[NEohioPAL]PRESS RELEASE: CPT Founder James Levin to Step Down As ED, Will Head Up CPT Capital Campaign

[Dan Kilbane]

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Dan Kilbane, Director of Marketing
216/631-2727 ext. 203
dkilbane at cptonline.org <mailto:dkilbane at cptonline.org>
May 25, 2004

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE FOUNDER JAMES LEVIN TO STEP DOWN AS EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, WILL HEAD UP CPT CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

randy rollison to assume leadership position

CLEVELAND, OH -- After 20 years at Cleveland Public Theatre, Founder and
Executive Director James Levin has announced that he will step down as
leader of CPT to pursue new career options and to serve as head of the new
Arcadia Project, a comprehensive capital campaign, which will raise funds to
realize his vision of the organization’s campus and provide for the theatre’
s financial stability.  Randy Rollison, currently artistic director of CPT,
will assume the leadership of the organization under the title of Producing
Artistic Director.

States Levin:  “CPT is now over twenty years old.  It has evolved and grown
into a significant vital being of which I am very proud, but it is time for
it to take flight.  And, it is time for me to review some of my life goals
and explore some other possibilities.  One such possibility, of course, is
the creation of the CPT arts campus here on the Near West Side.  After years
of discussing it, I have decided to focus more attention on making this
happen.”

"James has accomplished so much in the arts and economic development on
Cleveland's Near West Side, and I believe that he is making not only an
important professional decision that will help CPT continue to achieve its
goals, but a very personal one," states Board President Marie Grossman.
"With James taking on this new role, and Randy moving into the leadership
position, this organization will only continue to produce wonderful theatre
and dance that defines our mission:  to create a more compassionate
community.  It has been an honor to work with Jim, who truly is a community
leader."

Levin founded CPT in 1983 and led the theatre as artistic director until
2002, when he became executive director.  During the 20 years of the
organization’s existence, Levin’s vision and entrepreneurial daring
established CPT as a leading cultural organization and a key component in
the development of Cleveland’s Near West Side.  CPT is now the largest of
Cleveland’s mid-size theatres with an annual budget of $1,000,000, and it
produces and presents theatre and dance in its two venues, the Upstairs
Theatre and the historic Gordon Square Theatre.

The Arcadia Project, CPT’s comprehensive capital campaign, will take place
over four years, from June 2004 to September 2008, in four phases.  The
campaign will focus on strengthening the theatre’s financial stability and
realize the vision for CPT’s campus, which includes, in addition to the
renovation of the two theatres, the renovation of three additional
buildings, all part of the oldest Romanian Orthodox Church in the country:
a church space, parish hall, and living quarters (50 feet east of the Gordon
Square Theatre on Detroit Ave).  CPT plans to use the church and hall as
performance venues, and the residence hall for artist living space.

Levin will continue to lead the Y-Haven Project, an original collaborative
work written and performed by the residents of Y-Haven, a comprehensive
transitional housing program designed to serve formerly homeless men who are
in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. He will also participate in
producing new work in BIG [BOX], CPT’s series of new work in January 2005.

Starting with a small band of loyal artists, Levin began CPT’s life as a
theatre by producing noted productions of the works of Shakespeare at the
Cleveland Zoo.  Bucking tradition and offers to establish a theatre on the
East Side, Levin chose to locate to the West Side and opened a permanent
theatre space at West 65th and Detroit in January of 1985, on the eve of
Reagan’s second inaugural.  CPT quickly became the home of Cleveland’s
avant-garde, and audiences flocked to see performance of such artists as
Blue Man Group and Henry Rollins as they climbed their way to fame.  Under
his guidance CPT was the home of several festivals, most notably the
Cleveland Performance Art Festival and the New Plays Festival.

Since 1998, he has worked in partnership with Randy Rollison, who joined the
CPT staff after founding and serving as director of artistic programs of the
New York venue, HERE Arts Center.  With the assistance from the Cleveland
Foundation BASICs Program, the two built up the organization’s
infrastructure and increased the level of quality of the artistic programs.
Levin’s departure comes at a time when CPT is on an artistic upswing, as its
current production, Nickel and Dimed, produced in association with Great
Lakes Theater Festival, is playing to sold-out houses.  The theatre is also
at a new level of administrative strength, employing a full-time staff of
10.

“James is an extraordinary entrepreneur,” states Rollison, “And his amazing
vision and effort over the past twenty years has resulted in a truly
important contribution to the culture of Cleveland.  I have enjoyed our
partnership and I appreciate how he has opened CPT up for not only my
contributions but for many others.  I am honored to succeed him in the
leadership position and building on his vision, and I look forward to
continue to work with him on this important project.”

CPT’s mission is to inspire, nurture, challenge, amaze, educate, and empower
artists and audiences, in order to make the Cleveland public a more
conscious and compassionate community.

Programming at CPT encompasses produced and presented work in theatre and
contemporary dance, and educational and outreach programming.  The 2004-05
season includes three mainstage productions:  A Bright Room Called Day by
Tony Kushner, Venus by Suzan Lori-Parks, and Obie-winner Betty’s Summer
Vacation by Christopher Durang; a new adaptation of the story Punch and
Judy; local playwright Sarah Morton’s solo piece 4 Minutes to Happy; and The
Five Lesbian Brothers’ The Secretaries.  A TBA co-production from TITLEWave
theatre; presented works include Varla Jean Merman’s latest solo show Girl
With a Pearl Necklace-An Act of Love, Danceworks 05, and the Big [BOX]
series.  Educational programming includes the Y-Haven Project, which will
include the annual fall production and a co-production with the Los Angeles
Poverty Center; Brick City, which brings theatre classes to youth through
the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority; Elyria-Y, an original
collaborative theatre piece derived from women’s stories of abuse; STEP, or
Student Theatre Enrichment Program, which gives professional theatre
training to inner city youth, culminating in two productions during the
year; and CPT Academy, paid theatre classes for kids, teens, and adults.
The 2004-05 season will also include two benefits:  Pandemonium! in the
fall, and the Annual Silent Art Auction in the spring.  A variety of
subscription packages are available for the 04-05 season.

