Know Theatre proudly presents The 19th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival – the region’s largest and longest-running annual performing arts festival – June 2-17, 2023! A 14-day celebration featuring hundreds of live performances from independent local, national, and international artists, the Cincy Fringe is Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party. This year, our Primary Lineup Productions return indoors and in-person, and are, as always, Kinda Weird. Like You!
TICKETS
$18-20 Single Tickets
$90 Fringe Flex Pass
$300 All-Access Pass
Advance tickets can be purchased at cincyfringe.com, over the phone 513.300.KNOW (5669), or in person at Fringe Headquarters TBA on the day of the performance. After 4pm on the day of the performance, advance tickets can no longer be purchased until the venue box office opens. Venue box offices will open 30 minutes prior to the performance time.
PRIMARY LINEUP
1NCE UPON A LIE from Paul Strickland Presents
Paul Strickland’s NEW collection of HILARIOUS, HEARTFELT STORIES and SONGS!
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Art Academy 204
Fringe Favorite Award-Winning Storyteller PAUL STRICKLAND (Ain’t True & Uncle False, Balls of Yarns) returns! A NEW collection of HILARIOUS, SURREALLY FUN STORIES and SONGS! “Master Storyteller” – Cincinnati Enquirer. “… an expert raconteur who spins hilariously entertaining stories…” – St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Funny is an understatement… he’s hysterical!” – Orlando Sentinel
- Sat, June 3 at 4:15pm
- Sat. June 10 at 2:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 8:45pm
- Tue, June 13 at 7pm
- Fri, June 16 at 7pm
ANATOMICA from Amica Hunter
What’s THE BEST skeleton? Get in, loser, we’re finding out.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Art Academy 404
Award-winning comedian & weird little gremlin, Amica Hunter(they/them), GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN and CRUSHES YOUR FUNNY BONE in this hilarious, captivating, and sometimes unsettling comedy about the chaos of the natural world the horror of living in a body. Part story-telling, part stand-up, part clown, & 100% ORGANIC, BABY!
- Sat, June 3 at 2:15pm
- Sun, June 4 at 4pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 6:45pm
- Tue, June 13 at 6:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 6:45pm
ANCHORETTE from Jane Carver
An abandoned baby, a ship’s crew, and an ancient superstition…
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
1316 Main St.
A baby is left by strangers on a dock. The crew, afraid to bring her on board because of an ancient superstition, decide to hitch a tiny boat to their ship and steer her through the wild seas. Anchorette is a poetic recitation with musical interludes for voice and concertina.
- Sun, June 4 at 7pm
- Wed, June 7 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 8 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 2:30pm
- Wed, June 14 at 7pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:45pm
BLOODLINE from Paris Crayton III
The multi-generational love story of three men with the same name.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Know Theatre
Bloodline is a one-man, semi-autobiographical love story told from the perspectives of three generations of men with the same name. Paris Sr., a sharecropper in Mississippi, meets the beautiful Ruth one night at a juke joint and goes on a relentless pursuit to make her fall in love with him. Paris Jr., an animal technician, welcomes his new son into the world and navigates love and life as he struggles with his new fatherly duties and second thoughts about his marriage. Paris III, a starving artist, searches for love in multiple relationships and cities.
- Wed, June 7 at 8:30pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 9 at 6:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 2:15pm
- Sun, June 11 at 4pm
JON BENNETT: DAD (HATES) JOKES from 2Hoots Productions
Jon Bennett’s Dad is a VERY serious and VERY accident prone man.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Art Academy 204
From the creator of the internationally acclaimed Fire in the Meth Lab comes the story of the strange relationship between a comedian and his extremely conservative father; a man who has died… more than once. “Bennett reminds us that ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. ★★★★★” – The Sunday Mail
- Sat, June 3 at 8:45pm
- Sun, June 4 at 4:15pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 14 at 7pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:45pm
GENTRIFICATION: THE MUSICAL from Doin’ Too Much Productions
Definitely not a musical about OTR or 3CDC.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Art Academy 404
Opportunities abound in the city of [redacted], where the United Community Development Consortium is hosting their first-ever Big Pitch Event! The lucky winner decides what occupies one of the Consortium’s recently vacated lots. This musical satire is definitely not about OTR or 3CDC.
