(Cincinnati, OH) Provocative family drama unfolds as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati continues its 2013-2014 season with the highly anticipated regional premiere of TRIBES, described by the Wall Street Journal as “the best-written, best-plotted, deepest, most daring—and funniest—new play in recent years.” Playwright Nina Raine’s surprising and polarizing drama examines the differences between communities and the struggle to find an identity in a boisterous family. TRIBES earned received rave reviews and extended runs in London and Off-Broadway and received the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and 2012 NY Theatre Critics Circle Award. Directed by Michael Evan Haney, TRIBES plays January 29-February 16. Premiere Sponsors are Bill and Sue Friedlander; Design Sponsors for the production are Thompson Hine LLP and Rich Postler.
From rising British playwright Nina Raine, this contemporary new play is a savage, funny look at family dynamics and the challenges of communication. As the only deaf member of his sharp-tongued family, Billy has spent much of his life feeling out of place: his parents encouraged him to wear hearing aids and learn how to lip-read, instead of learning sign language. But when he finds a new family in the deaf community, tensions reach an all-time high. With excoriating dialogue and sharp, compassionate insights, TRIBES is a savage, funny play about membership in your tribe—and learning to hear what isn’t said.
The play incorporates spoken language, sign language, and surtitles to fully immerse the audience in the worlds of both deaf and hearing characters. Additionally, Ensemble Theatre will offer 14 ASL-interpreted performances throughout the run of the production; a full calendar of these performances may be found online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.
When asked about the inspiration for TRIBES, playwright Nina Raine said, “I first had the idea of writing ‘Tribes’ when I watched a documentary about a deaf couple. The woman was pregnant. They wanted their baby to be deaf. I was struck by the thought that this was actually what many people feel, deaf or otherwise. Parents take great pleasure in witnessing the qualities they have managed to pass on to their children. Not only a set of genes. A set of values, beliefs. Even a particular language. The family is a tribe: an infighting tribe but intensely loyal.”
“This is an incredibly beautiful play, both powerful and disturbing and I am honored to work with such a terrific cast,” explains director Michael Evan Haney. “We are very protective of our ‘tribe.’ We want our children to be like us, regardless of circumstance, so this is such a interesting study in family dynamics and who these people are.”
About the Cast
Dale Dymkoski (Billy) makes his Ensemble Theatre debut with TRIBES. After performing in downtown experimental theater and appearing on Law & Order: SVU in New York City, Mr. Dymkoski relocated to Los Angeles where he starred in the independent films Lucky Bastard, Somefarwhere, and The Pretty Boys. In between dramatic roles, he can be found performing standup comedy at Flappers Comedy Club and the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. At the age of three, Mr. Dymkoski was diagnosed with a moderately severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and was outfitted with hearing aids. He has lived through every incarnation of hearing aid, and believes today’s digital technology has given him the chance to play guitar and sing in pitch, something he never thought possible.
Ryan Wesley Gilreath (Daniel) returns to Ensemble Theatre, having last appeared in Other Desert Cities and previously in Next Fall. A Cincinnati native, he trained at the University of Central Florida’s Conservatory program. His television credits include NBC’s Deception, Fox’s pilot Guilty in which he had a scene opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Team Umizoomi on Nick, Jr. Mr. Gilreath has also worked with Emmy-nominated Stephen David Entertainment on their next miniseries which is set to air on Discovery this October.
Jen Joplin (Ruth) made her Ensemble Theatre debut with Rapture, Blister, Burn earlier this season. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, a graduate of Wright State University, a resident artist with the Human Race Theatre in Dayton and Development Associate at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Originally from St. Louis, she has worked across the country as an actress, voiceover artist, producer and teacher. Some of her favorite roles include Annette in God of Carnage, Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra, Catherine in Proof, Maria in Twelfth Night, Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, Bun in The Love Talker and Harper in Angels in America.
Kelly Mengelkoch (Sylvia) makes her ETC debut with TRIBES. Originally from Kansas, she is a tenth-year resident ensemble member at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC), and is happy to now call the Queen City her home. Locally, she has also performed with New Stage Collective, The Human Race Theatre Company, Xavier University, as well as most recently with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in A Christmas Carol. Some favorite memories in town with CSC have been All’s Well that Ends Well, The Turn of the Screw, Henry VIII: All is True, Pride and Prejudice, and Measure for Measure.
Barry Mulholland (Christopher) most recently appeared at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Freud’s Last Session and previously in End Days. He was seen at Cincinnati Shakespeare in A Man For All Seasons and Henry VIII: All Is True. Mr. Mulholland appeared off-Broadway in Wild Oats, Ghost Sonata, Faust, and Danton’s Death for Classic Stage Company, as well as the American premiere of Karen Sunde’s Balloon. West coast credits include a season with Seattle’s Intiman Theatre, three seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the L.A. Center Theatre production of Love Streams, with Gena Rowlands and Jon Voight, directed by John Cassavetes. He has worked extensively at regional theatres throughout the country including Capital Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merrimack Rep, and Long Wharf. His plays Barnes and Noble Conquer the World and Existential Therapy were featured at the Love Creek Theatre in New York as part of their annual festival of new plays.
Amy Warner (Beth) returns to ETC, having last performed in Other Desert Cities earlier this season. Her other ETC credits include End Days, Collected Stories, 33 Variations, Fiction, The Guys, The Women of Lockerbie, and Permanent Collection. Other regional credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, for which she won a CEA award for Best Actress. Off-Broadway credits include: Wild Oats, Danton’s Death, Big and Little, and The Underpants. Her TV credits include appearances on Ally McBeal, Boston Public, The Guardian, The Practice, and E.R.
About the Playwright
Nina Raine (Playwright) is an English director and playwright who began her career as a director-in-training at the Royal Court Theatre after graduating from the University of Oxford. She dramaturged and directed Unprotected at the Liverpool Everyman theatre. Her debut play, Rabbit, premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre in 2006 and transferred to the West End before going to New York. Rabbit won the Charles Wintour Evening Standard and Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. Ms. Raine also directed her second pay, Tiger Country, at Hampstead Theatre. She directed Jumpy at the Royal Court Theatre, later transferring to the West End, and Shades. Her commission for the Royal Court Theatre, TRIBES, directed by Roger Michel, enjoyed a sell-out run and won an Offie award for best New Play. It was also nominated for both Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best New Play.
Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Aaron Clements (Technical Operations Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Coordinator & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Fitz Patton (Sound Designer), Reba Senske (Costume Designer), Dialect Coaches Kate Glasheen and Jennifer Scapetis, ASL Interpreters Dawn Caudill, Gale Maue, and Phil Fiorini, and Primary Consultant Maryanne Barth. Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes.
Ticket Prices
- Tickets are $39 for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday performances.
- Tickets are $43 for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances.
- Half-price rush tickets and $15 student rush tickets are available starting two hours prior to show time.
- Tickets and seating subject to availability.
Other Single Ticket Discounts
Military/Educator, Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave FunCard, AAA, Senior and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability. ETC accepts all major credit cards and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. A full list of available discounts and performance calendar is available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
2013-2014 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.
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