Close
close
Menu
Search Location

January 10 - February 2, 2014 , Allen Theatre

Yentl

Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's Yentl the Yeshiva Boy
Adapted for the stage by Leah Napolin and
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Directed by Michael Perlman

Run time: Act I: 1 hour, 22 minutes Intermission: 15 minutes Act II: 55 minutes Total show time: about 2 1/
Advisory: For Mature Audiences: contains adult themes and nudity.

A young woman defies convention and the laws of her people to fulfill her dream. Disguised as a young man, she becomes a brilliant student — and the most wanted bachelor in town. Yentl is a startlingly modern love story, and a smart, witty comedy that will win your heart.

Photos & Videos Download Hi Res Photos

From left: Therese Anderberg as Hadass, Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, and Ben Mehl as Avigdor. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Christa Meyers as Nechele, Dorothy Silver as Yachna, and Bonnie Black as Rivka. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Mitch Greenberg as Reb Alter, Dorothy Silver as Yachna, Donald Carrier as Reb Nata, Christa Meyers as Nechele, Bernard Bygott as Fulcha, Bob Abelman as Rabbi, TJ Gainley as Lemmel, Drew Derek as Schmuel, Bonnie Black as Rivka, and Sarah Kinsey as Pesha. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Rebecca Gibel as Yentl and Ben Mehl as Avigdor. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Rebecca Gibel as Yentl and Therese Anderberg as Hadass. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Bernard Bygott as Fulcha, Marc Moritz as Feitl, TJ Gainley as Lemmel, Drew Derek as Schmuel, Mitch Greenberg as Reb Alter, Bob Abelman as Rabbi, and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Dorothy Silver as Yachna, Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, and Ben Mehl as Avigdor. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Dorothy Silver as Yachna and Therese Anderberg as Hadass. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Suzanne Grodner as Frumka, Therese Anderberg as Hadass, and Mitch Greenberg as Reb Alter. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Bernard Bygott as Fulcha, Donald Carrier as Reb Nata, Mitch Greenberg as Reb Alter, Ben Mehl as Avigdor, Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, TJ Gainley as Lemmel, Bob Abelman as Rabbi, and Drew Derek as Schmuel. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: TJ Gainley as Lemmel, Bernard Bygott as Fulcha, Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, Stephen Michael Spencer as Moishe, and Ben Mehl as Avigdor. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Marc Moritz as Feitl, Drew Derek as Schmuel, Stephen Michael Spencer as Moishe, Ben Mehl as Avigdor, Donald Carrier as Reb Nata, TJ Gainley as Lemmel, Bob Abelman as Rabbi, Bernard Bygott as Fulcha, Sarah Kinsey as Pesha, Bonnie Black as Rivka, Christa Meyers as Nechele, and Dorothy Silver as Yachna. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Ben Mehl as Avigdor and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Ben Mehl as Avigdor and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Ben Mehl as Avigdor and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Ben Mehl as Avigdor and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, Samuel Cohen as Reb Todrus, Bonnie Black as Rivka, and TJ Gainley as Lemmel. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Suzanne Grodner as Frumka, Dorothy Silver as Yachna, Therese Anderberg as Hadass, Rebecca Gibel as Yentl, Samuel Cohen as Reb Todrus, and Sarah Kinsey as Pesha. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

From left: Ben Mehl as Avigdor, Drew Derek as Schmuel, Sarah Kinsey as Pesha, Bob Abelman as Rabbi, Donald Carrier as Reb Nata, Dorothy Silver as Yachna, Suzanne Grodner as Frumka, Therese Anderberg as Hadass, Christa Meyers as Nechele, Mitch Greenberg as Reb Alter, Samuel Cohen as Reb Todrus, and Rebecca Gibel as Yentl. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Rebecca Gibel as Yentl in the Cleveland Play House production of Yentl in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square, January 10 - February 2. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni.

Artists

Bob Abelman

Bob Abelman

(Rabbi/ensemble) appeared on Broadway inPippin. Regional theatre credits include Beck Center for the Arts, Cain Park, Fine Arts Association, Fairmount Center for the Arts, TrueNorth Cultural Arts and, in April, he will appear in Great Lakes Theater’s As You Like It. Abelman was recently granted a National Endowment for more(Rabbi/ensemble) appeared on Broadway inPippin. Regional theatre credits include Beck Center for the Arts, Cain Park, Fine Arts Association, Fairmount Center for the Arts, TrueNorth Cultural Arts and, in April, he will appear in Great Lakes Theater’s As You Like It. Abelman was recently granted a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in Theater and Musical Theater and serves on the faculty at Cleveland State University. He is also an award-winning arts journalist with the News-Herald.