- Sat, June 3 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 4 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 9 at 8:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4pm
- Sun, June 11 at 6:45pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:30pm
GRANNY’S FIXIT: An Ozarks Guide to Healing the Body and Soul from Dawn Larsen
Let Granny fix it, come git a cure.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook page | Press release |
Art Academy 204
Grannywomen were healers/seers/midwives found in rural mountain regions…there to minister to their communities when doctors and hope weren’t. Come get a cure for what ails you, as she tends to you through historic and original song, spoken word, and images.
- Sat, June 3 at 2:30pm
- Sun, June 4 at 8:45pm
- Tue, June 6 at 7pm
- Fri, June 9 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4:15pm
HAPPY GO LUCKY from Shoshinz/Yamomi Shoshinz
One woman puppetry show from Japan.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
1316 Main St.
One woman puppetry show from Japan with some different stories. Award-winning artist operates some unique puppets to take you to the extraordinary. From the creator of ‘Kiss Around Pass Around’ 2015.
- Sat, June 3 at 4:15pm
- Sun, June 4 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 7pm
- Sun, June 11 at 4:15pm
- Thu, June 15 at 7pm
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HEART RIPPED OUT TWICE AND SO CAN YOU! from Linnea Bond
A (mostly) comedy about pain.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Art Academy 301
Ever recover from open chest surgery and multiple hospitalizations only to get hit with a devastating breakup? Part clown comedy, part timeshare pitch, part pity party, part existential howl – HROTASCY! is like 127 Hours meets 500 Days of Summer performed by a sales representative in bardo.
- Sat, June 3 at 4pm
- Sun, June 4 at 2:15pm
- Tue, June 6 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 6:45pm
- Tue, June 13 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:30pm
JULIE from Coyote & Co Creative Studios
Sapphic-picaresque journey of a badass, 17th-century, bi-sexual, gender-bending, sword-wielding woman.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Know Theatre
The life and times of Julie d’Aubigny…or are they? Memes have been made, books have been written, movies have been filmed, but are any of them factually accurate? History rarely details the strong women of the past, especially those who break all conventional norms.
- Sat, June 3 at 2:15pm
- Sun, June 4 at 6:45pm
- Tue, June 6 at 6:45pm
- Sun, June 11 at 8:30pm
- Wed, June 14 at 6:45pm
KEEPING OUR TORCH from Pones
A dance-infused performance celebrating diverse stories of intergenerational wisdom.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Gabriel’s Corner
“Keeping our Torch” is a dance-infused performance highlighting aging community members’ diverse stories of wisdom and joy throughout life. This collaborative project is inspired by real-life stories from community elders on the formative milestones of their lives, the wisdom that they’ve gained and would like to pass along, and their hopes for intergenerational joy. Stories were collected by Pones artists and passed along to elder/aging artists to interpret into vignettes on creative aging.
What does it look like to keep the creative torch lit throughout life? What wisdom can generations share? How do we age, courageously, together?
- Wed, June 7 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 7pm
- Sun, June 11 at 2:30pm
- Tue, June 13 at 8:45pm
- Fri, June 16 at 7pm
MADE IN AMERICA from Teruko Nakajima
Teruko and Titi’s Triumph over Tragedy!
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
1316 Main St.
MADE IN AMERICA is a brutally honest, surprisingly entertaining, and heartbreakingly life-affirming love letter to the human experience. It’s a story for women, Asians, first-generation immigrants, and anyone who is fighting to make their dreams come true. Her dog Titi performs too.
- Sat, June 3 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 7 at 7pm
- Fri, June 9 at 8:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 8:45pm
- Fri, June 16 at 7pm
MAGIC FOR ANIMALS from Los Angeles Performance Practice / Liz Toonkel
A magic show breaking through illusions around agency and consent.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
1316 Main St.
Magic for Animals is a one woman magic show about agency, consent, and animal rights. Liz Toonkel uses sparkling, incisive humor to offer an antidote to the gendered and speciesist history of magic. It examines how we treat animals, and urges the audience to reconsider how we treat one another.
- Sat, June 3 at 7pm
- Sun, June 4 at 4:15pm
- Fri, June 9 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4:15pm
- Sun, June 11 at 7pm
- Wed, June 14 at 8:45pm
MODERN BEINGS IN SEARCH OF THE SOLE from Solasta Theatre Lab
To heel or heal, that is the question.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
How do we find our footing in a world that rocks at every turn? Can we find meaning in the meaningless? And when we do, can we put it on speed dial? Join us on a journey into fantastical worlds where sidewalks never end, but they might find soul.
