Author Archives: robbucher

January 28, 2019 · 2:59 pm

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents BACKSTAGE @ ETC

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(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC), Over-the-Rhine’s premiere theatre, is excited to present Backstage @ ETC on March 1, 2019 at 5:30pm. At this behind-the-scenes fundraiser event, you’re invited to venture offstage to see how ETC creates the productions and community programming you love, plus enjoy a sneak peek at A Doll’s House, Part 2 and musical selections from productions which have been or MAY be on the ETC stage in the coming season.

Backstage @ ETC includes the opportunity to view usually restricted areas of ETC to see how the theatrical magic is made—from scenery construction to painting to costumes to education. While attendees tour the premises, dinner-by-the-bite will be offered in various spaces, and opportunities for participants to fund a variety of needs from each department will be presented. The evening will end with a sneak-peak performance of an excerpt from A Doll’s House, Part 2 (the day before the first public preview performance!), as well as musical selections from past shows and possible future productions.

Ticket Prices
Guest Tickets are $100 and include admission to Backstage @ ETC and 1 drink ticket. All tickets can be purchased online or at the Box Office.

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Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

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January 28, 2019 · 2:52 pm

World Premiere of THE LAST WIDE OPEN Debuts Feb. 9

PIP_The Last Wide Open promo

Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

A romance that explores love, fate and the ways in which the universe brings people together

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will present THE LAST WIDE OPEN, a love story that encourages audiences to take a personal, humorous look at modern-day courtship, romance and relationships, just in time for Valentine’s Day. It begins Feb. 9 in the Shelterhouse Theatre and runs through March 10, with support from The Rosenthal Family Foundation, Season Sponsor of New Work. Opening night is Feb. 14.

The world premiere, under the direction of Artistic Director Blake Robison, was written by Playwright Audrey Cefaly and described by Cefaly as “a love song in three movements.” This romantic tale sweeps the audience up into three different realities in which the same characters attempt to forge a connection despite language barriers, personal stories and histories, and cultural differences.

The production, which features original songs with lyrics by Cefaly and music by Composer/Sound Designer Matthew M Neilson, follows Lina, a waitress, and Roberto, an Italian immigrant. The two find themselves on completely different paths of their own creation giving the show an element of fantasy.

THE LAST WIDE OPEN takes place in the twilight hours of an ordinary night on a normal day during a thunderstorm. The date is May 5, present day. The location is Frankie’s, a small Italian restaurant that is closed for the evening. Two characters, Lina and Roberto, enter onstage. She is an emotional person and a dreamer. He is a poetic and generous Italian immigrant. They are about to share their fate-filled love story — imagined in three different realities.

“THE LAST WIDE OPEN began as a short, 30-minute play called Clean,” Robison explained. “I loved that play, but it was too short to program into our season as a full evening of theatre. So, when the playwright, Audrey Cefaly, told me that she wanted to expand it into a full-length work, I jumped at the chance to collaborate with her. We commissioned her to write the newly expanded version, and I fell in love all over again.”

CAST
Kimberly Gilbert (Lina); Marcus Kyd (Roberto)

PRODUCTION
Audrey Cefaly (Playwright), Blake Robison (Director); Jo Winiarski (Set Designer); Gordon DeVinney (Costume Designer); Michelle Habeck (Lighting Designer); Matthew M. Nielson (Composer/Sound Designer); Andrea L. Shell (Stage Manager)

TICKETS
To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345- 2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

PERFORMANCES
Preview Performances: Feb. 9 (8 p.m.) | Feb. 10 (7 p.m.) | Feb. 12 – 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Be among the first to see the show before opening night and save! Preview performance tickets are discounted and begin at just $35. Not valid with other discounts.

Performance Dates: Feb. 9 – Mar. 10, 2019
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, at 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Individual tickets start at just $35.
Tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances are priced at just $10 for college students with a valid school ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for and teens are $30.

