Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson Return to the Allen Theatre
Posted April 29, 2023 in Press Releases
Mystery and mayhem abound in CPH’s world premiere production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure.
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House brings its 2022-2023 season to a close with the world premiere production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. Running April 29 through May 21 in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square, the new murder-mystery is inspired by the beloved characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Mark Brokaw and Michael Barakiva, the play features Jeffrey M. Bender, Talley Gale, Nick Gaswirth, Olivia Gilliatt, and Christian Pedersen. Tickets can be purchased exclusively at clevelandplayhouse.com.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson join forces with American actress Irene Adler to take down the cunning criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty. An investigation into the Bohemian king’s stolen letters cascades into an international mystery filled with spies, blackmail, and intrigue. Faced with their toughest case yet, Holmes and Watson work with Adler to uncover Moriarty’s network of henchmen, coming face-to-face with the devious villain himself. Five actors play over 20 roles in this brand new adventure that has danger and laughter around every corner.
Celebrated playwright Ken Ludwig returns to CPH for his eighth produced play. Ludwig says, “I’m excited about premiering this new play in Cleveland partly because the theatre has become a real home for me over the years. I always get incredible support, and by the end of the process, I get to see my play onstage with an enthusiastic audience, which is why I’m here. What more could I ask for?”
The new Ludwig saga draws from many stories about Sherlock Holmes, primarily “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Final Problem.” Ludwig says, “This time it’s not based on a single novel by Conan Doyle. It’s based on several short stories that I wove together. I wanted to include all the iconic members of the Sherlock Holmes family while telling a continuous story. It was far more challenging to write than Baskerville….it took a lot more sneakiness.”
In this new adaptation, the play features some of the most beloved and notorious characters from the Holmes universe including: his trusted partner and friend, Dr. Watson; his brilliant condescending brother, Mycroft; Irene Adler, an American actress; and his arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Other characters find their way into Ludwig’s new caper, including Sherlock’s housekeepers, Mrs. Hudson and Daisy; Scotland Yard Detective Lestrade; and the street urchins, Cartwright and Milker, also known as the Baker Street Irregulars. Cleveland audiences may recognize some of these characters and others from CPH’s 2017 production of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
In true Victorian style, the Holmes canon uses many gothic-crime motifs, such as the ostracized genius, the fated return of the repressed, and the domed loved one. Centuries later, these motifs continue to be utilized in blockbuster superhero films – filled with danger and spectacle, such as the Avengers film series, Zach Snyder’s The Justice League (2021), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), and the Kingsman film franchise, among others.
Ludwig says, “The stakes are much higher. Holmes is battling Moriarty, his nemesis, and of course it’s going to end on top of the Reichenbach Falls, where Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem” pits them in mortal combat. My story may or may not follow Conan Doyle’s — you’ll have to see the play to find out!”
Mark Cuddy, CPH Guest Artistic and Managing Director says, “Our long relationship with the renowned playwright, Ken Ludwig, has produced so many CPH favorites in the Allen Theatre. This premiere will be no different. If you like adventure, romance, comedy, and visual delights – this will be another Ludwig hit!”
Moriarty marks the eighth Ken Ludwig play CPH has produced. The 40-year partnership between CPH and Ludwig includes Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood (2019), Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (2017), A Comedy of Tenors (2015), The Game’s Afoot (2011), Leading Ladies (2004), Moon Over Buffalo (1998), and Dramatic License (1984). The play received a special workshop reading in the fall of 2022 and is the centerpiece of the 2023 New Ground Theatre Festival.
KeyBank is the 2022-2023 season sponsor for Cleveland Play House.
Additional funding is generously provided by the John P. Murphy Foundation.
Tickets to Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure range from $15-95. Student tickets are $15 (valid student ID required). Ohio Direction/EBT cardholders receive $5 admission to any performance (up to eight tickets). Military personnel and their immediate families receive 50% off tickets. Seniors may receive $10 off tickets. Tickets can be purchased by calling 216.241.6000 or by visiting clevelandplayhouse.com.
REVIEWS OF KEN LUDWIG’S BASKERVILLE
'"Baskerville' is a celebration of theater itself, a madcap homage to the artifice and inventiveness - and sheer unflagging energy - required to bring a play to life."
– The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is pure theatrical delight from start to finish. The comedy-mystery from the award-winning playwright provides nonstop action, laughs and thrills on every level."
