Author Archives: robbucher

Actors Needed for Touring Production of ANSCHEL for the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center

Production: ANSCHEL by Michael London

ANSCHEL is the true story of a survivor. An 11 year-old boy when German soldiers over-ran Poland in 1939, Anschel was a Polish Jew who was clever beyond his years. Time after time, year after year, when captured by Nazi soldiers and armed SS guards, he escaped and escaped, and escaped. At the end of the war, he was a teenager and the only one of his family to survive the Holocaust. This is his story.

The tour sponsor, the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center (DHRC) is pleased to announce
the auditions for the play ANSCHEL. This one-person play will tour in a variety of cities in
Ohio in the Fall of 2025.

Creative Team:

  • Director: Annie Pesch
  • Original Story Author: Renate Frydman PhD, Author of “Anschel’s Story”
  • Producer: Michael London for the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center.

Dates:

  • Rehearsal: October 12-28. There will be a few virtual meetings/rehearsals over Zoom
    prior to October 12. These meetings to be arranged with available schedules.
  • Production: October 29 – November 17

Compensation: Non-Union Contract.

  • In person – Rehearsal Weeks: $500
  • Performance Weeks: $300 +$100 per perf.

Roles: Actor/ASM 1 & Actor/ASM 2 – for Anschel – Male 18 – 23
The role of Anschel requires great physicality and energy. As a solo performer, the talent will need to command attention and be able to shift between accents and characters of varying ages. Actors who are cast will need to learn Polish, German and Yiddish accents for the role. Please note: As this is a period piece, actors who are cast may be asked to change their hair and/or facial hair. In addition to performing, actors are also responsible for setting up and striking the show and possibly driving between venues.

Audition Details: Auditions will be conducted online via Zoom.

  • Please be prepared to read a variety of sides from the script.
  • Additionally, please feel free to prepare a short monologue that you feel showcases your talents and capabilities.

Submissions:

  • To register for an audition appointment, Please email: auditions.opc@gmail.com
  • Please attach a headshot and résumé.
  • Please include any questions that you may have.

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Male Roles Available for Fundraising Performances at Rivertown Players

Rivertown Players, Inc. of Lawrenceburg Indiana, is placing a casting call to fill a few roles needed for upcoming fundraising performances at the historic Liberty Theater in downtown Lawrenceburg.

AT THE EDGE OF THE LIGHT
Directed by Jess Faye.

Three men tell their stories of why they are in the closet and the familial, religious, and social pressures that put and keep them there. They also tell how they meet their true sexual needs while trying to maintain a straight lifestyle, and the ramifications of the choices they have made.

Mature content, Explicit language (21+ Only Admitted)
Roles Available: 2 Men. Aged 40-60

THIS MUCH (or AN ACT OF VIOLENCE TOWARDS THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE)
Gar can’t decide between the man who plays games and the man on one knee with a ring. In fact, Gar can’t decide on anything because every choice seems like a compromise. Everyone wants answers but nothing lives up to the image he has in his head. Facades start crumbling as his world implodes around him but Gar… Gar just wants to dance with his friends.

Mature content, Explicit language (21+ Only Admitted)
Roles Available: 2 Men. Aged 35-45. 1 Man. Aged 25-35.

Please submit a video auditions to RTPBoard@gmail.com before May 3rd.

Rehearsals to begin week of May 5th at Hamline Chapel, Lawrenceburg IN.

Performances June 18th, June 25th, and July 3rd at The Liberty Theater, Lawrenceburg IN.

Questions? Please contact RTPBoard@gmail.com.

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Come ‘Under the Sea’ with Walnut Hills High School as They Present the Loveable Disney classic, THE LITTLE MERMAID JR.


Sienna McClain as Ariel & Amelia Hoops as Ursula. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Cincinnati, OH- The Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department is thrilled to be closing out the season with their Junior High Musical, The Little Mermaid Jr.  The show runs May 8-10th, 2025 at 7pm in the WHHS Auditorium.

The Little Mermaid Jr. journeys “under the sea” with Ariel and her aquatic friends. The script is adapted from Disney’s Broadway production and the motion picture (featuring the enormously popular Academy Award-winning music and delightfully charming book and lyrics).

In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home — and her fins — behind and live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he’s been seeking.

Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students.Tickets can be purchased at: https://sites.google.com/view/whhstheatredepartment/tickets

This production and the entire WHHS Theatre Season is graciously sponsored by:

  • The Walnut Hills High School Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund
  • The Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation
  • Wings Walnut Hills Theatre Boosters
  • WHHS Parent Association
  • Solution Roofing
  • Riverview Heating and Cooling
  • Dr. Pepper and Family

Featuring Sienna McClain as Ariel, Oscar Syroney as Prince Eric, Amelia Hoops as Ursula, Levi Singer as King Triton, Ellis Klump-Lawson as Sebastian, Benno Gibson as Flounder, William Crone as Scuttle, Carolina Junewick as Flotsam, Samuel Ray as Jetsam, Carter Symon as Chef Louis/Carp/Seahorse/Tentacle Puppeteer, David Everingham as Grimsby/Fluke, Red Kinnear as Aqualta/Princess 1/Jellyfish 1/Chef, Sophia Puthoff as Andrina/Princess 2/Plaice/Chef, Katherine Hoffman as Arista/Princess 3/Bass/Chef, Charlie Hans as Atina/Princess 4/Chub/Chef, Felix Leslie as Adella/Princess 5/Sax/Chef, Rachel Everingham as Allana/Princess 6/Jellyfish 1/Chef, Aubrey Lowe as Carlotta/Newt/Tentacle Puppeteer, Tomi Olakanmi as Pilot/Harp/Chef, Emmanuel Magba-Kamara as Sailor/Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal, Silas Dronen as Sailor/Gull 1/Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal, Ivy Syroney as Sailor/Gull 3/Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Tentacle Puppeteer/Chef, Annie Sayre as Gull 2/Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Tentacle Puppeteer/Chef, Adina Morvay as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Tentacle Puppeteer/Chef, Riya Pasare as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Tentacle Puppeteer/Chef, Liv Moore as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Tentacle Puppeteer/Chef, Eleanor Faye as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Daphne Steele as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Lenora Cable as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Eva Wesley as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Naomi Madaris as Jellyfish 2/Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Roux Maynard as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Jackson Alexander as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, Ani Ensminger as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef, and Denise Wentz as Sea Creature/Sea Chorus/Lagoon Animal/Chef.

  • Directed by Mike Sherman
  • Assistant Directors- Andrew Canter and Caroline Lovelace
  • Music Director- Bret Albright
  • Student Choreographers- Lauryn Shafer and Elijah Cook
  • Technical Director-  Helen A. Raymond-Goers
  • Production Stage Manager- Noa Jaffee
  • Assistant Stage Managers-Easton Taylor  and Violet Garitson
  • Costume Designers- Amelia Price and Megan Reidy
  • Hair and Makeup Designers- Lauryn Shafer and Adah Mosher
  • Props Designer/Costume Manager- Al Carmicle
  • Puppet Designer/Head Electrician- Abbie Kershner
  • Marketing and Publicity Head/House Manager- Adelaide Linser
  • Lighting Designer- Norah Boehm
  • Production Manager/Sound Designer- Nyla Shahanavaz
  • Assistant Sound Designers- Lily Pavelka and Molly Wermuth
  • Scenic Designers: Polly Willson and Gerard Madson-Clemen

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CHRISTMAS TOGETHER with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith & CeCe Winans | Fri., Dec. 5, 2025 | Aronoff Center

GRAMMY®-WINNERS AMY GRANT, MICHAEL W. SMITH & CECE WINANS
TO CO-HEADLINE THE CHRISTMAS TOGETHER TOUR
THIS COMING HOLIDAY SEASON

CHRISTMAS TOGETHER
with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith & CeCe Winans

December 5, 2025
Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall 

Tickets on sale Friday, April 25 at 10:00 AM

[Cincinnati, OH]  Grammy®-winners Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans have announced plans to co-headline the spectacular Christmas Together Tour this coming holiday season. The exclusive tour will hit nine major markets across the U.S., including a stop at the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The concert is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2025-26 Season.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-2787 [ARTS], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. For Group Sales (10 or more), call (513) 977-4155. Ticket prices included all applicable service fees and are subject to change.

While Grant and Smith’s holiday concerts have become one of the most heralded events of the season for more than thirty years, the Christmas Together Tour will mark the first time they’ve been joined by Winans on the holiday venture since she originally appeared on their 1998 Christmas tour.

“We all know Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year,” Smith told Billboard this week in an exclusive report. “And getting to tour with Amy always makes it even more special. But this year we’re taking it to the next level! We’re beyond excited to have our dear friend CeCe Winans join us. After so many years of touring together, adding CeCe’s incredible voice and spirit to the mix feels like the ultimate Christmas gift. To say that the three of us are thrilled about this tour is simply an understatement.”

