CSU Theatre Prof. Allan Byrne gets $20,000 Grant

Twelfth Night

Longtime CSU director and instructor Allan Byrne has been given the $20,000 Creative Workforce Fellowship grant by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, based largely on his work at the Factory Theatre. CPAC's award "are given as a resource to assist artists in researching, developing or completing a body of work. Each award can be expended for any purpose that advances the Fellow’s artistic work and professional development."

The Oresteia

Mr. Byrne is the second-longest serving faculty member at the CSU Department of Theatre and Dance, and has provided many of the highlights during the departments recent renaissance, including directing last year's The Oresteia (left) and performing in Oleanna in a joint production with Charenton Theatre Company (on whose board of directors he also serves).

Mr. Byrne is already making the best of his fellowship; this summer he directed Titus Andronicus for the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival and attended an international workshop on the Meisner acting technique.

Allan Byrne

James and the Giant Peach

The Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance's 2010-2011 season will commence with an adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, James and the Giant Peach.  A modern day fairy-tale in the vein of Jack and the Beanstalk, Peach tells the story of the titular young orphan  living under the tyrannical heels of his aunts, Spiker and Sponge.  One day, James receives a bag of magic crystals from a mysterious old man, but on his way home, he trips drops them on the ground, where they enchant the nearby tree, causing its inhabitants, including a peach, a grasshopper, a centipede, and others to grow to enormous size. James befriends the insects and together they escape in the peach, rolling towards many adventures over land, sea and air.

The play is directed by Robin Pease, artistic director of the youth outreach program Kulture Kids, a  youth-outreach program that uses the arts to bring multicultural understanding to area schools.

More about Kulture Kids and Ms. Pease here:



The show runs October 7 through 17, and runs Th/Fr/Sa at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.

Tickets can be purchased at 216.687.2109 or http://csu.ticketleap.com

Special matinées are also available for schools, libraries, and other youth programs. Call 216.687.2113 for details.