Karamu House + Playhouse Square

present

the world premiere of

BELIEVE IN CLEVELAND

written by DANIEL GRAY-KONTAR

directed by TONY F. SIAS

June 10, 2017  |  3PM & 7PM
Jelliffe Theatre

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING.

Tickets are FREE but registration is required.

KARAMU HOUSE, in collaboration with Playhouse Square and Cleveland Metropolitan School District, will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes taking office with the world premiere play BELIEVE IN CLEVELAND on June 10, 2017 at Karamu’s historic Jelliffe Theatre.

This narrative docudrama about the historic election of Carl B. Stokes, Jr. combines poetry, song, dance, and multimedia. The monologues and conversations captured here are drawn from source material such as newspaper articles, autobiographical notes, and video clips; however, much of what appears in the piece is comprised of fictionalized accounts of the historical period. 

Directed by Tony F. Sias, President + CEO of Karamu House, BELIEVE IN CLEVELAND is written by Daniel Gray-Kontar, Executive Director of Twelve Literary and Performative Arts Incubator.  Student interns from Twelve Arts have also co-written the story.  Kontar says, “the piece is a testament to the hope, struggle, and triumph of a city that set race aside to make history forty years before the election of the nation’s first African American president, Barack Hussein Obama.”

The presentation will incorporate the spoken word and live music to convey Mayor Stokes’ aspirations and accomplishments.  

Tickets are FREE but registration is required.

Tickets are available on a first-come first served basis.

For tickets visit us online at www.karamuhouse.org Or call 216.795.7077.