Monthly Archives: March 2015

March 4, 2015 · 4:22 pm

CAA Announces 2015 Overture Award Winners

CAA ANNOUNCES
2015 OVERTURE AWARD WINNERS

$45,500 Awarded for Excellence in the Arts
New Arts Educator Award Winner Also Announced    

CAA_Overture Awards logoCINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association is pleased to announce the winners of its Overture Awards Competition, held on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater, and the winner of its new Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction. The competition awarded $4,000 to six area students for education and training, with 18 runners-up each winning $1,000, while the Arts Educator Award winner received $2,500 and two finalists were awarded $500 each.

The Overture Awards recognizes, encourages and rewards excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12 and is the area’s largest solo arts competition. Students are nominated by their schools and/or private studios to compete in one of six disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final, and Final.

The Arts Educator Award promotes and rewards excellence in arts instruction throughout Greater Cincinnati. An educator who teaches any of the following arts disciplines may be nominated: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. They can be a high school arts specialist, teaching artist working with high school students, or an arts professional or educator providing private lessons or instruction. Video nominations for the award must come from students between the ages of 14-19 who are currently enrolled in high school. The Arts Educator Award finalists and winner are selected by a panel of judges who are arts professionals.

The Arts Educator Award was first introduced during the 2006-07 Season as the “Theater Educator Award” and was originally created by Jackie Demaline, former Cincinnati Enquirer theatre critic and arts reporter, as one of the first initiatives of the Enquirer’s Acclaim Awards for Excellence in Cincinnati Theatre. In recent years, the Theatre Educator Award was hosted and presented by the League of Cincinnati Theaters at its annual theatre award ceremony. With its move to the Cincinnati Arts Association’s Overture Awards program, the Theatre Educator Award has broadened its scope to become the Arts Educator Award.

The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held on January 10 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), Saint Ursula Academy, University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College, and Xavier University. The top twenty percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, which were held at the Aronoff Center on January 16 and 17.

Now in its 19th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a program of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce). The Overture Awards is funded and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association, which operates and manages the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Overture Awards also relies on hundreds of volunteers from the community who help raise funds, adjudicate and manage the competitions, and nurture the program.

Overture Awards Program Sponsors:  Carey Digital; Citi; The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee, Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.

Scholarship Sponsors: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation; Summerfair Cincinnati; Western & Southern Financial.

Competition Sponsors: Buddy Roger’s Music, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), St. Ursula Academy, University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College, Xavier University.

2015 Overture Awards Winners

CREATIVE WRITING:  Zoe Cheng – Walnut Hills High School, grade 12
HOMETOWN: Hyde Park, OH – Zoe is a senior at Walnut Hills High School, where she is editor-in-chief of the student newspaper and president of Film Production Club. Last June, her stage play Pillow Talk was produced by The Blank Theatre in Hollywood, and her poetry has been published in The Best Teen Writing of 2012 and 2014. Zoe believes that sharing stories can foster both empathy and hope, and aspires to work as either a screenwriter or international journalist.

DANCE:  Joseph Harrington – Just Off Broadway/School for Creative & Performing Arts, grade 10
HOMETOWN: Eastgate/Clermont County, OH – Joseph has studied dance since age 3 and would tell you his greatest inspiration has been his big sister Allix. Outside of school, Joseph trains at Just Off Broadway in Mt. Carmel. He attends class and workshops across the U.S., has been the recipient of multiple dance awards, and most recently was named “Breakout Artist” for NUVO. Joseph is also an accomplished actor and vocalist and has many Broadway, regional, (and Off Broadway!) shows to his credit.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC:  Matthew Repka – Conner High School, grade 12
HOMETOWN: Hebron, KY – Matthew Repka is a senior at Conner High School and has performed in percussion for seven years. He has participated in the Kentucky All-State Bands, Northern Kentucky Select Bands, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Fillmore Wind Band. He has been the Percussion Captain for the Conner High School Marching Band and has been recognized for his musical achievements by the Boone County Board of Education. Upon graduation, he plans on majoring in Music Education.

THEATER:  Kalie Kaimann – Seton High School, grade 12
HOMETOWN: Delhi, OH – Kalie is proud to be participating in the Overture Awards Finals Competition again this year! She’s a senior at Seton High School and a full-time vocal student with Karl Resnik at the Musical Arts Center. Kalie is a performer with We Duet All Entertainment, and she can be seen onstage with Cincinnati Landmark Productions. Kalie plans to pursue Musical Theatre as a career after college and hopes this competition can help her on her journey!

