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CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY/
CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE MFA ACTING PROGRAM
ANNOUNCES INCOMING CLASS
8 Candidates Selected from Over 400 Applicants
CLEVELAND, OH (July 1, 2013) – The Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA
Acting Program today announced its Class of 2016. The three women and five men represent eight
different undergraduate programs from across the United States.
"It is always an exciting time for the program when a new MFA Acting class arrives to begin their
intensive studies,” says Ron Wilson, director of the program. “The students in the class of 2016 will
have the distinction of being in residence at CPH during the theatre's 100th year anniversary."
CWRU/CPH MFA Program Class of 2016
NICK BARBATO hails from the frozen tundra that is Syracuse, NY, where he attended Le Moyne
College, graduating in 2008 with a BA in English with a Theatre Arts Minor and is a founding member
of the Central New York Shakespeare Company. After graduating, he interned at The Roundabout
Theater Company in NYC, and worked primarily on the Roundabout Underground project. Favorite
regional roles include: Edmund in King Lear, Yolland in Translations, and Sherlock Holmes in The
Hound of the Baskervilles. He also appears in the “Lose My Mind” music video by brit-pop sensation:
The Wanted. He is extremely excited and grateful to begin his Acting MFA at CWRU/CPH this fall!
JEREMIAH CLAPP is beyond excited to be a member of the MFA acting program at Case Western
Reserve University/CPH. He is a Houston, Texas native with a 2013 Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre
from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi where he has appeared as Steven in Farragut North,
Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Chorus in Henry V, Bartlett in Back of the Throat and Nikolay Ivanov in
Ivanov. Jeremiah is an alumi of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s (NYC) Chekhov Intensive Summer
program. He is one of nine siblings and dedicates his success to his late mother, Patricia Kay Wicker.
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CWRU/CPH MFA Program Announces Class of 2016
ALEC HYNES is a 2013 graduating senior from Cornell College with a Bachelor of Specialized Studies in
Theatre, Religion Studies, and Performance Studies. He has worked regionally in Iowa with Riverside
Theatre as Babbybobby in The Cripple of Inishmaan; Peter Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank; and
Sir Eglamour in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He has also worked with Working Group Theatre as
Milan Tradnović in the premiere of The Toymaker’s War. Roles at Cornell include Mercutio in Romeo
and Juliet; Clive/Edward in Cloud 9; and Nana in Milkmilklemonade.
MEGAN KING, of central Arkansas will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith this
June with her Bachelors degree in Theatre Performance. She previously attended Arkansas State
University Beebe where she received her Associate of Fine Arts. Her most recent work includes a full
length devised physical production, Dromnium, which was recently reviewed by a national panel from
the Kennedy Center, and is now competing for awards on the national level. Along with acting
Megan enjoys reading, playing piano, aerial silks, trapeze and partnered adagio. She looks forward to
continuing her theatrical pursuits and moving to Cleveland to join the CWRU-CPH MFA Program.
JAY BEN MARKSON is considerably aflutter at the prospect of attending CWRU this fall. Since
graduating Dartmouth College in 2010 with a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing, he has lived and
worked in the Boston area. Favorite roles include Fin in Mrs. Whitney (Merrimack Repertory Theatre)
and Joe Crowell, Jr. in David Cromer's production of Our Town at the Huntington Theatre. Jay Ben
also is ensemble member and Executive Director of MaineStage Shakespeare, a summer ensemble
that provides outdoor theatre to the families of Kennebunk, ME, free of charge. Roles include
Touchstone in As You Like It, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
RICKIE MCDOWELL is a 2012 graduate from Eastern Michigan University with a BA in Theatre Arts.
Favorite roles and great learning experiences are Lorenzo from The Merchant of Venice, Adam from
Someone Who'll Watch Over Me and Cassio from Othello. Rickie has a passion for all aspects of film,
ranging from acting to producing. His life outside of acting consists of family, athletics and the
outdoors.
KATHRYN METZGER received her Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts and English from Case Western
Reserve University in 2012. Most recently in her time at CWRU, she had the honor of performing as
Nurse/Amaryllis in the MFA class of 2012’s production of The Winter’s Tale, as well as appearing in
CWRU undergraduate productions of Top Girls and Les Liaisons Dangereuse. In the year since
graduating, Kathryn has been working and enjoying family in her hometown of Seattle, WA. She will
appear this summer in the San Juan Islands as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew with Island Stage
Left.
KATIE O SOLOMON Katie is very happy to be part of CASE/CPH MFA. She is a Baltimore, MD native.
Katie graduated in 2010 Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science from Towson University's
theatre program with a concentration in performance. She is a founding member of the Stillpointe
Theatre Initiative which focuses on bringing music and movement to text and performing theatre in
non-traditional settings. Last Summer she worked at WordBridge Playwrights Laboratory and
ARTscape and this Summer she will be playing Dorinda in Everyman Theatre's The Beaux' Stratagem.
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CWRU/CPH MFA Program Announces Class of 2016
ABOUT THE CWRU/CPH MFA PROGRAM
Since 1996, Cleveland Play House has partnered with Case Western Reserve University to offer a
Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting. In 2003, it became a conservatory program completely housed
at Cleveland Play House. Every two years, the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program accepts a class of
eight actors into its three-year program. All three years are spent in residency at Cleveland Play
House, providing students with unique access to its new downtown Cleveland state-of-the-art
facilities and the professional expertise of its staff. Program graduates include Rich Sommer (Mad
Men, Harvey), Elizabeth A. Davis (Once – Tony Award Nomination, The 39 Steps), Tom Degnan (The
Good Wife), and Andrew Gorell (The Lion King).
ABOUT CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE
Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America’s first professional regional theatre. Throughout
its rich history, Cleveland Play House has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate and
entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of
the highest professional standards. It has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres,
and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 CPH productions.
Today, Cleveland Play House looks toward its centennial while performing in three state-of-the art
venues at PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland.
www.clevelandplayhouse.com
Cleveland Play House is funded through the generosity of Cuyahoga County residents through
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and The Ohio Arts Council helps to fund Cleveland Play House with state
tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all
Ohioans.
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