AHA! Festival : Arts and Humanities Alive!

The Cleveland State University/Playhouse Square neighborhood will be alive with words, music, theater, dance and art on June 7, 8 and 9, 2017 as CSU inaugurates Arts and Humanities Alive!, the AHA! Festival, the first of its kind in Ohio. AHA! brings world renowned authors, performers and celebrities for a celebration of Storytelling and a wide ranging exploration of what our stories tell us about ourselves.

A day long outdoor Book Fair, along Euclid Avenue, from 14th -17th streets, kicks off the Festival and includes a children's area with storytelling and performances, adult authors and publishers, interactive exhibits, local libraries and bookstores, along with food trucks and entertainers. Community members are invited to Dance with a Star, Karina Smirnoff, on the stage of the State Theatre at Playhouse Square in a free dance workshop! East Cleveland native and Hollywood star Yvette Nicole Brown returns to her hometown for an inspiring keynote address at the Arts Education Day Luncheon. Award-winning authors Isabel Wilkerson, Jonathan Safran Foer and Jon Meacham will each present talks about their respective best-selling books and Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago takes us on an out-of-this-world adventure through the stars during a TEDx Salon.

The children's theater production of  The Frog Bride and the justly famous  Love, Loss and What I Wore by Nora and Delia Ephron and performed by Mamai Theatre Company comprise the Festival's theater offerings. Delia Ephron, will introduce the opening night of Love, Loss and What I Wore and present a talk on the importance of collaboration to creative expression.

The Festival will also host the local premiere of “The Vietnam War” a new PBS documentary by famed film maker Ken Burns. The film will be introduced by co-producer Lynn Novick.

Former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, John Frohnmayer, will be the resident curator for the Festival, acting as host and discussion leader and Tom and Joanie Adler will serve as honorary co-chairs.

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