Avery Glymph: (John) is reprising the role of John from the west coast premiere of The Whipping Man at The Old Globe in San Diego, a production that was also directed by Giovanna Sardelli. Glymph most recently appeared in Race at Hartford TheaterWorks. Having acted on Broadway in The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival’s The Tempest, other New York credits include Troilus and Cressida and Antony and Cleopatra (both NYSF); “Hope” is the Thing With Feathers, The Drama Dept.; ‘Maid, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and McReele, Roundabout Theatre Company. Regional credits include Angels in America, Playmakers Repertory Company; The Overwhelming and Stick Fly, Contemporary American Theater Festival; Spunk and The Tempest, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Lost Creek Township, Crossroads Theatre (Regional Tony Award season); and Fences at Cape Fear. He has made numerous film and television appearances. Glymph holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The North Carolina School of the Arts. less is reprising the role of John from the west coast premiere of The Whipping Man at The Old Globe in San Diego, a production that was also directed by Giovanna Sardelli. Glymph most recently appeared in Race at Hartford TheaterWorks. Having acted on Broadway in The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare... more

Giovanna Sardelli: (Director) collaborated with Matthew Lopez on the west coast premiere of The Whipping Man, for which she received an NAACP nomination for Best Director, and on the world premiere of his play Somewhere. Both productions were at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Sardelli has worked with native Ohio playwrights Theresa Rebeck – on the world premiere of her play Dead Accounts at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park – and on numerous world premieres with Rajiv Joseph including The North Pool, TheatreWorks and Barrington Stage Company; All This Intimacy, Second Stage Theatre; The Leopard and The Fox, AlterEgo Theatre; Huck & Holden, Cherry Lane Theatre; and Animals Out of Paper, Second Stage, for which she received the Joe A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Director. Her production of Lord of the Flies recently premiered at Barrington Stage Company, and she has developed plays with The Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Sundance Institute, The Playwrights’ Center, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center among others. She spent two seasons as director of the Shakespeare Sedona Institute, two seasons as artistic director of Studio Tisch, and she was recently named resident director of The Dorset Theatre Festival, where she has numerous directing credits. Sardelli received her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from New York University and is also a graduate of their Directors’ Lab. She is on the faculty of the Graduate Acting and Dance Programs at NYU. Upcoming productions include Somewhere at TheatreWorks and The North Pool at the Vineyard Theatre. less collaborated with Matthew Lopez on the west coast premiere of The Whipping Man, for which she received an NAACP nomination for Best Director, and on the world premiere of his play Somewhere. Both productions were at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Sardelli has worked with native Ohio playwrights... more

Russell G. Jones: (Simon) is a New York City-based multidisciplinary theatre artist who hails from Shaker Heights, Ohio. He is an Obie Award winner for originating the role of Christian in 2009’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined and a Screen Actors Guild Award winner as part of the ensemble of Traffic. Other theatre work includes The Power of Duff, The Powerhouse Theater/Vassar; Our Lady of 121st Street, Union Square Theater; God, The Crackhouse and The Devil, La MaMa; and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, Center Stage New York. A member of LAByrinth Theater Company since 1995, he has worked as a teaching artist throughout the New York tri-state area for 15 years and has served on LAByrinth’s education team since its inception, helping to create its master class and intensive ensemble workshops. Jones has been seen on four versions of Law & Order and never as the criminal. He is currently creating a theatrical exploration to empower cross-cultural dialogue about race, called The Blind Spot. less is a New York City-based multidisciplinary theatre artist who hails from Shaker Heights, Ohio. He is an Obie Award winner for originating the role of Christian in 2009’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined and a Screen Actors Guild Award winner as part of the ensemble of Traffic. Other theatre work includes... more

