Cleveland Public Theatre announces lineup for ’Luminous’ 2025-26 season

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Searching for a throughline for its 2025-26 season, Cleveland Public Theatre found inspiration in the moon.

“This is a time for us to shine our light in a special way—luminous, not like the sun but like the moon, that shines in a time of darkness and reminds us that the sun still shines and will rise again,” CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan said in a statement. “The moon is also associated with the unconscious, the place where our inner spirit struggles and plays. The place where the imagination can explore new ideas, new worlds, while finding ways in the present moment to heal and comfort.”

The theater will present six plays — five of them world premieres — under the theme “Luminous,” with a focus on bold new works that spotlight underrepresented stories, unconventional voices and urgent issues. The 44th season also includes genre-defying holiday shows, special events, and the return of CPT’s SoftLaunch performance lab and Test Flight workshop series for works-in-progress.

Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi — CPT’s Arabic-language ensemble — kicks off the season with a new, not-yet-titled work running Oct. 9-Nov. 12. Created in collaboration with Bobgan, the production celebrates Arabic culture and storytelling.

Next is Chris Web’s “The End of Black Excellence,” playing Oct. 23-Nov. 8. The production, a portion of which debuted at SoftLaunch earlier this year, follows a man who believes he may be the first Black person born without “Black excellence” and his increasingly absurd efforts to prove otherwise — in the form of an ever-failing solo show.

Amy Schwabauer’s dark comedy “I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes” follows Dec. 4-20. The autobiographical solo piece explores grief with a dry wit and open heart.

The new year begins with “Haunted” by Tara Moses, March 5–21. The Indigenous horror comedy — part ghost story, part protest anthem — is about a pair of siblings who’ve been dead for two decades and spend their time dancing to Y2K-era bangers and haunting anyone who dares move into their house.

Then comes “Into the Heart of a Star,” March 19–April 4, a meditative duet of solo shows written and performed by Bobgan and Russian-born theater artist Anastasía Urozhaeva. One story reframes the Icarus myth through the eyes of a grieving father. The other traces the improbable rise of a woman from a Russian interrogation room to the cosmos. Together, they explore flight, failure and the human drive to find home — even if you have to look beyond the atmosphere.

The mainstage season closes with “Jardín Salvaje,” a Spanish-language version of Karen Zacarías’ ”Native Gardens,“ running April 23–May 9. Presented by Teatro Público de Cleveland, CPT’s resident Latiné ensemble, the show digs into what happens when well-meaning neighbors become backyard adversaries — and a fence dispute exposes deeper tensions around class, race and entitlement.

CPT’s holiday programming is shaping up to be just as eclectic as its mainstage season. Expect a concert featuring some of the city’s most inventive local bands, a new comedy revue from Kadijah “Kwingo” Wingo, and the return of Cleveland Burlesque and Djapo Cultural Arts Institute’s Kwanzaa celebration. Dates and details to come.

Before then, CPT hosts “Hallowed Owls” on Oct. 2–11. The one-of-a-kind interactive installation by Robin VanLear blends storytelling, dance and myth to conjure the spiritual world of owls. Día de Muertos, the theater’s vibrant Day of the Dead celebration, returns Nov. 1 with live music, a community market, altars and the annual favorite Parade of Skulls down Detroit Avenue.

In January, CPT reboots its new works incubator “SoftLaunch” (Jan. 15–17), a choose-your-own-adventure experience of theater in development — including performances for just one or two audience members at a time. The lineup will also preview new pieces that may grow into full productions in future seasons.

Shortly after, “Test Flight” (Jan. 29–Feb. 14) returns for three weeks of workshops featuring playwrights testing their latest scripts in front of live audiences.

Cleveland Public Theatre is located in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District at 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. For more information, visit cptonline.org.