VISUAL ART:  Phoenix Brown – School for Creative & Performing Arts, grade 12       
HOMETOWN: College Hill, OH – Phoenix Brown is a Visual Arts major at School for Creative & Performing Arts. Her work has been exhibited many times in local galleries around Cincinnati. As an illustrator, she wants her art to feel familiar to the thoughts and memories of the people who view it. Challenging the viewer to create a narrative of their own is the most powerful concept of her illustrations.

VOCAL MUSIC:  James Rootring – Karl Resnik Studio / Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 11
HOMETOWN: Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park, OH – James studies with Karl Resnik and participates in MAC’s Young Artists Preparatory Program, directed by Lincoln Chapman. James performs in Encore choir, Electric Jazz Orchestra, and Chapel band. James is honored to participate in the Overture finals again this year. James was recently named a 2015 National YoungArts Foundation Winner. James will make his professional debut in the chorus of Cincinnati Opera’s Turandot this summer. James plans a dual major in vocal performance and business.

2015 Arts educator award Winner

Gina Cerimele-Mechley, Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy
Discipline: Theatre
#Years working/teaching: 25
Nominated by Kate Coley
View the winning nomination video.

The 2015 Overture Awards Finalists

Winners listed in bold.

 CREATIVE WRITING

  • Zoe Cheng—grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
  • Katie Hibner—grade 12, William Mason High School
  • Meg Spencer—grade 12, Beechwood High School
  • Alexandra Sukin—grade 12, Cincinnati Country Day School

DANCE

  • Jordan Betscher—grade 11, Just Off Broadway/Homeschool
  • Joseph Harrington—grade 10, Just Off Broadway/School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Megan Kernan—grade 12, Just Off Broadway/Turpin High School
  • Mary Moore—grade 11, School for Creative & Performing Arts

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

  • Emma Burge—grade 11, Sycamore High School
  • Isabella Geis—grade 11, Walnut Hills High School
  • David Godar—grade 9, CCM Preparatory/Sycamore High School
  • Matthew Repka—grade 12, Conner High School

THEATER

  • Kennedy Carstens—grade 12, Ursuline Academy
  • Sam Johnson—grade 11, Boone County High School
  • Kalie Kaimann—grade 12, Seton High School
  • Victoria Shields—grade 11, Bray Music Studio/Lakota East High School

VISUAL ART

  • Claire Bowman—grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
  • Phoenix Brown—grade 12, School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Clair Hopper—grade 12, Ursuline Academy
  • Jaye Johnson—grade 11, Wyoming High School

VOCAL MUSIC

  • Mackenzie Jacquemin—grade 12, Wyoming High School
  • Jake Kolesar—grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
  • James Rootring—grade 11, Karl Resnik Studio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
  • Logan Wagner—grade 11, Dixie Heights High School

2015 Arts educator award Finalists

Sarah Kim
Discipline: Instrumental Music
#Years working/teaching: 15
Nominated by Nina Fatuzzo

Karl Resnik, Musical Arts Center
Discipline: Vocal Music
#Years working/teaching: 43
Nominated by James Rootring

2015 Arts educator award honorable mention

Elena Kholodova, private teacher
Discipline: Vocal Music
#Years working/teaching: 10
Nominated by Mackenzie Jacquemin

Shawn Mlynek
Discipline: Vocal Music
#Years working/teaching: 7
Nominated by Benjamin Eglian

CLICK HERE to view the video nominations of the Arts Educator nominees listed above.

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March 4, 2015 · 3:38 pm

SNOW CANCELLATIONS For March 4

MISC_Snow Cancellations

Updated 4:02pm

Below are the announced cancellations for March 4. Italicized information comes directly from the presenting organization.

  • CHAPATTI presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
    Due to inclement weather, tonight’s performance of CHAPATTI has been canceled and the Box Office will close at 4 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have tickets for tonight’s show, please contact us tomorrow for assistance. Thank you.

Below are the performances still proceeding as scheduled at the Aronoff:

  • ALVIN ALLEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER\
  • PETER PAN presented by Cincinnati Christian School

Tonight’s performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will go on as scheduled at the Aronoff Center.  Should this performance status change, we will post updates to this website; we encourage you to check back often. If you are unable to attend tonight’s performance due to inclement weather, please see below for ticket options.

