Category Archives: Events

January 24, 2017 · 5:57 pm

DANCING FOR THE STARS 2017 | Sat., April 8 | JACK CASINO Ballroom

CAA_Dancing for the StarsCINCINNATI, OH – Who will be voted Cincinnati’s best celebrity dancer?  Which stars have the right moves to rule the dance floor?  Find out on Saturday, April 8, 2017 when the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) celebrates the eleventh season of its annual fundraiser DANCING FOR THE STARS at the JACK CASINO Ballroom (1000 Broadway Street in downtown Cincinnati) to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition – and Arts Education Programs.

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The competitive dance for the evening will be Foxtrot, and each dance pair will have ninety seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

In addition, DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature:

  • Silent auction
  • Dance music by guest DJ “Rockin’ Ron” Schumacher, WGRR-FM
  • Pre-event reception and wine tasting
  • Open dancing before and after the competition
  • Lite bites provided by some of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants and caterers
  • Cash bar

In addition to the winner of the dance competition, DANCING FOR THE STARS will crown a Fundraising Champion – the celebrity dancer who raises the most revenue toward the event’s fundraising goal through table/ticket sales and donations. Fans may add a donation under their favorite celebrity’s name at the time of ticket purchase, or simply make a donation if they cannot attend the event. These direct donations (outside of the event ticket price)  will help one of the fans’ favorite celebrities win the Dancing for the Stars Fundraising Champion award – which will be announced the evening of the event – and are 100% tax deductible.

Tickets are currently on sale at the following levels (a portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible):

  • $150 – Patron (includes pre-event reception and two drink tickets)
  • $1,500 – Corporate Table (ten Patron level tickets and a half-page program ad)
  • $2,000 – Celebrity Circle Table (premium “first-row” viewing of competition area, ten Patron level tickets, full-page program ad, recognition on event signage)

RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION:

Tickets on sale February 1

THE STARS:

  • Alvin H. Crawford, MD (Honoris Causa, FACS, Professor Emeritus, Orthopaedic & Pediatric Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)
  • Robin Creighton (Owner/Photographer, Robin McKerrell Photography/Mecca OTR/Cheapside Café)
  • Amal Daoud (Community Volunteer)
  • Mark Heidrich (Director of National Accounts, ProSource)
  • Rohan Hemani (Procter & Gamble Fabric Care Intrapenuer)
  • Allison Holzapfel, MD (Plastic Surgeon, Mangat-Holzapfel and Lied)
  • Joe Rozzi (Vice President of Sales, Rozzi Famous Fireworks)
  • Amy Tobin (Director, The Event Center at New Riff Distillery Event Center)

THE PROS (WITH STAR PAIRING):  

  • Doreen Beatrice (Independent Dance Instructor) – Rohan Hemani
  • Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company) – Mark Heidrich
  • Bonita Brockert (Independent Dance Instructor) – Dr. Alvin Crawford
  • Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) – Joe Rozzi
  • Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) – Dr. Allison Holzapfel
  • Jozsef Parragh (Independent Dance Instructor) – Amy Tobin
  • Josh Tilford (Independent Dance Instructor) – Amal Daoud
  • Alyenendrov (Lenny) Tsorokean (Phoenix Rising Ballroom) – Robin Creighton

THE HOSTS: Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM)

THE JUDGES:   

  • Douglas Beal (Independent Dance Instructor)
  • Barbara Hauser (Manager, Ohio Community Relations, Procter & Gamble – Dancing for the Stars 2015 Celebrity participant)
  • Jamie Humes  (Vice President-Marketing, Traditions Group – Dancing for the Stars 2016 Fundraising Champion)
  • John Morris Russell (Conductor, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra)

EVENT COMMITTEE:  Terry Foster (co-chair, Dancing for the Stars 2010 Celebrity participant),  Joe Rigotti (co-chair, Dancing for the Stars 2012 Celebrity participant), Christina Bolden, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, Rosemary Schlachter, Phil Schworer, and Tracey Skale.

EVENT SPONSORS:  Arthur Murray – Cincinnati; Cincinnati Ballroom Company; Crest Graphics, Inc.; Pebble Creek Group; Bonita Brockert; Jozsef Parragh; Phoenix Rising Ballroom; Josh Tilford.

TEN YEARS OF DANCING FOR THE STARS WINNERS:

  • 2007:     Dr. O’dell Owens (former Hamilton County Coroner)
  • 2008:     Jenell Walton (former WCPO-TV9 Anchor and Reporter)
  • 2009:     Phil Schworer (past President, Cincinnati Bar Association; Environmental Lawyer, Frost, Brown and Todd)
  • 2010:     Donna Speigel (Owner, The Snooty Fox)
  • 2011:     Tracey Skale (Chief Medical Officer, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services)
  • 2012:     Regina Russo (former Director of Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati Art Museum)
  • 2013:     Chris Seelbach (Cincinnati City Councilman)
  • 2014:     Neal Schulte (Founder & President, Schulte Financial Group, LLC)
  • 2015:     Johnny Chu (Owner, AmerAsia Kungfood Restaurant)
  • 2016:     Jay Lame (Financial Analyst, Lenox Wealth Management)

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION’S ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CAA’s Education Department promotes life-long learning through its programs, which are diverse, multidisciplinary, and accessible to all ages and cultural groups. SchoolTime presents a series of programs that feature nationally-recognized artists at CAA’s two venues (the Aronoff Center and Music Hall), and Artists On Tour brings the finest local artists in the region to Tri-state schools for interactive arts experiences aligned with the curriculum.

