Monthly Archives: March 2026

March 30, 2026 · 5:57 pm

Enter Revolting Times with Walnut Hills High School’s MATILDA JR

Katherine Hoffman as Miss Honey & Annajane Updegrove as Matilda. Costumes by Grace Cotton and Greta Linser. Hair and makeup by Izzy Hayes. Photo by Mikki Shaffner.

Cincinnati, OH – For their fourth show of the season, the Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department is excited to present Matilda Jr! The show dates are April 23rd & 25th at 7 pm, along with a matinee on April 25th at 2 pm. All performances will take place in Walnut Hills High School’s Westheimer Auditorium.

Matilda Jr. is based on the children’s novel of the same name, Matilda, published in 1988 and written by Roald Dahl. The story follows the bright young Matilda, a gifted child with a knack for reading books and attaining new knowledge. Her neglectful parents oppose her smarts, and send her to school after many years of desperately wanting to attend. However, she quickly discovers that this school has an imperious headmistress: The Trunchbull.

With the assistance of her classmates, her understanding and kind teacher Miss Honey, and a sudden development of telekinetic powers, Matilda navigates her way through various conflicts, allowing for a pleasant and meaningful story to unfold for all audiences alike.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students.Tickets can be purchased at: https://whhstheatre.ludus.com/

This production and the entire WHHS Theatre Season is graciously sponsored by:

  • The Walnut Hills High School Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund
  • The Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation
  • Wings Walnut Hills Theatre Boosters
  • WHHS Parent Association
  • Dr. Pepper and Family

Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department Presents: Matilda Jr.

Book by Dennis Kelly, Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin

Silas Dronen as The Trunchbull in Walnut Hills High School’s production of Matilda Jr. Costume by Grace Cotton and Greta Linser. Hair and makeup by Izzy Hayes. Photo by Mikki Shaffner.

Featuring Annajane Updegrove as Matilda, Katherine Hoffman as Miss Honey, Silas Dronen as Trunchbull, Will Crone as Mr. Wormwood, Amelia Hoops as Mrs. Wormwood, Ellis Klump-Lawson as Bruce, Madeline Benoit as Lavender, Adina Morvay as Amanda, Grayson Isenberg as Nigel, Mabel Hartmann as Alice, Violet Haunschild as Erica, Bea Steele as Hortensia, Norah Kestner as Tammy, Red Kinnear as Mrs. Phelps/Ensemble, Tomi Olakanmi as Escapologist/Ensemble, Charlie Hans as Acrobat/Ensemble, Christian Alexander as Michael/Ensemble, Ivy Syroney as Rudolpho/Ensemble, Levi Singer as Sergei/Ensemble, Eleanor Augustynen as Cook/Ensemble, Leni Cable as Mechanic/Ensemble, and Sanah Badran, Ellie Cowan, Gabrielle Daniels, Fiona Fischer, Mabel Garth, Oli Georgin, Zoë Haas, Lucy Howe, Laney Kelley, Mia Kline, Neve Kolshorn, Sienna McClain, Theo Miritello, Bridget Patel, Annie Sayre, Rayhanna Sen, Charlotte Sorenson, Denise Wentz, and Harper Willison as Ensemble.

Director- Joe Mitchell
Assistant Directors- Elijah Cook and Caroline Lovelace
Music Director- Bret Albright
Assistant Music Director- Clark Sayre
Technical Director- Michael Sherman
Student Technical Director- Abbie Kershner
Student Choreographers- Lauryn Shafer and Annie Kate Sayre
Production Stage Manager- Noa Jaffee
Costume Designers- Grace Cotton and Greta Linser
Costume Manager- Alice Carmicle
Hair and Makeup Designer- Izzy Hayes
Marketing and Publicity Leads – Adelaide Linser and Naomi Madaris
House Manager- Ellie Cook
Lighting Designers- Norah Boehm and Dallon Hatton
Lighting Managers- Dallon Hatton and Eleanor Jackson
Props Designer- McKenzie Bell
Props Manager- Asher Morin
Scenic Designers- Kieran Karuna and Easton Taylor
Scenic Manager/Sound Designer- Lily Pavelka
Sound Manager- Violet Garitson

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as

March 30, 2026 · 5:48 pm

THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK: DEEP SEA EXPLORER | May 1-2, 2026 | Aronoff Center

THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK:
DEEP SEA EXPLORER

May 1-2, 2026
Aronoff Center – Fifth Third Bank Theater

[Cincinnati, OH] – The deeply affecting, multi-award-winning, one-man micro-epic puppet show, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, that melds technology and multimedia into a touching story of enduring love and the end of the world, makes its Cincinnati debut at the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 2 at 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM. The show is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s CAA PRESENTS! 2025-26 Season.

Tickets are on sale now www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4155.

Created by Tim Watts, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a visually inspired solo show. Employing a unique blend of puppetry, live and recorded music, and animation, the show presents an exploration of the next and oldest frontier: the deep blue sea.

