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April 28, 2025 · 4:58 pm

JERRY’S GIRLS Runs May 30-June 7

JERRY’S GIRLS
Cincinnati Music Theatre
May 30-June 7
Aronoff Center for the Arts Fifth Third Theater [Downtown]

Directed by Danna L Davis
Music direction by Emily Clements
Produced by Kathy Beiting

Cast: Marypat Carletti, Chelsea Harris, Karen Galliers Hendershot, Jenni Sheets Parsons and Beth McClain Schnell

In this dynamic musical revue celebrating the music of Jerry Herman, songs from musicals such as Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Mack & Mabel, and La Cage Aux Folles highlight the broad spectrum of thrilling material he wrote to be performed by an all-female cast.

  • Fri, May 30 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, May 31 at 3pm & 7:30pm
  • Fri, June 6 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, June 7 at 3pm & 7:30pm

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April 28, 2025 · 4:56 pm

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Runs May 28-June 22

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre
May 28-June 22
[East Price Hill]

The Tony Award-nominated musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is set on December 4, 1056, when an extraordinary twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever.  MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary December night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal and celebrations that is both poignant and funny.  Relived the era with the smash-hit sensation featuring an incredible score of rock ‘n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits.  Song include “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Walk the Line,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,”, Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,”, “Hound Doug,” and more.

  • Wed-Thu, May 28-29 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, May 30-31 at 8pm
  • Sun, June 1 at 2pm
  • Wed-Thu, June 4-5 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, June 6-7 at 8pm
  • Sun, June 8 at 2pm
  • Wed-Thu, June 11-12 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, June 13-14 at 8pm
  • Sun, June 15 at 2pm
  • Wed-Thu, June 18-19 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, June 20-21 at 8pm
  • Sun, June 22 at 2pm

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April 27, 2025 · 7:08 pm

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES: DREAM ON Runs May 23-31

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES: DREAM ON
Sunset Players
May 23-31
The Arts Center at Dunham [West Price Hill]

Directed by Linda Abbott

Cast: Clare Hingsbergen as Betty Jean, Virginia Venegas as Cindy Lou, Kelley Flaugher as Missy & Mary Ann Sprague as Suzy

It’s 1969, and The Marvelous Wonderettes are back at Springfield High to throw a retirement part for their favorite homeroom teacher. As the girls sing their way through the greatest girl-group hits of the ’60s and bid Ms. McPherson a fond farewell, one of the Wonderettes reveals that she’ll be saying goodbye to search for her own success and happiness. Act II finds the girls back together as the Class of 1958 celebrates its 20-year reunion. The classic pop and rock hits of the’70s provide the perfect soundtrack for these old friends to catch up on the places that life has led them, all performed with their own marvelous spin.

  • Fri-Sat, May 23 & 24 at 8pm
  • Sun, May 25 at 3pm
  • Thu, May 29 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, May 30-31 at 8pm

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April 27, 2025 · 6:43 pm

Announcing the 2025 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Lineup

The 2025 Cincinnati Fringe Festival
Celebrating the Joyful and Defiant Spirit of Independent Theatre Artists for 22 Years

Announcing this year’s extraordinary Festival Lineup

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival returns for its 22nd year with a radical vision: art as liberation! Diversity as non-negotiable! Joy and radical kindness as acts of resistance! As the tentacles of American imperialism turn inward on its people, the Cincy Fringe champions trans, queer, and marginalized artists, radical creativity, and the power of independent art to resist tyranny.

From May 30th to June 14th, the festival will unleash a whirlwind of uncensored theatre and experimental performance from more than 40 independent local, national, and international theatre artists. The Cincy Fringe is Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party – a 14-day celebration of the joyful and defiant spirit of artists who refuse to be silenced.

