Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning disaster play runs February 23-March 5.

CLEVELAND, OH (February 3, 2023) – The Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance will take over the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square with Thornton Wilder’s comedy “The Skin of Our Teeth.” Running February 23 through March 5, 2023, “The Skin of Our Teeth” combines farce, burlesque, satire, and elements of the comic strip. Author Thornton Wilder depicts an Everyman family as it narrowly escapes one end-of-the-world disaster after another, from the Ice Age to flood to war.

Although written in 1942, “The Skin of Our Teeth” broke from many of the established theatrical conventions of the time, walking off with the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This production is directed by Toby Vera Bercovici, Assistant Professor of Practice in CSU’s Department of Theater and Dance, feels surprisingly timely in our modern era.

“We live in a world increasingly fraught with disasters, both natural and human-made. This play follows the Antrobus family, who, equally beset by disaster, struggle to rebuild their lives time and again,” says Bercovici.

In “The Skin of Our Teeth” we meet George and Maggie Antrobus of Excelsior, New Jersey, a suburban, commuter-town couple (married for 5,000 years), who bear more than a casual resemblance to that first husband and wife, Adam and Eve; the two Antrobus children, Gladys (perfect in every way, of course) and Henry (who likes to throw rocks and was formerly known as Cain); and their garrulous maid, Sabina (the eternal seductress), who takes it upon herself to break out of character and interrupt the course of the drama at every opportunity (“I don’t understand a word of this play!”). Whether he is inventing the alphabet or merely saving the world from apocalypse, George and his redoubtable family somehow manage to survive – by the skin of their teeth.

American Sign Language (ASL) Supported Performances

Thursday, March 2, 2023 is a designated performance that will be presented with American Sign Language (ASL) support, with ASL interpreters signing in tandem alongside the live production. $5 tickets for this show are also available using Promo Code “ASL” when ordering.

Ticketing

General show times are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM. $5-$15 tickets are available by calling 216.241.6000, visiting playhousesquare.org, or in person 60-minutes prior to performances at the Allen Theatre Complex. Visit our website at www.csuohio.edu/theatredance for more information.

About Cleveland State University

Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With 17,000-plus students, ten colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report. Find more information at www.CSUOhio.edu.

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