Shawn Fagan: (Caleb) played the title role in Wife to James Whelan at Mint Theater Company, earning him a Backstage Memorable New York Stage Performance of 2010 award. Other New York City acting credits include The Misanthrope at The Pearl, Peninsula at Soho Rep, Freakshow and Dearest Eugenia Haggis with Clubbed Thumb, Milk ‘n’ Honey and Ajax: 100% Fun with LightBox. Favorite regional theatre acting work includes Prince Hal/Henry V in The Making of a King: Henry IV & V at Playmakers Repertory Company; Hugh in The Voysey Inheritance at The Denver Center for The Performing Arts; Hamlet in the world premiere of Wittenberg at Arden Theatre Company; Texas in Intimations for Saxophone at Arena Stage, directed by Anne Bogart; The Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington D.C.); Dallas Theater Center; Arden Theatre Company; Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; American Players Theatre; and Utah and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festivals. less played the title role in Wife to James Whelan at Mint Theater Company, earning him a Backstage Memorable New York Stage Performance of 2010 award. Other New York City acting credits include The Misanthrope at The Pearl, Peninsula at Soho Rep, Freakshow and Dearest Eugenia Haggis with Clubbed Thumb, Milk... more

http://www.shawnfagan.net

Common Threads: The Whipping Man & The Devil's Music: Taken alone, each play in CPH's season is entertaining and vital, but fascinating connections emerge when you examine them together.Bessie Smith, protagonist of The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, was born into poverty in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Given the fact that her father was of an age to have his occupation recorded in the 1870 census ("minister of the gospel"), her parents were almost certainly former slaves - perhaps not much older than The Whipping Man's John.Those who saw our One Night With Janis Joplin this summer will know that Smith was also one of Joplin's greatest influences.  In 1970, Joplin even purchased a headstone for Smith's unmarked grave.The Devil's MusicFebruary 15 - March 10Allen TheatreLearn more! less Taken alone, each play in CPH's season is entertaining and vital, but fascinating connections emerge when you examine them together.Bessie Smith, protagonist of The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, was born into poverty in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Given the fact that her father... more

KeyBank CPH College: The Whipping Man: KeyBank Cleveland Play House College had its second session on November 10, 2012. We were overjoyed to have high school students from all over Northeast Ohio partake in our open forum of theatrical proceedings. In these morning workshops here at CPH they have become a commonwealth of unimaginable gratification. Instantly, our students were tossed onto the battlefield. Russell G. Jones who portrays, Simon in the Cleveland Play House production of The Whipping Man, dropped in for a master class with our students. He directed us in the art of relaxation and readiness. He asked students to realize the natural movements and positions of their bodies. Mr. Jones instructed our students to release the stress and tension that we carry in our bodies. Students acknowledged the toxic energy flowing through their bodies, and using a form of meditation, allowed this energy to naturally race out of their bodies into the ground. He advised our students to have a motion or gesture to remind them of this moment of total relaxation, noting that actors use this technique to prepare them for a very emotional character. For readiness, he split them into two groups. Mr. Jones invited one volunteer from each group to place the palm of their hand in front of the group. The other students were advised to focus on the movement of the palm by copying these actions into their bodies. He let our students know that actors need to be prepared to react to many different situations that may arise during a performance. In the second portion of our workshop, teaching artists Nina Domingue and Dr. Ellen Rooney introduced the technique of taking a form of non-fiction literature and turning it into a performance piece. Students were prompt to think about the different elements of a performance piece, for example, staging, lighting and sound, and costuming. Our teaching artists mentioned to them that they would experience this scene during their viewing of The Whipping Man. After this session, the students were provided with lunch, and were given tickets to attend the performance. This whole day was free of charge for all our students. We are still taking applicants for the KeyBank Cleveland Play House College. Please contact us for more information on how to enroll your students. Call 216.400.7000 or email studentoutreach@clevelandplayhouse.com. Current Students: we are offering you another chance to see The Whipping Man. You can see it free on Saturday, December 1 at 2:30pm. If you are interested please call Mark Swinerton at 216.400.7063 or email at mswinerton@clevelandplayhouse.com. Also, please confirm your attendance for KeyBank Cleveland Play House College session three on Saturday, December 8. Also, be part of our Facebook group at KeyBank CPH College 2012-2013. less KeyBank Cleveland Play House College had its second session on November 10, 2012. We were overjoyed to have high school students from all over Northeast Ohio partake in our open forum of theatrical proceedings. In these morning workshops here at CPH they have become a commonwealth of unimaginable gratification. ... more

