Fall 2019
Bringing you behind-the-curtain news and showing you how your donation makes a difference at Playhouse Square!
playhousesquare.org/support
IN THIS ISSUE
• Advancing the Legacy surpasses $100 million goal • Center Stage Benefit honors Art Falco • Partners hold Membership Open House
DONOR RELATIONS STAFF Michelle Ryan Stewart Senior Vice President of Advancement 216-640-8410 michelle.stewart@playhousesquare.org Leanne Dewyer Assistant Director of Development 216-640-8411 leanne.dewyer@playhousesquare.org Mary Winchester Senior Manager of Development 216-640-8412 mary.winchester@playhousesquare.org Cheryl Helden Foundations & Major Gifts Manager 216-640-8406 cheryl.helden@playhousesquare.org Carrie Lombardo Development Manager 216-640-8417 carrie.lombardo@playhousesquare.org Sarah Stengel Partners Development Manager 216-640-8408 sarah.stengel@playhousesquare.org Carly Bieler Donor Communications & Education Fund Coordinator 216-640-8664 carly.bieler@playhousesquare.org Karen Bridegum Donor Services Coordinator 216-640-8419 karen.bridegum@playhousesquare.org David Turner Donor Circle & Box Holder Relations Coordinator 216-640-8418 david.turner@playhousesquare.org Victoria Gray Donor Relations & Special Programs Coordinator 216-640-8422 victoria.gray@playhousesquare.org Annie Weiss Development Coordinator 216-640-8407 annie.weiss@playhousesquare.org Jason Bogdany Development Database Coordinator 216-640-8428 jason.bogdany@playhousesquare.org
A NOTE FROM MICHELLE With the start of the 2019-2020 KeyBank Broadway series just days away, we are holding on to the last days of warm weather and reflecting back on the fantastic summer we had at Playhouse Square. We were delighted to hold the 4th Annual Dazzle Awards, presented Pat & John Chapman. Nearly 200 students performed at the awards showcase, which honors excellence in Northeast Ohio high school musical theater. We are especially proud of J.R. Heckman and Margo Tipping, the Best Actor and Actress recipients who represented Playhouse Square and Cleveland at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (“The Jimmy Awards”) in New York City. On July 24, we hosted our Center Stage benefit, which celebrated Art Falco and the accomplishments of Playhouse Square during his 34 years of leadership. Special thanks to the premiere sponsors of the evening: KeyBank, Julien L. McCall, Jane & Jon Outcalt, The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation and K.K. & Joe Sullivan, as well as benefit co-chairs Amy Brady & Jon Outcalt and the entire Board of Trustees. In total, over $650,000 was raised for the Playhouse Square area development fund. In late August, Playhouse Square’s first-ever Broadway sensoryfriendly performance, Disney’s The Lion King, welcomed 2,000 guests to the KeyBank State Theatre. It was absolutely incredible to witness families, many for the first time, enjoy theater in a judgement free-zone that was welcoming to all in attendance. Thanks in part to your support, Playhouse Square was able to present this truly inspiring performance. Thank you again for your ongoing generosity and support. YOU are the reason we can continue to inspire performance. Best Regards,
Michelle Ryan Stewart Senior Vice President of Advancement
Meg Colwell Gift Processing & Data Entry Coordinator 216-640-8409 meg.colwell@playhousesquare.org Claire Gliozzi Donor Relations Assistant 216-640-8413 claire.gliozzi@playhousesquare.org Lainne Davis Donor Relations & Special Projects Assistant 216-640-8426 lainne.davis@playhousesquare.org
Cover photo: Dazzle Awards. Photo by Nick Hoeller.
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE TOPS FUNDRAISING GOAL WITH $110 MILLION RAISED FOR ADVANCING THE LEGACY CAMPAIGN
Enhanced Education Programming
Theater Restoration
Neighborhood Transformation
THE CAMPAIGN FOR
Playhouse Square shines brightly today thanks to the dedication and foresight of individuals who saw the theaters as both a symbol of Cleveland’s past and an inspiration for the future. To honor their efforts and further its not-for-profit mission, in 2014 Playhouse Square began to pursue its largest philanthropic effort, the $100 million Advancing the Legacy Campaign. The successful conclusion of the campaign was announced by Playhouse Square Board of Trustees Chair Amy Brady at Playhouse Square’s annual Center Stage Benefit on July 24; the campaign goal was exceeded with a total of $110 million raised from 2,590 donors, nearly half of which were individuals. Foundation and corporations also contributed generously.