“Fascists are terrified by free expression,” says Katie Hartman, Cincy Fringe Producer. “When our history is erased and voices are suppressed, making art is rebellion. When we elevate marginalized artists, when we create space for joy, when we gather together to experience this incredible diversity of perspectives, we’re not just putting on a festival – we are building a better world.”

This year we march onward carrying the torch of creative community care and radical self-expression with:

  • 26 Primary Lineup Productions
  • 42+ Productions and over 190 performances (Including 3 Fringe Development projects, 9 Limited Run Productions, and 2 Kids Fringe shows) to entertain at 6 venues across Over-the-Rhine: Know Theatre, Gabriel’s Corner, Coffee Emporium, First Lutheran Church, and the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.
  • Kids Fringe Performances on Weekend Afternoons
  • Free Nightly After Hours Events in the Know Theatre Underground Bar
  • Introducing Conceptual Fringe: 4 productions ranging from performance art for an audience of one to unique and experimental happenings that defy the festival boundaries of time and space.

TICKETING INFORMATION

  • 50% of all Box Office revenue is given to the Producing Fringe Artists.
  • Single tickets to the 2025 Cincy Fringe are $20
  • The Full Schedule will go live and single tickets go on sale Tuesday, April 29th at 12p EST at www.cincyfringe.com
  • The All-Access Pass ($330) is good for one entry into all Primary Lineup, Limited Runs, FringeDevelopment and Kids Fringe performances.
  •  Our 5-ticket Flex Pass ($90) can be used in any combination of shows and is transferable among individuals.
  • Volunteers see shows for free
  • All passes are currently on sale at www.cincyfringe.com

This year’s Primary Lineup totals 26 productions and features new work from 13 local creators, 10 productions from across the U.S., and 3 international artists from Canada and Australia.

With 32 world premieres, 11 regional premieres, 1 national premiere and 19 producing companies that have never-been-seen in Cincinnati, adventurous audiences are guaranteed an experience of a brave and unabashed creative community that can’t be had anywhere else.

The 2025 Cincy Fringe Festival Primary Lineup

1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals
Ben & Justin Present
Cincinnati & Columbus, OH
Hair? Done. Nails? Done. Dead Body? We’re working on it.

A Cabaret of Legends
Dynamite Lunchbox Entertainment
Orlando, FL
A cabaret of black female vocal legends from Ella to Beyonce.

ARSENIC AND OLD SPICE
Silver Linings Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Tried Neville and Barry’s “special” cake? It’s to die for.

Bruce Ryan Costella: MUTTNIK
Bruce Ryan Costella
Orlando, FL
The first dog in space tells its life story.

BUBBLEGUM
Solasta Theatre Lab
Cincinnati, OH
A NOT-for-children children’s show whimsically set in a dumpster fire.

Camp Loretto
Jack Fogle and the River Rat Puppet Collective
Cincinnati, OH
Hi Camper! Ready for an unforgettable day at Camp Loretto?

Date Me
Carolyn Guido Clifford and Tessa D’Errico
Cincinnati, OH
Looking for the perfect meet-cute? You + Us + Fringe

Eleanor’s Story: Life After War
Ingrid Garner
Los Angeles, CA
Granddaughter performs teen’s return to America after surviving WWII Berlin.

History Hates Lovers
Queen City Queers Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Learn from history, or be doomed to repeat it.

Jon Bennett: AMERICAN’T
JON BENNETT
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
Jon moved to the USA during Covid and was arrested at the border.

Likes Moths to a Flame: New Dances
Megan Flynn & Teresa VanDenend Sorge
Cincinnati, OH
Like moths to a flame – Do we blow out the match, or light a thousand?

Martin Dockery: Every Good Story Ends With One
Martin Docker
Brooklyn, NY
An all-true, hilarious story about an unbelievably mysterious romance.

Me, Myself and Other
Diana Romero/Maggie Whittum
Los Angeles, CA
A heathen crip battles outside forces to finally find herself.

Somewhere Over the Holler
Pones
Cincinnati / Northern KY
Sharing rural queer stories through film and dance.

