Cleveland Play House Wins Tony Award!
Posted April 24, 2015 in Press Releases
THE TONY AWARDS® ANNOUNCE CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
AS 2015 REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD RECIPIENT
Cleveland, OH (April 24, 2015) – The Tony Awards® Administration Committee has announced Cleveland Play House (CPH) as this year’s recipient for the Regional Theatre Tony Award.
The Regional Theatre Tony Award will be presented at the 2015 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7th. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
“Cleveland Play House is an exemplary institution in the American theatrical landscape with its long history of successful seasons and its commitment to fostering the next generation of playwrights and actors. We are thrilled to honor the Play House as it embarks on its centennial season,” Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said.
“This is a thrilling moment for Cleveland and Cleveland Play House,” states CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley. “This is the highest honor a regional theater can achieve. We are very proud to bring this honor to Cleveland. It is another feather in Cleveland's cap and we are thrilled to be a part of the revitalization and transformation of our region. The same spirit of creativity, collaboration, and innovation that is fueling our region drives Cleveland Play House to create thrilling, provocative, socially relevant and necessary plays and theater education programs. The award recognizes our great legacy and our forward-looking vision. Most importantly, the award is a testament to our community that has supported us for 100 years. Our greatest honor is our daily interaction with audience members and students as we theatrically explore the concerns, struggles, and joys of being a human being in the 21st-century.”
Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House has entertained 12 million people in its more than 1,600 productions. CPH will stage its 100th consecutive season in 2015-16, an unprecedented milestone in American theatre. Led by Artistic Director Laura Kepley and Managing Director Kevin Moore, CPH showcases the best in contemporary playwriting and fresh, imaginative productions of classics. In Kepley’s words: CPH strives to be “welcoming, fun, provocative, thrilling and necessary.” CPH has long championed new work, having produced Tennessee Williams even before The Glass Menagerie. Recent premieres include plays by Deborah Zoe Laufer, Lee Blessing, Ken Ludwig and Eric Coble; developmental workshops of plays by Jordan Harrison, Heidi Schreck, and Pulitzer-prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes (who is also working on a commission to be premiered in the Centennial Season); and originated the 2013 pre-Broadway national tour of A Night With Janis Joplin. Education programs are of paramount importance to CPH and have been for decades, with alumni ranging from Tony Award-winner Joel Grey to Case Western Reserve University / CPH MFA alum and 2011 Tony-nominee Elizabeth A. Davis. In the past two years, CPH was awarded a US Department of Education grant to develop social emotional learning curriculum for national distribution and a United Way grant to work in three of Cleveland’s most challenged schools. Even at age 100, CPH is an innovative and exciting company focused on producing excellent, important work in and for its community.
Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker will announce the 2015 Tony Award Nominations LIVE on Tuesday, April 28thfrom the Paramount Hotel’s Diamond Horseshoe in New York City. The Tony Award Nominations can be viewed LIVE on “CBS This Morning” and in their entirety, at www.TonyAwards.com.
The 2015 Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 (8:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT time delay) on the CBS Television Network, live from the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Tony Awards, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
A limited number of tickets to the 2015 Tony Awards will be made available to the general public. Tickets will be available at www.TonyAwards.com starting on April 28,2015.
For more information on the Tony Awards, visit TonyAwards.com and Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards and follow @TheTonyAwards on Instagram and Twitter.
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About the Tony Awards
The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Robert E. Wankel is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, William Ivey Long is Chairman and Heather Hitchens is President. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2015 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2015 Tony Awards.
IBM, the official information technology partner of the Tony Awards, develops, designs, and hosts the official Tony Awards digital experience across platforms, including [www.TonyAwards.com] www.TonyAwards.com. Carnegie Mellon University is the first-ever, exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards. United Airlines is the official airline of the Tony Awards. Paramount Hotel is the official hotel partner of the Tonys. City National Bank is the official bank of the Tony Awards. Porsche Cars North America, Inc., manufacturer of exclusive sports cars, is celebrating dynamic performance as the official sports car of the Tony Awards. La Crema, known for elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is the official wine of the Tony Awards. USA TODAY is the official media partner of the Tony Awards. PEOPLE is the official magazine partner of the Tony Awards. Clear Channel Spectacolor is an official media partner of the Tony Awards and co-producer of the Tonys Simulcast in Times Square. The Hollywood Reporter is an official media partner of The Tony Awards.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. We also thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for supporting Cleveland Play House through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
