CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS STORY, RETURNING AS AN ALL-NEW PRODUCTION
Posted November 15, 2024 in Press Releases
Cleveland Play House (CPH) presents the holiday classic, A Christmas Story, at the Allen Theatre, running November 30 – December 22. Back by popular demand, the play, based on the popular 1983 film of A Christmas Story that was filmed in Cleveland, comes to life on stage for the first time since 2019 as an all-new production.
The heartwarming, hilarious, and endearing tale follows the Parker family as they get ready for the holidays. Ralphie hopes Santa will bring him a Red Ryder BB gun. His mother — wrists-deep in meatloaf and red cabbage — warns “you’ll shoot your eye out.” His old man is preoccupied with a malfunctioning furnace, the neighbor’s rambunctious dogs, and his major award-- a glorious leg lamp. His classmates are busy avoiding the local bully and challenging each other to perform “triple dog dares.” Fueled by heroic fantasies, Ralph takes matters into his own hands. The Cleveland Play House production, re-imagined this season, finds Ralphie revealing more than his wish for a gift, as he discovers his desire to become a writer.
The production is written by Philip Grecian, based on the 1983 film by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark. Directed by Jackson Gay, the cast includes Justin Anderson, Edith Foley, Evan Graham, Louis Guzowski, Herndon Lackey*, Ethan Monaghan, Derdriu Ring*, Declan Robertson, Greg Stuhr*, Nicole Sumlin*, and Parker Towns.
Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Michael Barakiva states, “When programming this season, we went back and forth about whether we wanted to try something new for this slot, or if we wanted to return to tradition. As a new Artistic Director, wanting to both make his mark on CPH, but also honor what has come before, I wondered if there was a middle ground to be discovered - a way to continue the renaissance that’s been occurring this season, while also giving audiences something to “come home to” for the holidays.”
The regional theatre is excited to present A Christmas Story as a rejuvenated production, with fresh creative elements, casting, and theme additions to the beloved story. Artistic Director Michael Barakiva continues, “CPH is so delighted to share the production you’re about to see, helmed by an extraordinarily creative voice in the American theatre today, Jackson Gay. When she pitched her vision for the show to me - namely, that it’s not merely about a young boy’s quest for a BB-gun, but also about his expanding sense of imagination and discovery that he’s going to be a writer - I was excited by the opportunities this concept would afford our design team, cast, and CPH artisans.”
The creative team for A Christmas Story includes direction by Jackson Gay, scenic design by Riw Rakkulchon, costume design by Tracey Dorman, lighting design by Michael Boll, sound design by Joanna Lynne Staub, associate direction by Sam Morales, fight and movement choreography by José Pérez IV, wig design by Kathy Lynne Mathews, dramaturgy by Michael Glavan, casting direction by Calleri Jenson Davis, stage management by John Godbout*, and assistant stage management by Kelsey Qualters*.
A Christmas Story plays in the Allen Theatre November 30 through December 22. Evening performances of A Christmas Story run Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., and Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm. Matinees run Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Additional performances include Sunday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. Previews run November 30 through December 5. Opening night is Friday, December 6.
Tickets start at $37.50. 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. Groups of 20+ can save up to 30% on their purchase. Single tickets can be purchased by calling 216.241.6000. All tickets can be purchased by visitingclevelandplayhouse.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Ugly Sweater Week, November 30 – December 5: For the first week of previews, audience members are encouraged to wear their favorite ugly holiday sweaters to the theatre! A photo station will be available to take a picture with your group in your best (and ugliest) holiday get-up.
CPH Trivia Night, Monday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.: Attendees can put their A Christmas Story knowledge to the test! Our partner Parnell's Pub (located in Playhouse Square) hosts A Christmas Story-themed Trivia Night that tests your knowledge of the 1983 classic film. Prizes included! FREE to attend, no RSVP needed.
