AN EVENING WITH STEPHEN CRANE
Presented by Cincinnati Lab Theatre & Falcon Theatre
Feb. 18-20
Newport
Written by Phil Paradis
Directed by Bob Allen
Featuring: Stephen Marck
- Thu-Sat, Feb. 18-20 at 8pm
Monthly Archives: February 2016
AN EVENING WITH STEPHEN CRANE Runs Feb. 18-20
Filed under On Stage
Cast Announced for THE FANTASTICKS at The Drama Workshop
The Drama Workshop, director Dennis Murphy and Producer Valeria Amburgey are excited to announce the cast of THE FANTASTICKS:
- Mute — Geoffrey Hill
- El Gallo — Jonny Hofmann
- Matt – Jacob Lucas
- Old Actor (Henry) — Jack Williams
- Mortimer — Mike Robb
- Hucklebee — Mark Waldfogle
- Bellamy — Russ McGee
- Luisa — Maria Huey
THE FANTASTICKS by Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, is the world’s longest running musical – running for over 50 years in Manhattan and entrancing generations of audiences the world over.
THE FANTASTICKS is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, two fathers and a wall. The narrator, El Gallo asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart, and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo’s words that “without a hurt, the heart is hollow”.
The famous score, which includes the classics Try To Remember,They Were You and Soon It’s Gonna Rain, is as timeless as the story itself.
THE FANTASTICKS runs April 22 -May 8 at The Glenmore Playhouse in Cheviot. For tickets call 513-598-8303 or visit www.thedramaworkshop.org. Tickets are $16 in advance or $17 at the door.
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Filed under Cast list
ALIVE AND KICKING Warms Up Sunset Players’ Stage
Linda Callahan as Gloria, Allen Lindsey as John, Christopher Ball as Johnny & Victoria Marie Garcia as Vivian.
CINCINNATI, OH – February 8, 2016 —The Sunset Players’ ALIVE AND KICKING brings a bit of warmth and laughs to the stage at the Arts Center at Dunham starting February 19 through March 5.
A play by Jules Tasca and produced by special arrangements with Dramatic Publishing, ALIVE AND KICKING begins when Gloria’s last child announces he got married. This news leads Gloria into panic. With a premonition that her life is over, she takes her easygoing husband John on a wild ride of emotions as she tries to adjust to life’s constant changes.
Directed by Amanda Borchers, the cast includes:
- Linda Callahan as Gloria
- Allen Lindsey as John
- Christopher Ball as Johnny
- Victoria Marie Garcia as Vivian
Show dates are February 19, 20, 26, 27, 28, March 3, 4 and 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m., with the Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. Cincinnati State’s Interpreter Training Program will provide sign language interpreting for the deaf community on Saturday, February 27. A cash bar will be available for performances, except the Sunday matinee.
Learn more about Alive and Kicking on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uc3p3uzgpWY.
Tickets are $14 general admission or $12 for seniors, students or groups of 10 or more and can be purchased online at the Sunset Players website (www.sunsetplayers.org) or at the door. Tickets can also be reserved by calling 513-588-4988.
The Arts Center at Dunham is located at 1945 Dunham Way, Cincinnati, OH 45238
Sunset Players, Inc. is a community theater group located on the west side of Cincinnati. Founded in 1979, the group performs at the Arts Center at Dunham and has produced more than 120 plays. Its mission is to bring a smile, and its plays include comedies, farces, dramatic comedies and musical comedies—as long as there is some “comedy” in the performance somewhere. For more information, visit our website at www.sunsetplayers.org or like us on Facebook.
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Filed under Press Releases
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Brings Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD to Life March 5-April 3, 2016
(CINCINNATI) – TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, one of the most popular and best-loved stories in American literature, returns to the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for the first time in more than 20 years in a thought-provoking and visually exciting new production. Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s coming-of-age story will be introduced to a new generation on the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre stage from March 5 through April 3, 2016. The innovative production of the classic story, which is both timeless and timely, features the Playhouse debut of Obie Award-winning director and Associate Artist Eric Ting.
Set in Depression-era Alabama, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD follows the precocious tomboy Scout and her brother Jem during one life-changing summer. When their father, Atticus, a small-town lawyer, is called upon to defend a black man accused of a crime he didn’t commit, they discover the true meaning of courage. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a tale of innocence lost and honor found.
“This production addresses the fundamental question of why do this play now?” says Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison. “It’s easy to draw parallels to Mockingbird in 2016. Here we are in the midst of racial strife in communities and on campuses across America. I’m excited that we’ll have the chance to explore what Mockingbird means to us today, in a supposedly ‘post-racial’ America that is proving to be anything but.”