Therese Anderberg

Therese Anderberg

(Hadass/ensemble) Therese appeared at Cleveland Play House as Hadass in Yentl and Sally in the world premiere production of Eric Coble’s A Carol for Cleveland. She also performed in CPH’s Roe Green Award-winning reading of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Daphne’s Dive. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, she appeared in more(Hadass/ensemble) Therese appeared at Cleveland Play House as Hadass in Yentl and Sally in the world premiere production of Eric Coble’s A Carol for Cleveland. She also performed in CPH’s Roe Green Award-winning reading of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Daphne’s Dive. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, she appeared in Twelfth Night (Viola), The Misanthrope (Célimène), In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (DeMaris) and the ensemble-created Identity Theft. Other credits include a special performance of So Far from God at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Good Death, created in collaboration with Tectonic Theatre Project at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Anderberg received her BA in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, where credits include As You Like It and See What I Wanna See. She is the co-recipient of the 2012 Oldenburg MFA Scholarship.

Bonnie Black

Bonnie Black

(Rivka/ensemble) has appeared off-Broadway and in New York City at HB Playwrights Foundation, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, CAP21, New York International Fringe Festival, Equity Library Theater, 78th Street Theatre Lab and, recently, in the world premiere of L'Chayim at Theatre for the New City, among others. Black’s regional and more(Rivka/ensemble) has appeared off-Broadway and in New York City at HB Playwrights Foundation, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, CAP21, New York International Fringe Festival, Equity Library Theater, 78th Street Theatre Lab and, recently, in the world premiere of L'Chayim at Theatre for the New City, among others. Black’s regional and stock credits include The Old Globe with Karen Ziemba in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound; the Alley Theatre, notably as Regina in the production and tour of Another Part of the Forest; Adrian Hall’s Trinity Square Repertory Company as a resident company member; Great Lakes Theater, notably as Kate Nickleby in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby; The Shakespeare Theatre Company; Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; L.A. Theatre Works; Contemporary American Theater Festival; and the Vineyard Playhouse. Television includesHouse of Cards, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent,

Bernard Bygott

Bernard Bygott

(Fulcha/ensemble) recently portrayed both Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors and Posthumus in Cymbeline for Ohio Shakespeare Festival. His performances at Cleveland Play House include Clybourne Park, Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and The Fagin Effect (reading). He has appeared in CWRU/CPH MFA more(Fulcha/ensemble) recently portrayed both Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors and Posthumus in Cymbeline for Ohio Shakespeare Festival. His performances at Cleveland Play House include Clybourne Park, Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and The Fagin Effect (reading). He has appeared in CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings. Bygott originated the role of Calandrino in the opera Decameron at Prince Music Theater. Additional credits include American Shakespeare Center ('Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Comedy of Errors, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and others); Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; Theater For The New City; Northern New England Repertory Theater Company; Quintessence Theatre Group; Storybook Musical Theatre; Ko Festival of Performance; Mum Puppettheatre; Glimmerglass Opera; International Opera Theater (Italy and U.S.); and The Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center. His Bachelor of Arts is from Amherst College, and he is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Samuel Cohen

Samuel Cohen

(Reb Todrus/ ensemble) was most recently seen in New York City playing Mikeen Flynn in Irish Repertory Theatre’s Donnybrook and as Da in the Tony Award-winning musical Once. Off-Broadway highlights include performances as The Little Man in Ionescopade, Johnny in The Portable Pioneer & Prairie Show, Jud in Cotton more(Reb Todrus/ ensemble) was most recently seen in New York City playing Mikeen Flynn in Irish Repertory Theatre’s Donnybrook and as Da in the Tony Award-winning musical Once. Off-Broadway highlights include performances as The Little Man in Ionescopade, Johnny in The Portable Pioneer & Prairie Show, Jud in Cotton Patch Gospel, Yussle in Yiddle With a Fiddle and Elyakum in The Witch. Regionally, he has toured as Serge in Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s production ofArt. Other regional work includes performances with Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Capital Repertory Theatre, The Riverside Theatre, Forestburgh Playhouse, West Virginia Public Theatre, The Depot Theatre, and the American Heartland Theatre. He is also one of the creators of The Next Big Broadway Musical, New York City’s original, MAC Award-winning, fully improvised musical comedy. He trained at Carnegie Mellon University, Penn State University and the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. Follow Cohen at samuelcohenonline.com.