- Sat, June 3 at 6:45pm
- Sun, June 4 at 2:15pm
- Tue, June 6 at 6:45pm
- Wed, June 7 at 6:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 16 at 6:45pm
MOTHERING & MOURNING from Megan Flynn & Teresa Vandenend Sorge
Dances of mothering and mourning, because aren’t we all?
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
An evening of experimental dance, dedicated to the absurdity of caregiving and the mother-like folks unfazed by the mess. Sandwiched between caring for aging parents and young children; harvesting eggs due to a cancer diagnosis; and birthing creative ideas without an epidural. Mothering and Mourning – aren’t we all?
- Fri, June 9 at 7pm
- Sun, June 11 at 4:15pm
- Tue, June 13 at 7pm
- Wed, June 14 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 7pm
ONE LAST NIGHT WITH MARY MACLANE from Nora Bonner and James Gargill
19th century genius’s last gig before she meets the Devil.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
At 48, MacLane (1881-1929) rocks out for a musical self-tribute, so that she might remain in public consciousness before the Devil comes to claim her. Ferocious, hilarious, Faustian, MacLane laments tragic relationship with her English teacher before testifying to her longstanding devotion to the Devil.
- Sun, June 4 at 7pm
- Wed, June 7 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 8:45pm
- Tue, June 13 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 14 at 8:45pm
plosive! from Performance Gallery
Vocal sounds giving new context to conventional language.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Celebrate 20 years of Cincinnati Fringe with Performance Gallery as they return (for their 20th year!) to deftly dissect and reorganize the sound mechanics of human speech. Like past fan favorites, fricative and Vox Box, plosive! is an entertaining vocal collage concert of fricatives, diphthongs, triphthongs, plosives, and more!!!
- Sun, June 4 at 8:30pm
- Tue, June 6 at 8:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 6:45pm
- Sun, June 11 at 2:15pm
- Tue, June 13 at 6:45pm
RAPPINGS from Inbocca Performance
Communing with the dead isn’t scary; it’s downright unreal.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Mid-nineteenth century upstate New York: through a series of rappings, levitations, and table tippings, the three Fox sisters gained fame through their unearthly abilities to contact and commune with the dead.
But was it all a hoax? Or was it something darker, more sinister, and all too real?
- Sat, June 3 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 4 at 4pm
- Wed, June 7 at 6:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:30pm
RUH-Roh! from Queen City Flash
A final, hair-raising adventure for a very meddlesome duo.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
RUH-Roh! follows the adventures of teen detective Nolan Blackwell and her dog Casper and is a foul-mouthed and irreverent send-up of Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo.
- Sat, June 3 at 7pm
- Sun, June 4 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 7 at 8:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4:15pm
- Fri, June 16 at 8:45pm
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RUNAWAY PRINCESS: A Hopeful Tale of Heroin, Hooking and Happiness from Mary Goggin
A hopeful tale of heroin, hooking and happiness.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Former New York City call girl Mary Goggin, shares her award-winning true story of sex, drugs and Irish Catholic nuns, told with dark humor, unflinching honesty and unsentimental pathos as she recounts her journey from utter darkness to absolute joy.
- Fri, June 9 at 6:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 5pm
- Tue, June 13 at 6:45pm
- Wed, June 14 at 6:45pm
ShMILF Life from Penny: For Your Thoughts
Stories about dating when trans & old. HINT: You don’t.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Dating when you’re old is very hard. Dating when you’re transgender is even harder. Dating when you’re old AND transgender? Welcome to the ShMILF Life. Storyteller PENNY STERLING takes you on a poignant & hilarious journey as she tries to find a relationship while learning to live her authentic life.
- Sat, June 3 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 4 at 8:30pm
- Tue, June 6 at 6:45pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 4pm
SPANK BANK TIME MACHINE from John Michael
Best friends, poppers, douches, a time machine fueled by participation.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Best friends, poppers, douches, grief, and 50% off Andrew Christian underwear. Trauma Clown/Underwear Sponsored John Michael returns with a time travel machine fueled by spanks and participation. This spiritual sequel to Meatball Seance will unleash your inner FunMonster.
