The Academy Award Winning Film, NETWORK comes to Cincy Shakes’ Stage

Brent Vimtrup, Patrick Earl Phillips, Geoffrey Warren Barnes II, Hayley Guthrie, and Jasimine Bouldin. Photo by Phil Armstrong.

A sensation on Broadway and in London, the immersive and relevant “Network” receives its Regional Premiere here in Cincinnati 

Cincinnati, September 9, 2026 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to present the Regional Premiere of Network, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, based on the Academy Award winning film by Paddy Chayefsky. The production is directed by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Producing Artistic Director and CEO Brian Isaac Phillips. The Ensemble is generously sponsored by Macie and Jim Kinney joined with the Production Support Sponsor is Brave Berlin.

“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” erupts across the airwaves in this immersive stage adaptation of the Academy Award winning film. Set in 1970s America, as television tightens its grip on American culture, veteran anchorman Howard Beale unravels live on air. What begins as a breakdown becomes a broadcast phenomenon. Soaring ratings transform him into an unlikely prophet for a network hungry for spectacle, in a world where outrage sells and attention is the ultimate currency. A sensation on Broadway and in London, Network blurs the line between news and entertainment with explosive consequences.

Network features an incredible ensemble of 16 actors, including many familiar faces. Jim Hopkins stars as Howard Beale, whose public unraveling becomes the center of the story. When Beale’s breakdown turns into a broadcast sensation, Max Schumacher, played by Barry Mulholland, finds himself battling network executives Frank Hackett and Diana Christensen, played by Brent Vimtrup and Hayley Guthrie, over the future of the network. Rounding out the cast is a talented ensemble featuring Geoffrey Warren Barnes II, Jasimine Bouldin, Eva Olivia Catanzariti, Montez Jenkins Copeland, Cary Davenport, Giles Davies, Phil Fiorini, Candice Handy, Kelly Mengelkoch, Connan Morrissey, Patrick Early Phillips, and Robert Carlton Stimmel.

Bringing this iconic film to the stage is our design team, directed by Brian Isaac Phillips. Jon Savage’s scenic design brings the audience into a 1970s newsroom, with vintage cameras and TV screens. Costumes designed by Erin Reed Carter and wigs by Kayla Cieslinski further establish the 1970s setting with subtle nods to the original film. Zack Bennett’s sound design and Robert Carlton Stimmel’s media design bring the world of television news to life, incorporating real news clips from the 1970s. Alicia Rodis serves as fight and intimacy director. Network is stage managed by Danitza Piper with Tessa Killen as Assistant Stage Manager.

Please note: This production includes gunshots and other loud noises, strong language, discussions of suicide, simulated sexual activity, theatrical haze, and flashing lights. Patrons with questions should reach out to the Box Office at 513-381-2273.

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Network runs September 11 through 26, 2026. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm. Saturday matinees take place on September 19 and 26, with a Sunday matinee on September 20 all at 2:00pm. A special Media Night has been added for Wednesday Sep. 23 at 7:30pm.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company also offers these performances with accessibility resources: Live Audio Description will be available on Friday September 11, and an American Sign Language-interpreted performance will take place on September 26 at 2:00pm.

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Tickets are on sale now. Discounts are available for students, seniors, local residents, and community partners. Each performance also includes a limited number of $14 “Access” tickets, available in advance online or by calling the Box Office. Beginning one hour before each performance, any remaining unreserved seats may become available as $12 Rush Tickets for anyone, not just students. Rush Tickets may be located anywhere in the theater depending on that evening’s availability, cannot be reserved in advance, and must be purchased in person at the Box Office.

All major credit cards are accepted. Ticketing fees apply. To purchase tickets or learn more, contact the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1 or visit the website online at cincyshakes.com.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park.  Many parking spaces are available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information, visit online here.

CSC has coordinated a prepaid self-parking option right next door to the theater for a hassle‐free, guaranteed spot. A limited number of reserved spaces are available starting 1.5 hours before performances and lasting through the end of the show. The 3CDC parking attendant will have your name on the list with advance purchase, guaranteeing your spot and price. Visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking to reserve self-parking.

This is the second production in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s 2026-2027 Season which is generously presented by our Operating Support Partners: The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation; The Linnemann Family Foundation; The Ohio Arts Council; The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation; The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest; The Shubert Foundation; Maureen and John Bridgeland, Cindy Bridgeland Crilley, and Debby and Jim Mason in honor of Jim Bridgeland; Lightborne, and the tens of thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for all.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. CSC’s repertoire is composed of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, world premieres, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with the Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of Theater Communications Group and Shakespeare Theatre Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach more than 50,000 young people and community members by meeting audiences where they are. This includes sharing programming in schools, parks, community centers and hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the Classics!