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November 1, 2024 · 8:04 am

Auditions Announced for THE MINUTES at Dayton Theatre Guild

Open audition notice for THE MINUTES by Tracy Letts

Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Dec 2 & 3, 2024, starting at 7:00 pm both nights.

Production dates: Jan 31-Feb 16, 2025

The Dayton Theatre Guild at the Caryl D. Philip TheatreScape
430 Wayne Ave, Dayton OH, 45410
937-278-5993 — www.daytontheatreguild.org

Directed by Melissa Ertsgaard
Produced by K.L.Storer

THE MINUTES is a dark comedy. It had its premiere at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in 2017, and moved to the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City in 2020. This play takes a hard look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. Why is someone on the council mysteriously missing? What happened to all those bicycles? Is there something going on with the city’s finances? What’s the deal with the available parking space? And why are the minutes from the last meeting being kept secret? Sometimes the “history” we’ve been taught isn’t the true “history” at all! Part Parks & Recreation, part Twilight Zone, this powerful, resonant, and funny portrayal of democracy in action proves that everything you know can change ‐‐ it’s just a matter of minutes. After all, the smallest towns keep the biggest secrets.

Casting Requirements:

• Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
• A résumé and headshot are not required but are appreciated.
• Please provide a list of all known conflicts between Dec 4, 2024 & Feb 16, 2025

  • Mr. Peel – (M) Mid 30s; naive newcomer who pushes for the truth.
  • Mayor Superba – (M) Early 50s or above; slick but not smarmy.
  • Ms. Johnson – (F) Early to mid 30s, tight-lipped, careful clerk.
  • Mr. Blake – (M) Mid 30s or above, African-American; non-ideological, could be functional alcoholic; has definite ideas for town growth.
  • Mr. Breeding – (M) Early 40s or above; loud, brash, politically incorrect.
  • Mr. Hanratty – (M) Early 40s or above; good-natured but entirely misguided.
  • Mr. Assalone – (M) Mid 40s or above “It’s Ass-A-LONE-AY”; opportunistic AND slightly unscrupulous.
  • Ms. Innes – (F) 60s or above; single-minded, long-time council member.
  • Ms. Matz – (F) 40s; disheveled, distracted, and (maybe) child-like.
  • Mr. Overfield – (M) 60s or above; longest standing council member, befuddled contemporary of Ms. Innes.
  • Mr. Carp – (M) Late 30s or above – the idealistic, former council member who holds the key to the mystery.

For more information, please contact Producer K.L.Storer at kl.storer@daytontheatreguild.org

Dayton Theatre Guild is a community theatre that values community representation, and we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion on and off stage. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate and will be given full consideration in casting and all volunteer opportunities. Unless explicitly specified by the playwright in the text of the play, all roles will be open to all performers.

The show runs weekends Jan 31-Feb 16, 2025
First Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
Second & Third Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 3pm

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November 1, 2024 · 8:04 am

Auditions Announced for AVENUE Q at Dayton Playhouse

Directed by Ray Gambrel

Auditions: December 2 & 3 at 7pm

Performances: January 24 – February 9, 2025

About the Show: Set in a shabby New York City neighborhood, “Avenue Q” follows Princeton, a recent college graduate, as he navigates adulthood alongside human and puppet residents. This bold, innovative musical tackles themes like job-hunting, relationships, and life’s purpose with catchy songs and relatable stories. Note: RATED R for adult content.

Audition Requirements:

  • Bring a list of all conflicts from December 3 – February 9.
  • Prepare a song; an accompanist will be provided.
  • Cold readings from the script.
  • Puppet characters: Demonstrate correct mouth sync (practice in front of a mirror if needed). Be prepared to improvise a scene with a provided puppet.

Contact: For questions, email Ray Gambrel at raygambrel@yahoo.com

Cast Details: Size: 7 performers (4 puppeteers, 3 non-puppeteers)
Type: Ensemble/Multiple Roles
Age: 18+
Dance: Movement required
Vocals: Range specified with each character

Puppet Characters:

  • PRINCETON/ROD: Male, Tenor. Strong puppeteering, comedic timing.
  • NIKKI/BAD IDEA BEAR/TREKKIE/OTHERS: Any gender, Tenor. Strong character work, puppeteering, comedic timing.
  • MRS T/BAD IDEA BEAR/OTHERS: Any gender, Mezzo. Strong harmonies, puppeteering, comedic timing.
  • KATE/LUCY THE SLUT: Any gender, Mezzo/Soprano. Strong puppeteering, comedic timing.

Non-Puppet Characters:

  • BRIAN: Male, Baritone. Comedic timing, harmony.
  • GARY COLEMAN: Black, any gender, Mezzo. Comedic timing.
  • CHRISTMAS EVE: Female, Asian (Japanese descent), Soprano. Comedic timing, Japanese accent.

AVENUE Q Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Book by Jeff Whitty. Presented through special arrangement with MTI.

