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The Allen, Outcalt, and Helen
Theatres are all located at
1407 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115
CPH is dedicated to serving diverse audiences with nationally acclaimed education programs.
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1989. An American college basketball team travels from San Francisco to Beijing for a “friendship game” against a Chinese squad. Far from friendly, the matchup quickly becomes a high-stakes battle, as the American coach fights for his reputation and his Chinese counterpart fights for his life. Caught in the middle, a young Chinese American player must prove his mettle on the court while unravelling a long-kept secret. Cultures and generations clash in this kinetic, darkly comic sports drama.
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* Has anyone ever prohibited you from pursuing your dream? What was the dream, and what lengths did you go to make that dream a reality, despite opposition?
* Do you have a friend or acquaintance who comes from a different culture or country than you? How are you similar or different? Have you had to adapt to one another - and how? Are you curious about any part of his / her / their background that remains unknown to you?
* Does your family have an unrevealed secret that you wonder about? Have you ever tried to uncover the truth?
* Do you have a favorite memory of a sporting event that was a highly-contested, nail-biter up until the final moments of play? What was the sport, when was the game, and how did it end?
learn
Interested in learning more about how FRIENDSHIP GAMES developed as a form of Chinese diplomacy during the Cold War? Look no further! There's a terrific article right here.
visit
Has The Great Leap whet your appetite to know more about Chinese culture? If so, we encourage you to take advantage of the treasure that is the AsiaTown community, which stretches from East 30th to East 40th between St. Clair and Perkins Avenues. To learn about the shops, restaurants, events, people, and community organizations in this thriving neighborhood, check out this website and then plan a day or two to visit!
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Everybody loves a good underdog story, a tale of an individual or team - expected to lose - who surprisingly overcomes obstacles, gets better at something, and rallies to victory. Manford's story in The Great Leap is just one of many of these stories in film, theatre, and literature. But these stories happen in everyday life as well!
Do you have an underdog story of your own? We'd love to hear it? Post it on your social media - and tag it with #CPHGreatLeap. Include a picture of you during this underdog season if you've got one. Or send your story and image to us at cjoseph@clevelandplayhouse.com - and we'll post it on our website for others to see!
experience
Have you ever wondered, like Manford, about your family origins? Where you come from? What your realtives were like? How and why they did the things they did? Some of us know lots of information about our ancestors, while others of us have barely even scratched the surface of our familialr history. Wherever you're at, Cleveland Public Library's Genealogy Services has tools and resources to help you explore and discover your roots and origins. Check out all of their exciting offerings here!
(Manford) (he/him) is thrilled to be making his regional debut at Cleveland Play House. He recently understudied Manford and Wen Chang in The Great Leap at Asolo Repertory Theatre. more
(Connie) (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan Theatre Performance program. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, she has worked regionally at Flint Repertory Theatre in Michigan and the Link Theatre in Arkansas. Her work on screen has taken her from Boston to New York to Los Angeles, more
(Saul) (he/him) is delighted to make his Cleveland Play House debut. David appeared off-Broadway in the NYC premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s Seared with Raúl Esparza and Krysta Rodriguez, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel at MCC Theater. Other NYC credits include work with 59E59, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Civilian Studios, Primary more
(Wen Chang) (he/him) is honored to make his Cleveland Play House debut in The Great Leap. Reuben recently appeared in the hit musical Interstate by Melissa Li and Kit Yan at East West Players. Theater credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire, Hedda Gabler, Twelfth Night, La Cage Aux Folles, more
(U/S Manford, U/S Wen Chang) (he/him) is excited to understudy two characters with completely opposing worldviews and to bring them to the Cleveland Play House. His recent works include films My Heavenly City, directed by Sen-Yu, and Boogie, directed by Eddie Huang. Theatre credits include Flying Tigers Flying Away more
