CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS OUR TOWN, AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE
Posted August 11, 2025 in Press Releases
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House (CPH) presents a magical new staging of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town, Sunday, September 7 through Sunday, September 28 in the Allen Theatre. In its depiction of the small town of Grover's Corners, Our Town follows the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families, who fall in love, marry, and grow old. This American classic explores universal themes of life and death, love, and friendship, celebrating the wonder of life's "biggest smallest" moments. One of the greatest plays ever written, Our Town fills hearts with purpose, beauty, and meaning.
Cleveland Play House is thrilled to open the season with this American classic. The play's themes of family, community, love and courtship, the passage of time, and the phases of life allow audience members of all ages to find meaning and connection through this classic American work.
At the forefront of the production is Tony Award-winning MacArthur "Genius" Mary Zimmerman. Mary's impressive impact on the theatre industry is supported by her creative adaptations of classical literary works, including The Thousand and One Nights (1992; as The Arabian Nights), The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1994), Journey to the West (1995), In Search of Lost Time (1998; as Eleven Rooms of Proust), and The Odyssey (1999). Additionally, her adaptation of Classical Roman poet Ovid's epic poem Metamorphoses won the Tony Award for Best Direction in 2002.
Mary is also celebrated for her direction of operatic works, such as Galileo Galilei (2002), a new opera in which she co-wrote the libretto, Lucia di Lammermoor (2007), and Armida (2010), and her adaptations of Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Argonautika, and The White Snake. Mary is now a Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University, a full-time ensemble member at Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, and an Artistic Associate at the Goodman Theatre. Her work tells vivid stories through strikingly visual imagery, earning her multiple awards and directional prestige across the country.
Director Mary Zimmerman states, "Although Our Town is famously set in the American Northeast, I think that its story and its characters-their civility, their familiarity with each other and yet their abiding reticence with their feelings-resonates with anyone anywhere that has spent time in a small community. There is a reason that it has hung around for so long and why it still resonates. It's an extremely cunning play with a simple surface. Ultimately, this is a play that wakes you up to life."
"Art exists to remind us of the divinity of people as much as the devilishness of them. We love to see people be good at things, we love virtuosity. It is uplifting for us. And the thing that's being done so well in Our Town is its reflection of everyday life; the flawless recreation of human interaction on the everyday level. It reminds us of the beauty and the poetry of those simple moments. I look forward to bringing those moments to life on the beautiful, open stage of the Cleveland Play House."
Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Michael Barakiva adds, "Mary Zimmerman has a gift for transforming narrative into visual and living poetry, which makes her perfect for Our Town-a play that lives in the quiet spaces of everyday life. As one of the great American theatrical auteurs, Zimmerman continually redefines how stories can be told onstage, notably with her groundbreaking Metamorphoses, which marries myth, movement, and non-linear storytelling in ways that continue to shape theatrical imagination. At Cleveland Play House, where community is a core value, her collaborative, ensemble-driven approach mirrors the communal spirit at the heart of Grover's Corners and the institution itself. I can't wait for our audiences to see how Zimmerman's inventive and innovative staging will transform this familiar play into something cosmic."
Cleveland Play House Managing Director Rachel L. Fink says, "As we launch our 110th Season, Our Town feels especially rooted in our Cleveland-a city of front porches, corner stores, church fish fries, and baseball on the radio. Set in the early 1900s, just a few years before Cleveland Play House was founded, the play echoes the rhythms of daily life that still shape this city today-whether it's a stroll through the West Side Market, sharing pierogi at Dyngus Day, gathering for Parade the Circle in University Circle, or reflecting at the African American Cultural Garden along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. At CPH, where generations of Clevelanders have come to see their own stories reflected on stage, this production invites us to rediscover the extraordinary in the everyday."
The cast of Our Town includes local and national talent, and features the complete 2026 class of the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program, with Madalyn Baker as Emily Webb; Christopher Donahue as Stage Manager, Constable Warren, and Joe Stoddard; Byron Johnson as George Gibbs; Louise Lamson as Mrs. Gibbs; Brendan Lowry as Wally Webb and Ensemble; Steve Marvel as Doc Gibbs; Christina McSheffrey as Woman in the Balcony and Ensemble; Calder Meis as Joe Crowell, Jr, Si Crowell, and Ensemble; Brianna Miller as Lady in Box and Ensemble; Meredith Nelson as Mrs. Soames and Ensemble; Adam Ortega as Howie Newsome, Sam Craig, and Ensemble; Derdriu Ring as Mrs. Webb; Lennon Rosiar as Rebecca Gibbs; Geoff Short as Mr. Webb; and Wai Yim as Simon Stimson and Professor Willard.
