Category Archives: Events

October 6, 2025 · 5:48 pm

Walnut Hills Theatre Department Presents the 2025 ONE ACTS FESTIVAL

Walnut Hills High School welcomes you back to the stage with their annual Junior High One Acts Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cincinnati, OH – The Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department is thrilled to be welcoming you to the opening of their 2025-2026 season with the Junior High One Acts Festival!  The show runs October 16-18th, 2025 at 7pm and October 18th at 2pm  in the Rick Steiner Black Box Theatre.

The festival features 3 One Act plays; Why We Like Love Stories by Stephen Gregg, Murder in Little Grimley by David Tristham, and an original piece titled Bebe Le Strange by Walnut students Ash Kertpet and Easton Taylor. 

Sasha Rucker-Chang as Crooper, Annajane Updegrove as Chloe & Silas Dronen as Bark. Costumes by Izzy Hayes, Hair and Makeup by Piper Hawkins.

Why We Like Love Stories
Directed by Mckenzie Bell

In the hills above Pin Cushion, California, students go to talk of the world, flirt and yearn. It’s a place where heartbreak awaits. In a La Ronde-style chain, Chloe breaks up with her boyfriend, Crooper, devastating him. Months later, Crooper ineptly attempts to use a mathematical equation to break up with Jessica—his girlfriend of seven months. She’s furious, since she’s in the middle of declaring her love for him. Months later, a calmer Jessica rebuffs Bark, who pines for her. But then things come full circle. Bark and Chloe—outsiders both—take an awkward, fumbling-for-words walk in the hills. Chloe has a secret, and Bark’s reaction to it gives them a surprising connection that, for the moment at least, promises a future. Why We Like Love Stories is a wistful comedy about the things we learn from the people we love, even once they’ve left us

Front row: Benno Gibson as Sam, Ellis Klump-Lawson as Gordon & Adina Morvay as Joyce
Back row: Madeline Benoit as Margaret and William Crone as Bernard. Costumes by Izzy Hayes, Hair and Makeup by Piper Hawkins. 

Murder in Little Grimley
Directed by Caroline Lovelace and Aubrey Lowe

Anxious to cash in on the public’s appetite for detective dramas, the Chairman Gordon writes a whodunnit. But in a bizarre twist he then finds himself embroiled in a real-life murder mystery that threatens to put him behind bars. The quarrelsome quartet have been in some sticky situations over the years. But can they possibly get away with murder?

 

 

Ive Syroney as Charlie and Leni Cable as Bebe Le Strange. Costumes by Izzy Hayes, Hair and Makeup by Piper Hawkins.

Bebe Le Strange
Written and Directed by Ash Kertpet and Easton Taylor

When a gullible teenager named Charlie visits the mysterious psychic Bebe Le Strange, he is given a tarot reading that he believes will change his life. Bebe Le Strange pulls “The Magician” card from the deck and tells Charlie that he is meant to be a magician. Little does Charlie know, the psychic is a fraud and misled Charlie with a fake reading and fake spellbook. Unfortunately, Charlie takes the card to heart and performs a magic act for his friends at his birthday party, but miraculously he makes his friend Jessie disappear and can’t bring him back. 

All photos by Mikki Schaffner.

Tickets are $15.50* for adults and $13.50 for students (prices include processing fees).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 

Why We Like Love Stories features Silas Dronen as Bark, Sasha Rucker-Chang as Crooper, Tahirih Fanananzapir as Jessica, and Annajane Updegrove as Chloe. Murder in Little Grimley features Ellis Klump-Lawson as Gordon, Madeline Benoit as Margaret, WIlliam Crone as Bernard, Adina Morvay as Joyce, and Benno Gibson as Sam. Bebe Le Strange features Leni Cable as Bebe Le Strange, Ivy Syroney as Charlie, Grayson Isenberg as Finley, Za’nayah Combs-Reed as Emerson, Tuula Hicks as Jessie/Police Officer, and Emeline Gallagher as Alex.

  • Student Directors- Caroline Lovelace, Aubrey Lowe, Mckenzie Bell, Ash Kertpet, and Easton Taylor
  • Technical Director-  Joe Mitchell
  • Festival Producer- Mike Sherman 
  • Festival Stage Manager/Student Technical Director- Abbie Kershner
  • Stage Managers-Violet Garitson, Adelaide Linser, Aidyn Montgomery, and C.C. Wise
  • Costume Designer- Izzy Hayes
  • Costume Manager- Al Carmicle
  • Hair and Makeup Designer- Piper Hawkins
  • Marketing and Publicity Manager- Adelaide Linser
  • House Manager- Ellie Cook
  • Lighting Designer- Dallon Hatton
  • Lighting Managers- Dallon Hatton and Eleanor Jackson
  • Props Designer- Sebastian Garitson
  • Props Manager- Asher Morin
  • Scenic Designer/Lead Scenic Artist- Polly Wilson
  • Assistant Scenic Designer- Riley Coleman
  • Scenic Manager- Lily Pavelka
  • Sound Designer- Molly Wermuth
  • Sound Manager- Violet Garitson