– San Diego Jewish World
BIOGRAPHIES
THE CAST
JEFFREY M. BENDER (Moriarty, Mycroft, and others) recently played Sir Toby Belch in the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ’s Twelfth Night, where he’s been a company for over 24 years. He has also worked on Broadway at the Golden Theatre (A Time To Kill) and at Lincoln Center Theatre (Cymbeline), in addition to regional theatres across the country including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Treasure Island), The Old Globe in San Diego, Denver Center and Seattle Rep. TV: The Detour, Law & Order, and Blue Bloods. Graduate of the University of Michigan.
TALLEY GALE (Daisy, Hilda, and others) has participated in several Off-Broadway and developmental staged readings. Regional: The Importance of Being Earnest (Florida Repertory Theatre); Private Lives, Antony and Cleopatra (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Primating (Arkansas Repertory Theatre); Proof (Oldcastle Theatre); Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Macbeth, Richard II (The Old Globe); and This is Our Youth (Steppenwolf Theatre). TV: Harlem, Evil Lives Here, and the web series Queen’s English. Gale hosts the podcast Tea & Vulgarity. BFA: Ball State University, MFA: The Old Globe/University of San Diego. CPH Debut.
NICK GASWIRTH (Dr. Watson) appeared in the original Broadway casts of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and A Christmas Story: The Musical, along with his two years as a swing on the national tour of Wicked. Regional: How To Dance In Ohio (Syracuse Stage, premiere), I Am Harvey Milk/I Am Anne Hutchinson (Lincoln Center/Strathmore, premiere), Secondhand Lions (Seattle 5th Ave), Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor (Ocean State Theatre), James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed), Candide (Arden Theatre), A Year With Frog and Toad (Arden Theatre), Yeast Nation (FringeNYC), The Gig (NYMF), Minnie’s Boys (York Theatre), and The Full Monty (Westchester Broadway). BFA from the University of Michigan. Proud AEA member. CPH Debut.nickgaswirth.com
OLIVIA GILLIATT (Irene Adler, Ms. Hudson, and others) recently appeared Off-Broadway in Elizabeth Baker’s 1909 play, Chains, at The Mint, and in The 39 Steps at the St Louis Rep. NY/Regional: Mother of the Maid (The Public); Pushkin (american vicarious); Disgraced (Denver Center); A Doll’s House (Northern Stage); CasablancaBox (Culturemart @HERE); Buried Child (Palm Beach Dramaworks); Tomorrow in the Battle (Stageworks/Hudson); and Dial “M” for Murder (Bucks County Playhouse). TV & Film: Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s documentary Hemingway, The Path, The Mysteries of Laura, The Bit Player, and the forthcoming film Rare Objects, directed by Katie Holmes. BA: Dartmouth College. MFA: NYU. CPH Debut.
KHAKI HERMANN (female swing) is a native to Cleveland and excited for her CPH debut! She earned her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Stella Adler Studio, her M.Ed. from John Carroll University, and has studied at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Regional: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Beck Center for the Arts), Sherlock Holmes Meets the Bully of Baker Street and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Great Lakes Theater), The Learned Ladies and Much Ado About Nothing (Cleveland Shakespeare Festival), and Arcadia and Boston Marriage (Mamaí Theatre Company). Upcoming: Measure for Measure (Cleveland Shakespeare Festival).
CHRISTIAN PEDERSEN (Sherlock Holmes) was last seen at CPH in 2014’s Clybourne Park. He recently made his Broadway debut in Ohio State Murders. Regional: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Curran Theatre), Once (South Coast Rep), The 39 Steps (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Mousetrap (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Cloud Nine (Studio Theatre DC) and Cabaret (La Mirada). TV: The Offer, This Is Us, Seal Team, One Life to Live, Superstore and The Good Wife. Graduate of the University of Richmond and the NY Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
JAMES ALEXANDER RANKIN (male swing) is a local actor from Northeast Ohio. He received training from Roosevelt University, Cuyahoga Community College, and Great Lakes Michael Chekov Consortium. Regional: As You Like It (Great Lakes Theater), Scene’s From a Night’s Dream (Convergence Continuum), Our Country's Good (Seat of the Pants), and Venus in Fur (None too Fragile).
