CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS A RIFF ON SHAKESPEARE WITH PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY, FAT HAM
Posted January 21, 2025 in Press Releases
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House presents Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony Award-nominated modern riff on Hamlet, Fat Ham in the Allen Theatre this February. Written by James Ijames, and directed by Cleveland’s own Nathan Henry, the story follows Juicy, a queer Southern Black mama’s boy and his family in the American south succeeding the death of Juicy’s late father. The all-BIPOC cast includes Mell-Vonti Bowens Jr. (Larry), Ananias J. Dixon* (Juicy), Tanesha Gary* (Tedra), Shunté Lofton* (Opal), Paul Oakley Stovall* (Pap/Rev), Brenden Peifer* (Tio), and Mariama Whyte* (Rabby). Tickets can be purchased at clevelandplayhouse.com, or by calling the box office at 216-241-6000.
Fat Ham Attendees should get their plates ready for a slab of smokin’ hot revenge! It’s a big, boisterous, backyard, Black BBQ — all to celebrate the marriage of Juicy’s mother and stepfather! But something’s rotten in the state of North Carolina; the ghost of Juicy’s Pap reveals that he’s been murdered and demands his “soft” son toughen up and avenge him. Amidst guests that include a church lady, a tomboy, a closeted soldier, and one very stoned cousin, Juicy must figure out if it’s more important “to take arms against a sea of troubles” or to be true to his own fabulous self! It’s Hamlet for here and now. With karaoke. This Tony Award-nominated play is a delicious, outrageously, heaping hot mess of hilarity!
Director Nathan Henry says, “Cleveland deserves a Fat Ham, and if it’s going to be done in Cleveland, Cleveland Play House should be the one doing it.”
Henry continues, “I have been a huge fan of James Ijames and his work. I had the opportunity to direct his heartbreaking play, Kill Move Paradise, at Dobama Theatre in 2022. After reading Fat Ham, I found myself literally laughing out loud at nearly every line. The characters and the story are so outrageous that I knew I wanted to direct the play one day. I hope Cleveland audiences leave the theatre feeling inspired, entertained, and full of joy. I also hope they will be encouraged to clap, sing, sway, and weep in their seats whenever they are moved to do so.”
Juicy’s call for liberation comes from his desire to escape his family’s barbecuing business, which he combats by attending an online university to complete his degree in human resources. After this aspiration becomes a challenge due to a turn of events, stemming from his mother marrying his uncle following the death of his father, Juicy must dig deep to emerge from hardship and generational trauma to stay true to himself and achieve his dreams.
Fat Ham Playwright James Ijames is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, director and educator. James is the recipient of the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist and two Barrymore Awards, for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. James is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrence McNally New Play Award (for WHITE), the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner (for ...Miz Martha), a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, and a recipient of the 2019 Kesselring Prize (for Kill Move Paradise), a 2020 Steinberg Prize and the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. Fat Ham was commissioned and programed at the Wilma Theatre right before the COVID-19 pandemic; to combat this, the theatre produced the play as a film. Fat Ham first premiered live at The Public Theatre in New York in 2022, and later appeared on Broadway in April of 2023.
James Ijames on Fat Ham in an interview with NBC, “It makes me so happy because when I was young, I didn’t have a lot of [black queer characters] that I could turn to on TV, on stage, or anywhere really, and I am glad there are more things like that for… people in the country who are looking for a mirror.” FULL INTERVIEW HERE.
Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Michael Barakiva states, “I saw Fat Ham on Broadway. Minutes after the curtain call ended, I was still in my seat, dazed and elated by this thing of wonder, beauty, and profundity. Fat Ham is everything that I love about theatre: a compelling story full of deep relationships that functions on both a universal and personal level.”
The creative team for Fat Ham includes direction by Nathan Henry, associate direction and choreography by Jailyn Sherell Harris, musical direction by Colleen Longshaw Jackson, scenic design by Shaun Motley, costume design by Yvonne L. Miranda, lighting design by Erica Lauren Maholmes, sound design by Derek A. Graham, wig design by Rueben D. Echoles, dramaturgy and intimacy coordination by Nina Domingue, stage management by John Godbout*, and assistant stage management by Tyree Franklin. Additional creative team members include Dakota Cox (Drag Consultant), Zerah Ruiz (Directing Intern), and Dusten A. Welch (Fight Choreographer).
