Category Archives: Events

Lexington Children’s Theatre Brings Beloved Fable to the Fitton Center in Premiere Production

FC_Puss in Boots logoHamilton, Ohio – Lexington Children’s Theatre returns to the Fitton Center for Creative Arts on February 5 for Fitton Family Fridays with their world premiere production of PUSS IN BOOTS. The classic tale was adapted for LCT by Jeremy Kisling, the organization’s associate artistic director in charge of education.

“We all say that writing is in the rewriting,” Kisling says. “It’s a matter of tweaking and deepening and defining those characters and getting them to each have a unique voice. In the end you’re trying to make sure that it’s something new, not a story that’s been told before. I am fairly true to the folk tale in its structure, but in its message I think it’s different.”

Along with emphasizing Puss’s use of wit, rather than force, to perpetuate the storyline, Kisling has also chosen to make Puss female.

“Hopefully, the story and character will make an impact on young girls in the audience that want to make transformations within their lives. Puss is feisty and it excites me to take a character like Puss into schools for little girls to look up to and have her as a reminder that we are all clever and all have the ability to make changes in our lives,” says director Octavia Biggs. “She’s a character in the throes of an exciting personal transformation, whose creative thinking, drive, and ambition seem to motivate the metamorphosis of every other character in the play. Puss is loyal, playful, and musical, but most inspiring, perhaps, because she is vibrant and actively engaged in life. She stands as a singular role model for young women today.”

Thank you to series sponsor Vaden Fitton, as well as reception sponsors G&J Pepsi Cola Bottlers, Inc. and Two Women in a Kitchen for their support. Admission is free for children; tickets are $10 for adult members and $12 for adult non-members (limit four children per adult). The reception begins at 6:30 pm and show begins at 7:30 pm in the Fitton Family Theater.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is a not-for-profit community arts center featuring a variety of programs, including: visual and performing arts classes, exhibitions, entertainment and theater productions for all ages. The Fitton Center’s purpose is to provide unique arts experiences and to “build community excellence through arts and culture.” The Fitton Center would like to extend its gratitude to ArtsWave, the Hamilton Community Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council for their ongoing support.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

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Building Community Excellence through Arts and Culture

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2016 Double Season Announcement Event for Cincinnati Landmark Productions

 

CLPJoin Cincinnati Landmark Productions on Saturday, January 16 and be the first to hear the next 10 shows slated for production.

The next 6-show Marquee Series season at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts and the next 4-show District Series season at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, spanning September 2016 to May 2017, will be announced at the invitation-only event. And YOU’RE INVITED!

This exciting and FREE event will feature songs from some of the upcoming shows, as well as a “state of the theater” address on the health and exciting future of Cincinnati Landmark Productions.

Who is invited? Actors, musicians, choreographers, board members, community advocates, production staff and CLP donors.

Want to know the new seasons and get the scoop before anyone else? Then MAKE PLANS NOW!

Timeline for the night:
7:00 Cash bar
7:30 Program
8:30 Mix, Mingle, Schmooze, Cash Bar
9:30 Last Call

Hope to see you at the Covedale!
Note: the event is free, but attendance is limited to the number of open seats in the theater. Seating can not be reserved or guaranteed.

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HFSO Pops and Chorale in Concert on Jan. 30

HFSO_Oklahoma logoThe Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra Pops and Chorale concert slated for the end of January features performers from Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre singing songs from OKLAHOMA!

This one-night musical event is Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7:30pm.

The performance is conducted by Paul John Stanbery at the Fairfield Performing Arts Center, Fairfield High School, 880 Holden Blvd. in Fairfield.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under.

Tickets are available online at www.hfso.org or may be purchased at the door.

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ANTIGONE Starts New Year of Free Family Fun at the Arts Center at Dunham

PIP_Antigone promo

Renika Williams as Antigone.

CINCINNATI, OH – December 29, 2015 — The Free Family Fun Series resumes at the Arts Center at Dunham with ANTIGONE, by John Yearley and performed by the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions on Saturday, January 30 at 2 p.m.

Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Arts CAT, Off the Hill Productions ANTIGONE begins as Antigone and Prince Haemon are resolved to bring peace and stability to their city through their wedding after a terrible war between their families. But Antigone remains tortured by the king’s edict forbidding the burial of her traitorous brother. Facing an uncertain future, this brave young woman must choose between obeying the laws of men and honoring her loyalty to her family in this inventive and very accessible new take on the timeless Greek legend. ANTIGONE is recommended for ages 11 and up.

“The Free Family Fun Series at the Arts Center at Dunham continues in 2016 and is an opportunity for families to experience live theater, puppet shows and operas aimed at children,” said Carrie Mees, who supports programming at the Arts Center at Dunham.

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

–          March 12, 2016 – AESOP’S CLASSIC FABLES by Madcap Puppets.