Stuck
Wicked Cat Productions
Brooklyn, NY
Teenage fantasy becomes messy reality when old friends reunite.

Tea TIME
Erika MacDonald
Covington, KY
It’s about tea! It’s about time! F**k off, I’m steeping.

The Campfireball
Cory Howard
Johnson City, Tennessee
A storytelling show about you — the audience!

THE FAMILY CROW: A Murder Mystery
The Pucking Fuppet Co.
Toronto, ON, Canada
Puppets! Puns! Murder!

The Second Circumcision of Lili Rosen
Lili Rosen
New York, NY
Trans woman of Hasidic experience grapples with her most controversial decision yet.

The Squid and The Octopus
Jim Julien
Drexel Hill, PA
Cephalopod shadow puppet show with knives!

Traitors
Stix Eris
Cincinnati, OH
In the near future, queer gangs survive under tyrannical rule.

TRUMPETS! A Pretty Gay Video Game Play
Studio Apartment Theatre Collective
Cincinnati, OH
One part parody, two parts fanfiction, three parts identity crisis.

Velma & Clarice (a.k.a. The AMAZING Amazing Race Roadtrip)
Patricia Mullins
Cincinnati, OH
Sisters on a Thelma & Louise-esque Romp Across the Country

Whispers From The Deep
A to Z Productions
Covington, KY

WINNING:Winning
Sweet Action Theatre Company
Toronto, ON, Canada
A silent-ish clown journey to unlock the true winner inside.

Yoga for Falling Apart
Feminist Commune Theatre Collective
Wooster, OH
A one-woman show masquerading as a yoga class 🙂

2025 Cincy Fringe Festival Limited Runs

[TITLE OF MEMOIR] or 2.5 Pots of Coffee a Day is Too Much and Other Advice I Didn’t Think I Would Need to Hear or On How Judith Light Saved My Life 
p.s. Please thank…
FaithGGI Art
Cincinnati, OH
Comedy, chaos, and caffeine-fueled confessions.

A Clockwork O’Fringe
Gauravi Shah
Newport, KY
Question reality. Are you in control?

Alphas: On Fire! – A Comedy Variety Show
Alphas Comedy
Cincinnati, OH
A joyful women’s variety show with improv, sketch, music, & dancing!

Plan V: The Rise of Reverence
Dance Naked Creative
Portland, OR
Patriarchy perishes. Shame abates. Pleasure prevails! Feminism foils fascism!

trueFRINGE 2025
True Theatre
Cincinnati, OH
Fringe artists sharing true, personal, behind-the-scenes stories!

Yes anD&D!
Cincy Shirefolk
Cincinnati, OH
A completely improvised D&D gameplay performance – with audience participation!

2025 Cincy KIDS Fringe

FORGING LEGENDS: The Tall Tale Chronicles 
sKribble sKratch Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Active imaginations vibrantly bring beloved tales and new stories to life.

The Green Moon/La Luna Verde
Gabriel Martinez Rubio/Dos-Corazones Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Shadow puppetry, Modern Dance, and Poetry inspired by Garcia Lorca.

2025 Cincy Fringe Development

In The Presence Of…
Leave No Trace
Cincinnati, OH
Nature documentary-ghost story of the great blue heron.

The Mother
Claudia Pompeya
Cincinnati, OH
One clown. Infinite mothers. A mythic fever dream.

Z is for Zebra 
Katie Scarlett
Cincinnati, OH
Humor, heart, and pill bottles. Class is in session.

The 2025 Cincy Conceptual Fringe

Confide & Dance/Sing/Sit
Performance Gallery
Cincinnati, OH
Opportunities to  engage, awaken and affirm yourself and your community.

Invisible Women
Miami University/Ashley Goos
Oxford, OH
Interdisciplinary, hands-on, choose your own adventure, centering women’s experiences

Perspectivation
Jim Sorge
Cincinnati, OH
Immersive dance meets VR: reimagining perspectives.

