. It has made me INTENSELY envious and very full of joy.”

Included in the talented cast of One Flea Spare is Sean Sullivan as the
destitute sailor Bunce who last appeared in Cleveland Public Theatre’s Gross
Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Cleveland actress Rasheryl
McCreary, best known for her role as Sojourner Truth in TRUTH! The
Testimonial of Sojourner Truth will return to CPT’s stages as aristocrat
Darcy Snelgrave. Playing opposite her is Andrew Narten as her controlling
well-to-do husband. CPT veteran Sean Booker plays the manipulating jailer
Kabe, prepared to kill anyone who tries to escape their quarantined prison.
New to Cleveland Public Theatre is Courtney Schloss who portrays the
challenging role of the mysterious twelve-year-old waif, Morse. Serving as
both scenic and lighting designer is professional USAA designer Trad A Burns
whose work was most recently seen in Cleveland Public Theatre’s productions
of Summer and Smoke, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and
Caridad Svich’s Fugitive Pieces (a play with songs). Burns considers his
work at CPT a refreshing change from his design work for the Disney
Production Company’s newest theme park in Japan. Also returning as Costume
Designer is Inda Blatch Geib whose work was recently seen in Tennessee
Williams’ Summer and Smoke and Caridad Svich’s Fugitive Pieces (a play with
songs).

Naomi Wallace was born in Prospect, Kentucky. Her work has been produced
both in the U.S. and Great Britain. Other works include The War Boys, In the
Heart of America, a Gulf War Drama and Slaughter City. One Flea Spare was
commissioned by the Bush Theatre in England and premiered in 1995 with an
extended run following its success. One Flea Spare had its U.S. premiere at
the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Louisville Actors Theatre in
Kentucky. It won the Obie Award for Best New Play in 1997.

Randy Rollison has sadly announced that not only will One Flea Spare be his
last directing credit at CPT, but his 4th season as Cleveland Public Theatre
’s Producing Director will more than likely be his last as well. Since
leaving New York City where he served as the Producing Artistic Director of
HERE Arts Center, a company he co-founded in 1986, Rollison has helped to
establish and stabilize CPT as one of the nation’s leading experimental
theatre companies. While at Cleveland Public Theatre, Rollison has directed
the premiere of Deb Margolin’s Bringing the Fisherman Home as well as the
record breaking Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.  Rollison
has appeared as Mr. Antrobus in The Skin of Our Teeth as well as in last
season’s critically acclaimed Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams.

One Flea Spare is made possible with the generous support of The George Fund
Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council and the Cleveland Foundation/BASICS
program. Cleveland Public Theatre is one of 17 arts organizations
participating in BASICs; a five-year program of the Cleveland Foundation.
BASICs organizations receive operating support, customized technical
assistance and grants to help build capacity to manage the necessary
risk-taking of their art forms.

* * * * * *

One Flea Spare opens on Friday, September 14, 2001 and runs through
Saturday, September 29, 2001 with previews on September 12 and 13, 2001 at
Cleveland Public Theatre’s Gordon Square Theatre located at 6409 Detroit
Avenue. Performances times are at 8:00 pm Thursday through Saturday and at
3:00pm on Sundays. Admission is $15.00 for regular tickets and $10.00 for
students and seniors. Call 216.631.2727 for tickets and more information.

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CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE =
PRESENTS THE=20
1997 OBIE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST NEW PLAY One Flea=20
Spare Written by Naomi Wallace Directed by Randy=20
Rollison September 14 =96 29, 2001 CLEVELAND, OH - =
Artistic=20
Director James A. Levin and Producing Director Randy Rollison are proud =
to=20
announce the launch of Cleveland Public Theatre=92s 2001-02 season, The =
Social=20
Order, with the Obie Award winning production of One Flea=20
Spare. Written by international playwright Naomi Wallace =
and=20
produced & directed by CPT=92s Producing Director Randy Rollison, =
One Flea=20
Spare uses the plague crisis of 1665 London as the backdrop to a =
powerful=20
examination of class, sexuality and mortality. Performed in Cleveland =
Public=20
Theatre=92s Gordon Square Theatre, One Flea Spare opens Friday, =
September 14 at=20
8:00 p.m. and runs through Saturday, September 29, 2001 with previews on =

