[NEohioPAL]Cleveland Public Theatre's Up The Mountain tour, early December 2003 dates

[Dan Kilbane]

Promotional photos are available.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Dan Kilbane, Publicist
216.631.2727 ext. 203
dkilbane at cptonline.org <mailto:dkilbane at cptonline.org>
www.cptonline.org <http://www.cptonline.org>
								11/25/03

Cleveland Public Theatre presents
THE Y-HAVEN PROJECT:
UP THE MOUNTAIN
Written and performed in collaboration with
CPT artists and the residents of Y-Haven
Y-Haven on Tour

CLEVELAND, OH - Executive Director James A. Levin and Artistic Director
Randy Rollison are proud to announce the fourth annual Y-Haven Project, an
original collaborative work written and performed by the residents of
Y-Haven, a Cleveland-based comprehensive transitional housing program
designed to serve formerly homeless men who are in recovery from drug and
alcohol addiction. This year’s production, Up the Mountain, is a modern
reimagining of the myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus has become obsessed with the
car of his dreams.  The car separates him from his life and his loved ones,
leading him to a place of desolation.  Sisyphus must push this car out of
desolation and back to the world, but along the way he encounters challenges
that force him to re-evaluate the worth of the car and the power it exerts
over his life, until Sisyphus must choose between life in the world or life
with the car.  Up the Mountain explores the nature of addiction and recovery
as only the collaboration between Y-Haven and Cleveland Public theatre can,
and is touring to two Northeast Ohio sites in early December:  Wednesday,
December 3 at 3:00 p.m. at The Lakeside Salvation Army homeless shelter; and
Thursday, December 4 at 3:00 p.m. at Lakeland Community College.  Up The
Mountain comes to Lakeside Salvation Army and LCC as part of its fall tour,
after its first stop in Columbus.

The Y-Haven Project partners CPT artists with formerly homeless men, all of
whom are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, in a one-of-a-kind
program where artist and addict create an original collaborative theatrical
presentation based on the life experiences of the participants.

Participants in the program elect to pursue drama as part of their recovery
treatment. Each participant is required to sign a letter of commitment
affirming his dedication to the process of creating an original work of art,
as well as to his recovery process. CPT artists Jeffery Allen, Jerrell
Anderson, Y Haven veteran and graduate Anton Tolliver, and Executive
Director James Levin commit to providing a structured rehearsal environment
where exploration and risk-taking are encouraged and mistakes are viewed as
an effective learning tool. Story ideas for the piece are discussed in the
early weeks. The subject matter, characters and theme of the play emerge
from a series of acting exercises over months of intensive work.  The piece
is then rehearsed and nurtured into the final work. Past productions, such
as the 2001 production Buried, featured a touring component that allowed the
work to be produced at area detention centers, hospitals, recovery programs
and churches.

Y-Haven, with its two locations on the east side and west side of Cleveland,
offers a continuum of care beginning with primary treatment for drug/alcohol
dependency. When residents graduate from the primary counseling phase, case
managers focus their treatment plan on continuing care, relapse prevention
and appropriate education and employment programs. When residents complete
the necessary training they are placed in jobs or sheltered workshops. The
final phase of the treatment plan is finding suitable permanent housing for
the residents. Y-Haven is unique in that residents can stay for up to two
years. Many of the residents have experienced such severe physical, mental
and spiritual trauma that they need adequate time to heal. To be considered
for admission into the Y-Haven program, candidates must be homeless males,
18 years or older who agree to participate in primary treatment as well as
mental health treatment if deemed necessary.

* * * * * *

Up the Mountain opened on Thursday, September 18 and ran through Sunday,
September 21, 2003 at Cleveland Public Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit
Avenue.

The next two tour stops include the following:
Lakeside Salvation Army homeless shelter, Wednesday, December 3 at 3:00 p.m.
(2100 Lakeside Ave., Cleveland, 44114).  Admission is free.
Lakeland Community College, Thursday, December 4 at 3:00 p.m. (7700
Clocktower Dr., Kirtland, 44094-5198).  Admission is $5.00, and part of the
proceeds will go to Project Hope, a homeless shelter in Lake County.

Up the Mountain is made possible with the generous support of The Wolf
Family Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council, The George Gund Foundation,
Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust, and the Cleveland
Foundation/BASICS program. Cleveland Public Theatre is one of 14 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.  The Y-Haven Project comes to
Columbus with help from the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.