Cleveland Public Theatre and Y-Haven Celebrate 25 Years Of Y-haven Theatre Project with New Show!

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) and Y-Haven will present Troubled Waters, the 25th anniversary production of Y-Haven Theatre Project, a partnership between Cleveland Public Theatre and Y-Haven, a branch of the YMCA.

The show is directed by Melissa T. Crum who is also CPT's artistic and education associate, and director of Dobama Theatre's recent hit adaptation of Little Women.

Through the program, CPT collaborates with the clients of Y-Haven to create an original theatre production that shares powerful stories of recovery and personal triumph, capturing an authentic and emotional power as the cast shares their true-to-life experiences, often hidden from the world.

The program was formed under the leadership of CPT founder and former Executive Artistic Director James Levin and current Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan who began working with a group of residents at Y-Haven, which had a facility on the near west side of Cleveland. After a pilot project, they debuted the first play that was developed through the program Reconstruction of a Man. The program has since expanded to include all-genders (as of 2022) and the number of participants continues to grow.

To reach audiences who may not be able to attend the CPT show, the theater will be bringing a private tour of the show to colleges and low-income housing apartments within the Greater Cleveland area (details are TBD).

“Though it sometimes seems magical, it is a practical art that is the result of grueling work and great courage. No one's life changes unless they want it to, and one of the profound elements of this program is that we get to make art with people who have made a clear and active choice to change.” ―Cleveland Public Theatre Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan

 

“The reason Y-Haven and CPT find the strength and courage to survive and thrive is the people we serve. We find great satisfaction, even joy, in seeing those we serve learn, grow, and heal. The Y-Haven Theatre Project highlights the daunting challenges people in recovery face and the transformation and new life that is possible. We are deeply grateful for this collaboration and the joy and healing it fosters.” ―Ed Gemerchak, senior vice president of behavioral services, Y-Haven 

“I've never had anybody clap for me. I was never in sports, so to get a standing ovation was awesome.” ―Samantha Nelson, cast member of Y-Haven Theatre Project 2023 production In Our Wake. [As quoted in Bitter Sweet Monthly article A Cadence of Peace, April 2023 ]

“We kind of put them through all the theater training you could imagine … just telling stories and sharing stories and hearing where they're coming from and what's important to them and what they want to say.” ―Melissa T. Crum, director of 2024 Y-Haven Theatre Project show, and Cleveland Public Theatre artistic & education associate. [As quoted in Bitter Sweet Monthly article A Cadence of Peace, April 2023 ]

“We can't just stay in here and hide forever. This is a good place to come, get the tools that you need, and build yourself up. Just take it day-by-day, step-by-step and it'll work out if you want it to.” ―Gregory Emory-White, cast member of Y-Haven Theatre Project 2023 production In Our Wake. [As quoted in Bitter Sweet Monthly article A Cadence of Peace, April 2023 ]

 

Performances will be presented January 25 through January 28 at Cleveland Public Theatre's Gordon Square Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102. Admission for the show is free and does not require a ticket, except for Y-Haven's annual benefit on Saturday, January 27th. For information on Cleveland Public Theatre visit www.cptonline.org. CPT does; however, offer the option of reserving seats in advance to groups coming from treatment centers, group homes, churches, and other established organizations intending to secure seating for a group of five or more through Cleveland Public Theatre's box office at 216.631.2727 x501 or by emailing boxoffice@cptonline.org.

Melissa Crum is a Cleveland-based director, writer, performer, producer, and teaching artist. Focused on humor, heart, and vulnerable truth-telling, she creates as an exploration of the crevices, complexities, and contradictions of our shared humanness. Melissa received the 2016/2017 Nord Family Foundation Playwright Fellowship through Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT), where she and co-writer & composer Caitlin Lewins developed Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies), a dark musical comedy. Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) received a reading at the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) in the summer of 2019. Through this work, Crum and Lewins were finalists for the 2019 Mitten Lab. Melissa completed the 2013/2014 Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellowship at Cleveland Public Theatre, where she directed The Drowning Girls. Melissa has directed locally at Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre, Talespinner Children's Theatre, and Playwright's Local. Melissa currently holds the position of artistic & education associate at Cleveland Public Theatre. She has served as a staff teaching artist with Playhouse Square, worked as an actor-teacher with Great Lakes Theater, and has been a teaching artist with Cleveland Play House, The Musical Theater Project, Dobama Theatre, and is a member of the National Teaching Artist Guild. Melissa holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Cleveland State University. www.melissatheresecrum.com 

Cleveland Public Theatre has been at the forefront of new play development since 1981. Through four developmental programs, CPT serves local artists at every step of the creative process, from early ideas all the way to full productions and the entrepreneurial step of launching a new work. With a national reputation for developing new plays and producing innovative interpretations of classic works, CPT has garnered praise for its work and received acknowledgement and recognition from The New York Times, American Theatre magazine, Theatre Journal, The Dramatists Guild, and Canadian Theatre Review. Shows created at CPT have toured to New Orleans, New York, Toronto, Minneapolis, Belgrade, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. CPT engagement programs have served as a model for similar programs in Turkey and Uzbekistan.