 

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September 18, 2025 · 4:58 pm

Queen City Cup 2024 Sensation Holy Cannoli Presents Fun Filled: THE 24-HOUR COMEDY REVIVAL

{Cincinnati, OH} – Indie improv team Holy Cannoli will present Fun Filled: The 24-Hour Comedy Revival, taking place at the Hoffner Lodge on October 17-18, and featuring a full day of comedy performances, all to raise money for the Esperanza Latino Center.

Holy Cannoli is proud to bring this 24-hour event to the Hoffner Lodge for the first time. “Fun-Filled” is an elevated revisitation of the team’s 24-hour challenge they completed as part of winning the 2024 Queen City Cup with Improv Cincinnati. The 24-hour comedy event will feature nearly two-dozen acts, all including members of Holy Cannoli, including popular local comedy shows and performance groups such as Smoke and Queers, The Kevin Bauer Power Hour, ComedySportz, and more.

All proceeds for the event will go to The Esperanza Latino Center. The center provides bilingual services and programs for Spanish-speaking individuals in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Area, including assistance with federal program sign-up, connections with local resources, a monthly diaper program, and more. Holy Cannoli is incredibly proud to support this organization and the work they do for our community.

Tickets for the event are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $25 dollars. People can purchase tickets via the Eventbrite.

“Nothing heightens comedy quite like sleep deprivation,” says Nicole Donahue, Holy Cannoli founding member, “so come and join us for middle-of-the-night laughs for a good cause.”

Holy Cannoli is an independent improv team established in 2024. Members include Nicole Donahue, Mia Helbig, Paige Ingram, Danny Lancaster, Sophia Mathioudakis, Oneya Okuwobi, Martibel Payano, and Andrew Whelan. The team is coached by Caleb Robinson.

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September 17, 2025 · 3:47 pm

Saturday, October 11th: The Anti-Pestilence League Presents…!

As part of Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s octKNOWber Nights event, The Anti-Pestilence League (or The APL) will be serving audience members a “double dose of dread” with their live performance of two classic radio play episodes: SUSPENSE: Fugue in C Minor and THE WHISTLER: A Matter of Patience. Fugue is an eerie tale of a widower whose house seems to hold secrets in the pipes of the massive organ around which it was built while Patience tells the story of a frustrated husband who decides to take his wife’s health matters into his own hands.

This Samhain-inspired evening will feature the talents of Jeremiah Plessinger, Karolina Prokop, Faith Vonhandorf, Ted and Samantha Joy Weil, Lisa D. Dirkes, and the incomparable Bill Keeton.

Tickets to this and all other octKNOWber Nights offerings can be purchased here.

^The Anti-Pestilence League was born out of artistic frustration during the beginning stages of COVID-19. Harley Quinn Studios decided to gather a group of artists to perform old-timey radio dramas (and comedies!) as a way to entertain themselves while keeping a safe distance from one another. While the group began with recordings, the goal was always to incorporate live performances when the world was safe enough to accommodate them. APL Commissioner and Founder of Harley Quinn Studios Katrina “Kat” Reynolds, a life-long fan of radio shows, has always enjoyed using her voice for both good and evil; therefore, she and this COVID baby were the perfect match. Featuring the talents of regular company members such as Jeremiah Plessinger and Karolina Prokop as well as some warmly welcomed guest artists, the APL lives up to Harley Quinn Studios’ mantra in providing a space “where the voices in your head come to play”.

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September 16, 2025 · 7:57 pm

Know Theatre Presents a Month of Spooky Programming from Local Artists with octKNOWber Nights

16 Nights of Spine-Tingling Theatre runs October 2–30, 2025

Cincinnati, OH – Know Theatre of Cincinnati announces an entire month of live entertainment – created by local artists – that dares you to close your eyes, hold your breath,  and venture into the shadows.

With ten different live productions over 16 nights dedicated to the eerie, the uncanny, and the supernatural, octKNOWber Nights promises to raise the spirits of the Halloween season. Audiences will be treated to a lineup that ranges from original one-act dark comedies to the spookiest of golden era radio plays, a classic horror film screening with live musical scoring, stand-up and improv comedy, and cabarets that run the gamut from the musical and macabre to the truly bizarre.

With a costume contest (Oct 29), late night drag shows (Oct 24 & 25), and the festive atmosphere that only an underground bar full of theatre artists can create, octKNOWber Nights is just the trick to get you into the Halloween spirit.

octKNOWber Nights Lineup

October 2–5 – Katie Scarlett presents Z is for Zebra

A limited run Encore of the sold-out 2025 Cincy Fringe Development show from Cincinnati-based artist and activist Katie Scarlett. Directed by Liz Carman.

