11.29-12.06.17
Cleveland Starts
Right here. Right now. Amen.So says Terrence Spivey, in demand on stages all over town, with his new company Powerful Long Ladder, and their first show, The Amen Corner. 10 years on, the Cleveland Comedy Festival gets the last laugh as they settle in at PHS with SNL alum and Shaker native Fred Willard as headliner.
Sexual harassment is being called on the carpet, as it should, and CoolCleveland’s CareerTOOLBOX columnist Alex (short for Alexsandra) Sukhoy has a few things to say about it. And our resident wine expert Claudia Taller previews the Tannenbaum Wine and Vine Trail Festival. Meanwhile, the Cleveland History Center launches their new permanent exhibit, Cleveland Starts Here, and we can relate.
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When Terrence Spivey, who restored the faded luster of Karamu’s once legendary theatre, lost his job as artistic director there last year in budget cuts, many feared Cleveland would lose this adopted son.
Not to worry. Since then it seems like there’s no theater group in town that hasn’t tried to engage him. He was hired to take the theater program at Euclid’s Shore Cultural Center to the next level and now he’s got his own theater company, Powerful Long Ladder, debuting with a production of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner. Fri 12/1-Sun 12/10.
SPONSORED: Kneebody at BOP STOP are known for their explosive rock energy paralleled with high-level nuanced chamber ensemble playing, performing highly wrought compositions that are balanced with adventurous no-holds-barred improvising. Kneebody bassist Kaveh Rastegar says, “Personally, I think calling Kneebody ‘jazz’ or ‘electric jazz’ is fantastic… we can move on and alter expectations of what ‘jazz’ is.” Sat 12/9 at 8PM. Details.
The Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center is supposed to be a resource to teach visitors about the region’s roots. But it’s never had a comprehensive exhibit dealing with that history – until now.
Opening this week, the new Cleveland Starts Here permanent exhibit covers all aspects of the area’s evolution – social, creative, economic, political and cultural – from its pre-founding years up through today, even including shoes LeBron James wore during the Cavs championship season. And it’s interactive with lots of digital components and, promises director Angie Lowrie, it will change over time as different elements from WRHS’s vast collection are cycled in and out. So you have to keep coming back!
Sitting by a roaring fire with a small plate of lovingly prepared food and a glass of earthy Ohio wine – what a perfect winter afternoon! Many of the wineries that populate Ohio’s NE corner are part of the Tannenbaum Wine and Vine Trail festival, a self-guided tour happening the first two December weekends. Other wineries have their own events.
Our wine maven, Claudia Taller, fills us in on what the various wineries in the Lake Erie wine-producing region are doing to make the blustery weather seem less dreary. A special glass of wine will do that! Fri 12/1-Sat 12/16.
SPONSORED: Looking for unique holiday shopping? Visit The Maltz Museum Store, a boutique shop with unique finds. Offering stylish Judaica and holiday gifts for the ones you love. Wide variety of menorahs! Beautiful & eclectic selection of jewelry, scarves, and satchels. Plus, home decor, books, toys, and other items ranging from sophisticated to fun! Stop by: 2929 Richmond Rd, Beachwood. MaltzMuseum.org
David Bowie’s Berlin Era has fascinated critics and fans for decades: riding high on the success of Young Americans, the artist hooks up with fellow addict Iggy Pop and relocates to Berlin to clean up (improbably, it works) and create some of the most acclaimed music of his storied career, the albums Low, “Heroes” and Lodger. CoolCleveland’s cultural impresario Thomas Mulready returns on Fri 1/12 with a in-depth and entertaining peek behind the scenes, David Bowie: The Berlin Era, informed by recently released and rare box sets, video and needle drops. Tickets.
The following evening, Sat 1/13, the audience is treated to Bowie’s entire fascinating life, An Evening With(out) David Bowie, in two parts, at 7:30PM and 9:30PM- see both for a discount. Each evening is punctuated with a blistering live set or two by Cleveland’s glam heroes, Vanity Crash, showcasing their 2017 release, Phantasmagoria, featuring pianist Mike Garson, Bowie’s longtime accompanist, alongside Bowie classics and period classics. This show sells out, so secure your seat now. Tix.
The Cleveland Comedy Festival has been through a lot of changes in its 10 years. Now it’s happily settled at PlayhouseSquare where multiple events will hopefully keep audiences a-roar. Festival co-founder Joe Hannum says they’re expecting more than 2,500 people to attend over the five nights.
