The End of Black Excellence
Written and performed by Chris Webb
Directed by Jimmie Woody
October 23, 2025 - November 08, 2025
James Levin Theatre
The Nov. 8 final 7pm performance of The End of Black Excellence is sold-out. We are offering a waitlist for general admission. To join, visit the CPT box office in person at the theatre at 6415 Detroit Ave. starting at 6pm tomorrow and fill out a form with your name, desired number of tickets, and contact number. Released tickets, if any, will be sold in waitlist order. If you're not present or miss the call, we'll proceed to the next person. While we'll make every effort, ticket availability is not guaranteed. Also, note that tickets sold at $1 and $10 that are not scanned at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled performance time will be released for resale. All other tickets are subject to resale if not picked up by showtime. Thanks to all who attended and/or spread the word about this remarkable show!
All ticket exchanges are made at CPT's discretion and are not guaranteed. Exchange requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled performance time by calling or emailing the box office. Exceptions to this rule may be made at CPT's discretion for valid circumstances.
The End of Black Excellence follows a man who just may be the first Black person born without “Black excellence.” In his attempt to prove this theory wrong, he puts on an (ever-failing) solo show to prove his worth, value, and connection with the elusive excellence that he craves.
CONTENT DISCLOSURE: The End of Black Excellence contains the use of haze.
Click here for COVID-19 Safety Protocols. (Sunday COVID-Conscious performances)
The James Levin Theatre is ADA-compliant featuring a patron elevator and an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.
Ensemble Members:
FEATURING: Sam Cocco, Mary Francis, Kvne, Sierra Delaine Robinson
The Creative Production Team Includes:
Producer: Raymond Bobgan
Line Producer: Kadijah Wingo
Stage Manager: Tyree-J. Franklin
Assistant Stage Manager: Ricki Thomas
Lighting Designer: Sierra Smith
Graphic Designer: Sarah Beth Morgan
Photos by Steve Wagner
The End of Black Excellence In the media
Applause (Ideastream): https://www.ideastream.org/shows/applause/episodes/exploring-black-excellence-at-cleveland-public-theatre-opz7zl
Black Girl in Cle: https://www.blackgirlincle.com/2025/10/27/chris-webb-end-of-black-excellence-cleveland/
theatrereviewskurahashi: https://theatrereviewskurahashi.wordpress.com/2025/11/01/a-60-minute-exploration-of-the-weight-and-pressure-to-be-excellent-chris-webbs-the-end-of-black-excellence/
ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE
Free Bev Fridays
Join us after select Friday performances and discuss the performance with artists and audience members while enjoying a selection of free beverages on us.
COVID-Conscious Sundays
The performances on October 26 and November 2 require masks, which we can provide.
Opening Night
Join us after the first Saturday of the run for an Opening Night reception. Celebrate with us, CPT-style, and enjoy complimentary food and a selection of free beverages.
Post-Show Talk with Playwright Chris Webb | October 30
Stay after the show for a conversation between Chris Webb and Kadijah Wingo, CPT’s National New Play Network Producer in Residence. This charismatic pair will explore the show’s themes, its production, and audience questions.
Market Monday | November 3
Ticket includes admission to pre-show pop-up market spotlighting local visual artists, retailers, entrepreneurs, and more! Held from 6–7pm and 30 minutes after the show, featuring the following local vendors:
Tana Bankhead, TanTor Cosmetics
TanTor Cosmetics sprang from a lifelong passion for the sparkle of lip gloss and all things that make us shine. It’s not just a makeup brand; it’s a tribute to uniqueness and a love for beauty that’s both sustainable and gentle. Our story started with our Sugar Cane Collection, born out of our dedication to creating vegan, cruelty-free, and genuinely natural products. Here, individuality meets eco-conscious beauty in every gloss and glimmer. The collection contains six naturally formulated lip glosses that are vegan, cruelty free, non-GMO, and packaged in recyclable materials.
