*Press Release: For immediate release.* Contact: *info@ensemble-theatre.org <info@ensemble-theatre.org>* Phone: *216-321-2930 * *ENSEMBLE THEATRE* celebrates its *40th Anniversary Season*! *-MAKING HER STORY- * *Our entire 2019|2020 Season will take place in the heart of Coventry Village on the Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Campus !!* *So JOIN US! What stories we have to tell!* ::Dedicated to our founder, Lucia Colombi, this season will focus on telling *HER* stories.:: ::Women playwrights. :: Women directors. :: Women leads. *BY THE BOG OF CATS* By *Marina Carr * Directed by *Celeste Cosentino* *Cleveland Premiere*September 6-29, 2019 *MainStage Theater* Loosely based on Euripides' tragedy Medea, this is the prophetic tale of Hester Swane, an Irish Traveller, who attempts to come to terms with a lifetime of abandonment in a world where all whom she has loved have discarded her. Set on the bleak, ghostly landscape of the Bog of Cats, this provocative drama discloses one woman's courageous attempts to lay claim to that which is hers, as her world is torn in two. Starring Cleveland's own *Derdriu Ring** as Hester. *"…this contemporary Irish variation on Medea [offers] a compelling look into a mind warped by human unkindness…it would be folly to miss this memorable illumination of a descent into darkness." -Bay Area Reporter. * *THE PENELOPIAD* By *Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale)* Directed by *Celeste Cosentino* *Regional Premiere. *October 18 - November 10, 2019 *MainStage Theater* Homer's Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus's ten year journey home to Ithaca after the ten year Trojan War, fraught with many perils, mythic creatures, and divine beings. By the time he makes it back to Ithaca, he finds his home overrun with one hundred and eight suitors all vying for his faithful and cunning wife Penelope's hand in marriage. Odysseus, with help from his son Telemachus and his patron goddess Athena, kills all of the suitors and the twelve palace maids found to be disloyal. Penelope’s story varies little from the classic tale told by Homer, except in pointing out that there are other explanations for the heroic escapades. (update to Focus Magazine) *" 'The Penelopiad' is a delicious slice of Canadian theatre at its best, from its dark beginning to its startlingly poignant end." -The London Free Press* *INTIMATE APPAREL * By *Lynn Nottage* Directed by *Sarah May* *Ensemble Premiere*January 24 - February 16, 2020. *MainStage Theater* New York circa 1905 is a time and place where rigid social divides along the lines of race, religion, and class exist alongside a burgeoning population of immigrants from abroad and people from all over the U.S., who have moved to the city to seek their fortunes, bringing diversity, excitement, and change. Esther Mills, a skilled African-American seamstress, is able to navigate this changing, dangerous world with her needle and thread, as her talents are much in demand. "* 'Intimate Apparel is, by turns, beautiful and tragic, hopeful and heartbreaking.' " -DC Metro. * *KINDERTRANSPORT * By* Diane Samuels* Directed by *Katia Schwarz* March 6 - 29, 2020 *MainStage Theater* The Kindertransport was a British rescue mission that took place at the beginning of WWII. Over 10,000 Jewish children from various countries were placed in British foster homes. Helga and Werner Schlesinger are parents faced with the difficult choice of keeping their beloved daughter Eva in Germany with them, or letting her become one of the Kindertransport children, who are sent to the UK, alone. 'Kindertransport' depicts the agony of separating a child from her parents and wrestles with the consequences of that choice, an act of sacrifice that also wreaks devastating results. Starring Cleveland's own *Dorothy Silver* and* Laura Perotta Ford**. *"'Kindertransport' is an important play to see whether you know about these children or not. It allows you to see that the result of how we treat any children fleeing persecution spans generations, and that mark, good or bad, reflects our own humanity." -DC Metro Theatre Arts* *2020 COLOMBI NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL:* *INVISIBLE* By *Cindy Dettlebach.* Directed by *Christina Courtenay* *World Premiere* (Special Dates and Times*) Check our website for updates/details! *Stay Tuned for more information on our new play initiatives! * *10 Minute Play Festival* and *Staged Readings *in* March *and* April!* *Titles, Directors*, and *Dates* coming soon! Stay Tuned! *FUN HOME* by *Lisa Kron, Jeanine Tesori, and Alison Bechdel* Directed by *Joanna May Cullinan* Musical Director* Jordan Cooper* *Ensemble Premiere*April 24-May 17, 2020 *MainStage Theater* When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes. *WINNER! Best Musical* - 2015 Tony® Awards! *WINNER! Best Score* (Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron) - 2015 Tony® Awards! *WINNER! Best Book of a Musical* (Lisa Kron) - 2015 Tony® Awards! *WINNER! Best Musical* - New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Off-Broadway Alliance Award *FINALIST!* Pulitzer Prize for Drama *"A rare beauty, extraordinary and heart-gripping." - Ben Brantley, The New York Times* *Please Note:* Shows, dates and times may be subject to change! Always check our website for updates! *SINGLE TICKETS are $12-$29 (On Sale August 7th!)* *SEASON PASSES are $34-$364. (On Sale NOW!) * Ensemble Season passes are FLEX TICKET PACKAGES that can be used in any combination for any production! Visit our website for more information! *EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!* Buy a season pass by September 1st and we will throw-in *TWO FREE TICKETS* for you to give to a friend who is new to Ensemble! *Introduce new audiences to Ensemble Theatre! * *CLICK HERE* <https://squareup.com/store/ensemble-theatre-of-cleveland/item/season-pass> to buy a season pass or visit *www.ensembletheatreCLE.org <http://www.ensembletheatrecle.org/>* to purchase online! Call *216-321-2930 *or email *info@ensemble-theatre.org* <info@ensemble-theatre.org> for more information! Ensemble Theatre is located at *2843 Washington Blvd. Cleveland Hts., OH 44118* <https://maps.google.com/?q=2843+Washington+Blvd.+Cleveland+Hts.,+OH+44118&entry=gmail&source=g> *.* In the heart of Coventry Village! We look forward to seeing you in our audience!