ALMOST, MAINE
Tree County Players
April 28-29
Greensburg, Ind.
On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.
Filed under On Stage
SISTER ACT
La Comedia Dinner Theatre
April 27-June 18
Springboro
SISTER ACT tells the hilarious story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look—a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, SISTER ACT is reason to rejoice!
Filed under On Stage
Cathy Roesener as Nat, Katie Groneman as Izzy, Tara Williams as Becca & Ted J. Weil as Howie. Photo by Tammy Cassesa.
RABBIT HOLE presented by Falcon Theatre through April 8. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening Thursday preview performance.
The impact of a devastating loss drives the story in Falcon’s penultimate production of the season. Director Tracy Schoster deftly leads the five-person ensemble through the emotional minefield of grief, guilt and “what ifs”.
Cathy Roesener as Nat, Katie Groneman as Izzy & Tara Williams as Becca. Photo by Tammy Cassesa.
Tara Williams is strong in her portrayal of Becca, the mother who has lost her young son. Williams uses Becca’s grief as a barrier between her and the outside world as she struggles to come to terms with her new status quo. Her isolation has her family walking on egg shells and her husband emotionally adrift.
As Becca’s sister Izzy, Katie Groneman finds a good balance as the maturing “wild child” of the family. Her energy was a great balance to the heaviness of the subject matter. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded her taking the character up one more notch performance-wise.
Ted J. Weil does well playing Howie, Becca’s husband who is searching for an emotional connection to process his grief — a connection he can’t make with his wife. Howie comes off as strongly grounded, but I would have liked a bit more vocal variety in the performance to give us more insight into the character.
Cathy Roesener is strong as Nat, Becca and Izzy’s mother, who has the tendency to speak before she thinks. The scene between Becca and Nat in the child’s bedroom was spot on and really allowed the characters to reconnect. Unfortunately, the small performance area made the scene visually static.
Tara Williams as Becca & Evan Blanton as Jason. Photo by Tammy Cassesa.
Evan Blanton does well as Jason, the young man who plays a role in the tragedy. I would have liked to have seen Jason’s youthful enthusiasm and awkwardness carry him away a bit further, which would help make his more somber moments stand out more.
I think the family dynamic and the relationships between the characters worked really well. It was honest, believable, and emotionally rooted. During some of the confrontation scenes, I wasn’t hearing the grief in the actors’ voices that was fueling the anger. Without that, the scenes lost a bit of their depth.
The pacing was strong, but there were several times where the scene could have used one or two beats to give some of the lines a bit of weight, allowing the words to hit and do damage. The incident with the videotape as well as Becca’s harshness in her scene with Nat were two moments that could have benefited by not being so rushed. The same is true for the “apology” between Becca and Nat later in the show; had they just let it be a moment, the audience could have see and appreciated it.
I’m not sure how it is written in the script, but I think Jason’s entrance may have had more of an impact if the audience didn’t see him prior to his first interaction with the cast. Regardless, during the reading of the letter, my complete focus was on Becca. With the dim lighting directly above the actress, it was difficult to see her face. More body movement from Williams would help the audience understand the impact the letter had on her.
Tara Williams as Becca & Ted J. Weil as Howie. Photo by Tammy Cassesa.
When Becca does finally reach out to Howie, his lack of reciprocation left me with the impression that there were still problems ahead for the couple. A more positive response would have made me feel more hopeful for the pair.
Overall, the production was emotionally strong and true, especially for anyone who has suffered through a loved one’s sudden and unexpected passing. Tissues recommended.
“At some point, it becomes bearable.” -Nat
My rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.
Filed under Reviews
SEASON 20: Love is Love
For 20 years, Know Theatre has been creating a theatrical playground in Cincinnati, uniting audiences and artists in a love of theatre, art, and and community.
So for this season, we celebrate love in all its varied forms: romantic love, love for humanity, love for the world, love for life, and the love that binds us all together in troubled times.
M A I N S T A G E
MARIAN: THE TRUE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD by Adam Szymkowicz
Regional Premiere: Second Production Ever!
Directed by Alice Flanders
July 29-August 19, 2017
Robin Hood is (and has always been) Maid Marian in disguise, and leads a motley group of Merry Men (very few of whom are actually men) against the greedy Prince John. As the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, who will stand for the vulnerable if not Robin? What is the cost of revealing your true self in a time of troubles? Modern concerns and romantic entanglements clash on the battlefield and on the ramparts of Nottingham Castle. A play about selfishness and selflessness and love deferred and the fight. Always the fight.
A gender-bending, patriarchy-smashing, hilarious new take on the classic tale, from the author of 2015’s Hearts Like Fists.
10 words or less: Smash the patriarchy in this genderbending reimagining of a classic.