Family Day, Saturday, December 14at 11:30 a.m.: Cleveland Play House is excited to partner with S.H.I.N.E. to present Family Day at the Helen Theatre before the 2:00 p.m. matinee of A Christmas Story, at the Allen Theatre (right next door!). A lunch and Meet & Greet with the cast will be provided. Cleveland Play House has partnered with S.H.I.N.E. for this event, to bring families in need to the theatre this season for some holiday cheer and connection.
Wine Down Wednesday, December 18 at 6 p.m.: Sit and sip before the show at a holiday happy hour! Audience members can enjoy one complimentary drink with a value of up to $10 at Parnell’s Pub in Playhouse Square from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. performance of A Christmas Story. To RSVP to Wine Down Wednesday, audience members should use promo code WDW when they purchase their tickets to the evening performance on Decemeber 18. Must be 21+ to attend. Tickets at clevelandplayhouse.com.
For more information, please visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
KeyBank is the 2024-2025 season sponsor for Cleveland Play House.
*Denotes members of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
BIOGRAPHIES
THE CAST
JUSTIN ANDERSON (Randy) is a great storyteller and loves to entertain. His interests include biking, ninja/Parkour, Greek, mythology, Legos, Pokémon cards, and video games. He loves the Percy Jackson books and enjoys acting out the characters he reads about. He’s a natural leader, who is a good friend to all, and a helpful listener to his friends and brothers. He is very artistic and loves drawing and painting. His favorite subject in class is history and he loves coming home each day to share what he’s learned.
EDITH FOLEY (Helen) is a sixth-grade student in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and previously performed the leading role of Elsa in a Disney Musicals in Schools production of Frozen. Two summers ago, she performed the role of Little Ti Moune in Once on This Island at The Beck’s Center for the Arts, and last winter, Edith portrayed the roles of Miss Abigail and Belinda Cratchet at the Ohio Theater here at Playhouse Square in Great Lakes Theater Company’s production of A Christmas Carol. Edith plays the viola in chamber orchestra and studies ballet and contemporary dance. When she isn’t making music and dancing, Edith loves to read and spend time with her friends, and she is overjoyed to perform in the Allen Theatre and make her debut with Cleveland Play House.
EVAN TYLER GRAHAM (Flick) is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story with Cleveland Play House, marking another exciting step in his budding acting career. Evan has built a strong foundation in theatre with MAD Factory where he has performed in Matilda, Descendants, Moana, Elf, The Sound of Music, and The Lion King. Most recently, he took on the role of Grimsby in The Little Mermaid. When not on stage, Evan enjoys playing soccer, diving into video games, and exploring new ways to express his creativity. He is deeply grateful to his parents for their support and sacrifices, allowing him to pursue his passion for theatre. He also sends a heartfelt thanks to his Nana for sparking his love of live performance through their frequent trips to Playhouse Square. Evan is excited to continue growing as an actor and bring memorable characters to life.
LOUIS GUZOWSKI (Schwartz) debuted as Mayor of Munchkin Land at the Beck Center for the Arts production of The Wizard of Oz in the spring of 2024. Louis quickly took to the stage and is honored and thrilled to star as Schwartz in A Christmas Story. When not performing, Louis enjoys creating comic books, playing drums, collecting coins and shells, and being with his friends. Louis thanks his family for their love and support, especially his sister, Penny, who encouraged him to pursue acting.
HERNDON LACKEY* (Ralph) Broadway : Erich Geibel in LoveMusik, Hugh Dorsey in Parade, Tom Davenport in Inherit the Wind, The Warden in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Inspector Javert in Les Miserables, Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the Squire of Dinidan in Camelot. Off-Broadway he has been seen in Forbidden Broadway, Sarah Plain & Tall, Richard Cory, Bloomer Girl, and The Audience. His Regional Theatre experience includes: the London production of Paradise Found at the Menier Chocolate Factory; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods and Kinky Boots at The Hangar Theater; The Opposite of Sex at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bounce at the Goodman and Kennedy Center; The Tavern at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and 3hree at the Ahmansan Theatre.