Fat Ham plays in the Allen Theatre February 1 -23. Evening performances of Fam Ham run Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., and Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m.. Matinees run Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.. Alternate performances include Sunday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m (there is not a 2:00 p.m. matinee on this day), and Sunday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m.. Previews run February 1 – 6. Opening night is Friday, February 7.
Tickets for Fat Ham start at $25. Students can receive $15 tickets with a valid student ID. Ohio Direction/EBT cardholders receive $5 admission to any performance (up to 8 tickets). Military personnel can receive up to 50% off tickets. Single tickets can be purchased by calling 216.241.6000 or by visiting clevelandplayhouse.com. Groups of 10 or more can save up to 50% off by contacting CPH Groups Sales at 216.400.7053.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Wine Down Wednesday: Wednesday, February 12 at Parnell’s Pub in Playhouse Square:
Sit and sip before the show! Audience members can enjoy one complimentary drink with a value of up to $10 at Parnell’s Pub in Playhouse Square from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. performance of Fat Ham. To RSVP to Wine Down Wednesday, audience members should use promo code WDW when they purchase their tickets to the evening performance on February 12. Must be 21+ to attend. Tickets at clevelandplayhouse.com.
ASL Interpreted performance of Fat Ham: Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m.:
CPH has partnered with The HeArd to provide select ASL-interpreted performances during our 2024-25 Season. Guests who would like to attend these performances should use promo code ASL when purchasing their tickets to ensure they will be in view of the interpreters.
English Open Caption performance of Fat Ham: Saturday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.:
At the English Open Caption Performance, a screen will be placed near the stage that displays the spoken dialogue as well as the sounds heard during the live production. Captions are provided by C2 Caption Coalition. Guests who would like to attend this performance should use promo code CAPTION when purchasing their tickets to ensure they will be in view of the captioning screen.
KeyBank is the official sponsor for the Cleveland Play House 2024-25 Season
Fat Ham is sponsored by KeyBank, with additional support from the Paul M. Angell Foundation.
Special thanks to our restaurant partner, Zanzibar Soul Fusion.
Fat Ham is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
* denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
For more information, please visitwww.clevelandplayhouse.com
BIOGRAPHIES
THE CAST
MELL-VONTI BOWENS, JR. (Larry) (he/him), Graduate of Baldwin Wallace Universities BFA Acting Program. Recently appeared as Tham the Brave in North: the Musical in the 12 city West Coast National Tour and in Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey II at The Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, Florida. Mell-Vonti’s Cleveland credits include; Lucas in the Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin at Karamu House, ISA in Kill Move Paradise at Dobama, Soldier in Macbeth at Great Lakes Theatre, Donkey in Shrek the Musical, and David Keaton in the Exonerated at the Beck Center for the Arts. Mell is ecstatic to dive back into the esteemed writing of playwright James ljames after his Cleveland Premier of Ijames’s Kill Move Paradise. @TheRealSup3rstar
ANANIAS J. DIXON* (Juicy) is an actor, director, coach, arts educator, Education Content Production Coordinator at Playhouse Square and Co-founder and executive Director of DOC Studios. Theater credits include: Sweat, Two trains Running, and Lyon’s Den (Pittsburgh Public Theatre); Kill Move Paradice, Skeleton Crew, Sunset Baby, The Effect, An Octoroon (Dobama Theatre); Detroit 67, Julius X , The Blacks: A Clown Show (Karamu House); The Claxson Family, How to End Poverty in 90 min, Ratus and Hattie (Cleveland Public Theater); Ali Summit (Actor Theatre of Louisville) Black Angels Over Tuskegee (Actors Temple); John Henry, The royale (Cleveland Play House); The Toilet (New federal theatre). TV/film Includes: Law and Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, Boardwalk Empire, Upstairs, NYC 22, Antwone Fisher, Home_, and Criminal Activity, Sin Eater, Figure it out, and Standing8. For more information visit: Ananiasjdixon.com or Ananiasjdixon on all platforms.