Director Ting and his design team have opted for a storytelling approach that highlights this question. “This production of Mockingbird is not the film,” Robison says. “It is not a Hallmark Hall of Fame version. Nor will we try to recreate a fully realistic facsimile of a Southern town on stage. Theatre is, after all, a more creative and evocative art form.
“Eric is imagining that, as in Our Town, the story comes to life in a bare theatre. The show is filled with the same characters, events, themes and dialogue that make it a beloved classic. But, by placing the story in a theatre — our theatre, our own ‘our town’ — we highlight the simple reality that we view the story from our own contemporary vantage point. This will be a thoughtful and visually exciting approach, as our audiences have come to expect from the Playhouse.”
“It’s hard to imagine that a single person has escaped the story of Atticus Finch, his daughter Scout and the trial of Tom Robinson — it’s a story that’s become almost inseparable from the American identity, a story that confronts our great national tragedy with a dignity and idealism that is both inspiring and deeply complicated,” says Ting. “Harper Lee was writing just as the Civil Rights Movement was taking hold across the country — and I see embedded in her tale a genuine call to white allies to stand up for the rights of all people; it tapped into the zeitgeist of the early ’60s, and Atticus Finch became a symbol for moral integrity in a time of profound change.
“I think what’s most compelling about bringing this story to the stage today,” adds Ting, “is the opportunity to see it in light of recent events — at a moment that feels sadly not so dissimilar, to examine how far we’ve come and more importantly how far we have left to go.”
When first published in 1960, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was the rare novel that was an immediate sensation, spending a remarkable 80 weeks on the bestseller list. Since then, it has been translated into 40 different languages with more than 40 million books sold, making it one of the bestselling novels of the 20th century. The story gained even wider acclaim when Hollywood came calling quickly after the novel was published, and the 1962 film version is also considered a masterpiece. Subsequently, playwright Christopher Sergel scripted not one but two stage adaptations: It’s in his revised version, which is the one being produced at the Playhouse, that we see an adult Jean Louise looking back on her own childhood.
The cast of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD includes Randy Lee Bailey (Walter Cunningham), Brooke Chamberlin (Scout), Judith Lightfoot Clarke (Maudie Atkinson), Kevin Cristaldi (Bob Ewell), R. Ward Duffy (Heck Tate), Law Dunford (Townsperson), Kenneth Early (Reverend Sykes), John Feltch (Atticus), Annie Fitzpatrick (Stephanie Crawford), Dale Hodges (Jean Louise Finch), Jared Joplin (Mr. Gilmer), Gabriel Lawrence (Tom Robinson), Zoaunne LeRoy (Mrs. Dubose), Aidan McCracken (Jem), Barry Mulholland (Judge Taylor), Serena Ryen (Townsperson), Ty Joseph Shelton (Dill), Robert Carlton Stimmel (Townsperson), Seth Wallen (Nathan Radley/Arthur (Boo) Radley), Erin Ward (Townsperson), Torie Wiggins (Calpurnia), Magan Wiles (Mayella Ewell), Renika Williams (Helen Robinson) and Lilian Wouters (Townsperson).
In addition to Ting, the creative team features Laura Jellinek (set designer), Toni-Leslie James (costume designer), Mark Barton (lighting designer) and John Gromada (sound designer/composer). Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager, and Suann Pollock and Brooke Redler are the second stage managers.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is sponsored by Leading Ladies. American Modern Insurance Group is the design sponsor; Huntington National Bank is the artist sponsor/Scout, the Morse and Betty Johnson Family is the artist sponsor/Atticus and Barbara and Bill Weyand are the artist sponsor/director Eric Ting.
Ticket prices for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adults and children ages 11 and up.
Continuing this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.
Discounted ticket prices for children, teens and students are available in advance for all performances for $45 or $30, depending on seating section.
Previews for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. The official opening night is Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.
Free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast and others
associated with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3. Playhouse Perspectives talk-backs will be held following every other performance. Playhouse Perspectives is supported by a gift from Roderick and Barbara Barr.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.
Tickets to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit http://www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.
The 2015-16 Robert S. Marx Theatre season is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, and Macy’s is the Robert S. Marx Theatre season design sponsor. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.
The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave campaign.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.
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Filed under Press Releases
Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2016 Overture Awards Finals Competition
CINCINNNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is proud to present the 2016 Overture Awards Finals Competition. The Overture Awards provides $4,000 each to six area high school students for education and training expenses, with eighteen finalists each winning $1,000. The program also provides a $2,500 Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction.