The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and African Americans: Scholars and the interested public have long debated Lincoln’s views on slavery and how they influenced his policies as president. How committed was he to abolition? What was he prepared to do? Could he imagine a world in which white and black people lived together in peace and freedom? For many slaves, at least at first, the answer was clear: Lincoln’s election meant emancipation. The enormous excitement and anticipation of the 1860 presidential election campaign spread into unexpected corners of the United States. After Americans learned of Abraham Lincoln’s victory, reports circulated across the Southern states of political attentiveness and restlessness among the slaves. On one Virginia plantation, a group of slaves celebrated Lincoln’s inauguration by proclaiming their freedom and marching off their owner’s estate. In Alabama, some slaves had come to believe that “Lincoln is soon going to free them all,” and had begun “making preparations to aid him when he makes his appearance,” according to local whites. A runaway slave in Louisiana told his captors in late May 1861 that “the North was fighting for the Negroes now and that he was as free as his master.”The slaves, of course, had no civil or political standing in American society on the eve of the Civil War; they were chattel property subject to the power and domination of their owners, and effectively “outside” formal politics. But they were unwilling to accept their assignment to political oblivion. Thus the case of Harry Jarvis: Born a slave on the eastern shore of Virginia, Jarvis took to the woods for several weeks after the Civil War began, where he survived owing to fellow slaves who brought him news and food. Then, seizing an opportunity, Jarvis headed to Fort Monroe, 35 miles away, where Union troops were stationed, and asked commanding General Benjamin Butler “to let me enlist.” Although Butler rebuffed Jarvis and told him “it wasn’t a black man’s war,” Jarvis stood his political ground: “I told him it would be a black man’s war before they got through.” By the early fall of 1862, Lincoln had decided to issue an Emancipation Proclamation and enroll African Americans in the Union Army and Navy. Bold initiatives these were, revolutionary in effect, and wholly unimagined when the war began: except by the slaves whose actions helped bring them about. Lincoln’s political sensibilities had finally caught up to theirs. Edited from “What Lincoln Meant to the Slaves.” Steven Hahn. New York Times, February 12, 2011 less Scholars and the interested public have long debated Lincoln’s views on slavery and how they influenced his policies as president. How committed was he to abolition? What was he prepared to do? Could he imagine a world in which white and black people lived together in peace and freedom? For... more

Freedom, Friendship and Faith: The Whipping Man’s surprising connections between Judaism, slavery and the Confederate South When playwright Matthew Lopez was growing up, his parents were Civil War re-enactors. “They started doing that when I was a teenager, which I thought at the time was incredibly embarrassing,” he says, laughing. But he came around. “[Reenactors] are really quite sincere and quite dedicated to recreating history as it was. I kind of got sucked into it by that. …I saw the drama and the theater behind it.” Flash forward to 2010 and Lopez’s teenage embarrassment had yielded a source of pride: his play The Whipping Man was a hit at the Manhattan Theatre Club. But what led Lopez— who is neither black nor Jewish, but rather an Episcopalian of Puerto Rican descent from the Florida panhandle—to write a play about Southern Jews and slavery at the end of the Civil War? And what’s more, how much of the surprising circumstance in the play is factual? Initially, Lopez’s interest was purely historical. “I’ve always been fascinated by those moments that the history books skip over: the valleys between the peaks of historical events,” he says. “I was drawn to the Civil War because it provided two calamities in one event: war and slavery. So, I wanted to explore that notion of the quiet after the storm, when the real work actually starts being done.” Then came what the playwright calls “a happy accident”: he discovered that Passover began the day after Lee surrendered at Appomattox in 1865. Lopez realized that, “While American Jews were celebrating this ancient observance of the Exodus from Egypt, a new kind of exodus was happening around them. … And I thought, ‘Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, are you kidding me? And no one has written this? Well, I’ll