(U/S Connie) (she/her) is a Filipino-American actor from the South Bay, Los Angeles area and is currently based in Cleveland. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and a Minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Abegail has appeared in film, television, commercial, and more
(Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer born and raised in San Francisco. She currently lives in New York City. Her Cambodian Rock Band, with music by Dengue Fever and others, premiered at South Coast Rep, with subsequent productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Victory Gardens, more
(Director) is a Toronto based director who has worked with companies across Canada such as fu-Gen, Cahoots, Nightwood, Soulpepper, and Talk is Free. She is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Directors Lab North, the first international offshoot of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, of which she was more
(Scenic Designer) (she/her) is a NYC based set designer, originally from Nagoya, Japan. Recent designs include 1919 (Steppenwolf for Young Adults); Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Studio Theatre); Dishwasher Dreams (Hartford Stage); Her Honor Jane Byrne (Lookingglass Theatre); America v.2.1 (Definition Theater); School Girls; Or, the African Mean more
(Costume Designer) is excited to be making her Cleveland Play House debut with this deeply touching piece of theatre. She is a Los Angeles based costume designer and educator. Previous design credits include the Geffen Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, more
(Lighting Designer) is a Cleveland-based Lighting Designer. His Cleveland Play House designs include Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, 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 more
(Sound Designer) (she/her) is a San Diego-based sound designer, and is thrilled to be making her design debut at Cleveland Play House with this production of The Great Leap. Regional work includes designs at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Clubbed Thumb, Dallas more
(Projection Designer) is a Cleveland-based projection, scenic and lighting designer. Recent designs include Egress at Cleveland Play House; Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, Ella Enchanted, The Nether, Airness, and Kill Move Paradise at Dobama Theatre; Black Nativity, Greenwood, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Karamu House; The 39 more
(Wig Designer) is a Cleveland-based wig and costume designer. Recent Cleveland Play House Credits include Wig Designer for A Christmas Story and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other local credits include Wig Designer at Cain Park for Ragtime. Janel is a graduate of Cleveland State more
(Casting Director) has CPH credits that include The Three Musketeers, Antigone, Light It Up!, and The Invisible Hand. REGIONAL THEATRE: A Christmas Carol (McCarter), Madeline Sayet's Where We Belong (tour), Incendiary (Woolly Mammoth), Justice and Nina Simone: Four Women(Arizona Theatre Co), …Chad Deity(Profile Theatre Co), Wait Until Dark more
(Production Dramaturg) (she/hers) is the Manager of Partnerships in Cleveland Play House's Education Department. As a freelance dramaturg, she has worked in Cleveland, Florida, Hawai'i, San Francisco, and Milwaukee. Yining holds a PhD in Asian/Western Comparative Theatre from the University of Hawai'i at M?noa. Yining has published book reviews more
(Stage Manager) is excited to be returning to Cleveland Play House for her sixth season. At CPH, she has worked on Antigone, Where Did We Sit On The Bus?, Tiny Houses, Into The Breeches, and Pipeline, to name a few. Her previous credits also include ABCD (Barrington Stage Company), more
(Assistant Stage Manager) is grateful to be return with Cleveland Play House. CPH credits included Teddy Bear Mountain(SM), The Great Leap(ASM)and Becoming Dr. Ruth(ASM), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein(PA). Previous stage management credits include Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Cain Park, Karamu House, Cleveland Public Theatre, Ohio City Theatre Project, Baldwin Wallace, Independence more
MEET RACHEL FINK, CPH’S NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR! By Craig Joseph, Literary Director What are you looking forward to as you return to Cleveland...
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Allen Theatre
Helen Theatre
Outcalt Theatre
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The Allen, Helen and Outcalt theatres are located at Playhouse Square
1407 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115
Administrative Offices and Education Center
1901 E. 13th Street, Suite 200 Cleveland, OH 44114 (216) 400-7000
Production Center
7401 Shoreway Commerce Parkway, Cleveland, OH 44103