Rated: PG-13.
THE ARSONISTS by Jacqueline Goldfinger
directed by Tamara Winters
National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere
September 22-October 14, 2017
Set deep in a Florida swamp, THE ARSONISTS is a father-daughter tale of grief, loss and redemption. Inspired by the Greek tragedy Electra, this play with music is a contemporary American myth that explores the relationship between parent and child in that small space between death and life, the last breath before the awakening.
10 words or less: When arson’s your job, things get lost in the fire.
Rated: PG-13.
Neil Gaiman’s NEVERWHERE adapted for the stage by Robert Kauzlaric
directed by Andrew Hungerford
November 25-December 17, 2017
Richard Mayhew, is a young London businessman with a good heart and an ordinary life. That life is changed forever when he discovers Door, a young woman bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her—and that act of kindness plunges him into another world.
Richard slips through the cracks in reality and lands in London Below—a world of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels that exists in a labyrinth beneath our feet. If Richard is to ever return to his normal life, he must join the journey to save Door’s world—and find a way to survive.
Neil Gaiman’s beloved novel is translated to the stage with signature Know Theatre style.
10 words or less: A dark urban fantasy adventure from a modern literary master.
Rated: PG-13.
SUPERTRUE by Karen Hartman
World Premiere
January 19-February 10, 2018
On the porch of an almost-charming cabin in the Catskills, two New Yorkers reckon with the moment when Plan A fades away but Plan B has not emerged. In other words, they’re turning forty.
Janelle’s a teacher in crisis. Martin’s a computer programmer who’s aged out of being a wunderkind.
This funny and earnest play explores the meaning of family, and the things we do for the people and things we love.
The world premiere of a magical, heart-filled comedy which was featured on the 2015 KILROYS LIST of most recommended new plays by women and transgender authors.
10 words or less: Funny things happen in the woods.
Rated: PG-13.
KILL MOVE PARADISE by James Ijames
directed by Piper Davis
Regional Premiere!
March 2-24, 2018
KILL MOVE PARADISE takes the Elysium of Greek antiquity and flips the script. Set in a netherworld prepared for its newly deceased inhabitants, we follow Isa, Daz, Grif and Tiny as they try to make sense of the world they have been “untimely ripped” from and this new paradise they find themselves in. Inspired by recent events, Kill Move Paradise is a expressionistic buzz saw through the contemporary myth that “all lives matter” and a portrait of the slain, not as degenerates who deserved death but as heroes who demand that we see them for who they are.
Know Theatre brings this incisive new play to the stage in one of the first productions to follow its world premiere at Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre this spring.
10 words or less: Black Lives Matter.
Rated: R.
ADA AND THE ENGINE by Lauren Gunderson
directed by Tamara Winters
Regional Premiere: Second Production Ever!
April 13-May 12, 2018
As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul-mate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age.
Know Theatre reunites the creative team behind Lauren Gunderson’s 2016 hit Silent Sky for a companion piece about another little-remembered woman of science who changed the way we all see the world.
10 words or less: In the 19th Century, Ada Lovelace dreams our modern world.
Rated: PG.
S E C O N D S T A G E
THE THIRD ANNUAL CINCINNATI ONE MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL
1MPF invites local writers and community members into their unique playmaking process. Writers are asked to consider the world around them, their cities, their communities and the ways in which they view the world, before writing topical moments that say something about the world as it is in the here and now. Local directors, actors, and community members are tapped to stage and shape these moments (70-90 on average) with a unique local flavor.
July 7-9, 2017
SERIALS!
SERIALS! 7: MINI-SERIALS
Cincinnati’s Monday Night Theatre Party returns for all new episodic plays this September, this time in bite-sized form. Three episodes of five plays in three straight weeks this September!
July 31, August 7, & August 14, 2017
SERIALS: BINGE WATCH!
Fan Favorites from the Lightning Cube return, without the agonizing wait between episodes. Two shows hit the stage once more as continuous stories you can enjoy in one sitting, just like you Netflixed ‘em. Binge Watch shows to be announced soon!
August 12, 19, & 26, 2017
SERIALS! 8: LIGHTNING CUBE 2
Serials continues in Winter of 2017 with a reprise of our Theatrical Deathmatch’s second iteration. Winners of the final vote get the chance to return in a Serials! Binge Watch in Season 21!
Winter 2018
Halloween Double Bill!
13 DREAMS OF DEAD EUGENE
From Paul Strickland and Erika Kate MacDonald – an unsettling shadow play with music based on a true story.
1929, a dead body is found and placed on display in hopes of identification. That’s when the “Dead Dreams” began. Experience the shared recurring nightmares that haunted the sleepy town of Sabina OH, and the stranger-than-fiction story of “Eugene.”
