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February 9, 2018 · 11:02 am

2018 Overture Awards Finals Competition | Sat., March 3 | Aronoff Center

CAA_Overture Awards logoCINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is proud to present the 2018 Overture Awards Finals Competition. The Overture Awards provides $4,000 to six area high school students for education and training expenses, with eighteen finalists each winning $1,000. The program also provides a $2,500 Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction.

The Overture Awards Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 1:00 PM at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Winners will be announced immediately following the competition.

This year, 416 students were nominated by their schools or studios to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final, and Final.

The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held on January 20 at the Northern Kentucky School of Music at Immanuel, Northern Kentucky University, and Mount Saint Joseph University. The top 20 percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, which were held at the Aronoff Center on February 2-3. Twenty-four finalists (four in each discipline) will compete in the Finals Competition at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater on March 3.

Now in its twenty-second year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a program of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce). The Overture Awards is funded and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association, which operates and manages the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Overture Awards also relies on hundreds of volunteers from the community who help raise funds, adjudicate and manage the competitions, and nurture the program. 

THE OVERTURE AWARDS ARE ENDOWED BY THE OTTO M. BUDIG FAMILY FOUNDATION

Overture Awards Presenting Sponsors:  TriHealth; The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.; Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; Summerfair Cincinnati

Scholarship Sponsors:  Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Doreen Beatrice, Douglas Beal, Bonita Brockert, Cincinnati Ballroom Company, Jozsef Parragh, Pebble Creek Group, Phoenix Rising Ballroom,  Summerfair Cincinnati, Josh Tilford, Western & Southern Financial Fund, The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation

Competition Sponsors:  Northern Kentucky School of Music at Immanuel, Northern Kentucky University, Mount Saint Joseph University

Printing Sponsor:  Graphic Village 

THE 2018 OVERTURE AWARDS FINALISTS

CREATIVE WRITING  

  • Jenna Bao – grade 12, Sycamore High School
  • Hope Neyer – grade 11, Mount Notre Dame High School
  • Frances Timberlake – grade 12, School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Lauren Timmins – grade 12, Loveland High School

DANCE   

  • Regan Lawler – grade 12, Erickson Academy of Irish Dance / Summit Country Day School
  • Drake Phouasavanh – grade 12, Conner High School
  • Ava Sine – grade 10, School for Creative & Performing Arts / Just Off Broadway
  • Ryan Sohmer – grade 10, The Studio for Dance / School for Creative & Performing Arts

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC  

  • Ione Sally – grade 12, School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Kash Sewell – grade 12, Beechwood High School
  • Madeline Wolfe – grade 9, Leung Studio / Ursuline Academy
  • Andrew Yang – grade 9, Seven Hills School / University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music

THEATER  

  • Margot Grom-Mansencal – grade 12, McCready Voice Studio / Wyoming High School
  • Maxwell Metsch – grade 11, Lincoln Chapman Studio / School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Ellie O’Hara – grade 11, Marilyn Zelcer Studio / Notre Dame Academy High School
  • Kat Sweeney – grade 10, St. Ursula Academy / Karl Resnik Studio

VISUAL ART  

  • Geneva Huffman – grade 11, School for Creative & Performing Arts
  • Anne Knellinger – grade 12, Walnut Hills High School
  • Dominic Pham – grade 11, St. Xavier High School
  • Cynthia Zhang – grade 12, Indian Hill High School

VOCAL MUSIC  

  • Natalie Choo – grade 12, Karl Resnik Studio / Seven Hills School
  • Reed Gnepper – grade 11, School for Creative & Performing Arts/ University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory
  • Lauren Maynus – grade 11, Alison Acord / Ursuline Academy
  • Sarah Moser – grade 12, Keen Voice Studio / Campbell County High School

Arts Educator Award For Excellence in Arts Instruction

The Arts Educator Award promotes and rewards excellence in arts instruction throughout Greater Cincinnati. An educator who teaches any of the following arts disciplines may be nominated: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. They can be a high school arts specialist, teaching artist working with high school students, or an arts professional or educator providing private lessons or instruction. Nominations for the award must come from students between the ages of 14-19 who are currently enrolled in high school. Nominations are made by submitting an on-line application with a three-minute video about why the nominee is an exemplary arts educator.

