MXO ‘The Arts Unplugged’: CPH Presents Reimagines The Greek Tragedy Antigone!
Cleveland Play House, Posted February 25th 2022
CPH presents a timely, fast-paced take on the classic Greek play by Sophocles in the Outcalt Theatre.
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House presents an urgent, strikingly relevant take on the classic Greek play, Antigone. Freely adapted by Emily Mann from the play by Sophocles, the epic tragedy runs March 5 – 27, 2022 in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square. Directed by Lauren Keating, the production features Isaac Baker, Mariah Burks, Kristina Gabriela, Steve Gladstone, Sierra Grabowska, Bridget Kim, Gustavo Márquez, Vanessa Morosco, Fabio Polanco, Christopher Portley, Laura Starnik, Jordan Taylor, and Noah Williams. Tickets can be purchased via clevelandplayhouse.com.
In a dystopian near-future, a war-torn nation struggles for peace and unity. The newly appointed leader Creon stands for law and order. But her niece, Antigone, kneels for justice. Neither will yield, and a fatal battle of wills rages. Pushed to extremes, who will bend, and who will break? A high-stakes, timeless tale, Antigone burns with contemporary relevance, as age and youth clash over the future of their country.
Adapted to speak to 21st century concerns, the pulsing, fast-paced story of Antigone, written by 5th-century-BC Greek playwright Sophocles, draws prescient parallels to current sociopolitical climates, presenting a timely debate about what is lawful, and what is just. The play is the final installment of the Theban trilogy, which includes Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. All three dramas concern the fate of Thebes during and after the reign of King Oedipus, Antigone’s father. After several failed attempts to establish new leadership in Thebes, a bloody civil war ensues and Oedipus’ sibling, Creon, steps into the role. As ruler, Creon aims to keep the peace through immovable rule of law; however, Antigone’s beliefs force her to speak truth to power with the familiar passion of a modern activist. Antigone follows a family consumed by ideological conflicts, as different generations debate the true meaning of justice. As experienced politician Creon bristles at young Antigone’s radical ideas, there’s a timeless clash between “new order” and “old guard,” — one played out again today across protest movements, embittered legislatures, and dinner tables throughout the nation.
CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley says, “A great play is going to resonate with its moment. In these past two years, we, as a culture, have seen up close what civil war might look like, in the events of January 6, 2021. We have experienced death on a previously unimaginable level. We have seen great shifts in societal norms. We have watched leaders struggle to meet the challenges of this moment and we have felt the impact of their decisions. This play allows us to have deeper conversations about leadership and justice in our current moment.”
At the helm of this production is Director Lauren Keating, former Associate Producer of the Guthrie Theatre and accomplished director of classics Off-Broadway and beyond. Keating says, “Looking at characters of the past allows us to engage with ourselves…Antigone asks ‘How do we learn to listen? How do we learn to pivot? How do we learn to come together for change?’ And is there anything more pressing for us now, today, than answering those questions? We wanted to create an epic world with a modern heart.”
CPH’s production of Antigone is women-led, both onstage and behind the scenes. The productionfeatures Cleveland native Mariah Burks (Blackademics; Clue: A New Comedy) as the titular character, and Vanessa Morosco (Off-Broadway’s Around the World in 80 Days) in the role of Creon, typically played by a male performer. Through these characters’ struggles, Antigone questions what society asks of women in leadership, especially when the path to justice is not clear.
Keating says, “We’re asking ‘What does it mean to be a good leader, and what does it mean for a woman to take on this kind of power? What are the unique pressures?’ While Creon is having a hard time listening to other perspectives, there are also societal, external pressures pushing down on her. We’re really trying to question how each of us in society is participating in the choices our leaders make…We wanted to have a dialogue about where each of us sits in our society, how we move to a place of change and a place that truly embraces real justice for all of us and allows each of us to be our full selves.”
The creative team also includes scenic design by Courtney O’Neill, who draws ample inspiration from contemporary Cleveland. O’Neill bases key elements of the dystopian set on Cleveland’s City Hall. Costume designer Sara Ryung Clement brings fresh perspective to the classic story with thoughtful plays on gender, featuring vibrant “near-future” costumes that cleverly thwart binary norms. Rounding out the design team is Karin Olson as lighting designer and Megan Culley as sound designer.