ETHAN MONAGHAN (Ralphie) is so thrilled to be making his Cleveland Play House debut! He is an 8th grader at Saint Paschal Baylon school in Highland Heights. Favorite roles at Heights Youth Theatre include Scuttle (The Little Mermaid), Lafou (Beauty and the Beast), Carlos (Descendants), Randolph (Bye Bye Birdie) and Michael Banks (Mary Poppins), as well as Mason (School of Rock) at Cain Park. A proud member of SAG, Ethan has appeared in Manhunt; Deadly Games (Netflix), Kotaro Lives Alone (Netflix) and Baggage Claim (Independent Film). He also originated the role of Kyle on the Disney Jr. animated show, Mickey Mouse Funhouse, and recently booked the lead role in a new animated series, currently in production. Ethan would love to thank the amazing production staff, cast and crew of A Christmas Story, and his family and friends for all of their love and support. “Enjoy the show! Thank you for coming!”
DERDRIU RING* (Miss Sheilds) is elated to return to CPH where she got her first Equity role 24 years ago. A graduate of The Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin and University College Cork, Derdriu has performed across North America at The Guthrie Theatre, Hartford Stage, Geffen Playhouse, Geva Theater, Pittsburgh Public, Kinetic Theatre etc. Memorable roles include; Martha in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Beck Center), Slippy Helen in The Cripple Of Inishmaan (The Geffen Playhouse), Catherine in Proof (CPH), Josie in Moon For The Misbegotten (Great Lakes Theater), Pegeen in The Playboy Of The Western (Irish Rep.Off-Broadway), Rosie Redmond in The Plough & The Stars (The Guthrie Theatre), Narrator in Wassail! (Apollo's Fire), Emma Brookner in The Normal Heart (Ensemble Theatre), Charlotte in Something Clean (Dobama Theatre). Sister Aloysius in Doubt (Beck Center). TV: Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Hope & Faith. Film: The Yank, Dump. derdriuring.com. All my love to Vince, Rosie & Henry.
DECLAN ROBERTSON (Scut Farkus) (he/him) is thrilled to be involved in his first professional production here at Cleveland Play House! Declan has been acting in local youth and community theatre productions since age 9. Favorite credits include (but are not limited to): Newsies the Broadway musical (St. Edward HS), School of Rock the musical (Cassidy Theatre), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (It’s a Madhouse), Wizard of Oz (Beck Center for the Arts), and Infamous the Musical (staged workshop at OSR productions/David Owen Michaels productions). Declan loves performing, travel, American football, baseball, video games and biking with his friends. Declan would like to thank the directors and production team at Cleveland Play House for this opportunity! He blames Tony for the inspiration to perform, thanks his Mother for her transportation/bio writing services, his friends and cats for their support, and thanks the administrators and teachers at LCA for their constant support and enthusiasm.
GREG STUHR* (The Old Man) Broadway credits include Tracy Letts’ The Minutes, Larry David’s Fish In The Dark, David Mamet’s November, Elaine May’s Taller Than A Dwarf, and the Tony Award-winning musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other notable theater work includes world premieres by Ethan Coen, Rolin Jones, Keith Reddin, and Bruce Norris for the Atlantic Theater Company, Yale Rep, South Coast Rep, and Steppenwolf, respectively, and many plays with director Jackson Gay at Hartford Stage, Dorset Theatre Festival, Studio Theatre, and Geffen Playhouse, among others. Greg frequently collaborates with cowriter/director Jenna Ricker on projects including the acclaimed indie film The American Side, hailed as "stylish, tense, witty, and exhilarating,” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and on the award-winning ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Qualified, which premiered at SXSW. Along with Adam O’Byrne and Rolin Jones, Greg created the comedy series Luba’s Lot for Fox Television Studios. For Delaney, Beau, and Eliza.