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March 4, 2015 · 3:34 pm

Cast Announced for CRIMINAL HEARTS presented by Dayton Theatre Guild

DTGWe are pleased to announce the cast of CRIMINAL HEARTS by Jane Martin

  • Katrina Kittle as Ata
  • Nabachwa SSensalo as Bo
  • Pat Wanzer as Robbie
  • Jack O’Connor as Wib

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

What happens when a wife is cleaned out by a clever, philandering, lawyer husband? She turns to a life of crime, in partnership with the female grifter who shows up to strip her now-empty apartment! Cross THELMA AND LOUISE withTHE GRIFTERS and get ready to laugh at the comic escapades of these two not-so-good perps and their getaway driver.

Directed by Saul Caplan
Produced by Debra Kent

The show runs weekends April 17-May 3, 2015
First Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
Second & Third Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 3pm

Individual tickets on sale now
Adult: $18
Senior (60 or older): $16
Student: $11

*All individual tickets purchased in advance via our on-line ticket system or by telephone will also include a $1 convenience fee.
**Special pricing for groups of 10 or more, call the Box Office at 937-278-5993 for pricing

Children under 7 will not be admitted

For more information, including future auditions, see http://www.daytontheatreguild.org

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March 4, 2015 · 11:58 am

Know Theatre Completes Its Mainstage Season with HEARTS LIKE FISTS

KNOW THEATRE COMPLETES ITS MAINSTAGE ADAPTATION SEASON WITH
Hearts Like Fists

By Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Tamara Winters

Love is a battlefield. A battlefield where superheroes fight crime.

KTC_Hearts Like Fists NEW logoDoctor X is on a mission to make happy couples of The City pay, murdering them while they sleep with his specially designed poison that goes straight to the heart. Meanwhile, talented surgeon Peter works around the clock to perfect an artificial replacement to his own damaged heart, so it’ll never be broken again. Caught in the middle are The Crimefighters—nurses by day, superheroes by night—who must stop Doctor X before he kills love forever.

Know Theatre concludes its Adaptation season with the regional premiere of HEARTS LIKE FISTS, a play that brings the action-packed world of comic books to the stage.

This production marks director Tamara Winters second MainStage effort since joining Know Theatre as Associate Artistic Director in May 2014. About HEARTS LIKE FISTS, Tamara says, “HEARTS LIKE FISTS is a story where the danger of heartbreak is quite literally life-threatening. Where the stakes of love are truly big enough to warrant secret identities and death-defying acts of bravery—and malice. It’s the story of a world where the enormity of love and the fear of hurt can only be understood through the lens of a comic-book world. We can’t wait for you to see the comic book world we’ve conjured for our MainStage!”

HEARTS LIKE FISTS faces familiar to Cincinnati audiences, as well as some newcomers to the Know Theatre stage. Linnea Bond and Sola Thompson–both alums of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Acting Internship, join Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Member Miranda McGee as the elite superhero force, The Crimefighters. Making her Know Theatre debut is another Cincinnati Shakespeare Company star, Maggie Lou Rader, who plays the fiercely independent (and fiercely in love) Lisa. Playing the brilliant-but-troubled surgeon Peter is Andrew Ian Adams, whose work has been seen locally in 2014’s Serials at Know, as well as with Madcap Puppet Theatre and Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton, OH. Lisa DeRoberts, frequently seen at The Carnegie and Children’s Theatre stages, joins the Know as the lovelorn Nurse. And making his Cincinnati debut is James Creque, who brings to life the nefarious supervillain, Doctor X.

Opening March 27th at Know Theatre, HEARTS LIKE FISTS will feature stellar performances, heart-pumping action sequences (led by Fight Director Jonn Baca), and a story unlike anything you’ve seen on Cincinnati stages.

Cast

  • Andrew Ian Adams as Peter
  • Linnea Bond as Sally
  • James Creque Doctor X
  • Lisa DeRoberts as Nurse
  • Miranda McGee as Jazmin
  • Maggie Lou Rader as Lisa
  • Sola Thompson as Nina

Production Team

  • Director – Tamara Winters
  • Fight Director – Jonn Baca
  • Scenic & Lighting Design – Andrew Hungerford
  • Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
  • Sound & Video Design – Doug Borntrager
  • Design Associate – Sarah Beth Hall
  • Technical Director – Nick Koehlke

Calendar Listing

Production:   HEARTS LIKE FISTS by Adam Szymkowicz

 When:             March 27th – April 25th, 2015
Wednesdays – Saturdays @ 8PM, Sundays @ 3PM

Where:            Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. In historic Over-the-Rhine.

