Category Archives: Events

April 23, 2021 · 10:04 am

Footlighters, Inc. Present SHE’S CRAZY April 30-May 2

FLI_Shes Crazy logoFootlighters, Inc. will present She‘s Crazy: Mental Health & Other Myths online in recognition of Mental Health Month on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 30, 2021 through Sunday May 2, 2021.  Footlighters is thankful for your continued support and would like to support YOU through Mental Health Month. The theme is:  Changing Minds and Changing the Conversation About Mental Health Issues and Addiction.

She‘s Crazy: Mental Health & Other Myths is musical theater edutainment that educates, uplifts, and inspires audiences to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Topics addressed include depression, bipolar disorder, addiction, PTSD, and suicide.  Mental health disorders are much more common than most people think, and have biological, genetic, and environmental causes. 1 in 4 Americans suffer from mental illness—that’s 62 million people.

She’s Crazy takes a very unique approach to this very relevant topic. Through humor, personal stories and songs, She’s Crazy has brought healing and hope to audiences since 2015.  Learning outcomes…The audience will:

  • Examine and evaluate mental health issues of people close to them – relatives, friends, themselves – related to the personal issues presented in the show.
  • Understand the link between mental illness and addiction.
  • Recognize that PTSD can result from sexual assault, or witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Realize that the stigma surrounding mental illness can impact a person’s willingness to seek treatment or talk openly about their experience.
  • Come to understand the many reasons why people do not seek treatment.

“She’s Crazy” is presented by Stop The Stigma Productions, a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status as a public charity, in partnership with Footlighters, Inc.

Online Performances:

  • Friday, April 30, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday May 2.
    7:30 PM Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 PM Sunday.
    The show is 75 minutes long, with a Q&A with the performers for 15 minutes after.

Footlighters, Inc. has presented performances in the Greater Cincinnati area for over 50 years. The group is noted for producing quality community theatre productions of primarily musical comedies and bought its own facility in 1987. The Stained Glass Theatre, a former church, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Kentucky landmark.

Donate now or learn more at our website www.footlighters.org  or become a friend on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Footlighters-Inc/287519888305 .

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April 20, 2021 · 1:50 pm

‘Bootlegging & Broadway’ Takes Center Stage with The Carnegie’s Production of GEORGE REMUS: A NEW MUSICAL

TC_George Remus logoCOVINGTON, KY – It’s got crime, high stakes drama and features the tale of an American dream gone awry … And now, it’s coming to life on stage in Covington via The Carnegie.

GEORGE REMUS: A NEW MUSICAL takes the stage on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7pm at Covington Plaza (144 Madison Ave, Covington KY 41011). Set against the backdrop of the early 20th Century, the production tells the story of its namesake, a penniless German immigrant who grew up in Chicago and spent much of his life in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region.

First a pharmacist and then a lawyer, Remus eventually became the most famous of the bootleggers, complete with politicians in his pocket and the Chicago mob at his feet. Powered by his perfect scheme for selling whiskey by the barrel, he became ‘the’ supplier to many a speakeasy during Prohibition, leading to a lavish mansion and lifestyle befitting a millionaire playboy in 1922. Some even say he was the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed character Jay Gatsby… But as this production will show, like most tragic empires, it all came crashing down.

“Prohibition remains a fascinating period in American history and the rise of organized crime, cult heroes and infamous figures,” said Maggie Perrino, Theater Director for The Carnegie. “GEORGE REMUS examines the story of a man pursuing his version of the American Dream with, given his local connections, make for a unique regional story.”

The staged reading of GEORGE REMUS will also offer an exclusive bourbon experience in partnership with Covington’s Revival Vintage Bottle Shop. For $35 guests can purchase a “self-guided” bourbon flight sampler (includes show admission). These packages may be purchased in advance and will be available for pick up at the performance venue will call the day of the show.

Tickets to GEORGE REMUS: A NEW MUSICAL range from $20-35 per person and can be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office, open Tuesday–Friday noon to 5 p.m., in person or by phone at (859) 957-1940 or online at www.thecarnegie.com.