TANESHA GARY* (Tedra) (she/her) is excited to make her Cleveland Play House debut with this production. She’s a Chicago native that resides in NY. She’s an actor, musician, recording artist and lover of life. Some of her theatre credits are Caroline, or Change at Eugene O’Neill Theatre, La Cage Aux Folles at Barrington Stage, Fat Ham at The Public Theatre and Studio Theatre DC, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill at Human Race Theatre, Newsies at Maltz Jupiter Theatre and To Kill A Mockingbird at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Tanesha can be seen in television episodes of Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods and Bull. She is the voice of Worm's Mom in Bug Diaries. Some of Tanesha’s film credits are Bamboozled, The Cycle and Mr. Wonderful. taneshagary.com On social media at @tanesha_gary (Instagram and Twitter) @taneshagary (Facebook)
SHUNTÉ LOFTON* (Opal) is very excited to be returning to Cleveland Play House! She is a recent graduate of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. Her previous Cleveland credits include: Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), Countess Johanna Von Strack (Amadeus), Prospera (The Tempest), Lucrece (The Liar), Death (Everybody), and F (Passage). She also served as the Assistant Director for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She’s had the privilege of growing up all over the world and comes to Cleveland from her new home base in New York. She is thankful to God and to her family for their continued support. A lover of the classics, she has performed her way through over half of Shakespeare’s canon. Some of her favorite credits include: Ophelia (Hamlet) and Princess of France (Love’s Labour’s Lost) with the American Shakespeare Center; Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Constance (King John) with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She is represented by Dani Super Management, Docherty Agency and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Website: shuntelofton.com
PAUL OAKLEY STOVALL* (Pap, Rev) is making his Cleveland Play House debut. Broadway: A Strange Loop (co-producer; Tony award). Tours: Hamilton (1st National; George Washington), Rent, Once on this Island. Regional: Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Malvolio; Je nomination), Angels in America I and II (KC Rep; Belize; dir. David Cromer), Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla, Huntington, etc. Playwright: Immediate Family (dir. Phylicia Rashad - Goodman, Mark Taper), Written by Phillis (Quintessence Theatre Group); Alkebulan: A New Musical (workshop- Irish Institute of Music and Song, Porchlight Music Theatre). Directing: Gods And Monsters (Je nomination), Giovanni’s Room (upcoming spring 2025/also co-adapter - QUINTESSENCE). Film/TV: Buffalo (producer, writer, winner Best Actor- Diversity in Cannes Showcase), Columbus, Charlotte, Chicago (producer/writer/actor); sci-web series Tulsa available on Amazon Prime. Shameless, Chicago PD, Empire, John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus, Robert Altman’s The Company. Former Advance Associate/Media Logistics Coordinator for First Lady Michelle Obama, domestic and international. @tallpowerpaul
BRENDEN PEIFER* (Tio) is thrilled to make his Cleveland Play House debut in this production of Fat Ham. He has been a regular on Pittsburgh regional stages, and most recently appeared in Skeleton Crew (Dez) and American Buffalo (Bobby) at barebones productions. At the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem (Demetrius), A Raisin in the Sun (George Murchison), and August Wilson’s Two Trains Running (Sterling). Other Pittsburgh credits include Hamlet (Laertes) for Quantum Theatre, One Night in Miami (Jamaal) at City Theatre Company, and many more shows for the New Hazlett’s CSA Series, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Bricolage Production Company, New Horizon Theatre, FolkLab, and PPT’s PlayTime series. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA and proudly serves as the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for the August Wilson Archive at the University of Pittsburgh Library System. Instagram: @brendenpeifer
MARIAMA WHYTE* (Rabby) is very excited to return to Cleveland Play House in Fat Ham. A multi-hyphenate artist, Mariama’s CPH credits include appearances in Light it Up!, The Amen Corner, The Price of the Ticket, The Nolan Williams Project, In The Groove and Over The Top, and Inspiring Resolutions. She has performed in the Broadway National Tours of The Lion King and The Color Purple and throughout the Cleveland area at Karamu House, Dobama Theatre, and Cleveland Public Theatre. As a vocalist, Mariama has headlined various shows throughout Northeast Ohio and has shared the stage with world renowned performers and musicians, including David Foster, John Legend, and Michelle Williams. She has released several music projects as an independent recording artist, including Beyond, What If I Fall In Love Witchu, and Find Your Light. As a screen actor, Mariama has appeared in American Rust with Jeff Daniels, several regional commercials, and various independent film projects. A TEDx and keynote speaker as well, Mariama enjoys sharing her insight through story and song to inspire and entertain her audiences. Awards: Room in the House Artist Residency (Karamu House 2020), Verge Fellowship (Cleveland Arts Prize 2019). Mariama Whyte is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA. www.mariamawhyte.com
BRIANNA MILLER (U/S Opal) (she/her) is so excited to be a part of this timely and uplifting production. Her most recent credits include Anya in The Cherry Orchard (CWRU/CPH), Gwendolyn Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), and Player Queen in Hamlet (Santa Cruz Shakespeare). Some of her favorite roles include Camae in The Mountaintop (Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center), The Naif in Sleeping Giant (Know Theatre), and Millie Davis in Trouble in Mind (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company). She also worked with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on The Living Dead, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support, especially Nathan Sullivan, who is the sole reason she is off-book for most shows.