CPH’s 2019-2020 Season production of Antigone was in its second week of rehearsal when it had to be cancelled on March 13, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.This 2022 production brings CPH’s “Homecoming” season full circle.
Keating says, “Our average audience member, because of the events of 2020, because of so many events that have recently been in the news, will have so much more vocabulary and context to understand these themes. That allows us to have a much deeper conversation with the audience through the show.”
Laura Kepley says, “What was happening in these rehearsal spaces [back in 2020] was electric and thrilling. The decision to bring Antigone back was one of the easiest decisions ever, because we knew the story was only going to get more relevant. We just couldn’t imagine how relevant.”
Antigone is sponsored by KeyBank, the 2021-2022 season sponsor of Cleveland Play House.
Tickets to Antigone range from $15 to $95. Student tickets are $15 (valid student ID required). Ohio Direction/EBT cardholders receive $5 admission to any performance (up to eight tickets). Military personnel and their immediate families receive 50% off tickets. Tickets can be purchased by calling 216.241.6000 or by visiting clevelandplayhouse.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
THE CAST
ISAAC BAKER* (Aide) recently appeared in the CWRU/CPH MFA production of Twelfth Night as well as Middletown, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Electra/Orestes. Other credits: The Merchant of Venice and Shakespeare in Love at the Great River Shakespeare Festival, Romeo and Juliet and The Crucible at the Public Theatre of Kentucky, as well as the collegiate premiere of Fun Home at the University of Evansville.
MARIAH BURKS* (Antigone) returns to CPH where she was last seen as the Cook in Clue: A New Comedy, as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as the understudy for Sister Rosetta Tharpe/Marie Knight in Marie and Rosetta, as well as Shakespeare in Love and The Nolan Williams Project. A member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program Class of 2018, her additional CPH credits include: Macbeth, Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, Clybourne Park, and She Stoops to Conquer. A graduate of Bowling Green State University’s Musical Theatre Program, her credits include Spring Awakening, Legally Blonde, and Book of Days, among others. Regional: Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theatre) and Ragtime (Cain Park). @mv_broadway
KRISTINA GABRIELA* (Chorus) is from Corpus Christi, TX and was recently seen at CPH in the world premiere of Light It Up!. She is in her final year in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program and received her B.A. in Acting/Directing at Texas A&M University: Corpus Christi. CWRU/CPH MFA credits include: Viola in Twelfth Night, Electra in Electra/Orestes, and Sweetheart/F doctor/F tourist in Middletown. Other credits include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Mimi in Rent, and Beauty in Smokefall. @quirky_kris
STEVE GLADSTONE* (Teiriesias) received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and has been featured on regional stages for over 40 years. Favorite roles include: Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show. Gladstone, a blind actor, has shared the set in feature films alongside Michael Caine, Dom DeLuise, and James Woods. Gladstone appeared in the original Miami Vice series and was featured in MTV’s Runaway Love. He served as the Miami Local SAG-AFTRA president for 15 years and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.insightfortheblind.org
SIERRA GRABOWSKA* (Guard) earned her B.A. in Theater and English from University of Massachusetts: Amherst, and is a member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program Class of 2022. She appeared in the CWRU/CPH productions of Twelfth Night, Electra/Orestes, and Middletown. Other credits: Shakespeare Now’s Romeo and Juliet as well asBoston Theater Company’s Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
BRIDGET KIM* (Ismene) is a CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program third year student and appeared in Twelfth Night, Electra/Orestes, and Middletown.
