Cleveland Public Theatre is planning the eleventh annual STATION HOPE, a one-night event of entertainment and art inspired by the history of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Underground Railroad, the repercussions of oppression, and contemporary struggles for social justice, on Friday, March 1th, 2024. 

How Station Hope Works 

Audiences explore St. John’s campus on the corner of W 26th St. and Church Ave. With 30+ performances to choose from, attendees will encounter choirs, dance, theatre, intimate solo performance, and interactive art – all happening at the same time in multiple indoor and outdoor venues. 

Station Hope performances are 5–15 minutes in length and may be presented multiple times throughout the evening. Art installations will range from large to small, depending on the individual needs and space availability.

Limited technical support is available to all lead artists. Each space will have basic lighting and sound support. Station Hope prioritizes performance and artistry above the use of elaborate technical elements. We ask artists to be resourceful and keep simplicity in mind, without compromising on quality and ingenuity. Artists are welcome to make physical plans for their space, but they must be ready to implement the plans with little time in the space and technical support from CPT.

Station Hope venues have limitations and sometimes we need to place lead artists in spaces that may not fully accommodate the ideal elements of your performance. We need you, the artist, to work creatively to adapt your program to fit into this historical location and the flow of the event and to work well with the other artists. 

There will be a Stage Manager (if necessary) available for your venue but lead artists should provide their own artistic collaborators and produce their individual performance or installation. CPT staff will be available for consultation and support where possible.

This year, accepted pieces ranging from 5-15 minutes and art installations will receive anywhere between $300 and $500 from CPT, dependent on the number of artists involved in each piece and the scope of the project proposed. This stipend will be decided by CPT, based on the information you provide about your project in this application, so please be specific in your answers.

We will not be requiring proof of vaccination from artists this year.  

 Proposing a Piece for Station Hope 

Proposals should be bold, inventive, and thought provoking. Proposals can range from choirs, dance, short plays, art installations, poetry, performance art, wandering characters, solo pieces, etc. Station Hope follows a festival-style structure — we are looking for artists and groups who are the producers of their own works. 

We have a special need for interactive performance and visual art, especially pieces that could engage audiences while waiting in line outside and works that could take over a large outdoor area.

In selecting works for this event we will be looking at several factors.

• Has the artist/organization demonstrated the ability to produce the proposed work? We are not looking for expert producers, but we want to feel confident that the artist/group has a clear understanding of what it takes to pull off a show and the ability to assess their own capacity.
• How is the proposed art inspired by contemporary issues of social justice or the Underground Railroad? We are open to all kinds of work but are most interested in contemporary pieces that are inspired by the UGRR and its current parallels.
• Can the work be fully accomplished in the time limitations? How will it fit in the spaces available?

We want to curate an aesthetically diverse range of work and are open to educational, community, amateur, and professional groups. 

This year, the applications will be adjudicated by a panel of both CPT staff and artists from the local community. 

Click here FOR Application form!