Category Archives: On Stage

December 1, 2023 · 10:45 am

Due to High Demand, Two Performances Added to THE NUTCRACKER

CB_The Nutcracker 2023

Photo by Hiromi Platt

CINCINNATI, OH (November 30, 2023) – Cincinnati Ballet will take families on two extra trips to the Land of Sweets this holiday season! Due to overwhelming demand, audiences will have two additional chances to enjoy The Nutcracker presented by Sheakley Family at Music Hall, December 14 – 24. The two additional performances are on Tuesday, December 19 at 7:30 pm and Wednesday, December 20 at 2pm. There are still seats available for the remaining performances as well, but patrons are encouraged to buy now as some shows are projected to sell out. The Company expects to shatter attendance records, projecting close to 30,000 patrons over the course of the production run. The student matinee is sold-out, welcoming thousands of local school children, including nearly six hundred children who attend Title 1 schools in northern Kentucky. These schools receive federal funding due to the high level of low-income families they serve.

The magical production features elaborate sets and costumes and live musical accompaniment of Tchaikovsky’s beloved score by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with choreography from Victoria Morgan. Members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will perform the two additional performances. More than one hundred children’s roles are featured in the production, with children from across the region dancing alongside Cincinnati Ballet’s professional company dancers. The Nutcracker is a classic holiday tale that follows the imaginative story of Clara, a little girl who embarks on a dreamy journey after she receives a nutcracker as a gift on Christmas Eve. With her Nutcracker Prince, Clara travels through the Land of Sweets, meeting colorful and exciting characters along the way. Morgan’s whimsical choreographic take on the classic story is like nothing you have ever seen before. Fiona the Hippo and her baby brother, Fritz continue to appear in the production.

Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker premiered in 2011 with new sets by scenic designer John Ezell, bright and beautiful costumes by Carrie Robbins, lighting by Trad A Burns and athletic, engaging choreography by Victoria Morgan. Morgan’s rendition of the classical ballet is filled with unique, contemporary twists on longstanding traditions: from the bright, whimsical sets, stage effects and acrobatics to the appearance of new, playful characters such as Clara’s companion, a pet poodle named Minnie, dancing Cupcakes, tumbling Snowballs, an ensemble of poodles performing the Dance of the Mirlitons (or “Lollipups”) and more.

Masking is optional for performances.

PERFORMANCE DATES AND INFORMATION

WHO:          Cincinnati Ballet
Choreography: Victoria Morgan
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

WHAT:        The Nutcracker

WHEN:       

  • Thursday, December 14 – 7:30 pm
  • Friday, December 15 – 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, December 16 – 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, December 16 – 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, December 17 – 1:00 pm
  • Sunday, December 17 – 6:30 pm
  • Tuesday, December 19 – 7:30 pm
  • Wednesday, December 20 – 2 pm
  • Wednesday, December 20 – 7:30 pm
  • Thursday, December 21 – 2:00 pm
  • Thursday, December 21 – 7:30 pm
  • Friday, December 22 – 2:00 pm
  • Friday, December 22– 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, December 23 – 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, December 23 – 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, December 24 – 1 pm

WHERE:      Music Hall – 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Cincinnati Ballet 2023-2024 Season Sponsors:
PNC, Margaret and Michael Valentine, ArtsWave, H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Foundation, Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation

About Cincinnati Ballet
Since 1963, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the region, presenting a bold and adventurous array of classical, full-length ballets and contemporary works, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. Cincinnati Ballet is a creative force within the larger dance community, commissioning world-premiere works and exploring unique collaborations. With a mission to enrich, expand, and excel in the art of dance through performance, a high-caliber academy, and impactful education and community engagement in local to global communities, Cincinnati Ballet reaches beyond the stage in programs that allow every person in the region to be part of the continued evolution of dance. To that end, Cincinnati Ballet presents exhilarating performances, provides extensive education and community engagement programs, and offers top-level professional ballet training at Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy.

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November 30, 2023 · 6:00 am

HOLIDAY HAPPENING Runs Dec. 9-10

PP_Holiday Happening4TH HOLIDAY HAPPENING: A Truly Special Birthday
Preble Players
Dec. 9-10
The Joy & Whimsy Depot [Lewisburg]

A Truly Special Birthday is a look at the birth of Jesus through the modern eyes of our healthcare and social systems. Funny, warm, and insightful, this one-act play will be part of a larger birthday party for a truly special birth.