GUSTAVO MÁRQUEZ* (Chorus) is a CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program candidate. Regional credits: Light it Up! (CPH); Sweat, A Christmas Carol, and Native Gardens (Denver Center Theatre Company); CWRU/CPH MFA: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Twelfth Night, Middletown, Electra/Orestes. Other Credits: The Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, Metamorphoses, You Can’t Take It With You, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, American Idiot, Dracula, and Grease.Gustavo-Marquez.com
VANESSA MOROSCO* (Creon) has appeared in Around the World in 80 Days (Off-Broadway); Hard Cell (Geva Theatre); Way of the World (Yale Rep); One Man, Two Guvnors, Dancing Lessons (Florida Studio Theatre); Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, What the Butler Saw (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); Arcadia, House of Blue Leaves (Palm Beach Dramaworks); Disgraced, Frost/Nixon (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); Importance of Being Earnest (Shakespeare Theatre Company, DC); The 39 Steps, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry VIII (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); The Tempest, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Henry VI Part 1, Othello, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Lend Me a Tenor (Fulton Theatre); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Folger Theatre); School for Scandal (PICT Classic Theatre); and 7 seasons with the American Shakespeare Center. Morosco is a director and teacher with an expertise in Original Practice Shakespeare, a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, and holds an MA from Yale in ethics.vanessamorosco.com
FABIO POLANCO* (Aide) returns to CPH where he appeared in These Mortal Hosts, The Crucible, A Grand Night for Singing, The Grapes of Wrath, and the New Ground Theatre Festival reading of Informed Consent. He also appeared in Man of La Mancha at Porthouse Theatre and the Broadway national tour of Les Misérables. Regional credits: Academy of Music, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Signature Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St Louis, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, Dobama Theatre, Musical Theatre Project, Cain Park, and Cleveland Musical Theatre. Film/TV: An American Pickle, The Next Three Days, The Ides of March, The Lifeguard, Pups United, and Downward Dog. Polanco holds an M.F.A. from Case Western Reserve University, is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Kent State University, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
CHRISTOPHER B. PORTLEY* (Haemon) is a third-year MFA candidate at the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program and was last seen in CPH’s world premiere production of Light It Up!. Originally from Dallas, TX, he holds a B.S. from the University of North Texas. CWRU/ CPH MFA credits: Twelfth Night, Electra/Orestes, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Middletown. Other credits: Commedia Dell’Arte and Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root (Chautauqua Theater Company); Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3 (African-American Repertory Theatre); The Tempest, and Measure for Measure (Shakespeare Academy at Stratford); Stick Fly (University of North Texas); and Memphis (Musical Theatre of Denton).
LAURA STARNIK (Eurydice) returns to CPH where she appeared in All The Way, as well as the CWRU/CPH MFA production of The Three Sisters. She recently appeared in Tom at the Farm at convergence-continuum, and By the Bog of Cats and Well at Ensemble Theatre. Other credits: Lady Windermere’s Fan (Mamai Theatre Company); A Kid Like Jake (none too fragile); and Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, Becky Shaw, Humble Boy, Middletown, and Sons of the Prophet (Dobama Theatre).
JORDAN TAYLOR* (Chorus) is originally from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and obtained a B.F.A. in Acting from Oakland University. She is currently pursuing certification in Intimacy Direction with IDC. She most recently portrayed Olivia in the CWRU/CPH MFA production of Twelfth Night and also appeared in Electra/Orestes and Middletown.
NOAH WILLIAMS* (Chorus) is from Alabama, where he attended Troy University. While there, he performed in numerous roles, including: Tom in The Glass Menagerie, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Black Stache in Peter and the Star Catcher. Williams has been seen in the CWRU/CPH MFA productions of Middletown, Electra/Orestes, and Twelfth Night.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
EMILY MANN (Adaptor) is a multi-award winning playwright, screenwriter and director. In her 30 years as Artistic Director and Resident Playwright at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, she wrote 15 new plays and adaptations, directed over 50 productions, produced 180 plays and musicals, supported and directed the work of emerging and legendary playwrights, and received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. She has directed world premieres by Ntozake Shange, Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Ken Ludwig, Nilo Cruz, and Danai Gurira, among others, and is known for her productions of Williams, Chekhov, Shakespeare and Ibsen. Her plays: Having Our Say, adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth; Execution of Justice; Still Life; Annulla, An Autobiography; Greensboro (A Requiem); Meshugah; Mrs. Packard, and Hoodwinked (a Primer on Radical Islamism). Adaptations: Baby Doll, Scenes from a Marriage, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, A Seagull in the Hamptons, The House of Bernarda Alba, and Antigone. Currently in development for Broadway: her adaptation of The Pianist and a new musical adapted from the Kent Haruf novel Our Souls at Night, with composer Lucy Simon, lyricist Susan Birkenhead and director Victoria Clark. Her play, Gloria: A Life about the legacy of Gloria Steinem, ran Off-Broadway and aired on PBS’ Great Performances. Awards: Peabody, Hull Warriner, NAACP, 6 Obies, Guggenheim; Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, WGA nominations; Princeton University Honorary Doctorate of Arts; Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwrights’ Award; Margo Jones Award; TCG Visionary Leadership Award; Lilly Award and The Gordon Davidson Award both for Lifetime Achievement; American Theater Hall of Fame.
