Category Archives: Events

Cincinnati Playhouse Brings Classic STUART LITTLE to Family Audiences Throughout Greater Cincinnati Through Feb. 16

New Off the Hill series production now open, will visit Oxford, Covington, Mt. Washington, Clifton and more

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CINCINNATI – Embark on an adventure as the Playhouse presents its second Off the Hill touring production this season with E.B. White’s endearing classic STUART LITTLE. This charming adaptation follows the marvelous maneuverings of a mouse in New York City who is trying to survive in the great, big world. Performed by members of the Bruce E. Coyle Intern company, the delightful adventures of Stuart Little will run now through Feb. 16.

STUART LITTLE is widely recognized as a classic in children’s literature. In the Playhouse’s production, Stuart escapes from a ferocious dog, protects his friend from their devious pet cat and wins a model boat race at Central Park. Approaching every obstacle with confidence and courage, Stuart teaches us, as he says in the show, that “size has nothing to do with it. It’s temperament and ability that count and knowing what’s important.”

STUART LITTLE explores the themes of “difference, friendship, family, loyalty and adventure,” explains Director Dee Anne Bryll. “When Stuart goes in search of his friend, Margalo, he suddenly becomes aware of the challenges of his size. However, he doesn’t let that stop him…He embraces the many different experiences, people and animals that he meets along his journey.”

This heartwarming production is touring the greater Cincinnati area now and is recommended for children 5 and up.

For more information and a full schedule of stops including Mt. Washington, Oxford, Covington, Clifton, Evendale and more, visit cincyplay.com.

Seasonal support of education and outreach programming is provided by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation. Support for Off the Hill is provided by KeyBank and The John C. Griswold Foundation. The Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company is supported by Jerry and Betsy Shroat, as well as Ron Bunt and Wei Sun.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

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Family Fun Series Continues at the Arts Center at Dunham on Feb. 1

PIP_Stuart Little logoEmbark on an adventure as Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park brings its Off the Hill touring production of E.B. White’s endearing classic, STUART LITTLE, to the Arts Center at Dunham. This charming adaptation follows the marvelous maneuverings of a mouse in New York City who is trying to survive in the great, big world. The performance is Saturday, Feb.1st at 2pm.

STUART LITTLE is widely recognized as a classic in children’s literature. In the Playhouse’s production, Stuart escapes from a ferocious dog, protects his friend from their devious pet cat and wins a model boat race at Central Park. Approaching every obstacle with confidence and courage, Stuart teaches us, as he says in the show, that “size has nothing to do with it. It’s temperament and ability that count and knowing what’s important.”

STUART LITTLE explores the themes of “difference, friendship, family, loyalty and adventure,” explains Director Dee Anne Bryll. “When Stuart goes in search of his friend, Margalo, he suddenly becomes aware of the challenges of his size. However, he doesn’t let that stop him…He embraces the many different experiences, people and animals that he meets along his journey.”

Recommended for grades K and up, but all ages welcome!

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ATTENDEES:
Before the Show: Arrive early to participate in creation of a show themed craft.
After the Show: Meet the cast and crew for an interactive discussion about the production and their work with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Note: Interpreters from Cincinnati State’s Sign Language program will provide services for hearing impaired attendees.

Click Here to RSVP
(or call 513.588.4988)

URGENT: Attendees with RSVP’s will be given priority admission.
Walk-in’s will be seated as space allows.

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TCTC Presents HARRIET TUBMAN: STRAIGHT UP OUTTA’ THE UNDERGROUND on the Showtime Stage

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Brandi Langford-Sherrill as Harriet Tubman. Photo by Julia Fowler.

Her story hidden in secrecy no more, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) brings HARRIET TUBMAN: STRAIGHT UP OUTTA THE UNDERGROUND performed by TCT On Tour (TCT’s touring division) to the Ralph and Patricia Corbett Showtime Stage March 14-15, 2020.

​​​​Bring the past to the present and change the future with this one-woman interactive storytelling experience. Uncover the painful truth about America’s 200-year-old struggle with slavery when you play a part in this historic retelling. On this journey, audiences will follow Harriet Tubman, the most recognized conductor of the Underground Railroad. Nicknamed “Moses,” Harriet Tubman lived up to this name by gaining her own freedom, as well as traveling back and forth from North to South more than 19 times and freeing 300 slaves!

TCT Tour Manager and Resident Artist, Brandi Langford-Sherrill, will bring this story to life on stage.  The production will be directed by Deondra Kamau Means. The show was co-created by A. James Jones, Brandi Langford-Sherril, and Deondra Kamau Means. 