The winner of the 2018 award will receive $2,500, and two finalists will receive $500 each. The recipients of the Arts Educator Award may utilize the monetary award to strengthen their program or practice, e.g. an artist fee for a guest lecturer or master class, the purchase of equipment, or a professional learning opportunity such as tuition assistance for either the educator or for students to study with the recipient or another professional.

Arts Educator Award Finalists

Susan Herrick, Voice of Indiana
Discipline: Vocal/Choral Performance
Nominated by Connie Walker

Karon Lehman, University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music
Discipline: Dance
Nominated by Ndaya Hoskins

Kathy Louder, Mount Notre Dame High School
Discipline: Creative Writing
Nominated by Cara Wagner

Arts Educator Award Honorable Mentions

Lara Koogler, Calvary Christian School
Discipline: Piano
Nominated by Mitchell Ward

Karl Resnik, The Musical Arts Center
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by Natalie Choo

Bing Yang, Liao Ning Professional Performing Arts School
Discipline: Dance
Nominated by Judi Hu

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.6 million students.

CAA is proud to be a member of Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Greater Cincinnati Alliance for Arts Education, Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, and Performing Arts Center Consortium.

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February 8, 2018 · 4:56 pm

OTHELLO, Shakespeare’s Infamous Tale of Obsession, Jealousy, and Betrayal, Comes to Cincinnati Shakespeare

OTHELLO marks the first of Shakespeare’s tragedies to be performed on Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s new stage at The Otto M. Budig Theater

CSC_Othello 4_preview

Nicholas Rose as Iago & William Oliver Watkins as Othello.

CINCINNATI, Feb. 8, 2018 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues the Debut Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with William Shakespeare’s Othello. The production will be directed by Christopher V. Williams, who also directed last season’s highly-praised A Raisin in the Sun at CSC, and will feature founding company member Nicholas Rose at Iago, as well as newcomer to CSC William Oliver Watkins as Othello, and CSC Resident Ensemble Member Courtney Lucien as Desdemona.  Othello is generously sponsored by Matson Money and Pete Strange Family.

Othello (William Oliver Watkins), a Moor, has won fame and glory for his many victories leading the Venetian army, but tensions spark when he elopes with the wealthy Desdemona (Courtney Lucien). Othello’s scheming underling, Iago (Nicholas Rose) is bitterly jealous of Othello’s successes and launches a series of plots and snares to bring ruin to Othello and Desdemona. Through whispers, innuendoes, and a deception involving a purloined handkerchief, Iago sets out to ruin Desdemona’s reputation and drive Othello to wild fits of jealousy.

“This is a play that speaks to a national conversation that we’re having right now about inequality and bias,” says Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips. “Othello is a classic work that deals with these very timely issues, and also explores the universal themes of insecurity, trust, and betrayal.” Director Christopher V. Edwards said of the staging of this production: “Though quite old, the play has a contemporary soul. Our Othello is set in a contemporary world – a Venice that is technologically and digitally capable, where war is the norm and not the exception. It is a nation with the responsibility of a superpower, where political and economic interests often outweigh ethical or moral concerns.”

CSC_Othello 3_preview

William Oliver Watkins as Othello & Courtney Lucien as Desdemona.

The production is part of an exciting collaboration between Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.  These neighboring local theaters are collaborating to present William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Lola Chakrabarti’s “Red Velvet” simultaneously only blocks apart in OTR! Cincinnati audiences will have a rare opportunity to experience both Shakespeare’s searing tragedy of deception and betrayal and see Chakrabarti’s telling of the little-known but true story of Ira Aldridge, the first African-American actor to play Othello. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips will be directing “Red Velvet” and the cast will feature actors from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Resident Ensemble. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see literature and history collide in this unique way on two of Cincinnati’s greatest stages in March!

Othello runs March 2-24 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday March 24 at 2:00 PM.  Preview performances are February 28 and March 1 at 7:30 PM.  Red Velvet runs March 6- 31 at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.

On Sundays March 11 and 18, bring your younger kids (4+) for artist-led childcare DURING the performance! The “Playdate” program is only $15 and free for subscribers. The option to add this program will be available as you are buying tickets for either of these show dates. Activities will range from Shakespeare Storytime to theatre games and crafts. Share the great benefits of CSC’s programming with your children: Playdate will style activities to correspond with each production, so even your youngest can join in the discussion on the ride home!

