Monthly Archives: September 2023

JASON’S FOOTAGE, BUFFALO GIRL 1973, MONUMENTAL ART and THE HOUND On Oct. 10

CPI_The HoundJASON’S FOOTAGE, BUFFALO GIRL 1973. MONUMENTAL ART and THE HOUND
Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative
Oct. 10
Aronoff Center Fifth-Third Bank Theater [Downtown]

THE HOUND by Michael Defrancesco
The Hound is a taut drama thriller about a mystery  man — Bud  30ish –  visiting another mystery man – Lester  70ish in a marginal nursing home. In a hound and fox game between them, they gradually reveal who they are. A third character – Athena –  a LPN completes the mystery trio whose actions were precipitated by Bud finding a family album upon the death of his mother.

About the Author: Michael is familiar to CPI audiences for his play The Circle, a narrative of priestly abuse, that received a staged reading in January 2022. He had a second staged reading for his play, The Car Ride in October, 2022 in addition to his 10-minute play, A Box of Mom’s Photos that received a staged reading for Lovefest 2 in February 2023. After attending a summer drama program at UC, Michael was awarded a Rockefeller grant to UC’s Theatre Arts program, where he earned a Master’s degree. Michael is a native Cincinnatian and resides in Clifton with his wife.

JASON’S FOOTAGE, BUFFALO GIRL 1973A and MONUMENTAL ART by Clint Bramkamp

In Jason’s Footage, when their star dies of an overdose, four filmmakers try to salvage their unfinished film and their own relationships. In Monumental Art, a former campus misfit at Grand Lakes U donates a sculpture to his old school, but is it gratitude or a different kind of gesture? Buffalo Girl 1973 takes place in a discotheque. A man who used to fly women to New York to obtain legal abortions unexpectedly meets a former passenger.

About the Author: Clint Bramkamp has been privileged to have plays performed, and to be a performer, at CPI in the past. He is a board member at The Drama Workshop in Cheviot, and is the founder of Home Brew Theater, their annual 10-minute play festival. Clint’s ten-minute play, The Courthouse, was selected for CPI’s first Lovefest play competition in February 2019. Clint has been acting since the 1970’s at venues including the Cherry County Playhouse in Michigan, Dayton’s Human Race Theater, and the Showboat Majestic. He most recently appeared in this year’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival in Kevin Crowley’s The Rembrandt Job.

  • Tue, Oct. 10 at 7:30pm

Official page |

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage

Cast Announced for WRECKING BALL at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

CSC_Wrecking Ball

Darnell Pierre Benjamin in the world premiere of “Wrecking Ball” by Zina Camblin. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has announced the cast for WRECKING BALL. The cast includes:

  • Victoria Cartagena (Gotham, You and Manifest) as Abby
  • Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Tyson
  • Burgess Byrd as Anita
  • Jeremy Dubin as Danny
  • Dale Hodges as Meg
  • Sara Mackie as Chloe
  • Patrick Earl Phillips as Seth

A Hollywood writers’ room becomes tense when drama spills beyond scripts and screens into the real world. A team of screenwriters get together to adapt a beloved, yet controversial, classic play for a new television series, but production halts when a shocking truth is revealed. The “Wrecking Ball” demolishes the pristine façade of Hollywood, and this cast of characters must find a way to rebuild in this caustic contemporary comedy that will have you talking the whole ride home.

Directed by Leigh Fondakowski, performances run Oct. 13-28.

For more information visit www.cincyshakes.com/event/wreckingball.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cast list

CELTIC WOMAN: 20th Anniversary Tour | Fri., April 19 | Aronoff Center

CAA_Celtic Woman 20

Photo by Kip Carroll.

Grammy-Nominated Music Sensation
Celtic Woman Brings 20th Anniversary Tour to the
Aronoff Center on April 19, 2024

Soprano Mairéad Carlin to Return
PBS to Air “20th ANNIVERSARY” Special in More than 60 Markets Later this Year 

[CINCINNATI, OH] – On the heels of the successful “Postcards From Ireland,” Celtic Woman will carry on its legacy of uplifting performances packed with breath-taking harmonies and instrumental virtuosity. The group today announced it will bring an all-new live show to celebrate its 20th anniversary to the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 7:30 PM. The Celtic Woman 20th Anniversary Tour will be delighting audiences with its fresh blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music that echoes Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, while reflecting the vibrant spirit of modern Ireland.

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 29 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. For groups of ten or more, call (513) 977-4157. Applicable services fees may apply. Prices are subject to change.