HARRIET TUBMAN: STRAIGHT UP OUTTA THE UNDERGROUND is most enjoyed by those in grades 3-8 as well as adults and will be presented on the Ralph and Patricia Corbett Showtime Stage, 4015 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati, OH  45227. Only 152 seats are available for each performance. A question-and-answer session follows every show.

Performances will be held:

  • Saturday, March 14 at 2 PM and 5 PM
  • Sunday, March 15 at 2 PM

Tickets to each production are $10 each (plus service fees) and are available exclusively through ticketmaster.com or by visiting TCT’s Red Bank Road Ticket Office, M-F, 9am-6pm. Mainstage subscribers pay just $7 per ticket – a savings of $3. Tickets available now.

TCT On Tour is bringing this production to schools and venues around the Tri-State and throughout the region.  If you’re interested in booking, please contact Violet Webster at 513-569-8080 x20 or by emailing violet.webster@tctcincinnati.com.

Thematic Connections include: American History, Ancestry, Arts Integration, Bullying, Civics/Politics, Compassion, Courage, Courage and Honor, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Cross-Curricular, Diversity, Exploring Differences in Others, Exploring Differences Within, Fairness, Freedom, Government, Growth and Change, History, Humility, Imagination, Improvisation, Multi-Cultural, Music, Performance, Possibilities, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Sharing, Social Studies, Strength of Character, Teamwork, Women’s History.

Don’t miss The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Podcast, Audio Footlights. Hosted by Producing Artistic Director, Roderick Justice, this podcast is designed to look at the shows TCT produces, and to ignite, impact and inspire young listeners to have a lifelong love of theatre. This free TCT Podcast runs approximately eight minutes, and will be available on iTunes as well as Stitcher, SoundCloud, GooglePlay, TuneIn and Spotify soon!  Here’s a link to SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/tctcincinnati.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s TCT On Tour productions are made possible by PNC. TCT On Tour is supported by the generosity of the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the Ohio Arts Council and the generosity of the tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. This project supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov. 

TCT On Tour Actor Bio:
BRANDI LANGFORD-SHERRILL — Brandi is a graduate of The School for Creative and Performing Arts. Currently, she is a TCT Resident Artist and Tour Manager of TCT on Tour. Brandi has been with TCT since 2010 when she appeared on the MainStage during the 10-11 and 12-13 seasons. In 2013, she began touring with TCT on Tour, performing various roles including Coretta Scott King, Harriet Tubman and Maya Angelou. In 2018, she appeared on the TCT MainStage as Lois Lane in TCT’s production of SUPERMAN™. Brandi resides in Cincinnati with her husband Michael and their three beautiful children Jordan, Tyson and Kennedi. 

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Cincinnati Ballet Presents SWAN LAKE Just in Time for Valentine’s Day!

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Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

CINCINNATI, OH.  (January 21, 2020) — Cursed by an evil sorcerer, the beautiful princess Odette spends her days as a swan and her nights in human form. Only true love can break the spell, but an evil imposter is out to steal her prince and their happy ending. Experience what may be the most recognizable ballet of all time at Cincinnati Music Hall Thursday, February 13 to Sunday, February 16. With Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s spectacular score performed by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and choreography by Kirk Peterson, it’s a classic love story that can’t be missed. The ballet is also a tour-de-force experience for the dancer playing the dual role of Odette/Odile, the white swan and the black swan, her evil nemesis. On stage for much of the ballet, the dancer is required to perform a head-spinning 32 turns in a row as Black Swan.

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Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

Cincinnati Ballet also got creative with this production and decided to put our ‘swans’ in Mirror Lake at Eden Park. As our production is in the middle of winter, we planned the photo shoot during the summer. On a sweltering day in August, our dancers, videographer, production and wardrobe staff, and Artistic Director Victoria Morgan spent several hours creating some unbelievable photos in Mirror Lake. Clever photographer Aaron M. Conway didn’t just want our ‘swans’ in the water, he also wanted them en pointe ON the water! So how do you make dancers walk on water? Conway and his team brought along cinder blocks for the dancers to balance on. Principal dancers Sirui Liu and Melissa Gelfin took turns balancing on the blocks. What you may not know — pointe shoes are made of densely packed layers of fabric, cardboard, and sometimes paper hardened by glue, when immersed in water they quickly disintegrate. Each dancer, supported by staff, had seconds to create an indelible pose while balanced on the stacked cinder blocks. Bravo! What we ended up with are truly magical photos.

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Photo by Aaron M. Conway.

Cincinnati Ballet would also like to thank the City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Parks for all their help in the creation of these images.