THE CREATIVE TEAM
KEN LUDWIG (Playwright) has had six shows on Broadway and seven in London’s West End. His 32 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You, which returns to the West End this summer, was on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. In addition, he has won the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theater, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, and the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway with Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, and Tony Shaloub, in London with Joan Collins); Twentieth Century (Broadway with Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway with Kristen Bell); Be My Baby (Alley Theatre with Hal Holbrook and Dixie Carter); Leading Ladies (Alley Theatre and Cleveland Play House); a stage version of Murder on the Orient Express written expressly at the request of the Agatha Christie Estate; A Fox on the Fairway; The Gods of Comedy; and Shakespeare in Hollywood. His adaptations include Treasure Island (Alley Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket, AATE Distinguished Play Award); The Three Musketeers (Bristol Old Vic); Sherwood, The Adventures of Robin Hood; and The Beaux’ Stratagem; and his book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays are published in the Yale Review. His first opera, Tenor Overboard, opened in 2022 at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. His newest plays include Lend Me A Soprano (Alley Theatre), Pride and Prejudice, Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley; and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. kenludwig.com
MARK BROKAW (Director) Broadway: the revival of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, Simon Stephen’s Heisenberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Lyons, After Miss Julie, The Constant Wife, Reckless, and Crybaby. Other New York credits include the Signature revival of Jesus Hopped the A Train, and the off-Broadway premieres of Nicky Silver’s The Lyons, Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home and How I Learned To Drive (Vineyard Theatre), Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero (Playwrights Horizons) and This Is Our Youth (New Group and Second Stage), Douglas Carter Beane’s As Bees In Honey Drown, Lisa Kron’s 2.5 Minute Ride (Public Theatre), and The Dying Gaul by Craig Lucas. Regional: Guthrie, Center Theatre Group, Steppenwolf, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Sundance Theatre Lab, Kennedy Center, and the O’Neill Theatre Conference. Brokaw’s work has been seen at London’s Donmar Warehouse and Menier Chocolate Factory, Dublin’s Gate Theatre, and the Sydney Opera House. He has served as Artistic Director for Yale Institute for Music Theatre, a SDC Executive Board member, and currently SDC Foundation President. Recipient of the Alan Schneider Award given by TCG.
MICHAEL BARAKIVA (Director) is an Armenian/Israeli American writer and director based in NYC. As a director, his work has been seen at Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Syracuse Stage, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, as well as the Hangar Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director. Barakiva is an award-winning Young Adult novelist whose third book, These Precious Stones, a queer protagonist contemporary epic fantasy, will be on bookshelves in 2024 (FSG, Macmillan). He has spoken at the Iowa Governor’s Conference for LGBTQ Youth, Brooklyn Book Fair, Spring Writes! Literary Festival, Pennsylvania Library Leadership Conference, Unbound Book Festival, the McNally Jackson Books LGBTQ YA Series and New York Book Expo. He is the founder of the Leadership Initiative Project (LIP), which equips historically excluded artists with the tools to succeed in leadership positions. He has presented at the International University Theatre Festival at UNAM, Mexico City and led workshops at the International Puppet Theatre Sofia, Bulgaria. Recipient of three Drama League Fellowships, the Killian Directing Fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis and was the primary coach on an episode of MTV’s Made. Education: The Juilliard School and Vassar College. michaelbarakiva.com
CHIKA SHIMIZU (Scenic Designer) is a New York based scenic and projection designer. Regional: Pacific Overtures (Signature Theatre), The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep), Sanctuary City (Pasadena Playhouse), Somewhere (Geva Theatre), The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage), Vietgone, Tiger Style! (TheatreSquared), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Rep, CT Critics Circle Award Nom). Off-Broadway: Belfast Girls (Irish Rep), The Naturalists (The Pond Theatre Company, Soho Rep), The Winning Side (Epic Theatre Ensemble, Theatre Row), Awake (The Barrow Group), Romulus The Great (Yangtze Repertory Theatre). Installation: Another Dream, Un(re)solved AR installation (Ado Ato Pictures, 2022 SXSW Innovation Award, Emmy Award, Currently On Tour). MFA in Design from Yale School of Drama. chikashimizu.com
LEX LIANG (Costume Designer) returns to CPH where he previously designed Shakespeare in Love (Scene Design/Costume Design), Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (Costumes), The Three Musketeers (Costumes), The Little Foxes (Scenic/Costumes) and many others. Notable works: Over 100 productions, including Judy Gold’s Yes, I Can Say That! currently playing at Primary Stages, directed by BD Wong; as well as the world premieres of Emma, Mr. Holland’s Opus, The Tattooed Lady, and May We All. Regional: Actor’s Theatre Louisville, Alliance Theatre, Asolo, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Dallas Theatre Center, Denver Center, Geva, Guthrie, La Jolla, Long Wharf, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Playmaker’s Rep, Portland Center Stage, St. Louis Rep, Syracuse Stage, Woolly Mammoth, among others. Liang is the founder and principal of LDC Design Associates in NYC. LexLiang.com
DAVID LANDER (Lighting Designer) returns to CPH where he designed Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors. Broadway: The Lightning Thief, Torch Song with Michael Urie, The Heiress with Jessica Chastain, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo with Robin Williams, 33 Variations with Jane Fonda, I Am My Own Wife, among others. Lander has designed extensively off-Broadway and in regional theaters throughout the US. International Theatre and Opera: Dublin, Delhi, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, among others. Awards: two Tony Award nominations, five Drama Desk Award nominations – including one win – among many others.