Drew Derek

Drew Derek

(Schmuel/ensemble) Drew recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s Production of Yentl as Zelig , and the CPH/CWRU Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino; Identity Theft as a member of the ensemble; The Misanthrope as Acaste and Dubois; and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings as Charlie, more(Schmuel/ensemble) Drew recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s Production of Yentl as Zelig , and the CPH/CWRU Acting Program productions of Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino; Identity Theft as a member of the ensemble; The Misanthrope as Acaste and Dubois; and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings as Charlie, Man #2, and a Holy Roller. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from The State University of New York at Buffalo. Along with a number of acting credits in Buffalo — including Irish Classical Theatre Company, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and The Jewish Repertory Theatre— and New York City, he also performed at the International Theatre Institute in Romania. He has worked with the New World Performance Laboratory in Chieti, Italy, and in Amelia, Italy at the famous Cienci Laboratory. He has written and directed at Manhattan Repertory Theatre on West 42nd and 8th.

TJ Gainley

TJ Gainley

(Lemmel/ensemble) recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl as well as the New Ground Theatre Festival’s Becoming Liv Ullmann. His CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night as Malvolio, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope as Oronte, In Arabia We’d All Be Kingsas Sammy and Vic, Present Laughter more(Lemmel/ensemble) recently appeared in Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl as well as the New Ground Theatre Festival’s Becoming Liv Ullmann. His CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night as Malvolio, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope as Oronte, In Arabia We’d All Be Kingsas Sammy and Vic, Present Laughter as Fred, An Orchard as The Stranger, and As You Like It as Adam and Silvius. This year he also appeared as Jason in scenes from Wit, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Margaret Edson, at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine. Previous credits in the region include Tartuffe as Tartuffe, Much Ado About Nothing as Benedick, The Philadelphia Story and The Cure at Troy, as well as Heracles in Alcestis at the British American Dramatic Academy in London. He also performs improvisational comedy.

Rebecca Gibel

Rebecca Gibel

(Yentl/ensemble) was recently seen as Brooke Ashton in Noises Off at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Regional credits include Gypsy, Hangar Theatre; Camelot, Social Creatures (world premiere), Boeing Boeing and The Importance of Being Earnest, Trinity Repertory Company; Hairspray, Theatre by the Sea; Crazy for You, Life is a Dream more(Yentl/ensemble) was recently seen as Brooke Ashton in Noises Off at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Regional credits include Gypsy, Hangar Theatre; Camelot, Social Creatures (world premiere), Boeing Boeing and The Importance of Being Earnest, Trinity Repertory Company; Hairspray, Theatre by the Sea; Crazy for You, Life is a Dream and To Fool the Eye, Creede Repertory Theatre; Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Aurora Fox Theatre Company; and (pending) Natasha in Three Sisters, Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company. She has developed new work with McCarter Theatre Center, Fiasco Theater, Lark Play Development Center, and Huntington Theatre Company. Gibel received The Denver Post Audience Choice Award for Best Year by an Actress and is an IRNE Award nominee for her work in Camelot. As narrator of more than 40 audiobooks, she has voiced hundreds of characters. A member of Trinity Rep’s Resident Acting Company, she is a proud graduate of Brown/Trinity Rep's MFA Acting Program. Television includes Blue Bloods.