Tickets:      $20 in advance
$10 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)
FREE performances on Wednesdays, as part of Know Theatre’s Welcome Experiment. Subject to
availability; reserved Welcome Experiment tickets must be claimed 15 minutes before the performance
or be subject to redistribution.
 6 Ticket Flex-Passes are available for $90 and can be used in any combination of patrons and shows
for all MainStage and SecondStage programming at Know Theatre.

Since 1997, Know Theatre has been dedicated to creating explosive and evocative live entertainment. We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.

Know Theatre’s work is made possible by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Know is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.

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March 3, 2015 · 2:29 pm

LCT Review of FOUND A PEANUT

LCT_VThis review has been reposted courtesy of the League of Cincinnati Theatres. For more LCT reviews click here to visit their reviews page.

Miami University’s Found a Peanut, by Donald Marguiles, is about eight children, ages 5-14, on the last day of summer vacation before the new school year begins.  This day, in a Brooklyn yard, they lose their childhood innocence and experience the difficulties of growing up.  While digging a grave to bury a dead bird, they discover a bag filled with money (“It looked like a lot more,” says Jeffery Smolowitz).  The quarrel resulting from their discovery results in greediness, violence and finally leads to the disruption of a friendship. The death of a neighbor coinciding with the death of the bird triggers a change in attitudes as the children start seeing death in relation to themselves.  This may be the death of their summer vacation, but it also the death of innocence and their childhood.

MU_Found a Peanut logo2It takes a few minutes to get past the college actors playing children in this production. The program’s cast list stated their age but several of them, at least, through their physical appearances didn’t match the age described for the characters. Mike (11, played by Richard Dent) is drawing a game on the cement as is milquetoast buddy Jeffrey (also 11, played by Caleb Schemer) hangs around trying to learn to play catch with his Pensy Pinky ball.  Mike’s 8-year-old sister (Jordan Gravely) comes bouncing in troubled that she’s her house keys. for tomorrow she becomes a latch-key kid.  Her fat friend, Joanie (8, discerningly played by Kaela Smith) comes out to play followed by Little Earl (a superb and humorous Aidan McBreen playing a believable 5-year-old).   Nothing much happens.  The day, and the plot, gradually unfold and the summer-time world we all remember just moves along like a long summer day. Playwright Donald Margulies staged the setting behind an apartment building in Brooklyn, NY in 1962, however, this play could have been from any other time period. The only prominent issue to mark the time was mentioning of the movie “Psycho”  which was released in 1960. But the play quickly wears out its welcome as Marguiles plays to stereotypes.  Initially it is an adjustment believing the characters are children, but through the characters you see some of the old neighborhood kids on your block.  It wasn’t the overall script that kept me interested but the individual moments that caught me (and other audience members): the agonizing over picking up a dead bird with two sticks only to quickly push it toward the garden soil; or, Little Earl giving voice to his plastic T-Rex and the epic battle between the Rex and an old roller skate.   Director Joshua Horowitz did his job and it’s evident that he put a lot of thought into the direction. The often overlapping of action and dialogue, unless well-thought and well-rehearsed, could have turned into cacophony. Mr. Horowitz marvelously crafted and developed the young actors throughout the play, especially during those overlapping moments. The compositions, especially with six or seven actors in the play area at one time, were well-orchestrated; however, some of the characters lost their spontaneity when taking over their positions that came across as a taut and rehearsed movement rather than logical steps. The play works very well in the Studio 88 space. Set designer Todd Stuart’s staging is simple yet sublime in recreating the chalked concrete we all remember.  The subtle fencing around the studio space and the choice to play the production “in the round” really brings the joy of the childhood back to our memories. The young performers attempted their best and gave it all they had. Their genuine sincerity was easily sensed as they attempted to make the play a notable one. They must be applauded for that. It is truly commendable to take such initiative developing young actors who will hopefully embrace acting and become pros at it some day in near future.

For more information on the production, click here.

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