PROGRAMS

THE CARAVAN PROGRAM

Seat of the Pants is always traveling around Northeast Ohio, and we'd like you to be able to join us, too! But we know that driving longer distances or through inclement weather or at night isn't for everyone — and that's why we created The Caravan Program!

Here's how it works: if you want to see a show, but need some help getting to it, send us an e-mail at submissions@seatofthepants.org, letting us know 2–3 dates you would be able to attend, where you're coming from, and we'll try to pair you with a ride.

And — if you're willing to bring someone along — you can e-mail us at submissions@seatofthepants.org, letting us know when you plan to come see the show and where you're coming from.

We'll give each pair of Caravan buddies $10 for coffee, gas, or dessert, plus some conversation starters to fill your time together before and after the show!

THE SALON SERIES

Four times over the course of the year, we’ll focus on brand-new work, hearing plays read aloud for the first time. Each reading will be followed by a talkback with the playwright, where audience members will be asked curated questions that will guide next steps in edits and rewrites. And there will also be an opportunity for our patrons to ask questions about the playwright's experience in crafting the piece up to this point. This is another way that we're trying to celebrate process and development as the hallmark of great theatre-making.

Assorted Locations in Canton, Akron, and Cleveland.
Tickets are $10. Join us!

Con by Lisa Langford
Saturday, September 12, 2026

1:30 p.m. in Canton
The Mary J. Timken Theatre Fine Arts Building
Kent State University at Stark
6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton, Ohio 44720

7:30 p.m. in Cleveland
Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ
2592 W 14th St #309, Cleveland, OH 44113
Parking available in the parking lot, and street parking is also available.

Infamous political commentator and controversial influencer Constance Evans (why does that name sound vaguely familiar?) is on the up-and-up! Her former paramour, the now meat-and-potatoes-conservative congressman Harvey Keane, has selected her to be his communications director as he eyes an upcoming run for president. From fringe podcasts all the way to the White House, Constance is fantasizing her own meteoric rise, but there are a few problems: Constance’s kink-fueled expat husband who prefers his wife in the kitchen, his liberal-leaning mistress, and the mistress' ambitions to infiltrate and change the system from within. CON is a hard look at the values we preach versus the values we practice. It’s chaos; it’s questionably legal; it’s politics as usual.

Cast: Sydney Smith and Liam Stilson

Directed by Natalie Sander Kern and produced by Julia Fisher

Year of the Monkey by Ed Walsh
Saturday, February 20, 2027

1:30 p.m. in Cleveland
Clague Playhouse, 1371 Clague Rd, Westlake, OH 44145

7:30 p.m. in Canton
Location TBD

Directed by Lisa L Wiley and produced by Julia Fisher

(TBD) by Charles Smith
Saturday, May 8, 2027

1:30 p.m. in Canton
Location TBD

7:30 p.m. in Cleveland
Clague Playhouse

1371 Clague Rd, Westlake, OH 44145

Directed by Jeannine Gaskin and produced by Julia Fisher

ACTOR WORKSHOPS

Love acting technique and developing your craft?  Come play with us! Three workshops conducted throughout the year allow adult artists to add new skills to their performer’s toolbox. Workshops are led by various instructors who will guide you through exploring techniques like Lebon and Chekov, or share tips on scene study and text analysis. And our workshops are not just for actors, but for anybody looking to express themselves. We are proud to offer these workshops on a free, donation-based basis throughout Northeast Ohio, thanks in part to a generous grant from ArtsinStark!

Workshop #1:
Making the Space Work for You: An Active Exploration of Atmosphere and Architecture
Led by theatre maker, scholar, and audiobook narrator, Charlene V. Smith
As an itinerant theatre company, Seat of the Pants artists are used to adapting to the needs of different spaces. Using tools from the Chekhov Technique and Viewpoints, this workshop will explore how actors can respond to the very room they are in, making it part of their world-building and allowing it to inspire their performance choices.

Charlene V. Smith is a director, actor, audiobook narrator, and scholar with an MLitt and MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University. Formerly the artistic director of Brave Spirits Theatre, she is one of the few women in the world to have directed a full cycle of Shakespeare’s Henriad. She was in Seat of the Pants’ production of The Women of Lockerbie and will next appear in All the Emilies in All the Universes. Charlene is a Certified Teacher of the Michael Chekhov technique. www.charlenevsmith.com

Tuesday, September 22, 6:30-9:30
Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2952 W. 14th St., Tremont, Ohio.
Parking available onsite in addition to street parking around the building and neighboring streets.

To Register:
Please email SotPProgramming@gmail.com to reserve your spot. Then, please send $5 through Venmo (@SeatofthePants), CashApp ($SeatofthePants), or Zelle (847-456-2030) to complete your registration. This deposit is to prevent no-shows and will be returned to you upon your attendance.

Workshop #2:
Developing the Chameleonic Character Reflex: a Text and Body Exploration
Led by theatre maker and dramaturg Muggs Johnson

In this workshop, Jaques Lecoq meets Kristin Linklater; physical body work meets vocal technique to explore and expand the actors' toolsets. More information to come!
Wednesday, November 11, 6:30-9:30
Location: TBD

Workshop #3:
Vocal Power Without Pain or Strain: The Lessac Kinesensic Connection
Led by theatre maker, professor, and certified trainer, Courtney Brown

Discovering the natural energy of the voice — Vocal Neural Regenerative Growth (NRG) — is foundational to the voice component of Lessac Kinesensic "body voice training". Join in as we dive into one of the three NRGs that shape Kinesensic voice and speech work - Tonal NRG! We will apply it to a creative experience withtext and build on the richness and fullness of the speaking range of the voice, and beyond. Exploring and applying an awareness of Tonal NRG offers a scientifically supported approach to vocalization that is healthful and regenerative.
Building on ancient wisdoms, backed by modern science, Arthur Lessac’s Kinesensic BodyVoice Training is a pioneer in holistic approaches to somatic learning. Kinesensics encourages you to use familiar behaviors of your body as organic instructions towards improved physical and vocal expression and health.
Participants are invited to bring a few lines of text in any language(s) of their choosing. We will focus on feeling and fueling bone-conducted resonance to enhance the open, full voice that is healthy and free. Participants will leave with tools for increasing vocal awareness and protection, the grounded “home base” of the voice, and the organic resources for the big, full, open voice that can fill any space without pain or strain!

Courtney Brown (she, her) is a professional actor, voice/movement specialist, and director. A member of Actor’s Equity, acting credits include roles at Dobama, Seat of the Pants, Cleveland Playhouse, Porthouse Theatre, Rubber City Theatre, Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival, Mamai Theatre, CPT, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and Actor’s Express in Atlanta. Ensemble Studio Theatre and Stage Left Studios in NYC. Courtney is a Certified Lessac Body Voice Trainer, whose creative research and pedagogical approach centers on embodied learning through a consent-forward lens. Currently, she serves as President of the Lessac Training and Research Institute (LTRI). Courtney serves as associate professor of voice and acting at Kent State University.

Tuesday, May 18, 6:30-9:30
Location: TBD

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