New Productions
Capital Improvements
“Although the funds raised provide for the continued vibrance of Playhouse Square’s historic theaters, this campaign is about much more than buildings,” said Brady. “Advancing the Legacy allows us to grow in each part of our not-for-profit mission – bringing the best performing arts to our community, advancing arts education and impacting the regional economy.” Lead gifts to Advancing the Legacy, led by chairs Thomas Adler, K.K. Sullivan and Daniel Walsh, include Terry & Sheldon Adelman, Lori & Rick Buoncore, Pat & John Chapman, Christopher & Sara Connor, The Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, KeyBank, and The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation. In honor of a recent gift of an undisclosed amount from an anonymous donor, the Ohio Theatre was renamed the “Mimi Ohio Theatre” in honor of the donor’s wife, who means the world to their family.
Learn more about the Advancing the Legacy campaign, including a full description of the campaign’s objectives, at playhousesquare.org/legacy.
Come From Away Management Assistant Dominic Barbao, Brittany Ozanich and Come From Away Company Manager Erik Birkeland.
CLEVELAND STUDENT GETS REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE WITH COME FROM AWAY AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE As a third-year theater major on the design and technology track at Cleveland State University, Brittany Ozanich understood that real-world experience was critical. So, when a professor emailed her about an internship offered through Playhouse Square and the Broadway League, she jumped. The program pairs college students from diverse backgrounds studying non-performance careers with company managers of qualifying Broadway tours. Playhouse Square’s Vice President of Community Engagement & Education Daniel Hahn secured the internship with the League. “We look for every opportunity to cultivate not only new audiences, but the next generation of theater professionals,” Hahn said. “Playhouse Square is perfectly positioned to facilitate this opportunity, which fit in beautifully with our Broadway Surround program.” Hahn reached out to technical theater
colleagues at local universities, and out of the candidate pool Brittany was interviewed and prevailed. July 16, she joined the company of Come From Away for a week-long internship with company manager Erik Birkeland and assistant Dominic Barbaro. In addition to learning about Birkeland’s day-to-day role in keeping a Broadway show running smoothly, Brittany was able to shadow different backstage positions. “It was humbling to see that even at the Broadway level, theater professionals are still the same fun, down to earth people I work with every day at CSU.” That realization, along with the entire experience, not only reaffirmed Brittany’s choice to pursue a technology-track based theater career, but also deepened her appreciation for the opportunity to both study and pursue her career in Cleveland.
“
I don’t know what kind of resources other theater students around the country have, but the opportunity to study at CSU has allowed me work within worldclass Playhouse Square theaters including the Allen, Outcalt and Hanna. Above and beyond the experience gained through this internship, I have had the opportunity as a student to work at Dobama, Cain Park and the Cleveland Play House. Cleveland presents a lot of opportunities for professionals seeking nonperformance careers in theater, and I am looking forward to pursuing my career right here when I graduate. Thank you Playhouse Square! Brittany Ozanich
”
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE RECEIVES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT In the spring, Playhouse Square received a National Endowment for the Arts Art Works grant of $20,000 for the commission of Cartography, a new work by theater artist Kaneza Schaal, award-winning author and illustrator Christopher Myers and produced by ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann. Cartography will take place in the Mimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square on Thursday, November 14 at 7 p.m. Playhouse Square Vice President of Community Engagement & Education Daniel Hahn met artists Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers not long after they returned to the United States from working with a group of refugee youth in
Germany. Their work with those refugees inspired Schaal and Myers to propose creating a theater piece that would use mapmaking and storytelling to explore the themes of migration and immigration. “Myers and Schaal are creating an engaging performance that leads to the contemplation of urgent questions about migration and immigration,” said Hahn. “We at Playhouse Square believe in the power of theater to develop understanding, insight and empathy and because of this, we actively seek to produce new and promising work like Cartography for young audiences. We are so grateful to have received a National Endowment for the Arts
grant which will provide students the opportunity to consider where we have come from, how we have moved and where we are all going.” Leading up to the engagement of Cartography at Playhouse Square in November, Kaneza and Schaal will visit Cleveland in September to conduct storytelling workshops for area educators, for children ages 10-17 at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch of Cuyahoga Public Library and with refugee students from John Marshall High School. Each student participating in the workshops will receive a free ticket to see the show at Playhouse Square in November.