- Sat, June 3 at 2:15pm
- Sun, June 4 at 6:45pm
- Wed, June 7 at 6:45pm
- Fri, June 9 at 8:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 6:45pm
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THE HIGHWAY WOMAN from Hannah Gregory
The origin story of Wicked Lady Ferrers, Renaissance highway woman.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Best friends, poppers, douches, grief, and 50% off Andrew Christian Noblewoman Katherine Ferrers has lost almost everything to the English Civil Wars, including her mother and most of her estates. When her husband joins the war effort, she and her best friend Cordelia take matters into their own hands to make sure she doesn’t lose anything else.
- Sun, June 4 at 2:30pm
- Tue, June 6 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 8 at 7pm
- Fri, June 9 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 14 at 7pm
THE REMBRANDT JOB from The Clifton Players
Historical accurate, hysterically funny botched robbery of Rembrandt paintings from Taft in 1973.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
- Sun, June 4 at 4:15pm
- Tue, June 6 at 7pm
- Thu, June 8 at 8:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 8:45pm
- Sun, June 11 at 7pm
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THREAD AND BONE from Lisa Egan Woods
Sometimes funny always honest memoir about grief, heart-surgery, and dressmaking.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Where memory meets a sewing machine: This sometimes funny, always honest solo-work is part memoir, part eulogy, and part dressmaking project. In an intimate patchwork of love, family, grief, and heart-surgery survival, one woman and her sewing machine will tear apart and re-stitch a dress less than an hour.
- Sat, June 3 at 6:45pm
- Sun, June 4 at 4pm
- Wed, June 7 at 8:30pm
- Thu, June 8 at 6:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 16 at 6:45pm
TO SPITE ONE’S FACE from Zoe Peterson
The VHS from The Ring meets the women of G.L.O.W.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Where memory meets a sewing machine: This sometimes funny, always honest solo-work is part memoir, part eulogy, and part dressmaking project. In an intimate patchwork of love, family, grief, and heart-surgery survival, one woman and her sewing machine will tear apart and re-stitch a dress less than an hour.
- Sat, June 3 at 7pm
- Tue, June 6 at 8:45pm
- Wed, June 7 at 8:45pm
- Sun, June 11 at 2:30pm
- Thu, June 15 at 8:45pm
TODALV from Maia Morrigan Aoibheil
TODALV explores an Indigenous perspective of what identity means.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Where memory meets a sewing machine: This sometimes funny, always honest solo-work is part memoir, part eulogy, and part dressmaking project. In an intimate patchwork of love, family, grief, and heart-surgery survival, one woman and her sewing machine will tear apart and re-stitch a dress less than an hour.
- Sat, June 3 at 4pm
- Sun, June 4 at 6:45pm
- Fri, June 9 at 6:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 2:15pm
- Sun, June 11 at 8:30pm
- Wed, June 14 at 8:30pm
UDFCC (Unambiguously Destructive Family Crushes Community) from The Pajama Playhouse
Two Carls, Barry Larkin, and a banana stroll down Central.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Does your ideal day at the park include balls, bananas, and ice cream sundaes? We’ve got stories for you! Fill up on racism, scandal, and xenophobia: that’s what Cincinnati’s elite offer you! No Carl’s are safe in UDFCC (Unambiguously Destructive Family Crushes Community), not I, not II, not even III!
- Sat, June 3 at 8:45pm
- Sun, June 4 at 7pm
- Sat, June 10 at 2:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 8:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 8:45pm
WHO’S AFRAID OF WINNE THE POOH from Clevername Theatre
It’s Edward Albee, but Winnie the Pooh.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Winnie and Piglet invite the new couple over for drinks. A night of bitter, sadomasochistic mind games ensues. Witness the dramatic triumph of the year, nestled in the unassuming heart of The Hundred Acre Wood.
- Wed, June 7 at 8:30pm
- Thu, June 8 at 6:45pm
- Sat, June 10 at 8:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 4pm
- Tue, June 13 at 8:30pm
- Wed, June 14 at 6:45pm
PRIMARY LINEUP – ON-LINE ONLY
SWEET DREAMS, PILLOWMAN from J. E. Hibbard (Playwright)
Monique, along with her Basement Rat Chorus, conjure up a new roommate.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Monique has spent years in a lonely state, self-medicating her cares away with the company of the Chorus of Rats who live in the basement. Out of her extreme loneliness, she unknowingly conjures up an imaginary friend, Pillowman. Will Monique be able to traverse her mental blocks in order to escape her pain as well as her apartment?
