Yearly Archives: 2017

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Wraps up the Arts Center at Dunham’s Free Family Fun

PIP_The Lion the With and the Wardrobe promo

CINCINNATI, OH – March 24, 2017 — Walk through the wardrobe into Narnia for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions of THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE on Saturday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at The Arts Center at Dunham (1945 Dunham Way, Cincinnati, OH 45238).

Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Will and supported by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation and John C. Griswold Foundation, the adaptation by Le Clanché du Rand introduces audiences to a vast array of C.S. Lewis’ classic literary characters played by two actors from the Playhouse’s 2016-17 Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company, including Richard Buchanan, Ernaijsa Curry, Tatum Hunter and Taha Mandviwala.

Brian Isaac Phillips, Artistic Director of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, is directing the play. “The thing that excites me the most about working with the team is the variety of imaginations coming together to work on the same story,” says Phillips. “The script is minimal in what it demands, but it inspires many different takes on how to tell the story. I was first exposed to this story in elementary school. My hope is that our production will be an introduction for a new generation and make the same lasting impression.”

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE tells the story of Narnia, beginning when the Pevensie children are taken to Professor Digory Kirke’s house in the height of the World War II Blitz. Though they’ve escaped the dangers that lurk over London, England, the siblings grow bored in the quiet house. Trying to make the most of their dreary situation, their adventures begin with an innocent game of hide-and-seek. Lucy Pevensie stumbles upon a land she never could have dreamed of when she chooses a lone wardrobe as a hiding place from her siblings.

The original C.S. Lewis novel was published in 1950 after the tough times of the war ended. Lewis takes the audience’s imaginations to their full capacities with mythical characters, including fauns, dwarves and talking lions. The adaptation begins with Lucy and Peter talking about what happened to them in Narnia. Lucy then prompts Peter to share their experiences with the audience.

With only two actors and a traveling set, the show is a performance in trunk-style theatre, with wardrobe and props emerging from a single place throughout the show. Even very young children can see themselves in the characters, as the structure of this adaptation mimics children at play.

Daunielle Rasmussen, Director of Education and Community Engagement says, “This adaptation will be a completely magical experience for little ones. It definitely meets them on their level because the way that our team is going to play is how they play: with their imaginations.” 

The show is recommended for ages 5 and up.

Reservations are recommended for the FREE Family Fun Series and can be made online (www.sunsetplayers.org) or by calling 513-588-4988.

The Arts Center at Dunham is a fine arts center for the west side of Cincinnati and its vision is to provide affordable creative and performing arts for Price Hill and surrounding communities. Housed in one of the three remaining buildings of what was the first municipally owned tuberculosis sanatorium in the United States, the Arts Center includes a 350-seat performance venue as well as extensive studio and programming space. The Arts Center is in the Dunham Recreation Complex. See what is happening at the Arts Center at Dunham on Facebook.

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NEW YORK STATE OF MIND on April 12

PWYL_Brooke

Brooke Steele.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Play With Your Lunch
April 12
Memorial Hall [Over-the-Rhine]

Directed by Herb DuVal

Cast: Brooke Steele, Barry Mulholland, Justin McCombs & Susan Emerson

A catered lunch by Silverglades and a performance of short plays by some of Cincinnati’s finest actors.

  • Wed, April 12 at noon

Official page |

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Auditions Announced for THE WIZARD OF OZ at Mason Community Players

MCP_logoIf you want to travel down the yellow brick road with MCP, then be sure to get ready for auditions! They will be held Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 at Theatre 42, 2752 S US Route 42, Lebanon, OH. From 1:00 to 3:00 pm each day, auditioners 13 & under will be welcomed. Those age 14 & older should plan to come between 3:00 to 5:00 PM on either day.

Performances are July 14, 15, 20, 21 & 22 at 8:00 PM
and July 16 at 2:00 PM. Rehearsals are slated to begin with a read-through on April 30, 2017.

Click here for a downloadable audition form:
http://www.masonplayers.org/j15/images/ProductionPerformance/MCPWizAudForm.pdf

For additional information about auditions and the preformance, please download the following information sheet.
http://www.masonplayers.org/j15/images/ProductionPerformance/WizAudInfo.pdf

Or visit our website at www.masonplayers.org.