“I’m so excited to be joining Michael and Amy for the Christmas Together tour,” Winans added. “There’s nothing like coming together with friends to celebrate the true meaning of the season through music, worship, and joy. I can’t wait to share these unforgettable nights with audiences across the country.”

“I look forward to every moment of Christmas Together with Michael and CeCe – the rehearsals, the travel, the concerts,” Grant said. “We can’t wait to celebrate Christmas together and with all of you!”

The highly anticipated Christmas Together Tour will feature selections spanning the artists’ expansive Christmas repertoires and combine their vast collection of traditional classics and critically acclaimed holiday albums. Grant’s five studio Christmas albums have produced such holiday favorites as “Breath of Heaven,” “Grown-Up Christmas List,” and “Tennessee Christmas,” among many more. Smith’s numerous chart-topping holiday offerings have also been staples of the season with favorites like “All Is Well,” “Welcome To Our World,” “Christmas Day,” and more. Winans released the critically acclaimed Joyful, Joyful: A Christmas Album last year, featuring her rendition of “Joy to the World,” which rose to No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart.

For more information on the upcoming tour, visit AmyGrant.comMichaelWSmith.com, and CeCeWinans.com.

2025 Christmas Together Tour with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith & CeCe Winans
All dates and venues are subject to change without notice.

  • Nov. 28 – Greensboro, NC – Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
  • Nov. 29 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
  • Nov. 30 – Oxon Hill, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
  • Dec. 01 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre Detroit
  • Dec. 03 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
  • Dec. 04 – Fisher, IN – Fishers Event Center
  • Dec. 05 – Cincinnati, OH – Aronoff Center
  • Dec. 06 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
  • Dec. 08 – St. Louis, MO – Fabulous Fox Theatre

ABOUT AMY GRANT
Amy Grant’s career spans more than forty years and stretches from her roots in gospel into becoming an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist. With three multi-platinum albums, six platinum albums, and four gold albums, her total career album sales have exceeded thirty million and over one billion global streams. Grant’s chart success has been consistent throughout her career with six No. 1 hits, ten Top 40 pop singles, seventeen Top 40 Adult Contemporary tracks, and multiple Contemporary Christian chart-toppers.

In addition to her six Grammy® Awards, Grant has earned twenty-six GMA Dove Awards (including four Artist of the Year Awards) and has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as the Music City Walk of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Conventional wisdom has it that Grant put Contemporary Christian Music on the map, becoming the first Contemporary Christian artist to have a platinum record, the first to hit No. 1 on the Pop charts, and the first to perform at the Grammy® Awards. With that, her legacy as one of the most influential artists of the past four decades is assured.  In 2020, the T.J. Martell Foundation – the music industry’s leading nonprofit to fund innovative medical research focused on treatments and cures for cancer – honored Grant with the Tony Martell Outstanding Entertainment Achievement Award at their annual Honors Gala. Most recently, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts included Grant as one of their five distinguished Honorees to receive the 45th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements.

In 2023, Grant toured in seventy cities across the country and released her first new music in a decade, starting with the single “Trees We’ll Never See” (March) and “What You Heard” (April).  Grant released Lead Me On Live 1989 in October 2023, which is a full-concert documentation from the 1988-1989 Lead Me On Tour.  Grant finished the year with two Christmas tours including dates with Michael W. Smith as well as the annual Christmas at the Ryman residency with Vince Gill which celebrated over one-hundred headline shows at the Ryman, the first co-headliners to mark this incredible milestone.

In 2024, Grant toured the country playing thirty-three shows in the spring, including two headlining shows at the Ryman Auditorium over Mother’s Day weekend, which she will do once again in May 2025.  She released the long-sought-after Songs From The Loft album (originally released in 1993) for the first time on digital formats. This past fall, Grant released an “Expanded Anniversary Edition” of her classic album “House of Love” with never before heard tracks and remixes and recently finished a twenty-plus show headlining tour featuring many songs from House Of Love. Grant closed out the year with the annual “Christmas at the Ryman” residency with Vince Gill featuring songs from their recent “When I Think of Christmas” album. Currently, Grant continues to tour across the country and is also writing songs for her next musical project to release in 2025.