LAUREN KEATING (Director) is a director of new and classic theatrical work, narrative film, and site-specific events. Keating made her off-Broadway debut with Josh Koenigsberg’s Al’s Business Cards. Her regional directing work includes the record-breaking 2017–2019 productions of the Guthrie Theater’s A Christmas Carol; Small Mouth Sounds at Jungle Theater; Rhinoceros with 7th House Theater; Lulu, Learning Russian and Charlotte’s Web at Hangar Theatre and the development of The Antony and Cleopatra Project with Tarell Alvin McCraney for McCarter Theatre Center’s Youth Conservatory. Workshops include L M Feldman’s Fill Our Mouths with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Michael Mitnick’s Babs the Dodo with The Flea and Sarah Burgess’ Camdenside with Studio 42. Keating has developed work with many organizations, including The Public Theater, Playwrights’ Center, Ars Nova, 3LD, Woodshed Collective, The Old Vic, Dixon Place, and The Lark. Her adaptations of classic works include Wedekind’s Lulu, Ionesco’s Rhinoceros, Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, and Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, and Measure for Measure. Keating has been honored with fellowships from the Mellon Foundation/TCG, the Time Warner Foundation/Women’s Project, and the Drama League. Her work for the screen includes “The Feminist Cooking Show” (web series) and Power Out (short film). A proud NYU/Tisch alumni. Alliance of Women Directors member.Lauren-Keating.com.
COURTNEY O’NEILL (Scenic Designer) is a Chicago-based designer who works extensively in regional theatre. Upcoming projects: Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps at Great Lakes Theatre and Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Regional: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Denver Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Apollo Theater, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Apollo Theater, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, Writers Theatre, Mosaic Theater Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Children’s Theatre Company, Kansas City Rep, Marin Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, South Coast Rep, Milwaukee Rep. She teaches at DePaul University, Northwestern University, and manages the Design Competition portion of the August Wilson Monologue Competition. She is the recipient of a Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award, Rose Brand Scene Design Award, and Joseph Jefferson Award.courtneyoneill.com
SARA RYUNG CLEMENT (Costume Designer) Off-Broadway: Somebody’s Daughter (Second Stage Uptown); Fruiting Bodies (Ma-Yi Theatre). Regional: Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Asolo Repertory, Geffen Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Folger Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Mixed Blood, TheatreWorks, Center Stage Baltimore, Boston Court, Perseverance Theatre, East West Players, Cornerstone Theater Company, A Noise Within, Yale Repertory Theatre, among others. Clement is on faculty at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. M.F.A., Yale School of Drama; AB Princeton University.sararyungclement.com
KARIN OLSON (Lighting Designer) is based in Minneapolis, MN, where she designs at the Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center, Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra Theater, Mixed Blood, among others. Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Stage, and Trinity Rep. Recent designs include The Wolves; and Small Mouth Sounds at the Jungle Theater; Pride and Prejudice at Park Square Theater; Jason Moran’s The Last Jazz Fest at the Walker Arts Center; and Spamtown, USA! at The Children’s Theater Company.karinlosonlighting.com
MEGAN CULLEY (Sound Designer), a native Clevelander, is an NYC-based Sound Designer and Composer. Regional: Cullud Wattah (The Public Theater); Holmes and Watson (Kansas City Rep); Terminus (New York Theatre Workshop); Grounded, Hurricane Diane, and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (Dobama Theatre); The Last Match (B Street Theatre); Roan @ the Gates (Luna Stage); Inanimate (Flea Theater); and Flying over Sunset (Broadway, Associate Sound Designer) among others.meganculley.com
NATHAN MOTTA (Music Director) is the Artistic Director at Dobama Theatre, where he has directed the award-winning productions of An Octoroon, The Flick, and Peter and the Star Catcher, among many others. At CPH, he was Assistant Director for Brecht’s Galileo and Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and Music Director for A Carol for Cleveland, Steel Magnolias, and Shakespeare in Love. Regional: Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Oberlin College, Baldwin Wallace University, John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, Ohio Light Opera, Cain Park, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Mercury Opera Rochester, Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh), and Cleveland Opera. He has composed two original musicals: Little White Gloves and Midsummer, with a third, The Land of Oz, set to premiere in December 2022. Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and Eastman School of Music.
