Great Lakes Theater Festival Announces 2003-2004 Season

July 23, 2003
Repertory Theater returns to the Ohio Theatre for the first time in 18 years.

42nd season opens with Hamlet and Tartuffe

CLEVELAND, OH – Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) today announced the theater’s exciting 2003-2004 season. “In our 42nd season, we present five magnificent stories, and we present them in innovative ways. This is going to be a fantastic year for Great Lakes Theater Festival,” Fee said. “These are simply excellent plays. We can’t wait to share them with our audience. From a stunning Shakespearean tragedy, to a pair of hilarious classic comedies, to a bold new political and social commentary, this is an ambitious season that illustrates the passion our company brings to producing classic theater. By returning to a rotating repertory format and by forging new partnerships like the one we have developed with Cleveland Public Theatre, this company is staging a comeback.”

In the 2003-2004 season, GLTF will present Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Charles Fee, in rotating repertory with Moliere’s Tartuffe, directed by Drew Barr; Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Gerald Freedman and staged by Victoria Bussert; Noel Coward’s Private Lives, directed by Victoria Bussert; and a special Cleveland co-production with Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Joan Holden, based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich. Hamlet, Tartuffe, A Christmas Carol and Private Lives will be presented in the Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square Center. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America will be presented at CPT in the company’s Gordon Square Theatre.

“To return to a rotating repertory theater format for the first time in 18 years with Hamlet and Tartuffe is very exciting for us as a company. Presenting plays in rep is a great challenge for artists and great fun for audiences. I am eager to share this unique experience with Cleveland,” said Charles Fee. “We have a long standing tradition of producing quality theater in rotating rep. It is a great pleasure to be able to return to our roots and do it again this season with a new generation of theater artists. I am particularly proud to welcome back Drew Barr to direct Tartuffe after last season’s successful Much Ado About Nothing. And we are absolutely thrilled to be able to present two productions directed by Victoria Bussert – one of Cleveland’s premiere theater artists. We couldn’t have asked for a better creative team to lead us into our 42nd season.”

Fee confirmed that Opening Night performances of Hamlet, Tartuffe and Private Lives have been scheduled for Saturday evenings while A Christmas Carol and Nickel and Dimed openings are slated for Friday evenings. Curtain times for all Ohio Theatre evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday family matinees, and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. Start times for Nickel and Dimed are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. during evening performances, 1:30 p.m. for Saturday matinees, and 3:00 p.m. for Sunday matinees. All five productions in GLTF’s 2003-2004 season will continue to offer sign interpreted and audio-described performances.

“We were thrilled by the response of our audience and our critics to our work on stage last year. We look forward to coming back better and bolder than ever this season.” Fee added.

An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater Festival starts as low as $65. Young adult subscriptions (age 25 and under) begin at $25. Single tickets range in price from $20-$45. Subscriptions are available now by calling (216) 664-6064. Single tickets will go on sale September 2, 2003 and will be available by calling (216) 241-6000 or by ordering online. Groups of ten or more receive discounts as do educators and students. Information about specially-priced packages is available by calling (216) 241-5490 x317.

Since 1962, Great Lakes Theater Festival has brought the power, pleasure and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience in Northern Ohio.