Announcing SoftLaunch and The PILOT Project!
Cleveland Public Theatre announces two interconnected opportunities for performance creators:
SoftLaunch and the PILOT Project
SoftLaunch 2027
SoftLaunch is a performance festival dedicated to bold experimentation, innovation, and the reinvention of what performance can be. Think installation art, immersive experiences, audience-interactive work, performances for intimate audiences, and work that pushes beyond traditional performance formats!
This weekend-long festival takes place on January 28, 29 & 30 at 7:00pm. Audiences receive a festival pass and move throughout the theatre, encountering a variety of performance experiments and works in development.
SoftLaunch features work at various stages of development, from early workshops to fully produced, focusing on pieces (or experiences) that don’t fit within typical theatrical structures. SoftLaunch is specifically interested in work that reimagines the relationship between audience, performer, space, and story. The festival is less interested in work presented within a conventional theatre structure (even if that piece is radical); and more interested in projects that explore unconventional forms and new possibilities for what live performance can be!
For example:
Sleep No More an immersive, audience-driven performance in which audiences move through the environment and construct their own experience of the work? YES
Recent Sankai Juku performance conceptually & visually rich, proscenium-based performance presented for seated audiences? NO
*SoftLaunch is open to out-of-state applicants. However, there is no additional financial support for out-of-state artists. If you are traveling, please plan to cover your own travel and take care of all accommodations yourself (housing, per diem, etc.).
CPT provides the following SoftLaunch benefits:
- Access to the performance space as early as possible, with additional rehearsal space accommodations when available
- Access to available CPT lighting, sound, props, costumes, and scenic inventory (upon request)
- Stage management for the festival event
- Front-of-house and box office support
- Direct mail advertising the series
- Program/schedule for the event
- A project fee between $400-1000, determined by scale, scope, and level of completion
- The value of CPT’s investment in each individual project as part of this event is $3,500-7,500
Lead Artists MUST:
- Be present on site at all showings of their work (even if they are not performing): Jan. 28, 29 & 30
- Attend four cohort meetings on Saturdays: Dec. 5 at 2:30pm-4:30pm, and Dec. 12, Jan. 2 & 9 at 10am-noon
- Attend the following Tech/Dress Rehearsals, which are required for all participating artists.
- This schedule reflects feedback from artists over the past two years requesting additional opportunities to experience each other’s work.
- Tech Rehearsals: Wed. Jan. 20, Thurs. Jan. 21 & Fri. Jan. 22 (all tech work must be completed by Jan. 22).
- Tech/Dress Weekend: Sat. Jan. 23 & Sun. Jan. 24 (artists will experience one another’s work & run projects simultaneously)
- Final Dress Rehearsals: Tues. Jan. 26 & Wed. Jan. 27, 6:00pm–11:00pm (both days required)
- Ensure all artistic content is owned by the artist, or the artist must have authority to use material (in case of adaptation or inclusion of other content)
- Lead their own independently contracted creative teams (performers, designers, technicians, etc.)
- Attend wrap-up meeting on Sat. Feb. 13 at 1pm
There are three ways artists can get involved in SoftLaunch:
- Apply with your piece through the Google Form Application here.
- Apply for The PILOT Project by Sept. 2nd, 2026: PILOT Project
- If not currently attached to a project, express interest in being considered for collaboration (acting/tech/volunteer), and CPT will share that interest with SoftLaunch creators. Please send your resume and headshot to aurozhaeva@cptonline.org with the subject line: “Collaborators for SoftLaunch.”
SoftLaunch applications are due no later than November 3, 2026.