KNOW THEATRE LAUNCHES ITS 18th MAINSTAGE SEASON WITH
THE BENGSONS’
Hundred Days
a z space and piece by piece production
Directed by Anne Kauffman
An alt folk opera written by and starring husband and wife duo Shaun and Abigail Bengson, Hundred Days is the fierce, triumphant story of a young couple who fall in love, only to have their time together cut short by a fatal illness. With the brash intensity of youth, they decide to try and live the 100 days they have left together as though it were the 60 years they had imagined they would have.
Know Theatre is thrilled to be a part of the next stage in the development of a wildly inventive new musical/opera/theatre/concert hybrid that blends the simple magic of storytelling with a no-holds-barred concert, directed by 2 time Obie Award Winner Anne Kauffman and featuring choreography by Emmy nominated Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance).
The Bengsons blend soaring vocals, frenetic rhythms and rousing all-join-hands choruses to create new hybrid indie rock/art/theater performances. Their Americana-influenced brand of Indie Rock has won over fans and critics across the country. In Hundred Days they combine their own love story with a work of fiction that challenges us to imagine how we can live each day to the fullest when we know those we love will die.
Shaun and Abigail lead a cast of rockstar local and national performers, most of whom are making their Know Theatre Mainstage debuts.
Cellist Colette Alexander has played on many recordings including the Grammy nominated work of Angelique Kidjo (Oyé), and Sara Bareilles (The Blessed Unrest), and in live performances with artists including Jens Lekman, Josh Groban, and Rachael Yamagata.
Brian Koch is an actor, director and musician who comes to the Know direct from a tour with his band Blitzen Trapper.
Jo Lampert’s extensive resume spans stages around the country, including the premiere of Steven Sater and Serj Tankian’s rock opera Prometheus Bound at A.R.T and touring as a musician with The Tuneyards.
Returning to Know Theatre’s stage is James Creque, previously seen as villain Dr. X in Know’s Season 17 closer Hearts Like Fists.
Rounding out the cast in her Know stage debut is Lindsey Augusta Mercer, co-founder of the Queen City Queer Theatre Collective whose work has also been seen locally at companies such as Diogenes, Concert:Nova, New Edgecliff, and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
Know Theatre is also thrilled to partner with Exhale Dance Tribe for the first time since 2006’s Christmas Yet to Come. Four featured Exhale dancers, Sarah Emmons, Katie Farry, Courtney Howard, and Jacob Thoman will be bringing the show’s choreography to life.
Choreographer Sonya Tayeh has also created works for Madonna, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, and Miley Cyrus. Her stage credits include: Martha Graham Dance Company/Lamentation Variation (Joyce Theatre); The Wild Party (Encores/City Center); Kung Fu (Signature Theatre); Spring Awakening (San Jose Repertory Theatre); Walk for Water (Cirque du Soleil); WAVE, NEXT WAVE, QUARTET; (Los Angeles Ballet); The Root of Me, Endurance To Move, and Battles (Tayeh Dance Company).
Director Anne Kauffman directed the original Hundred Days at ZSpace in 2014. Production highlights include You Got Older with P73, The Nether with MCC, Buzzer with the Public Theater, Somewhere Fun and God’s Ear at Vineyard Theatre; Detroit and Your Mother’s Copy of the Kama Sutra at Playwrights Horizons.
Hundred Days was originally commissioned and produced by Z Space (Lisa Steindler, Artistic Director) and piece by piece productions (Wendy Van Heuvel) in San Francisco, and had its world premiere in in 2014.An earlier version of the story, then called The Proof, was a Cincy Fringe development project in 2014. Know Theatre is so excited to present the next phase of this beautiful, original, piece of theatre.
Cast
- Colette Alexander
- Abigail Bengson
- Shaun Bengson
- James Creque
- Brian Koch
- Jo Lampert*
- Lindsey Augusta Mercer
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association appearing courtesy of a Special Appearance Agreement.
Featured Dancers
- Sarah Emmons
- Katie Farry
- Courtney Howard
- Jacob Thoman
Production Team
- Director – Anne Kauffman
- Choreographer – Sonya Tayeh
- Dramaturg – Polly Carl
- 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: THE BENGSONS’ HUNDRED DAYS
- When: July 24th – August 22nd, 2015
Wednesdays – Saturdays @ 8PM, Sundays @ 3PM - Where: Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
In historic Over-the-Rhine. - Tickets:
- $25 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 $100 and can be used in any combination of patrons and shows for all MainStage and SecondStage programming at Know Theatre.
About Z Space
Z Space is a hub for artists and audiences to revel in the creation, development, and production of outstanding new work. We commission, develop, present and produce a full season of new works from a variety of disciplines including theater, dance, music, performance art, and new media. We foster opportunities around the nation for these works and we engage diverse audiences through direct interactions with the process, the projects, and the artists.
About Exhale Dance Tribe
Exhale Dance Tribe is Cincinnati’s first Contemporary Jazz Dance company, and was named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. Exhale celebrates the full range of modern and rhythm-based dance and features diverse, versatile performers. Their programs, performances, and original choreographies speak to the region’s need for expressionistic and multilingual dance rooted in rhythmic language and storytelling. Exhale Dance Tribe shares the exhilarating gift of performing live with adult and young adult professional dancers in the Cincinnati area as well as performances around the U.S. and New Zealand.
About Know Theatre
KNOW THEATRE OF CINCINNATI, now in its 18th season, is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, 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 Theatre 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.
# # #
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 