Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a razor-sharp satire about the politics of race. In response to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, playwright Bruce Norris set up Clybourne Park as a pair of scenes that bookend Hansberry’s piece. Act One takes place in 1959, as white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.
Directed by Celeste Cosentino | Notre Dame Performing Arts Center | Fridays & Saturdays @7:30. Sundays @ 2.
Run Time: Approximately 2 hrs 15 min (includes 10 min. intermission) | Contains Strong Language and Themes.
This production was supported in part by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
“Clybourne Park is an Ensemble Masterclass at Ensemble Theatre!” -Cleveland Scene Magazine
MEET THE CAST
Brian Pedaci (he/him) : : (Russ/Dan) is pleased to help Ensemble inaugurate this new chapter in their distinguished history. Recent appearances include The Taming of the Shrew (Baptista) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theseus) at Ohio Shakespeare Festival; The Weir (Jim) at None Too Fragile; The Legend of Georgia McBride (Eddie), King Lear (Albany) and Glengarry Glen Ross (Moss) at Beck Center for the Arts; Art (Marc) at Blank Canvas Theater.
Mary Werntz (she/her) : : (Bev/Kathy) Clybourne Park is Mary’s first production with Ensemble Theatre. Locally, she has appeared with Rubber City Theatre and None Too Fragile. Additional credits include Aquila Theatre's Off-Broadway production of Macbeth, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival: Scapin! and The Comedy of Errors, Synetic Theater: Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, Dracula, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Carmen at The Kennedy Center. MFA in Classical Acting from Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Jailyn Sherell Harris : : (Francine/Lena) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she received her BAC in theatre, with a minor in dance. As a performer, she has had the opportunity to perform on film and in theaters across Northeast Ohio and beyond with credits from Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cassidy Theatre, Karamu House, Lakeland Civic Theatre, the Players Guild Theatre and the A.R.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She enjoys working on and developing new works. Recently she appeared in a workshop production of the new musical “On the Line” at Rubber City Theatre, and in the world premiere of Bluesman: Never Get out of These Blues Alive. She also performed in the world premiere of HEARTBREAKERS IN HELL by Joey Contreras and Benjamin Halstead. Ms. Harris has had the opportunity to serve as a director and choreographer for a few schools around northeast Ohio. Directing credits include a staged reading of the new musical WISHFUL THINKING by Jamie Maletz and a virtual production of RAGTIME with M.A.D. Factory Theatre. She has also served as a teaching artist with Dancing Classrooms of Northeast Ohio and the Center for Inspired Learning. Jailyn has a strong dance background and extensive experience in Jazz, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. She is an inaugural member of MadJax Dance Company. Jailyn has choreographed for theaters and organizations across the northeast Ohio area and beyond, including the Sitar Arts Center in Washington, DC.
Christian Achkar (he/him) : : (Jim/Tom/Kenneth) attended Bowling Green State University on the Eva Marie Saint Scholarship for “Exceptional Talent in Acting” and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film. In 2016 the OCTA Regional awarded Christian with an “Excellence in Acting” for his performance as Versati in “The Underpants”. He is currently represented by the Talent Group and was most recently featured as a principal role for Ohio Tourism. He was last seen on stage as Ray, at Rubber City Theater's World Premiere of “Love in Reserve” and as Johnathan in “The Play that Goes Wrong” at Weathervane Playhouse. “Clybourne Park” is Christian’s first production with Ensemble Theater and he is thrilled to be working with the company.
Nnamdi Okpala (he/him) : : (Albert/Kevin) is overjoyed to work with such talented people and to make his return to Ensemble working on Clybourne Park! He was last seen as George Murchison in Ensemble’s critically acclaimed production of A Raisin in the Sun. Nnamdi recently received his B.A. in Theatre Arts at Cleveland State University, where he played Paris in Romeo and Juliet and the Narrator in She Kills Monsters. He worked on the CWRU/CPH digital production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and is currently a teaching artist for CPH. He is grateful for his family, educators and everyone involved in making theatre possible. IG @whynnamdi.“
Dan Zalevsky (he/him) : : (Karl/Steve) is thrilled to be making his Ensemble Theatre debut in Clybourne Park. Dan has a BA in Theatre from the University of Northern Colorado. New York credits: Vital Theatre’s The Tempest (Trinculo), Emerging Artists Theatre’s The Gay Naked Play (Dan), founding member/writer/performer with the award-winning sketch comedy group, Fearsome (Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre and the People’s Improv Theatre, NYC). Cleveland theatre credits: Mercury Theatre’s Clue (Professor Plum) as well as their reading of Lost in Yonkers (Uncle Louie), Heights Youth Theatre’s alumni production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Boris). Dan would like to thank his networking powerhouse of a wife, Claudia for always supporting and encouraging him through all for the twists and turns, his hugely talented children, Liam and Claire for their love, energy and inspiration and of course Hank. Everyone loves Hank.