be the first!’” This discovery led Lopez down a rarely-traveled road to the paradox of Jewish Confederate slave owners. At the time of the Civil War, Jews had been “breath[ing] the free air of Dixie”—as Confederate army captain Samuel Yates Levy wrote from a Union prison cell—for nearly two centuries. In the North, the first known Jew to attempt to settle in Boston was “warned out” in the 1640s (a practice which continued through colonial times), and as late as 1864 The New York Times accused the Democratic Party chairman of being “the agent of foreign jew bankers.” But below the Mason-Dixon line, the Jewish population was a part of the fabric of Southern life; racial solidarity trumped religious difference in the South. Wrote traveling journalist I.J. Benjamin in 1859, “[Southern Jews] felt themselves united with, and closer to, other whites. … Since the Israelite there did not do the humbler kinds of work which the negro did, he was quickly received among the upper classes and easily rose to high political rank.” Case in point, one of Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ first appointees was Judah Philip Benjamin, a well-known Jewish lawyer from Louisiana, as the first Attorney General of the Confederacy. (Benjamin also owned a sugar plantation with 150 slaves.) Eight months later, in the fall of 1861, Benjamin became the Confederate Secretary of War, and in 1862 was appointed Secretary of State. As a result of his rapid advancement and Davis’ reliance on his advice, Benjamin has been referred to as the “Brains of the Confederacy.” (Not that there was no anti-Semitism in the South. One Emma Holmes of Charleston wrote that she disliked “Sumter [S.C.] very much from the prevalence of sand and Jews…”) Mainstream acceptance of Judaism in the South notwithstanding, it is still hard to believe that Southern Jews would not see the irony in being slave-owners. “It illustrated for me how pernicious and unavoidable slavery was: that Jews, with their own history of enslavement, could own slaves themselves,” says Lopez. “[They] made up a much smaller population of slave-owners than their Christian neighbors, but American Jews in the South were not immune to the pull of slavery.” Most of the Southern Jewish population were poor or working class immigrants from Germany or Eastern Europe, but “those who could afford to do so owned slaves; that was the Southern way,” says Jonathan D. Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history and consultant on the Broadway production of The Whipping Man. “As a boy brought up in the South I never questioned the rights or wrongs of slavery,” said Oscar Straus, Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of Commerce and Labor. “Its existence I regarded as a matter of course, as most other customs or institutions.” Perhaps as startling as Jewish slave ownership is the realization that the roots of the Civil War are grounded in an argument heard daily in contemporary politics: states’ rights. In his memoirs, Moses Ezekiel—a Richmond native and decorated Jewish Confederate who became an internationally renowned sculptor—wrote in his memoir: “We were thoroughly imbued with the idea that we were not fighting for the perpetuation of slavery, but for the principles of states’ rights and free trade, and for the defense of our homes which were being ruthlessly invaded.” A sense of duty and honor, prevalent in all Victorian culture and particularly in the American South, was also a motivator, even for women left at home. Said Catherine Ezekiel, Moses’ mother, “[I] would not own a son who would not fight for his home and country.” The North-South divide was deepened for Jewish Southerners by Evangelical Christian abolitionists in the North who, despite their zeal for emancipation, found no hypocrisy in the use of anti-Semitic stereotypes. William Lloyd Garrison, noted publisher of the abolitionist weekly The Liberator, once publicly described a political foe as a “miscreant Jew,” a “Shylock” and a descendant of “the monsters who nailed Jesus to the cross.” There were even Rabbis whose views supported a pro-slavery stance. Perhaps most prominent among them was Rabbi Morris J. Raphall, ironically a Northerner. His 1861 pamphlet “The Bible View of Slavery” delved into the Hebrew Bible – citing Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Job and even Exodus – before concluding that “slaveholding is not only recognized and sanctioned as an integral part of the social structure … [but] the property in slaves is placed under the same protection as any other species of lawful property.” According to the Rabbi, the descendants of Noah’s son Ham—Africans—had been cursed by God, and therefore “in his own native home, and generally throughout the world, the unfortunate negro is indeed the meanest of slaves.” Just as there were pro-slavery voices among Northern Jews, so were there anti-slavery voices in the slave-holding states. Rabbi David Einhorn of Baltimore denounced Raphall’s views as “a deplorable farce.” “Does the