Mitch Greenberg

Mitch Greenberg

(Reb Alter/ensemble) trained with Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen and William Esper. His Broadway credits include playing Groucho in A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (debut), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Neilman Award), Ain’t Broadway Grand, Threepenny Opera, Into The Light, Marilyn: An American Fable, Yiddle more(Reb Alter/ensemble) trained with Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen and William Esper. His Broadway credits include playing Groucho in A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (debut), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Neilman Award), Ain’t Broadway Grand, Threepenny Opera, Into The Light, Marilyn: An American Fable, Yiddle With a Fiddle (Carbonell Award), Whodunnit and Can-Can. Recent New York premieres: The Beautiful Dark and Division Avenue. Off-Broadway saw him in Charles Grodin’s The Right Kind of People, Crazy Mary alongside Sigourney Weaver, We Three with Alfred Molina, Old Wicked Songs, Isn’t It Romantic, The Baker’s Wife, and more. Regional favorites include Freud in Freud’s Last Session, The Diary of Anne Frank as Otto, Brighton Beach Memoirs / Broadway Bound as Jack, The Chosen playing Reb Saunders, “Art”, My Fair Lady, Talley’s Folly, The Cocoanuts (Hayes Award nominee) and Run for Your Wife! Songwriter, cruciverbalist and “certifiable genius” (New York Times), Mr. Greenberg hails from Brooklyn

Suzanne Grodner

Suzanne Grodner

(Frumka/ensemble) appeared on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie and The Rose Tattoo. Off-Broadway includesOld Jews Telling Jokes, Sarah/Sarah, Cakewalk, Death Defying Acts and Waiting for the Parade. Grodner toured internationally with Phantom of the Opera. Regional credits include Emma at The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse and The Repertory Theatre more(Frumka/ensemble) appeared on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie and The Rose Tattoo. Off-Broadway includesOld Jews Telling Jokes, Sarah/Sarah, Cakewalk, Death Defying Acts and Waiting for the Parade. Grodner toured internationally with Phantom of the Opera. Regional credits include Emma at The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Becky Shaw, San Francisco Playhouse;Annie and Enchanted April, Pioneer Theatre Company;Wintertime, Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre; Distracted,Twentieth Century and Into The Woods, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; Angels in America, Actors Theatre of Louisville; The Smell Of The Kill and Much Ado About Nothing, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; I’m Not Rappaport, Pittsburgh Public Theater; Tartuffe, Broadway Bound and The Plexiglass Slipper, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Sisters Rosensweig and The Importance of Being Earnest, Indiana Rep; The Diary of Anne Frank, Triad Stage; and Lost In Yonkers, Syracuse Stage. Television and film credits include all three Law and Orders, Edand HBO’s Hidden Signs.

Sarah Kinsey

Sarah Kinsey

(Pesha/ensemble) has performed at Cleveland Play House in Yentl (Pesha), in a staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s 8, readings of Informed Consent and The Fagin Effect, as well as understudying and performing the role Mother in A Christmas Story. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night, Identity more(Pesha/ensemble) has performed at Cleveland Play House in Yentl (Pesha), in a staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s 8, readings of Informed Consent and The Fagin Effect, as well as understudying and performing the role Mother in A Christmas Story. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night, Identity Theft, The Misanthrope and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings. In Chicago area she has performed at Theatre at the Center, Theatre Wit, Collaboraction, Metropolis, Noble Fool, Timeline Theatre Company, and as actor/co-producer in Tallgrass Gothic and The Typographer's Dream with her company 5th Floor Productions. Part of Actors Theatre of Louisville's apprentice company, Kinsey appeared in The Ruby Sunrise and Fast and Loose (Humana Festival), and apprentice productions of Balm in Gilead (Darlene), and 22 Stories High(created with Bronx-based Universes). Kinsey received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Theatre, University of CO-Boulder. A proud member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA, she recently appeared in the feature film Jenny's Wedding.

Ben Mehl

Ben Mehl

(Avigdor/ensemble) is returning to Cleveland Play House after appearing in Yentl. Off-Broadway, he performed in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park in A Comedy of Errors and in the Public’s Mobile Unit production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He also co-starred in the OBIE award winning New York more(Avigdor/ensemble) is returning to Cleveland Play House after appearing in Yentl. Off-Broadway, he performed in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park in A Comedy of Errors and in the Public’s Mobile Unit production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He also co-starred in the OBIE award winning New York premiere of Habit at Performance Space 122 and Crossing the Line and in Faultline Theatre’s At the Table. Other New York theatre includes The NYIT award nominated Law of Return at the 4th Street Theatre and the 52nd Street Project. Regional theatre includes Troublemaker (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); Six Degrees of Separation (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Henry V (Two River Theater) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Chautauqua Theater Company). Ben was in the film The Fly Room and the TV show Supernatural Investigator. He holds a master’s degree in acting from the NYU/Tisch Graduate Acting Program.

