CROSS THE THRESHOLD:

This year convergence-continuum invites you to cross the threshold with us to venture into five unique realms of the mind, body and spirit, and experience their wit, wonders, terrors, triumphs, love, laughter, and so much more.

Apr 04 - May 03: MR. MARMALADE
May 30 - Jun 28: IN THE GARDEN
Jul 25 - Aug 23: FREAKSHOW
Sep 26 - Oct 25: BURIED CHILD
Nov 20 - Dec 20: LORD OF THE BURGEONING LUMBER

Yes, we've gone from 4 shows to 5 this season! The first three are all Ohio premiers of cutting-edge, funny, unconventional and provocative works by some of the country's hottest young playwrights: Noah Haidle, Norman Allen and Carson Kreitzer. With the fourth show we take a fresh, new convergence-style look at Sam Shepard's contemporary classic, Buried Child. And the fifth show will be the world premier of the winning entry in our 2008 New Plays Competition by Cleveland playwright Tom Hayes. And all 5 shows will feature the up-close performances of the high-energy convergence-continuum ensemble, along with some multi-media surprises, that have become our hallmark.

For more details about the plays, click on the "Season" link of our website at www.convergence-continuum.org . And while you're there, check out how to order a Season Subscription for all five shows. It's
win-win: YOU save money, while helping US finance the season. Like everything else, costs for mounting our unique shows have gone up, and after six years of maintaining our "introductory rate" ticket prices, we're catching up with a small increase this season to $15 general admission, $12 students/seniors -- still the best theatre bargain in town.
With a season subscription, though, you'll get all five exciting shows at last year's bargain-basement prices -- a super deal indeed!

Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre!

Clyde Simon
Artistic Director

For Immediate Release
March 28, 2008

 

Forty-Sixth Season Ends Well
With Formidable Festival Finale
Great Lakes Theater Festival presents
The Crucible and All's Well That Ends Well in rotating repertory and bids a fond farewell to the Ohio Theatre as its permanent home.

CLEVELAND, OH - Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) will conclude its 46th season with a Spring Repertory that features Arthur Miller's timeless American drama, The Crucible (Crucible), and William Shakespeare's romantic adventure, All's Well That Ends Well (Well). The productions will be performed in rotating repertory at the Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, March 28 - April 27, 2008. The Spring Repertory features a single company of actors performing two alternating plays on the same stage over five weeks. Drew Barr will direct The Crucible and, GLTF's Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee will direct All's Well That Ends Well. The pair of productions will mark the Festival's final regular season offerings in its twenty-five year home at the Ohio Theatre before the company moves to its new permanent home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square in the fall of 2008.

"The Crucible and All's Well That Ends Well are two extraordinary classics that are very rarely produced...in part because of their epic scale," said Charles Fee, GLTF's Producing Artistic Director. "It takes a seasoned artistic company to successfully meet the challenges that these plays present...and we are up to the challenge. It's a massive but enormously satisfying endeavor for our artists...and I think it will be a rich and immensely rewarding experience for our audience. We simply can't wait to bring these amazing plays to life as only Great Lakes Theater Festival can in Cleveland."

The 2008 Spring Repertory opens with Great Lakes Theater Festival's first production of Arthur Miller's timeless American drama, The
Crucible. Perched on the edge of the New World in 1692, Salem,
Massachusetts, is home to a religious village steadfast in their sense of sanctity. The devil is suddenly loosed in this quiet enclave when a gang of teenage girls are caught dancing and conjuring love charms in the woods under the guise of night. Wicked accusations and whispers of adultery ignite a firestorm of mass hysteria, personal spite and a relentless witch hunt that shakes the very foundation of the community.
A timeless tale of truth on trial, Arthur Miller's renowned drama is a riveting American classic.

Opening Night performances of The Crucible (March 29th) and All's Well That Ends Well (April 12th) have been scheduled for Saturday evenings with preview performances of both productions scheduled for the preceding Friday nights. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. Both productions in GLTF's Spring Repertory will continue to offer sign-interpreted and audio-described performances as well as the popular Director's Night and Playnotes pre-show discussion series. (Consult enclosed performance calendars for complete date and time information.)

Single tickets for Great Lakes Theater Festival productions range in price from $22-$56 (Student tickets $13 - any performance / any seat) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000