Monthly Archives: September 2017

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Stages Bloodcurdling DRACULA for Halloween Season at the New Otto M. Budig Theater

csc_dracula-3

Miranda McGee as Lucy and Giles Davies as Dracula in DRACULA. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

The Debut Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater continues with the iconic tale
of good versus evil

CINCINNATI, September 15, 2017 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its debut season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with DRACULA by Steven Dietz, from the novel by Bram Stoker opening Friday October 13. The production runs through November 4, and is directed by Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips. Longtime ensemble member Giles Davies reprises his role as Dracula, alongside Artistic Associate Miranda McGee as Lucy, Jim Hopkins as Van Helsing, Crystian Wiltshire as Jonathan Harker, Caitlin McWethy as Mina, Billy Chace as Renfield, and Kyle Brumley as Dr. Seward. All seats in the new Otto M. Budig Theater are less than 20 feet from the stage so audiences will be amazed at how close to the passion they will be!

British solicitor Jonathan Harker (Crystian Wiltshire) falls mysteriously ill as he travels to the Carpathian Mountains to conduct business with his client, the wealthy and elderly Count Dracula (Giles Davies). Upon recovering, Harker believes that the terrible things he has witnessed at the Count’s castle are nothing but the hallucinations brought on by a fever. Meanwhile, Dracula has departed for his new home in England, where Lucy (Miranda McGee), the best friend of Harker’s fiancée Mina (Caitlin McWethy), has likewise become inexplicably ill. As Lucy slowly dies, Harker realizes that he must revisit his own terrifying memories of Dracula to save his beloved Mina from the deaths that follow wherever the Count goes.

“I have long been a fan of horror novels, horror films, and all things macabre,” says Brian Isaac Phillips, CSC’s Producing Artistic Director and director of DRACULA. “To bring this script to life on the new stage at The Otto M. Budig Theater is a delightful Halloween treat – not just for myself, but for the whole city.” Stephen Dietz’s stage adaptation of the quintessential Victorian vampire tale is fast-paced and action-packed, utilizing frequent location jumps to create a narrative whirlwind. “As a Shakespeare company, we’re very well qualified to take on that format,” Mr. Phillips explains, “because Shakespeare does that so much, so we’re practiced in using storytelling tricks and techniques to make those transitions clear and exciting.”

DRACULA runs October 13- November 4, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday November 4 at 2:00 PM. Preview performances are on Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12 at 7:30.

The theater is now located at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Single ticket prices range from $27-$52. Preview performances are $28. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID. This production is a Special Event and is not part of this season’s subscription package but subscribers do receive 15% off tickets. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors, area residents, and groups as well as AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com. 

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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.  CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2017-2018 Season:
This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.

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THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON Runs Oct. 13-21

RSCT_Swiss Family Robinson logoTHE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
RiverStage Community Theatre
Oct. 13-21
Market Street School Auditorium [New Richmond]

Directed by Cathy Roesener

Cast: Jeff Carter as John Robinson, Jennifer Taylor as Elizabeth Robinson, Hunter Gilpin as Fritz Robinson, Bradey Strunk as Ernest Robinson, Haddon Lockyer as Jack Robinson, Rowan Kroger as Frannie Robinson, Jamie Ball as Captain Bloodworth, Natalie Bauman as Pirate 1, Greg Hall as Pirate 2, Steve Taylor as Captain Littleton & Alyssa Taylor as Jenny Montrose

  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 13-14 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Oct. 15 at 2:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 19-20 at 7:30pm

Official page |

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Keyboard 2 Player Needed for NUNCRACKERS at Lumos Players

LP_logoLumos Players in Loveland is looking for a Keyboard 2 player for the Christmas production of NUNCRACKERS.

This is a synthesizer part and requires mostly one-hand playing, with the ability to switch quickly between different sounds on the keyboard. This is a paid position!

Shows are Dec 8-10, with a dress rehearsal on Dec 7 and a pit rehearsal scheduled earlier in the month.

Please email kpersonke@gmail.com for more information.

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SCARED CENTLESS Runs Oct. 13-21

PLOTT_Scared Centless logoSCARED CENTLESS
P.L.O.T.T Performers
Oct. 13-21
Schoolhouse Restaurant [Camp Dennison]

Interactive dinner show. Money in the bank is NOT always a sure bet and sugar and spice are NOT always nice. A house is NOT always a home and things do NOT always turn out well. You can NOT always see the light at the end of the tunnel. Good things do NOT come in big packages and curiosity did NOT kill the cat. Death is NOT becoming or is it? Will anyone survive? Maybe, maybe NOT!

  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 13-14 at 7pm
  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 20-21 at 7pm

Official page |

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Auditions Announced for GOLDILOCKS ON TRIAL at Sunset Players

SSP_logoCINCINNATI, OH – September 18, 2017 — Sunset Players announces auditions for its children’s show GOLDILOCKS ON TRIAL by Ed Monk and directed by Chris Yearout.

Goldilocks is on trial for breaking and entering. Will she be found guilty and sent to prison or will the truth come out? It’s up to Judge Wallabee and some very silly jurors to decide, after hearing testimony from Goldee, the bickering Three Bears and surprise witness Merwin the Big Bad Wolf, among other.

Audition dates are Monday, October 2 and Tuesday, October 3 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Arts Center at Dunham, 1945 Dunham Way, Cincinnati, Ohio. The children’s show at Sunset Players is a great way for those (children or adults) with little to no acting experience to gain some experience performing live theater. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Auditions will consist of reading selections from the script.

Performances are December 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 & 10. Friday shows are at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.

The cast consists of 12 or more people, including three females and four male roles with the other remaining roles being non-gender specific.

Roles include:

  • Melvin The Bailiff
  • Judge Wallabee
  • District Attorney (Da) Muffinhead
  • Attorney Wombat
  • Goldee Wynn Locks (Aka Goldilocks)
  • Papa Bear
  • Mama Bear
  • Baby Bear (Tiffanni)
  • Detective Clorox
  • The Little Pig Who Was Not Eaten By The Wolf
  • Dr. Cantaloupe
  • Merwin The Big Bad Wolf
  • Jurors

For questions, contact the director, Chris Yearout 513-305-8223 or wronkchris@msn.com

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 about the 38th season, visit our website at www.sunsetplayers.org or like us on Facebook.

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