RACHEL LERNER-LEY (Production Dramaturg) is in her ninth season at CPH, where she is the Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg. CPH credits include: Light It Up!, Clue: A New Comedy, Our Dad is in Atlantis, Christina, The Hat Box, Egress, Cicada, Tiny Houses, Minton’s Place, Ghost Party, The Chinese Lady, The Nolan Williams Project, The Good Peaches, FEED, Little Row Boat, A Comedy of Tenors, and Violins of Hope. Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Civilians, Actors Theatre of Louisville, WildWind Performance Lab at Texas Tech University, and Girl Be Heard. She is a graduate of Smith College. Member LMDA.
OLIVIA LOUISE TREE PLATH (Stage Manager) is a Kentucky-based stage manager and director. She recently co-directed Elf with Theater Downstream. Recent: Blackademics with CPH, Laughing Wild with The Dorset Theater Festival, and Noura with Guthrie Theatre. Other: Redeemed with Dorset Theater Festival, Lake Erie Oubliette and Crooked River Burning with CPH, and Salt Pepper Ketchup with Aye Defy. She is a graduate of Yale’s School of Drama.
LAURA KEPLEY (Artistic Director) became Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House in 2013 and has directed numerous CPH mainstage productions including Every Brilliant Thing; Into the Breeches!; Tiny Houses (world premiere, also at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Sweat; The Diary of Anne Frank; Shakespeare in Love; The Crucible; Steel Magnolias; The Good Peaches (world premiere); Fairfield (world premiere); How I Learned to Drive (also at Syracuse Stage); The Little Foxes; Venus in Fur; Good People (also at Syracuse Stage); A Carol for Cleveland (world premiere); In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; My Name is Asher Lev; and CPH readings of Roe Green Award-winning plays Tiny Houses; The Chinese Lady; Soups, Stews and Casseroles: 1976; Marjorie Prime; and Daphne’s Dive. She joined CPH in 2010, having arrived from Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was Resident Director and Artistic Associate for four seasons and Interim Director of the Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. in Directing Program for one. She has also directed for The Alliance Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Chautauqua Theater Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among others. A native Ohioan, she received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Fine Arts from Brown University/Trinity Rep. She is a Drama League Fellow and a recipient of the 2009-2011 National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Program for Directors.
COLLETTE A. LAISURE (Managing Director) joined the Cleveland Play House leadership in February 2021, partnering with Board Chair Anne Marie Warren and Artistic Director Laura Kepley to support the Board and staff with overall business operations. Previously, Laisure served as Vice President and Executive Director of the PNC Fairfax Connection from 2012 to 2017, spearheading the strategic and operational direction of the thriving community resource center located in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood. Collette served as the President and Executive Director of The Presidents’ Council and has held board leadership roles at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Foundation, Cleveland Public Theatre, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation and Karamu House. Laisure also served as Director of The City of Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity, where she managed a budget of $1 million and was responsible for administering and monitoring compliance with the Female- and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise program. She is a member of Leadership Cleveland’s Class of 2008, and a 2008 Crain’s Cleveland Business Woman of Note.
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:
