Category Archives: Events

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH EXPERIENCE®: A John Denver Christmas | Sat., November 30, 2024 | Aronoff Center 

CAA_Rocky Mountain ExperienceROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH EXPERIENCE®: A John Denver Christmas

Starring Rick Schuler
America’s Top John Denver Tribute Show

November 30, 2024
Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

Tickets on sale Friday, July 12

[Cincinnati, OH] – Feel a little sunshine on your shoulders this holiday season when Rocky Mountain High Experience®: A John Denver Christmas starring Rick Schuler plays the Aronoff Center’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM as part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2024-25 Season. The tour is presented by Emery Entertainment.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 12 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Prices start at $66.00. Applicable services fees may apply. Prices are subject to change.

A John Denver Christmas is a magical and intimate experience that will take you back to the ’70s when John Denver’s music permeated the airways and spanned the radio dial. Rick Schuler’s enchanting holiday show features all your favorite Denver hits including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” just to name a few.

Schuler wondrously weaves in Denver’s heartwarming inspirational carols and holiday classics from his memorable TV specials and Christmas albums including “Aspenglow,” “Away in a Manger,” “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” “Let it Snow,” “Silver Bells,” and many more festive standards.

Rocky Mountain High Experience®: A John Denver Christmas captivates audiences young and old alike. Don’t miss the incomparable event of the season – you will swear that you’re back in the ’70s with John Denver on stage. 

RICK SCHULER
Rick Schuler emerged as the leading performer of John Denver’s music almost four decades ago. His Rocky Mountain High Experience® is just that – a true experience. Even Denver’s bandmates sing Schuler’s praises. He not only sings, sounds, and looks like Denver, he shares his humanitarian spirit and incorporates his global works into the show. He performs in front of thousands of Denver fans at such wide-ranging venues as performing art centers, theatres, and outdoor festival stages, and has been featured on nationally syndicated television and radio shows. Also, Rick was chosen to open and close an upcoming major Hollywood film release called Grace and Grit starring Mena Suvari and Frances Fisher among others and directed by Sebastian Siegel. For more information on Rick Schuler, visit https://www.rickschulermusic.com

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

SEASON SPONSORS: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), ARTSWAVEFIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Bahl & Gaynor, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                Rocky Mountain High Experience®: A John Denver Christmas

WHEN:                Saturday, November 30, 2024 – 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

PRICES:               Start at $66.00. Additional service fees may apply. Prices subject to change.

INFO:                  This magical and intimate concert experience will take you back to the ’70s when John Denver’s music permeated the airways and spanned the radio dial. Rick Schuler’s enchanting holiday show features all your favorite Denver hits, plus many of the heartwarming, inspirational carols and holiday classics from his memorable TV specials and Christmas albums.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale Friday, July 12 at 10:00 AM

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

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STEP AFRIKA! | Tue., March 11, 2025 | Aronoff Center 

CAA_Step AfrikaSTEP AFRIKA!

March 11, 2025
Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall
Tickets on sale Friday, June 28

[Cincinnati, OH] – Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the world’s leading authority on the artform of stepping. The acclaimed dance company will play the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall for one night only on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM as part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2024-25 Season. In addition, Step Afrika! is part of ArtsWave’s Flow, a series designed to create a shared and elevated appreciation for African American art with a culturally diverse and adventurous audience.

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 28 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Prices start at $20.00. For groups of ten or more, call (513) 977-4155. Applicable services fees may apply. Prices are subject to change.

Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports. Step Afrika! has toured more than sixty countries across the globe and ranks as one of the top ten African American Dance Companies in the US.

Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.

Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement, and cross-cultural understanding. The Company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a fifty-city tour of colleges and theaters and performs globally as Washington, DC’s one and only Cultural Ambassador.

Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, and was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame – the first Dance Company to earn this honor. Step Afrika! headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month Reception and performed at the first ever Juneteenth Celebration at the White House. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit.

Learn more about Step Afrika! at www.stepafrika.org.

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

SEASON SPONSORS:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), ARTSWAVEFIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                Step Afrika!

WHEN:                Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – 7:30 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall

PRICES:               Start at $20.00. 10%-off groups of ten or more. Additional service fees may apply. Prices subject to change.

INFO:                  Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling, artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale Friday, June 28 at 10:00 AM

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

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Close Out PRIDE Month at the TEXAS ANNIE Concept Album Launch Party at The Carnegie!

CFF22_Texas AnnieCINCINNATI, OH – On June 30th, from 5-6pm, The Carnegie will host the highly anticipated launch party for the concept album of TEXAS ANNIE: The Legend of the Moan Ranger, the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Audience Pick of the Fringe winner. Following the 3pm performance of The Rocky Horror Show, the party will celebrate the TEXAS ANNIE concept album, NOW STREAMING on all major platforms, and feature a performance by local drag sensation, Queen Danicure.

TEXAS ANNIE takes listeners on a wild ride through the outrageous musical escapades of a renegade sex toy dealer in Texas, when sex toys are declared illegal. The story is based on the Texas Obscene Devices Law from the 1970s, which made it a felony to own six or more sex toys. Co-written by queer, non-binary writer/producer Jenn Howd, who resides in Cincinnati, and trans woman Roz Mihalko from Los Angeles, CA, this album is a subversive response to ongoing efforts to suppress sexual freedom and LGBTQ+ rights.

TEXAS ANNIE: The Legend of the Moan Ranger isn’t just a fun, campy romp—it’s our way of pushing back against the laws that are trying to control personal freedoms,” says Howd. “With similar obscenity laws and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation popping up at a rapid pace across the country, this project, sadly, feels more timely than ever.”

The concept album was recorded in Cincinnati at Timeless Audio Recording Studio and features an array of local Cincinnati/NKY singers. Adding to the rich tapestry of talent, Cincinnati’s own Steve Goers composed music for several tracks, with additional contributions from John Woods in Vancouver, BC. This collaboration showcases the vibrant artistic community within the Cincinnati area and brings the story to life with subversive, sexy, and silly lyrics that are sure to leave audiences buzzing with delight.

Event Details:

  • Date & Time: June 30th, 5-6pm (immediately following The Carnegie’s 3pm performance of The Rocky Horror Show)
  • Location: The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St, Covington, KY 41011
  • Special Performance: Local drag sensation, Queen Danicure
  • Cash Bar: A portion of the bar proceeds will benefit TEXAS ANNIE and the event’s local non-profit Community Partners: Queer KYSmoke & Queers, and Transform, who will be on-site giving out materials and information about their organizations.
  • Exclusive Offer: Save 15% off tickets to the June 30th performance of The Rocky Horror Show with code TEXAS15 at thecarnegie.com.

Join us for an evening of music, fun, and activism as we celebrate the launch of the TEXAS ANNIE: The Legend of the Moan Ranger’s Concept Album. And follow @TexasAnnieMusical on social media for exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes peeks, and more! For more information about TEXAS ANNIE, visit www.TexasAnnieMusical.com.

About TEXAS ANNIE: The Legend of the Moan Ranger:
TEXAS ANNIE is a fringe award-winning, queer & campy, sex-positive pop-rock comedy musical that follows the adventures of a renegade sex toy dealer in Texas when sex toys are declared illegal. Inspired by the real Texas Obscene Devices Law and co-written by queer, non-binary writer/producer Jenn Howd and trans woman Roz Mihalko, the show and concept album aim to entertain and inspire change by blending humor with a critical look at anti-LGBTQ+ legislation while celebrating sexuality and helping to eradicate sexual shame. The concept album was recorded in Cincinnati at Timeless Audio Recording Studio and features local Cincinnati/NKY singers, with music for several tracks composed by Cincinnati’s own Steve Goers and additional compositions by John Woods from Vancouver, BC.

The promotion of this event is generously supported by Cincinnati’s own Midwestern Lesbian.

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Cirque Dreams HOLIDAZE | Dec. 6-7 | Aronoff Center 

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE
IS SET TO ILLUMINATE CINCINNATI!CAA_Cirque Dreams HolidazeARONOFF CENTER – PROCTER & GAMBLE HALL
DECEMBER 6-7, 2024

Tickets on sale Friday, June 21 at 10:00 AM

[Cincinnati, OH]  CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE will be dazzling audiences in Cincinnati during its six-week, sixty-city U.S. tour this holiday season with a much-anticipated stop at the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Friday, December 6 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, December 7 at 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM. The show is part of CAA’s 2024-25 Season.

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE is affordably priced with tickets starting at $39.50. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 21 at 10:00 AM at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-2787 [ARTS], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. For Group Sales (10 or more), call (513) 977-4155. Applicable services fees may apply. Ticket prices/fees subject to change.

Audiences from coast to coast will be captivated by this brilliant and whimsical holiday spectacular. As the nation’s premiere family holiday tradition, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE will convey the magic of the season with a Broadway-style production infused with contemporary circus arts.

As lights dim and the music swells, a fantastical cast of holiday storybook characters come to life. Both critics and audiences agree that CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDZAZE is “a show for all ages to enjoy where families can make Christmas memories together.” And Broadway World exclaims, “Lose yourself for 90 minutes and go back to those wonderful dreams you had as a kid.”

Imaginative and fun for children to seniors and everyone in between, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE features a world-renowned cast of performers accompanied by an ensemble of aerial circus acts, sleight-of-hand jugglers, fun-loving skippers, breath-catching acrobatics, and much more.  An original music score includes new twists on seasonal favorites such as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Carol of the Bells.” Singers, dancers, penguins, toy soldiers, and reindeer evoke the dreams behind a child’s eye on the most magical of nights. Amidst a backdrop of new sets, scenery, and storylines, this family-friendly production is sure to put a twinkle in your eye!

About Cirque Dreams 
The Cirque Dreams franchise is a globally recognized entertainment brand that has produced a wide array of live stage performances for Broadway, casinos, theme parks, resorts, cruise lines, and theatrical venues worldwide. Since 1993, millions of people have experienced Cirque Dreams productions across the globe. Combining the world’s finest contemporary circus artists with dynamic choreography and whimsical storytelling, Cirque Dreams has captured the hearts and imaginations of both audiences and critics alike.  Cirque Dreams is a VStar Entertainment Group Company.

For more information, visit https://cirquedreams.com/.

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

SEASON SPONSORS:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), ARTSWAVEFIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE

WHEN:                Friday, December 6, 2024 @ 7:00 PM

                             Saturday, December 7, 2024 @ 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center for the Arts – Procter & Gamble Hall

PRICE:                 Ticket prices start at $39.50. Applicable services fees may apply. Ticket prices/fees subject to change.

INFO:                   As the nation’s premiere family holiday tradition, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE will convey the magic of the holiday season through a Broadway-style production infused with contemporary circus arts. The show features a world-renowned ensemble of aerial circus acts, sleight-of-hand jugglers, fun-loving skippers, breath-catching acrobatics, and much more, accompanied by an original music score that includes new twists on seasonal favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” 

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale Friday, June 21 at 10:00 AM

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

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Encore, Encore! 3 Shows Honored With Encore Performances at Cincy Fringe

Here’s what the Fringe community cheered into additional time on stage 

The 21st Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival has showcased jaw-dropping talent and artistic innovation from across North America in all of its 36 productions, but the artists, critics, and Festival producers were given a chance to vote three Primary Lineup shows into one additional performance at the Know Theatre MainStage on the Festival’s closing day, June 15.

Let’s meet the winners!

CFF24_ Songs without WordsAt 5 PM on June 15, we begin with Songs Without Words (or, the Mendelssohn Play) from Jennifer Vosters out of Chicago, IL. Songs Without Words is the humorous, heartbreaking true story of one artistic soul inhabiting two very different artists. Solo performer Vosters brings composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn to life with a tour-de-force performance that wrestles gender and genius, family and fame, siblinghood and the power of art.

18th-century composer Fanny Mendelssohn is having a moment. She’s the subject of a recent documentary (Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn) plus a West End world-premiere comedy simply titled Fanny. Songs Without Words offers an intimate portrait of her, her famous brother Felix, and their very different destinies. Vosters was awarded the 2024 American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) Osborn Award for the script.

CFF24_The Last Witch in IrelandNext on the schedule at 6:45 is The Last Witch in Ireland: The Story of Bridget Cleary, from InBocca Performance out of Cincinnati, OH. In 1895, Michael Cleary declared his wife had been replaced by a changeling whom he’d burned and buried as he waited for his real wife to be returned. Who was Bridget Cleary, the last witch burned in Ireland? Who are we women – the wife or the changeling?

Bridget was a woman whose autonomy was stolen from her by the person she should have been able to trust above all others. In 2024, when so many communities are having their rights to physical autonomy stripped away, this story of power and legacy is both important history and deeply of-the-moment. InBocca Performance is a Cincinnati company with a celebrated history of innovative, collaborative multidisciplinary art, and Cincy Fringe audiences hail this show as “stunning” and “badass.”

CFF24_1-Man No-ShowThe final encore performance of the 2024 festival is 1-Man No Show, from Isaac Kessler out of Toronto, ON, at 8:30. This riotously funny solo clown-show-meets-performance-art piece is described by Kessler himself as “the most theatrically anti-theatre show you’ve ever seen.”

Kessler is a 4-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee, and one half of the award-winning ClownProv juggernaut 2-Man No-Show alongside Ken Hall. Kessler says of his work that “the art of Clown & Bouffon unifies us in joyous rebellion, striking down hate with love,” while Cincy Fringe audiences have described 1-Man No-Show as “the funniest thing I’ve seen in years” and “I didn’t stop laughing the whole time – I laughed until I cried.”

Visit cincyfringe.com for more details and to purchase tickets, or phone the box office at 513-300-5669.


Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.

The 19th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is made possible by a generous partnership with our neighbors, the Art Academy of Cincinnati and 3CDC.

Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

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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