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2017-2018 Season Auditions at Human Race Theatre Company

hrtc_red-logoGeneral Auditions – Adults (Ages 18+)
Dayton, Ohio auditions for Plays and Musicals will be held Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30.

  • Saturday, April 29 (11:00 am – 4:00 pm) – Musicals or Musicals and Plays (Accompanist provided)
  • Sunday, April 30 (11:00 am – 4:00 pm) – Plays only

Appointment calls are now being accepted. (Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EST)
Phone: Colin Simpson, Company Manager at 937-461-3823 ext. 3116 No emails, please.

General auditions for children: Will be held at a later date to be determined. Please check back for further updates.

Auditions are open to Non-Equity and Equity actors (unless otherwise noted), with Non-Equity actors having the opportunity to join the Equity Membership Candidacy Program.

Adults will be auditioning for:

  • The American premiere of Legendale with music by Andrea Daly, book and lyrics by Jeff Bienstock, story by Bienstock and Daly
  • A Christmas Story by Philip Grecian, based upon the motion picture A Christmas Story, written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, and In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
  • Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason
  • Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
  • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield

See audition procedures and character breakdowns below.

Unable to attend our Dayton general auditions?
If you cannot attend our Dayton General Auditions and wish to be considered, submit your updated resume and headshot to colin@humanracetheatre.org with a letter explaining the show(s) and role(s) of interest to you (please be specific).

New York City- and Chicago-based actors
Auditions are by agent submission or invitation on a show-by-show basis. If you wish to be considered, please e-mail your headshot, resume and what show(s)/character(s) you are interested in (please be specific) to colin@humanracetheatre.org.

The Human Race Theatre Company is a professional theatre that works under a Small Professional Theatre Contract (SPT 6) and performs primarily in the Loft Theatre, a 212-seat thrust stage. Kevin Moore, President & Artistic Director. Tara Lail, Associate Artistic Director.

Rehearsals are primarily Monday – Friday evenings, and daytime on weekends.

Procedures for Auditions

Plays only: Come prepared with 2 one-minute contrasting monologues in the style of the show(s) or from the show(s) you are interested in OR 1 two-minute monologue tailored toward the specific show you are interested in.

Musicals only: Come prepared with 1 song of up to 32 bars of music in the style of the show(s) or from the show you are interested in. Be prepared with a 2nd song in the event the producer asks to see more. Bring your sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. No a cappella singing or recorded music.

Both: Come prepared with 1 one-minute monologue and 1 song (up to 32 bars) in the style of the show(s) or from the show you are interested in. Bring your sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. No a cappella singing or recorded music.

You will be auditioning for Kevin Moore and Tara Lail.

2017-2018 Season Dates

Legendale (musical)
1st rehearsal: August 7, 2017
Production: September 7 – October 1, 2017

The House
1st rehearsal: October 9, 2017
Production: November 2 – November 19, 2017

A Christmas Story
1st rehearsal: November 13, 2017
Production: December 12 – December 17, 2017
(performs at the 1,100-seat Victoria Theatre)

Sex with Strangers
1st rehearsal: January 8, 2018
Production: February 1 – February 18, 2018

Brighton Beach Memoirs
1st rehearsal: March 11, 2018
Production: April 5 – April 22, 2018

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]
1st rehearsal: May 7, 2018
Production: May 31 – June 23, 2018

Musical Theatre Workshops (musical)
Dates: To be announced

New Play Workshops
Dates: To be announced

Character Breakdowns

Legendale
ACTOR 1
ANDY KANIFF – Male, late 20s; tenor. A tech-savvy introvert. Witty but socially awkward. Legendale’s protagonist. Ab2-A4 (Note: Low Ab2 is conversational.)

ACTOR 2
ZELAYNA (THE COW-MAIDEN) – Female; alto with high belt. A smart, spunky avatar with limitless energy and unwavering confidence in her abilities. G3-Eb5

ACTOR 3
BETH – Female, early 20s; alto or soprano. A graphic artist-turned-temp worker in Andy’s office. Ab3-Db5
DOCTOR GAMER – An adult gamer featured in the opening number.

ACTOR 4
PAUL JANSEN – Male, 40s; baritone. The creator of Legendale who is adored by fans worldwide. A bit of a showman. Ab2-G4
THE ALCHEMIST – A fearsome, mysterious avatar in Legendale.
MAILMAN GAMER – An adult gamer featured in the opening number.

