NEW WORKS FESTIVAL 2025
Cincinnati Lab Theatre
July 17-28
Bell Tower Arts Pavilion [Evendale]
JANITOR’S CLOSET by Reece Niederhausen
Directed by Greg Procaccino
Cast: Brianna Willingham as Allie, Hunter Gee as Ethan & Freddie Caldwell as Jack
Ethan, a lonely gay student at Saint Albans Academy, is attempting to make it out of his junior year alive by hiding away in a janitor’s closet for as long as he can. However, when his ex-best friend Allie reveals a big secret, hiding may not be a viable option anymore.
THE LUMINARIES by Jesse Hampsch
Directed by Torie Pate
Cast: Eric Kilpatrick as Dr. Diogenes Hart, Kyle Taylor as American Jesus, Kat Reynolds as Surely, Angela Nalley as Carol, Ed Cohen as Clark & Stage Directions by Lesley Taylor
The Luminaries is a full-length comedy about the absurdity of certainty. In a world where belief makes things real and Astrology is the ultimate governing force of the universe, Dr. Diogenes Hart goes on a journey to find himself after discovering he doesn’t know his real sign. He befriends American Jesus, who helps guide him through the spiritual realm.
NOBODY KILLS SHERLOCK by Kathleen Holen
Directed by Robert Allen
Cast: Ryan Bowron as Weldon Burger, Linda Callahan as Angela X Crispy, Eileen Earnest as Kat Fisher, Carrington Rowe as Carol Holiday, Darren Lee as Sherlock & Aaron Ep as Inspector Wayne
The annual awards banquet is a major event for the Wheaton Book Club. This year’s theme, Eat, Drink, Murder, drew novelists from all over the country, but there are only two lucky finalists, nationally famous author Angela X Crispy, and Kat Fisher, first time novelist and local favorite. President Weldon Burger has planned a fantastic evening that will culminate with the awarding of $1000 in cash by a surprise guest speaker, an actor Weldon has hired to impersonate Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately, the evening becomes a fiasco when the two novelists take their rivalry public. To top it off, the guest speaker turns out to be a shock rather than a surprise. Will it end in murder?
POAG’S HOLE by Anne Valentino
Directed by Grace Wagner
Cast: Alissa Paasch as Atlas, Kate Stark as Sophie, Charlie Goetz as Moore Otto, Elaine Eckstein as Lottie Otto, Alexandra Leurck as Lacey/Corn Festival, Nik Pajic as Tyson/Cop & Stage directions by Zak Kelley
Welcome to Poag’s Hole, population 2456, soon to be 2458 as Sophie and Atlas move to town. A lesbian couple in a rural area, they are something of an anomaly—their trad neighbors certainly think so, and are determined to do something about it. Dark comedy meets psychological thriller as the couple confront the nightmarish reality of their new Poag’s Hole existence, while desperately trying to figure out how to escape with their lives.
TOUCH THE MOON by Arianna Rose
Directed by Elizabeth a. Harris
Cast: Willow Diesman as Miranda, Elizabeth Hickerson as Becca, Elliot Handkins as Stefan, Mike Spitz as Dirk & Gabi Homonoff as Emily
Spring Break, 1994, on an unnamed island. The last time a visiting teenage girl is ever seen alive. We meet Miranda, her mother Becca, her best friend Emily, local boy Stefan, and his father Dirk.
A play about how humans need to know, and sometimes need to tell, TOUCH THE MOON draws a line between truth and lies and how they intersect. A story of motherly love and determination in the face of the unthinkable.
- Thu, July 17 at 7:30pm – NOBODY KILLS SHERLOCK
- Fri, July 18 at 7:30pm – TOUCH THE MOON
- Sat, July 19 at 7:30pm – JANITOR’S CLOSET
- Sun, July 20 at 2pm – THE LUMINARIES
- Sun, July 20 at 5pm – POAG’S HOLE
- Thu, July 24 at 7:30pm – JANITOR’S CLOSET
- Fri, July 25 at 7:30pm – NOBODY KILLS SHERLOCK
- Sat, July 26 at 7:30pm – TOUCH THE MOON
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 