CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS ANNUAL GALA EMERALD CITY
Posted May 23, 2025 in Press Releases
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS ANNUAL GALA EMERALD CITY
A Night to Kick Up your Ruby Slippers and Support CPH!
2025 Gala Honoree: Karen White
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Allen Theatre
WHAT: Cleveland Play House hosts EMERALD CITY, the annual gala, on Saturday, May 31 in the Allen Theatre. The annual gala not only celebrates the work done on and off the stage each season, but also serves as a meaningful call to the community to support Cleveland Play House in its mission to produce exceptional theatre and education programs of the highest professional standards. Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is the first professional regional theatre in the U.S. and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award. CPH's founding motto in 1915 was "Art in Democracy," reflecting a mission unheard of in that era: to produce socially relevant theatre for an informed, compassionate public. Cleveland Play House has produced more than 100 world and U.S. premieres in its 110-year history, and over the decades, more than 12 million people have experienced upwards of 1,600 CPH productions. During the 2024-2025 season, Cleveland Play House held 160 performances attended by 30,000 guests and 9,000 season subscribers, and served 24,000 students & community members through four pillar education programs. To sustain this level of impact, Cleveland Play House invites the community to the 2025 Emerald City gala celebration to raise their paddles high in support of America's first regional theatre.
Gala attendees can expect to walk down the yellow brick road and be transported to the Emerald City with wickedly wonderful entertainment in the Allen Theatre, and will be enticed to treat themselves to delicious dinner, open bars, and dancing in the “Ozdust” Ballroom. Event designer Christopher Kascsak of Design Studio Cleveland, LLC returns to transform the Allen Theatre lobbies, whose signature style will infuse the entire experience with grandeur and cosmopolitan energy. Music will be provided by DJ Red-I. A live auction will be hosted by auctioneer Mark Schroeder of Auction Brio LLC. Those attending this black-tie event are invited to wear Oz-inspired attire and accessories if they choose.
WHEN: Saturday, May 31 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
WHO: The 2025 Emerald City Honoree: Karen White (see below for Karen’s full bio).
Event Chairs: Trina Evans and Sally Stewart.
Host Committee Chairs: Kim Meisel Pesses and Ryan R. Cross
CLICK HERE to see the full host committee.
The 2025 Emerald City Emcees: Renowned stage and screen actress Maggie Lacey, who most recently appeared as Heidi in the Cleveland Play House production of What the Constitution Means to Me, and celebrated national actress and Cleveland Play House Board Member Colleen Longshaw Jackson, who most recently appeared as Mrs. Bennet/Lady Catherine in the CPH production of Pride and Prejudice (see below for full bios).
Creative Team Members and Performing Artists for the EMERALD CITY gala include:
Soloists: Bebe Moss (CPH's Fiddler on the Roof), Betsy Werbel (Broadway: Wicked), and Mariama Whyte (Broadway’s The Lion King, CPH’s Fat Ham).
Ensemble Members: Madalyn Baker, Maria Noel Fallouh, Edith Foley, David Lenahan, Christina McSheffrey, Avery LaMar Pope, Marvis Stevens, and Parker Towns.
Creative team members and musicians: Nathan Henry (Director & Musical Staging), Rachel Woods (Music Director & Pianist), Kenya Woods (Choreographer), Jasmine A. Golphin (Projection Designer), Sierra Smith (Lighting Designer), and Justin Hart (Percussionist).
WHERE: Allen Theatre 1407 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44115.
TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased at clevelandplayhouse.com/gala, or by calling 216-400-7056.
PRESS: Contact Maggie Milano, Marketing Communications Manager at mmilano@clevelandplayhouse.com, or call 216-400-7091.
SPONSORS: Cleveland Play House thanks the following headliner sponsors of the 2025 Gala, EMERALD CITY:
KeyBank (Presenting Sponsor)
Jon & Laura Bloomberg
Roe Green
RPM International Inc.