ABOUT CARTOGRAPHY: MIMI OHIO THEATRE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14 AT 7 P.M. Cartography, a new play commissioned by Playhouse Square, explores the issue of migration. Five refugees from struggling countries discover what it means to leave home behind and start a new life.
In 2016, artists Christopher Myers and Kaneza Schaal flew to Munich, Germany, when 30,000 new people a day were arriving in that city, creating the largest migration in recorded human history. They spent hours listening to the refugees’ stories, shaping them into
this stunning play. A combination of simple storytelling and interactive video technology and inspired by true events, Cartography, taken directly from today’s headlines, exemplifies theater at its most relevant.
Learn more about Cartography at playhousesquare.org
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE HONORS EXCELLENCE WITH 4TH ANNUAL DAZZLE AWARDS With the aim of inspiring performance and recognizing the importance of musical theater and arts education in Northeast Ohio high schools, Playhouse Square held the fourth annual Dazzle Awards presented by Pat and John Chapman on Saturday, May 18. The Dazzle Awards are affiliated with The Jimmy Awards®/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® presented by The Broadway League Foundation. This regional program offered arts education opportunities throughout the school year and culminated with an
awards showcase staged by Broadway director/choreographer Rommy Sandhu. With less than a week to rehearse, nearly 200 students performed in fully choreographed opening and closing numbers. Prior to start of the show, students walked the “PNC Red Carpet” as they entered the Connor Palace. Student reporters representing participating high schools interviewed and photographed their classmates for school news programs, newspapers, social media channels and yearbooks.
Throughout the evening, Dazzle Awards were presented to outstanding musical theater productions and students in 14 categories, including the “Spirit of the Dazzle Awards” category, awarded to the student who most embodies camaraderie, passion and an infectiously positive attitude throughout rehearsal week as identified by the Dazzle Awards creative team.
As recipients of the Best Actor and Actress Awards, J.R. Heckman (senior) and Margo Tipping (junior) represented Northeast Ohio at The Jimmy Awards on June 24.
The opening group number of the 4th annual Dazzle Awards.
Students perform in Dazzle Awards opening number
THE 4TH ANNUAL DAZZLE AWARDS
THE 2019 DAZZLE AWARDS RECIPIENTS ARE: Best Student Orchestra Willoughby South High School, Annie Get Your Gun (Revival) Best Technical Execution Willoughby South High School, Annie Get Your Gun (Revival) Best Scenic Design Solon High School, Beauty and the Beast Best Costume Design Rocky River High School, Singin’ in the Rain Best Choreography Execution Rocky River High School, Singin’ in the Rain
Mayfield High School Dazzle Awards participants on the PNC Red Carpet.
Best Ensemble/Chorus Solon High School, Beauty and the Beast Best Featured Performer Owen Stickney, Rocky River High School (‘R.F. Simpson’ in Singin’ in the Rain) Best Supporting Actress Jenai Mosley, CMSD All-City Musical (‘Andy Lee’ in 42nd Street) Best Supporting Actor Matt Rajko, Willoughby South High School (‘Buffalo Bill Cody’ in Annie Get Your Gun (Revival))
Best Actor nominees with Pat & John Chapman on the PNC Red Carpet.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US HONOR EXCELLENCE! As part of our ongoing efforts to help the Dazzle Awards program grow and thrive, we set forth a challenge to raise $50,000 by the 2019 Dazzle Awards on May 18. Thanks to the support of our donors and a generous contribution made by long-time Trustee John Chapman and his wife Pat, we raised $59,884 for the Dazzle Awards program!
And we’re not slowing down – the challenge is on for this year!
Support the 2020 Dazzle Awards and help us raise $50,000 for the 5th Annual Dazzle Awards at playhousesquare.org/dazzlechallenge
The Spirit of the Dazzle Awards Sydney Montique, Mayfield High School Best Actor J.R. Heckman, Solon High School (‘The Beast’ in Beauty and the Beast) Best Actress Margo Tipping, Walsh Jesuit High School (‘Mrs. Malloy’ in Hello, Dolly!) The Connor Family Best Musical (Tier 1 – Budget less than $10,000) Rocky River High School, Singin’ in the Rain The Connor Family Best Musical (Tier 2 – Budget $10,000 or more) Solon High School, Beauty and the Beast
The Falco Family
On July 24, Playhouse Square hosted its annual Center Stage benefit. This year, Center Stage celebrated Art Falco and the accomplishments of Playhouse
Hewitt & Paula Shaw
Square during his 34 years of leadership. Center Stage’s 750 attendees were treated to a cocktail reception, seated dinner catered by Driftwood Catering,
David Dusek and James Graham
a performance by The Temptations and dessert reception in the KeyBank State Theatre.