Angelina Bell, Humble Mornings Coffee
Angelina is a mom, home cook and coffee roaster who likes to shake it up! Shortly after coming up with a new idea for coffee roasting in 2019, COVID came to slow down everything about life. After a year of learning how to roast and practicing for 8 months, she made the big step to start Humble Mornings Coffee Company, which is locally owned and roasted in Cleveland, Ohio. Their beans are carefully sourced from minority female farmers from around the world and roasted to perfection using small-batch on-demand roasting. Our coffee flavor characteristics offer a truly unique coffee drinking experience.
Tyra Sledge, 6th Street Vintage
A women’s and men’s vintage retailer specializing in unique, one-of-a-kind items. They offer a variety of services including personal styling, custom tailoring and alterations of vintage garments, personal shopping, garment rental, and photoshoot styling. Fox 8 Segment: NDC/Fox 8 News at Noon: 6th Street Vintage
Ramat Wiley, Adun Spice Co.
Adun Spice Co. is a Cleveland-based spice company founded by chef and creative Ramat Wiley. The name “Adun” means flavor, sweet, and sweetness in the Yoruba language, a tribute to her Nigerian heritage. She believes that food is the key to life.
THE END OF black excellence Playlist
Enjoy a playlist of songs director Jimmie Woody curated to accompany the show.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Chris Webb is a globally recognized spoken word artist, an Emmy-winning journalist, and a filmmaker from Cleveland, Ohio. From 2015-2020, he toured with the world’s largest spoken word tour, Poets in Autumn, where he performed original pieces annually for 50 U.S. cities and international dates, including London, Kenya, and the Caribbean. From 2020-2025, he joined WKYC 3 to document powerful perspectives from Cleveland’s marginalized and emerging communities, ultimately earning a 2021 Emmy. As a filmmaker, Chris has been featured on MTV, BET, and the Tribeca Film Institute among others. Chris is a Cleveland School of the Arts graduate and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland before earning his degree from the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. As an ad director, Chris has produced ad work for the White House, the Essence Festival, the National Civil Rights Museum, and other local and national vendors. His ad work has earned Telly, Webby, and Promax recognition. As a storyteller, Chris is a 2025 finalist of the International Storytelling Centre’s “Story Slam,” set to compete in Jonesborough, Tennessee this year. In The End of Black Excellence, Chris merges all of his practices into a piece that reflects on survival, self-acceptance, and the power of mentorship in life’s most critical moments. This play is dedicated to the memory of Bill Cobbs, Dr. Scott Miller, Gwen Norfleet-Rodgers, Jacquie Gillon, and many other mentors who have helped guide the way.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Jimmie Woody (director and producer) is a dynamic director, arts educator & visual artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Some of his most recent directorial credits include: Jitney by August Wilson (Beck Center); Election Day by Lee Chilcote (BorderLight Festival); Brownsville Song/B-Side for Tray (Dobama Theatre); Art of Longing by Lisa Langford (Cleveland Public Theatre); To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, and Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (Weathervane Playhouse); Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky and The America Play by Suzan-Lori Parks (University of Akron); The Split Show, How Blood Go, and The Bomb by Lisa Langford (Tri-C, Convergence Continuum & Cleveland Public Theatre); Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, For Colored Girls… by Ntozake Shange, Jitney, Two Trains Running, Gem of the Ocean & Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson (Cuyahoga Community College [Tri-C Metro]); 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks (Cleveland Public Theatre); MLK Day by Jimmie Woody; The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe & When the Chickens Came Home to Roost by Laurence Holder (Karamu House); Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman (Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, Cleveland Public Library, and the Cleveland Botanical Garden); Underground Griots by Natalie Parker & Keith Josef Adkins (Cleveland Public Theatre, The National Black Theatre Festival and Here Café NYC); Wilberforce & Hollis Mugley’s Only Wish by Keith Josef Adkins (Cleveland Public Theatre, The National Black Theatre Festival & New York Hip Hop Festival); The Bacchae of Euripides by Wole Soyinka (Cleveland Public Theatre and Columbia University); Song by Daniel Gray Kontar and InCogNegro by Lisa Langford (Cleveland Public Theatre).