LINDSAY JONES (Sound Designer & Composer) Broadway: Slave Play (Tony nominations for Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play), The Nap, Bronx Bombers, and A Time to Kill. Off-Broadway: Privacy (Public), Bootycandy (Playwrights Horizons), Feeding the Dragon (Primary Stages), among others. Regional: Guthrie Theater, Center Stage, American Conservatory Theater, Hartford Stage, Alliance Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, and others. International: Stratford Festival, Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. Audio dramas: Marvel, Audible, Next Chapter Podcasts, and the award-winning “The Imagine Neighborhood.” Film/TV: HBO Films’ A Note of Triumph (2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject) and over 30 films. Jones is the co-chair of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association. lindsayjones.com
JASON HAYES (Wig Designer) is a 2016 & 17’ Drama Desk Award Nominee for Outstanding Wig & Hair Design for his work on The Legend of Georgia McBride and The View Upstairs. Hayes was the Hair Supervisor for The Present starring Cate Blanchett. His Broadway Theatrical design credits include Casa Valentina, The Realistic Jones’s, Spring Awakening, Blithe Spirit, 13 The Musical and Radio City Christmas Spectacular for 10 years. TV: IMORDECAI, The Rise of Hollywood, The Mysteries Of Laura, Smash, Hostages, 30 Rock, Mercy, Gossip Girl, Saturday Night Live. Film: Transamerica, Camp, The Savages, and Party Monster. Clients include: Cate Blanchett, RuPaul, Angelica Huston, Debra Messing, Toni Colette, Dylan McDermott, Felicity Huffman, Jennifer Hudson, Liza Minelli, Sean Hayes, Megan Fox, Mary Stuart Masterson, Cherry Jones, Angela Lansbury, Laura Linney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Macauley Culkin, and Marilyn Manson.
CHRISTIAN KELLY-SORDELET (Fight Director) is a professional fight director and stunt coordinator. Recent works includes stunt coordinating One True Loves and Blue Light, as well as the Broadway and national tour of Tina The Musical. He won a Jeff Award for his fights in Athena. sordeletinc.com
CASEY VENEMA (Intimacy Director) is a freelance intimacy director and theatre artist focused on creating environments of consent and crafting impactful moments of staged intimacy. She is an alumna of Bucknell University- where she graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Theatre and Film and Media Studies- and a student of Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE) and Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC). Venema is the resident intimacy choreographer for Dobama Theatre and has also worked as an intimacy professional for several other theatres in Northeast Ohio, including Cain Park, Karamu House, and Seat of the Pants Theatre. caseyvenema.com
AMANI DORN (Dialect Coach) is a performing artist and educator from Austin, Texas, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She received an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine and has 18 years of professional experience in performance, teaching, and coaching. She got her start performing in musicals in Austin while an undergrad at the University of Texas and has since performed and coached with and for actors all over the world. While pursuing her MFA, she was introduced to Knight-Thompson Speechwork and Fitzmaurice Voicework and has since pursued both certifications and continues her career as a dialect coach. amanidorndialects.com
STEPHANIE KLAPPER (Casting Director) is an award-winning casting director whose work is frequently seen on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, on concert stages, film, television, and streaming media. Recent credits: Becomes a Woman; The Rat Trap; The Daughter in Law; Chains (Mint Theater); Hip Hop Cinderella (Amas Musical Theatre/New Victory) The Rewards of Being Frank (NY Classical and CSF); The Lucky Star; Goldie, Max, and Milk; The New Golden Age (Volt Festival at 59E59); Shout Sister Shout; Grace, the musical (Ford’s Theatre) Elf Quest, the audio movie, Ranked, the musical/HBO Documentary; A Chorus Line (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Candide (Cincinnati Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra). Teaches for NYU’s New Studio on Broadway; USC’s Dept of Theatre/Musical Theatre; participant NYU Tisch Women’s Mentorship Program; Fordham HS for the Arts. Board Member Casting Society of America and Casting Society Cares.
