The SantaLand Diaries
produced by Cleveland Public Theatre & Playhouse Square
written by David Sedaris
adapted by Joe Mantello
directed by Cathleen O'Malley
starring Ray Caspio
The SantaLand Diaries by acclaimed author David Sedaris is the semi-autobiographical story of a 33-year-old out-of-work actor who takes a job as “Crumpet,” a Macy’s Christmas Elf, in 1989. Crumpet’s hilarious recount of the trials and tribulations of the Holiday Season is sure to bring a smile to even the grouchiest face!
Press:
Interview with Dee Perry on The Sound of Applause
Thrillist Cleveland: "The one man tour de force Ray Caspio"
News Herald: Ray Caspio finds lots with which to identify in David Sedaris' "The SantaLand Diaries"
performed at Playhouse Square's Outcalt Theatre
November-December 2015 & December 2016
photos by Steve Wagner, courtesy of Cleveland Public Theatre
The Turing Machine
produced by Theater Ninjas
written by Jeremy Paul & Ray Caspio
directed by Jeremy Paul
starring Ray Caspio
The Turing Machine is an original, 'post-human metaphysical biography' about the life and legacy of Alan Turing, the brillant pioneer of computer sciences. In this one-man show, a computer program believes it is the reincarnation of Turing and relives the complex contradictions of this singular genius' life, reflecting on his career, persecution and influence on the modern age. Starring Ray Caspio whose ‘transcendent’, ‘riveting’ embodiment of this character first appeared in 2014’s Code:Preludes.
Press:
Interview with Dee Perry on The Sound of Applause
lighting design by Tom West
projection design by T. Paul Lowry
original compositions & sound design by Eric M. C. Gonzalez
costume design by Jamie Farkas
stage managed by Christina Dennis
assistant stage managed by Franny Gallagher
performed at Survival Kit Gallery
May 2015
photos by Frank J. Lanza Photography, courtesy of Theater Ninjas
Code: Preludes
produced by Theater Ninjas
directed & devised by Jeremy Paul
contributing creators & performers Ray Caspio, Christina Dennis, Christopher Hisey, Valerie C. Kilmer, Val Kozlenko, Ryan Lucas, Michael Prosen & Sean Seibert
Code: Preludes is an explorable theatrical experience inspired by the beauty of mathematics and the programmers who operate on the boundary between our messy human lives and the pristine world of symbols and equations behind the code that envelops our world. Drawing from the experiences of real-life programmers and the legacy of Alan Turing, this sensory, interactive performance creates a kind of living science museum that uses theater techniques and software concepts to cultivate and rekindle a sense of awe for the power of mathematics, and highlights the individuals who encode our humanity into modern technologic society.
Press:
Interview with Dee Perry on The Sound of Applause
Land of Cleve interview and review
lighting design by Ben Gantose
original compositions & sound design by Eric M. C. Gonzalez
costume design by Jamie Farkas
animation by Kyllea Kerg
stage managed by Adam Seeholzer
performed at 78th Street Studios
May 2014
photos by Frank J. Lanza Photography, courtesy of Theater Ninjas
Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars
adapted by Eric Coble from the graphic novels by Tony Lee and Dan Boultwood
directed by Nathan Motta
It’s December on the streets of London, Sherlock Holmes is missing, and a young girl’s grandfather has been abducted. Who will save the day? The Baker Street Irregulars— a group of orphans, pickpockets, inventors, and artists hired by Sherlock himself to help solve cases. Can a gang of street kids find Sherlock, unravel a mystery from their own past, and defeat a masked villain who just might be the evil Professor Moriarty himself? The game’s afoot! As this group of misfits bands together to solve Holmes’ latest mystery they discover what it means to be family.