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November 1, 2024 · 8:03 am

Tony Award-Winning LIFE OF PI Tickets Go On Sale Friday, November 1

Hiran Abeysekera, Richard Parker (Fred Davis, Scarlet Wilderink, Andrew Wilson) by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

CRITIC’S PICK! “Spectacular! LIFE OF PI delivers magic. That roaring you hear at the show’s end? It’s the sound of a standing ovation.” – The New York Times

★★★★★ “An extraordinary journey. Unmissable” – The Guardian

“SPECTACULAR AND SPELLBINDING!” -Wall Street Journal

“LIFE OF PI creates moment after moment of theatrical magic and thrills us with sheer emotion and awe.” -New York Post

“A FEAST FOR THE EYES!”  -Washington Post

“The single greatest innovation in puppetry ever to hit the global stage.”   -NY Daily News

“GLORIOUS! A DAZZLING MARVEL OF STAGECRAFT. THIS POWERFUL PRODUCTION SPARKS TO STUNNING LIFE.” – Entertainment Weekly 

LIFE OF PI
THREE-TIME TONY AWARD®-WINNING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
COMES TO CINCINNATI

TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

ARONOFF CENTER
FEBRUARY 4 – 9, 2025

CINCINNATI – Broadway in Cincinnati is pleased to announce that tickets for LIFE OF PI, the hit Broadway and West End sensation will go on sale Friday, November 1 at 10:00 am. LIFE OF PI plays the Aronoff Center February 4 – 9 as part of the First Financial Bank Broadway in Cincinnati 24/25 season presented by TriHealth. Tickets will be available online at CincinnatiArts.org, by phone at 513.621.ARTS or in person at the Aronoff Center Box Office, downtown.

Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling Olivier and Tony Award®-winning stage adaption of LIFE OF PI embarks on another exciting adventure when it launches its North American Tour in Baltimore, Maryland in December 2024 at the Hippodrome Theatre. Cincinnati is one of 22 cities on the tour where theatregoers can experience this extraordinary show.

Based on one of the best-loved works of fiction and the best-selling and Man Booker Prize-winning book (over 15 million copies sold) by author Yann Martel, LIFE OF PI is captivating audiences across the world.  

LIFE OF PI is an unforgettable, epic tale and a breath-taking journey of endurance, hope and perseverance that speaks to every generation and “gives new life to Broadway” (The Today Show). The global phenomenon was lauded as “an exhilarating evening of theater” (The Wall Street Journal) and “a wonder to behold” (Entertainment Weekly).

After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year-old boy name Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?

Told with jaw-dropping visuals, world class puppetry and exquisite stagecraft, the Broadway and West End sensation, LIFE OF PI creates a visually breathtaking journey that will leave you filled with awe and joy.

Martel’s extraordinary story of family, resilience and survival and the natural world was made into an Oscar-winning film in 2012. This breath-taking theatrical adaptation is a natural evolution for the source, as it utilizes the communal power of live storytelling and imagination, two of the other central themes of the original novel.  

LIFE OF PI, first opened to great critical acclaim with its cutting-edge visual effect at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2019. LIFE OF PI played Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End where it won five Olivier Awards in 2022, including Best New Play, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design. In a historic first for the Olivier Awards, the seven performers who play Royal Bengal tiger “Richard Parker” were collectively awarded “Best Actor in a Supporting Role.”

LIFE OF PI made its Broadway premiere at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 9, 2023 to celebratory reviews. won three Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design of a Play Best Lighting Design of a Play, and Best Sound Design of a Play, four Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play, Outstanding Projection and Video Design and Outstanding Puppetry and two Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play or Musical and Outstanding Video or Projection Design of a Play or Musical.

Prior to its Broadway premiere, LIFE OF PI made its North American Premiere at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Most recently, LIFE OF PI launched a UK & Ireland tour in the summer of 2023. 

LIFE OF PI will play the Aronoff Center February 4 – 9, 2025: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM. Tickets start at $43 and can be found online at CincinnatiArts.org, by phone at 513.621.ARTS or in person at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit BroadwayInCincinnati.com.

# # # #

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH ALL THINGS BROADWAY IN CINCINNATI: Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @BroadwayCincy 

First Financial Bank Broadway in Cincinnati presented by TriHealth is committed to bringing the very best of Broadway to the Tri-State, presenting touring Broadway plays and musicals in Cincinnati since 1987. For over twenty years, Broadway in Cincinnati has presented all shows at the Aronoff Center. The Broadway in Cincinnati series brings more than 185,000 people downtown to the Aronoff Center each year and contributes an average of $30 million to the local economy each season. Broadway in Cincinnati is a member of the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and The Broadway League. The season is sponsored by First Financial Bank and presented by TriHealth. 

Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office, and Broadway Brands.  Led by 22-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 48 markets with over 450,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton. Current productions include &Juliet, Hadestown, Hamilton, Hell’s Kitchen, MJ: The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Outsiders and Stereophonic. 

The John Gore Organization is the leading presenter, distributor, and marketer of Broadway theater worldwide. Under the leadership of 22-time Tony-winning theater producer and owner John Gore, its family of companies includes Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office and Broadway Brands. The company presents shows in 48 cities across North America as well as on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London’s West End, Japan, and China. It has won Tony Awards in every producing category as well as numerous other Drama League, Drama Desk, and Olivier Awards.  The John Gore Organization is committed to supporting theater access and education programs that introduce Broadway to the next generation of audiences and theater professionals.