ACTOR 5
STEVE – Male, 30s; tenor. Andy and Beth’s boss; an aging ex-jock. E3-F-sharp4 (A4 falsetto)
TARRAGON (THE WILD WARRIOR) – A mostly mute, muscle-bound avatar.
COP GAMER – An adult gamer featured in the opening number.
BLOGGER – A journalist for the gaming blog Cutting Edge.

ACTOR 6
NEWBIE – Male; tenor with high tessitura. An immature adolescent; one of the Message Board Gamers. Eb3-Bb4
ENGINEER – A lowly JansenGames employee.

ACTOR 7
FANBOY – Male; tenor. A teenaged skateboarder; one of the Message Board Gamers. E3-A4
PHOTOGRAPHER – A journalist for the gaming blog Cutting Edge.

ACTOR 8
SIR SARCASM – Male; tenor with low tessitura. A post-collegiate know-it-all; one of the Message Board Gamers. B2-G-sharp4
CEO – Chief Executive Officer of JansenGames

The House
Roles for this production have been cast.

A Christmas Story
Adult Roles
RALPH – Male. Age 30-50. Narrator, also plays a cowboy, deliveryman and Xmas tree lot owner and the grown up version of Ralphie; Jean Shepard’s voice, wry and satirical with affection for the time and the story he tells.

THE OLD MAN – Male. Age 30-50. Ralphie’s father, 1930s family man; his may be a small world, but it is his just the same; obsessed with contests and the Bumpus hounds next door. Actor also performs the voice of Santa.

MOTHER – Female. Age 30-45. Ralphie’s mother, is a patient parent with firm convictions – in particular, that her son should not own an air rifle. It takes a lot to ruffle her feathers, but the provocative leg lamp seems to do the trick.

MISS SHIELDS – Female. Age 30-50. A teacher who’s a real stickler when it comes to punctuation, actor also plays the Wicked Witch of the West.

Child Roles (to be cast at a late date to be announced)
RALPHIE – Male. Age 10-13. Preferably under 5’0” tall, a regular boy, appealing, but not necessarily a handsome boy, can have some extra weight on him, strong presence, honest actor, not “show-bizzy,” experienced on stage and a great strong speaking voice.

RANDY – Male. Age 9-11. Ralphie’s brother. Plays about seven or eight, must be smaller than Ralphie, cute and funny little boy, funny in the sense that he is awkward and off-beat, must be physically comfortable onstage and have a lot of strong concentration, but, like Ralphie, not “show-bizzy.”

SCUT FARKUS – Male. Age 12-14. The Bully. Taller than the other kids. Also plays “Black Bart.”

FLICK – Male. Age 10-13. Ralphie’s friend and class mate. Must be funny. Flick gets his tongue stuck to a lamp post. Also plays “Desperado One.”

SCHWARTZ – Male. Age 10-13. Ralphie’s friend and class mate. Also plays “Desperado Two.”

ESTHER JANE ALBERRY – Female. Age 10-13. A classmate, who seems to have a particular interest in Ralphie.

HELEN WEATHERS – Female. Age 10-13. A classmate, something of a child prodigy.

Sex with Strangers
Note: Varying degrees of nudity will be required for both actors.
ETHAN – Male. Age 20-29. An attractive, impetuously brash twenty-something blogger who literally and figuratively bursts into Olivia’s life one snowy evening. Comfortable in his skin; sexy, sexual and charmingly self-effacing just when you want to write him off as hopelessly arrogant; has found instant notoriety and success by blogging about his exploits having sex with strangers, but harbors deeper ambitions and values than perhaps meets the eye.

OLIVIA – Female. Age 30-40. A bookish but not uptight schoolteacher/writer living in rural Michigan; attractive, confidant enough, but not a voracious socializer/dater. An old-school lover of books and serious literature, not up on the latest blogging trends, Olivia achieved limited literary success with one novel and despite having always dreamed of writing full time is finding herself reticent to pick the pen back up in a serious way.

