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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="https://www.cptonline.org/"><b>cleveland PUBLIC theatre</b></a></span><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Presents
</span></b><b><u><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:blue;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="https://www.cptonline.org/performances/seasons/2024-2025/showin-up-black-2/">Showin’
Up Black</a></span></i></b><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">By Jeanne Madison</span></b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Directed by Jimmie Woody<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center"><a name="_Hlk100678609"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">February 20 through March 8, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk100678609"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Cleveland Public Theatre announces the world premiere of local playwright Jeanne Madison’s play
<i>Showin’ Up Black</i> February 20 through March 8, 2025. Following a sold-out run in the theatre’s popular annual new play development series Test Flight in 2023 and recently receiving a $15,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the theatre
is elated to bring this rarely told story to life. <u>Many performances are sold-out already, so advance ticket purchases are highly recommended!<o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Description:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white;mso-ligatures:none">
On the eve of their daughter's cotillion, the Hopegoodes, an affluent African American family in Cleveland, see their plans for the perfect debutante ball collide with a Black Lives Matter protest. As the protest gets nearer, secrets and competing desires
get shaken loose, tearing at the fabric of the family, challenging what, exactly, it is to be Black. </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">FEATURING:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
Ashley Aquilla, Drew Pope, Tamicka Scruggs, Makayla Smith, Darryl Tatum<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">CREATIVE PRODUCTION TEAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none">Director:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none">
Jimmie Woody<br>
<b>Producer:</b> Raymond Bobgan<br>
<b>Line Producer:</b> Kadijah Wingo<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Scenic Designer</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">: Richard Morris
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Costume Designer & Props Designer:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
Mia Jones <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Sound Designer:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
Vince Tyree<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Lighting Designer:</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
TL Codella</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;text-transform:uppercase;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none">Free Bev Friday – </span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none">Every Friday night at CPT is Free
Bev Friday when a selection of post-show beverages is free to audience members.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:normal;background:white;border:none;padding:0in">
<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none">Covid-Conscious Performances (Sundays at 3pm)</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-ligatures:none"> ─Face
masks are required by all audience members for these performances. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><b><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Ticket And Show Information</span></u></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Tickets for
<i>Showin’ Up Black</i></span><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">
</span></i></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">can be purchased
<a href="https://www.cptonline.org/get-tickets/?spektrix=https%3A%2F%2Ftickets.cptonline.org%2Fclevelandpublictheatre%2Fwebsite%2FEventDetails.aspx%3FEventId%3D30001&show_id=30701">
here</a> through the theater’s Choose-What-You-Pay option which allows patrons to pay what they’d like with no handling fees. For interviews with Jeanne Madison and more info about the show visit
</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="http://www.cptonline.org">www.cptonline.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt"><a name="_Hlk93062300"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><img border="0" width="28" height="35" style="width:.2916in;height:.368in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB815C.FA303800" alt="Icon
Description automatically generated"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk93062300"></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white;mso-ligatures:none">Cleveland
Public Theatre’s Gordon Square Theatre, where this production will be presented, is ADA-compliant with an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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