NICOLE SUMLIN* (Mother) is an actor, singer, director, writer, producer, arts educator and administrator based in Cleveland. She was last seen at CPH in this past summer's New Ground Festival as Becca in The Price of the Ticket by Charles Smith. In 2019, she was awarded Best Actress in a Musical by the Cleveland Critics Circle for her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grille at Beck Center for the Arts. She has enjoyed performances in NYC and many Cleveland theaters including: Beck Center for the Arts, Cain Park, Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, The Fine Arts Association, French Creek Theatre, Karamu House, Lakeland Civic Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Playhouse Square, Seat of the Pants Productions, and Tantrum Theatre. Big love to the SumMagic crew. AEA member.
PARKER TOWNS (Esther Jane) (she/her) recently appeared as Annie this past summer at Porthouse Theater. Other performances include: Pippin (Theo) at Baldwin Wallace University, Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim) with Great Lakes Theater, and performed as Gretl in The Sound of Music at Blossom Music Center as her stage debut in 2022. Parker has many people to thank and appreciates all the support from both her friends and family. Parker would like to give shout-outs to: Brian Marshall, Amber Michalak, Valerie Gould, Ivy Artist Management, and Eris Talent Agency for coaching her along the way.
MADALYN BAKER (Understudy Miss Shields) is an actor, illustrator, and musician from Northern California. She earned her BA in Theatre from Fordham University, and is now in her second year of the CWRU/CPH MFA program. Her recent credits include Lyubov Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard (CPH/CWRU), Mechanic/Aunt in Middletown (CPH/CWRU, Sally Bowles in Cabaret (CWRU), and Cathy in The Last Five Years (Soft Belly Theatre). She also made her Cleveland Play House debut this fall in the ensemble of Pride and Prejudice, and went on for one performance as Lizzie. In addition to being an actor, she writes music, and has her own illustrative art brand called Maddle Baddle. Many thanks to Peter for helping her learn her lines, and for being so wonderful. To learn more about Madalyn, you can check out her work at Madalynbaker.com, @madmaddybaker, and @maddlebaddle.
MATEO MEDIC (Understudy Randy, Flick) is thrilled to make his debut with the Cleveland Play House in a Christmas Story. Mateo has been performing since he was four years old with the American Zagreb Junior Tamburitzans. He sings, dances, and plays traditional Croatian instruments. He has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Croatia. Mateo is currently a fourth grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Mateo’s long-term ambition is to be a professional actor.
CALDER MEIS (Understudy The Old Man) is thrilled to join the company of A Christmas Story. As a member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program, he has appeared as Yepikhodov in The Cherry Orchard and John Dodge in Middletown. He made his mainstage debut in Pride & Prejudice (Ensemble, Fight Captain, u/s Miss Bingley/Mr. Wickham/Mr. Collins). Last summer, he had the privilege of assistant directing and music supervising Uma Incrocci's To Keep and Bear as a part of CPH's New Ground Theatre Festival. BFA, Baylor University. “Cleveland, this is for you!” -LeBron James
LENNON ROSIAR (Understudy Esther Jane, Helen) began her theatrical career two years ago when she debuted in Honk! Jr. She is a member of the Caryl Crane Youth Theater company and competition team. She is a solo award winner at NYTE. Her community works include: Finding Nemo, Alice in Wonderland, A Year with Frog and Toad, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, and Dear Edwina Jr. She has participated in many theatre camps. Lennon is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
PHILLIP GRECIAN (Playwright) makes his full-time living as a playwright. His authorized stage adaptation of the film A Christmas Story has approximately 100 professional and amateur productions annually. His staged radio adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life has been broadcast on both radio and television and continues to be produced on stages throughout the United States and Canada. Other works, most of which are published by Dramatic Publishing, include The Great Gatsby, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Dragon of Nitt and The Lion and the Lyre (both translated and performed in Russia), In His Steps, Little Pills, Toby Saves the Farm and a translation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Grecian has also worked as a writer/director for film, video and audio production, earning more than 150 local, regional and national awards, and his televised live radio adaptation of Dracula won an Emmy in 2010. Additionally, he has written many staged and televised radio scripts, including Twisted Tales of Poe, Trilogy of Terror, A Christmas Carol, The Hound of the Baskervilles (Emmy nomination), The Blood Countess, Frankenstein (Emmy nomination), Call of the Mummy (Emmy nomination), Ghosts of the Elysian Arms (Emmy nomination) and Midnight Tales in Shadow Wood (Emmy nomination). His work has been produced at the Cleveland Play House, Arts Club Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Orlando Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Center Stage, Creede Repertory Theatre and Syracuse Stage, among others.