The theater is now located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Single ticket prices range from $14-$52.  Student/Children and Preview tickets are only $28. If available that day, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID. This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.

Valet Parking is now available for every performance! Make reservations for $10 in advance when purchasing tickets. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot at the discounted rate of $10 (vs. $15-20+ at the curb).  Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Cars can be picked up for up to one hour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valet service directly.) The valet will have your name on the list after you purchase- it’s that easy!

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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 audiences of all ages.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.  CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by 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!

About The 2017-2018 Season:
This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare

Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.

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February 8, 2018 · 9:01 am

CURIOUS GEORGE AND THE GOLDEN MEATBALL Runs March 9-25

THT_Curious George LogoCURIOUS GEORGE AND THE GOLDEN MEATBALL
Town Hall Theatre
March 9-25
Centerville

Official cast list

All–You-Can-Eat Meatball Day came just once a year. George had been waiting all month for that day, a day almost bigger than his birthday! On Meatball Day, George helped his friend Chef Pisghetti cook some delicious meatballs, and serve them to the hungry crowd. But this year, the crowd had vanished! Something was keeping people away. Something pretty big……And that “something” was Phinneas T. Lightspeed and his speedy Meatballs O’Matic machine. In despair, Chef Pisghetti vows to cook no more. Determined to help his friend, George goes on a mission to enter the Chef’s meatballs in the world-famous Golden Meatball Contest…in Rome. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

  • Fri, March 9 at 7pm
  • Sat-Sun, March 10-11 at 3pm
  • Fri, March 16 at 7pm
  • Sat, March 17 at 11am & 3pm
  • Sun, March 18 at 3pm
  • Fri, March 23 at 7pm
  • Sat-Sun, March 24 at 3pm

Official page |

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February 8, 2018 · 8:55 am

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Runs March 9-25

MPI_Around the World in 80 Days logoAROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
Mariemont Players Inc.
March 9-25
Walton Creek Theatre

Directed by Jerry Wiesenhahn

Cast: Eric Day as Actor 1, Ryan Naish as Actor 2, Jay Dallas Benson as Actor 3, Patricia N. Mullins as Actor 4 & Eric Thomas as Actor 5/Phileas Fogg

Hop aboard the train as Phileas Fogg and a small troupe of actors take on a global collection of unforgettable characters in this imaginative and theatrical re-imagining of Jules Verne’s classic adventure. You won’t know what hit you as you become immersed in this exciting, and incredibly silly, rollercoaster spectacle.

  • Fri-Sat, March 9-10 at 8pm
  • Sun, March 11 at 2pm
  • Thu, March 15 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, March 16-17 at 8pm
  • Sun, March 18 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Thu, March 22 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, March 23 at 8pm
  • Sat, March 24 at 3pm & 8pm
  • Sun, March 25 at 2pm

Official page |

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February 8, 2018 · 8:43 am

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company to Receive $15,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company joins Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Educational Theatre Association as local organizations receiving funding totaling $186,000

CSC_PROJECT38

A scene from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s PROJECT38 Educational Initiative.

CINCINNATI, Feb. 7, 2018 – National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018.  Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $15,000 to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for PROJECT38, Cincinnati Shakespeare’s groundbreaking educational initiative. The Art Works category is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.

“It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring.”

 This grant will go to support the arts education and community initiative PROJECT38. Through this arts education and community initiative, students directly engage with Shakespeare’s text. Over the course of the year, students from 38 schools in the community work with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Resident Ensemble of teaching artists to co-create 38 interpretations (dramatic, musical, visual, and dance) of all of Shakespeare’s 38 plays. The project culminates in a weekend festival in which all of the students will come together to share what they have created with their families, friends, and the community at-large.  The dates of the festival are April 12-15, 2018.

 To learn more about the $25 million in National Endowment for the Arts grants supporting art projects nationwide announced today, visit the following page:

https://www.arts.gov/news/2018/25-million-grants-support-art-projects-nationwide

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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 audiences of all ages.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.  CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by 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!

About The 2017-2018 Season:
This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com. The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.

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