Welcome back to Opening Acts. In this edition of the newsletter, we’re covering:
- A celebration of our founder
- A new URL for our IRL renovations
- Literary attention for CPT
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The House That James Built
CPT founder James Levin raises a glass.
Earlier this month, Cleveland Public Theatre founder James Levin was in the house for a rededication of the second-floor theatre which bears his name. The James Levin Theatre is now immortalized with new signage in time for the pending renovations to the CPT complex.
New signage and plaque for the James Levin Theatre.
The private event included a mix of artists, past and current staff, board members, and friends of CPT who were instrumental in realizing Levin’s vision for Cleveland to have a theatre that is an incubator for new experimental work and beacon for Cleveland’s underrepresented voices. The attendees were entertained by stories of how a biker club, and the Boy Scouts, played a part in the theatre’s origins. But that’s a story for another time.
CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan address the audience at the JLT rededication.
Current Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan led the dedication, which was followed by open-mic-style remarks and a song about “Jim” by past staff members and artists.
Check out this tribute to James Levin from his old pal and Cool Cleveland founder Thomas Mulready, who was in attendance and also part of the team who brought Levin’s vision to Gordon Square.
Photos by Steve Wagner
A full house for the rededication.
…And We Keep Building
Architectural rendering of the CPT facade post-renovation.
Before breaking ground on the renovations to our physical space, we’ve created a digital space to preview those renovations. Behold cptcapitalcampaign.org.
This new microsite is the perfect way to keep up with CPT’s capital campaign. You can peruse current and proposed floorplans, view donors, read press coverage, and more. The capital campaign is vital for CPT to continue its existing work and create spaces that celebrate its diverse stakeholders, and we’re excited to unveil this digital home for the campaign.
By all means, start exploring!
One of 101
Author Gary Sikorski holding 101 Things to Do in Cleveland in front of a banner in a CPT entranceway.
This fall, Cleveland joined Rhode Island, Key West, and Martha’s Vineyard as subjects of photographic guides by author Gary J. Sikorski. And we’re thrilled Gary included CPT in 101 Things to Do in Cleveland!
As you can tell from the size of that list, the book delves deeper than tourist attractions, and we’re honored to have CPT’s groundbreaking theatre work and education programming featured. The write-up also includes beautiful photos. Learn more and order your own copy of the book at garysikorski.com.
There’s one final stop on Gary’s book tour, and it’s tomorrow! At 7pm on Wednesday, December 17, Gary is giving a talk and signing 101 Things to Do in Cleveland at Lakewood Public Library at 15425 Detroit Ave. Tell him we sent you!
Thank you for reading Opening Acts!
We look forward to sharing more with you soon.
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