CONTENT ADVISORY: The Carnegie’s production of GEORGE REMUS: A NEW MUSICAL includes adult themes and language. It is not recommended for children under 13.

The Carnegie’s 2020-21 Theatre Series is presented by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support comes from the Kentucky Department of Tourism. Support for The Carnegie Creative Disruption Committee programming series is provided by the John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust.

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About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030. 

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the City of Covington. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. 

About The Carnegie Theatre Series
The Carnegie Theatre Series produces professional, innovative stagings of an eclectic range of theatrical works. Striving to unite the greater Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati theatre community through partnerships and collaborations, the series engages and nurtures both emerging and established talent, including working professionals, committed part-time theatre artists, university performing arts students and younger students. The Carnegie Theatre Series productions bring together these forces to provide quality theatre for Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.

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April 19, 2021 · 9:46 am

RHAPSODY IN BLACK | Streaming May 4-17 + Candid Conversation | Live Via Zoom May 11

CAA_Rhapsody in Black logoRHAPSODY IN BLACK
Streaming May 4-17, 2021
+
CANDID CONVERSATION
Tuesday, May 11, 2021

CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association is pleased to present acclaimed actor LeLand Gantt in his one-man show, Rhapsody in Black, streaming May 4-17, 2021. Written and performed by LeLand and developed at NYC’s Actors Studio by Academy Award-winner Estelle Parsons, the show explores his personal journey to understand and eventually transcend racism in America.

Access to the streamed performance and a live, online CANDID CONVERSATION via Zoom with LeLand Gantt and local artists (more info below) is on sale now at CincinnatiArts.org and (513) 621-ARTS [2787]. The virtual events may be purchased separately at $6.00 each or in combination for $10.00.

Rhapsody follows his life story – from an underprivileged childhood in the ghettos of McKeesport, PA to teenage experiments with crime and drugs to scholastic achievement and an acting career, experiences that land adult LeLand in situations where he is virtually the only African-American in the room. His efforts to cope with the various psychological effects of consistently being marked “The Other” are recounted in remarkable and exquisitely moving detail, guaranteed to leave lasting impressions.

Multiple elements combine to give Rhapsody its super-powered emotional punch, many of them concentrated in the incredible persona of its star. Charming, self-deprecatingly funny, and linguistically awesome, LeLand imbues every word that falls from his mouth with all the passion and poignancy of a preacher speaking the Gospel. This is partly because he’s confronting heavy subjects, but mostly because he believes so firmly in his message that it’s impossible for it to emerge any other way. In his own words, “Objective truth strikes a chord.”

LELAND GANTT first unveiled Rhapsody in Black at the WorkShop Theater Company’s Sundays@Six reading series in March 2013. Subsequently, it was developed at The Actors Studio and with Estelle Parsons as Directorial Consultant. Rhapsody garnered both Best Director and Best Storyteller awards at the United Solo Festival in 2014.

Leland’s regional credits include: Two Trains Running and Radio Golf (Syracuse Stage); Walter Mosley’s The Fall of Heaven, world premiere (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Gem of the Ocean (Arena Stage); Jitney (Pittsburgh Public Theater); and In Walks Ed (Longwharf Theater).

Off-Broadway/Broadway: Slippery When Wet (La Mama), Another Man’s Poison (Peter Jay Sharpe Theater), OyamO’s Killa Dilla and Let Me Live (Drama Desk and Audelco Award nominee for Featured Actor), and the revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (u/s Rock Dutton).

Film and television credits include: Miracle at St. Anna, Requiem for a Dream, Malcolm X, Presumed Innocent, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, J.A.G., and HBO’s The Affair.

CAA_Rhapsody in Black CC logoCANDID CONVERSATION
Tuesday, May 11, 7:30 PM

Join national and local artists in intriguing discussions about the impact of their work on social justice, community wellbeing, and equity. Presented by the Cincinnati Arts Association, Candid Conversations is an opportunity to start a dialogue concerning the effects of racism on artists of color and arts communities as a whole, as well as the journey toward change.