The event has developed such a good reputation that its comedy contest, with the final Saturday night, has attracted 48 contestants vying for the $2,000 top prize. And SNL alum (and Shaker Heights native) Fred Williard headlines Friday night. Wed 11/29-Sun 12/3.
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In the last few weeks, sexual harassment – what it is and who did it – has been all over the news. Our career columnist Alex Sukhoy takes a look at it from the workplace angle in her latest column.
She points out the reality of the situation women face: “Imagine being a young woman, or young man, trying to make it in ANY industry where the gates of success are dictated by people who decide that anyone and anything is theirs for the taking. And if you deny them, you have no career.” And she has some suggestions, aimed not at women but at the harassers who are wailing, “But I was just being friendly!”
Small Business Saturday may be over, but the chance to buy your holiday gifts directly from the person who made them isn’t. Here’s our roundup of all the holiday bazaars and art sales happening this weekend – and we’ll have more next week. Keep that money circulating right here in town! Fri 12/1-Sun 12/3.
* USA Today recently picked the best mall to shop at in each state, with a hat tip to a smaller, cooler shopping area. In Ohio, Coventry Village got the nod – and Big Fun was one of the few small businesses in any state singled out by name.
Cleveland Metroparks celebrates 50 seasons of tobogganing at the Chalet this year. The first toboggan season began at Cleveland Metroparks in 1967. The 2017-2018 tobogganing season began the day after Thanksgiving Fri 11/24. Continue the Northeast Ohio tradition of enjoying the tallest, fastest winter thrill ride in the region.
Students can enjoy school and college I.D. night every Thursday presented by MTD Products. Share photos and videos of you enjoying this toboggan season by using the hashtag, #icythrills! Visit ClevelandMetroparks.com/tchutes for more information on hours, rates, and rental opportunities.
It might be cold outside, but on the square in downtown Berea, a festival of holiday fun will be taking place at the Jack Frost Festival of Lights. It includes a parade and that reliable Cleveland favorite, fireworks. Take the family and dress warm so Jack Frost doesn’t nip your toes! Sat 12/2.
* The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra plays on the big stage at Severance Hall. Fri 12/1.
Click here for more CoolCleveland Kids events
Cleveland metal’s biggest German fan, Iron Ingo, is back in town and that means it’s time for the annual Heavy Metal Holiday Food Drive at the Beachland. Sat 12/2
Read more picks by Anastasia Pantsios here
Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Cool Events.
WED 11/29
Those angel-faced boys in sailor suits, the Vienna Choir Boys, bring their Christmas program to Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall.
Click here for more events on Wed 11/29
THU 11/30
The Cleveland Arts Prize launches its 2018 season with a kickoff party at SPACES featuring talks by previous winners Dave Lucas and Liza Grossman (pictured) and an announcement about a new program.
Click here for more events on Thu 11/30
FRI 12/1
Fleet Avenue in Slavic Village has been looking pretty sharp since the streetscape was finished last year. It will look even more beautiful after the Slavic Village HoliDazzle when the Christmas lights are switched on as part of a community party at art space the Magalen.
Click here for more events on Fri 12/1
SAT 12/2
Praxis Fiber Workshop has livened up the west end of the Waterloo Arts District. Its annual benefit party helps fund its programs and will feature “the best fiber decoration all year,” they promise.
Click here for more events on Sat 12/2
SUN 12/3
Want to learn to dance the tango? A bookstore is probably not the first place you’d think to go. But Tremont’s Visible Voice will be pushing back the tables and chairs for a Sunday afternoon class in executing these steamy steps.
Click here for more events on Sun 12/3
MON 12/4
What exactly is human trafficking? Without a definition it’s hard to care. At this month’s community outreach event at Preterm women’s clinic a sexual assault nurse from University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital will explain how to identify victims.
Click here for more events on Mon 12/4
TUE 12/5
Tremont’s Prosperity Social Club has joined with the Cleveland Museum of Art to turn into a Jazz Age speakeasy for the night, with the curator of the museum’s current Jazz Age exhibit signing catalogs, vintage cocktails and Akron’s Mustache Yourself playing era-appropriate music.
Click here for more events on Tue 12/5
WED 12/6
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Capitol Theatre hook up for another episode of “Reel Science” where the screening of a sci-fi film (this time it’s 1973’s Soylent Green) is dissected afterwards for plausibility by a CMNH scientist.
Click here for more events on Wed 12/6
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–Thomas Mulready
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