The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country.  The program annually provides a $4,000 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $1,000 scholarship. Each year, nearly 500 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Finals, and Final.

The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools.  Now in its 20th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).

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 nearly 1.5 million students.

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January 23, 2017 · 6:53 pm

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Will Travel Around Cincinnati This Winter

Playhouse’s Off The Hill tour begins Jan. 21

pip_around-the-world-in-80-days-promo(CINCINNATI) The Playhouse’s popular, family-friendly Off the Hill Series embarks on an imaginative adventure with Around the World in 80 Days, which will tour to community centers throughout Greater Cincinnati from Jan. 21 through Feb. 18, 2017.

“I am very excited to share Toby Hulse’s adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days with students and families throughout the Tristate area,” says Daunielle Rasmussen, the Playhouse’s director of education and community engagement. “This is a fast-paced, exciting romp around the world with smart and funny dialogue that will delight all ages.”

The classic Jules Verne story features intrepid Londoner Phileas Fogg in the world’s first amazing race, traversing the globe in just 80 days to claim a large wager on the enterprise. Along the journey of a lifetime — via boat, rail and even elephant — Fogg and his faithful French servant Passepartout encounter all sorts of obstacles, from a snooping Scotland Yard detective to the whims of Mother Nature. The hilariously entertaining comedy is recommended for ages 8 and up.

Verne’s novel was published in 1873, long before the advent of such modern transportation modes as automobiles and airplanes. The adventure’s itinerary starts in London and hits such exotic locales as Egypt, India, Hong Kong and Japan before crossing the United States and returning to London.

The Playhouse’s production will journey all over Cincinnati, from Fort Thomas to Mason to Oxford to Delhi. The final performance on Feb. 18 takes place at the Playhouse as part of Macy’s Arts Sampler Weekend, ArtsWave’s free annual arts festival. Around the World in 80 Days will be directed by Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., the artistic director and co-founder of Civic Ensemble in Ithaca, N.Y.

Visit the Playhouse website for the most up to date Performance Schedule
Click on SCHEDULE tab

Three members of the Playhouse’s 2016-17 Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company, George Bull, Candice Handy & Koray Tarhan, will portray the play’s 19 different characters.

“Kids will enjoy actors creating whole worlds without huge sets or a huge stage,” explains Rasmussen. “There are moments of action, romance and intrigue in the play that will hook any audience. Children will also get a sense of how immense changes in technology transformed the world 100 years ago.”

Around the World in 80 Days is the second of three Playhouse Off the Hill productions for the 2016-17 season, which will wrap up with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the spring. Off the Hill is supported by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation.

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January 17, 2017 · 6:03 pm

Xavier Theatre signs on to join THE GHOSTLIGHT PROJECT

XUT_logo(Cincinnati, Jan. 17, 2017) – At 5:30pm on JANUARY 19, 2017 Xavier Theatre will join over 500 theaters, ensembles and companies, high school and university theater programs who will gather across the country to “light a light” and make a pledge to stand for and protect the values of inclusion, participation, and compassion for everyone – regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

The Ghostlight Project will bring together over 500 participating organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. From Broadway to high school auditoriums, members of the theater community will gather from coast to coast on January 19, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. in each time zone to “light a light” and make a pledge. Inspired by the theatrical tradition of keeping a “ghost light” on in a darkened theater, we create light for the challenging times ahead.

On January 19th, at 5:30PM, Xavier Theatre will host a Ghostlight Project event. Everyone is invited to come together in the Gallagher Theatre for a short ceremony, located in Gallagher Student Center. Gathering together on the stage, people of all walks of life can come together in camaraderie. Feelings of strength, safety, and solidarity will be shared in order to designate the theatre as a safe space for ALL. From the darkness, all participants will ignite their own light source, to stand together as a beacon of hope and strength for the future.

Xavier University’s Theatre Department prides itself on being a company open to all walks of life. Xavier Theatre strives to create an open and accepting environment for every student. In creating a dialogue between people of differing backgrounds, our program will always include opportunities for the growth and development of anyone passionate about theatre.

From Saheem Ali, Director and member of the Ghostlight Project Steering Committee:

“The act of expressing something out loud has significance. [It] demonstrates solidarity and a firmness of belief. Our most solemn ceremonies—weddings, graduations, ordinations—are by design public and communal because they demand witnesses. By standing outside the privacy afforded by one’s four walls and declaring something in full voice, one asks to be held accountable for the stance being taken.”