Hannah Storch (she/her) : : (Betsy/Lindsey) is happy to return to Ensemble Theatre. A Cleveland based actor, she graduated from Kent State University with a major in Theatre and a minor in English. She has toured the country with the National Theatre for Children out of Minneapolis, MN and Bright Star Theatre out of Asheville, NC. Since returning to Cleveland, she has had the pleasure to work with many theatres including Cleveland Public Theatre, Convergence Continuum, Beck Center for the Arts and Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Up next, she will be reprising her role as Joy in Ohio Shakespeare Festival's Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella this winter. Thank you to her family and her Chickens for their love and to you for supporting live, local theatre. Enjoy!
:: MEET THE CREW ::
Celeste Cosentino (she/her) : : (Director, Executive Artistic Director) has served in some "role" for Ensemble Theatre since she could walk and has worked in one capacity or another for local Cleveland theater's her entire life, spending many formative years "in the house" while her mother, Lucia Colombi, was interim artistic director for Karamu in the early to mid 80's, the same years her mother spent founding Ensemble Theatre. She has worked with worked with The Cleveland Play House, Dobama Theatre, Clague Play House, Cain Park, Bang & Clatter, Willoughby Fine Arts and others. She is a graduate of the Ohio University School of Theatre and returned to Cleveland in 2008, after living and working in New York City. Some of her favorite acting credits are Marela in Anna in the Tropics, Alice in Closer, Desdemona in Othello, and Kayleen in Gruesome Playgound Injuries. Favorite directing credits include The Gospel According to James, Death of a Salesman, Lower Ninth, Animals out of Paper, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The North Pool and most recently both parts of Tony Kushner's epic Angels in America! Celeste also spent some time in the corporate/business management world and worked for the Cleveland Museum of Art in their groundbreaking ARTLENS technology gallery for almost a decade. She recently accepted the ‘role’ of Director of Theatre Studies for Notre Dame College, where Ensemble has new residency, and where both her and her mother started their journey’s many years ago on the Regina stage. Celeste is the daughter of Ensemble Founder, Lucia Colombi and has returned home to support her mother's mission by providing a fresh perspective as the next Artistic Director. She was raised by Ensemble Theatre and has a special dedication to its continuation for many years to come.
Becca Moseley (she/her) : : (Production Stage Manager, General Manager) (she/her) is excited to be opening a show at Ensemble's new home, Notre Dame College! In addition to serving as Ensemble's General Manager, she has served as the Resident Production Stage Manager/Assistant stage manager for many Ensemble shows, including both parts of Angels in America, A Raisin in the Sun, The Penelopiad, Intimate Apparel, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the Iceman Cometh, Knock Me A Kiss, Anna Christie, Thurgood, Death of a Salesman, and many more. She co-directed Run, Kingsbury, Run and Assistant Directed East of Eden. She was onstage in past seasons at Ensemble as a chorus leader/puppeteer in Around the World in 80 Days, Pea in Jerusalem, the Childlike Empress/company in The Never Ending Story, The Phantom Tollbooth (Princess Rhyme/Ensemble,) and as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. Other favorite credits not at Ensemble include Rosalind (As You Like It,) Fabiana Cunningham (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,) Dorine (Tartuffe,) Maggie (A Chorus Line), and Ophelia (The Horatio Project.) She thanks Ian and Celeste for building and nurturing a theatre that provides a constant supply of great scripts and people to bring them to life, her family for their love and support, and her husband Kyle for always believing in the magic.
Jill Janos (she/her) : : (Costume Design) is happy to return to Ensemble Theatre after previously designing Intimate Apparel and Kindertransport. She has been performing on stages in Northeast Ohio for seventeen years and is grateful for that journey leading to the costuming world. Her work has been seen at theatres around the area including Blank Canvas Theatre, Broadview Heights Spotlights, French Creek Theatre and Clague Playhouse. Thank you to Joe, Anthony and Samantha.
Ian Hinz (he/him) : : (Projection/Set/Lighting Design) is a graduate of Ohio University. Ian has worked professionally as a producer, award winning director, Light, Set, & Projection designer, director of operations and theater educator for over sixteen years in Ohio and New York. He is co-founder of the Ensemble Stage-Wrights’ workshop, two-time winner of the Cleveland Critics’ Circle Best Director award and served as Artistic Director and Operations Manager for the city of Cleveland Heights’ historic Cain Park Amphitheater. He has worked in operations for The Ohio State University Jerome Schottenstein Center and the Cleveland State University Department of Music as a stage production specialist. He has produced off-off-broadway at the Gene Frankel Theater and worked in business development in the tech startup industry in New York City. He is currently the Executive Director for Raise the Roof for the Arts, in charge of program creation and scheduling and major capital renovations to The Historic Sidney Theatre in Sidney, OH.
