Yearly Archives: 2019

December 3, 2019 · 2:02 pm

Auditions Announced for SEUSSICAL at Inspiring Arts Productions

IAP_logoDo you like to sing and dance?
Come, audition! Take a chance!
We will be casting students in 3rd through 12th grade ​for our spring musical, SEUSSICAL!

Auditions will be held by appointment
December 10 and 12, 2019, at Life Church West Chester.
Audition appointments are made on the audition form below.

​Callbacks will be Saturday, December 14, at Life Church West Chester.

Expectations for the cast (word.doc)

Performances will be at Parrish Auditorium
(Miami University in Hamilton)

  • Thursday, March 26 at 7pm
  • Friday, March 27 at 2pm
  • Friday, March 27 at 7pm
  • Saturday, March 28 at 2pm
  • Saturday, March 28 at 7pm
  • Sunday, March 29 at 3pm

Rehearsals begin January 4, 2020, and will be scheduled on Tues/Thurs between 4p and 9pm, and Saturdays between noon and 4pm. Not every actor will be called for the entirety of every rehearsal.

NO conflicts will be accepted during tech week.

How to Audition

  1. Prepare your audition ​
    SINGING – **You may sing a cappella or provide your own track. We will have speakers available.**

    For students in 3rd-4th grade: Please sing the one-minute portion (app. from 1:05-2:04) of “Oh the Thinks You Can Think” found in the YouTube clip.

    For students in 5th-12th grade: Please perform 1-2 minutes of any upbeat Broadway song (may include any song from SEUSSICAL).

    If you would like to be considered for Cat in the Hat, Jojo, Gertrude, Horton, Mayzie, or the Kangaroo, please also plan to perform one minute of that character’s song.

    MONOLOGUE
    ALL students–regardless of age–should prepare one monologue from the monologue sheet (Word doc). Memorize it and perform it with all the seuss-ish dramatical flair you can muster!

  2. Fill out and submit the theater form (online form).
    Fill it out as completely as possible, noting all conflicts and giving us as much info as you can!

    NOTE:
    ONLY conflicts noted on this form will be considered excused absences once the show is cast!! It is very important that you are thorough. Please read the conflict portion of the theater form VERY CAREFULLY and fill it out completely.
    ALL tech week rehearsals are mandatory!!

    CALLBACKS
    Please keep Saturday, December 14, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm open!
    We might need to see some actors again after the initial auditions. Most will not need to be present the full time.
    If we would like to see you dance or hear you sing again, you will be notified by noon on Friday, December 13.

Still have a question? Email us directly at Admin@InspiringArtsProductions.com

Leave a comment

Filed under Auditions, Family-Friendly

Tagged as

December 3, 2019 · 12:00 pm

Local A Cappella Quartet to Compete at World Level, Releases New Video

MISC_Half and Half Quartet promo

Kim Newcomb, Jenni Sheets, Cy Wood & Kohl Kitzmiller.

CINCINNATI, OH – HALF AND HALF, a Midwest-based a cappella quartet, has released their first single and music video this past week. With their mission being one of the importance of inclusivity, love of music and people, and sharing their gifts with everyone – it was a no brainer to choose a song by Dolly Parton, who has represented all of these pillars (epically) for decades.

Half and Half’s recording of Dolly’s “9 to 5” is accompanied by a colorful music video that was filmed in Hamilton, OH by Ethan Bryant Productions with the story created by Cy Wood. You may recognize some of their favorite spots that are around town; True West Coffee, Butler County School of the Arts, and historic Hamilton. The video represents the dedication and hard work it has taken for Half and Half to get where they are in such a short amount of time. Only being together for a little over a year, they have built a robust repertoire by rehearsing hard and often, they have performed in venues that range from coffee shops with a handful of folks all the way to Barbershop Harmony Society’s International stage in Salt Lake City, Utah to thousands of listeners both in-person and live streamed. Recording their first single and filming a new music video has just been the icing on the cake.

