[NEohioPAL] Big [BOX] 09 continues this weekend at CPT with InCogNegro by Lisa Langford

[Mindy Herman]

Cleveland Public Theatre Presents Big [BOX]

Award-winning artists in residency program returns for 7th year

 

Cleveland Public Theatre Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is
proud to announce the participating artists for the 2009 Big [BOX]
series.  Big [BOX] is an award-winning residency program produced by
Cleveland Public Theatre that focuses on the independent creative artist
and the exciting things that can happen when one is given the space and
time to create. Now in its seventh successful year, Cleveland Public
Theatre is proud to support and foster the work of area artists in this
unique program. Over seven weekends, a dozen artists are given keys to
The James Levin Theatre and the freedom to transform the space for the
presentation of their work.  

 

The goal of Big [BOX] is to support new work and local artists. 

 

The writers, directors, actors, and designers selected for Big [BOX]
dedicate themselves to creating new and original work, or stretching
their artistic powers by working in new disciplines. The resulting
performances are always amazing and well attended. Big [BOX]
performances and artists often go on to receive larger exposure and
production at CPT and other theatres.

 

Big [BOX] 09

On stage now through February 22, 2009

 

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm

Sundays at 3:00pm

Tickets:  General Admission $15 | Students and Seniors $12

Tickets on sale now!  Call 216.631.2727 to purchase via phone or visit
www.cptonline.org <http://www.cptonline.org/>  to purchase online now!

 

THIS WEEKEND IN BIG [BOX] 09:

 


February 13th - February 15th 

InCogNegro
Presented by UMOJA Arts 
Written by Lisa Langford, Directed by Jimmie Woody

 

Black identity in America is complex; as poet Paul Laurence Dunbar
suggested, we wear a mask to hide our true selves. And in our struggle
to live authentic lives, we often find ourselves invisible to others who
thrust identities upon us. Never has this been more apparent than in
Barack Obama's 2008 presidential run--he was Messiah and Menace, Token
and Terrorist, The One and The Other. The parallels between his
political rise and Ralph Ellison's classic 1953 novel about an unnamed
African American's search for self, Invisible Man, are striking.
InCogNegro is a satirical look at Black invisibility on the national
stage.

 

 

February 20th - February 22nd 

Unethical 
Written by Margi Herwald Zitelli

Directed by Lisa Ortenzi

 

You can't live without this paycheck, so just keep your head down and
get through the workday. But when The Company institutes a new Corporate
Policy on Employee Ethics and Standards of Conduct, four co-workers
suddenly find themselves at the center of office controversy. Following
the strict policy means giving up your personal expression, but the
consequences of breaking it could be severe. And office mates will find
their relationships tested in ways they never imagined.

 

PREVIOUSLY IN BIG [BOX] 09:

 

January 9th - January 11th 

The Beetlebug and the Bad Worm

Created and performed by Theater Ninjas Faye Hargate and Jeremy Paul

Kissmet by Katherine Kurre, Directed by Danielle Hisey

 

The Beetlebug and the Bad Worm is a story of about friends, cruelty and
bugs. Mixing physical theater and puppetry, the show follows the title
characters through a series of comic misadventures reminiscent of Tom &
Jerry, Laurel & Hardy and Samuel Beckett. Join the duo on an epic
journey that takes them to the heights of fame, the gutters of poverty,
the halls of power and the kitchens of kitchens. Through all their ups
and downs, they must learn to help others and get along...assuming they
don't kill each other first.

 

Kissmet is an ageless story that speaks to the injustice of human
treatment toward one another, and the misuse of love, vulnerability and
power in relationships. This is not a story of the sexes, this is a
story for you, for you who have been stoned and you who have thrown the
first stone. Kissmet questions the vastness of the human condition,
while demanding control and responsibility of individual capabilities.