CPH is thrilled to welcome celebrated local actors back to our stages including Steve Marvel, who most recently appeared on CPH stages as Joseph II in the 2024 production of Amadeus, Geoff Short who most recently appeared on CPH stages as Lazar Wolf in the 2025 production of Fiddler on the Roof, and Derdriu Ring who most recently appeared on CPH stages as Miss Shields in the 2024 production of A Christmas Story.
The creative team of Our Town includes direction by Mary Zimmerman, musical direction by Nathan Henry, scenic design by Daniel Ostling, costume design by Mara Blumenfeld, lighting design by T.J. Gerckens, sound design by Michael Keck, production dramaturgy by Dr. Isabel Smith-Bernstein, and stage management by John Godbout with Assistant Stage Manager Nakia Shalice Avila.
Running September 7 - 28 in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square, performances of Our Town are held Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30p.m. Preview performances of Our Town are on sale and available to attend, and take place Sunday, September 7 at 2:00p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.. The show opens on Friday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for Our Town start at $36 (including ticket fees). Ohio Direction/EBT cardholders receive $5-40 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.
An ASL interpreted performance of Our Town will be held on Friday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m. Patrons should use promo code ASL at time of purchase to reserve a seat in view of the interpreters. For the 2025-26 season, Cleveland Play House is offering Open Caption performances by request. CPH asks that patrons request services at least three weeks before the desired performance date. Assistive listening devices (ALDs) are available at every performance upon request. Audio described performances can be made available to patrons when the promo code AUDIO is used at the time of purchase. For more information about accessibility, please visit clevelandplayhouse.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
THE CAST
MADALYN BAKER (Emily Webb) Madalyn is an actor, playwright, and musician from Northern California. She earned her BA in Theatre from Fordham University and is in her third and final year of the CWRU/CPH MFA program. Recent credits include Lyubov Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard (CPH/CWRU), Sally Bowles in Cabaret (CWRU), Mechanic/ Aunt in Middletown (CPH/CWRU, and Cathy in The Last Five Years (Soft Belly Theatre). In addition to being an actor, she has her own illustrative art brand called Maddle Baddle. Her new play, Lunchtime! premiered in Cleveland this past June. To learn more about Madalyn, you can check out her work at Madalynbaker.com, @madmaddybaker, and @maddlebaddle. Much love to her parents, who have given her many wonderful birthdays.
CHRISTOPHER DONAHUE (Stage Manager, Constable Warren, Joe Stoddard) makes his Cleveland Play House debut. He has performed at many places across the country, including the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Chicago Opera Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Classic Stage Company, American Repertory Theatre, Public Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera, The Old Globe, McCarter Theatre, Circle in the Square, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
BYRON JOHNSON (George Gibbs) is a Louisiana native born in the city of New Orleans. As a former collegiate student-athlete, he made a bold shift to acting in 2018. His notable television credits include roles in Young Rock on NBC, Walker on CW, and as a recurring guest star in SHOWTIME's American Rust. Born to the late Byron Johnson and Trudy Johnson, with a sister named Destiny, he remains deeply connected to his roots. Most recently, Byron played the exciting role of Neville in the CWRU/CPH production of Seasons Greetings. He continues his relentless pursuit to develop his craft and his desire to become one of the most impactful people in the world. Instagram: @bjohnsonofficial
LOUISE LAMSON (Mrs. Gibbs) is thrilled to make her debut at Cleveland Play House. She is based in Chicago where she is an ensemble member at Lookingglass Theatre. Lookingglass acting credits include Plantation!, Death Tax, Hard Times, The Secret in the Wings, The Wooden Breeks, Icarus, The Brothers Karamazov, Our Town, The Arabian Nights, Ethan Frame, Metamorphoses, The Little Prince, and The Idiot. Goodman Theatre credits include: The Odyssey and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. She received an After Dark award and Jeff nomination for her role in Bash at About Face Theatre. She has toured productions to The Old Globe, STC, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, The Getty Villa, Arden Theatre Company, Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Second Stage, and Metamorphoses on Broadway. Thank you for coming to the theater!