In the 20 years since the global musical sensation’s debut, Celtic Woman has emerged as both a formidable musical presence and a genuine cultural phenomenon. The group’s albums and DVD releases have been consistent multi-platinum best-sellers and its concert tours continue to touch the hearts of a devoted audience that spans the globe. Both an accomplished recording ensemble and a world-class performing collective, Celtic Woman introduces some of Ireland’s most talented singers and musicians to the world stage.

The group’s repertoire encompasses Irish classics, contemporary songs, classical favorites, and stirring originals. The lineup of performers has evolved in the years since the group’s inception, but the signature sound of Celtic Woman has remained consistent, showcasing the members’ individual and collaborative talents.

Celtic Woman is comprised of four young Irish women whose performing skills bring centuries of musical and cultural tradition to life. In concert, their angelic voices and instrumental virtuosity are accompanied by a robust ensemble that includes Irish dancers, bagpipers, and a full band playing an array of traditional Celtic instruments, including bodhrán, tin whistle, bouzouki, and Uilleann pipes.

Returning to the group is soprano Mairéad Carlin, a former member who joins the show for this very special anniversary tour. Joining her are fellow soprano Muirgen O’Mahony, fiddle and Irish harp maestro Tara McNeill, as well as the newest member of the group, the multi-talented Emma Warren, who has toured with Riverdance and Heartbeat of Home, and most recently performed in Les Misérables, London. 

Later this year, PBS will air the accompanying “20th ANNIVERSARY” TV special in North America across 60+ local PBS stations. Filmed in The Helix Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, it takes fans on a journey back to where it all began 20 years ago (and in the very same theater). The TV special features appearances from four very special guests, including original members Lisa Kelly, Máiréad Nesbitt, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, and Chloë Agnew — who join Celtic Woman for this wonderful TV special packed with emotional and heart stirring performances.

Following the PBS broadcasts, the “20th ANNIVERSARY” album and DVD will be released in January 2024 and feature brand-new compositions and arrangements plus some fan favorites.

Since 2005, Celtic Woman has sold over ten million CDs and DVDs, and amassed more than three billion streams, making it the only all-female act to achieve multi-platinum success in the classical crossover and world music genres during the past decade. Named Billboard’s #1 World Music Artist of the Year six times, twelve of the studio CDs have debuted at #1 on Billboard’s World Album chart. Celtic Woman has also scored two Top 10 debuts on Billboard’s influential album chart and five Top Five DVDs on Billboard’s Top Video chart, as well as achieving platinum-level sales in nine countries. Their 2016 album release, Destiny, was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best World Music Album, marking the group’s first-ever Grammy nomination.

For the complete tour schedule, tickets and more information, visit www.celticwoman.com/tour-dates. Sign up for Celtic Woman’s newsletters at www.celticwoman.com to learn about new tour dates, album releases and special offers.

# # # # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

GLADYS NIGHTS Runs Oct. 6-14

BPI_logoGLADYS NIGHTS
Beechmont Players
Oct. 6-14
Anderson Center

Cast: Maggie Ingram King as Gladys, Pamela Blessing as Pepper, Nyon Smith as Bobby, Scott Unes as Ray, Mark Waldfogle as Man, Susan Unes as Woman, Lisa White as Techie #1 & Lisa Kuhn as Techie #2

Directed by Steve Phelan
Produced by Mary Jo Bissmeyer

When Gladys was eight years old, she signed a blood oath with her imaginary friend, Pepper, that if she ever became old and boring, Pepper (a sexy, bad-ass international assassin) would come and rescue her.  Now, Gladys is creeping on 40 and has indeed become boring. Naturally, Pepper returns and convinces Gladys she too can become a bad-ass assassin.  Hilarious complications ensue as the two work to spice up Gladys’ life.

  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 6-7 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Oct. 8 at 2pm
  • Thu-Fri, Oct. 12-13 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Oct. 14 at 2pm

Official page | Facebook event |

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage

THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE Runs Oct. 6-14

EA_The Language ArchiveTHE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE
Epiphany Arts
Oct. 6-14
Epiphany United Methodist Church [Loveland]

Directed by Michael Yarick

Cast: Jamie Sivrais as George, Jenna Schroeder as Mary, Meghan Moore as Emma, Joe Simmons as Resten & Trisha Cooper as Alta

George is a man who is consumed with preserving and documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, however, language is failing him. Though he holds himself as a language expert, George simply does not have the right words to save his marriage.

  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 6-7 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, Oft. 13-14 at 7:30pm

Official page |

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage