Cleveland Play House Annual Benefit Returns to Support Theatre Company’s Renaissance
Posted April 11, 2024 in Press Releases
(Cleveland, OH) Cleveland Play House (CPH) is thrilled to host Renaissance: Cleveland Play House Gala, a Night of Revelry and Renewal, on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Allen Theatre, located in the heart of Playhouse Square. Cleveland Play House is pleased to welcome northeast Ohioans back to the Allen Theatre to celebrate and support live theatre, with the return of the CPH Annual Benefit, an exuberant evening filled with renewed excitement, delicious food, and fun-galore to honor Dr. Roland and Dale Anglin and Paul E. Westlake Jr.
CPH Board Chair Mike Meehan says, "This year’s Gala celebrates the renaissance and renewed joy at Cleveland Play House under the new leadership of Artistic Director Michael Barakiva and Managing Director Rachel Fink. The future is bright at CPH!”
Renaissance will reawaken guests to the magic invoked by the bold, dynamic, and thrilling theatre programming as well as the groundbreaking educational programs provided by Cleveland Play House, serving audiences and scholars in Northeast Ohio and beyond. While the evening celebration commemorates Cleveland Play House’s historic and Tony Award-winning legacy, Renaissance also provides theatre-lovers an opportunity to show their much-appreciated support to America’s premiere regional theatre company. In the spirit of renaissance, the notable event will inspire attendees to look toward the bright future of Cleveland Play House as the theatre company continues to bring thought-provoking art to Northeast Ohio with the help of the community. Cleveland Play House recognizes the transition to new leadership under Artistic Director Michael Barakiva, and Managing Director Rachel L. Fink, who are dedicated to rejuvenating the CPH vision to be a premier regional theatre that is welcoming, diverse, distinctive, bold, thrilling, and essential to the community.
Kim Meisel Pesses, a co-chair of the event’s Host Committee and a vice-chair of the CPH Board says, “We are thrilled and excited to bring the Gala back this year. During the pandemic, we all learned how much live theatre means to each of us and how it enriches our lives in so many ways. This year, we can’t wait to celebrate together with our fellow theatre lovers, raise crucial funds for our artistic and education programs, and toast the next chapter for Cleveland Play House!”
Attendees can expect a bright, colorful, and fresh atmosphere with vibrant performances throughout the evening, and are enticed to treat themselves to delicious dinner, open bars, and revelry on the dance floor! Those attending this black-tie event are invited to wear Renaissance-inspired attire and accessories if they choose. During the festivities, a live auction will be conducted by Mark Schroeder of Auction Brio LLC that awards one-of-a-kind auction packages fit for arts and entertainment enthusiasts. Another returning partner will be Event Designer Christopher Kascsak of Design Studio Cleveland, LLC whose signature style will infuse the entire experience with elegance and excitement around every corner.
CPH Managing Director Rachel L. Fink says, "The energy and excitement buzzing in Cleveland and at CPH are palpable, and we can't wait to share this vibrant atmosphere with our supporters at Renaissance. Together, we’re ensuring that CPH continues to thrive and make a meaningful impact for generations to come.”
Tickets for Renaissance are now on sale exclusively at clevelandplayhouse.com/gala. All proceeds from Renaissance will support Cleveland Play House’s nationally recognized artistic work and transformational educational programs.
ABOUT THE HONOREES
ROLAND ANGLIN's career spans more than 30 years of working in the public, educational, and philanthropic sectors. In all his professional positions, Anglin has focused on promoting economic and community development in and for low-income communities. Currently, he is professor of public affairs at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University. Immediately prior to this position, Anglin was Dean of the College. Before coming to Cleveland State, Dr. Anglin served in leadership roles at Rutgers University-Newark, the Ford Foundation, and Seedco. He has published three books: Promoting Sustainable Local and Community Development, Katrina's Imprint: Race and Vulnerability in America (with colleagues), and Resilience and Opportunity (with colleagues).
DALE ANGLIN is the Vice President of Proactive Grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation and was just announced as the inaugural Director for Press Forward: a national initiative to support the revitalization of local news. A coalition of national and local funders is raising and investing more than $500 million to support local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and scale infrastructure the sector needs to achieve sustainability. Dale was involved the last few years in the Foundation and with partners creating strategies to improve our local news and information system by launching Documenters and Signal Cle/Ohio and supporting groups like the Land and Buckeye Flame. At Press Forward she will be able to do the same work, but nationwide.