JACKSON GAY (Director) is a New York-based director whose work includes Christina Anderson's the ripple, the wave that carried me home (world premiere co-production Berkeley Rep and Goodman Theatre); Sidekicked by Kim Powers (Dorset Theatre Festival); Natural History by Collin Van Son (O’Neill Festival); The Yellow Wallpaper 2.0 by Jennifer Maisel (LucilleLortel); Into the Breeches (Gulfshore Playhouse); Partnership (Mint Theater); New Neighborhood’s Endless Loop of Gratitude (New Ohio’s Ice Factory); Lucy Thurber’s Transfers for Audible, MCC, and New York Stage & Film; These Paper Bullets! by Rolin Jones with music by Billie Joe Armstrong (New Neighborhood, Atlantic, Geffen, Yale Rep). Upcoming work includes Yasmina Reza’s Art (American Players Theatre), King Lear (Resident Ensemble Players), The Happiness Gym by Ken Weitzman with New Neighborhood (Theatre Lab), and Hard Road, a new country music musical - book by Willy Holtzman with music by Nashville’s Marty Dodson and David Spangler (Bucks County Playhouse March 2025). Jackson teaches Directing at Brooklyn College. MFA Directing Yale School of Drama. jacksongracegay.com
RIW RAKKULCHON (Scenic Designer) (pronounced Ree-you) is a Set & Costume Designer, Animator and Chef from Bangkok, Thailand. He/They has worked at Yale Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, The Old Globe, Drury Lane Theatre, Asolo Rep, The Acting Company, 59E59, Edinburgh Fringe, Primary Stages, Hartford Stage, The Public Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music amongst others. Broadway Associate Set Design: Pass Over, &Juliet, Parade. Board member of WithAll, a non-profit oganization on a fight to end eating disorders. B.F.A. Ithaca College, M.F.A Yale School of Drama (Donald & Zorca Oenslager Fellowship Award in Design Recipient). Member of United Scenic Artist 829. IG: @riwrdesign
TRACY DORMAN (Costume Designer) has designed productions at regional theater and opera companies around the country including at San Diego’s The Old Globe, Asolo Rep, Syracuse Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, GEVA, Milwaukee Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Drury Lane (Chicago), Kansas City Rep, Gulfshore Playhouse, Maltz-Jupiter, Manhattan School of Music, Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Omaha, Chicago Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass, and New York City Opera. In addition, she has worked on numerous film and tv shows, winning an Emmy Award for her work on As The World Turns. Please visit www.tracydorman.com for a more extensive listing of production credits.
MICHAEL BOLL (Lighting Designer) Cleveland Play House designs include Pipeline, Native Gardens, An Iliad, The Invisible Hand, The Good Peaches, The Little Foxes, Venus in Fur, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, In the Next Room or the vibrator play, and Stew and the Negro Problem. Productions with the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program include Macbeth, Metamorphoses, The Winter's Tale, An Orchard, and Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. Other Cleveland lighting design work includes Cleveland Public Theatre, Karamu House, Cain Park, Cleveland Museum of Art, Dobama Theatre and Beck Center for the Arts. New York credits include The Moliere Cycle (Classic Stage Company), Dog Sees God (SoHo Playhouse) and The Moonlight Room (Associate Lighting Designer, Beckett Theatre). His work has also been seen at the N.Y. Fringe Festival, La MaMa E.T.C., HERE Arts Center, and Yale Cabaret.