BRENDAN LOWRY (Wally Webb, Ensemble) is a proud CWRU/CPH MFA Acting student in third and final year of study. You may have recently seen him in the CPH production of Fiddler on the Roof (Motel Kamzoil) or in the CWRU/CPH production of Season's Greetings (Clive Morris). Other favorite credits include Floyd Collins (Floyd Collins), Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson), and Godspell (John/Judas). Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, he received his BFA in Musical Theatre from Colorado Mesa University. Along with being a performer Brendan is an avid photographer, especially focusing on the local sights and architecture in the city. Brendan looks forward to another year exploring and living in Cleveland. Check out and follow Brendan's other works and interests: @bkylowry / bkylowry.com
STEVE MARVEL (Doc Gibbs) has appeared locally as Emperor Joseph in Amadeus (Cleveland Play House), Mantalini/Snevellici/Hawk in Nicholas Nickleby (Ohio Shakespeare Company) and as The Professor in Life Sucks (Dobama Theatre). In Los Angeles, Steve played Tom Sergeant in the West coast premiere of Skylight, (Chance Theater), Decius in Julius Caesar and Oronte in The School for Wives (A Noise Within), and was part of the original company of Discord at the Geffen Playhouse. Regionally, he has played roles at PCPA Theatrefest, The Aurora Theatre Company, and Sierra Rep (California), and the Walnut Street Theater and the Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia), among others. Steve's film work includes The Bikeriders, A Little White Lie, and Troubled Waters, and a starring role in cult favorite Champy and the Girls. He's voiced video games for Activision, Sony, and Mattel, and has narrated some 200 audiobooks for Tantor Media, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Harper, and others, earning him an Audiofile Earphones award, an IBPA Ben Franklin award, and 4 Voice Arts Award nominations. He is a graduate of the Acting program at Northwestern University.
CHRISTINA MCSHEFFREY (Woman in Balcony, Ensemble) is a proud member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. She was previously seen in Fiddler on the Roof in May as Bielke. Other credits include Rachel in Season's Greetings and Varya in The Cherry Orchard (CWRU/CPH). She got her BA in Theatre at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where she also worked at Southwest Shakespeare Company, Flagstaff Shakespeare Company, The Phoenix Theatre Company, and Childsplay as an actor and teaching artist. Love to her friends and family. @chefboyartina
CALDER MEIS (Joe Crowell, Jr., Si Crowell, Ensemble) is delighted to visit Grover's Corners in Our Town. As a member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program, he has appeared as Yepikhodov in The Cherry Orchard, John Dodge in Middletown, and Bernard in Season's Greetings. At CPH, you may have seen him in the companies of Fiddler on the Roof (Mordcha) and Pride &- Prejudice. For Payton, always.
BRIANNA MILLER (Lady in Box, Ensemble) (she/her) is a third year in the CWRU/CPH acting program. You may have seen her in the CWRU/CPH productions of Middletown (Mary), The Cherry Orchard (Anya), or Season's Greetings (Phyllis). Some of her favorite roles include Gwendolyn Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), Miriam in Jaja's African Hair Braiding (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati), and Camae in The Mountaintop (Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center). She was an ensemble member at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company before starting her MFA. While there, she performed in Trouble in Mind, 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 often the sole reason she is off-book for shows.
MEREDITH NELSON (Mrs. Soames, Ensemble) an actor, director, and educator originally from Denver, Colorado. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Evansville and is thrilled to be pursuing her master's with CWRU/Cleveland Play House. Some favorite roles she's played include Belinda in Season's Greetings, Dunyasha in The Cherry Orchard, the Librarian in Middletown, and Prospera in The Tempest. She is also the co-founder and co-artistic director of Soft Belly Theatre: a local Cleveland theatre company dedicated to producing accessible, courageous art with an open mind and a soft belly.You can find more information about her work at meredithgnelson.com.
