'Emerging' actors bring 'Our Town' to Dobama

DEAP class of 2017.

Dobama Theatre announces the ninth year of its Emerging Actors Program (DEAP), the summer intensive acting program for high school and college students, which culminates in the performance of a play. This year’s production is "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder, co-directed by Nathan Motta and Leighann Delorenzo.

"Our Town," a Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic, is a meta-theatrical take on an American small town. The setting for the play is the fictional town of Grover's Corners, between 1901 and 1913, and concerns the everyday lives of the town’s residents. 

In the world of the play, the main character, called Stage Manager, guides audiences through life lessons with the use of several “guest lecturers” in addition to the characters in the play. Ultimately, the audience faces a tough question: whether it is possible to appreciate life while actually living it.

Motta, Dobama’s artistic director, is also the founder of DEAP. Now approaching its 10th year, the program has become popular among local high schools, particularly Cleveland School of the Arts, while also welcoming students from throughout the country who are attending local colleges. Dobama prides itself on its commitment to accessibility and has ensured that financial aid is available to eligible students.

This year’s DEAP ensemble production of "Our Town" runs Aug. 2–5 at Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. Admission is free and open to the public. Performances are Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3–4, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2:30 p.m.

For more information and to reserve tickets, call the box office at 216-932-3396 or visit www.dobama.org.

Colin Anderson

Colin Anderson is the assistant to the managing and artistic directors at Dobama Theatre.

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Volume 11, Issue 8, Posted 10:52 AM, 07.31.2018