SPONSORS
Production Co-Sponsor Bartlett Wealth Management. Season Sponsor is Heidelberg Distributing Company and Season Design Sponsors are Allan Berliant and Jennie Rosenthal Berliant Family Fund. The Season Sponsor of New Work is the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

PROGRAMS
ADULT ENRICHMENT WORKSHOP: PLAYWRITING
Sat., Feb. 23 | 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Playhouse | Cost: $50

Get an introduction to the world of writing for the stage while the world premiere production of THE LAST WIDE OPEN is on the Playhouse stage. You’ll learn how to build the foundation of a story by creating memorable characters, writing memorable dialogue and crafting a compelling plot. To register for this workshop, call the Box Office at 513-421-3888, or visit cincyplay.com.

MEET THE ARTISTS
Feb. 17 and 24 (2 p.m.) | Feb. 27, Mar. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with the cast and crew of THE LAST WIDE OPEN

ACCESS
The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs, and complete wheelchair access are available.

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January 28, 2019 · 1:10 pm

2019-2020 Season Announced by Dayton Theatre Guild

Dayton Theatre Guild 2019/2020 Season

DTGTHE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940
by John Bishop
Production dates: 8/23 – 9/08/2019
Directed by Doug Lloyd

DECISION HEIGHT
by Meredith Dayna Levy
Production dates: 10/11 – 10/27/2019
Directed by David Senatore

ICEBERGS
by Alena Smith
Production dates: 11/29 – 12/15/2019
Directed by Debra Kent

MR. RICKEY CALLS A MEETING
by Ed Schmidt
Production dates: 1/24 – 2/09/2020
Directed by Rick Flynn

MORNING’S AT SEVEN
by Paul Osborn
Production dates: 3/20 – 4/05/2020
Directed by Kathy Mola

THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON
Book/music/lyrics Pigpen Theatre Co.
Production dates: 5/29 – 6/14/2020
Directed by Jeff Sams

Audition dates to be announced.

For more information visit www.daytontheatreguild.org

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January 28, 2019 · 1:01 pm

Auditions Announced for VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE at Oxford Area Community Theatre

OXACT_logoAuditions for the OxACT spring production of VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE by Christopher Durang will take place at the Oxford Community Arts Center (10 S. College Avenue) on Monday, Feb 18 from 4:30-6:30pm, and Tuesday, Feb 19 from 6-8pm. You do NOT have to be at both auditions to be considered for a role.

The performance dates of the show are April 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, all at 7:30pm, and April 28 at 2:00.

This comedy, winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, features six characters, including

Vanya (male, 50s-60s; the elder brother). Wry, retiring, frustrated, resigned fellow. Vanya et al is an ensemble piece, but the closest to a lead role is Vanya, who acts as the peacemaker in the family and has the most stage time. He also has a pages-long eruption of a monologue at the conclusion of the play. He is gay, but not stereotypically so and lives with his adopted sister (‘together alone’) in the house of their childhood, having cared for their parents until they passed, supported financially by their sister Masha. He never had to work and was complicit in letting his life slip by without making much of it at all. Resigned to his life, more or less, at least compared to Sonia. Originally played by David Hyde Pierce.

Sonia (female, 50s; the adopted sister). Melancholic, capricious, definitely regretful, possibly desperate. A mirror image of Vanya except less resigned and more prone to manic outbursts and accusations for her state of being. She also maybe has/had a clearer image of what she wanted from life. Sonia and Masha have a raw, contentious hostility toward one another that comes out as the play progresses. May be the one worth the most sympathy.

Masha (female, 40s or 50s; the famous sister). Expansive, glamorous, haughty, frenetic. A successful and well-traveled actress, often married, Masha returns home to her siblings having found herself on the edge of “once beautiful.” Her self-deceptions are worn more on her sleeve than either of her siblings – see the flirtatious, empty-headed young companion she brings home with her. She returns to the homestead with intentions to sell it out from under her siblings, but really, she might not have had anywhere else to go. It was Durang’s friend Sigourney Weaver who originated the part.