Christa Meyers

Christa Meyers

(Nechele/ensemble) Christa most recently appeared in the Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl, shortly after taking the stage as Vanda in the understudy performance of CPH’s Venus in Fur. Other recent productions include the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night (Olivia) and Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival’s Light more(Nechele/ensemble) Christa most recently appeared in the Cleveland Play House’s production of Yentl, shortly after taking the stage as Vanda in the understudy performance of CPH’s Venus in Fur. Other recent productions include the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program’s production of Twelfth Night (Olivia) and Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival’s Light up the Sky (Irene). Also at Cleveland Play House, Christa went on — with only four hours of rehearsal — for the lead role of Gillian in last season’s production of Bell, Book and Candle to great acclaim. Further CWRU/CPH MFA production appearances include Identity Theft (Tekla/herself), The Misanthrope (Arsinoe) and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (Chickie). Raised in Dallas, Christa received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, English, and Linguistics from Dartmouth College. Additional theatre studies include conservatory training at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center’s National Theater Institute and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Favorite regional theatre roles are Catherine in Proof, Sheila in Hair, and Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. Other professional acting work includes New York Musical Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, and Disney's Theater of the Stars.

Marc Moritz

Marc Moritz

(Feitl/ensemble) appeared at Cleveland Play House in Bell, Book and Candle and readings of U.S. v. Howard Mechanic, The Will to Art and Thicker than Water. Originator of the Broadway role Talk Show Host in the Sondheim/Prince musical Merrily We Roll Along, Moritz is featured on the original more(Feitl/ensemble) appeared at Cleveland Play House in Bell, Book and Candle and readings of U.S. v. Howard Mechanic, The Will to Art and Thicker than Water. Originator of the Broadway role Talk Show Host in the Sondheim/Prince musical Merrily We Roll Along, Moritz is featured on the original cast recording. Regional theatre includes Long Wharf, Goodman, New Harmony, Riverside Shakespeare, Porthouse, Cain Park, Weathervane (as director), TrueNorth (as director), Dobama (as an actor and director), Great Lakes/Idaho Shakespeare Festival and many more. The founding director of Cleveland-based Giant Portions Improv Company, training includes a Master of Fine Arts, Kent State University; stints at ImprovOlympic; and extensive workshops with Paul Sills, Del Close, and Charna Halpern. Other credits include the national feature film Underdogs, the TV movie Dead and Alive: The Race for Gus Farace, and numerous television and radio commercials. Moritz is a free-lance teaching artist specializing in improvisation, and he presents his unique workshops throughout the U.S.

Michael Perlman

Michael Perlman

(Director) has directed at Trinity Repertory Company, Kitchen Theatre Company, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Boise Contemporary Theater, Creede Repertory Theatre, Swine Palace, Maples Repertory Theatre, Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep and the Brown/Trinity Master of Fine Arts programs as well as workshops with The Playwrights’ Center, Magic more(Director) has directed at Trinity Repertory Company, Kitchen Theatre Company, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Boise Contemporary Theater, Creede Repertory Theatre, Swine Palace, Maples Repertory Theatre, Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep and the Brown/Trinity Master of Fine Arts programs as well as workshops with The Playwrights’ Center, Magic Theatre and Young Playwrights, Inc. He recently associate-directed Fiasco Theater’s Into the Woods at McCarter Theatre Center, and his assistant directing credits include The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Fiasco Theater. Perlman’s play From White Plains is the recipient of a 2013 GLAAD Media Award and was nominated for New York Innovative Theatre Awards: Outstanding Premiere Production and Outstanding Full-Length Script. In addition, his one-person show Flying on the Wing was presented at New York International Fringe Festival, where it won Outstanding Solo Show. Perlman is an Artistic Associate with both Fiasco Theater and Fault Line. He is a proud member of Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers, a Drama League Directing Fellow, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts and an MFA, Brown University.

