One night a year, 250 artists from across Northeast Ohio inhabit historic St. John’s Episcopal Church—Cleveland’s first authenticated Underground Railroad site and a beacon of freedom symbolizing the city’s social justice heritage. Launched in 2014, Station Hope addresses many of the most important issues of our time and celebrates hope through powerful theatre, spoken word, dance, music, and multimedia performances inspired by contemporary issues of freedom and justice. Audiences are invited to explore the historic buildings and surrounding grounds while visual art installations, choir performances, and other interactive activities set the atmosphere around the church.
ST. JOHN’S
St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at 2600 Church Avenue in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Cleveland was known as “Station Hope” on the Underground Railroad. The oldest consecrated building in Cuyahoga County, St. John’s was a last stop for freedom seekers before crossing the waters of Lake Erie, and its steeple acted as a beacon of freedom.
ARTS AND COMMUNITY
Residents of the nearby public housing estate at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s (CMHA) Lakeview Terrace join longtime residents of the Ohio City neighborhood, along with real-estate developers, arts lovers, business owners, and politicians, to make up a highly economically diverse crowd.
PARTNERS
Cleveland Public Theatre’s Station Hope 2022 is presented in partnership with The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio & The Institute at St. John’s, Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack, and Ohio City Incorporated, with over 50 participating arts groups and 250 individual artists from the Northeast Ohio region.
Other Leadership Supporters of Station Hope 2020 include The City of Cleveland, The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, Ohio City Incorporated, and Third Federal Savings & Loan.