This third in a series of five virtual Candid Conversations, presented by the Cincinnati Arts Association, features LeLand Gantt, the creator and star of Rhapsody in Black, who will be joined by local artists for an honest and open discussion about how persons of color define racism as they claim their Identities while working and living in racist systems.

The Candid Conversation is moderated by J. Stephen Dobbins – Owner and President, Assisted Transition of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky; Member, Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) Board of Trustees; Chair, CAA’s Building Diverse Audiences Advisory Committee (BDAAC).

The local artists joining the conversation with LeLand Gantt include:

  • A.J. Baldwin – Actor; Playwright; Script Consultant / Dramaturg;  Artistic Committee Member, Cloverdale Playhouse; Anti-Racism Working Group Member, Theater at Monmouth
  • Geoffrey Barnes – Actor, Teaching Artist
  • Burgess Byrd – Actress; Board Member, Treehouse Cincinnati
  • Candice Handy – Director of Education, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
  • Derek J. Snow – Founder, Missing Front Plate Productions; Actor; Writer; Director; Activist
  • Crystian Wiltshire – Resident Ensemble Member, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Candid Conversation purchasers receive access to the live conversation via Zoom on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:30 PM AND a link to an on-demand recording which will be available for two-weeks (the link to the recording will be emailed on Friday, May 14). 

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS       
Ameritas, ArtsWave, Fifth Third Bank,
Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Honda Dealers,
Procter & Gamble Fund, St. Gregory Group, TriHealth 

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management 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 upwards of 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. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.8 million students. For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org.

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April 15, 2021 · 9:16 am

MU Theatre Presents Climate Change Theatre Action April 28-May 1

MUT_Mother Earth logoMU Theatre presents Mother Earth’s Gallery of Broken Things: Miami University Theatre’s Climate Change Theatre Action between April 28 and May 1, 2020. This series of short performances, curated by Mother Earth, calls on humans to heal the planet. Featuring the work of 9 global and local playwrights, this outdoor site-specific performance (performed with social distancing) uses dance, projections, poetry, storytelling, and comedy to create performances that spark the power of imagination and collective action.

When Miami University Theatre had to reconsider their 2021 spring production season, Dr. Ann Elizabeth Armstrong proposed an outdoor site-specific performance for a socially distant format. With student designers, dramaturgs, directors, and managers, they curated short plays from two edited collections by Chantal Bilodeau; Where is the Hope? An Anthology of Short Climate Change Plays and Lighting the Way: An Anthology of Short Plays About the Climate Crisis.  Bilodeau is the director of Climate Change Theatre Action, a global network of artists integrating activism for the planet.

The performance includes plays by globally recognized playwrights as well as Miami University students. Each piece addresses different questions such as:  Can we take action to save endangered species?  How can we listen to the environment around us?  What wisdom do our ancestors (or aliens) have to help us save the planet?  How are we connected to others through the resources we consume? How will we solve the complex puzzle and imagine new possibilities for the future? The performances begin in the courtyard behind the Center for Performing Arts. Tour guides will walk audience members to short presentations near Miami’s Center for Performing Arts and Hiestand Hall.

The Climate Change Action Project reached across Miami University to create engaging collaborations for the show, including with the Miami University Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Ricardo Averbach and Dr. Roxanne Ornelas, associate professor of geography, is featured in a role. Student work includes projection designs from the Department of Emerging Technology in Business and Design, original music compositions, and more. Miami University has joined other universities in signing the President’s Climate Leadership Commitments, striving for carbon neutrality in the future.  This cultural event offers an opportunity to contemplate our personal role in our community’s commitment to the future.

For more information about free ticketing, please visit Miami University’s Box Office HERE. This is a free event but it will be ticketed to maintain safe capacity and social distancing. For more information please visit the MU Theatre website HERE.

