Cleveland Centennial!: September 2026

Monday, September 7, 2026

How I Am Spending This Fall (2026)

Last week there was another big storm that brought down trees on both Mayfield and Taylor roads, cutting power to my neighborhood. I had a brief Zoom rehearsal schedule and drove to a different part of town to find bars to participate.

Samantha Cocco is directing Katelyn Cornelius in my monologue Stray which will be presented as part of the Monodogologues for Micro Theater CLE’s Tremont Reloaded which will take place this Friday and Saturday nights.

The fall has become surprisingly full, and Micro Theater CLE has been a big part of that. They are not only producing the only cat piece in a selection of monologues about dogs (Sam calls Stray a “solilokitty” and I am down with that) but also a performance of Lombardo at Cleveland Public Theatre’s Pandemonium the week following.

The theme for Pandemonium this year is “Under Construction” which put me in mind of this taut and gritty look at a man at the crossroads, taking the risk of his life and succeeding against all odds. Just kidding, it’s an acidic satire of trite formulaic theatrical biographs. I’m going to stick my neck out here and share that Lombardo is one of my own scripts that I choose to read from time to time just to make myself laugh.

There are also two productions in October. Tickets are now on sale for I Hate This (a play without the baby): The Silver Collection a fund raiser for the Preeclampsia Foundation, an intimate house performance (see previous blog post for complete details) and my first opportunity to perform for a live audience in a couple of years. I know folks worry about the subject matter, but it’s a story I love telling. Contact me directly to make your reservation.

Cole Tarantowski, Rachel Gold
"The Right Room"
Photo by Daren Stahl

The month concludes with The Right Room, presented as part of the Verum Project series at Convergence-Continuum. When originally presented in an actual hotel room for the BorderLight Festival in 2025, it became the most talked about show that virtually no one saw. It’s funny to think that con-con, which features one of the smallest professional spaces in Cleveland, presents an opportunity for so many more people to see this show. Rehearsals begin soon, and I am so excited to share this, and all of these pieces, with audiences this season.