Cicada

by Nick Gandiello

Benedetta is trying to ride a wave of political optimism into the seat of her northern New Jersey district’s County Executive. At the same time, she has to prepare for her daughter’s wedding and balance out her volatile son. When a long past family trauma is used to smear her campaign, she and her family must decide how they will present themselves on the public stage. A comedic drama about new American politics and new American families.

2018 Roe Green Award Winner

Artists

Gregory James

(Billy) is excited to be making his CPH and Equity debut. He is a member of the Cleveland sketch comedy duo Flamingo City and is a sketch writing student of Michael Busch. Stage credits: Male Understudy in Clue (Cleveland Play House); Lucio in Measure for Measure, Mercutio in Romeo more

Mahira Kakkar

(Mytri) is excited to be back at CPH. Select New York credits include The Winter’s Tale (TFANA), Against the Hillside, When January Feels Like Summer (EST), Romeo and Juliet (Public Mobile Unit), Clive (New Group), Opus (Primary Stages), Harper Regan (Atlantic), Miss Witherspoon (Playwrights Horizons). Select regional theaters include more

Joseph Masi

(Scig) is very proud to be part of the New Ground Theatre Festival and the Cleveland Play House. He is a graduate from the MFA program at Brooklyn College where he was also an adjunct professor of acting. Joe can be seen on the “Beautiful Frame” episode of Law more

Esau Pritchett

(Gregory) Originally from Saginaw, MI, Esau earned a BA in performing Arts/Theatre from Oakland University in Rochester, MI in 1998. Esau first appeared at The Cleveland Play House playing John Proctor in 2016's production of The Crucible. He has worked in many regional theatres across the country over the more

Jessica Wortham

(Benny) is thrilled to be returning to Cleveland Play House for the New Ground Festival after last appearing here in Informed Consent. Regional theatre highlights include Twelfth Night, A Christmas Story, Crime and Punishment, and the Humana Festival premieres of Marginal Loss and The Ruby Sunrise with Actors Theatre more

Elisabeth Yancey

(Marina) was most recently onstage with Cleveland Play House as Yvette in Clue and Grace Richards in Into the Breeches!. Other credits with CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program include The Merchant of Venice, Hay Fever, The Seagull, and Fifth of July. Internationally, Elisabeth performed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in more

Nick Gandiello

(Playwright) is a playwright and teaching artist based in NYC. His plays include Cicada (Cleveland Play House's New Ground Theatre Festival), The Blameless (The Old Globe), Oceanside (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), The Wedge Horse (Fault Line Theatre), and Sunrise Highway (Ojai Playwrights Conference), as well as short plays featured more

Tom Humes

(Stage Manager) serves as an Assistant Professor for the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University, where he teaches courses in Stage Management, Production Management, Theatre Management, and an intro course to computing software for the theatre practitioner. Tom has been a part of the stage more

Rachel Lerner-Ley

(Dramaturg) is in her ninth season at Cleveland Play House, where she is the literary manager and resident dramaturg. Dramaturgy at CPH includes Light It Up!, Clue, Our Dad is in Atlantis, Christina, The Hat Box, Egress, Cicada, Tiny Houses, Minton’s Place, Ghost Party, The Chinese Lady, The Nolan more

Katie Lupica

(Director) is the current Cleveland Play House Artistic Directing Fellow. At CPH, she has served as assistant director for Shakespeare in Love and Macbeth and director for the 2018-19 Season Announcement. NYC directing includes work at Access Theatre, La MaMa (NYC Fringe), Ugly Rhino, Gallery Players, and NYU Steinhardt. more

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