produced by Dobama Theatre
photos by Steve Wagner
The Silence of Dr. and Mrs. Caligari
produced by Playwrights Local
written by Robert Hawkes
directed by Susan Soltis
starring Ray Caspio, Robert Hawkes & Anne McEvoy
THE SILENCE OF DR AND MRS CALIGARI is a theatrical reimagining of the charlatan showman and his exhibit, “The Somnambulist,” from Robert Wiene’s classic film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). This new work places the doctor and his son Cesare at their home, between tours, with the complication of an added mother figure. This expressionistic family reaches a turning point when the “sleeping” Cesare emerges from his resting coffin and attempts to speak. Magically, he brings with him snatches of Western art music, which the doctor takes as an attempt at communication…or even salvation. THE SILENCE OF DR AND MRS CALIGARI meditates on music, language, and the self-destructiveness of human nature, though not without a certain cruel humor.
set design by Walter C. Boswell
lighting design by Marcus Dana
costume design by Inda Blatch-Geib and Ray Caspio (Cesare)
sound design by Beau Reinker
prop design by Lisa Wiley
carpentry by Tom Hayes
performed at The Creative Space at Waterloo Arts
photos by Grace McC Photography
Telephone
produced by Theater Ninjas
written by Ariana Reines
directed by Jaime Bouvier
starring Holly Holsinger, Ray Caspio & Ryan Lucas
interactive "Recording Booth" installation designed & performed by Ray Caspio & Ryan Lucas
Two inventors change the world with a wire, a woman gets trapped in her own mind and lost voices reach out for each other through a web of static. A beautiful labyrinth of language and humor, Telephone is a rare play that uses history and poetry to talk about what happens on the other end of the line.
Press:
Review by Christine Howey at Rave and Pan
lighting design by Jeremy Paul
costume design by Stephanie Fisher
stage managed by Kaitlin Kelly
assistant stage managed by Franny Gallagher
performed at Ohio City Masonic Temple
May-June 2013
photo by Jeremy Paul, courtesy of Theater Ninjas
An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Dr. John Faustus on this His Final Evening
produced by convergence-continuum
written by Mickle Maher
directed by Susan Soltis
starring Robert Hawkes & Ray Caspio
Faustus, a skittish, self-aggrandizing schmuck facing his final hour on earth delivers an extravagant, hilarious, and ultimately unnerving monologue about the sublime meaninglessness of nearly all human endeavors. A lean, tragicomic version of the Faust story, An Apology... presents Dr. Faustus in the last hour of his final night on earth: irritated, whining, and repentant of nothing save his failure to keep a proper diary. Over the course of the evening, he rails against his silent servant Mephistopheles and tells the fantastic tale of his life—a life filled with wonders, as well as an immeasurably vast evil.
lighting design by C.J. Pierce & Clyde Simon
stage managed by Clyde Simon
April 2015
photos by Sebastian Orr Photography
Marble Cities
produced by Theater Ninjas
directed & devised by Jeremy Paul
assistant directed by Ray Caspio
contributing creators & performers Davis Aguila, Ray Caspio, Brittany Gaul, Ryan Lucas, Cassie Neumann, Emily Pucell & Colleen Uszak
You are invited to a meeting both secret and arcane. Your motives belong to you and you alone. No matter what you see, no matter what you believe, you have been summoned for one purpose alone: to change the world. This is the world of Marble Cities, a place of imagination and power exploring fate, desire and future of the universe.
original music by Filmstrip
lighting design by Ben Gantose
costume design by Kevenn T. Smith
set design by Val Kozlenko
installation design by Joan Hargate
stage managed by Kaitlin Kelly
performed at Ohio City Masonic Temple
October-November 2012
photos by Frank J. Lanza Photography and Jeremy Paul, courtesy of Theater Ninjas
Give Me the Map
produced at convergence-continuum
written by Robert Hawkes
directed by Susan Soltis
starring Robert Hawkes & Ray Caspio
original compositions and accompaniment by Eric M. C. Gonzalez
The first scene of King Lear goes badly for the old man, as we know. But what the heck was he expecting anyway? Hawkes' one-act prologue to the tale seeks to answer that very question as the King (Robert Hawkes) and his Fool (Ray Caspio) try desperately to control events that have not even happened yet.
lighting design by Terrii Wachala
stage managed by Jaclyn Cifranic
performed at The Liminis
November 2016
photos by Sebastian Orr Photography