Think Tank: A Public Display Of Creation
Amica Hunter
Mount Vernon, WA
Amica Hunter (ANATOMICA, SeaMAN), plunges into a voluntary captivity performance-art experiment.

We are Know Theatre of Cincinnati: where artists and audiences can come together to produce and experience work that you haven’t seen before.  We strive to build a community around viscerally theatrical, exciting new works. 

The 22nd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is made possible by a generous partnership with our neighbors Coffee Emporium, First Lutheran Church, and the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.

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

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

Know Theatre is also supported by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.

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April 27, 2025 · 6:17 pm

DANCING FOR THE STARS 2025 Announces Winners 

Celebrity Dancer Erin Mignano and Dance Pro Jozsef Parragh Crowned New Dancing for the Stars Champs

Bill Chappie Honored as Fundraising Champion

[CINCINNATI, OH] – Erin Mignano (Vice President and General Manager, Turner Construction) and dance pro Jozsef Parragh (Independent Dance Instructor) were crowned the champions of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s seventeenth annual Dancing for the Stars on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the Music Hall Ballroom. The dance pair earned perfect scores of (10) from each of the four judges. Bill Chappie (Hair Designer and Owner, Studio 900) took home the Fundraising Champion Award as the celebrity who raised the most money for the event through ticket sales and donations – more than $20,000.

Ryan Anderson (Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, Cincinnati Financial Services) and James Branham (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – West Chester) took second place. Karla Boldery (Business Advisor – Ohio SBDC at Miami University Regionals; Founder,  Latina Entrepreneur Academy Cincinnati; Local Sales Manager – La Mega | Urban 1) and and Josh Tilford (Independent Dance Instructor) placed third.

As the Cincinnati Arts Association’s largest annual fundraiser, the popular event raised more than $110,000 in support of the organization’s acclaimed arts education programs, including the Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition. 

The other three dance pairs included:

  • Fundraising Champion Bill Chappie (Hair Designer and Owner, Studio 900) and Maura Garuccio (Independent Dance Instructor)
  • Dylan Morton (Professional Roller Skater, D. Morton Skate Nation) and Bonita Brockert (Independent Dance Instructor)
  • Stacy Sims (Author, Playwright, and Founder of The Well) and Alyenendrov “Lenny” Tsorokean (Phoenix Rising Ballroom)

Inspired by the hit TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars 2025 featured six Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program at which the audience vote and judges scores propelled the winners to victory. The competitive dance theme for the evening was the 1920s, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

Event emcees were Chris O’Brien and Janeen Coyle (former hosts of “Married with Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM). The competition judges were Douglas Beal (Independent Dance Instructor), Carri Chandler (Vice President, St. Elizabeth Foundation; Celebrity Dancer, Dancing for the Stars 2011), Johnny Chu (Owner, KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia; Winner, Dancing for the Stars 2015 ), and Desireé Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Montgomery).

In addition, Dancing for the Stars 2025 featured:

  • Dinner-by-the-Bite provided by Baru, DelightMore, eat well celebrations and feasts,  KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia, Moerlein Lager House, Prime Cincinnati, Sebastian Bakehouse, Skyline Chili, Street City Pub, Vintage on Race.
  • A speakeasy provided by Willow Run Custom Bourbons that featured samples of custom bourbon blends based on each celebrity’s bourbon palette. Bill Chappie had the favorite bourbon blend of the evening, which will be entered into the running to become the Aronoff Center’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon, available only at Willow Run Custom Bourbons during the 2025-26 season (the Aronoff Center will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in October 2025). A portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold will benefit the Cincinnati Arts Association.
  • Dance music by popular DJ and 103.5 WGRR personality JD Hughes.
  • Open dancing before and after the competition.
  • Entertaining exhibition dances by talented Dancing for the Stars dance pros.
  • An inspiring video about the Overture Awards, featuring interviews with the six student winners of the 2025 Overture Awards finals competition.
  • A special showcase performance by 2025 Overture Awards dance finalist Maanasa Yarlagadda (grade 12, Sycamore High School).
  • Two big screens that featured live video of the competition and engaging video introductions of the stars and pros (interviews and rehearsal footage) before their dances.
  • Humorous, astute, and supportive comments from the Dancing for the Stars panel of judges.
  • Stunning 1920s-themed and Art Deco-inspired décor and attire worn by the event’s dancers and guests.
  • Exceptionally responsive, raucous, and energetic audience reactions, which included large cheering sections holding signs with various messages in support of their favorite stars.