ADAM ORTEGA (Howie Newsome, Sam Craig, Ensemble) is a third-year graduate student in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. Hailing from South Florida, he earned his BFA in Acting at The University of Michigan. His other theatre credits include, Gayev in The Cherry Orchard (CWRU/CPH), Harvey in Season's Greetings (CWRU/CPH), Cop in Middletown (CWRU/CPH), Don Armada in Love's Labour's Lost (Great River Shakespeare Festival), and Drunk Shakespeare (Off-Broadway). He would like to thank family, friends, and loved ones for all their constant support. IG: @adamaortega I adamalexisortega.com
DERDRIU RING (Mrs. Webb) A graduate of The Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin and University College Cork, Derdriu is honored to be a member of this wonderful ensemble led by Mary Zimmerman. Derdriu has been awarded best actress by Cleveland Critics Circle on multiple occasions. Memorable roles include; Maggie/ Dancing At Lughnasa (Asolo Rep.), Martha/ Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Beck Centre), Slippy Helen/ The Cripple Of Inishmaan (The Geffen Playhouse), Catherine/Proof (CPH), Josie/ Moon For The Misbegotten (Great Lakes Theater), Pegeen/The Playboy Of The Western (Irish Rep.Off-Broadway), Rosie Redmond/The Plough &- The Stars (The Guthrie Theatre), Narrator/Wassail! (Apollo's Fire), Emma Brookner/ The Normal Heart (Ensemble Theatre), Charlotte/Something Clean (Dobama Theatre). Sister Aloysius/Doubt (Beck Center). TV: Law &- Order CI, Hope &- Faith. Film: The Yank, Magan's Fare. Derdriu is excited to return to CPH in December as Miss Shiels for A Christmas Story. In loving memory of Diarmaid Ring; https://www.derdriuring.com.
LENNON ROSIAR (Rebecca Gibbs) made her regional debut in last season's A Christmas Story. A sixth grade student at Danbury local schools, she is a member of Caryl Crane Youth Theatre's national award winning competition team and just recently returned from the Musical Theatre Competitions of America with First Place Overall awards in vocal and acting categories. Favorite works include: Honk!, A Year with Frog and Toad, Finding Nemo, and, Annie. Lennon also enjoys being outdoors, dancing, reading, volleyball, and spending time with her family. She is very honored to be part of this production.
GEOFF SHORT (Mr. Webb) is thrilled to be returning to CPH in Our Town after appearing as Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof and understudying the role of Pap/Rev in Fat Ham last season. Other recent appearances include Sister Act (Curtis), LCMT, Amerikin (Gerald), Seat of the Pants Productions, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mitch Mahoney), Cain Park, Brooklyn (Streetsinger), Near West Theatre, Once on This Island (Ton Ton), Slow Burn Theatre Co., Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas), Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts, Driving Miss Daisy (Hoke), Chicken Coop Theatre. Recent Directing credits: The Spitfire Grill, 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. www.GeoffreyBShort.com
WAI YIM (Simon Stimson, Professor Willard) makes his CPH debut. He toured nationally with Mary Zimmerman's The White Snake (McCarter, Goodman, Old Globe, WuZhen Theatre Festival in China) and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Goodman, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Old Globe). Regional credits include A Christmas Carol, The King of Hell's Palace, Postnation, King of the Yees (Goodman), Chimerica (TimeLine), The Oldest Boy (Unicorn), Nomad Motel (Horizon), Diary of Anne Frank (The Rose Theater). Film credits include Ponderosa, North of the 10, Fatal InAuence. TV credits include Work in Progress, Force, neXt, Chicago PD, The Chi, Patriot. Wai is also a director and playwright. He directed The Chinese Lady, The Great Leap, The Wild Party at BlueBarn Theatre, and received the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards for Best Director (The Chinese Lady, The Great Leap). His play The Great Race will premiere at The Rose Theater in 2026. www.whyyim.com
THE CREATIVE TEAM
THORNTON WILDER (Playwright) (1897-1975) was a novelist and playwright whose works celebrate the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. He is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both drama and fiction: for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and two plays, Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth. His other nov-els include The Cabala, The Woman of Andros, Heaven's My Destination, The Ides of March, The Eighth Day and Theophilus North. His other major dramas include The Matchmaker (adapted as the musical Hello, Dolly.0 and The Alcestiad. The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Pullman Car Hiawatha and The Long Christmas Dinner are among his well-known shorter plays. He enjoyed enormous success as a translator, adaptor, actor, librettist and lecturer/teacher and his screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt remains a classic psycho-thriller to this day. Wilder's many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. More information on Thornton Wilder and his family is available in Penelope Niven's definitive biography, Thornton Wilder: A Life (2013) as well as on the Wilder Family website, www.thorntonwilder.com
MARY ZIMMERMAN (Director) Mary Zimmerman is thrilled to be making her Cleveland Playhouse debut. She is a playwright and director based in Chicago whose work has been honored by a MacArthur Fellowship in1998, the 2002 Tony and Obie Awards for Best Director (for her play Metamorphoses), and many Chicago Joseph Jefferson Awards. She is a member of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, an Artistic Associate of the Goodman Theatre, and a Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. She specializes in the adaptation of classical texts for the stage which she both writes and directs. Works include Metamorphoses, The Matchbox Magic Flute, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Odyssey, Argonautika, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Arabian Nights, Treasure Island, Journey to the West, The White Snake, Mirror of the Invisible World, Eleven Rooms of Proust (a site-specific performance), The Jungle Book and The Secret in the Wings (based on fairy tales). She created an opera with Philip Glass, Galileo, Galilei. These works have variously been produced at The Circle in the Square, Manhattan Theater Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Second Stage in New York, The Goodman and Lookingglass Theater in Chicago, Berkeley Repertory, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Guthrie, The Shakespeare Theater Company and Arena Stage of DC, The Barbican in London and the Wuzhen Theatre Festival in China. Collectively, her plays are produced over 100 times each year around the world in universities, high schools and other amateur and professional venues. For the Metropolitan Opera she has directed Lucia di Lammermoor (also at La Scala, Milan), Armida, La Sonnambula, Rusalka, Eurydice and Florencia en el Amazonas, all of which have been broadcast live worldwide.