Negro have less ability to think, to feel, to will?” he asked. “Was he born not to be entitled to all these? … Slavery is immoral and must be abolished.” Among the complex motivations for secession and the War was the fact that Southerners were literally fighting for their way of life, and Jews—both plantation-owners and city-dwellers like those in The Whipping Man— relied on slave labor every bit as much as anyone else. Many Jews essentially followed in the steps of their neighbors and friends when it came to taking a stance on slavery. While it was common for ethnic minorities on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line to enlist and form their own units, this was generally not the case with Jewish soldiers; most served right alongside their Christian countrymen. Of the estimated 150,000 Jews in the United States at the outbreak of the Civil War, it is estimated that 3,000 fought for the Confederacy (6,700 for the Union). Richmond, Virginia, where The Whipping Man takes place, is home to the Jewish Confederate Soldiers Cemetery—one of only two Jewish military cemeteries outside of Israel. So what are we to make of the questions about freedom, friendship and faith raised by Lopez’s play? When asked this question, Lynda A. Bender, Executive Director of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, said, “It is surprising to many that Jews would have owned slaves, but it is also difficult to reconcile traditional American values of freedom and equality with the slave trade in any way—as we know, Jefferson and other leaders of the American revolution owned slaves. Thought-provoking drama like The Whipping Man asks us to reconsider this conundrum and reflect upon how the past influences the present.” And perhaps, in fact, this is the play’s greatest feat: it insists we keep on reflecting. In the words of one of Lopez’s characters: “… you asked your questions and sometimes you didn’t get answers that you liked. But you kept on asking. That’s what a Jew is. We talk with God, we wrestle with Him. Sometimes we even argue with Him. But we never stop asking, looking, hoping for answers.” SOURCES Goodheart, Adam. “The Rabbi and the Rebellion.” The New York Times Opinionator blog. 7 Mar., 2011.Lee, Felicia R. “Writing the Play His Curiosity Led Him To.” The New York Times. 27 Jan., 2011 Lopez, Matthew. Interview with Stephanie Lein Walseth. Penumbra Theatre Company Study Guide, The Whipping Man. (2009) Murray, Larry. “Interview: Matthew Lopez explains his new play ‘The Whipping Man.’” www.berkshireonstage.com. 11 May, 2010. Rosen, Robert N. “Jewish Confederates.” Jews and the Civil War. Ed. Jonathan D. Sarna and Adam Mendelsohn. New York City: NYU Press. 2010Szymkowicz, Adam. “I Interview Playwrights Part 185: Matthew Lopez.” aszym.blogspot.com. 2 Jun., 2010 Winnerman, Jim. “Jews and the Civil War.” Jewish Light. 24 Jan., 2012. less The Whipping Man’s surprising connections between Judaism, slavery and the Confederate South When playwright Matthew Lopez was growing up, his parents were Civil War re-enactors. “They started doing that when I was a teenager, which I thought at the time was incredibly embarrassing,” he says, laughing. But he... more

InsideCPH: Last season Cleveland Play House learned that our audiences and community are excited not only by the work on our stages, but by learning about how it gets there, too. This realization was the genesis of what’s become our new InsideCPH series. Our monthly InsideCPH events let you sit in on rehearsals, join exciting shop tours and designer demos, connect with CPH leaders and staff, and much more—all open to the public, and ALL FOR FREE! Already this season we’ve had four InsideCPH events. Bob Ari, star of Lombardi, led a group of over 40 people of all ages in a session titled “The Art and Craft of Acting with Bob Ari.” Attendees got hands-on experience in tools and techniques actors use to do their job, with an emphasis on the importance of ensemble. (check out some pictures on Facebook!)And last Sunday, 52 people braved the elements and came out for “The Whipping Man: Setting the Stage with Robert Mark Morgan.” We first had a conversation with Morgan, the show’s scenic designer, about the steps of his design process from the day he gets the job on through opening night. We then went into the Second Stage theatre to observe The Whipping Man cast’s first rehearsal on the set we’d just learned about, followed by a Q&A. (See photos below)The feedback from Sunday’s event has been terrific, too: “This program is the best incentive to open the joy of CPH to all ages”; “This event went beyond our expectations. Thank you!”; and “It was a great program and a learning process for everyone there. It was interesting watching the director change positions to make sure the stage is set for all to see and I loved hearing Robert's enthusiastic journey in creating the set design.” In fact, The Whipping Man has generated so much interest that we added two special events: a chance to attend the first rehearsal read-through and