Monthly Archives: January 2020

Sylvester Little, Jr. as Martin Luther King Jr. in ALL THE WAY. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Experience when politics and passion helped to shape America for good in this gripping drama,on stage January 24-February 15, 2020

Cincinnati, January 10, 2020 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company welcomes the New Year and continues its 2019-2020 Season of the Woman at The Otto M. Budig Theater with Robert Schenkkan’s ALL THE WAY. The production is directed by Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips and features a 17 person cast with CSC returning favorites Jim Hopkins as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Sylvester Little, Jr. as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Kate Wilford as Lady Bird Johnson, Brent Vimtrup as Sen. Humphrey, and Bruce Cromer as J. Edgar Hoover. ALL THE WAY Is also the first production in The Otto M. Budig Theater to offer special on-stage seating for patrons!

ALL THE WAY tells the story beginning in the wake of an assassination that shook a nation to its core, when a larger-than-life figure is propelled into the national spotlight. Faced with civil unrest at home and an unpopular war abroad, accidental president Lyndon B. Johnson struggles at the eleventh hour to get the hotly contested Civil Rights Act across the finish line, and to keep an already divided country from tearing itself apart.

The selection of ALL THE WAY in this season was inspired by the 2020 Centennial of Women’s Suffrage. From June of 1919 to August of 1920, these United States passed and ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. However, the passage of the 19th Amendment, while worthy of celebration, did not in fact guarantee voting rights for all. The struggle for complete equality continued into the 1960’s and beyond. ALL THE WAY continues the story from inside the Oval Office with LBJ’s fight to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964 working closely with Martin Luther King and other activists and politicians of the era.

Robert Schenkkan’s racing political thriller, ALL THE WAY, was first commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a part of their “American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle.” The American Revolutions Project began in 2008 with the final of the 37 new plays commissioned and developed in 2019. The project showcases moments of change in the history of the United States. As stated by Oregon Shakespeare Festival, “bringing together artists and theaters and from around the country, American Revolutions works to establish a shared understanding of our nation’s past while illuminating the best paths for our nation’s future.” ALL THE WAY ran at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2012 before moving to Broadway in 2014. The
Broadway production featured Bryan Cranston as LBJ. After a staggering success, in 2016, ALL THE WAY became a biographical TV drama film for HBO with Bryan Cranston continuing as LBJ.

ALL THE WAY has been celebrated by audiences and critics alike winning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama League Award, the Co-Recipient of the inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, and the recipient of the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association for New Play Award. The TV drama has been nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials, as well as eight Primetime Emmy Awards.

The creative team transforming The Otto M. Budig Theater stage into the 1964 Oval Office and America is made up of Shannon Moore (Scenic Designer), Justen N. Locke (Lighting Designer), Douglas J. Borntrager (Sound Designer), Rainy Edwards (Costume Designer), and Darnell PierreBenjamin as Assistant Director. They are joined by Projections Designer, G. “Max” Maxin IV.

The set includes a stunning replica of the Resolute desk used by several presidents of the United States in the White House Oval Office. It was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 and was built from the English oak timbers of the British Arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute. The desk is still in use today.

For the first time ever at The Otto M. Budig Theater, there will be special on stage seating being offered for our production of ALL THE WAY. On Stage seats start at $38 and are general admission and will be assigned first come, first served. You will meet before the start of the show at thefoot of the stage to be seated. Sit on stage and join LBJ in the Oval Office for this unique theater experience.

ALL THE WAY runs January 24—February 15, 2020 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday,February 15th at 2:00 PM. Preview performances are Wednesday, January 22nd and Thursday, January 23rd at 7:30 PM and tickets are$45. Advance sale single ticket prices start at $28. Day-of Student Rush tickets are $14 and may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID if available. This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees apply. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.

Content Advisory: This production contains scenes of violence and strong language.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. There are many parking spaces available on the street and in nearby lots and garages – for more information visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.

CSC also offers Valet Parking for every performance! Make reservations for $20 in advance when purchasing tickets or visit http://www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot. Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Carscan be picked up for up to onehour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valetservice directly.) The valet will have your name on the list after you purchase-it’s that easy!

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 Theatre 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 2019-2020 Season of the Woman:
From June of 1919 to August of 1920, these United States passed and ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. In commemoration of this centennial, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will shine the spotlight on the Women of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in our “Season of the Woman,” both onstage and off, and join organizations across the city in an Arts Wave led initiative called “Power of Her” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage!

This season is also funded by ArtsWave. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, JR./U.S. Bank Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council, and The Shubert Foundation. The season’s marketing design sponsor is Grey Midwest. TheOhio 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.

About POWER OF HER:
POWER OF HER is a collaboration of organizations across the Greater Cincinnati region, united to activate and amplify women’s voices in the arts. Led by ArtsWave, and inspired by the women’s suffrage movement, the initiative salutes the women who came before us, and honors female leadership and woman-centric works of all kinds.

At its core, POWER OF HER underscores creativity as a vehicle for inclusion and equality by celebrating the female voice—and the many ways it champions a more diverse and vibrant world. Learn more at https://www.artswave.org/discover/power-of-her.