You may be wondering, why the name “Half and Half”. Well that is an easy one to answer. Half of the quartet lives in Cincinnati; Jenni Sheets a mezzo-belter who sings lead and Cy Wood who grounds the group singing bass. The other half lives in Indianapolis; Kohl Kitzmiller singing the versatile part of baritone and Kim Newcomb, who sings the difficult high notes with such ease as tenor. Half of the group is men and the other half is female. Half have performance and art backgrounds; Cy who was an actor and producer on Broadway and continues to coach and choreograph for quartets and choruses and Jenni who majored in vocal performance and owns her own small design business, BullFish Graphics. Half are very music theory focused; Kohl who is an arranger/sound engineer with KK Sounds and Kim who is a vocal coach, chorus director and records learning tracks with NewVoice Studio. Both halves of these vocalists’ backgrounds create a well-rounded, whole-brained group and they believe this is the secret to their success.

What’s next for Half and Half? They have been invited to compete at the World Harmony Council in Germany next spring to help represent the USA as well as their Midwest district. Competing is not new to Kohl who won International with his men’s quartet, Instant Classic, back in 2015 for Barbershop Harmony Society.  Also, Kim’s women’s quartet, The Ladies, ranked number 5 in the world, recently, at Sweet Adelines International and won the Rising Star Award in 2016. Cy’s chorus, Southern Gateway Chorus, has competed at International level several years with Barbershop Harmony Society. Competing at this level is very new to Jenni and she can’t believe she has been along for this (warped speed) ride. Half and Half has also been invited to teach as the faculty quartet in Holland at Holland Harmony College, they will lead several classes as well as perform throughout the week for the students.

It’s been a whirlwind year for Half and Half and they hope to continue to make an impact in the music world around. To stay abreast of all of their performances and news; please follow them on Facebook as well as on their website.

Website: www.halfandhalfquartet.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/halfandhalfqt

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage, Press Releases

Tagged as

November 26, 2019 · 4:20 pm

Cast Announced for GLORIA: A LIFE at Human Race Theatre Company

HRTC_new logoThe cast includes:

  • Jennifer Johansen* as Gloria Steinem
  • Burgess Byrd*
  • Eileen Earnest
  • Sherman Fracher*
  • Jen Joplin*+
  • Andréa Morales*
  • Aurea Tomeski*
    *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
    +Resident Artist of The Human Race Theatre Company.

Fifty years after Gloria Stienem began raising her voice and advocating for others, her vision is as urgent today as ever. Described simply as “History. Her Story. Our Story,” this richly detailed tapestry is both inspiring and remarkable. Gloria believes in the necessity of conversation as a catalyst for change, and this new play offers us all a path forward in a way that only live theater can provide. We celebrate this award-winning journalist, social political activist, and nationally-recognized leader of the American feminist movement and Toledo, Ohio native.

Directed by Marya Spring Cordes, performances run Feb. 27-March 15.

For more information visit http://humanracetheatre.org/show/gloria-a-life/.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cast list

Tagged as

November 26, 2019 · 2:32 pm

PUFFS, OR SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC Quick Review

PUFFS, OR SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC presented by Know Theatre of Cincinnati through Dec. 21. I attended the opening night performance. 

KTC_Puffs1

Maggie Cramer, Brianna Bernard, Jared Earland, Maliyah Gramata, Ben Dudley, Brandon Burton and Chris Wesselman. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

PLEASE NOTE! This is not a children’s show. Know has rated the performance PG-13 as some material may be inappropriate for children 13 and under.

An orphan, a pure-blood, and a mudblood become fast friends at a wizarding school. But this is not the story you know. In this hysterical send-up, PUFFS focuses on classmates in a lesser house during those same seven years the school was attended by a certain bespectacled student with a lightning bolt scar.

KTC_Puffs2

Andrew Ian Adams as Mr. Voldy. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Director Andrew Hungerford (who also serves as lighting designer) deftly manages the chaos, leading the talented 11-person ensemble (tackling more than 30 characters) through a frantic two-hour comic romp that runs parallel, and at times intersects, with the well-known series. The best compliment I can pay is that they all make the execution of this herculean task look easy. The versatile and hilarious cast includes Andrew Ian Adams, Merritt Beischel, Brianna Bernard, Brandon Burton, Maggie Cramer, Ben Dudley, Jared Earland, Maliyah Gramata-Jones, Elizabeth Chinn Molloy, Jordan Trovillion, and Chris Wesselman.