James Levin is an award-winning director, playwright and producer.  He
founded CPT in 1982, bringing innovative off-off Broadway-style theatre to
Cleveland after three years with Dario D’Ambrosi’s Pathological Theatre
Company in residence at Cafe LaMama in New York City. He has envisioned,
launched and supervised the renovations of both the Mainstage and Gordon
Square Theatre. He has launched many regionally recognized projects such as
the New Plays Festival, Danceworks, the Performance Art Festival, The
American Indian Festival and Vaudeville. He has produced most of the work at
CPT since its inception and all of the Shakespeare productions. Directing
credits include Atomic Vaudeville, Marat/Sade, Beirut, Dolores Rain, The Sam
Shepard Festival, and Killer Joe. Except in the courtroom, he has not acted
for several years, the last major part being the title role in The
Triumphant Return of Blackbird Flynt by Peter Ullian. He has written lyrics
for various rock bands and for theatre productions including Lysistrata
2085, Marat/Sade and Star Wares and Let the Knowing Speak, a jazz cantata
featuring Jon Hendricks, Jackie Byard and Phil Wilson. Writing credits
include Discordia (with Linda Eisenstein), Y-Haven’s 2004 production, Up the
Mountain (with Deborah Burke) and Star Wares (a rock musical in
collaboration with Linda Eisenstein), which won a fellowship from the Ohio
Arts Council and CPT’s late night satire, The Titanic, The True Story. Born
in Cleveland, James graduated from Shaker Hts. High School, the University
of Michigan, and Case-Western Reserve University’s law school.

Randy Rollison is now in his sixth season at CPT. He joined the staff in
1998 as producing director and became artistic director during the 2001-02
season.  Aside from his work as a producer, CPT audiences know him as a
director:  Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge, One Flea Spare, Gross
Indecency: the Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Bringing the Fishermen Home; and
as an actor in Wait! (various roles), The Skin of Our Teeth (Antrobus), and
Summer and Smoke (The Playmaster).  Before joining the CPT staff he was the
co-founder and served as Producing Artistic Director of HOME for
Contemporary Theatre and Art (1986 - 1997), as well as co-founder and
director of artistic programs of HERE (1993-1998), both in New York City.
During this time he helped over 1000 new works reach the stage,
collaborating with such artists as Tony Kushner, Craig Lucas, Christopher
Durang, John Leguizamo, Dylan McDermott, John Kelly, Charles L. Mee, Steve
Buscemi, Reno, Allison Janney, Mac Wellman, Camryn Manheim, Eve Ensler,
Olympia Dukakis and Michael Mayer.  His work as a producer/director resulted
in OBIE Awards for excellence in performance, design, and production. New
York producing credits include the world premieres of Eve Ensler’s The
Vagina Monologues  (1997 OBIE Award - Outstanding Play); Extraordinary
Measures, also by Ms. Ensler, co-produced with Music Theater Group; Camryn
Manheim’s Wake Up, I’m Fat! ; and Tom DiCillo’s Johnny Suede.  In 1994,
Rollison and his partners were honored with an Obie Award for Distinguished
Achievement.  New York directing credits include the world premieres of
Carthieves! Joyrides! and Indelible Flesh by Deb Margolin; Junk Bonds (1994
Fund for New American Plays Roger L. Stevens Award); One Neck by Todd
Alcott; A Walk On Lake Erie  by Heather McCutcheon (1990 Fund for New
American Plays Award).  Acting credits include work on stage and film as
well as numerous appearances with Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion
and recurring roles on “Search for Tomorrow” and “The Guiding Light.”

The Arcadia Project takes its name from Arcadia, a region in Greece tucked
away by mountains and the seas, protected from the ebb and flow of invasions
and power-changes.  Romanticized by classical literature and poetry, Arcadia
emerged poetically as a place of great creativity, mystery and magic.
Comments Levin,  “I hope that the Arts Campus evolves into a similar kind of
place on the Near West Side.”

Cleveland Public Theatre and its artistic and education programs are funded
in part by funding from The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund
Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Nord Family
Foundation, John P. Murphy Foundation, Kulas Foundation, Theatre
Communications Group, Bruening Foundation, Codrington Foundation, Giant
Eagle Foundation, Thomas White Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater
Lorain, Family Foundations of Jewish Community Federation, The Dolphin
Trust, Saint Ann Foundation, William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation,
Stocker Foundation, Key Foundation, Nordson Foundation, Martha Holden
Jennings Foundation, The Heartland Arts Fund, Wolf Family Foundation, The
Doll Family Foundation, Raymond John Wean Foundation, The Ellie Fund, Cyrus
Eaton Foundation, Greater Cleveland Community Shares, Forest City Enterprise
Charitable Foundation, Alcoa Foundation, Hankins Foundation, Wolpert Fund of
the Cleveland Foundation, The Cleveland Browns Foundation, The Cleveland
Plain Dealer, City Architecture, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan, & Arnoff LPA,
Joan Horvitz, Roe Green Foundation, Third Federal Bank, Huntington National
Bank, National City Bank, Marous Brothers Construction, and other corporate
and individual contributors.