The seas have risen, billions have died, and those who are left live on farms atop skyscrapers, atop mountains. The scientists have tried everything. Floating islands sank, space probes found nothing, and effort to refreeze the icecaps failed. Now, science and humanity are turning to the oceans themselves. A last-ditch effort to save the human race requires journeying down through the mysterious depths of the deep blue sea to find a new place for us to live.

Alvin Sputnik, who has just lost his wife, accepts this perilous mission so that he may follow her soul down to the underworld to be together once more.

This exquisite one-man show is a unique and charming performance that is emotional, uplifting, touching, and funny – a heart-warming and beautiful experience that’s a remarkable pocket masterpiece of invention, staging, and performance.

Watts debuted The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer at Perth’s (Australia) Blue Room Theatre in May 2009 before presenting a highly successful season at the New York International Fringe Festival, where it was awarded “Outstanding Solo Show” and received rave reviews. The show has been performed over 400 times across the world including Korea, China, New Zealand, America, Canada, and the UK. Alvin is a very moving and touching piece, which has a deep emotional resonance with those who’ve seen it.

TIM WATTS (Show Creator/Performer)
Tim Watts is a performer, deviser, director, puppeteer, improvisor, and animator from Perth, Western Australia. He is a founding member of The Last Great Hunt and a Sidney Myer Fellowship recipient. He has a passion for creating and performing original, imaginatively engaging theatrical experiences born from improvisation and experimentation.

Since graduating from Notre Dame University, Fremantle, Western Australia, with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2005, he has participated in international workshops, including studying clown and physical comedy with Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, CA, as well as Puppetry workshops with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle and Blind Summit in the UK. He has co-created and performed in a plethora of shows, some of which won awards and toured all over the world. These include: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (2009), It’s Dark Outside (2012), BRUCE (2014), Monroe and Associates (2015), New Owner (2016), The Irresistible (2017), Stay With Us (2018), Lé Nør [The Rain] (2019), Whistleblower (2021), and Cicada (2022).

Audience age range recommendation: 10+. Content advisory: themes of loss and death. While Alvin is suitable for (and enjoyed by) ages 10+, it’s not just for kids. It’s a show loved and enjoyed by adults and kids alike, combining childlike wonder and emotional complexity into a whimsical yet poignant experience for all ages.

“…akin to a theatrical Wall-E.” – The New York Times

“…an ingenious and beguiling blend of live action, puppetry, animation, music and film to tell a story of love, loss and quiet heroism…” – The Guardian (UK)

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

Season Sponsors:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), MIAMI UNIVERSITY, ARTSWAVE, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, TRIHEALTH

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, altafiber, Bahl & Gaynor, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, Summerfair Cincinnati

#  #  #

CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer

WHEN:                Friday, May 1, 2026 – 7:00 PM

Saturday, May 2, 2026 – 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center – Fifth Third Bank Theater

PRICE:                 $25, inclusive of all fees. Subject to change.

INFO:                   Created by Tim Watts, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a visually inspired solo show. Employing a unique blend of puppetry, live and recorded music, and animation, the show presents an exploration of the next and oldest frontier: the deep blue sea. This unique and charming performance is emotional, uplifting, touching, and funny – a heart-warming and beautiful experience that’s a remarkable pocket masterpiece of invention, staging, and performance.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as

March 30, 2026 · 5:41 pm

Cast Announced for TWELFTH NIGHT ILLYRIA 2026 at Tri-County Players

Due to licensing being pulled for a national tour of CLUE…

Tri-County Players is excited to announce the cast for our new Spring Production:

TWELFTH NIGHT ILLYRIA 2026
by William Shakespeare

Directed by Gregory Smith & Robert Buchtman

Featuring:

  • KARL KREUNEN ANTONIO/CAPTIAN
  • STEPHEN BECK MALVOLIO
  • ERICA BEIMESCHE FESTE
  • COLLEEN MCELROY OLIVIA
  • TRISHA COOPER MARIA
  • MICHAEL SCARPELLI TOBY BELCH
  • JIM CRONIN ORSINO
  • EM IVANOV SEBASTIAN
  • JERRET REID SIR ANDREW
  • HANNAH WAGNER VIOLA
  • ILANA MILBERG FABIAN
  • KALI REEVES VALENTINE/CURIO/PRIEST

Show Dates: May 1, 2, 8 & 9 7:30pm May 3 3:00pm

Bell Tower Arts Pavilion
3270 Glendale Milford Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45241

1 Comment

Filed under Cast list

Tagged as

March 30, 2026 · 5:36 pm

A World of Dragons Comes to Life at The Emery This April

DreamWorks’ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON The Musical JR.

CINCINNATI – The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) completes its inaugural MainStage season in the newly restored and reimagined Emery Theater with DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon The Musical JR., opening Friday, April 17, 2026. Tickets start at $12 and are on sale now at thechildrenstheatre.com.

Based on the beloved DreamWorks film, the one-hour (JR.) version of How to Train Your Dragon, The Musical  brings the epic adventure of Hiccup, a young Viking, and a dragon named Toothless to life in a thrilling stage production filled with soaring music, heartwarming friendship, dynamic storytelling, and of course… dragons!. Determined to prove himself, Hiccup discovers that strength is not about fearing and fighting dragons, it is about understanding them. What unfolds is a powerful story about courage, compassion, identity, and the relationships that change everything.