In the bountiful array of children’s literature, no author is better known and respected than the Greek storyteller, Aesop. Using animals as characters, he served up life lessons and morals in a tasty and digestible cupcake of a story. In Madcap’s production, Aesop is an old man recalling three of our best-loved stories re-told by a cast of puppets – and you.

–          April 2, 2016 ROKCincy Opera for Children: THE WIZARD OF OZ

ROKCincy is thrilled to present “The Wizard of Oz!” Using the beloved and familiar story written by Frank Baum and made famous by the 1939 film, ROKCincy has added operatic classics to enhance the drama and retell the tale as only they can. The performance is 40 minutes in length and includes a Q&A 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 23, 2016 THE GARDEN OF RIKKI TIKKI TAVI by Y York and performed by the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions. Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Arts CAT.

Rudyard Kipling’s beloved classic comes alive in this fun, free-flowing adaptation. The bossy bird Darzee is furious when Rikki Tikki Tavi washes up in her garden. With the dimwitted muskrat Chuchu, she pulls out all of the stops to convince the pesky young mongoose to leave. That is until they see that the tyrannical cobra Nag runs in fear of Rikki Tikki Tavi. Ultimately, the three must band together to save their home in this delightful comedy about sharing and cooperation. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Reservations for all performances in the ACAD FREE Family Fun Series can be made online (www.sunsetplayers.org), or by calling the reservation/information line at 513-588-4988.

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 located in the Dunham Recreation Complex. See what is happening at the Arts Center at Dunham on Facebook.

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MamLuft&Co. Dance Partners with Clifton Cultural Arts Center to Premiere DOUBLE|SIDED

MAM_Double SidedCINCINNATI, OH — Cincinnati’s resident Modern Dance company, MamLuft&Co. Dance, announces the premiere of a new work titled DOUBLE|SIDED (Jan. 14-17). The performance opens MamLuft&Co. Dance’s ninth home season, “The Year of Doubles,” which also includes The Double (May 20-21).

DOUBLE|SIDED employs perspective, framing, a split audience, and the absence of a fourth wall — or any stage-defining walls, for that matter — to explore conflict and community.

The world premiere is presented in collaboration with the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, where MamLuft&Co. Dance is housed. The Clifton Cultural Arts Center is truly a regional Cultural Arts Center encompassing – and preserving – over 53,000 square feet of historically significant space in an urban campus. CCAC has welcomed over 150,000 visitors for an exhibit, concert, theater performance, civic function, or class since opening its doors in 2008. CCAC’s mission is to strengthen the critical link between participation in the cultural arts and successful, healthy children, adults, and communities. Created specifically for the grand auditorium in what was originally a schoolhouse built in 1906, DOUBLE|SIDED capitalizes on the architecture to create a unique experience for audiences.

In many ways, DOUBLE|SIDED presents dance in ways most people have never experienced.

Audiences will not only face each other, split in halves, but they will also be enveloped by the performance. Audiences can then uniquely experience — in remarkable proximity — the power of the performers in a way that is just not possible in large proscenium houses.

The performers also employ two moveable walls to create framing, obscure, reveal, build, and break-down. DOUBLE|SIDED pushes, pulls, encircles, collides, divides, and unifies. The experience, combined with daring athletic physicality, goes beyond engaging.

The new dance work opens eyes through its meaning, as well, using movement and staging as metaphors for communal division and harmony. Inspired by recent events and growing tensions in America, break-out choreographers Elena Rodriguez and Steven Evans explore individual and cultural presumptions and perspectives. The two choreographers premiere as headliners in this work and bring fresh artistry to the company of nine years.
Choreographer Steven Evans says, “We were drawn by many contemporary conflicts in our communities and our world…Our differences can either be used to stifle progress, or they can be used to find likeness and understanding. Our piece examines ourselves and our own prejudices. ”

Partner Elena Rodriguez says about the process of making DOUBLE|SIDED: “It was a very personal process that dug deep for Steven and me: we were forced to analyze our own biases and perspectives and take responsibility for our roles in creating social change. We asked the dancers to do the same and bring their own opinions and personal experiences to the table. We worked to create movement that we felt represented ourselves and then began creating a story about finding acceptance and understanding with others who are not like us or who may think differently. We wanted to build a piece that showed how volatile and aggressive human confrontation can be, as well as one that portrayed some of the beauty and understanding within true human connection.”

Premiering as Company dancers in this performance are McKenzie Barkdull (Salt Lake City, Utah), Christina Cairns (Farmington Hills, Michigan), and Amelia Koper Heintzelman (Muncie, Indiana).

Performances are Thursday through Sunday, January 14 through 17, 2016 (Thu./Sun. performances at 7pm at discounted rates, Fri./Sat. at 8pm). Tickets are available now at MLCo.org, at 513.494.MLCo (6526) M-F 11am-4pm, and at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (3711 Clifton Ave, call 513-497-2860 for hours, as they vary). Tickets purchased before January 1 are 15% off.

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