HOST SPONSORS
• LUMEN LEVEL • JANE & JON OUTCALT JULIEN L. MCCALL K.K. & JOE SULLIVAN
• DIAMOND LEVEL • JOANIE & TOM ADLER CEDAR BROOK GROUP NORMAN & DONNA HARBERT KATHY & JIM PENDER AND THE MICHAEL PENDER FUND JIM & SUSAN RATNER
Amy Brady, Art Falco and Gina Vernaci
• P L AT I N U M L E V E L • BAKERHOSTETLER THE BREWER-GARRETT COMPANY CALFEE, HALTER & GRISWOLD LLP HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK
INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS Jim & Amy Merlino
Sally & Pudge Henkel
• PREMIER LEVEL • PAT & JOHN CHAPMAN WALT & CAROL ROSEBROUGH TOM & CHRIS STEVENS JIM & JANE WOLF
• LUMEN LEVEL • JOHN & SALLY SCHULZE
• DIAMOND LEVEL •
TERRY & SHELLY ADELMAN ROE GREEN JOE & ELLEN THOMAS ARTHUR J. & NANCY L. STOKES KURT & CHRISTINE TREU
• P L AT I N U M L E V E L • JULES & FRAN BELKIN LYNN & DAVID HEIMAN AMY & RICK HELD MARY & JOHN HERRICK AMY & KEN ROGAT BOB & PAM NORTON
Denise & Norm Wells
Art Falco and Ellen Mavec
PARTNERS MEMBERSHIP OPEN HOUSE On Monday, August 26, Partners held their annual Partners Membership Open House. Attendees enjoyed the patio at Hofbräuhaus Cleveland – despite the rain – and networking with fellow members and Cleveland YPs. Those in attendance were the first to learn The 29th Annual Jump Back Ball theme, From Jukebox to Boombox. Through the Membership Open House, Partners raised more than $300 for the Education Fund and welcomed 21 new members to the organization!
Make friends. Be entertained. Mia Salvano, Doug Shaffer
Guido Travaglianti, Bre Ganuelas, Josh Tischler, Sandra Travaglianti
Alecia Phan, Ryan Ellis, David Campobenedetto
(clockwise starting from far left) Thomas Euerle, Jeff Harnden, Ryan Herman, Evan Andersky, Rebecca Fishman, Anne Fleming
Katie Luechauer, Amanda Hlad, Alisa Tsentr
Interested in learning more about Partners? Visit playhousesquare.org/partners or contact Sarah Stengel, Partners Development Manager, at 216-640-8408 / sarah.stengel@playhousesquare.org
LEADING LADIES KICK-OFF LUNCHEON Leading Ladies kicked off their fifth year and celebrated a milestone anniversary with a luncheon on August 13. Guests enjoyed a presentation from the cast of Disney’s The Lion King and heard from two actresses, as well as the Production Stage Manager of the show. Leading Ladies are invited to four exclusive events throughout the year, such as pre-show cocktail receptions, special guest speaker luncheons, and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Leading Ladies connect create celebrate
Suzanne Kinney and Maya Kinney with Martina Sykes Sponsored by
Gina Beredo and Ava Beredo with Nia Holloway
To learn more about Leading Ladies, visit playhousesquare.org/leadingladies
Leading Ladies with Nia Holloway
UPCOMING DONOR EVENTS Leading Ladies Broadway Buzz: October 7, 2019 Partners Recess Scavenger Hunt: October 7, 2019 Donor Circle Annual Meeting: October 28, 2019 Friends Annual Meeting: October 29, 2019 The 29th Annual Jump Back Ball: February 29, 2020 Annual Broadway Launch Donor Preview: March 2, 2020 Center Stage Benefit: June 20, 2020
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cleveland, OH Permit No. 2295
Playhouse Square Foundation 1501 Euclid Avenue Suite 200 Cleveland, OH 44115-2108
TICKETS GO ON SALE OCTOBER 29!
29TH ANNUAL JUMP BACK BALL FROM
Jukebox
B
TO
MBOX FEBRUARY 29, 2020 THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
K&D Medical Mutual Penske Cleveland
Tito’s Handmade Vodka William M. Weiss Foundation
Creative Sponsor
Print & Design Sponsors
Shop Night Sponsor
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