CLEVELAND PREMIERE

Northern Ireland, 1981. Former IRA man Quinn Carney has built a new life on a remote farmhouse in County Armagh, surrounded by a sprawling, boisterous family on the eve of the harvest. But when a long-buried body surfaces from a bog, the past comes knocking — and with it, dangerous men who refuse to let old loyalties die. What unfolds is a sweeping, mythic collision of family, secrets, and violence that reaches all the way back through Irish history and folklore. The Ferryman is a breathtaking, unforgettable epic that questions whether any of us can ever truly outrun where we come from.

"The Ferryman is a seismic experience at the theater: As it spins forward, its plates keep shifting under it. You sense the rumbles and you feel the shaking—the shaking might be you—as you wait for this magnificent and harrowing play to crack open."
-Time Out New York

2017 Critics' Circle Awards Best New Play | 2018 Olivier Awards Best New Play | 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards Best New Play 
2019 Tony Award Best Play | 2019 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play | 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award Best Play
2019 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding New Broadway Play

Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney’s powerful adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone explores the timeless conflict between individual conscience and state authority. Heaney's searing translation of Sophocles' ancient tragedy strips the play to its blazing moral core: what do we owe the living, and what do we owe the dead? Written in the shadow of the Iraq War, its themes of power, dissent, and human dignity feel as urgent today as they did in fifth-century Athens. A spare, fierce, and deeply human work — essential theatre. In this outstanding translation, commissioned by Ireland's renowned Abbey Theatre to commemorate its centenary, Seamus Heaney exposes the darkness and the humanity in Sophocles' masterpiece, and inks it with his own modern and masterly touch. Originally produced by Ensemble Theatre in the Brooks theatre in 2006 directed by the late founding artistic director Lucia Colombi. Join us for this timely re-examination of this classic tale translated by one of the greatest poets of the day.

"Heaney melds the philosophy of the ages with words that are rich with the honey of poetry. The lilt of the language and spare yet efficient staging by director Lucia Colombi creates a riveting production that is both timeless and opportune."  -Cleveland Jewish News 

WORLD PREMIERE!!

Set in a very different Garden of Eden than the one we might recognize, Lilith and Eve —Adam’s first and second wives—go head-to-head and toe-to-toe on a woman’s true power, the nature of knowledge, and humanity’s eternal desires. Told with humor, magical realism, and sharp insight, She Walks in Beauty explores both everyday concerns and existential questions, including what to do with all the plastic invading Eden. Audiences may find themselves rethinking some of their most closely held beliefs.

**This full length world premiere signals a recommitment to premiering new works that have been developed through Ensemble Theatre's Stagewrights Unit and presented as readings during the Colombi New Plays Festival by local Cleveland playwrights. The Stagewrights unit meets virtually bi-weekly. More information about participating in the Stagewrights Unit is available on our website.

• The 2027 Colombi New Plays Festival will surround this world premiere production with readings of plays in various stages of development. The 2027 Colombi New Plays Festival schedule will be announced once festival plays are selected. The 2027 Colombi New Plays Festival submission application will open in late October 2026.

CLEVELAND PREMIERE

With “Reclamation” Ensemble welcomes back playwright Charles Smith to our stage. Originally commissioned by Indiana Repertory Theatre and inspired by historical events, Charles Smith’s compelling drama offers a deeply human look at the complexities of American history and the stories that continue to shape our nation. It’s 1866, one year after the end of the Civil War. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to their birthplace of Monticello in hopes of reuniting with Israel’s brother. Finding the formerly majestic estate near ruin, Madison attempts to claim what’s rightfully his by stripping the architectural features of the house he helped build. Both men are confronted with their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “all men are created equal.” Israel advises Madison to consider the memories of the other families, hundreds of people, who were enslaved at Monticello, rather than loading down the wagon they need to carry them back to Ohio. When their wagon collapses under the weight of the salvaged load, they are forced to carefully consider the main question of the play—what do we need to keep with us as we move through this world, and what should we leave behind? Ensemble patrons will remember past Ensemble Theatre productions of Charles Smith plays Freeman of Color, Knock me a Kiss, The Gospel According to James, Jelly Belly, and Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues.

“Smith’s dialogue is an intricate dance between the personal and the political, both tangled around the ideals of a nation founded on ‘self evident’ truths that sound noble in theory but didn’t apply to millions of people.” —Chicago Sun Times