City News

From Your Cleveland Heights City Government

With RENT and FUN HOME,

Cain Park’s 2023 Theater Season

Explores Diversity, Identity, and La Vie Boheme!

This week, Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren announced the Alma Theater productions for Cain Park’s 85^th season:

RENT, which will run June 8-25, 2023; and,
FUN HOME, which will run August 10-27, 2023.

ABOUT RENT

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning phenomenon, RENT, shaped a generation, and its legacy has continued for over 25 years. Based loosely on Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme, this rock musical follows a year in the life of a group of young artists struggling to create and survive in New York’s Lower East Side under the shadow of poverty, social unrest, and the AIDS epidemic. With universal themes of falling in love, finding one’s voice, and living for today, RENT teaches us to measure our lives in love.

Guest director Nathan Henry will direct Cain Park’s production of RENT, with music direction by Bradley Wyner and choreography by Kenya Woods.

ABOUT FUN HOME

Adapted from Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking graphic novel memoir of the same name, FUN HOME explores the haunting pull of memory and its power to shape one’s identity. Moving between the past and present, the musical traces Alison’s unique childhood and relationship with her father to unlock deep family secrets on her journey of self-acceptance.

With music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, FUN HOME became the first show written entirely by women to win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2015.

Cain Park Artistic Director Joanna May Cullinan will direct the Cleveland premiere of FUN HOME with music direction by Rachel Woods and choreography by Monica Olejko.

AUDITIONS

Equity and Non-Equity Auditions for both musicals will take place February 24–25, 2023, at Cleveland Heights Community Center. Callbacks will be on February 26. 2023.

DIRECTORS

Having previously appeared in Alma Theater favorites The Wiz, Kiss Me Kate, and Damn Yankees, Nathan Henry happily returns to Cain Park—this time as director. Nathan’s recent directing efforts include:

The world premiere of The Absolutely Amazing and True Adventures of Miss Joan Southgate at Cleveland Public Theatre;
The regional premiere of Kill Move Paradise at Dobama Theatre;
Night Visions at Ensemble Theatre;
Detroit ’67 at Baldwin Wallace University; and
The world premiere of The Web of Anansi at Near West Theatre.

Nathan received the 2018 Cleveland Scene Theatre Award for Best Director for Karamu House’s critically acclaimed production of Passing Strange, where he also directed Eric Coble’s The Velocity of Autumn. His production of Ya Mama! was part of the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Joanna May Cullinan is the artistic director of theater at Cain Park and has worked there in various capacities over the past 20 years. Her Cain Park directing credits include critically acclaimed productions of School of Rock, Sondheim on Sondheim, Ragtime, Memphis, Rock of Ages, and Godspell (co-directed).

As a freelance director, Joanna has worked with the Great Lakes Theater Company, the Cleveland Playhouse, the Mercury Theatre Company, the Ensemble Theatre, the Beck Center, and other theaters across northeast Ohio. Joanna graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University with a B.A. in Theatre and completed the graduate studies program in Arts Management at The University of Akron.

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Cleveland Heights buys mini-fleet of electric cars

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- New city inspectors will be greeted with a small fleet of new electric cars to make their rounds.

City Council signed off Monday (Jan. 23) on the purchase of six 2023 Chevy Bolt EVs for $180,000 -- enough of a price break to allow for an extra car to be added to earlier funding projections.

“We’ve been working to try to find a good deal on EVs for the Planning and Development Department, which now includes housing and zoning inspection, those sorts of activities that require being out in the community,” Mayor Kahlil Seren told Council in a special meeting...

Read more on WKYC.com

Cleveland Heights brothers Travis and Jason Kelce compete in NFL conference championship games

This weekend, Cleveland Heights brothers Travis and Jason Kelce are set to compete in the NFL conference championship games.

Watch the story on WKYC.com...

NEW COMMUNITY CENTER PROGRAM

Preschool Open Gym

A once-a-week program for little ones ages 1-5 and their parents. We put out a variety of equipment, including toys, balls, and balance activities in the gym on Court 1 for children to play and explore. Parents/guardians must stay with their children.

Day: Wednesday Mornings

First Session: Wednesday, February 1

Time: 10:00 am–2:00 pm

Location: Gymnasium

Cost: $5.00 for a family day fee; $20.00 for a 6-class pass

CH-UH State of the Schools

February 1, 2023, at 7:00 pm

Next Cleveland Heights City Council Meetings

Cleveland Heights City Council will hold a Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, January 30, 2023, at 10:00 am in the Executive Conference Room on the second floor of Cleveland Heights City Hall.

Also, on January 30, 2023, City Council will hold a Special Meeting at 5:30 pm in the Council Chamber at City Hall.

The next regular City Council meeting will be held on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 7:30 pm, in the Council Chamber at Cleveland Heights City Hall. The full meeting will be proceeded by a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:00 pm in the Executive Conference Room on the second floor of City Hall.

These meetings will be streamed live and may be viewed on the City's YouTube channel. The agendas for the meetings may be found on the City's website.