ASHLEY D. POLASEK (Creative Associate) is the Executive Director of The Ken Ludwig Company. Credits include Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Crazy for You, both at Chichester Festival Theatre; the world premiere of Tenor Overboard at Glimmerglass Festival (Script Associate); and the world premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Soprano at The Alley Theatre (Creative Associate). She holds a doctorate in Adaptation Studies, lecturing on her specialism, Sherlock Holmes adaptations, across the US, UK, Continental Europe, and Asia, and serving as a technical advisor for film and television, most recently on Enola Holmes (Legendary Pictures) and Let’s Go Luna! (PBS Kids). She is the author of several books and dozens of chapters and academic journal articles on adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, editor-in-chief of the interdisciplinary journal The Conan Doyle Review, and a member of the Baker Street Irregulars.
CRAIG JOSEPH (Dramaturg) joined the CPH staff in September 2021 as the Artistic Associate, and became Literary Director in September 2022. In addition to his daily work in the office, he served as the dramaturg for CPH’s The Three Musketeers. Outside these walls, Craig is the Artistic Director of Seat of the Pants (seatofthepants.org), an ensemble-based, process-driven theatre company that performs throughout Northeast Ohio. He is also a professional actor and director, having worked regionally at Writers Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Resonance Works, Dobama, Karamu House, Ensemble Theatre, Canton Symphony, and Akron Symphony, among others. Joseph is a Certified Teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique through the Great Lakes Michael Consortium and a proud founding member of The Greenhouse, a cohort of Ohio-based theatre makers who come together regularly to encourage and provoke one another’s evolution as humans, artists, collaborators, and citizens.
LANA SUGARMAN (Assistant Director) is a director, actor, and educator based in Northeast Ohio. Recent directing credits: Enemy of the People (A Rust Belt Adaptation by Les Hunter) and Nothing to See Here, a new musical reading at Rubber City Theatre. Originally from Toronto, Lana has worked in regional theatres across Canada. Recent acting credits: Carol in Hurricane Diane, Glinda in The Land of Oz, (Dobama Theatre), Mary Brenham in Our Country's Good (Seat of the Pants). She is a core member of Seat of the Pants, a local itinerant theatre company that emphasizes ensemble and extended rehearsal processes. Lana holds an MFA in Acting from Kent State University.
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. He 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.
JESSIE HIGGINS (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freelance stage manager based in Cleveland and is excited to return to Cleveland Play House. Credits: Hay Fever and Hi, Are You Single? (CPH), Young Frankenstein (Thin Air Theatre Company), Heathers: High School Edition and Beauty and the Beast (Stagedoor Manor). ASM credits: Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (CPH), Groundhog Day and Legally Blonde (Slow Burn Theatre Company). Tours: Liars (Children’s Theatre of Charlotte) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival WillPower Tour).
MARK CUDDY (Guest Artistic & Managing Director) joined Cleveland Play House in July 2022. He served as Artistic Director of Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY for 27 years. He led Geva through a renaissance of artistic and institutional growth with a diverse repertory, topflight artists, wide-reaching educational programs and a commitment to new play development. Cuddy is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Rochester Fringe Festival that just concluded its fourth year, and served on the Board of Directors of the only national service organization for non-profit theatres, Theatre Communications Group. As a director, Cuddy is known for his productions of musicals, contemporary comedies and premieres. He also directed the CPH/Geva co-production of Clybourne Park. His Geva productions include Once, The Humans, Ring of Fire, Good People, To Kill a Mockingbird, You Can't Take it With You, Superior Donuts, A Midsummer Night’s Dream co-directed with Skip Greer, and Company, as well as his adaptation of A Christmas Carol with music and lyrics by Gregg Coffin. Among his many other Geva credits are The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, Fences, Five Course Love, A Christmas Story, and Pride and Prejudice (co-adaptor), and the world premieres of Convenience (musical) by Gregg Coffin, Theophilus North by Matthew Burnett from Thornton Wilder (also at Arena Stage), Splitting Infinity by Jamie Pachino, Famous Orpheus by Oyamo (choreography by Garth Fagan), House and Garden by Alan Ayckbourn (East Coast premiere), and That Was Then (American premiere). Cuddy has also served as Artistic Director of Sacramento Theatre Company, Producing Director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and on the directing staff of the Denver Center Theatre Company. He has served on the review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. He received his B.A. in Theatre/Honors from the University of Massachusetts where he was a Commonwealth Scholar.
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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