October 20-November 14, 2017
THE DEATH OF BRIAN: A Zombie Odyssey
An epic about the humanity of a zombie that’s a unique blend of physical theater and radio drama in 3 episodes.
It’s puppets, robots, philosophy, fights, blood, guts, sex, and dark laughs from Ricky Coates, the artist behind the 2016 Cincy Fringe’s Tesla ex Machina.
Dates TBA.
And More to Come…
FRINGE!
The 15th Annual Cincy Fringe!
May 29 – June 9, 2018
A DECADE AND A HALF OF FRINGE. And it’ll just keep getting bigger, better, and weirder.
E D U C A T I O N
Know to Go!
Education Programming WE bring to YOU.
THE INVENTIVE PRICESS OF FLORALEE
(created for grades K-5)
This original, two-person, interactive, 45-minute fairy tale will have your students “thinking like scientists” as they follow the Princess of Floralee on the adventure of a lifetime, searching for the kidnapped king kept in the clutches of a viciously vile and wrathfully wicked witch. Along the way, young audience members will help the princess solve a variety of math, engineering, science, and even dance challenges as she uses her brains, wit, and sound judgment to find her father in the land Scalenfell. Audiences will laugh and cheer as they meet characters like a figure-skating dragon, a Platypus-saving Pirate, a gate with a flair for the dramatic, and a witch (that they may recognize)! This unique educational opportunity unites science and art by giving kids a chance to laugh, dance, and think critically about topics rooted in STEM.
BYSTANDER TRAINING: How to Be an Avocate
(created for middle and high schools, but is customizable for all groups and ages)
Our bystander training tools and techniques empower anyone by giving them safe and simple steps to “Stand Up” and “Stand By” potential victims of intolerance, abuse, and violence. We customize each presentation to you and use techniques used in theatre to empower potential bystanders and victims of harassment through education and practical application in a real time, improvised scenarios so groups can put these tools to work in a safe situation. This program created in collaboration with Spotlight Training.
G O T O K N O W!
Education programming that brings YOU to US.
DRINK AND PLAY: ADULT SUMMER CAMP
(created for ages 21 and up)
Imagine your favorite childhood summer camp. Pretty great right? What could have made it better? A fully stocked bar, perhaps? Come join us July 9th-14th for Drink and Play: Adult Summer Camp. During camp, you’ll experience a great blend of your favorite summer camp activities and the collaborative experience of creating a 10 minute play as a cohort—all with a beer in your hand. Join Camp Counselor Dave F’n Powell and other special guests for Capture the Flag, stage combat, trivia night, improv, water balloons, arts & crafts, and playmaking 101. Each camper receives:
And keep on the lookout for updates on other adult classes offered throughout the year.
Season 20 Ticket Pricing
Tickets:
Know Theatre remains committed to providing access to live theatre for anyone who wants to see a show, including FREE walk-up tickets to performances on select Wednesdays, as part of Know’s Welcome Experiment initiative.
Advance reserved tickets for the Welcome Experiment will be available for $5.00. 50% of the Wednesday night house will always be reserved for free walk-ups. All seating is subject to availability.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling 513.300.5669 (KNOW).
One-year Memberships are available for $250/year.
Membership benefits include: 1 reserved ticket to every MainStage and SecondStage show, discounts on additional tickets and special events, priority seating, discounts at the bar, & more.
About Know Theatre
Know Theatre 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.
# # #
Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements
Thomas Puckett, as The Toxic Avenger. Photo by Patti Celek. Superhero mask design by Sinclair alumnus Patrick Allyn Hayes.
Sinclair Theatre will present an outrageous musical comedy with an environmental twist, THE TOXIC AVENGER, April 7-15, in Blair Hall Theatre on the downtown Dayton campus.
Directed by Chris Harmon with musical direction by David McKibben, the show is based on Lloyd Kaufman’s The Toxic Avenger films. This charming love story and laugh-out-loud musical features an unlikely hero, his beautiful girlfriend, a corrupt New Jersey mayor and bullies, mobsters, old ladies, and stiletto-wearing back-up singers. Written by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, the subject matter is not suitable for children or the faint of heart!
Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. for the Sunday, April 9th matinee. Weekday performances on Wednesday AND Thursday (April 12-13) are at 7 p.m. and cost only $10! ALL tickets are reserved seating and available online now at: www.sinclair.edu/tickets.
In addition, all Thursday and Sunday performances are American Sign Language interpreted featuring Lacy C. Bryant Burkett and Charli Malloy as interpreters.
Cast includes: Thomas Puckett, Courtney Kakac, Sha-lemar Davis, Elisha Chamberlin, Elisa Fuentes and Justin Lampkins.
Filed under Press Releases
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 