MARY-FRANCIS MILLER (U/S Tedra and Rabby) (she/her) is an actor, vocalist, musician and proud Cleveland native. Mary-Francis was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus. Performance credits include the Karamu House productions of Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, Passing Strange, Simply Simone, and The American premiere of The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God; the Cleveland Public Theatre productions of Fire on the Water and Panther Women as actor and music director; and the Ohio premiere of Sunset Baby at Dobama Theatre. Mary-Francis also starred in an educational web-series in collaboration with PNC and The Cleveland Orchestra entitled Music Explorers. Film credits include The Emancipation of Miss Millie, Black Hiding Place, and Figure It Out. Mary-Francis is savoring the honor and the pleasure of being a part of this production here at Cleveland Play House and is looking forward to an amazing run. IG: @iam_mary.francis
GEOFF SHORT (U/S Pap, Rev) Geoff is thrilled to be working with the Fat Ham team, his first show at CPH since coming back home to Cleveland after directing and performing in South Florida for the past 10 years. He last appeared as Mitch Mahoney in Cain Park’s 2024 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and as Streetsinger in the Near West Theatre Production of Brooklyn. He will be making his Seat of the Pants Productions debut in March as Gerald in Amerikin. Other recent credits: Once on This Island (Ton Ton), Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas), Driving Miss Daisy (Hoke), Jekyll & Hyde (Utterson). Recent Directing credits: Evita, Something Rotten, Wedding Singer, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, In the Heights. Geoff thanks Cindy for her love and support, and all of his family and everyone at CPH for this opportunity. It’s great to be home! www.GeoffreyBShort.com
MARVIS STEVENS (U/S Juicy, Larry, and Tio) (he/they) is a junior BWMT from Maple Grove, Minnesota, and is extremely excited to be joining the cast of Fat Ham. He has been performing in musicals, showcases, plays, and more for the past six years. Recently, he’s been featured as Mr. Black (The Wild Party), Audrey 2 (Little Shop of Horrors), and Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar). Marvis is passionate about storytelling that amplifies underrepresented voices and fosters connection through the arts. He would like to thank his family and mentors for their continued support and inspiration.INSTAGRAM: @marvisstevens
THE CREATIVE TEAM
JAMES IJAMES (Playwright) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, director and educator. James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago, IL) and Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright's Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. James is the recipient of the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist and two Barrymore Awards, for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. James is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrence McNally New Play Award (for WHITE), the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner (for ...Miz Martha), a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, and a recipient of the 2019 Kesselring Prize (for Kill Move Paradise), a 2020 Steinberg Prize and the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and an M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University.
NATHAN HENRY (Director) has worked as a professional director, producer, and actor for over 20 years. Notable director credits include the regional premiere of James Ijames’ Kill Move Paradise at Dobama Theatre; the world premiere of Nina Domingue’s The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Miss Joan Southgate at Cleveland Public Theatre; the Cleveland professional premiere of Jonathan Larson’s Rent at Cain Park; Eric Coble’s The Velocity of Autumn at Karamu House; Brooklyn the Musical at Near West Theatre; the regional premier of Dominique Morisseau’s Night Vision at Ensemble Theatre; Idris Goodwin’s Jacked! at Cleveland Play House; the world premiere of White Man’s Burden at Beck Center for the Arts (in partnership with the National Alliance for Music Theatre and the BW Music Theatre program); Stephen Schwartz’s Pippin for the BW Music Theatre Program; Lynn Nottage's Sweat at BW Theatre; Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit ’67 at BW Theatre; the touring production of Ya Mama! at Cleveland Public Theatre and Hollywood Fringe Festival; Douglas Turner Ward’s Day of Absence at Karamu House; the world premiere of Nina Domingue’s The Web of Anansi at Near West Theatre; August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at Cleveland School of the Arts; and the critically-acclaimed production of Stew’s Passing Strange at Karamu House; which earned him the Cleveland Scene Theatre Award for Best Director. Nathan has served Cleveland Play House for over 20 seasons in various roles and capacities. He is currently CPH’s Director of Artistic Engagement and Inclusivity, following six seasons as CPH’s Director of Marketing. Member: SSDC, The Drama League, Theatre Communications Group, the ArtEquity BIPOC Leadership Circle in partnership with Yale University. Alma Mater: Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music. Nathan dedicates this production to the memory of his beloved mother, Minnie Alice Jeffries Lilly, a who became an ancestor in January 2024. Romans 8:28.