 

January 16th - January 18th
Summer Nights and Fireflies

Written by Bianca Sams, Directed by Tony Sias  

 

Summer Nights and Fireflies is the story of Zandra Richards, her brother
Tyrone and the family business, a small bar for locals and factory
workers. Haunted by unresolved demons from her past, including
alcoholism and abuse, Zandra is forced to decide whether to live in the
past or create a new beginning. Through a series of events, Xandra and
Tyrone arrive on the pulse of morning and find a new beginning. A story
of salvation, recovery, redemption and change.

 

 

January 23rd - January 25th 

And Then You Die (How I Ran a Marathon in 26.2 Years)

Written and Performed by David Hansen, Directed by Alison Garrigan

Claus for a Moment
Written and performed by Jeff Glover, Directed by Dan Folino


And Then You Die (How I Ran a Marathon in 26.2 Years)
What races through a man's mind as he runs for his life?  Hit the road
in this comic and revealing solo piece about a cartoonist's pursuit of
the finish line in the Big Race - dashing through relationships,
hurdling over heartbreak, and making his way through the Five Boroughs
in a record quarter of a century ... and time is running out.  Remember:
It's not a solo performance, it's a Marathon.  

 

Claus for a Moment

His busy season is over and Santa is taking some time out to set the
record straight.  Jeff Glover portrays the not-so-jolly, not-so-old,
not-really-an elf in this semi-comic monologue on the hazards of
mythology.  How can a person have magic and yet not be a god?  Leave the
little believers at home!!

 

 

January 30th - February 1st

Nearly Nude: Deconstructing Beauty

Presented by MegLouise Dance

 

Nearly Nude: Deconstructing Beauty explores the evolving and conflicting
roles of women through scattered imagery. Pop culture references like
Barbie, Miley Cyrus and clutch purses abound in this performance about
body image, femininity, beauty, passion, sexuality, control and
obsession. The performance includes 8 premiere dances created by three
Northeast Ohio choreographers: Megan Pitcher, Sara Whale and Kalindi
Stockton. The collaborative cast includes Leann Andrews, Michelle Brown,
Caroline Kappel, Allison Leatherman, Carli Taylor Miluk, Maria Oriti,
Lisa Paladin, Megan Pitcher, Stephanie Reed and Sara Whale. Nearly Nude:
Deconstructing Beauty reveals the human body in motion and invites you
to reconnect with flesh. See our bodies through your eyes, through our
minds and through society's expectations. Experience what Julie Mullins
of City Beat in Cincinnati calls, "A different, more honest take on
women's culture."

 

February 6th - February 8th 

BACKspace
Presented by FiveOne, Carly Dorman and Sara Lawrence

An evening of dance and music, featuring original choreography by Carly
Dorman and Sara Lawrence and exciting new music by local instrumental
ensemble FiveOne.

back-space [bak-speys] v. 1. to shift the carriage or typing element of
a typewriter one space backward by depressing a special key. n. 2. the
space made by backspacing. 3. the physical space behind a person's back.
4. a personal retrospective on the pathways of human experience. 5. life
behind us.

Stories of our lives...really stories of everyone's lives...BACKspace. 

 

FiveOne, under the artistic direction of Michael Bratt, is made up of 15
musicians with diverse educational backgrounds and musical influences.
The group consists of an international mix of both composers and
performers, each with conservatory training and a desire to champion
innovative, daring new music in northeast Ohio and beyond. FiveOne is:
Michael Bratt (Artistic Director/Composer), Madeline Lucas (Flute), Ryan
Huch (Clarinet), Conrad Jones (Trumpet), Matthew Smith
(Trombone/Composer), Nathan von Trotha (Percussion), Derek Tywoniuk
(Percussion), Erica Ward (Violin), Elizabeth Phelps (Violin), William
Johnston (Viola), Meredith Clark (Harp), John Thompson
(Guitar/Keyboards/Composer), Shuai Bertalan-Wang (Piano), Louis Ng
(Piano), Jeremy Allen (Keyboards/Composer).

 

 

 

For more information about Big [BOX], including more detailed
descriptions of the presented works, please visit www.cptonline.org
<http://www.cptonline.org/>  or contact Mindy Herman, Director of
Communications, at 216.631.2727 x 203 or mherman at cptonline.org.

 

 

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