  • Sat-Sun, Dec. 9-10 at 2pm

Official page |

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November 28, 2023 · 5:22 pm

EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVERY TOLD (AND THEN SOME) Runs Dec. 7-30

CSC_Every Christmas Story 2022

Geoffrey Warren Barnes II in “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVERY TOLD (AND THEN SOME)
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Dec. 7-30
[Over-the-Rhine]

Directed by Jeremy Dubin

Cast: Geoffrey Warren Barnes II, Cary Davenport, Candice Handy & Colleen Dougherty as Santa

CSC’s holiday smash hit Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) is back again for another season of holiday hilarity! What begins as another annual production of A Christmas Carol, soon devolves into a slightly irreverent look at all of our favorite “Beloved Holiday Classics” including pop culture favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more! Add in topical references that always keep this annual tradition fresh and fun as we send up everything from Dickens to Dr. Seuss  in an evening of high octane jollity and frivolity.  

  • Thu-Fri, Dec. 7-8 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Dec. 9 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 10 at 2pm
  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 13-15 at 7:30pm
  • Sat-Sun, Dec. 16-17 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Tue-Fri, Dec. 19-22 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Dec. 23 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 27-29 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Dec. 30 at 2pm & 7:30pm

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November 27, 2023 · 6:14 pm

THE MOORS Runs Nov. 30-Dec. 3

MTC_The MoorsTHE MOORS
Magnolia Theater Company 
Nov. 30-Dec. 3
University of Dayton Fritz Hall Black Box Theatre

Inspired by the letters of Charlotte Brontë, The Moors is an irreverent period drama all about the present, a macabre thriller with a queer thread running through its center, and a delightfully dark comedy perfect for when the nights are drawing in. Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. This is a play that focuses on love, desperation, and visibility.

  • Thu-Sat, Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 3 at 2pm

Official page |

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November 27, 2023 · 6:14 pm

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER Dec. 1-10 at Village Players of Fort Thomas

VP_The Best Christmas Pageant EverNOVEMBER 27, 2023, Fort Thomas, KY— Village Players of Fort Thomas is excited to announce its holiday show, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, will be presented in seven performances December 1-3 and December 7-10. Written by Barbara Robinson, the play is presented courtesy of Concord Theatricals and is directed by Amy Waldfogle.

In this Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids—probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won’t believe the mayhem—and the fun—when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on!

“I love the themes of welcome and generosity in this play,” says director Amy Waldfogle. “There’s definitely a different energy when your cast includes 20 young people! And we have a bunch of people in their very first show.”

Please note evening shows of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever begin at 7:30pm; Sunday matinees are at 2:00pm.

Tickets are $20 and available online at villageplayers.org or by calling 859-240-7897.

Featuring:

  • Bob Bradley – CJ Bossart
  • Grace Bradley – Lauren Davidson
  • Beth Bradley – Clare Olliges
  • Charlie Bradley – Conrad Daniel
  • Ralph Herdman – Odell Brookbank
  • Imogene Herdman – Abby Turner
  • Leroy Herdman – Everett Robinson
  • Claude Herdman – Faith Hamzy
  • Ollie Herdman – Laila Bates
  • Gladys Herdman – Callie Carlson
  • Alice Wendleken – Lydia Bo
  • Maxine Charlie – Beth McDivitt
  • Beverly – Maddie Bossart
  • Doris – Adrienne Rademacher
  • Hobie – Johnny McDivitt
  • David – Eli Jacobsen
  • Baby Angel Shirley – Michaela Battson
  • Baby Angel Juanita – Elise Rademacher
  • Baby Angel Norah – Norah Holcomb
  • Baby Angel Theo – Theo Bossart
  • Baby Angel Teddy – Teddy McDivitt
  • Baby Angel Lorelai – Lorelai McDivitt
  • Mrs. Armstrong – Cheryl Eresman
  • Mrs. Slocum – Vickie Greco
  • Mrs. Clark – Amy McDivitt
  • Mrs. McCarthy – Jessie Faye
  • Rev. Hopkins – Doug Bruening
  • Fireman/Orderly – Elias Dean

Performance dates:

  • Friday, December 1, 7:30pm – sold out!
  • Saturday, December 2, 7:30pm
  • Sunday, December 3, 2:00pm – sold out!
  • Thursday, December 7, 7:30pm – sold out!
  • Friday, December 8, 7:30pm
  • Saturday, December 9, 7:30pm – selling fast!
  • Sunday – December 10, 2:00pm – sold out!

Village Players of Fort Thomas is a vibrant community theatre, continually producing plays and musicals for almost 60 years. Our productions range across a spectrum of periods and styles, presented in our intimate, three-quarter-thrust performance space in the heart of Fort Thomas, Kentucky. We stage innovative and of-the-moment works alongside beloved classic pieces while serving as an incubator for new talent, ideas, and writing. Each season features four mainstage shows, including a family-friendly winter production, as well as a summer production of original short plays produced by the New Works branch of the group.

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