Cleveland Public Theatre presents

TEST FLIGHT 2025 (Part Two)

Featuring workshop productions by Northeast Ohio artists as part of

CPT’s New Play Development Program

May 22 – June 7, 2025

Cleveland, OH—Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) announces part two of its quintessential play development series, Test Flight, back with three more Northeast Ohio playwrights.

The featured cohort of playwrights/projects include the following:

WEEK 1: May 22-May 24—Unhinged: A Burlesque Play on Modern Dating Struggles

By Issa Vybe Productions
Produced by Issa Vybe & Co-produced by Double D' Lee 

Each performer will share a personal monologue-burlesque piece, beginning in darkness and spotlighting their stories of toxic relationships, such as love bombing. After showcasing their struggles through expressive performance art, the cast will reconvene to share how they've overcome these challenges, distributing resources for support and healing.

WEEK 2: May 29-May 31—Grandeza

Presented by Teatro Público de Cleveland and Cleveland Public Theatre
Produced by Alejandro Martinez
Written & directed by Ernesto Luna Camargo

In Spanish with English supertitles.

En español con supertítulos en inglés.

Grandeza is a dark comedy exploration of identity, courage, and the weight of cultural expectations. When a teenager comes out of the closet, he uncovers a startling truth: the entire world is trapped in closets of their own, clinging to traditions that have shaped and confined them. 

Grandeza es una exploración por comedia negra de la identidad, el coraje y el peso de las expectativas culturales. Cuando un adolescente sale del clóset, descubre una verdad sorprendente: el mundo entero está atrapado en sus propios clósets, aferrándose a tradiciones que lo han moldeado y confinado

WEEK 3: June 5-June 7—Future Never Land

By Josiah Britt
Directed & produced by Jimmie Woody 

Line Producer: Daniel Christopher McCurry

Cleveland history meets Afrofuturism in Future Never Land, a multi-media, rap-classical fusion opera. This historical sci-fi work presents our collective tragedies and triumphs told through the origin story of a poetic and mysterious defender known as the C-Town Crier, as he comes face to face with local heroes, villains, and self-discovery. The entire play is perfectly synced to unedited classical music from famous French compositions, Camille Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals and Claude Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque. This play boldly pushes the boundary of lyrical complexity and innovation.

TICKET & SHOW INFORMATION

Presented Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7pm in CPT’s James Levin Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District. 

EVERY TICKET is “Choose What You Pay” starting at $1 and can be purchased at www.cptonline.org, or through the CPT Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext. 501.

The James Levin Theatre is ADA-compliant featuring a patron elevator and an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.

Every Friday is Free Bev Friday at CPT where guests get to mingle with the artists after the show and discuss the performance in a lively, social atmosphere and a selection of drinks are on CPT.