World Premiere production of TEDDY BEAR MOUNTAIN inaugurates CPH's new Family Theatre Program
Posted August 26, 2022 in Press Releases
CPH Family Theatre program presents
live theatre for young audiences
and families in Greater Cleveland and beyond.
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House is proud to present the world premiere production of Teddy Bear Mountain, written by Lisa Langford, as the inaugural production in the new CPH Family Theatre Program. Directed by LeeAnét Noble, this touching new play about grief, loss, and healing features music composed by Lauretta Malloy Noble, and will tour select schools, public libraries, churches, and community centers in Northern Ohio as well as Western New York. Admission to public performances is free of charge. For more information on the play and performance locations, please visit clevelandplayhouse.com.
Teddy Bear Mountain is a story about two young children, Marcus and Maya, who are grieving the loss of their 12-year-old friend, Brandon. With the help of their grandmother, their neighbors, and a mysterious woman, the siblings learn how remembering can help them heal the pain of loss.
A new commission from Cleveland Play House, Teddy Bear Mountain was written by award-winning playwright, Lisa Langford. Born and raised in Western New York, Langford lives in Cleveland and was inspired to pen a new story that takes place in Cleveland’s historic Collinwood neighborhood.
Pamela DiPasquale, CPH Director of Education & Artistic Strategy says, “Lisa wrote this play while she was a CPH Artist-in-Residence at CMSD’s Memorial Elementary School located in Collinwood. The children Lisa worked with actively discussed grief, loss, and what it meant to memorialize loved ones.” DiPasquale continues to say, “With so many lives lost during the pandemic, children are grieving. This play provides a gentle and age-appropriate way to open a conversation of healing.”
The play explores the importance of remembering those who have died as well as the varied practices used to commemorate the death of a loved one. The play also includes the tragic story of the Lakeview Elementary School fire, also known as the Collinwood School Fire, which claimed the lives of 172 children and three adults on March 4, 1908. The remnants of the destroyed school located on East 152ndStreet below Lakeshore Blvd. were razed and turned into a memorial garden. A new school named Memorial Elementary School was erected in 1911 adjacent to the garden. Subsequently, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District redesigned Memorial Elementary School in the early 2000s.
Directed by internationally-acclaimed performer-creator-musician, LeeAnét Noble, the play provides parents and caregivers an opportunity to have an open and gentle conversation about grief, loss, death, and hope with their children. Audiences in Northeast Ohio and Western New York will be the first to experience this new theatrical presentation as part of CPH’s trauma-informed care programming designed for families.
Support for Teddy Bear Mountain is generously provided by the US Department of Education.
Cleveland Play House is a Kennedy Center VSA Program Site 2021-2022.
Admission for all public performances is free. For further details on performance dates, times, and locations, please visitclevelandplayhouse.com/teddy-bear-mountain.
ABOUT CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE, founded in 1915 and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences across Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Play House is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Cleveland Play House is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. To learn more, visit: www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
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