This visually stunning production is designed to take full advantage of the Emery Theater’s cutting-edge technology, transforming the stage into a world where dragons rule the skies. With immersive projection, dynamic staging, and theatrical magic at every turn, audiences will be transported to the Isle of Berk in one of TCT’s most ambitious and cinematic productions to date.

Kim Kern, President and CEO of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, said: “DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon The Musical JR. is exactly the kind of breathtaking, imaginative storytelling the Emery Theater was built for. It’s big, bold, and visually stunning, but at its heart, it’s a story about connection, courage, and seeing the world differently. Watching Hiccup and Toothless form that bond is something that stays with you. And to bring a story like this to life on this stage, in a way that feels larger than life, with all the technology we now have at our fingertips, is exactly why we dreamed so big for the Emery. This is the kind of experience families will talk about long after they leave.”

Public Showtimes include:

  • Friday, April 17, 2026: 7 PM – OPENING NIGHT
  • Saturday, April 18, 2026: 2 PM and 5 PM
  • Sunday, April 19, 2026: 2 PM
  • Saturday, April 25, 2026: 11 AM and 2 PM (ASL and Audio Described Performance)
  • Sunday, April 26, 2026: 2 PM
  • Saturday, May 2, 2026: 2 PM and 5 PM
  • Sunday, May 3, 2026: 2 PM

Good to know: This production uses theatrical fog, haze, loud sound effects, and lifelike dragons. Flashing lights, but no strobe effects, are used. This production runs approximately 60 minutes without intermission. Ideal for ages 4+.

From DreamWorks Theatricals. Book By Kate Thomas. Music By Veronica Mansour. Lyrics By Kate Thomas & Veronica Mansour. Concept and Stage Direction by TCT Artistic Director, Roderick Justice. Choreography by TCT Education Director, Angelo Cerniglia. Music Direction, Jamey Strawn. Scenic Design, Nate Bertone. Lighting Design, Yelena Babinskaya. Costume Design, John Coulter. Video/Projection Design, Lightborne. Sound Design, Dani Lobello. Puppet Design/Creation, Kevin Frisch.

Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon The Musical JR. is made possible by Dress Run Sponsor TriHealth and Season Sponsors The Charles H. Dater Foundation and The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Foundation. PNC Foundation provides additional funding for MainStage Ticket Subsidies. Additional Sponsors include The Sutphin Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Shubert Foundation INC.

This production is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon The Musical JR. will be performed in the beautifully renovated and reimagined Emery Theater, 1112 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Tickets start at $12. Visit thechildrenstheatre.com anytime or call the TCT Box Office at 513.569.8080 x10, Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM to purchase tickets. 

-end-

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as

March 30, 2026 · 5:29 pm

FOURTEEN FUNERALS Review

Review by Katrina “Kat” Reynolds

FOURTEEN FUNERALS presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati through April 12th. I attended the Opening Night performance. 

Shonita Joshi as Sienna & Maggie Lou Rader as Millie. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

A young woman receives a vague call regarding the deaths of distant relatives in a small town – sounds like the intro to something spooky, right? Dead wrong. This spring, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents FOURTEEN FUNERALS, a dusky comedy by playwright Eric Pfeffinger.

Director Torie Wiggins (who was keen to take on a comedy after a series of less-than-humourous projects) wields her artistic magic adeptly in this two-hander. With the action taking place entirely in a funeral home, Ms. Wiggins skillfully keeps the momentum going and staging animated so the space does not feel claustrophobic. The juxtaposition of this with necessary moments of stillness is superb. Scenic & Lighting Designer Brian c. Mehring offers his usual attention to detail with some amusing little Easter eggs (the boxes of tissue everywhere are a great choice). Special shoutout to Sound Designer Trey Tatum for his homage to fireworks (#IYKYK).

This show calls for two actors who have great chemistry – and ETC delivers with a dynamic duo. Shonita Joshi plays Sienna, a very anti-smalltown human who is forced to face a lot more than for which she bargained when she arrives in Blissfield, IN. Ms. Joshi is a very natural actor and excels at portraying the hardened character whose cracks slowly begin to show. Countering the hard shell of Sienna is Millie, the mortuary’s receptionist who is depicted by Maggie Lou Rader. Ms. Rader is entirely believable as a chatty and optimistic employee who struggles with typical funeral home reserve. Like her co-star, she offers an incredible take on her character’s arc as we discover some of the darker things Millie has witnessed. Dialogue flows easily between the two performing artists and laughter is elicited from their audience with seemingly little effort. Brava to a very talented pair of professionals!

In just two acts, the audience plays witness to a deep study of the human condition. Certainly grief plays a role – we are addressing death, after all; but there is so much more than one might expect. Mr. Pfeffinger has managed to write a piece filled with many emotions that still manages to end with the audience smiling – and it doesn’t take an unrealistically sappy path to get you there. This is a feel-good time at theatre in all the best ways.

Click here for more information about the production.

Leave a comment

Filed under On Stage

Tagged as