Anyone who wishes to participate in this event may join by coming to the Gallagher Theatre located on the lower level of Gallagher Student Center on Xavier’s Main Campus. All that is needed to participate is an open mind, and a cell phone with flashlight capabilities. The ceremony will last approximately 20-30 minutes. The theatre doors will be open at 5:00pm, with the ceremony beginning promptly at 5:30PM.

www.theghostlightproject.com #GhostlightProject #BeALight #AllAreWelcome

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January 13, 2017 · 6:51 pm

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company to Announce Debut Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater on February 1

csc_final-beam1

Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips at the Topping Out (Final Beam) Event on December 5, 2016 at the new Otto M. Budig Theater.

CINCINNATI (Jan 12, 2017) — Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) continues to reach important milestones as it prepares for its move into The Otto M. Budig Theater. This next celebration in a series of Milestone Events will be an event to reveal the titles of the shows that will be produced in 2017-2018 for the debut season at The Otto M. Budig Theater. All contributors to the Making History Unexpected Capital Campaign and Press are invited, and the event is open to the public.

There will be a hard hat tour and a “Guess the Titles” game for those that want to see the progress of the theater and try to predict the shows CSC will produce in their brand new space. At each stop on the tour participants will receive clues about the shows and can try to guess the titles and the lineup of the season. Guests who participate in the game will be entered into a drawing to win door prizes including a pair of tickets for an invitation-only preview of the first show in the new theater. The celebration will continue across the street at the Transept with a cocktail party and the official season reveal of titles by Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips.

The hard hat tour and “Guess the Titles” game begins at 6:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased with a donation of $15 per person, and include a reservation to the cocktail party. For those who just wish to attend the cocktail party and titles release, the Transept will be open at 6:30 PM. Brian Isaac Phillips will announce the titles and line up of all the shows starting around 7:15PM. The event at the Transept is complimentary, although reservations are required.

In November 2015, CSC announced a $17 million capital campaign titled “Making History Unexpected” to construct a new theatre at 12th and Elm Streets, in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. The new facility will incorporate space for modern theatrical technology, increased seating capacity and lobby, expanded education and community outreach opportunities, as well as on-site production areas and administrative offices. The theatre will also become the “finale” of a planned “Classical Arts Corridor” connecting Music Hall, Memorial Hall, the School for Creative and Performing Arts, and Washington Park.

The project is on schedule and on budget to begin operations this summer and for the first production’s opening on September 8, 2017.

PHOTO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

  • 6:00 PM — Messer Construction Field Office (12th Street door just behind new construction). Hard hat tour of new theater.
  • 6:30 PM – the Transept. Cocktail reception begins.
  • 7:15 PM  – the Transept. Brian Isaac Phillips will reveal the titles of the Debut Season in the Otto M. Budig Theater.

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.

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January 13, 2017 · 6:48 pm

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Travels to the Arts Center at Dunham for Free Family Fun

pip_around-the-world-in-80-days-promoCINCINNATI, OH – January 13, 2017 — Bring your passport on Saturday, January 21 at 2 p.m. for AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, part of the Free Family Fun Series at the Arts Center at Dunham.

The Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions by Toby Hulse is based on the Jules Verne book and is provided courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Will Arts CAT. Join Phileas Fogg in the world’s most amazing race. Via rail, boat and even elephant, Fogg must travel the globe in just 80 days or he will forfeit a fortune. But a snooping detective, a possible human sacrifice and even the will of Mother Nature all conspire against Fogg’s adventure of a lifetime. Just three actors portray 19 different characters to create a spirited, fast-moving, highly imaginative and hilariously entertaining comedy. The show is recommended for ages 8 and up.

Reservations are recommended for the FREE Family Fun Series and can be made online (www.sunsetplayers.org) or by calling 513-588-4988.

All Free Family Fun Series performances are on Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. The remaining series includes:

–       March 11, 2017 ROKCincy Opera for Children: “The Magic Flute”

ROKCincy is thrilled to present Mozart’s beloved fairy tale opera “The Magic Flute.” The performance is 40 minutes in length and includes a question and answer session with the cast. ROKCincy is a non-profit program with a mission to introduce young people to the thrill of live, fully staged opera and to give developing professional musicians an opportunity to hone their performance skills through experience.

–       April 22, 2017 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe based upon the story by C.S. Lewis, dramatized by Le Clanche du Rand and performed by the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions. Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Will Arts CAT.

In Narnia, a land of talking animals, mythical creatures and eternal winter, the White Witch holds power over all. Any who dare to dissent are turned instantly into stone. But one day, a little girl named Lucy enters this magical land through an enchanted wardrobe, and her fantastical adventure signals the fulfillment of a prophecy and great change to come. Step through the wardrobe with Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund in this tour-de-force, two-actor adaptation of the beloved and heroic tale of good’s triumph over evil. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

The Arts Center at Dunham is a fine arts center for the west side of Cincinnati and its vision is to provide affordable creative and performing arts for Price Hill and surrounding communities. Housed in one of the three remaining buildings of what was the first municipally owned tuberculosis sanatorium in the United States, the Arts Center includes a 350-seat performance venue as well as extensive studio and programming space. The Arts Center is in the Dunham Recreation Complex. See what is happening at the Arts Center at Dunham on Facebook.

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