Get connected with Amy Grant:

ABOUT MICHAEL W. SMITH
Michael W. Smith has been releasing new music regularly and performing around the world to sold-out crowds for the last thirty-five-plus years. During his storied career, he’s written and recorded over thirty-six No. 1 songs, been bestowed with three Grammy® Awards, forty-five-plus Dove Awards, and one American Music Award. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has sold more than fifteen million albums. More than just an outstanding songwriter and performer, Smith has given back to the global community throughout his career. He has raised funds to battle AIDS in Africa; started Rocketown, a safe haven for young people in Tennessee to meet and find hope; and has helped more than 70,000 children through Compassion International.

Smith is married to the love of his life, Deborah, and together they have five children and seventeen grandchildren.

Get Connected With Michael W. Smith:

ABOUT CECE WINANS
CeCe Winans, the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist, is firmly established as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in modern music history. Her illustrious career is marked by an impressive seventeen Grammy® Awards, thirty-one Dove Awards, and sixteen Stellar Awards. She has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. Additionally, she has been honored as a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and has received multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, and Essence Awards.

CeCe’s first live recording, Believe For It (PureSprings Gospel/Fair Trade Services, LLC), exceeded all expectations, amassing over one billion U.S. streams. In 2023 alone, her entire catalog garnered over two billion impressions on YouTube. Her current album, More Than This, features the award-winning single “That’s My King,” already hailed as a Winans classic, and “Come Jesus Come” is being touted as the next anthem that’s here to stay. The highly anticipated More Than This Tour is underway with most dates nearly sold out. Beyond music, CeCe and her husband, Alvin Love, are the founders of Nashville Life Church in Nashville, TN.

Get Connected With CeCe Winans:

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS 

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.

Season Sponsors:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), ARTSWAVE, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation 

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Bahl & Gaynor, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, ProSource, Skyline Chili, TriHealth

#  #  #

CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                CHRISTMAS TOGETHER with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith & CeCe Winans
WHEN:  
              Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 7:00 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall

PRICE:                 Ticket prices start at $49, including all fees. Subject to change.

INFO:                   Celebrate the magic of the season with three Grammy® Award-winning Gospel Music Hall of Fame members — Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and CeCe Winans. The highly anticipated Christmas Together Tour will feature selections spanning the artists’ expansive Christmas repertoires and combine the vast collection of their traditional classics and critically acclaimed holiday albums. This tour marks the first time Grant and Smith have been joined by Winans for a holiday concert since she originally appeared on their 1998 Christmas tour.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale Friday, April 25 at 10:00 AM

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

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Auditions Announced for ALL THINGS CONSIDERED and A STEADY RAIN at Beechmont Players

Beechmont Players is proud to announce auditions for the first two shows of its 2025/2026 season — ALL THINGS CONSIDERED: A Historical Farce by Michael Yarick and A STEADY RAIN by Keith Huff.

May 13 & 14 from 6:30-9PM
Cherry Grove United Methodist Church

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

To sign up, please visit these links:
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED:
www.signupgenius.com/go/30E084AA5AB22ABFB6-56352891-allthings#

A STEADY RAIN:
www.signupgenius.com/go/30E084AA5AB22ABFB6-56353028-asteady#

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, directed by Kiya Fix and produced by Dan Cohen, runs August 15-23, 2025
A STEADY RAIN, directed by Ed Cohen, runs October 31-November 8, 2025.

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED synopsis:
All Things Considered is a satirical historical face that critiques the fallacy of justifying missteps by pointing to worse incidents from the past. The play follows three frantic White House consultants as they attempt to defend a ficitonal president’s behavior by presenting a “history lesson” filled with presidential blunders — from Andrew Jackson’s foul mouthed parrot to Taft’s infamous bathtub mishap. Through absurd humor and sharp dialogue, the show exposes the flawed logic of excusing current problems simply because history has seen worse, ultimately challenging audiences to rethink the standards by which we judge our leaders.

A STEADY RAIN synopsis:
A dark duologue filled with sharp storytelling and biting repartee, A Steady Rain explores the complexities of a lifelong bond tainted by domestic affairs, violence, and the rough streets of Chicago. Joey and Denny have been best friends since kindergarten, and after working together for several years as policemen in Chicago, they are practically family: Joey helps out with Denny’s wife and kids; Denny keeps Joey away from the bottle. But when a domestic disturbance call takes a turn for the worse, their friendship is put on the line. The result is a harrowing journey into a moral gray area where trust and loyalty struggle for survival against a sobering backdrop of pimps, prostitutes, and criminal lowlifes.

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