Cleveland Play House Announces 2009-2010 Mainstage Season

Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Michael Bloom announces a 2009-2010 Season rooted in winning entertainment and community relevance. A world-premiere adaptation, co-productions with regional theatre partners and the return of acclaimed performers and directors all contribute to the schedule Bloom has designed for The Play House's 94th consecutive season.

"Because our audience has been so enthusiastic about our recent programming, I've tried to find ways to build on our success," said Bloom, who begins his fifth season as Play House Artistic Director.

Following sold-out performances of his shows in the 2007-2008 Season, Hershey Felder returns to open the 2009-2010 Season with Beethoven, As I Knew Him. Building on the success of Pride & Prejudice, a smash hit from the 2007-2008 Season, Chicago-based director Peter Amster returns to helm a world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.

Bloom will continue his emphasis on producing material with a regional connection in April 2010, when he directs Bill W. and Dr. Bob, about the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron in the 1930s. The play will be the centerpiece for the fifth annual FusionFest, a celebration of new works in music, dance and theatre. For the holidays, The Play House's successful production of Phil Grecian's adaptation of A Christmas Story, based on the popular movie partially filmed in Cleveland, will return for the fifth and final year in an off-subscription run.

The musical Ain't Misbehavin marks the return of Atlanta-based director Kent Gash, who helmed the smash hit of the current season, Mahalia: A Gospel Musical. A Play House premiere of Neil Simon's comedy Lost in Yonkers and a revival of Inherit the Wind concludes the lineup at America's first professional regional theatre, founded in 1915.

Subscription packages to The Play House's six-play 2009-2010 Mainstage season range from $216 to $312 and are available by calling (216) 795-7000 ext. 4. Subscribers to The Play House's six-play Mainstage season receive free parking and will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to A Christmas Story in advance of the general public. Play House Subscribers receive first choice of seating, flexible no-fee ticket exchanges, ticket insurance and pre-sale ticket offers.

Tickets for individual performances will range from $10 (for students) to $64 and will go on sale August 3, 2009. Group rates are available now at a substantial savings; interested parties should call Cosandra Wheeler, Group Sales Manager at (216) 795-7000 x180.