WHO:                   Cincinnati Ballet

WHAT:                 Swan Lake

WHEN:                 February 13 – 7:30 pm

February 14 – 8:00 pm

February 15 – 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm

February 16 – 1:00 pm

WHERE:               Music Hall
1241 Elm St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202

TICKETS:               Call 513.621.5282, visit cballet.org or visit the Cincinnati Ballet Box Office at 1555 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45214

Tickets start at $29

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About Cincinnati Ballet
Since 1963, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the region, presenting a bold and adventurous array of classical, full-length ballets and contemporary works, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. Under the artistic direction of Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet has become a creative force within the larger dance community, commissioning world premiere works and exploring unique collaborations with artists as diverse as Grammy winning guitarist Peter Frampton and popular, Ohio-based band Over the Rhine. With a mission to inspire hope and joy in our community and beyond through the power and passion of dance, Cincinnati Ballet reaches beyond the stage in programs that allow every person in the region to be part of the continued evolution of dance. To that end, Cincinnati Ballet presents exhilarating performances, extensive education outreach programs and offers top level professional ballet training at Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy.

CONNECT: READ / WATCH / LISTEN / LEARN / ENJOY at cballet.org

Cincinnati Ballet 2019-2020 Season Sponsors: Rhonda & Larry A. Sheakley, ArtsWave, Mercy Health, Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, Frisch’s Big Boy, Knowlton

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Frederic Chiu Bringing “Classical Smackdown” to NKU SOTA

NKU_Smackdown logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Get ready to rumble as world-renowned pianist Frederic Chiu brings an epic classical piano showdown of Prokofiev versus Debussy to Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts. The concert will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at 7 p.m. at NKU’s Greaves Concert Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. Funding for this program has been made possible by the Ohio Music Teachers Association – Southwest District, the Northern Kentucky Music Teachers Association, and NKU SOTA’s Visiting Artist Fund as part of the Annual Winter Piano Pedagogy Conference.

Inspired by reality talent shows like “American Idol,” “Classical Smackdown” is a “tongue-in-cheek wrestling match” between contrasting composers with the audience voting for their favorite composer during the concert. The format is built so that any novice or professional can come and have an opinion. The program for Prokofiev-Debussy is arranged in four “rounds” of pieces specifically to provide an opportunity to compare and contrast.

Additionally, Frederic will present a session on “New Pedal Techniques” at 10:30 a.m. and facilitate a Masterclass at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 for students and teachers in Greaves Hall on the second day of the Conference. All events are free and open to the public. Advanced registration at nku.edu/piano is encouraged.

ABOUT FREDERIC CHIU
Frederic Chiu has recorded the most extensive complete piano works of Prokofiev, and his personal relationship with the Prokofiev family has made him a world-recognized advocate of the composer. Across 28 albums, he has recorded works of Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rossini, and Grieg, and most recently, the Beethoven/Liszt Symphonies V and VII. “Hymns and Dervishes,” music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann, Distant Voices: Music of Claude Debussy & Gao Ping and Schubert’s Fantasy for Violin and Piano demonstrate his vast legacy in recording.

His innovative programming includes “Classical Smackdown,” where composers face off in head-to-head comparisons, with listeners voting for their favorite composer: Debussy vs. Prokofiev, Bach vs. Glass, etc. Results tracked at ClassicalSmackdown.com. With his wife, Jeanine Esposito, he co-created the arts non-profit, Beechwood Arts & Innovation, to explore collaboration across art genres and the use of the arts and technology to create community. His innovative vision of Romeo & Juliet – The Choice, an immersive, interactive production of the famous Prokofiev ballet, debuted in 2018. Frederic teaches at both Carnegie Mellon University and The Hartt School. • fredericchiu.com

ABOUT THE WINTER PIANO PEDAGOGY CONFERENCE
The Northern Kentucky Winter Pedagogy Conference has drawn local music teachers to the NKU campus to discuss important topics pertinent to music education for the past eleven years. The conference is co-sponsored by the Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts Music Program, Northern Kentucky Music Teachers Association, and the Ohio Music Teachers Association – Southwest District. Funds for the conference are provided by OhioMTA-SW, NKyMTA, and NKU-SOTA, allowing the conference to be offered at no charge to members of the community.

ABOUT NKU SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
SOTA is the Creative Engine of NKU. The School of the Arts combines Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts to bring unparalleled artistic opportunities to current and future students. In a changing world, SOTA prepares students to be creative trailblazers in the Arts and their careers. Whether we are creating motion graphics, producing on the stage, or utilizing our dance classes to collaborate with therapeutic exercise in health sciences, we are on the cutting edge of transdisciplinary studies. SOTA offers 11 degrees with 30 specializations in addition to 7 minors to develop graduates that are personally engaged, innovative, and curious with advanced skillsets in collaboration and creative risk-taking.

For more information about NKU’s School of the Arts, please visit nku.edu/sota or follow on social media @NKUSOTA.

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