DANIEL OSTLING (Scenic Designer) is a two-time Tony Award-nominated designer based in Taipei, Taiwan and San Francisco. A long-time collaborator with Mary Zimmerman, he has designed over thirty productions with her including Metamorphoses and four operas at the Metropolitan Opera, NYC. Recent NYC productions include American Soldier (PAC, NYC) and Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera/NYC, LA Opera). Other NYC venues include BAM, Lincoln Center, Public Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival, Playwright's Horizon and 2nd Stage. In regional theaters, he has worked at Steppenwolf, Goodman, ACT/SF, La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare and Arena Stage among others. Recent international work includes Swan Lake (Australian Ballet), Sleeping Beauty and Madam Butterfly (K Ballet, Tokyo) and River/Cloud (Taipei). His work has also been seen in Milan, London, Calgary, Shanghai and throughout Japan. An ensemble member at Lookingglass Theater in Chicago, he has designed over 30 productions there as well as directed Blood Wedding.
MARA BLUMENFELD (Costume Designer) Cleveland Play House debut. Based in Chicago, she is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company where she has designed over forty productions. Other Chicago credits: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater. New Yark credits: Metamorphoses (Broadway), Trevor (Stage 42, also streaming on Disney+), The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (2nd Stage), The Glorious Ones (Lincoln Center Theatre); Lucia di Lammermoor, La Sonnambula, and Rusalka (The Metropolitan Opera). Regional credits: The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC); Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Asolo Rep, Mark Taper Forum, McCarter Theatre. International credits: Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Canada), Donmar Warehouse and Barbican Centre (London), Teatro alla Scala (Italy), Opera National du Rhin (France), K-Ballet and Disney Sea (Tokyo), and The Australian Ballet (Melbourne). She is the recipient of four Jeff Awards (Chicago) and the Michael Merrit Award. https://www.marablumenfeld.com/
T.J. GERCKENS (Lighting Designer) USA 829. Recent designs include Mary Zimmerman's The Matchbox Magic Flute in Chicago, Washington DC, and Berkeley; Swan Lake for the Australian Ballet in Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House, and tour; and Florencia en el Amazonas for the Metropolitan Opera. Favorite designs include Metamorphoses (Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional), The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Off-Broadway and regional), The Arabian Nights, Measure for Measure (Delacorte Theatre in Central Park), The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and Eurydice, Rusalka, La Sonnambula, and Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera. His designs have been seen at theatres including LaScala Opera House, La Jolla, The Lookingglass, The Guthrie, LA Opera, Arena Stage, The Mark Taper Forum, Berkeley Rep, The Barbican (London), Melbourne Theatre Company (Australia). His lighting has earned him awards including The Drama Desk, American Theatre Wing Hewes Award, Off-Broadway's Lortel Award, Chicago's Jefferson, and others. T.J. teaches at Otterbein University.
MICHAEL KECK (Sound Designer) is a composer and sound designer for Jitney, The Piano Lesson, Gem Of The Ocean, Death And The Kings Horseman, Measure For Measure, Henry IV Part 1, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) Oregon Shakespeare Festival; (As You Like It, Cyrano, Sense and Sensibility, A Christmas Carol, Jekyll And Hyde) Indiana Repertory; SWEAT (Dallas Theatre Center); Fences, The Children (Seattle Rep); The Christians, Whipping Man, The Glass Menagerie (Syracuse Stage); Escape From Happiness, Criminal Genius, The Norman Conquest (Milwaukee Rep); Cymbeline, The Bacchae (Portland Center Stage); Death Of A Salesman, A View From The Bridge, The Great White Hope, The Odyssey (Arena Stage); Othello, An Ideal Husband (Great Lakes Theatre Festival); Murder On The Orient Express, Intimate Apparel (Guthrie Theatre). International projects include Market Theatre (Johannesburg, S. Africa) and Baxter Theatre Center (Cape Town S. Africa), The National Theater of Croatia, Barbican Theatre Center, and Bristol Old Vic.