If you go:

Mother Earth’s Gallery of Broken Things: Miami University Theatre’s Climate Change Theatre Action, Directed by Ann Elizabeth Armstrong

April 28, 29, 30 & May 1, 7:30 p.m., Center for Performing Arts Plaza
Rain Dates: May 2 & 3

Short Performances:

  • “Failed Experiment” by Vitor Jatoba
  • “The Butterfly that Persisted” by Lana I. Nasser
  • “Blood on the Leaves” by Madeline Sayet
  • “About that Chocolate Bar” by Joan Lipkin
  • “The Blue Puzzle” by Clare Duffy
  • “When they Twinkle” by Tyler Creech
  • “Brackendale” by Elaine Avila
  • “Letter to the Ocean” by Caridad Svich
  • “It begins with Me” by Chantal Bilodeau

The team designing the production experience includes: students Tyler Creech (scene design); Kelsi Moore, Lily Rose, Annie Watson, Qiuyang Xiong (dramaturgs); Emily Stowers (assistant choreographer); Kevin Woeste (composer and sound designer); Jenna Wrona (lighting design); Taylor Yaeck (costume designer); Miami University faculty and staff members Gion DeFrancesco (production manager and designer); Ashley Goos (choreographer) Meggan Peters (costume) Curtis Mortimore (lighting/technical direction); and guest artists Jaclyn Schott (director) and Jason Sebasian (sound design).

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April 14, 2021 · 1:55 pm

Emerge from the Darkness in CRYPSIS, a Devised, Immersive Audio Walking Tour

KTC_Crypsis logoAvailable Beginning April 28

It’s been over a year since we’ve shared space. Life as we know it isn’t back, just yet – but there are signs. Things emerging. Stories calling to be told.

The Know team invites you to walk with us – literally – as a new story about emerging from the darkness unfolds around you.

Join us at your convenience, beginning April 28, for an immersive audio tale designed to follow the path you choose – towards reunion, or toward revenge.

Designed to be experienced in Cincinnati’s spectacular Eden Park, CRYPSIS is a new audio play with a bonus: We’re using geolocation technology to advance the story with new scenes as you walk past certain landmarks — iconic locations that, as you listen, perhaps become something more.

This pay-what-you-can mashup of an audio drama and interactive walking tour takes inspiration from two legendary myths – Persephone from the Greek tradition, and Inanna from Mesopotamian lore.

Two women wronged. Two paths to the underworld. Two very different journeys back to the surface – and two paths for you to choose, as well.

How does it work? 

Once CRYPSIS becomes available at knowtheatre.com starting April 28, you’ll be able to pay whatever you choose, and we’ll send you the link you need to download the Echoes app on your smartphone or tablet.  Then, when you are ready to walk your path in Eden Park, you’ll open the app on your digital device, load up our story and its associated map, and follow your heart – either to redemption, or revenge.

As you walk along some of Cincinnati’s most scenic pathways and celebrated landmarks, you’ll be given prompts to see certain things in new ways, make choices of which way to go, and discover what it means to re-emerge.

After the year we’ve had, who couldn’t use an excuse to get out of the house, stretch your wings, and explore? 

Created and conceived entirely by the Know Theatre staff, with voice talents including beloved local actor Jordan Trovillion, CRYPSIS is for anyone who is hungry to scratch their way out of isolation and back into the light. (And if you’re not ready or able to join us in Eden Park, we’ll have a version of the show that you can experience from home).

We’ve missed you, Cincinnati. Come walk with us as this new story unfolds.

PRODUCTION TEAM

  • Devising Team: Henry Bateman,Doug Borntrager, Liz Carman, Andrew Hungerford, Zach Robinson, Kayla Williams, Meghan Winter, Tamara Winters
  • Sound Designer: Douglas J. Borntrager
  • Cast: Jordan Trovillion, additional voices TBD

AT A GLANCE

Production: CRYPSIS

Dates: available for download April 28 – June 30, 2021

Where: Online, to be enjoyed while walking Eden Park. An online version with video and audio will also be available.

Tickets: This production is pay-what-you-can, and all proceeds support the ongoing mission and artists of Know Theatre. Make your purchase at knowtheatre.com, and once you do, you’ll get a link to download the Echoes app (echoes.xyz) on your mobile device, where you will be able to access the audio and map for your walking tour.

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. 

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 Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and 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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