Monthly Archives: June 2020

June 19, 2020 · 8:47 am

MILKSHAKES AND MEMORIES Hosted by Friends of Russ McGee on June 24

MISC_Milkshakes and Memories logoFriends of Russ McGee are hosting an at-home Zoom for anyone wishing to share memories of Russ in a casual, online format. Attendees are encouraged to bring a sundae, milkshake, or any favorite treat to help celebrate Russ’s life.

Go to Zoom.us at 7pm on Wednesday, June 24 at 7pm and click on “Join a Meeting.”

Zoom Meeting ID: 816 0080 3660
Password: 024417

All attendees are invited to share a photo or two of Russ which will be shared with Russ’s family and with the in-person memorial planned for the following weekend.* Please upload your photos no later than Sunday June 22 to this google drive.

Everyone attending the online Zoom will be invited to share a favorite memory of Russ. Please limit your anecdotes to a minute or less. You do not need to share a memory to attend. Households are asked to please attend on the same screen to allow for the maximum number of participants.

*The in-person memorial is being graciously hosted by Queen City Productions on Saturday, June 27th from 7:30-9:30pm at the Arts Center at Dunham. Please check this Facebook event for details.

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June 16, 2020 · 11:25 am

MOVE Announced by Pones

PONES_logoPones dancers use our bodies to speak our minds. Right now, people are gathering in Cincinnati and around the world to protest for justice and change. But there’s more than one way to put your body on the front lines. We believe dance can be a powerful tool to amplify and explore this collective outcry — therefore, we are creating a platform for Performances & Collaborations, titled MOVE. This program will harness Pones’ 12-year history of creating art for social justice to facilitate and fund the work that independent artists need to share, now.

Experience MOVE
The first installment of MOVE is centered around BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) communities and artists. It will consist of 6 dance-infused works by BIPOC actors, spoken word artists, musicians and dancers, including current and former students of SCPA School of Creative & Performing Arts. The pieces will be performed live, in public between June 17 and July 31, with a focus on including residents and areas that are directly affected by the current protests. Performances are free and open to the public. It is important to us that these works be experienced live, due to the visceral responses that live performances elicit, and the connections that are possible when we share space as a community. Because of this, we recommend bringing a protective mask to experience these performances during COVID-19. More information about the performances in this installment will be released when available at pones.org. Confirmed lineup includes:

“Say Their Names”
Wednesday, June 17th
6:30pm: Washington Park
7:00pm: Fountain Square
7:30pm: Freedom Center / The Banks
(The piece is approx. 10 minutes long)
Featuring: Burgess Byrd, Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Montez Uma, Ashley Olivia Danger Morton, Nyjul Byrd, and Ernaisja Curry

In 2016, Pones collaborated with Michael Burnham on a dance/spoken word piece performed beneath the mural that memorializes the death of our planet’s last living carrier pigeon. Now it’s 2020 and here we are, again, mourning the loss of precious lives, knowing for sure we can’t dance away our pain, hoping our pain will guide us to a better future. We refuse to forget. We vow to move forward.

“Of Nina”
Date/Time/Location TBA
A new work by spoken word artist/mover Teisha Murray featuring Pones dancers, Chantee Jordan, Carroll Wallace, and Apria Celine. The piece is an Homage to Nina Simone, and is a commentary on the dangers of celebrating oneself, when that self is not celebrated by society at large. To boldly take center stage while also navigating the parts of you that have been imitated or fetishised by that very same society. And to do so without apology.

A Call for Creatives
This will not be the only installment of the MOVE program — it will become an ongoing forum for artists to be paid to create work surrounding social justice issues. Proposals for future creations are accepted on an ongoing basis — submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/i3eGPd1eeMBdZdN59

How You Can Help
Sponsors for this program are being sought — if you are able to help Pones amplify voices, donate here or contact Kim Popa at kim@ponesinc.com.

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June 16, 2020 · 9:35 am

Children’s Caregiver Needed in St. Bernard

MISC_Playing with children[The family thinks this might be a good fit for a theater person in these trying times. -Rob]

Family in St Bernard/Xavier University area is seeking a part-time summer nanny/babysitter for 3 school age children (one girl 8yo & 2 boys ages 4 and 6).

Care is needed generally for afternoons M-F (1-5pm) No meal preparation is needed. Afternoon snacks & medication dispensing is necessary.

Must love playing & performing through book reading. Children enjoy diverse activities and do have a summer community pool pass. Ability to transport children can be helpful and negotiated.

