[NEohioPAL]PRESS RELEASE: More Performances Announced for Cleveland Public Theatre and Elyria YWCA's Women's Voices Project HOPE HERE

[Dan Kilbane]

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Dan Kilbane, Director of Marketing & Public Relations

216/631-2727 ext. 203

dkilbane at cptonline.org

promotional photos available by request

February 14, 2005



More Performances Announced for Cleveland Public Theatre and Elyria YWCA’s
Women’s Voices Project Hope Here


Hope Here
February 23 and March 9, 2005



CLEVELAND, OH – Cleveland Public Theatre and Elyria YWCA are proud to
announce two more performances of Hope Here, readings of new work from the
CPT/Elyria YWCA Women’s Voices Project.  The performances will be on
February 23, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. at Elyria YWCA, 318 West Ave. in Elyria, OH;
and March 9, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. at CPT. Both performances are free and open
to the public



This past fall on Wednesday nights, artists from CPT traveled to Elyria to
teach, share, and collaborate with formerly homeless women.  These women are
residents of Elyria YWCA’s Women’s Campus Project.  Together, the artists
and the residents wrote, played theatre games, and acted out their stories.
The issues and themes that came to the surface ran the gamut from dark and
painful to determined, humorous and hopeful.  The best work from each woman
was then shaped into a piece for performance.  That first performance took
place in January 2005 at the Elyria YWCA.



“After the January 5th performance, the women received such positive
feedback from the audience.  It seemed silly not to seek a wider audience
after all their hard work—the performance is when it pays off for everyone,”
states Women’s Voices Project Manager Chris Seibert.



Now in its fifth year, CPT and Elyria YWCA started Women’s Voices Project
with the idea that women artists could nurture growth, reflection, and a
deeper sense of self-worth in the lives of women in transition.  Operating
on the conviction that all people are inherently artistic and deserve to be
given a voice, CPT artists encourage the women they teach to reconnect with
their creativity and to express themselves. This awakening leads to new
discoveries of strength and hope that are needed to effect lasting life
changes.



The stories and poems that emerge from the Women’s Voices Project transcend
pop-culture stereotypes. The women’s words come from real life experience of
extreme struggle; however, the act of creating art from these experiences
demands that each woman see her past through a variety of lenses. The
resulting work conveys the deeply personal and unique perspective of women
who have taken positive steps out of difficulty, women who are on the brink
of a new life. They are stories of hope.



In February and March, the public will have the unique opportunity to hear
readings of original story, drama, and poetry written and performed by the
women of Elyria YWCA and the artists of CPT who guided them.



For more information about the event, contact Women’s Voices Project Manager
Chris Seibert at 216/631-2727 x 201



The Artists:

Women’s Voices is managed and directed by performer/playwright Chris
Seibert. Seibert was last seen on the CPT stage in Discordia and The Cult
(which she co-wrote). Other CPT Artists include writer/performers Sarah
Morton, Holly Holsinger, Nina Domingue, Sheffia Randall Dooley, and Deborah
Burke.  Morton is a popular local playwright, a member of the Cleveland Play
House Playwrights Unit, and has several plays under her belt.  Her latest
solo piece, 4 Minutes to Happy, will be produced at CPT in March.  Holsinger
was most recently seen onstage at CPT in A Bright Room Called Day, as well
as Blue Sky Transmission:  A Tibetan Book of the Dead, which she helped to
create.  She will be part of the cast of CPT’s Venus in February.  Nina
Domingue is well known for her roles in CPT’s Nickel and Dimed, Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, and Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge.  She was most recently
seen in Karamu House’s For Colored Girls… and her solo show Mo Pas Connin—or
Torment, at CPT.   She is currently sharing the stage with Holsinger in CPT’
s Featured Production, Venus, playing the title role.  Dooley works for CPT’
s Brick City program and was most recently seen in CPT’s Nickel and Dimed.
Burke often works with CPT’s Y-Haven program, having co-written the last two
Y-Haven productions.



Background: The Women’s Campus Project and CPT

The Women’s Campus Project of the Elyria YWCA provides up to two years of
transitional housing for homeless women in three houses adjacent to the
YWCA. One house that accommodates twelve is for single women, and the other
spaces are for families (women and children). Women between the ages of 18
and 60 are referred to the Campus Project by local shelters, alcohol and
drug addiction treatment centers, religious organizations and social service
agencies. Most come from residential addiction treatment programs. The goal
is to achieve self-sufficiency and obtain permanent housing.  While some
residents are in recovery from addiction, others may have been incarcerated
and/or victimized by domestic partners. Some of the women have been
separated from their children.  Women may be in school or job training
programs, working or seeking work.  They receive case management, assistance
with money management and individual and group counseling.  All Campus
Project residents participate in the work with CPT unless their work or
school-schedule conflicts.



CPT’s collaboration with the Campus Project has developed over several years
and now consists of two twelve-week sessions for approximately eight to
twelve participants who meet once or twice weekly in the fall and spring.
Each session ends with a public presentation. As the presentation develops,
the group meets more often to rehearse. Women are encouraged to explore the
meaning of personal experiences. The acting component employs physical and
emotional exercises to create a theatre format for the written material. The
goals of the program are to encourage self-reflection and expression, to
nurture a sense of worth and connectedness and to develop and strengthen
each woman’s unique voice.



The CPT/Elyria YWCA Women’s Voices Project is made possible through the
generous support of The Nord Family Foundation, which endeavors to build
community through support of projects that bring opportunity to the
disadvantaged, strengthen the bond of families and improve the quality of
people’s lives. This program is also funded by The Nordson Family Foundation
and The Stocker Foundation.



Cleveland Public Theatre and its artistic and education programs are
supported in part by The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation,
Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, Greater Cleveland
Community Shares, Jakprints, The Free Times, D.H. Ellison Architects, Forest
City Enterprises, Theatre Communications Group, CoolCleveland.com, National
Endowment for the Arts, The Nord Family Foundation, John P. Murphy
Foundation, Kulas Foundation, Bruening Foundation, Codrington Foundation,
Giant Eagle Foundation, Thomas White Foundation, Saint Ann Foundation, Key
Corp, The Nordson Foundation, Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, The
Heartland Arts Fund, Wolf Family Foundation, Meisel Family Foundation,
Raymond John Wean Foundation, Ellie Fund, Cyrus Eaton Foundation, Greater
Cleveland Community Shares, Capezio/Ballet Makers Foundation, Nathan and
Regina Herman Foundation, Hankins Foundation, Cleveland Browns Foundation,
Stocker Foundation, Murphy Family Foundation, Billie Howland Steffee Family
Fund, Cleveland Plain Dealer, City Architecture, Ron and Deborah Ratner,
Joan Horvitz, Roe Green Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, National City Bank,
Marous Brothers Construction, RPM, SBC, Medical Mutual, Convention &
Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, Stewart and Donna Kohl, and other
corporate and individual contributors.



The mission of Cleveland Public Theatre is to foster a more conscious and
compassionate community through the arts.



Please note that all programming, times and locations are subject to change.







Cleveland Public Theatre Fact Sheet



Performed Reading
Hope Here, Readings of New Work from the CPT/Elyria YWCA Women’s Voices
Project

Written by the Women of Elyria YWCA and CPT Teaching Artists



Date and Location
Wednesday, February 23, 2005               7:00 p.m.



The Elyria YWCA

318 West Ave.

Elyria, OH



Wednesday, March 9, 2005                    7:00 p.m.



Cleveland Public Theatre

6415 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102



Information

Contact Women’s Voices Project Manager

Chris Seibert at 216-631-2727 x 201



Please note all performances are FREE and open to the public