design presentations, and a chance to observe the cast and director at work in the rehearsal hall. If you missed these events, we still have many InsideCPH opportunities left this season (see below). All are open to the public, but you must RSVP to InsideCPH@clevelandplayhouse.com. Write us at that address if you have questions, as well. We’ll look forward to seeing you Inside CPH! -Corey Atkins UPCOMING INSIDE CPH EVENTSA CAROL FOR CLEVELAND “Adapting Cleveland” How does a 32 page novella like A Carol for Cleveland become a full-length play? Find out with this insightful discussion about writing and adaptation, with author Les Roberts and playwright Eric Coble. Saturday November 17th –11:00am-12:30pm BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE “Conjuring Costumes” They say that the clothes make the man (or woman!)—but how does a costume designer make the clothes? Explore all the aspects that a costume designer must consider when clothing character for the stage, with special guest designer presentation. The program will feature an exclusive tour of tour the CPH Costume Shop, as well. SAT 1/19—11:00am-12:30pm THE DEVIL’S MUSIC “Selling a Song”—In life you can sing a song, but on stage you have to sell it! Join guest artists and cast member from The Devil’s Music to find out how it’s done. MON 2/25—6:30-8:00pm GOOD PEOPLE “On Directing”—CPH Artistic Director Michael Bloom wrote the book on directing—literally. His Thinking Like a Director is one of the most popular directing resources available! Discover what it means to think like a director, then experience a special performance of our original Classroom Matinee touring production, Mike & Margie. Date TBD (SAT 3/23 or 3/30—4:00-6:00) *RICH GIRL/NEW GROUND THEATE FESTIVAL “How to Build a Play” Ever notice that “playwright” is spelled -ight not -ite? Just like a shipwright and other such artisans, playwrights skillfully build their work from scratch. Find out how to build a play—and what it takes to get it produced—in this exciting forum with Rich Girl playwright Victoria Stewart, and our 2012 Roe Green Award winner. Monday, 4/22—6:30-8:00pm less Last season Cleveland Play House learned that our audiences and community are excited not only by the work on our stages, but by learning about how it gets there, too. This realization was the genesis of what’s become our new InsideCPH series. Our monthly InsideCPH events let you sit in... more

Why is This Play Different from All Other Plays?: Passover, or פסח (Pesach) in Hebrew, is an eight day Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jews being freed from years of slavery in Egypt. In 1865, Passover began a day after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. The Whipping Man cleverly juxtaposes Passover with the new-found freedom of African American slaves, and derives its central conflict from this paradox. And at the center of it all is a one-of-a-kind Seder. Passover is one of the most important, and most widely-observed, Jewish holidays; according to the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Survey, only 46% of American Jews belong to a synagogue, but 67% routinely hold or attend a Pesach Seder. Held during the first two nights of Passover, the Seder brings families and friends together around a table to say prayers, tell the story of Passover, and eat a festive meal. An important part of the Passover table is the Seder Plate, which holds different food items, each of which symbolizes various aspects of Passover. For example, maror, or bitter herb (often raw horseradish, or romaine lettuce) symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. It is dipped in charoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine or grape juice, that represents the mortar that the Jews used on bricks to build the pyramids and other buildings in Egypt. Another important part of Passover, which is seen in the play, is the Ma Nish Tana, or ‘The Four Questions.’ This prayer, said by the youngest person at the Seder, poses the overarching question “why is this night different from all other nights?” – a question which audiences leaving The Whipping Man will surely be pondering, as well. less Passover, or פסח (Pesach) in Hebrew, is an eight day Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jews being freed from years of slavery in Egypt. In 1865, Passover began a day after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. The Whipping Man cleverly juxtaposes Passover with the new-found freedom of... more