Must be able to submit to background check which requires fingerprinting (at no cost to you) and needed to start July 6. Interested persons can email mstrsum1@gmail.com or leave voicemail 513.745.1007.

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June 16, 2020 · 9:20 am

Schedule Announced for FUTUREFEST 2020 at Dayton Playhouse on July 17-Aug. 6

DPH_logoDayton Playhouse’s alternative programming for FutureFest 2020 will follow the schedule listed below:

Streamed Readings

A Ghost of a Chance, by Kimberly Shimer will be available from July 17 through July 23
A talk-back with the the Author is planned for Sunday July 19 at 2 PM
Directed by Annie Pesch

Cast: Jackie Pfeifer as Evelyn Schaffer, Andrew Ian Adams as Sidney, Dave Nickel as Harry Schaffer, Carly Laurette Risenhoover-Peterson as Jenny Cuthbert, Richard Young as Dave Roseberry, Fran Pesch as Ann Jameson, Brad Bishop as WARL Announcer & Becky Milligan as Female TV Announcer/Stage Directions

The afterlife story of Evelyn, a nitpicky, obsessive, know-it-all whom, after dying, finds she can’t make it to her final resting place until she reconciles with her husband Harry. Unfortunately, because she made Harry miserable for most of their 30+ years of marriage, he’s not particularly inclined to make nice with her ghost when she pays him a visit.

The Good Deli, by Kevin Cirone will be available from July 24 through July 30
A talk-back with the author is planned for Sunday July 26 at 2 PM
Directed by Debra Kent

Cast: JULIA (JULES): Kayla Graham as Julia (Jules), Saul Caplan as Wilford, Cheryl Mellen as Dana, Jeff Sams as Max, Jared Mola as Peter, Kelli Locker as Leila & Cassandra Engber as Narrator

After visiting her estranged and ailing father in the hospital during serious health complications, a Boston comedian decides to take a road trip with her family to find the Italian deli of her father’s youth.

Before Lesbians, by Elana Gartner will be available from July 31 through August 6
A talk-back with the author is planned for Sunday August 2 at 2 PM.
Directed by Kim Warrick:

Cast: Aaron Gouge as James, Adee McFarland as Charlotte, Adonis Lemke as Henry & Shanna Camacho as Vivian

When Charlotte and Vivian meet at the courthouse in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, they are about to marry their fiancés who are leaving to fight for President Lincoln. After their husbands leave for war, Charlotte and Vivian develop a friendship through letters and visits and suddenly find themselves struggling with their growing romantic and confusing feelings for one another. In an era where women were not recognized as sexual beings and when words did not exist for women falling in love, this play represents the many women who changed history when they found love in each other during the Civil War.

Tickets for the streaming presentations will be available starting June 22. Individual productions will cost $10, and a package of all three will cost $25. Ticket buyers will receive an access link via-email in advance of each week.

The Playhouse will also be making a series of three Playwright Dialogues available on the Dayton Playhouse YouTube Channel beginning June 23. Each Playwright Dialogue features two of the FutureFest finalists in conversation about their plays, inspirations, and themes in their work. The author pairings are:

  • William Cameron and Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich
  • Shanti Reinhardt and Elana Gartner
  • Kimberly Shimer and Kevin Cirone

Each session is hosted by Dayton Playhouse Board Chair Matt Lindsay and is about 30 minutes long. These will be available to view for free.

Don’t miss out on the FutureFest 2020 commemorative t-shirt, on sale until July 5 through our web site. Shipping to your home included in the $19 price.

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June 15, 2020 · 3:04 pm

PUFFS Runs July 3-11

CAST_logoPUFFS or SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC
Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre
July 3-11
Felsenhaus Warehouse [CUF]

Official cast list |

For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. The New York Times proclaims PUFFS, “A FAST-PACED ROMP through the ‘Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.’ For POTTERphiliacs who grew up alongside Potter and are eager to revisit that world, ‘PUFFS’ exudes a jovial, winking fondness for all things Harry!” This clever and inventive play “never goes more than a minute without a laugh” (Nerdist) giving you a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three potential heroes just trying to make it through a magic school that proves to be very dangerous for children. Alongside them are the Puffs, a group of well-meaning, loyal outsiders with a thing for badgers “who are so lovable and relatable, you’ll leave the theater wishing they were in the stories all along” (Hollywood Life). Their “hilariously heartfelt!” (Metro) and epic journey takes the classic story to new places and reimagines what a boy wizard hero can be.

  • Fri, July 3 at 7pm
  • Sun, July 5 at 7pm
  • Thu-Sat, July 9-11 at 7pm

Official page |

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