Will include productions of Company and Marat/Sade

Cleveland State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, a Resident Company of Playhouse Square, announces its 2017-2018 season, its sixth full season in the Allen Theatre complex.

Dance begins the season with a performance by GroundWorks DanceTheater, running October 13 and 14, 2017 on the Allen Theatre Mainstage. As the resident professional dance company of the CSU Department of Theatre and Dance, GroundWorks returns under the artistic direction of David Shimotakahara.

The theatre season opens on the Allen Theatre Mainstage with the Stephen Sondheim musical, COMPANY. Running October 26 – November 5, 2017, this honest look at modern adult relationships is considered a trailblazer, and is the winner of seven Tony Awards. Directed by Russ Borski.

The second theatre production is EMOTIONAL CREATURE – THE SECRET LIFE OF GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD, running February 22 – March 4, 2018 in The Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre. Penned by Eve Ensler of The Vagina Monologues, EMOTIONAL CREATURE (EC) is performed by an all-female cast and comprised of original monologues about and for young women. Directed by Holly Holsinger.

The Dance Program returns to the Allen Theatre Mainstage with its popular annual CSU SPRING DANCE CONCERT, March 23 and 24, 2018. Featuring the CSU Dance Company, faculty, staff, musicians and guest artists, this repertory concert, under the direction of Lynn Deering, includes an eclectic evening of contemporary and traditional choreography.

Running April 5-15, 2018 in The Outcalt Theatre, the final theatre production of the season is Peter Weiss's groundbreaking MARAT/SADE. Fully titled The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, the production will feature Associate Professor of Theatre Dr. Michael Mauldin in the role of the Marquis de Sade. Directed by Allan Byrne.

Shows run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 216.241.6000, visiting playhousesquare.org, or at the State Theatre Ticket Office, located at 1519 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Tickets are also available 60-minutes prior to performances at the Allen Theatre Complex.

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