JOANNA LYNNE STAUB (Sound Designer) is a NYC-based Sound Designer and Audio Engineer making her CPH debut. Her design credits include Alliance Theatre, Bay Street, Berkshire Theatre Group, Bucks County Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Center, 5th Avenue Theatre, Geva Theatre, Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, Seattle Rep, Trinity Rep, and WP Theatre. She has worked extensively associate designing and engineering Broadway shows and national touring companies. TV credits include PBS Great Performances, The View, and the NBC-Live! Productions of The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, and The Wiz. She is a Drama Desk Nominated Sound Designer, Jeff Award (Chicago) Nominated Composer, and a GRAMMY Nominated Recording Engineer, along with having won regional design awards in Nashville and San Diego. She holds music, audio engineering, and technical theatre degrees from Ithaca College and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Proud member of USA-829. jlssound.com
KATHY LYNNE MATHEWS (Wig Designer) is a native of Pittsburgh Pa where she has been a hairstylist for nearly 30 years. Kathy is a member of IATSE Local 3 and has had many opportunities to work various plays and musical. The Importance of Being Earnest is particularly special because it was her first opportunity to be Hair Designer for a production. She also has designed for Dial M for Murder and POTUS. The experience of working on The Christmas Story has been extremely rewarding both personally and professionally.
SAM MORALES (Associate Director) is a NYC-based director, actor, and professor. As a director, she made her professional debut in 2023 at the University of Scranton. Since then, she’s worked as a director at the Scranton Shakespeare Festival and again at the University of Scranton. She was a member of the inaugural group for the Leadership Initiative Project led & conceived by Michael Barakiva. As an actor, she has worked at The Public Theater, BAM, Theatre for a New Audience, and at major regional theatres across the country. You can watch her on TV on Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, FBI, Dead Ringers, and Killington. She is the current academic department director for On Camera Acting & Auditioning at AMDA, as well as a faculty member at the Lee Strasberg Institute, NYU Tisch. She is thrilled to be making her Cleveland Playhouse debut and she is incredibly thankful to Michael and Jackson for the opportunity to do so. officialsammorales.com | @_sam_morales
JOSÉ PÉREZ IV (Fight and Movement Choreographer) (he/him) is a Pittsburgh-based fight & intimacy director, playwright, and actor. Previously at CPH, he was the Fight Choreographer for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by Michael Barakiva. He is the Resident Fight & Intimacy Director of Pittsburgh Public Theater (recent credits: The Hobbit, The Coffin Maker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem, Robin Hood). Regional credits: POTUS for City Theatre, Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy for Actors Theatre of Louisville, A Moon for the Misbegotten for Quantum Theater, Breakfalls for Vermont Stages. Recent acting credits: Bombur/Elven Queen in The Hobbit at Pittsburgh Public Theater (directed by Marya Sea Kaminski), Kyle in Brian Pope’s Himbos at The New Hazlett, Ace in To Battle: a fight play for Louisville Hivemind Collective. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing, the University of Pittsburgh’s MFA Performance Pedagogy program, and member of the Society of American Fight Directors.
MICHAEL GLAVAN (Production Dramaturg) (he/him) is a freelance actor, director, dramaturg, teacher, and producer around NE Ohio. Michael has had the good fortune to get work on and offstage with other terrific NE Ohio arts organizations such as Seat of the Pants, Dobama, Porthouse, Blank Canvas, Rubber City, Canton Players Guild, and Near West Theatre. Michael is proud to be an ensemble member of Seat of the Pants, an ensemble-based and process-driven theatre company. He celebrates with love and gratitude his family and friends, teachers and instructors, and you for supporting and participating in live theatre. IG: @mglavan425
CALLERI JENSEN DAVIS (Casting Directors: James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis) is a creative casting partnership of over 20 years located in NYC. They are thrilled to be working with CPH. Awarded 16 Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting. Broadway credits include Topdog/ Underdog, The Piano Lesson, For Colored Girls..., Thoughts of a Colored Man, Burn This, Fool for Love, Venus in Fur, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, The Elephant Man (also West End), Of Mice and Men, Hughie, The Visit, 33 Variations, A Raisin in the Sun, Living on Love, Chicago, James Joyce's The Dead. TV credits include Love Life (HBO Max) Queens (ABC), Dickinson (Apple +), The Path (Hulu), Lipstick Jungle, Army Wives, Monk, Hope & Faith, and Ed. www.callerijensendavis.com
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, he stage managed La Cage Aux Folles at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. 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.