SHAUN MOTLEY (Scenic Designer) Shaun is very excited to work at Cleveland Play House and work with director, Nathan Lilly on Fat Ham. Some of his theater credits include The Jonah People world premiere at Nashville Symphony; Nina Simone: Four Women (KC Rep and Milwaukee Rep); Seven Guitars (Milwaukee Rep and Cincinnati Playhouse); Reclamation of Madison Hemings (Indiana Repertory Theatre); King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, The Rivals, and Fences (American Players Theater); Alice’s Wonderland, Red Riding Hood, Jitney, Top Dog Under Dog, and Fences (South Coast Repertory); Blues In The Night, Pipeline (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Three Sisters (Lower Depth Theatre); Po Boy Tango (East West Players); Home, Zooman, and The Sign (Signature Theatre); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill and Cuttin’ Up (Arena Stage). Some of his TV/Film productions include The Wall, College Bowl, Little Big Shots (NBC); Card Sharks, Press Your Luck, Family Food Fight, and Weakest Link (ABC); Spin The Wheel (FOX); Love Is Blind, and Pressure Cooker (Netflix); Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET); and After Midnight, Let’s Make A Deal, and Superfan (CBS); Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity and Wishlist Games (MGM/Amazon Prime).
YVONNE L. MIRANDA (Costume Designer) is excited to make her debut at Cleveland Play House. A United States Marine Corps war veteran who hales from the state of Texas & now resides in Chicago, IL. She is a nominee of the 2022 Helen Hayes Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Woolly Mammoth Theatre & Baltimore Center Stage’s co-production of Ain’t No Mo and has been named American Theatre’s Role Call People to Watch. Chicago: World Premiere Leroy & Lucy (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Primary Trust (Goodman Theatre); Flood (Shattered Globe Theatre); Somewhere Over the Border (Teatro Vista Theatre). Regional: Once on this Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Our Town, Public Works Dallas-The Odyssey & Into the Woods (Dallas Theare Center). Off Broadway: The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Red Bull Theatre + Fiasco Theatre). www.yvonnemirandadesigns.com
ERICA LAUREN MAHOLMES (Lighting Designer) (she/her) is a Kansas City-based USA829 lighting designer. She recently designed Pride and Prejudice and was a Lighting Apprentice at CPH for the 2019/2020 Season (Into The Breeches, Pipeline, Clue, Merchant of Venice, Getting Near To Baby, Every Brilliant Thing, A Christmas Story). She made her Broadway debut as the Assistant Lighting Designer of The Notebook: The Musical and Associate Lighting Designer of Mary Jane (Manhattan Theatre Club). Erica has designed at theaters across the country including: Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, A Red Orchid Theatre, Trinity Rep, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Alley Theatre, etc. Erica is an alumna of Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (2016 & 2021), West Chester University (BA), and Illinois State University (MFA). She is a proud member of Black Theatre Network, Design Action, and is an Artistic Board member of Cat’s Cradle Theatre.
DEREK A. GRAHAM (Sound Designer) (he/him) is a sound designer, audio engineer, and composer based in Raleigh, NC. Recent CPH credits include What the Constitution Means to Me (Sound Designer) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Composer); Recent regional designs include TYT 5 (Sacred Fools Theater Company); Fat Ham; They Do Not Know Harlem (PlayMakers Repertory Company); What We Look Like; Kill Move Paradise; Skeleton Crew; Wakey, Wakey; An Octaroon (Dobama Theatre); I Shall Not Be Moved/Your Negro Tour Guide (Ensemble Theatre Cincinatti). Recent regional compositions: Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Asolo Repertory Theatre); In Every Generation (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley); The Chinese Lady (Artists Repertory Theatre); Redwood (World Premiere, Portland Center Stage at the Armory). He holds an MFA in Sound Design from Ohio University and a BA in Music with an emphasis in Sound Recording Technology from Elizabeth City State University.
