Noah Budin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland, Ohio…indeed, Northeast Ohio…is a vibrant cultural arts Mecca.

Yes. Really.

Let’s start with the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s best.

And the Cleveland Playhouse is the country’s oldest regional theater, having been an early theatrical home to luminaries such as Margret Hamilton and Joel Grey. And Tom Hanks did some early work with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, now called The Great lakes Theater Festival.

Don’t forget University Circle, especially the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Playhouse Square has been staging local professional productions and bringing in bus and truck shows (national tours of Broadway shows), concerts and other professional entertainment for years. The JCC always did pretty good work, especially when Dorothy Silver was at the helm. And there are a few small, professional theater companies that have been around for a while, like Dobama and Karamu House. And many that have come and gone. Today, there are many more professional theater companies, and professionals to fill

the jobs. Cleveland Public Theater, the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory and the Beck Center for the Arts are some of them. And, of course, there are Community Theater productions aplenty with theater hobbyists filling the rolls and building the sets.

Equity Actors abound. There are actually people who earn their livings solely in the arts. Not many, not like New York or Chicago, but some. There are fine acting schools and programs here, like the above mentioned FPAC and Baldwin-Wallace. Even Tri-C East – Cuyahoga Community College, Eastern Campus – has as it’s theater department head a guy that spent many years in New York and L.A. working on Broadway, Off Broadway and in films (such as Saturday Night Fever and Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and Stardust Memories).

His name is Brian Zoldessy.

Brian is directing and starring in a production of David Mamet’s American Buffalo at Tri-C East. I am proud to be a part of that production.

American Buffalo is a three person cast. I’m playing the roll of Donny Dubrow. It’s a big roll. Not only do I get a lot of stage time (I actually never leave the stage for the entire two acts), but I get to work with one of Cleveland’s finest directors and actors. And, I get to exorcise some demons. But more about that in my next post.

The play will only have six performances, and it’s a very small theater – only 45 seats – so, call now to make reservations: 216-987-2538. Tickets are only $10.00. Performances will be Friday, May 6 at 8PM, Saturday, May 7 at 8PM, Sunday, May 8 at 2PM, Thursday, May 12 at 8PM, Friday, May 13 at 8PM, and Sunday, May 15 at 2PM.

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