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Got the message below from Beth Wood, Associate Artistic Director, of CPT today. (I’ve modified and marked it up for my own diabolical purposes though.) (Also, as exciting as all this is, I’m really looking forward to Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant…)

CPT is kicking off its 2011/2012 season with a new series, Springboard; a Staged Reading Festival that will feature eight new works. (I am proud to say that my play, Andrew Jackson ate my Homework will be one of them.)

1. FREE BEER after the show on Fridays! (This will be happening ALL season too!)
2. Raymond Bobgan and Chris Seibert will kick off Springboard by performing in the stage reading of Again and Against by [amazon_link id=”0881452556″ target=”_blank” ]Betty Shamieh[/amazon_link] this Thursday (October 6th) and Saturday (October 8th). I am looking forward to seeing Raymond on stage
3. Springboard is striving to break the rules of conventional staged readings. There will be no actors just standing around and reading a play. Directors, playwrights and actors are “making bold, adventurous choices with each piece”. (Thank you very much) And everyone at CPT is truly striving to create the best possible production of each script within the confines of just a few rehearsals and minimal technical support (which is very impressive and demonstrates CPT’s commitment to new work).
4. You get to see and experience more than Springboard. With a purchased ticket to any CPT performance this fall, you get free admission to Royal Ann’s Preserve, a performance installation created by Faye and Joan Hargate. According to Wood: “I experienced this piece at Pandemonium and it is beautiful and moving.” The installation is in the storefront just east of the box office and will be open a half hour before and after the show.
5. Tickets to Springboard are only $10! Or you can purchase a pass to the entire festival for only $30. If you purchase a pass, you can come to the festival as many times as you want. Even if you don’t come to all eight of the readings, you could come to CPT for the next three Fridays, see some cool pieces in development, AND get FREE BEER after the show. As Wood notes: “You can’t beat that!!” (You really can’t)

Springboard runs October 6 – 23; Thursday – Saturday @ 7pm and Sundays @ 3pm.

If you come on Thursday, October 6th, there will be an opening reception for the series. There will be pizza, snacks and drinks at the reception.

Inaugural festival to be held November 6-7, 2015, at Waterloo Arts

(Cleveland, OH; October 7, 2015) — Playwrights Local 4181 announces its debut as Northeast Ohio’s first playwrights’ development and production center, marking its launch with a free festival on November 6 & 7, 2015. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Playwrights Local presents new plays written exclusively by area dramatists. It also offers classes and engages the community through site-specific projects. Playwrights Local is a home for novice and experienced dramatic writers to learn, create, and share their work.

“This type of organization has already succeeded in Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Cincinnati,” said David Todd, Artistic Director of Playwrights Local. “We see this as a way of putting our under-recognized playwrights on the map, and of making their plays a bigger part of the arts conversation.”

Literary Manager Arwen Mitchell seconds the need for a space in Greater Cleveland dedicated to dramatic writing. “Other theaters support local playwrights to the extent that they can, but there’s no place focused on them exclusively,” Mitchell said. “Having an outlet like Playwrights Local is both amazing and essential.”

Playwrights Local 4181 welcomes the Northeast Ohio community to its inaugural Cleveland Playwrights Festival on November 6 & 7, 2015. All sessions in this event are free. (Online registration is recommended.) Dramatic writers of all skill levels can participate in workshops and discussions. Fans of live theater can attend staged readings of local works and take part in a recording of Mike Geither’s podcast play, Flame Puppy. Other offerings include a luncheon and post-show reception. The festival will be held at Waterloo Arts in Collinwood (15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, OH 44110).

Information on festival sessions and registration is available at www.playwrightslocal.org. Tax-deductible donations in support of this new, locally focused arts organization also may be made at the site.