Embracing the city’s burgeoning theater scene, Micro Theater Cleveland prepares to present a variety of artistic productions in the storied Brownhoist Building on May 24-25.
When Mindy Childress Herman, John Morgan and Samantha Cocco partnered this past winter to form Micro Theater Cleveland, they conceptualized Cleveland’s first micro-theatre experience of 16 free shows performed by 60 performers in 10 rooms throughout the historic Brownhoist Building on St. Clair Avenue. The shows are scheduled for May 24 and 25.
Micro Theater Cleveland underscores the importance of nurturing a supportive artistic community through accessible events and inclusivity. In June of 2023, playwright and director John Morgan moved back to Cleveland from New York City. His move back to Cleveland was in part due to the city’s prominent performing arts presence.
“One of the reasons that my wife and I moved back here is because there’s so many artists who are working here, especially in the performing arts; there’s a ton of theaters, a ton of artists, and a really strong literary community in particular,” he said.
Shortly upon moving back to Cleveland, Morgan attended Cleveland Public Theater’s (CPT) open mic event, The Dark Room. It was there he connected with Darkroom producer and director Mindy Childress Herman. Later, Morgan vacationed in Buenos Aires where he happened upon a micro theater event.
“It was a trendy restaurant and bar full of people from all walks of life who were either there for the art, the food … or the scene. It was a real vibe where there was always a new play happening about every five minutes, something new was starting,” Morgan said. “They had this whole system where they were coming in over a loudspeaker announcing the next play starting in five minutes, and it just had this really cool energy”
That inspired him so much he brought this idea to Herman when he returned.
“John came back after his trip to Buenos Aires, and he came up to me and he said, ‘can we talk about this at the darkroom, our monthly event? I think it’s really cool,’” Herman recalls. “And I got jazzed about it. So we decided, hey, if they’re doing it in Buenos Aires … they’ve done it in Miami and in Madrid. Like, why not Cleveland, right?”
Morgan and Herman then partnered with actor and playwright Samantha Cocco, who was also a regular participant at The Dark Room. Together, Morgan, Herman and Cocco formed a dynamic trio of producers who aimed to offer low-risk opportunities for artists in unique spaces such as the repurposed Brownhoist Building. Morgan was introduced to Brownhoist’s proprietor, Adam Whiting, via a mutual friend.
“You know, it’s his kind of creative community that is getting off the ground and really growing over there, so it just worked out,” Morgan said of Whiting.
The event entails 16 performances, interactive elements such as a live mural painting, and an old manual elevator experience.
“The oldest licensed working elevator in the state of Ohio is in the Brownhoist, a manual one with a handle that you have to move to go from floor to floor. So, we have an improviser who’s going to be an elevator operator,” Morgan said.
Reviewing more than 60 submissions from Cleveland’s talented playwrights, the trio faced challenges in selecting scripts amid the pool of diverse and creative entries. Morgan expanded on this saying,
“There are many strong writers here, so many playwrights who are regularly producing new plays. There’s a lot of people,” Morgan said. “I think there are a lot of good reasons to write plays; the watchability or the enjoyment factor of the play isn’t always the most important thing. There’s lots of good reasons to create art, but I think we have a really big capacity for producing new plays here, which is cool.”
The organizers whittled down the submissions to 16 productions, which will be showcased at the inaugural micro theater event highlighting theater, music, dance, comedy and poetry in segments of 15 minutes or less.
“It is like a festival style format, where you pick which shows you want to see – you choose your own adventure,” Herman said. “Nobody’s going to be checking your tickets at the door. Like, even if you don’t have a ticket, if you show up, like, it’s cool. We have a common space in between performances where audiences can go.”
The event will also include a bar where visitors can socialize with fellow patrons of the arts.
“We want it to be very social, very informal,” Herman added.
“I think people are going to enjoy themselves and maybe be challenged, maybe be curious. They’ll laugh and they’ll have a good time,” Morgan said. “Intentionally, we are creating an opportunity for people to bump into each other and have and make new friends, talk about this interesting shared experience that they’re having, It’s kind of a cool way to meet somebody else. So we thought the more that we could make that as inviting as possible, the better.”
One main advantage of the micro theater format is the variety it offers to audiences, according to Herman.
“Because it’s a micro theater, the performances are micro,” she said. “So if you see something that you love, that’s awesome. If you see something that doesn’t speak to you, just like, wait ten minutes and then go see the next piece.”
A full schedule of the performances can be seen here.
The event is free, with suggested donations for performances and reservations recommended due to space limitations. Reservations can be made online at the Micro Theatre Cleveland website. On both nights, doors open at 7:15 p.m. and shows start at 8:00 p.m., running through approximately 10 p.m.
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