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November 1, 2024 · 8:01 am

THE WOMEN IN BLACK Runs Nov. 29-Dec. 15

THE WOMEN IN BLACK
Dayton Theatre Guild
Nov. 29-Dec. 15
[Dayton]

Directed by David Shough
Produced by Rick Flynn

Cast: Jim Walker as Kipps, Matt Meier as Actor & Caitlin Larsen-Deer as The Woman

The play is based on the 1983 book of the same name by English author Susan Hill. Arthur Kipps, an attorney, is sent to handle the estate of the deceased Mrs. Drablow. He makes the trip to her funeral in a bleak and lonely part of England, where all of his enquiries into the details of her estate and her family are met with silence. At the funeral, Kipps alone observes a strange young, ghastly-looking woman dressed in black. The next morning, Kipps is taken to Mrs. Drablow’s eerie Eel Marsh house. The house is reached by way of a narrow causeway that is passable only during low tide. As Kipps investigates the house and the surrounding property, he again sees the woman in black, but is unable to follow her. His apprehension and fear grow. As he cautiously explores the inside of the house, he uncovers a large number of documents and information he must sift through in order to settle Mrs. Drablow’s affairs. His efforts reveal secrets and unexplainable events. Who is this woman in black? Why are the townspeople so hesitant to answer his questions? What happens to haunt Kipps years later? As Kipps and an actor he hires to help tell his story, struggle to tell it all and exorcise both their demons, we learn the chilling answer to these questions — and more.

  • Fri-Sat, Nov. 29-30 at 8pm
  • Sun, Dec. 1 at 3pm
  • Fri, Dec. 6 at 8pm
  • Sat, Dec. 7 at 5pm
  • Sun, Dec. 8 at 3pm
  • Fri, Dec. 13 at 8pm
  • Sat, Dec. 14 at 5pm
  • Sun, Dec. 15 at 3pm

Official page | Facebook event |

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October 31, 2024 · 8:12 am

ETC Serves Up Unforgettable Tea Party with Family-Friendly Musical ALICE IN WONDERLAND

December 4 – 30, 2024

(Cincinnati, OH) Ain’t no party like a Wonderland party! Ignite your sense of adventure as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) presents the return of one of its most popular family-friendly musicals, Alice in Wonderland, by local creative team Joseph McDonough (playwright) and David Kisor (composer and lyricist). Featuring an updated score and exuberant new costumes, this cherished musical will delight audiences of all ages this holiday season. Playing December 4 – 30, 2024.

Based on the beloved, imaginative tale by Lewis Carroll, this modern retelling is the toe-tapping story of a lost girl, a cool cat, a wild hare, and the original “dancing queen.” When ever-curious Alice falls from her own world into another, she must find her way home with the help of some whimsical and wonderful characters.

This year’s Alice in Wonderland is the sixth time it will appear onstage since ETC first commissioned and produced it in 1998 (subsequently presented in 2003, 2008, 2012, and 2018). Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. Premiere Sponsor is The Markley Family. Artist Sponsors are The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation & Paylocity.

“Alice in Wonderland is consistently the holiday show our patrons want to see again,” says ETC’s Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “We get to go with Alice on her journey to this magical and unusual place, but this production features a couple of new songs, brand new costumes, and an updated set. It’s a brand-new Wonderland! There’s just something about this show that brings an infusion of joy into the world.” 

Cast includes Sara Mackie (Queen of Hearts), Michael G. Bath (White Rabbit), Phil Fiorini (Mock Turtle), Andrew Maloney (Tweedledum), Brooke Steele (Cheshire Cat), Kate Wilford (Dormouse), Brandi La’Sherrill (March Hare), Timothy Belton (Card 5), TaShauna Ajoi Jenkins (Tweedledee), and KG Rucker (Mad Hatter). Making their ETC debuts are Elli Maddock (Alice), Sean Miller-Jones (Card 7), Erin Morton (Caterpillar/Butterfly), and Amira F. Jackson (Card 2).

Production team: Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Steve Goers (Music Director), Dee Anne Bryll (Choreographer), Cat Schmeal-Swope (Costume Designer), Jeremy Lee (Sound Designer), Trey Tatum (Assistant Sound Designer), Missy J. White (Wig & Makeup Designer), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Curator & Design Assistant), and Jacob Dowell (Technical Director). Production Stage Manager is Lexi Muller. Assistant Stage Manager is Abby Sauer. 

Performance Information
Performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 7:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Performances vary. A complete calendar of performances is available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org. 

Ticket Prices
Tickets for adults start at $30; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount only applies to adult tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

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2024-2025 Season Presenting Sponsor is the LKC Foundation.

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 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 rooted in historic Over-the-Rhine dedicated to engaging, enriching, and inspiring audiences through our thought-provoking world and regional premiere productions, creating and sustaining careers in professional theatre, building community partnerships, and sharing impactful education programs throughout our region.

 

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