September 12 and 13. All performances will be held on Thursday, Friday =
and=20
Saturday evenings at 8:00p.m. Matinees will be Sunday afternoons at =
3:00p.m.=20
Tickets are $15.00 and $10.00 for seniors and students and $8.00 for =
previews.=20
For more box office information and reservations please call=20
216.631.2727. London in 1665 has ground to a halt. Ships don=92t =
sail,=20
trade has stopped, and people are dying in the streets. Sick residents =
are=20
quarantined in their own houses by armed municipal guards. Inside their =
urban=20
mansion, two aristocrats seeking to beat the plague with isolation and =
vinegar=20
baths have dismissed their servants and secluded themselves from the =
rest of the=20
city in one closed room. When two refugees, a destitute sailor and a =
12-year-old=20
girl, break into their home, the profiteering local government decrees =
the house=20
quarantined for thirty days. One Flea Spare (which takes its name from =
Donne:=20
=93Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare=94), explores what happens to =
the=20
individual when the rules of class and gender give way as sexual =
tensions mount=20
in the ugly shadow of death and disease. Inspired by the 1992 L.A. riots =
and=20
their warning of civic breakdown, One Flea Spare=92s darkly comic story =
of four=20
disparate humans trapped together during the great plague of 1665 =
strikes a=20
chord with today=92s climate of growing class divisions. Tony Kushner =
writes of=20
this piece =93As the play draws to its shattering close I was =
filled with=20
thoughts of the children of Sarajevo and Rwanda and the slums of =
America. One of=20
the finest works of dramatic literature written here or in England in =
the last=20
two decades. Everyone who loves theatre should see this play. It has =
made me=20
INTENSELY envious and very full of joy.=94 Included in the =
talented cast of=20
One Flea Spare is Sean Sullivan as the destitute sailor Bunce who last =
appeared=20
in Cleveland Public Theatre=92s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of =
Oscar Wilde.=20
Cleveland actress Rasheryl McCreary, best known for her role as =
Sojourner Truth=20
in TRUTH! The Testimonial of Sojourner Truth will return to CPT=92s =
stages as=20
aristocrat Darcy Snelgrave. Playing opposite her is Andrew Narten as her =

controlling well-to-do husband. CPT veteran Sean Booker plays the =
manipulating=20
jailer Kabe, prepared to kill anyone who tries to escape their =
quarantined=20
prison. New to Cleveland Public Theatre is Courtney Schloss who portrays =
the=20
challenging role of the mysterious twelve-year-old waif, Morse. Serving =
as both=20
scenic and lighting designer is professional USAA designer Trad A Burns =
whose=20
work was most recently seen in Cleveland Public Theatre=92s productions =
of Summer=20
and Smoke, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and Caridad =
Svich=92s=20
Fugitive Pieces (a play with songs). Burns considers his work at CPT a=20
refreshing change from his design work for the Disney Production =
Company=92s=20
newest theme park in Japan. Also returning as Costume Designer is Inda =
Blatch=20
Geib whose work was recently seen in Tennessee Williams=92 Summer and =
Smoke and=20
Caridad Svich=92s Fugitive Pieces (a play with songs). Naomi =
Wallace was=20
born in Prospect, Kentucky. Her work has been produced both in the U.S. =
and=20
Great Britain. Other works include The War Boys, In the Heart of =
America, a Gulf=20
War Drama and Slaughter City. One Flea Spare was commissioned by the =
Bush=20
Theatre in England and premiered in 1995 with an extended run following =
its=20
success. One Flea Spare had its U.S. premiere at the Humana Festival of =
New=20
American Plays at Louisville Actors Theatre in Kentucky. It won the Obie =
Award=20
for Best New Play in 1997. Randy Rollison has sadly announced =
that not=20
only will One Flea Spare be his last directing credit at CPT, but his =
4th season=20
as Cleveland Public Theatre=92s Producing Director will more than likely =
be his=20
last as well. Since leaving New York City where he served as the =
Producing=20
Artistic Director of HERE Arts Center, a company he co-founded in 1986, =
Rollison=20
has helped to establish and stabilize CPT as one of the nation=92s =
leading=20
experimental theatre companies. While at Cleveland Public Theatre, =
Rollison has=20
directed the premiere of Deb Margolin=92s Bringing the Fisherman Home as =
well as=20
the record breaking Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar =
Wilde. =20
Rollison has appeared as Mr. Antrobus in The Skin of Our Teeth as well =
as in=20
last season=92s critically acclaimed Summer and Smoke by Tennessee=20
Williams. One Flea Spare is made possible with the generous =
support of=20
The George Fund Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council and the Cleveland=20
Foundation/BASICS program. Cleveland Public Theatre is one of 17 arts=20
organizations participating in BASICs; a five-year program of the =
Cleveland=20
Foundation. BASICs organizations receive operating support, customized =
technical=20
assistance and grants to help build capacity to manage the necessary =
risk-taking=20
of their art forms. * * * * * * One Flea Spare opens on =
Friday,=20
September 14, 2001 and runs through Saturday, September 29, 2001 with =
previews=20
on September 12 and 13, 2001 at Cleveland Public Theatre=92s Gordon =
Square Theatre=20
located at 6409 Detroit Avenue. Performances times are at 8:00 pm =
Thursday=20
through Saturday and at 3:00pm on Sundays. Admission is $15.00 for =
regular=20
tickets and $10.00 for students and seniors. Call 216.631.2727 for =
tickets and=20
more information. </BODY></HTML>

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