RUEBEN D. ECHOLES (Wig Designer) ) (he/him) Rueben is an accomplished playwright, director, choreographer, illustrator, costume and wig designer. He has had the pleasure of working with many theater companies across the country and in the Chicagoland area such as ETA, Black Ensemble, Mmpact, Congo Square, Refuge, Porchlight Music Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Skylight Milwaukee, Writers Theater, Theo Ubique, Invictus, The Goodman Theater, Phoenix Theater Company and Studio One Dance Theater, just to name a few. His most recent projects include Wig Design for Lion in Winter at Court Theatre, Costume and Wig design for Fela at Olney, Wig design for Rent at The Muny, Wig Design for Dreamgirls at Paramount Aurora and North Carolina Theatre Company as well as Costume Design for You Can’t Fake the Funk which was featured at The National Black Theater Festival and earned Rueben A Joseph Jefferson award for best costume design in a Large Theater. Rueben has also designed costumes for 4 Episodes for WTTW’s Chicago Stories docu- series, two of which (Ida B. Wells and The History of Gospel) have won Emmys for best production. Rueben would like to Thank Christ his Savior for Everything!
JAILYN SHERELL HARRIS (Associate Director & Choreographer) a Cleveland native, graduated from Bowling Green State University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Dance. She has performed in film, festivals, arenas, and theaters across Northeast Ohio, with credits at Dobama Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, and Karamu House. Notably, she participated in the world premiere of Velveteen: A New Musical at Playhouse Square and Heartbreakers in Hell by Joey Contreras at Rubber City Theatre. Jailyn has also choreographed productions for Near West Theatre and Dobama Theatre, among others. Her directing credits include Matilda (M.A.D Factory) and a staged reading of Wishful Thinking (Rubber City Theatre). In 2023, she was named a Room in the House Fellow. With a strong background in Jazz, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre, Jailyn is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and has choreographed for various organizations, including Sitar Arts Center in Washington, DC.
NINA DOMINGUE (Production Dramaturg & Intimacy Coordinator) is a Black Woman, Griot, Actor, Playwright, Director, Cultural Memory Worker, #NOLAGirl4Life, Teaching Artist, and Intimacy Advocate pursuing Choreographic certification, ever-becoming. She writes in the tradition of those women who explore the interior lives of Black women with love, curiosity, and wonder. Nina has choreographed intimacy for the following productions: Cleveland School of the Arts New Play Festival 2023, RENT at Cain Park, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds her Chameleon Skin, Clyde's, It Happened In Atlanta & Purlie Victorious at Karamu House, and Cabaret at CWRU. Nina's work was featured on the Kilroy’s List 2020 “The Lost Plays”, and she was a Cleveland Public Theater, Premier Fellow 2021, CPT Catapult Fellow 2019, Nord Family Foundation Playwriting Fellow 2019, Twelve Literary Arts Barabara Smith Fellow, 2019. She currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Karamu House, the Oldest Black Producing Theatre in the country.
COLLEEN LONGSHAW JACKSON (Musical Director) is no stranger to Cleveland Play House and is excited to be working on another show for the Allen Stage with an amazing group of artists. Colleen is currently the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Shaker Heights. While doing this important work she performs and directs as often as she is able.National Tour: Kiss Me Kate. New York: The Groove Factory. Regional: Hairspray (Northshore Music Theatre), The Full Monty (Northshore Music Theatre). Cleveland: Ain't Misbehavin (Great Lakes Theatre). Ghost (Beck Center for the Arts), Caroline Or Change (Tantrum Theatre, Karamu/Dobama, Mercury Theatre), Blackademics (Cleveland Play House), Pipeline (Cleveland Play House), The Piano Lesson, (Cleveland Play House), A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theatre), The Color Purple, (Karamu House), Sister Act (Karamu House, Porthouse Theatre), Hurricane Diane (Dobama Theatre), Twelfth Night (Ohio Shakespeare Theatre), Dreamgirls, (Cain Park), and Aida (Beck Center). For Dorothy. IG: itscolleen_13
CALLIERI 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 Pride and Prejudice and A Christmas Story at Cleveland Play House. 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.
TYREE FRANKLIN (Assistant Stage Manager) (He/Him) is a Cleveland based stage manager and Artist with his BFA in Stage Management from Wright State University. His recent stage management credits includes Velveteen Rabbit: A New Musical (Playhouse Square); BKLYN, Legally Blonde (Nearwest Theatre); The Bubbly Black Girl who Sheds her Chameleon Skin and Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity (Karamu House); Pride and Prejudice (Cleveland Play House); The Cherry Orchard, The Tempest, The Liar, Everybody, and Passage (CWRU/CPH). Tyree is a new playwright. His play Tales of a Fat Man was recently produced at Cleveland Public Theatre’s 2024 Test Flight Series. He would like to thank his family and friends for their continued love and support!
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 be returning home to Northeast Ohio after 25 years. 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, 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.
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