Richard W. Pogue
Mike & Ellen Meehan
Cathy Suever & Janet L. Kramer
BIOGRAPHIES
KAREN WHITE’s (2025 Gala Honoree) career spans nearly 45 years working in the legal, investment and financial industry sectors. In all her professional positions, Karen’s true North has been service, focusing on the needs of individuals and nonprofit organizations in the areas of the Arts, Healthcare, Education, and Community Development. She recently retired from KeyBank as Senior Vice President under Trina Evans’ leadership in Key’s Corporate Center. Prior to her career at Key, Karen worked in the legal environment for nearly 20 years. Karen currently serves as Chair of the Board of Cleveland State University Foundation, as a Trustee of Atwood Yacht Club, and has served on numerous other nonprofit Boards. Karen enjoys painting original artwork, spending time in the garden, boating and kayaking. She is a contributing author to the book “Love You More Than You Know” which is a compilation of stories from Ohio mothers who sent their sons or daughters to war. Karen and her husband and best friend of 40 years, Bob, reside in Solon.
MAGGIE LACEY (Gala Emcee) has partnered with CPH under a Fox Foundation Resident Actor Grant in previous seasons, appearing in Laura Kepley’s production of The Little Foxes and in A Christmas Story. (Her earlier CPH appearances were as a child on the Brooks stage.) Recent television credits include Hotel Cocaine (MGM+), Julia (HBO Max), New Amsterdam (NBC), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (Amazon). Broadway: Our Town, Inherit the Wind, and Dividing the Estate. Off-Broadway and Regional credits include Horton Foote’s The Orphan’s Home Cycle (Signature NYC/Hartford Stage), A Doll’s House in rep with The Father at Theatre for a New Audience, The Marriage of Figaro (McCarter), and Big Times (Women’s Expressive Theatre), which she co-wrote. Other new play development includes The Upstart Creatures’ adaptation of Paradise Lost, as well as The Exchange (O’Neill Center), with Michael Barakiva. Maggie is a certified member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. MFA: NYU Grad Acting. Special thanks to Gavin Michaels and Sarah Cuneo.
COLLEN LONGSHAW JACKSON (Gala Emcee) National Tour: Kiss Me Kate. New York: The Groove Factory. Regional: Hairspray (Northshore Music Theatre), The Full Monty (Northshore Music Theatre), Ain't Misbehavin (Great Lakes Theatre). Ghost (Beck Center for the Arts), Caroline Or Change (Tantrum Theatre, Karamu/Dobama, Mercury Theatre). Cleveland: 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), Aida (Beck Center).
MICHAEL BARAKIVA (Artistic Director) is an Armenian-Israeli American director and writer who proudly serves as the 11th Artistic Director of CPH. His 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 workshops 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, Michael 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 YA novels (One Many Guy, Hold My Hand, Keepers of the Stones and Stars, all published by Macmillan) 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. www.michaelbarakiva.com.
RACHEL L. FINK (Managing Director) is thrilled to return home to Northeast Ohio. Her childhood was filled with rich and foundational Cleveland arts experiences, and it was at Heights High that Rachel’s passion for transformative theatre-making, social justice, and inclusive arts participation was ignited. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Rachel was introduced to the field of arts administration by a professor who changed the course of her career. That introduction led to an internship at Cleveland Play House and ultimately to an MFA in Theater Management from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Following graduate school, Rachel embarked on a 16-year chapter at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she founded the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, building it into a nationally recognized center for arts learning and engagement. She later served as Managing Director of Theatre Bay Area, supporting over 300 theatres and 2,000 artists, and most recently as Executive Director of the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. Producing highlights include Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Steadfast Tin Soldier, Her Honor Jane Byrne (locally broadcast on Chicago NPR affiliate WBEZ), and Lookingglass Alice, which aired nationally on PBS in 2023. Rachel has been recognized through fellowships with the Aspen Institute, artEquity, the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme, and the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy. Having previously served as co-chair of the Professional Association of Chicago Theatres and on the boards of the League of Chicago Theatres and Theatre Bay Area, she currently serves on the boards of the League of Resident Theatres and CreativeOhio, and remains deeply committed to advancing the role of theatre in building more connected, equitable, and human-centered communities.
ABOUT CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
Cleveland Play House is committed to building a better community through theatre. We do this by telling stories that matter in high-caliber productions that are imaginative and thrilling. Further, CPH is dedicated to benefitting the people of Northeast Ohio through exceptional education and engagement programs that instill essential life and workforce skills in young people, inspire curiosity among adult learners and create important conversations around social issues illuminated by our plays. Our purpose is to serve our community by bringing people together for shared experiences that are inspiring, stimulating and entertaining. As ever, we are guided by the relentless pursuit of our Vision: to be a premier regional theatre that is welcoming, diverse, distinctive, bold, thrilling and essential to our community.
For more information, please visit clevelandplayhouse.com
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