May 29th CPT presents "Ignite: Lakeview Spring Arts Festival," at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's Lakeview Terrace Community Center at 1290 W. 25th St. from 2:30pm to 5pm. It's a FREE family-friendly event with food, performances including spoken word, dance, music and a special performance by the young artists of our Cleveland Act Now (CAN) program. Also, guests will get to ignite their own creativity by helping to create a community mural. We hope to see you there!
Thanks to @ideastreamneo 's "Applause" for their feature about Raymond Bobgan's 20th anniversary as CPT's Executive Artistic Director. It's full of the boundary-pushing vision and inclusivity which are so central to Raymond's leadership. 20 years is only the beginning!
Read the article and watch the video at the đź”— in our bio. Special thanks to Carrie Wise and Jean-Marie Papoi!
🏗️💥Our capital campaign is bringing big changes to the CPT campus. If you look closely, you can see the ghost of the grand staircase in the lobby of our Gordon Square Theatre.👻👻
Dear friends of CPT,
Our "Luminous" 2025/2026 inspired us all to illuminate the darkness around us and reflect our light back into our communities. Through your generosity, we welcomed curiosity, shined brighter, and examined the cycles that bring hope and possibility with each new dawn. We at CPT are beyond grateful to you for supporting this groundbreaking, life-changing work.
This was a bold and innovative season of plays that grounded us and lifted us up. Our education programs inspired a new generation of creators to dream and imagine. Our community ensembles brought new, diverse, and radiant voices to the stage to share their own stories. Our community festivals reminded us of how high we can soar when we journey together.
The world around us may be obscured by shadows, but at CPT, and among our incredible community of artists, our path forward is clear: we will continue to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life-changing education programs every single day.
We hope you will consider contributing to the ongoing work of CPT. You can donate online at cptonline.org/support or by clicking the link in our bio.
Thank you for believing in our past, present, and future,
Raymond Bobgan (Executive Artistic Director) and Melissa Waddell (Director of Development)
We've been sitting on this one a while and are ecstatic we can finally announce that Cleveland Public Theatre's Executive Artistic Director & CEO Raymond Bobgan is making his feature debut on Ideastream's "Applause!" You can check him out next Fri., May 8th! On the iconic arts program, Raymond discusses his path to CPT, artistic process and future of the theatre. Big thanks to Carrie Wise, Jean-Marie Papoi and Ideastream for making it happen!
Our next "Open Home, Open House" tour is Thursday, May 14 at 5:30pm. These are FREE tours featuring key players in the multi-million-dollar renovations to our campus, including CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan and Director of Development Melissa Waddell. Light appetizers and beverages will be served.
To join the May 14 tour, RSVP to Development Associate Jen Shepard at [email protected] or 216-631-2727 x226 by Wednesday, May 13.
Concept drawing by Marous Brothers Construction, Perspectus, and Process Creative Studios.
Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan will hold a free, three-day Poetic Theatre Research Workshop May 15–17 to share his process, further develop his ongoing creative work, and broaden the pool of artists for future projects. This workshop will serve as an introduction (or reintroduction for past collaborators) to Raymond’s unique approach to physical, experimental theatre—what he calls “Poetic Performance.”
This workshop is for actors who are interested in alternative approaches to performance and creating theatre that will involve intense physicality (similar to a dance workshop), enduring presence, and expansive yet focused imagination. Participants must attend all sessions, and priority will be given to artists who can attend all three days. However, if you are interested but have limited availability, please let us know, and we will consider your application. Please submit applications by May 9.
Workshop Dates and Times:
Friday, May 15 at 6:30–10pm
Saturday, May 16 at 2–10pm
Sunday, May 17 at 2–10pm
For more information, including how to apply, visit cptonline.org and click “News” at the top of the home page (or visit the 🔗 in our bio!).
📸: Steve Wagner
On Saturday, September 19, 2026, Cleveland Public Theatre will transform its campus into a labyrinth of theatre, dance, visual arts, music, and performance for Pandemonium 2026: Under Construction! We are seeking self-producing creators who are prepared to make beauty of simplicity. Could that be you?
This year’s theme—Under Construction—is a special one for us. It’s literal! Pandemonium will hit this year as we’re wrapping up our renovation. Some spaces will be newly finished, while some are still in-progress. However, we’re thinking about this theme organically, as it relates to the natural world—think beehives, a chrysalis, etc. We look forward to your interpretations of nature’s builders! Special consideration will be given to pieces that involve unconventional or off-kilter performance styles and formats, and those involving a wandering aspect.
The deadline for proposals is May 22, so get yours in today! For more info and the application, click the 🔗 in our bio or go to cptonline.org and click “News” at the top of the home page.
Save the date for "Ignite: Lakeview Spring Arts Festival," presented by CPT!
On May 29, join the young artists in our CMHA CAN program at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's Lakeview Terrace, along with members of the Lakeview community, in a celebration of creativity with food, performances, and interactive experiences.
This event is FREE and will be a blast for the whole family. Find out more at cptonline.org.
One week until auditions and interviews begin for STEP 2026! In this paid arts-based job training program, youth ages 14–19 work together to create, produce, perform, and tour an original piece as an ensemble. We're especially excited to hear from artists interested in joining the Technical Theatre Ensemble, whose work is an integral part of making these performances look and sound fantastic.
Technical Theatre Ensemble members join STEP halfway through the process and work four weeks, July 6–August 2. Audition dates are NEXT THURSDAY, April 23 and SATURDAY, April 25.
More info: cptonline.org and đź”— in our bio.
📸: Steve Wagner
The Dark Room is TONIGHT in our second floor Cabaret space!
CPT's "open mic" for playwrights allows writers to test their new play, novel, poem, or any other writing. Playwrights may bring up to 10 pages, and actors are cast on the spot. Open to all writers, performers, and audience members interested in cold readings of new scripts.
Sign-up is 6:45-7pm, and the readings begin at 7:30. See you then!
We don't want to jinx it, but spring is slooooowly peeking its head around the corner here. With renovations underway on our campus, it's fun to see the new blooms contrasted with the construction. We're beyond grateful for all the artists and audiences who make CPT a place where adventurous new work blossoms!
