Join Star Gallery artist Eric Alleman from 6-8 pm for his reception, catered by the Lemon Grove Cafe (where you’ve likely seen his work before! That Bob Hagan t-shirt? His design!).

The show starts at 8 pm. Tickets are $10, $12, or $15 . We have a special “guess the play” contest going on – anyone who can correctly identify the title of the play of a featured photo will get $3 off their ticket. Bonus: Anyone who guesses the full cast correctly will be entered into a drawing for complimentary tickets to our next show (I Am My Own Wife March 4-16).

For the price of one ticket, you’ll be treated to 3 very funny, short shows – great for those of us with the attention span of a pea!

Denise Glinatsis Bayer of Canfield will make her directorial debut at the Oakland with Mamet’s “An Interview,” which is an oblique, mystifying interrogation in which a sleazy lawyer is forced to answer difficult questions and to admit the truth about his life and career. The why and where provide a surprise ending to this brilliant twenty minute comedy. Glinatsis Bayer and Shaun Lipe of Cleveland are featured.

Tom Smith of Austintown directs “Hotline” and “Central Park West.” In “Hotline,” a neurotic woman with enough urban angst to fill a neighborhood calls a suicide crisis hotline late one night. The counselor who gets the call is overwhelmed – it is his first night on the job. This dark and desperate, wildly funny forty-minute piece ends Act 1 and features David Romeo, Meysha Harville, Molly Makselan, Joyce A. Jones, and Katie Seminara.

Allen’s “Central Park West” closes the evening’s performances. Featuring Margie Johnson, Jennifer Milligan, Jacob Harver, Jaye Mills, and Alaina Gilchrist, the play focuses on what happens when a well-to-do psychiatrist discovers that her best friend is having an affair with her husband. Gerri Jenkins-Sullivan will stage manage.

Eric Alleman, whose work is available for viewing or purchase at the Lemon Grove Café, will be the featured Star Gallery Artist. An opening night reception catered by the Lemon Grove will be held from 6-8 pm on Friday, January 28. A reception honoring the cast and crew will follow that evening’s performance.

On Thursday, February 3, all tickets will be only $5. For all other performances, tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students.

Reservations can be made by calling 330.746.0404. Walk-ins are also welcome. The Oakland accepts cash or checks only.

The Oakland is seeking 4 actors to complete the cast of Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig,” which will be directed by Christopher Fidram. Auditions will be held in the Star Gallery from 6:00-8:00 pm on February 7 and 8, 2011. Come prepared to read from the script. 2 men and 2 women in their 20s-30s.

Roles are:
Tom- The plot’s protagonist. Late 20s to early 30s, he is a stereotypical man for his age group, until he meets and subsequently falls in love with…

Helen- A quite heavy, though self-confident librarian. She becomes Tom’s love interest

Carter- Tom’s closest male friend at the office. Carter represents the narcissistic and shallow qualities that Tom is trying to overcome.

Jeannie- Another co-worker at Tom’s unnamed office firm. She and Tom used to date, but Tom was never fully committed to the relationship.

A bit about the show:
it’s a dark comedy/drama about what happens when an “average” guy falls for a large lady – how his friends react, how he reacts, how she reacts – and what happens when an ultimatum is presented.

Fun facts:
when the show debuted off-Broadway in 2004, it featured Andrew mcCarthy, Jeremy Piven, and Kerri Russle. As it makes its way to Broadway this Spring, it will feature Dane Cook and Julia Stiles. Hmmm….

For all the help, love, and support all of our friends have show us lately, in partnership with the Oakland Center for the Arts, we’d like to offer this free amazing concert.

This is one of the most solid lineups we’ve ever been a part of. “Triggers” from Anomally Records and “Poison Control Center” from Afternoon/Warner Bros. Records will join us in this CELEBRATION OF YOU!!!

Full concessions and beer will be available.

10pm Triggers
www.triggersmusic.com
11pm The Zou
www.thezouhasawebsite.com
12am Poison Control Center
thepoisoncontrolcenter.bandcamp.com

PLUS!!! The amazing art work of the Lonesome No More crew will still be on display throughout the building, in case you missed the opening night party last Friday!

The show features some of Cleveland’s top emerging artists including CHOD, Ron Copeland, Adam Dumont, Shaun Edwards, Steven Ehret, Jonah Jacobs, MCXIII, Michelle Marie Murphy, Bob Peck, Scott Phillps, Scott Pickering, Joshua Rex, Greg Ruffing, Andrew Shondrick, and The Sign Guy. Joining the exhibition are Youngstown artists Chris Yambar, James Pernotto and Terrence Michael Fetchet.

Click HERE to see the photos from the party. Thanks to Jack Hughes for working his magic!

The Oakland is so excited about our next upcoming production. I Am My Own Wife is Doug Wright’s 2004 drama based on the true life experiences of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite who survived under the strict regimes of first Nazi Germany and then Soviet Berlin. The play is based on Wright’s interviews with von Mahlsdorf and is written as a one-man show – which means that one person portrays over 35 characters in 2 hours.

Who else could bring this show to the Oakland stage but the incomparable James McClellan? Under the direction of Michael Dempsey (known for his productions of Curtains and Hamlet at the Playhouse; Into the Woods at Salem), McClellan has been working on the script since last summer, learning German on his own ti
me.

This is definitely a show you’ll be talking about for years to come – so do NOT miss it! Make your reservations early by calling 330-746-0404. As always, tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $12 for seniors 55 and up.

Star Gallery artist will be Becka Zastany, who recently moved to the area from Chicago. If you frequent the Lemon Grove, you’ll recognize her as a friendly face behind the bar. She’s also been involved with the Lemon Grove’s art projects, and we are super excited for the work she’s creating specifically in response to this play for our space!

Please note: we are still looking for antique furniture and set pieces. They need to be high quality/in good condition. If you have any pieces you think would work, let us know. We’l arrange pick up and return, offer complimentary tickets to the performance of your choice and list you in the program!