KELSEY QUALTERS* (Assistant Stage Manager) (she/her) is thrilled to be making her Cleveland Play House debut! Recent credits include Swan Lake Rock Opera Off-Broadway (Production Stage Manager, Triad Theater), The Fairy Queen (Production Stage Manager, Manhattan School of Music), and The Seagull (Production Stage Manager, Columbia University). In addition, she has worked with RWS Entertainment, Porthouse Theatre, New York Film Academy, and the Broadway Stage Management Symposium. She holds a BFA from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is incredibly grateful to be part of such a talented team, helping to create magic on stage. Dedicated to Papa and Joe.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
MICHAEL BARAKIVA (Artistic Director) is an Armenian-Israeli American director and writer who has staged new plays, revivals, and classics in New York City and around the country. Michael was appointed Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House in December 2023, where he served as director of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as well as co-director of CPH’s world premiere production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. Barakiva’s work has been seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Primary Stages, Syracuse Stage, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the Hangar Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director. He founded The Upstart Creatures, a theatre company that creates community through performance and food, as well as the Leadership Initiative Project, which equips historically excluded artists with the tools to succeed in leadership positions. Barakiva has received three Drama League directing fellowships, the Phil Killian Directing Fellowship (OSF), the David Merrick Prize in Drama, and was a Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis. He led a week-long workshop on musical theatre at the International Puppet Theater in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was a presenter at the International University Theatre Festival at UNAM in Mexico City. He served as producer of Summer Camp 6 (Soho Rep) and as the Readings and Workshops Coordinator at New York Stage and Film, as well as a Primary Coach on Season 2 of MTV’s Made. As a writer, Barakiva is the recipient of a Red Bull Commission for his adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, an EST/Sloan Project Commission, and a co-author of String Theory (Connotation Press). His young adult novels have been named to the Rainbow List, Equality Family Council Reading List, The Barnes and Noble’s Perfect Valentine’s Day YA Novels list, spending over a year as Goodreads #1 LGBTQ YA Novel. Education: Vassar College, The Juilliard School.
RACHEL L. FINK (Managing Director) is thrilled to return home to Northeast Ohio as CPH’s Managing Director. Her childhood was filled with fundamental and rich Cleveland arts experiences — and it was at Heights High (Go Tigers!) that Fink’s passion for arts access, social justice, and inclusive, equitable practices was ignited. She carried those values with her as she enrolled at Case Western Reserve University, where an astute professor introduced her to the field of arts administration, and she hasn’t turned back since. The experience at CWRU led to an internship at Cleveland Play House, followed by earning an MFA in theater management at the Yale School of Drama (now the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale). After graduate school, Fink ventured west to Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, where she founded and grew the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre into a nationally-recognized learning hub which centered theatre as an essential education and engagement tool for all ages. After 16 years at the Rep, she was ready to move on, and became the Managing Director of Theatre Bay Area, providing direct service and support to more than 300 theatres and 2,000 artists across the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, Fink served as the executive director of the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. Producing highlights include Plantation! by Kevin Douglas and directed by David Schwimmer; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written and directed by David Catlin; Her Honor Jane Byrne, written and directed by J. Nicole Brooks (holiday radio broadcast in partnership with local NPR affiliate, WBEZ); Steadfast Tin Soldier, written and directed by Mary Zimmerman; and Lookingglass Alice, written and directed by David Catlin. Fink has held professional distinctions including co-leading the Professional Association of Chicago Theatres; and serving as a Fellow at the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago/Harris School of Public Policy; as the US delegate for the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme; as a member of the American Express/Aspen Institute Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders inaugural class; and as a 2016 artEquity facilitator cohort member.
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.
###
