Cleveland Public Theatre’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) kicks off its 32nd season with an original family-friendly play called Getting Back to Once Upon a Time that will feature music, dance, and spoken-word. Performances run throughout the Greater Cleveland area July 23 through August 2, 2026.
Cleveland Public Theatre’s (CPT) groundbreaking summer work study program for high school students launched in 1994 as a theater summer camp for high school students who were interested in learning how to act and/or write plays and has expanded to include a technical component where students who are interested in building sets, designing, and operating sound and lights can learn the elements of these skills.
STEP is a rigorous arts-based program that provides firsthand job training, engaging Cleveland-area youth from low-income homes in a powerful learning experience that develops job skills, academic achievement, and interpersonal skills. As part of this nine-week summer program, youth, ages 14-19, work together to create, produce, perform, and tour an original play in which they are paid. STEP is the longest-running arts-based workplace development program in Cleveland and is an international model for engaging youth. Since its beginning, STEP has received multiple awards and recognitions from the City of Cleveland, The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Through the program, teens see themselves as a positive and inspirational force and watch as their work has an impact on the Greater Cleveland community.
This year’s show answers the questions: “What do we find when we seek? What do we lose when we find?” The hour-long show takes us on a mythical journey about an intimate community that attempts to understand what stories mean and why they matter while striving to maintain the joy and hope that stories bring.
The production will be performed at eight public locations this year including Herman Park, the Romanian Cultural Gardens, Riverside Park Community Center, Outhwaite Homes Community Center, Woodhill Station West, Halloran Park, Lake Pool Park, and Cleveland Public Theatre giving students the experience of performing in front of a live audience.
TOUR SCHEDULE*
Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m. | Herman Park, 6198 Herman Ave.
Friday, July 24 at 1 p.m. | Woodhill Station West, 9511 Buckeye Rd.
Sunday, July 26 at 1 p.m. | Lake Pool Park, 1341 W. 85th St.
Tuesday, July 28 at 6 p.m. | Outhwaite Homes Community Center, 2452 E. 46th St & Quincy
Wednesday, July 29 at 7 p.m. | Halloran Park, 3550 W. 117th St.
Thursday, July 30 at 6 p.m. | Riverside Park Estates Community Ctr., 17800 Parkmount Ave.
Saturday, August 1 at 1 p.m. | Romanian Cultural Gardens, 870 MLK Jr. Blvd.
Sunday, August 2 at 7 p.m. | Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave.
**Locations and times are subject to change, for updates, visit www.cptonline.org.