Brighton Beach Memoirs
EUGENE MORRIS JEROME – Male. Age 15-17 (playing age). A normal 15-year-old boy who has recently discovered girls in a big way; he is obsessed with the female anatomy, which he’s never seen, and his other love of baseball; he wants to be a baseball player, but if that does not work out, he’ll settle for being a writer – he keeps a detailed journal of his family’s eccentricities. Eugene is concerned for his family, especially his overworked father, but complains about their demands on him; the play revolves around his memoirs, which are those of the young Neil Simon.

STANLEY JEROME – Male. Age 17-21 (playing age). The older brother of Eugene; due to financial reasons, must work a factory job, which he hates; he tries to temper Eugene’s passions while attempting to please his parents, but he struggles with feelings of being trapped.

JACK JEROME – Male. Age 45-55. Father of the Jerome family, who feels the pressure of supporting an extended family by working two jobs; in addition, all family members turn to him for advice and answers; he is patient, but very weary.

KATE JEROME – Female. Age 45-55. The very strong mother who attempts to hold the family together and solve the hurts and problems of all of them; she is opinionated and very verbal, but also very loving.

AUNT BLANCHE – Female. Age 40-50. Kate’s younger sister, recently widowed, very indecisive and dependent; she wants to have a life for herself and her daughters, but she does not know how or where to begin; she feels as though she has been buried with her husband.

NORA – Female. Age 16-20. Daughter of Blanche, cousin to the Jerome boys; she is a very beautiful and ambitious 16-year-old girl with dreams of Broadway; often resentful of her younger sister who is pampered due to heart flutters; in addition, she is angry at her father for dying and leaving her with a weak mother.

LAURIE – Female. Age 13-15. Blanche’s youngest daughter. Studious, yet quietly mischievous, who is all ears around adult situations. She appears innocent, but she really has a grasp on what the others around her are “up to.”

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]
ACTOR 1 – The troupe leader; high-energy, quick-thinking, previous Shakespeare and improv experience preferred but not mandatory; creative, spontaneous, can handle some classical text, up for very immature jokes, and can pull off high-energy physical comedy. Plays Romeo, Caesar, Richard II, King Lear, Richard III, Horatio, Polonius, Laertes, Sampson, Prince, Nurse, Friar Laurence, Rapist, Witch.

ACTOR 2 – This role has been cast.

ACTOR 3 – The comedic relief; high-energy, quick-thinking, previous Shakespeare and improv experience preferred but not mandatory; creative, spontaneous, can handle some classical text, are up for very immature jokes, and can pull off high-energy physical comedy. Plays Juliet, Lavinia, Ophelia, Cleopatra, Gertrude, Benvolio, Othello, Macduff, Soothsayer, Henry VI, Bernado, Ghost, Claudius.

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MY FAIR LADY Runs April 27-May 21

CCPA_My Fair Lady promo1

Brent Alan Burington as Henry Higgins & Sarah Viola as Eliza Doolittle. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

MY FAIR LADY
Covedale Center for the Performing Arts
April 27-May 21
West Price Hill

Directed by Tim Perrino
Music directed by Xan Jeffery
Choreographed by Maggie Perrino

Cast: Sarah Viola as Eliza Doolittle, Brent Alan Burington as Henry Higgins, Matt Dentino as Alred P. Doolittle, Dave Wilson as Freddy Eynsford Hill, Gregory Bossler as Colonel Pickering, Julia Hasl Miller as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Kaitlin McCulloch as Mrs. Pearce & Mary Puetz as Mrs. Higgins
Ensemble: Cody Roberts, Chance Kilgour, Brandon Bentley, Heather Hale, Jessica Kaiser, Leiren Jackson, Heather Pfeiffer, Greg Moore, Royce Louden & Matt Pugh

Based upon George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, the story of Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from Professor Henry Higgins, showcases some of Broadway’s greatest songs, including, I Could Have Danced All Night, On the Street Where You Live, I’m Getting Married in the Morning, The Rain In Spain – just to name a few!  Higgins takes credit for Eliza’s success, but when she realizes that she no longer needs him, it breaks his pompous spirit and melts his heart as well.

  • Thu, April 27 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, April 28-39 at 8pm
  • Sat, April 30 at 2pm
  • Thu, May 4 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, May 5-6 at 8pm
  • Sun, May 7 at 2pm
  • Thu, May 11 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, May 12-13 at 8pm
  • Sun, May 14 at 2pm
  • Thu, May 18 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, May 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sun, May 21 at 2pm

Official page |

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