Cleveland-based playwright, Lisa Langford, will stage a new play with Cleveland Public Theatre entitled, Rastus and Hattie. Set in the near future, the play takes a page from the story of a real human-like robot developed by Westinghouse in the 1930’s. The robot, designed with brown skin and clad in overalls, was to be a prototype of a fleet of time-saving laborers.
Langford’s modern-day play, set to debut in the fall of 2019, will revisit this historical moment to confront the nexus of race and history and underscore the need for deeper human interaction, compassion and understanding. Langford and the CPT will work with a broad cross-section of community partners to develop the new work and stage performances throughout Northeast Ohio.
"For years Cleveland Public Theatre has been supporting Lisa Langford’s work,” said Raymond Bobgan, executive artistic director with Cleveland Public Theatre. “We believe she is one of the most important voices emerging in American theatre and we are thrilled to be receiving this support – and for Lisa to be receiving the prestige of this award. We know from experience that significant financial awards to artists have exponential impact on our communities.