KTC_Puffs3

Elizabeth Molloy, Brandon Burton, Chris Wesselman, Ben Dudley, Maliyah Gramata, Maggie Cramer, Brianna Bernard and Jordan Trovillion. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The show would not be nearly as successful without the incredible work of the production team and their contributions: the simple, detailed, and versatile set of Baron E. Pugh, finished by carpenter Andrew Homan; the crazy number of quick-changeable costumes designed by Noelle Wedig-Johnston; magic-ing made even more enjoyable by sound designer Douglas Borntrager;  original yet reminiscent incidental music created by local composer James Allen; the oh-so-so-many props designed by Kayla Williams (who also served as paint charge); the “magical melees” credited to Jonn Baca; and the “soul sucking security guards” designed by puppeteer Sean Mette. With so much to handle, Henry Bateman directed the technical aspects of the show from the front while stage manager Meghan Winter (assisted by Madelyn Hawver & Matthew Schutte kept everything on track backstage. And finally, a mention of dialect coach Chaslee Schweitzer and production assistant Danitza Piper who rounded out the crew. As you can see, it takes a village to create a magic school.

You don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of the book or the movie series to enjoy this production. The script is tight and laugh out loud funny, but still allows for improvisation in several places. I’m not going to spoil any of it.

Tickets are flying out the door faster than you can say “Floo powder” so you better “accio” yours sooner rather than later.

My rating: 5 out of 5.

Click here for more information on the production.

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as

November 26, 2019 · 1:42 pm

Auditions Announced for THE ART OF DINING at Mariemont Players

mpi_logoShow Title: The Art of Dining By: Tina Howe

Director: Laura Berkemeier 

Synopsis: Cal and Ellen are the owners and sole staff of a small, elegant gourmet restaurant. Cal’s main preoccupation is paying back the $75,000 it cost to start it up, and that means packing in the customers. Chef Ellen is preoccupied with the food’s quality and stopping Cal from sampling the ingredients. The diners act out their own private dramas over dinner and their conversations are exquisite burlesques of contemporary attitudes. There’s a sensual middle aged couple who go into paroxysms of ecstasy just reading the menu and then there’s three crass chic young career women. Finally, there’s Elizabeth, a maladroit, shy and neurotic writer who’s dining with her prospective publisher. Her actions and conversation are unintentionally hilarious and a delicious example of how not to act and what not to talk about while dining. 

Auditions: Monday, February 10 at 7pm, Wednesday, February 12 at 7pm,

Thursday, February 13 at 7pm – call backs if needed. Auditions will be held at the Walton Creek Theatre at 4101 Walton Creek Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45227.  Please reserve your time via this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D44AFAB2FA2FE3-theart 

Audition Requirements: If available, bring headshot and resume. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. 

Rehearsal times: Times will be finalized based on actor availability, however, the likely schedule will be rehearsals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7pm-9:30pm at the Walton Creek Theatre. Rehearsals would begin on March 30th. Actors must be available for photos on April 5th at 7pm and for the entirety of Tech week which will be Sunday, May 3rd through opening on Friday, May 8th. 

Production Dates: Friday, May 8th @ 8pm, Saturday, May 9th @ 8pm, Sunday, May 10th @ 2pm, Thursday, May 14th @ 7:30pm, Friday, May 15th @ 8pm, Saturday, May 16th @ 8pm, Sunday, May 17th @ 2pm and 7pm, Thursday, May 21st @ 7:30pm, Friday, May 22nd @ 8pm, Saturday, May 23rd @ 3pm and 8pm, Sunday, May 24th @ 2pm. 

Description of Characters: 3m, 6f

  • ELLEN – co-owner and chef extraordinaire of The Golden Carrousel, mid 30’s.
  • CAL – co-owner and supple head waiter of The Golden Carrousel, Ellen’s husband, mid 30’s.
  • HANNAH GALT – beautifully dressed and hungry, mid to late 40’s.
  • PAUL GALT – beautifully dressed and hungrier, mid to late 40’s.
  • ELIZABETH BARROW COLT – exceedingly shy and nearsighted. A writer, in her early 30’s, afraid of food.
  • HERRICK SIMMONS – enthusiastic and a good eater, early 30’s.
  • NESSA VOX – easily upset and a more neurotic eater, early 30’s.
  • TONY STASSIO – perpetually on a diet and miserable, early 30’s.
  • DAVID OSSLOW – the head of his own publishing company, successful, at ease, son and husband of good cooks, mid 50’s and in top shape.

Any questions please reach out to Patricia Mullins (patricia.n.mullins@gmail.com) or Kristen Vincenty (kvincenty23@gmail.com).

Leave a comment

Filed under Auditions

Tagged as