Dorothy Silver

Dorothy Silver

Stephen Michael Spencer

Stephen Michael Spencer

(Moishe/ensemble) Regional credits: Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favor at Cleveland Play House, Tartuffe at Triad Stage and The Tempest at NC Shakespeare Festival. Stephen spent the past two summers as a conservatory member at Chautauqua Theatre Company appearing in Clybourne Park, Comedy of more(Moishe/ensemble) Regional credits: Yentl, A Carol for Cleveland, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favor at Cleveland Play House, Tartuffe at Triad Stage and The Tempest at NC Shakespeare Festival. Stephen spent the past two summers as a conservatory member at Chautauqua Theatre Company appearing in Clybourne Park, Comedy of Errors and As You Like It. CPH’s New Ground Theatre Festival credits include readings of Marjorie Prime (by 2013 Roe Green Award winner Jordan Harrison) and The Fagin Effect. CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program credits include Twelfth Night(Feste), The Misanthrope (Alceste), In Arabia We'd All Be Kings(Skank) and Identity Theft. He’s a North Carolina native and toured the East Coast with NC Theatre for Young People as MC Dog in Go, Dog, Go! Spencer received his B.F.A in Acting from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is a proud co-recipient of the 2012 Oldenburg MFA scholarship.

Burke Brown

(Lighting Designer) is a Brooklyn-based lighting, projection and scenic designer. Recent New York City designs include Stay and Basilica for Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Phoebe in Winter for Clubbed Thumb. Other N.Y. design work includes The 52nd Street Project, Ars Nova, The Public, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Under more(Lighting Designer) is a Brooklyn-based lighting, projection and scenic designer. Recent New York City designs include Stay and Basilica for Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Phoebe in Winter for Clubbed Thumb. Other N.Y. design work includes The 52nd Street Project, Ars Nova, The Public, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Under the Radar Festival, Playwright’s Realm, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Recent regional designs include Se Llama Cristina for San Francisco’s Magic Theatre and It’s a Wonderful Life for Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Playmaker’s Rep. International designs include Dublin’s Abbey Theatre; Moscow’s Golden Mask Festival; Seoul Performing Arts Festival (South Korea); and Spoleto, Italy’s Festival of Two Worlds. Recent dance designs include projects with Aszure Barton & Artists, Alvin Ailey America Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Compañia Nacional de Danza (Mexico), Kansas City Ballet, and Houston Ballet. He is a graduate of Yale’s School of Drama and a member of Wingspace Theatrical Design.

Donald Carrier

Donald Carrier

(Reb Nata/ensemble) most recently directed The Liar for the MFA Program, Othello at Texas Shakespeare Festival, Ellis Island: The Dream of America for The Cleveland Orchestra and Doubt for the Beck Center. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, he has also directed Passage, Fifth of July, Clybourne Park, The more(Reb Nata/ensemble) most recently directed The Liar for the MFA Program, Othello at Texas Shakespeare Festival, Ellis Island: The Dream of America for The Cleveland Orchestra and Doubt for the Beck Center. For the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, he has also directed Passage, Fifth of July, Clybourne Park, The Misanthrope, Too True to Be Good, and The Violins of Hope. Other directing includes Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Seminar, and Really Really (Beck Center for the Arts); and Becky Shaw (Dobama Theatre). Other selected directing credits include The Crucible, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Habeas Corpus, The Pirates of Penzance, and Oh! What a Lovely War. He has appeared at Cleveland Play House in Shakespeare in Love; All the Way; Luna Gale; The Crucible; The Little Foxes; Yentl; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Ten Chimneys; Noises Off; and Lincolnesque. Regional credits include The National Arts Center, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, The Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Wilma Theater, The Huntington Theatre, The Intiman Theatre, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He spent nine seasons at the Stratford Festival, three seasons at the Old Globe, and two seasons at the Shaw Festival. Television/Film: Guns, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Passion of Ayn Rand, and Dead by Monday. Don is a proud Lunt/Fontanne Fellow and is the Director of CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program.