Cassandra (female, flexible; soothsayer housekeeper). Obtrusive, kooky, dramatic. A true wildcard, gem of a comedic role, Cassandra is aptly and unambiguously named: she is a psychic prognosticator that no one believes but speaks the truth (mostly). She is also the housekeeper and somewhat of a caregiver to Sonia and Vanya. Her sudden, wild pronouncements for the future offer a lot to play around with for the adventuresome actress. I am truly open to most anything brought to the table for this character.

Spike (male, 20s or early 30s; Masha’s ‘companion’). Chiseled, flippant, devil-may- care boy toy. A preening millennial, Spike is a young actor who pays just enough attention to Masha to keep her satisfied. He does not seem to have any urgency for anything, despite the fact that he has little to show for his career thus far. But he’s got his looks, a captive audience, and believes the rest will be laid out all on a plate for him when the time comes. As fair warning, Spike does disrobe down to his underwear in the play, and maintains that status for several pages on stage. This actor needs to be confident in his body image.

Nina (female, 20s-30s; aspiring actress). Earnest, bouncy, a guileless admirer. An accidental arrival on the scene, Nina is the neighbor’s niece who has dreams of becoming an actress and has the (mis)fortune to stumble into her idol Masha. Her appearance though provokes lust in Spike and, unsurprisingly, envy in Masha.

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January 28, 2019 · 12:42 pm

Tony-Award Winning Musical CABARET Comes to NKU

NKU_Cabaret logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts continues its 2018-2019 Theatre + Dance Season with Kander and Ebb’s Tony award-winning masterpiece CABARET, running Feb. 14-24 at NKU’s Corbett Theatre.

CABARET turns pre-war Berlin of 1931 into a sensual haven of decadent celebration. At the seedy Kit Kat Klub, a young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, wanders into the club overseen by a garish and flamboyant Master of Ceremonies. He meets Sally Bowles, a talented cabaret performer who holds her admirers at a distance, unwilling to develop genuinely deep emotions. Living in a morally ambiguous void of desperate anxiety, they are determined to keep up appearances as the real world prepares for war. CABARET is a finely-tuned combination of drama and entertainment, resulting in one of the most substantial musicals ever made.

“We’re doing it as a memory piece,” said director Brian Robertson. “The 1998 production made the strong choice to say at the end that the Kit Kat Klub workers were put in camps and mostly likely died in WWII. We’ve decided to start as though the club, its energy, and its time of possibility before the Nazi’s took over, is reawakened and flashes alive before dying again.”

The production also has the main characters as part of vaudeville sketches being performed in the club, which was a previously abandoned warehouse/factory. They are characters assumed by Kit Kat Klub dancers as a form of commentary about today’s changing cultural attitudes. Another dynamic twist in the production includes the portrayal of the Emcee with a female actress (Faustina Gorham).

The NKU cast features Alex Bellocq (Herman/Co-Dance Captain), Meg Carlson (Texas), Arianna Catalano (Helga), Haley Gillman (Kost), Faustina Gorham (Emcee), Sarah Hack (Schneider), Jake Hunter (Victor), JeShaun Jackson (Bobby), Sam Johnson (Ernst), Sidney Kline (Rosie), Blair Lamb (Lulu), Ashley Martin (Fritzie/Co-Dance Captain), Eleanor Morris (Frenchie), Matthew Nassida (Schultz), Makenzie Ruff (Sally Bowles), Alexander Slade (Max), Aaron Marshall (Hans), and Mattison Sullivan (Cliff). The show is directed by Brian Robertson. Other creative team members include Ronnie Chamberlain (Costume Design), Terry Powell (Lighting Design), Zachary Collins (Sound Design), Rob Kerby (Technical Director), Jamey Strawn (Music Director), and Natalie Bellamy & DJ Bruegge (Co-Choreographers). Lindsey Pervis (Scenic Design) is a CCM-Graduate program designer and supported by an award from the Tom and Christine Neyer Family Visiting Artist. The Stage Manager is Emily Vicars and Assistant Stage Managers are Emily Coffey, Megan Beal, and Kelsey Austin.

For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at (859) 572-5464 or visit nku.edu/sotatickets.

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