Laughter Takes Center Stage as Great Lakes Theater Closes its 63rd Season with "Noises Off"
CLEVELAND, OH - Great Lakes Theater (GLT) brings the curtain down on its 63rd season with a fitting finale full of laughter in Noises Off. This uproarious backstage farce takes center stage at the company's intimate and audience-friendly home, the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, from April 25 – May 18, 2025. Noises Off is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Great Lakes Theater is delighted to welcome Christopher Liam Moore as he makes his directorial debut with GLT for Noises Off. An accomplished director, his work includes extensive credits at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and numerous leading regional theaters. In addition to his directing career, Christopher is a distinguished actor with an impressive résumé spanning Broadway, major regional stages, film and television. His wealth of experience and artistic vision make him a tremendous addition to this production, and we are honored to have him at the helm.
“Most people in the theater describe Noises Off as a perfect play,” states Moore. “It is a magnificent, finely wrought engine of laughter. It invites us to watch the increasingly silly behavior of a group of people putting on a play and shows what will happen when everything that can possibly go wrong does indeed go wrong. It finds the humor in the absurd and the delight in watching people do their best to complete the task at hand under impossible circumstances. Most importantly, it creates a lot of joy. I am over the moon that the brilliant Sara Bruner invited me to direct one of my very favorite plays, and am thrilled to share it with you...”
Featuring a dynamic mix of beloved GLT veterans and exciting new talent, the cast of Noises Off is ready to deliver door-slamming, laugh-out-loud mayhem. It includes Domonique Champion*, Topher Embrey*, Jeffrey C. Hawkins*, Jennifer Joplin*, Zoë Lewis-McLean*, Nick Steen*, David Anthony Smith*, Kinza Surani* and Laura Welsh*. *Member of Actors' Equity
The creative team for Noises Off includes Scenic Designer Jeff Herrmann; Costume Designer Oona Natesan; Lighting Designer Jason Lynch; Sound Designer Patrick John Kiernan; Fight Director Nick Steen*; Dialect Coach Matt Koenig; Intimacy Director Laura Welsh*; Production Stage Manager Nicki Cathro* and Assistant Stage Manager Kelsey Malone.
This sidesplitting romp takes you behind the scenes as one hilariously dysfunctional cast stumbles through rehearsals, opening night jitters and several escalating disasters. Doors slam, sardines fly and love triangles tangle as this award-winning farce sneaks a hysterical backstage peek at a production that teeters on the precipice of pandemonium and tests the limits of the adage “the show must go on.”
The residents of Cuyahoga County, through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, provide vital support for Great Lakes Theater's 2024-25 season. Great Lakes Theater programming is also supported by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
At Great Lakes Theater’s award-winning Hanna Theatre, audiences don’t just watch a show, they feel like part of it. This intimate 550-seat venue places every guest within 13 rows of the stage, offering a breathtakingly close view of our critically acclaimed performances. With a thrust stage that extends into the audience and flexible seating options, including cozy lounge areas, the theater’s unique design ensures an immersive, up-close experience. The doors open an hour before each performance, inviting patrons to take a rare behind-the-scenes look at the production process and witness the magic of live theater before the show even begins.
Great Lakes Theater offers patrons a robust series of Experience Enhancement Programming. At the Preview performances (the first Friday of each respective run), patrons can participate in our Director's Night, which features a lively pre-show discussion with GLT's Producing Artistic Director, Sara Bruner and the director of each show. Each Thursday during the run, patrons are invited to our Salon Thursday pre-show discussions featuring a Great Lakes Theater artist. Our Playnotes pre-show discussions occur sixty minutes before our Saturday matinee performances and feature illuminating introductions to the content and history of the play presented by a guest scholar. On Sundays, patrons can enjoy our Ice Cream Social Sundays, where they can grab a delicious, cool treat at a discount. Visit www.greatlakestheater.org/enhancement to see the full schedule of these events.
The Opening/Press Night performance of Noises Off is on Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. A preview performance is Friday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. Curtain times for all evening performances are 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. In addition, GLT will offer a sign-interpreted and audio-described performance of Noises Off on May 18 at 3:00 p.m.
Single performance tickets range in price from $24 - $117 (inclusive of fees), with $18 (inclusive of fees) tickets for patrons 25 and under. Tickets are available by calling (216) 241-6000, ordering online, or visiting the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Visit https://www.playhousesquare.org/contact-us for Playhouse Square Ticket Office operating hours. Groups of ten or more save up to 45% and receive no fees by calling (216) 453-1066.
About Great Lakes Theater Great Lakes Theater, the first resident company of Playhouse Square, has brought the pleasure, power, and relevance of live theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. GLT programming impacts over 85,000 adults and students annually.
Posted on:
March 31, 2025
Category:
Press Releases