Amy Compton

(Choreographer) served as choreographer for this past season’s Cleveland Play House production of Bell, Book and Candle. Compton has lived in Cleveland as a dance-artist since 1997: dancing with four dance companies; teaching for three colleges and various community outreach projects; as well as choreographing for herself, her students, more(Choreographer) served as choreographer for this past season’s Cleveland Play House production of Bell, Book and Candle. Compton has lived in Cleveland as a dance-artist since 1997: dancing with four dance companies; teaching for three colleges and various community outreach projects; as well as choreographing for herself, her students, and her colleagues. She’s danced everywhere in Cleveland from the street corners to the local morning news, as a solo dancer with The Cleveland Orchestra to a “Solid Gold” dancer in a recent Paramount film, as a member of a dance company at Playhouse Square to a solo artist performing a one woman show at Cleveland Public Theatre. Her students have included her peers, college dance majors and beginners of all ages in the traditional studio setting as well as non-traditional settings. Compton’s daily goals are to empower her students, connect to her audiences, and to make dances with relatable themes for the people watching

John Godbout

(Stage Manager) was Cleveland Play House's resident stage manager from 2001 to 2008 and returned to CPH in the fall of 2011. "Most recently, John stage managed A New Brain at Barrington Stage Company. John has also stage managed at North Shore Music Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, The more(Stage Manager) was Cleveland Play House's resident stage manager from 2001 to 2008 and returned to CPH in the fall of 2011. "Most recently, John stage managed A New Brain at Barrington Stage Company. John has also stage managed at North Shore Music Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, The Weston Playhouse, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Northern Stage, Seaside Music Theatre, and Porthouse Theatre.

Elisheba Ittoop

(Original Music/Sound Design) wrote the original music for Yentl at Cleveland Play House. Her designs and music have been seen and heardat The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Women’s Project, National Gallery of Art, Soho Rep, Triad Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Trinity Repertory, LaMaMa, more(Original Music/Sound Design) wrote the original music for Yentl at Cleveland Play House. Her designs and music have been seen and heardat The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Women’s Project, National Gallery of Art, Soho Rep, Triad Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Trinity Repertory, LaMaMa, 59E59, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Bonnaroo Music Festival and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Elisheba was a resident sound designer at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for the 2010 and 2011 National Playwrights conferences, recipient of the Kenan Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and winner of the 2008 USITT Rising Star Award. Education: NYU, North Carolina School of the Arts. elishebaittoop.com.

Thom Jones

(Voice and Speech Director) is the head of Voice and Speech for Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company's Master of Fine Arts in Acting and Directing and has coached voice, dialects, and text extensively in theatre, film, and television. Theatres where he has coached include: The Public Theater, Shakespeare in more(Voice and Speech Director) is the head of Voice and Speech for Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company's Master of Fine Arts in Acting and Directing and has coached voice, dialects, and text extensively in theatre, film, and television. Theatres where he has coached include: The Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, Noel Coward Theatre (London’s West End), Yale Repertory Company, Dallas Theater Center, McCarter Theatre, Cleveland Play House, The Huntington Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, Hartford Stage, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Hangar Theatre. For Film and Television, he has voice, dialect and text coached numerous actors, including: Nicole Kidman, Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek, Alan Rickman, Vanessa Redgrave, Robin Williams, Emma Watson, Andra Day, Miles Teller, Jennifer Hudson, Bill Skarsgard, Lashana Lynch, Lakeith Stanfield, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Segal, Ciaran Hinds, David Oyelowo, Amy Adams, Lily Rabe, Mel Gibson, Olivia Cooke, Tye Sheridan, Simon Peg, Mark Rylance, Sherie Rene Scott, Sienna Miller, Brendan Gleeson, Melissa Leo, Emily Van Camp, Blythe Danner, Logan Lerman, Linda Emond, Ryan Reynolds, and others, as well as for directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, Lee Daniels, Ridley Scott, Ben Younger, and others.

Jenny Mannis

(Costume Designer) has numerous New York City theatre credits including Primary Stages, Manhattan Class Company, Second Stage Theatre, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, Atlantic Theater Company, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Her regional credits include work with the Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, more(Costume Designer) has numerous New York City theatre credits including Primary Stages, Manhattan Class Company, Second Stage Theatre, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, Atlantic Theater Company, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Her regional credits include work with the Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, The Old Globe, Hartford TheaterWorks, Barrington Stage Company, Two River Theater, The Studio Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre, and Yale Repertory. Mannis has been nominated for Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama, where she was awarded the Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in Design

Leah Napolin

(Playwright) made her Broadway debut in 1975 with Yentl in a production that starred Tovah Feldshuh. Yentl returned to New York for a successful run at The National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene in 2003, and in 2012 Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre mounted a fresh production of Yentlwith an more(Playwright) made her Broadway debut in 1975 with Yentl in a production that starred Tovah Feldshuh. Yentl returned to New York for a successful run at The National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene in 2003, and in 2012 Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre mounted a fresh production of Yentlwith an original score by Jill Sobule. Other plays by Napolin include Lost Island;Trash and Treasures; Aristophanes’ Retreat; Split at the Root, a Novel in Three Acts; and Twister. She is a member of PEN American Center and the Dramatists Guild, and winner of the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award for her musical The Dogs of Pripyat, which was part of the 2011 National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals.