Dance and Song Selections (based on the 1920s theme )

  • Erin Mignano and Jozsef Parragh: “Rock and Jive” by Old Boys and “Easy Now” by Joe Stanley
  • Ryan Anderson and James Branham: “St. James Ballroom” by Alice Francis
  • Karla Boldery and Josh Tilford: “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” from The Great Gatsby soundtrack by Fergie, Q-Tip, and GoonRock
  • Bill Chappie and Maura Garuccio: “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey and “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” from The Great Gatsby soundtrack by Fergie, Q-Tip, and GoonRock
  • Dylan Morton and Bonita Brockert: “Bananaphone” by Raffi and “Phone” by Lizzo
  • Stacy Sims and Alyenendrov Tsorokean: “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Bonita Brockert and Gene Brockert (exhibition dance): “Man of La Mancha (I Don Quixote)” from Man of La Mancha by Linda Eder and “The Plaza of Execution,” from The Mask of Zorro soundtrack by James Horner
  • Maura Garuccio and Przemek Fokt-Skierecki (exhibition dance): “The Rest of His Days” by Anne Takle                    

Event Committee:  Douglas Beal, Doreen Beatrice, Terry Foster, Alex Johns, Ginger Loftin, Rosemary Schlachter

Presenting Sponsor: TriHealth 

Event Sponsors:  Accent on Cincinnati, Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Arthur Murray – West Chester, Bonita Brockert, Maura Garuccio, Heidelberg Distributing, Jozsef Parragh, Party Source, Phoenix Rising Ballroom, Punky’s Pixels, Josh Tilford, Willow Run Custom Bourbons

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Cincinnati Arts Association’s Education & Community Engagment Programs
CAA’s Education & Community Engagement department cultivates diverse, inclusive, and accessible arts engagements, seeking to remove barriers preventing arts participation. Committed to a practice of antiracism, the Education and Community Engagement department encourages the use of CAA venues, develops diverse arts supporters, and fosters an appreciation and understanding of diverse arts disciplines, while encouraging and supporting practicing arts educators and administrators, audiences, and aspiring artists.

SchoolTime presents a series of programs that feature nationally recognized artists at the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Artists on Tour program brings a variety of arts experiences directly to schools, community centers, and other organizations. The finest local teaching artists in the region enhance learning with unique programs that vary in culture and art form.

The Arts in Healing Initiative integrates the performing and visual arts in medical and community healthcare settings and other non-traditional settings to promote community wellness and encourage the community to explore the arts as an active part of their healing and ongoing wellness.

The Overture Awards is a program that recognizes and rewards excellence in the arts among Greater Cincinnati students in grades 9-12. Its mission is to encourage arts education as an integral part of a student’s academic experience and to create an environment that encourages training in, and appreciation of, the arts. The Overture Awards is the area’s largest solo arts competition and offers awards in six artistic disciplines: creative writing, dance, instrumental music, theatre, visual art, and vocal music.

Now in its 29th year, the Overture Awards has granted more than $1,000,000 to youth and arts educators in the Tri-state region. The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce program).

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
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 more than 600,000 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, including Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony/Pops Orchestras, May Festival, and Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, presented by TriHealth. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more 2.1 million youth and adults.

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