InsideCPH: Robert Mark Morgan on Scenic Design: How would you describe what you do? I make ideas visual. A good set supports the action on stage. It becomes almost one more character; it fleshes out the world.   So how do you do that?                As a designer, you have to come up with a visual language. My process is very visual. [For The Whipping Man] I compartmentalized research into two broad groups: realistic research from the period, and abstract research—which I define as an image that may have nothing to do with Richmond in 1865, but that feels like the play. That’s what I go for when researching: finding that visual language that feels like the show and having it serve as an inspiration for the design. Coming up with a bunch of research to share with the director is important because then we can look through it together and respond to what we see. Then the director can say “Oh, I really like that image” and we start talking about not just a world, but the feeling of that world.   In this particular design, the director and I really loved the texture and quality of the rubble that was left over after Richmond [where the play is set] was destroyed — fireplaces that had just enough mantel left to hold a candle and sweeping staircases leading to nowhere.  All of this research can be very evocative and spoke to us as the feel of the play. We end up with some choice images that resonate for us both and we get closer to a visual language for the piece.   What comes after research? And what makes a good collaboration as you continue? After research I do a number of sketches. You can adapt quickly if things are in sketch form in the early stages. I often think of myself as a consultant to the director. I want the director to feel that things are malleable and that visual ideas are changeable. I like to be an equal and a visual voice in the whole process as we go along. I like collaborators and directors who understand that we’re all a creative team working together to make this whole thing happen.   After the sketches I create a model, and then generate plates of drawings that are architectural in nature—blueprints basically. These are meant to inform the carpenters, the technical director, and the painters, what the vision is so they can execute it.   How long does the whole process usually take? Generally for me, from start to finish, a design takes about six to nine months.   In many of your previous designs you’ve played a lot with light and shadow. Will we see that here? I’m fascinated with silhouettes and with shifting light that creates a different look to the space. This is a great play for that. I want to create a space that has surfaces for light to play off of. A strong backlight through the upstage wall, which is going to be fabulously textured, or light reflecting off of little shards of glass left over in the windows; that kind of thing is what we’re going for.   To end things on a high note…tell us about your plans for the on-stage amputation! I don’t want to give too much away, but I can tell you one thing: we don’t actually cut his leg off. What is wonderful about this play is Matthew’s words and the vivid language. The description of the amputation and the cleaning up of the blood afterwards…   So…we’ll have to come see the play for the final answer? Yes. less How would you describe what you do? I make ideas visual. A good set supports the action on stage. It becomes almost one more character; it fleshes out the world.   So how do you do that?                As a designer, you have to come up with a... more

Play Guide - The Whipping Man: To view the Play Guide, click on the related file link below! Every now and then a play comes along that makes us completely re-examine what we think we know about our country, and ourselves. Matthew Lopez’s remarkable play The Whipping Man is just such a play, revealing an unexpected and thought-provoking conversation between the experience of Southern slaves and Southern Jews in the Confederate South. Set at the end of the Civil War, The Whipping Man explores what happens when two former slaves decide to care for their injured former master in a surprising story about freedom, friendship and faith.   We’re also pleased to be working with wonderful community partners on this production, including the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and the Cleveland State University Black Studies Program.   This Play Guide features striking insight into the story of American Jews, with their own history of enslavement, and African-American slavery; it examines the relationship between Lincoln and the slaves; and, in our recurring InsideCPH feature, we talk with the play’s set designer, Robert Mark Morgan, to understand how research and collaboration turn a playwright’s words into a fully-realized world on stage.   As Northeast Ohio’s premiere professional contemporary theatre, we believe that it’s not only the quality of the work on our stages which makes us great, but the opportunities and insight we offer our audiences, too. We hope these Play Guides enrich your experience of CPH’s work, and that you’ll share them as your excitement about our 2nd season in the new Allen Theatre complex grows!   To view the Play Guide, click on the related file link below! less To view the Play Guide, click on the related file link below! Every now and then a play comes along that makes us completely re-examine what we think we know about our country, and ourselves. Matthew Lopez’s remarkable play The Whipping Man is just such a play, revealing... more