Lineup promises magical Sondheim, historical oppression, innovative dance and believable miracles

The Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance will enter its eighth full season as a resident company of the Allen Theatre Complex at Playhouse Square with a unique mix of drama, dance and music.

Dance begins the season with performances by GroundWorks DanceTheatre, running Oct. 11 and 12, 2019 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 / James Lapine musical Into the Woods, running Oct. 24 through Nov. 3, 2019. Directed by Russ Borski with musical direction by Maria DiDonato, this Tony Award winning musical begins with “Once upon a time…” and tells the intersecting stories of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales. Just when everyone’s journey seems to be resolved, the characters’ worlds are shattered, only to be recombined to show that nobody really lives “happily ever after.”

The second theatre production is Steven Dietz’s explosive God's Country,playingin the Outcalt Theatre Feb. 27 through March 8, 2020. Directed by Dr. Michael Mauldin, this exciting, highly theatrical docudrama is about the growing white supremacist movement in America, those dedicated to violent revolution and the expulsion from "God's Country" of non Aryans. Taken from court documents, interviews, news articles and other sources, these narratives are skillfully interwoven, sometimes nonchronologically, with statistics and facts into a kaleidoscopic and highly theatrical vision.

The Dance Program returns to the Allen Theatre Mainstage with its popular annual CSU Spring Dance Concert, April 3 and 4, 2020. Featuring the CSU Dance Company, faculty, staff, musicians and guest artists, this repertory concert includes an eclectic evening of contemporary and traditional choreography.

Directed by guest director Nathan Lilly, the final theatre production of the season is Our Lady of Kibeho by Katori Hall, running April 16 through 26, 2020 in The Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre. In 1981, a village girl in Rwanda claims to see the Virgin Mary. She is denounced by her superiors and ostracized by her schoolmates—until impossible happenings begin to appear to all. Skepticism gives way to fear, causing upheaval in the school community and beyond. Based on real events, Our Lady of Kibeho is an exploration of faith, doubt and the power and consequences of both.

General show times are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. $5-$15 tickets are available by calling 216.241.6000, visiting playhousesquare.org, or at the State Theatre Ticket Office, located at 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115. Tickets are also available 60-minutes prior to performances at the Allen Theatre Complex. Visit csuohio.edu/class/theatre-dance for upcoming limited $25 Dinner and a Show packages with theatre performances.