ROLAND and DALE have been involved with Cleveland Play House for years. As a member of our Board of Directors, Roland’s love of theatre came from growing up in Brooklyn and seeing shows in New York City and, especially, at Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey. Similarly, Dale fell in love with theatre at a young age when she would attend performances with her parents or through her school’s student matinee program. Dale participated in the Goodman Theatre’s renowned apprenticeship program (and still has her acceptance letter!). Both Roland and Dale are passionate about arts education and the power of theatre to shine a light on important topics in a way that nothing else can.
PAUL E. WESTLAKE, JR. is a Senior Principal and Lead Designer of DLR Group, an integrated, multi- disciplinary design firm with 33 offices worldwide. Prior to merging with DLR Group in 2016, Paul was Managing Principal of the legacy firm Westlake Reed Leskosky, headquartered in downtown Cleveland since 1905, and ranked #1 overall among U.S. architectural firms in Architect Magazine’s 2014 AIA Top 50 ranking. Over the course of his 40+-year career, Paul has designed a range of award-winning and technically challenging projects including major arts and cultural facilities such as theaters, amphitheaters, museums, and academic arts buildings. His body of work in both renovation and new construction has received more than 200 design awards. Over the course of his career, Paul has been personally involved in the design of more than 100 performing arts facilities in the United States, Asia, and Africa. This includes work on four of the nation’s six largest performing arts centers and theater districts in New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. Paul has worked with Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, including its many theaters and Ideastream Public Media, for four decades and was the lead designer of the Allen Theatre Complex serving the Cleveland Play House. Additional performing arts projects in Ohio include renovations of Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center; the Kohl Jazz Building and other projects at Oberlin College & Conservatory; and the Ohio State University Arts District.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
MICHAEL BARAKIVA (Artistic Director) is an Armenian-Israeli American director and writer who has staged new plays, revivals, and classics in New York City and around the country. Michael was appointed Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House in December 2023, where he served as director of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as well as co-director of CPH’s world premiere production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. Barakiva’s work has been seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Primary Stages, Syracuse Stage, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the Hangar Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director. He founded The Upstart Creatures, a theatre company that creates community through performance and food, as well as the Leadership Initiative Project, which equips historically excluded artists with the tools to succeed in leadership positions. Barakiva has received three Drama League directing fellowships, the Phil Killian Directing Fellowship (OSF), the David Merrick Prize in Drama, and was a Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis. He led a week-long workshop on musical theatre at the International Puppet Theater in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was a presenter at the International University Theatre Festival at UNAM in Mexico City. He served as producer of Summer Camp 6 (Soho Rep) and as the Readings and Workshops Coordinator at New York Stage and Film, as well as a Primary Coach on Season 2 of MTV’s Made. As a writer, Barakiva is the recipient of a Red Bull Commission for his adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, an EST/Sloan Project Commission, and a co-author of String Theory (Connotation Press). His young adult novels have been named to the Rainbow List, Equality Family Council Reading List, The Barnes and Noble’s Perfect Valentine’s Day YA Novels list, spending over a year as Goodreads #1 LGBTQ YA Novel. Education: Vassar College, The Juilliard School.
RACHEL L. FINK (Managing Director) is thrilled to be returning home to Northeast Ohio after 25 years. Her childhood was filled with fundamental and rich Cleveland arts experiences — and it was at Heights High (Go Tigers!) that Fink’s passion for arts access, social justice, and inclusive, equitable practices was ignited. She carried those values with her as she enrolled at Case Western Reserve University, where an astute professor introduced her to the field of arts administration, and she hasn’t turned back since. The experience at CWRU led to an internship at Cleveland Play House, followed by earning an MFA in theater management at the Yale School of Drama (now the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale). After graduate school, Fink ventured west to Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, where she founded and grew the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre into a nationally-recognized learning hub which centered theatre as an essential education and engagement tool for all ages, providing direct service and support to more than 300 theatres and 2,000 artists across the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, Fink served as the executive director of the Tony Award- winning Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. Producing highlights include Plantation! by Kevin Douglas and directed by David Schwimmer; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written and directed by David Catlin; Her Honor Jane Byrne, written and directed by J. Nicole Brooks (holiday radio broadcast in partnership with local NPR affiliate, WBEZ); Steadfast Tin Soldier, written and directed by Mary Zimmerman; and Lookingglass Alice, written and directed by David Catlin. Fink has held professional distinctions including co-leading the Professional Association of Chicago Theatres; and serving as a Fellow at the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago/Harris School of Public Policy; as the US delegate for the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme; as a member of the American Express/Aspen Institute Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders inaugural class; and as a 2016 artEquity facilitator cohort member.
ABOUT CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE, founded in 1915 and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences across Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Play House is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Cleveland Play House is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. To learn more, visit: www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
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