The Overture Awards Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Winners will be announced immediately following the competition.
This year, 493 students were nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final, and Final.
The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held on January 9 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music. The top 20 percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, which were held at the Aronoff Center on January 29-30. Twenty-four finalists (four in each discipline) will compete in the Finals Competition at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater on February 27.
Now in its 20th 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.
THE OVERTURE AWARDS ARE ENDOWED BY THE OTTO M. BUDIG FAMILY FOUNDATION.
Overture Awards Presenting Sponsors: TriHealth; The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.
Scholarship Sponsors: Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Doreen Beatrice, Douglas Beal, Bonita Brockert, Cincinnati Ballroom Company, Jozsef Parragh, Pebble Creek Group, Phoenix Rising Ballroom, Summerfair Cincinnati, Josh Tilford, Western & Southern Financial Fund, The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation
Competition Sponsors: Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), Northern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music
Printing Sponsor: Crest Graphics
THE 2016 OVERTURE AWARDS FINALISTS
CREATIVE WRITING
- Presley Hargis – grade 11, Conner High School
- Jaye Johnson – grade 12, Wyoming High School
- Olivia Short – grade 11, Mother of Mercy High School
- Jessica Sommerville – grade 11, William Mason High School
DANCE
- Annika HsI – grade 9, Walnut Hills High School / Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet
- Mary Lyn Moore – grade 12, School for Creative & Performing Arts / Just Off Broadway
- Helga Paris-Morales – grade 10, School for Creative & Performing Arts / CCM Preparatory
- Drake Phouasavanh – grade 10, Conner High School
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
- Isabella Geis – grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
- Jocelyn Kang – grade 11, William Mason High School
- Sarah Tan – grade 10, Indian Hill High School
- Lindsey Wong – grade 9, Sycamore High School
THEATER
- Melissa Campbell – grade 12, McCready Voice Studio / Wyoming High School
- Sam Johnson – grade 12, Boone County High School
- Cameron Nalley – grade 11, School for Creative & Performing Arts
- Erin Niebuhr – grade 12, St. Ursula Academy
VISUAL ART
- Samantha Goldizen – grade 12, Mother of Mercy High School
- Lauren Questell – grade 12, Indian Hill High School
- Nicholas Robles – grade 12, Wyoming High School
- Samuel Smith – grade 10, Loveland High School
VOCAL MUSIC
- Anna Donnelly – grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
- Abigail O’Rourke – grade 12, Alison Acord / Walnut Hills High School
- James Rootring – grade 12, Karl Resnik Studio / Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
- Logan Wagner – grade 12, Dixie Heights High School
Arts Educator Award For Excellence in Arts Instruction
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. Nominations for the award must come from students between the ages of 14-19 who are currently enrolled in high school. Nominations are made by submitting an on-line application with a three-minute video about why the nominee is an exemplary arts educator.
The winner of the 2016 award will receive $2,500, and two finalists will receive $500 each. The recipients of the Arts Educator Award may utilize the monetary award to strengthen their program or practice, e.g. artist fee for guest lecturer or master class, purchase of equipment, professional learning opportunity, such as for tuition assistance for either the educator or for students to study with the recipient or another professional.
Arts Educator Award Finalists
Joe Craig, Beechwood High School
Discipline: Instrumental Music
Nominated by Natalie Sweasy
Gabriel Pegis, private teacher
Discipline: Instrumental Music
Nominated by Matthew Adams
Karl Resnik, The Musical Arts Center
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by James Rootring
Arts Educator Award Honorable Mentions
Lincoln Chapman, The Musical Arts Center
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by Anna Donnelly
Paul McCready, McCready Voice Studio, Cincinnati Music Academy
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by Melissa Campbell
Jackson & Benita Tse-Leung, Leung Studios
Discipline: Instrumental Music
Nominated by Rebecca Shu
Melody Wallace, Melody Wallace Voice Studio
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by DJ Cleavinger
CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: 2016 Overture Awards – Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony
WHERE: Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater
WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2016 – 1:00 PM
TICKETS: $15 • $10
INFO: The 2016 Overture Awards scholarship competition provides $4,000 each to six area high school students for education and training expenses, with eighteen finalists each winning $1,000. Students compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. The program also provides a $2,500 Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12.
TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now
- www.CincinnatiArts.org
- (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
- Aronoff Center Ticket Office
CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached nearly 1.4 million students.
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Filed under Events, Press Releases
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 