Issac Bashevis Singer

(Playwright) is among the most important writers of the Twentieth Century and was winner of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for literature. His stories speak to Jew and non-Jew alike. Even today, readers find his writing powerful and provocative, filled with ideas and passions that resonate as freshly as more(Playwright) is among the most important writers of the Twentieth Century and was winner of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for literature. His stories speak to Jew and non-Jew alike. Even today, readers find his writing powerful and provocative, filled with ideas and passions that resonate as freshly as when he first wrote them. A prolific writer, the main theme of Singer's works is the clash between tradition and renewal — preservation versus regeneration — that serves as a backdrop to stories delving deeply into the grip of human passions that unleash the destructive, yet constructive, force of the emotions. Singer's profound talent allowed him to manage these weighty topics with a light, often comedic, touch.

Robin Vest

(Scenic Designer) has extensive New York City design credits, including Spirit Control for Manhattan Theatre Club; Don’t Go Gentle and A Very Common Procedure, MCC Theater; Pen, Playwrights Horizons; Graceland andWhen I come to Die, Lincoln Center’s LCT3; Year Zero, Second Stage Uptown;Hoodoo Love, Cherry Lane Theatre; and projects more(Scenic Designer) has extensive New York City design credits, including Spirit Control for Manhattan Theatre Club; Don’t Go Gentle and A Very Common Procedure, MCC Theater; Pen, Playwrights Horizons; Graceland andWhen I come to Die, Lincoln Center’s LCT3; Year Zero, Second Stage Uptown;Hoodoo Love, Cherry Lane Theatre; and projects with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Juilliard’s Drama Division, Barnard College, The Actors Company Theatre (TACT), Clubbed Thumb, 13P and WET. Regional design work includesAnimal Crackers, Goodman Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival; The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Old Globe; Hansel and Gretel, Washington National Opera; Ariadne Auf Naxos, Utah and Vancouver Operas; Brevard Music Center; Triad Stage; Playmakers Repertory Company; and Yale Rep

Ron Wilson

Ron Wilson

(Fight Choreographer) returned to Cleveland in 1999 to serve as the Chairman of the Department of Theater at Case Western Reserve University and serves as the Director of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program. He has been the Resident Fight Choreographer with CPH since 1999. He has directed over 60 more(Fight Choreographer) returned to Cleveland in 1999 to serve as the Chairman of the Department of Theater at Case Western Reserve University and serves as the Director of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program. He has been the Resident Fight Choreographer with CPH since 1999. He has directed over 60 productions throughout his career so far. Directing credits for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program include Metamorphoses, In Arabia We’d all Be Kings, Arcadia, Hurlyburly, Bus Stop, Hay Fever and The Real Inspector Hound. Other directing credits include The Triumph of Love, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and The Comedy of Errors, Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Other credits include musical theater, opera, mime and movement theater. Acting credits include The Guardsman, Room Service and The Underpants, Cleveland Play House; and All’s Well That Ends Well, CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program.

CPH Donor Generosity is Worthy of a Curtain Call!

CPH Donor Generosity is Worthy of a Curtain Call!

CPH Donor Generosity is Worthy of a Curtain Call! We have been honored by the outpouring of support we have received from you in reaction to this cri...

Read the full story

Don't miss a thing. Sign up for our newsletter.

Get behind the scenes info, sneak peeks, show news and more.

Submit
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • flickr
  • youtube
  • pinterest

Our Theatres

Allen Theatre

Allen Theatre

Helen Theatre

Helen Theatre

Outcalt Theatre

Outcalt Theatre

The Allen, Helen and Outcalt theatres are located at Playhouse Square
1407 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115

Administrative Offices and Education Center
1901 E. 13th Street, Suite 200 Cleveland, OH 44114 (216) 400-7000

Production Center
7401 Detour Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103

FORM