Cincinnati LAB Theatre’s New Works Festival will present three fully staged workshop productions and three original play readings in a rotating festival repertoire over two weekends, July 18 – July 27, 2024. All performances will be presented in Cincinnati at the Bell Tower Arts Pavillion 3270 Glendale-Milford Road.
Cincinnati LAB Theatre is now in its eleventh producing season. Some of Cincinnati LAB Theatre’s past productions include A Ghost Of A Chance by Kimberly Shimer, The Springvale Armadillo by Donald Loftus, The Philosophy Of Cavemen by CL Byrd, Burning Down The House by Pam Weiler Grayson, Preggers, or Parenthood for Virgins by Rebecca Dzida, Finding Neil Patrick Harris by Donna Hoke, Dog by Brian David Walker, Four Horses by Mary Beringer, The Secret Life Of Bros & Of Dudes And Nudes by Nathan Top, The Color Of The Leaves by Isaiah Reaves, The Relationship Plays & A Funny Play For Troubled Times by Charlie Schulman, Medusa In You by Valetta Anderson, The Hired Man by Heather Meyer, Shirt.Brown.Honesty & Led Thespian by Jason Podplesky, 3Some by Brian Griffin, An Evening with Stephen Crane by Phil Paradis, Identity: An Evening of Three Twenty-Minute Plays by Elizabeth a. Harris, Brian Griffin, and Leah Strasser, and Daughter Of War as well as Judas by Elizabeth a. Harris.
WORKSHOP SERIES: The New Works Festival Workshop Series will present three brand new fully staged workshop productions:
ZELDA & HADLEY: TOGETHER AT LAST by Eileen Earnest
Directed by Elizabeth a. Harris
The entirely fictional absolutely true story of what happens when F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway’s wives have had enough of their husbands’ philandering ways and get even with a radio drama. To begin, the audience decides which literary masterpiece to tackle. The ladies then improve that story by playing all the characters, creating all the sound effects, and reminding the audience that “hell hath no fury…” Also, there’s gin.
Performances July 18th & 26th 7:30PM
SYNAPSE by Mary Beringer
Directed by Carolyn Guido Clifford
When Mrs. Brown’s husband disappears, she gets an offer from his employer- a technology company that can put Mr. Brown’s brain into the body of a willing participant, essentially bringing him back to life. Eventually, Mrs. Brown agrees, but quickly comes to regret that decision.
Performances July 19th & 27th 7:30PM
THE STANDS by Eric Thomas Directed by Elizabeth a. Harris
Two sets of parents meet in the stands of their sons’ first high school baseball game. Each parent has different expectations for the day, and for what the game will mean to their son. The parents’ relationships to each other and to their sons are challenged by events on the field and in the stands.
Performances July 20th & 25th 7:30PM
PLAY READING SERIES: The New Works Festival Play Reading Series will present three staged readings of new plays currently under development:
MY MOTHER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Erin Osgood
Directed by Jeff Hartman
When Nova is accused of poisoning her schoolmate and friend, she elicits the help of her Lawyer and Maid to find the truth. As she tries to remember the events of the fateful day, past tragedies are linked to the death. Nova discovers that her mother, a famous actress, may be connected.
Performance July 21st 1:00PM
THE DRESSES by Anne Valentino
Directed by Grace Wagner
Zeya and Scottie are a happily engaged lesbian couple who like to frequent places like museums, fresh air markets and apple farms. One fated trip to the museum, however, will alter the course of their lives forever. While at The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, they check out the First Ladies Dress exhibit, setting off a chain of events that ultimately leads to the “Great First Lady Dress” heist. Not only do the women plot to steal the dresses, they also have plans for making some pretty bold (and theatrical) statements with them—right on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Add Joan, the way-too-happy hostage, along with Laura Bush Muppet Puppet into the mix and you have what is on its surface a somewhat absurdist comedy about the lengths people will go to to make a statement, but one that also begs the deeper question, “who does get to determine how history is represented?”
Performance July 21st 4:00PM
EDEN 2.0 by Kimberly Shimer
Directed by Linda Callahan
Eve, the temptress, cursed both herself and Adam when she insisted he try the fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. But what if, in fact, Adam was to blame? What if a lie and a supposed video glitch wrongly convicted Eve, leading to millennia of gender inequality? Can two interns at G’s Command Center in “Almost Heaven,” West Virginia figure out a way to make things right? Performance July 21st 7:00PM
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL PREVIEW: In August Cincinnati LAB Theatre will be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland with Zelda & Hadley: Together At Last by Eileen Earnest. This show will be the fifth play that LAB has produced at the fringe. The first play was LED Thespian by Jason Podplesky in 2018, the second play was Four Horses by Mary Beringer which LAB streamed online-on-demand for the entire month of August in 2021, the third was The Philosophy Of Cavemen by CL Byrd in 2022, and the fourth was The Relationship Plays by Charlie Schulman in 2023. Make sure to join us to see the show stateside and help our artists receive feedback before the festival!
Single Tickets and 2024 New Works Festival All-Access Pass
Single tickets to the 2024 Cincinnati LAB Theatre New Works Festival may be purchased online or at the door.
Workshop Series:
- $15 Adult – General Admission per performance
- $10 Student – General Admission per performance
- $10 Senior – General Admission per performance
Play Reading Series:
- $5 – General Admission per performance
All-Access Pass
Experience all that Cincinnati LAB Theatre has to offer this season! 2024 All Access Passes are $35. 2024 All-Access passes allow general admission entry for passholders into all 2024 Cincinnati LAB Theatre New Works Festival events. For an extra $5, a total of $40, you can enjoy your All-Access Pass in style with an official Cincinnati LAB Theatre t-shirt.
All tickets are available online through our website or may be purchased at the door using cash or credit-card.
About Cincinnati LAB Theatre: Cincinnati LAB Theatre is an organization for established and emerging playwrights and performers and is dedicated to a collaborative creative process that will present established works of drama and develop new plays through a traditional workshop model. Cincinnati LAB Theatre will provide a solid platform for artists to cultivate, strengthen, and hone their artistic crafts and talents and offer quality theatre for Cincinnati audiences.
Cincinnati LAB Theatre 2024 New Works Festival Schedule
Thursday, July 18, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: Zelda & Hadley Together At Last by Eileen Earnest
Friday, July 19, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: Synapse by Mary Beringer
Saturday, July 20, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: The Stands by Eric Thomas
Sunday, July 21, 2024
- 1:00pm – Play Reading Series: The Dresses by Anne Valentino
- 4:00pm – Play Reading Series: My Mother, The Serial Killer by Erin Osgood
- 7:00pm – Play Reading Series: Eden 2.0 by Kimberly Shimer
Thursday, July 25, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: The Stands by Eric Thomas
Friday, July 26, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: Zelda & Hadley Together At Last by Eileen Earnest
Saturday, July 27, 2024
- 7:30pm – Workshop Series: Synapse by Mary Beringer
All performances of the New Works Festival 2024 will be held at the Bell Tower Arts Pavillion 3270 Glendale-Milford Road. Follow Cincinnati LAB Theatre on our Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and our website www.cincylabtheatre.wixsite.com/cincylab.
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