NATHAN HENRY (Music Director) is a Cleveland-based artist who was probably an African griot in a former life. Nathan has called Cleveland Play House "home" for over 20 seasons. He served as director of CPH's acclaimed production of Fat Ham in 2025, music supervisor for A Christmas Story in 2024, and co director of Idris Goodwin's Jacked! in 2021. Nathan is CPH's Director of Artistic Engagement, having previously served as director of marketing for six seasons. Directing credits: Tarrell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy (Karamu House); James Ijames' Kill Move Paradise (Dobama Theatre); Nina Domingue's The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Miss Joan Southgate (Cleveland Public Theatre); Jonathan Larson's Rent (Cain Park); Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn (Karamu House); Brooklyn the Musical (Near West Theatre); Dominique Morisseau's Night Vision (Ensemble Theatre); Stephen Schwartz's Pippin (Baldwin Wallace Conservatory); Lynn Nottage's Sweat (Baldwin Wallace Theatre); Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67 (Baldwin Wallace Theatre); Nina Domingue's Ya Mama! (Cleveland Public Theatre; Hollywood Fringe Festival); and Stew's Passing Strange (Karamu House). "For Minnie."
ISABEL SMITH-BERSTEIN (Production Dramaturg) (they/she) is a newly-Cleveland-based dramaturg and CPH's Literary Manager. Regionally, they have been the production dramaturg for more than thirty productions over eleven seasons at the Utah Shakespeare Festival including Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, Coriolanus, and Sweeney Todd. Other dramaturgy credits include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Tank, and Pioneer Theatre and workshops with The Public Theater Shakespeare arm, The Drama League, and SUNY New Paltz. Most recently, they were a Visiting Assistant Professor at SUNY New Paltz. Isabel holds a BHA in dramaturgy from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in Theater History from the University of Colorado Boulder.
JOHN GODBOUT (Stage Manager) was Cleveland Play House's resident stage manager from 2001 to 2008 andreturned to CPH in the fall of 2011. Most recently, he stage managed Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Story, Fat Ham, and Fiddler on the Roof 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, Porthouse Theatre, and Trinity Repertory Company.
NAKIA SHALi CE AVILA (Assistant Stage Manager) (they/she) is excited to be making their Cleveland Play House debut alongside the incredibly talented creatives, cast, and crew of Our Town. Her previous credits include La Egoista (Philadelphia Theatre Company), The Salvagers (Yale Repertory Theatre), and Good Penny (The Fisher Center for Performing Arts at Bard College). Nakia holds a BA in Psychology from Claflin University and an MFA from Yale School of Drama.
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.
RACHELL. FINK (Managing Director) is honored to return home to Northeast Ohio and lead Cleveland Play House during its 110th anniversary season. A proud graduate of Cleveland Heights High School and Case Western Reserve University, she discovered her passion for arts access, social justice, and inclusive leadership through formative Cleveland arts experiences - and an early internship at Cleveland Play House. She later earned her MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama (now the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale) and has spent over two decades guiding cultural institutions across the country. Fink spent 16 years at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she founded and led the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, building it into a nationally recognized hub for education and community engagement. She went on to serve as Managing Director of Theatre Bay Area, supporting over 300 organizations and 2,000 artists across the San Francisco Bay Area. She later led Chicago's Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company through the unprecedented disruptions of the COVID-19 era, guiding key operational and mission-aligned adaptations during a time of field-wide uncertainty. At Cleveland Play House, Fink has championed operational stabilization, community partnerships, and a revitalized internal culture while co leading strategic and artistic planning alongside Artistic Director Michael Barakiva. She serves on the boards of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and CreativeOhio, and is a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2026. A recognized field leader, she has co-led the Professional Association of Chicago Theatres, held fellowships with the Aspen Institute, British Council, and University of Chicago, and was a member of artEquity's national facilitator cohort - reflecting a career grounded in both local impact and national leadership.
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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