Kalliope Stage is Alive and Well and Staying in Cleveland
Cleveland Heights, OH, January 05, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Paul Gurgol, artistic director of Kalliope Stage, a non-profit producer and developer of American musical theater based in Cleveland Heights, OH, announced today that the theater has met its fund-raising goal of $50,000, the minimum funding required to continue its planned 2007-2008 season. Like many smaller Cleveland-area arts organizations, Kalliope Stage’s failure to qualify for the initial disbursement of Cleveland’s Issue 18 cigarette tax funding, had resulted in some end-of-year scrambling to ensure that its artistic goals for 2007-2008 could be reached.
Gurgol reports, “It is unprecedented for us to have received so many medium- and small-sized individual donations in so short a time. In the last six weeks, we received 22 checks for $1,000, some of them from new subscribers who were only introduced to Kalliope Stage this last season. In addition, we earned over $13,000 from our recent cabaret, Reflections, and its two benefit performances, and have received an amazing number of smaller donations. We are sincerely grateful for the faith and support of our loyal subscribers, and are looking forward to expanding our circle of friends in the weeks ahead by continuing to develop provocative, professional musical theater productions.”
Kalliope Stage was founded in 2003 by Paul Gurgol with his business associate and friend, John Paul Boukis, both native Clevelanders committed to preserving the uniquely American art form of musical theater while helping to develop a new generation of musical theater artists. Boukis left the partnership last year, in order to focus his time and energy on the development of his own work as a composer and lyricist.
According to Gurgol, “Historically, Cleveland has introduced to the world a vibrant community of musical performers, thanks to its phenomenal educational and arts institutions. But in recent years, too many of those performers have had to leave town in order to earn a living. We’d like to play a role in changing that, by providing a professional theatrical venue where artists can receive health insurance and be compensated for their talent. Musical theater is a uniquely American art form, and today’s young musical theater artists possess a rich musical vocabulary, phenomenal energy, and a will to make a difference in the world. We hope to inspire Cleveland audiences with newly energized, un-microphoned interpretations of America’s legacy musicals, while helping to develop the next generation of artists and audiences for American musical theater.”
Fannie Hill, a bawdy farce, with book, music, and lyrics by emerging New York artist Ed Dixon, will make its first regional theater appearance in Kalliope Stage’s store-front theater, at Cedar and Lee in Cleveland Heights, in February, with an opening performance on Valentine’s Day. In April, the 2007-2008 season will continue with a fresh take on Cole Porter’s Can Can, which will incorporate some of Cleveland’s most talented dancers. The season will conclude with an original production of John Paul Boukis’ Dearest Friend, a timeless historical musical about the relationships between John Adams, his wife, Abigail, and their mutual friend, Thomas Jefferson. In keeping with Kalliope Stage’s mission of community education and collaboration, that production will be developed in cooperation with Mayfield Village, and will have its world premier in that village’s authentic, Federalist-style community center to kick-off its Fourth of July celebrations.
Plans are currently underway for the 2008-2009 season, which will be formally announced in June, 2008. For additional information, visit kalliopestage.com or call 216-321-0870.
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Gurgol reports, “It is unprecedented for us to have received so many medium- and small-sized individual donations in so short a time. In the last six weeks, we received 22 checks for $1,000, some of them from new subscribers who were only introduced to Kalliope Stage this last season. In addition, we earned over $13,000 from our recent cabaret, Reflections, and its two benefit performances, and have received an amazing number of smaller donations. We are sincerely grateful for the faith and support of our loyal subscribers, and are looking forward to expanding our circle of friends in the weeks ahead by continuing to develop provocative, professional musical theater productions.”
Kalliope Stage was founded in 2003 by Paul Gurgol with his business associate and friend, John Paul Boukis, both native Clevelanders committed to preserving the uniquely American art form of musical theater while helping to develop a new generation of musical theater artists. Boukis left the partnership last year, in order to focus his time and energy on the development of his own work as a composer and lyricist.
According to Gurgol, “Historically, Cleveland has introduced to the world a vibrant community of musical performers, thanks to its phenomenal educational and arts institutions. But in recent years, too many of those performers have had to leave town in order to earn a living. We’d like to play a role in changing that, by providing a professional theatrical venue where artists can receive health insurance and be compensated for their talent. Musical theater is a uniquely American art form, and today’s young musical theater artists possess a rich musical vocabulary, phenomenal energy, and a will to make a difference in the world. We hope to inspire Cleveland audiences with newly energized, un-microphoned interpretations of America’s legacy musicals, while helping to develop the next generation of artists and audiences for American musical theater.”
Fannie Hill, a bawdy farce, with book, music, and lyrics by emerging New York artist Ed Dixon, will make its first regional theater appearance in Kalliope Stage’s store-front theater, at Cedar and Lee in Cleveland Heights, in February, with an opening performance on Valentine’s Day. In April, the 2007-2008 season will continue with a fresh take on Cole Porter’s Can Can, which will incorporate some of Cleveland’s most talented dancers. The season will conclude with an original production of John Paul Boukis’ Dearest Friend, a timeless historical musical about the relationships between John Adams, his wife, Abigail, and their mutual friend, Thomas Jefferson. In keeping with Kalliope Stage’s mission of community education and collaboration, that production will be developed in cooperation with Mayfield Village, and will have its world premier in that village’s authentic, Federalist-style community center to kick-off its Fourth of July celebrations.
Plans are currently underway for the 2008-2009 season, which will be formally announced in June, 2008. For additional information, visit kalliopestage.com or call 216-321-0870.
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Contact
Kalliope Stage
Heidi Werner
216-321-0870
www.kalliopestage.com
Heidi Werner
216-321-0870
www.kalliopestage.com
Contact
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