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SPECIAL EVENTS
ALPHAS: APOCALYPSE from Alphas Improv Comedy
Thematic variety show with improv, sketch, music, dancing, & joy.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
An original comedy variety show examining the bizarre moments at the end of the world through sketch, improv, music, and dancing. Written and performed by Alphas, the popular all-female identifying Cincinnati-based sketch and improv comedy group.
- Sat, June 3 at 6:45pm
- Thu, June 15 at 6:45pm
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DEARLY DEPARTED from Karim Muasher & Animal Engine
A clown show about grieving for the whole family.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Physical comedian Karim Muasher plays a discombobulated widower trying to deliver a eulogy. One mistake leads to another, taking him on an epic adventure from the depths of the ocean to the kaleidoscope of outer space. A silly and heartfelt exploration of grief for the whole family.
- Wed, June 14 at 8:30pm
- Fri, June 16 at 6:45pm
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trueFRINGE from True Theatre
True, personal, “behind the scenes” stories by current Fringe artists!
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
For the 13th year in a row, True Theatre presents true, personal stories by current Fringe artists, sharing behind-the-scenes looks into what it takes to be a working artist. See their shows as part of this year’s Festival, then come hear what makes them tick at trueFRINGE 2023!
- Thu, June 15 at 8:30pm
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TRUTH TALKS: The Tale of the Wolf from Fly Boys LLC & Tre Howl
Live storytelling podcast and concert series featuring Tre Howl.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Truth Talks: The Tale of The Wolf gives deep insight on the life and inspirations of music artist Tre Howl. From his start as a slam poet and battle rapper, to his evolution as a storyteller and podcaster. Experience a unique journey from an artist unlike any other you’ve seen.
- Fri, June 9 at 8:30pm
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FRINGE DEVELOPMENT
FAR AWAY FROM HOME: The Travel Plays from Madeline Mitchell
Several short plays take an audience around the world.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
These plays, together, tackle the theme of travel and the human desire to go out and explore what we don’t already know: from a child’s dreams of visiting Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, to honeymooners in Italy, to a widow hiking the Great Wall of China.
- Thu, June 15 at 7pm
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PERFECT PURITY from Faith Von Handorf
A purity instructor gives a presentation while struggling with doubt.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
Perfect Purity follows Mary, a young Christian woman pursuing her calling by working as a traveling purity instructor. After an unexpected interaction Mary continues her work presenting to a youth group, but the seeds of doubt have been sewn. What happens when your beliefs may cause more harm than good?
- Sun, June 11 at 7pm
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THE STORK FILES: True Stories of Adoption, Abortion, and Having No Choice from Julie Coppens
Unswaddling secrets, terminating shame, bearing witness, fostering community.
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
In the summer of 1972, a suburban Cincinnati mom brought home a new wig… and an adopted baby. Five decades (and a few Supreme Court decisions) later, one journalist/theatremaker considers her unlikely “life” story, amidst the reproductive-rights tug-of-war—and invites others to share their truths—with this funny, poignant work-in-progress.
- Thu, June 8 at 6:45pm
ALL AGES FRINGE
FANTASTIC TALES from Paul Strickland
Paul Strickland tells children and family stories. Bring everyone!
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
2022 Orlando Kid’s Fringe Choice Winner Paul Strickland performs fun new interactive musical stories for the whole family! Come one come all – Paul will take you on a story! “Master storyteller” – Cincinnati Enquirer “Touches the heart and excites the imagination” – Orlando Weekly
- Sun, June 4 at 2:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 12:30pm
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TROLLS! TROLLS! TROLLS! from Autumn Kaleidoscope
There’s a TROLL in my suitcase!
More info & purchase tickets | Facebook event | Press release |
The last thing that you would expect to find in your suitcase is a troll. Using puppets and folk tales from around the world, Silas G. Thistlewig shows a downhearted young troll that there is more to life than living under bridges…or in suitcases.
- Sat, June 3 at 2:30pm
- Sun, June 4 at 12:30pm
- Sat, June 10 at 12:30pm
- Sun, June 11 at 2:30pm
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 