October 9 – Not Welcome At Home

A night of stand-up comedy from two Indigenous comedians, Janette Perez & Homer Shadowheart – and a great ally, Erica Russell.

October 10 – A Sad Vampire by Aleah Vassell

A harmless vampire spends Halloween in an Applebee’s facing her demons. A staged reading directed by Candice Handy.

October 11 – The Anti-Pestilence League presents A Double Dose of Dread

A live performance of two of the spookiest radio plays of the Golden Era: SUSPENSE: Fugue in C Minor and THE WHISTLER: A Matter of Patience.

October 12 – Death Defying presents CREEPSHOW

Horror meets humor in five twisted tales brought to life by a killer cast of actors and improvisers. A live script reading with only a little improvisation.

October 17–19 – A to Z Productions presents Ghost Stunters

Fake ghosts make good television. Real ghosts make GREAT television. A paranormal comedy by Alexx Rouse & Zach Robinson.

October 24–26 – Bard & Bandit presents Madhouse the Musical

Experience the drama. Embrace the darkness. A cabaret of musical theatre – with a sinister spin. Plus: Odd Presents the Madhouse Unleashed Drag Show after the cabaret on October 24 & 25.

October 29 – Show Us Your WeirdSpooky Cabaret + Costume Contest

One night. 20 unforgettable acts. Presented by Erika MacDonald.

October 30 – InnerSpace Collective Presents: Nosferatu

The 1922 silent film with a live, improvised score.

Performance Information

octKNOWber Nights runs October 2–30, 2025
Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
All evening performances are at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees are at 2pm.

Ticket Information

Know Theatre of Cincinnati exists to build belonging through bold theatre.

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

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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September 8, 2025 · 5:02 pm

Z IS FOR ZEBRA Enlivens Arts as Advocacy Through Disabled Artists Telling Disabled Stories

An encore performance of a show critics called “tightly executed, deeply personal, and often
wickedly funny”

[Cincinnati, OH] Back by popular demand, after a sold out run at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Z IS FOR ZEBRA is returning to the Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s stage for a limited run in early October. Hailed as “a tightly executed, deeply personal, and often wickedly funny piece” (Kirk Sheppard) Z IS FOR ZEBRA, written by Katie Scarlett, explores the relationship between chronic illness and grief told through the eyes of a professor giving a lecture on Kubler-Ross’s “stages of grief.” But what happens when the professor’s overconfident (and unwanted) TA takes her on a whirlwind journey through her own hardships with chronic illness? Together, they navigate the path to acceptance (no matter how fleeting) through a series of successes and struggles with humor, heart, and a lot of pill bottles.

The show will run from October 2nd- 5th at The Know Theatre on 1120 Jackson Street. The cast includes: Ben Dudley, Kate Stark, and Katie Scarlett. Production team includes: Liz Carman (director), ErinMarie Suscheck (stage manager), and designers Becca Schall, Jared Earland, and Rupert Spraul.

Scarlett, who is disabled herself, strongly believes in art as a form of advocacy. “For a lot of chronically ill people self-advocacy starts young in medical settings. You must learn how to stand up for yourself because often you’re not believed by medical professionals or you receive a lot of pushback,” Scarlett says. “This show for me was a way of broadening my advocacy past myself. My story isn’t unique. I can name multiple people in the disabled and chronic illness communities who have shared similar experiences. Most people don’t know how hard it is to navigate a complex healthcare system when the chronic part of being ill never ends. It’s exhausting to live in a body that defies you every step of the way and the medical system that is meant to help shouldn’t be part of that exhaustion.” This message is important as, according to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States are disabled. Most people have someone in their life that has struggled with their health, this story provides more context to relate on a deeper level.

It was important to Scarlett to build a team of disabled artists. She believes disabled stories need to be told, and by disabled artists whenever possible. “I was astounded by the amount of people who came up to me afterwards and told me they felt like they were watching their story, or a part of their story, unfold onstage,” Scarlett says. “If it wasn’t their personal story, it was the story of a loved one or a friend. I was honored that so many people suggested the show as a must watch for medical professionals. I think it points to the unfortunate shared experience of navigating the medical world as a patient who doesn’t fit into traditional boxes. I’m so excited so many people wanted to come back and experience the show again.”

AT A GLANCE
What: Z IS FOR ZEBRA, by Katie Scarlett
When: October 2 – 4, 7:30 PM; October 5, 2 PM.
Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St, Over-the-Rhine
Tickets: From $20. Available at knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025 or by phone at 513.300.5669.

For tickets and more information please check out the Know Theatre’s octKNOWber lineup:
www.knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025

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