Category Archives: Press Releases

May 18, 2026 · 5:14 pm

The Real Story Behind THE HOUSE ON WATCH HILL Comes to Life

At Special May 22 Performance at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

Inspired by true events, The House on Watch Hill tells the story of a group of teenagers in suburban Cincinnati during the summer of 1984 who set out to create an unforgettable haunted house experience while navigating friendship, fear, and growing up. Presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, this one-night-only event offers media and audiences rare behind-the-scenes insight into the real memories and experiences that inspired the story onstage.

WHAT: Audience members attending the Friday, May 22 performance of The House on Watch Hill at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will have the unique opportunity to meet the actual people whose lives inspired the production. The evening will include pre-show photo opportunities, the 7:30 p.m. performance, and a special post-show talkback featuring the real-life inspirations alongside members of the cast.

WHEN: Friday, May 22, 2026

  • 6:45 pm- Pre-show photo opportunities for media only
  • 7:30 pm- Performance
  • Immediately following the show- Exclusive talkback with cast members and the real-life inspirations for the show

WHERE: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati – 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

WHY: This one-night-only event offers audiences and media a rare opportunity to meet the individuals behind the true story that inspired the new musical. Guests will gain unique insight into the real events, memories, and friendships that shaped the production.

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May 18, 2026 · 5:12 pm

International Family Entertainment Takes Over The Emery Theater This June

Two visually spectacular limited-engagement experiences coming to downtown Cincinnati 

CINCINNATI – This June, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) invites families to experience two internationally celebrated live entertainment events unlike anything typically seen in Cincinnati. For two special weekends only, the historic Emery Theater will transform into a high-energy summer destination for immersive family entertainment with Doodle POP! and Artrageous.

Perfect for kids ages 3–12 and their families, these visually dynamic productions blend music, art, comedy, movement, and audience interaction into unforgettable live experiences designed to spark imagination and creativity.

First, Doodle POP! arrives at The Emery Theater June 4–7. This whimsical visual theater experience from South Korea combines live performance, stunning projection effects, imaginative storytelling, and larger-than-life creativity in a nonverbal adventure audiences of all ages can enjoy together. An international hit praised for its inventive visual style and playful energy, Doodle POP! invites audiences into a colorful world where drawings come to life in surprising and magical ways.

Then, June 26–28, Artrageous comes to The Emery Theater with a one-of-a-kind performance experience that feels like a rock concert meets live painting event. Featuring a troupe of world-class artists, musicians, singers, and performers, Artrageous combines live music, speed painting, choreography, and audience participation into a fast-paced multimedia spectacle.

Known for performances around the world, Artrageous has earned praise for its electrifying blend of creativity, music, and visual art that turns the artistic process into live entertainment.

“These are the kinds of experiences families don’t get to see every day,” said Kim Kern, President & CEO of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. “We wanted to bring something truly unique to Cincinnati this summer — visually spectacular events that create excitement, spark creativity, and give families memorable shared experiences inside one of the most extraordinary theaters in the country.”

Both productions will be presented at the newly restored Emery Theater, now the most technologically advanced proscenium-style theaters in the United States and the permanent home of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.

Doodle POP! runs June 4–7 for eight performances only. Artrageous runs June 26–28 for four performances only. Tickets are on sale now at thechildrenstheatre.com.

DOODLE POP!

June 4–7, 2026
The Emery Theater
Tickets starting at $25

Performance Schedule:

  • Thursday, June 4 at 11:00 AM
  • Thursday, June 4 at 2:00 PM
  • Friday, June 5 at 4:00 PM
  • Friday, June 5 at 7:00 PM
  • Saturday, June 6 at 2:00 PM
  • Saturday, June 6 at 5:00 PM
  • Sunday, June 7 at 2:00 PM
  • Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 PM

ARTRAGEOUS

June 26–28, 2026
The Emery Theater
Tickets starting at $30

Performance Schedule:

  • Friday, June 26 at 6:00 PM
  • Saturday, June 27 at 2:00 PM
  • Saturday, June 27 at 7:00 PM
  • Sunday, June 28 at 2:00 PM

For tickets and information about both productions, visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE OF CINCINNATI
Celebrating 106 years this season, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is the nation’s oldest professional theatre for young audiences and the only professional theatre in the region devoted entirely to children. Through Broadway-quality MainStage productions at the Emery Theater, TCT on Tour performances throughout the region, and TCT Academy education programs, TCT educates, entertains, and inspires audiences of all ages while awakening a lifelong love of theatre in the young and the young at heart. 

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May 14, 2026 · 9:58 am

The 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival

The 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival
Presented by Rhinegeist
Celebrating Real Theatre Handmade by Real People:
May 29 – June 13

 Announcing This Year’s Extraordinary Festival Lineup

AI Slop be damned! The Cincinnati Fringe Festival returns for its 23rd year to bring an outrageous assortment of one-hour, live performances created and performed by real indie theatre artists in pop-up venues all over OTR. With more than 160 ticketed events, free Kids Fringe programming on weekend afternoons, a full Saturday of back-to-back ASL-interpreted shows, and a different, free, Late Night event every night at 10pm, the Cincy Fringe is Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party!

From May 29th to June 13th, the festival will unleash a whirlwind of wholly original theatre and experimental performance from more than 35 independent local, national, and international theatre artists. A 14-day celebration of theatre, art, music, dance, puppetry, and everything between, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival showcases everything that is glorious about being human – to be daring, honest and imperfect – all performed in intimate pop-up venues. Audiences can expect the unexpected as churches, storefronts, street corners, and so much more are transformed and imbued with live performance – all within the heart of OTR.

“The Cincy Fringe is really special,” says Katie Hartman, now in her fifth year as Producer of the Cincy Fringe. “It’s famous for being a festival where artists and patrons mix and mingle in the Know Theatre’s Underground Bar. Every night, after seeing a wild variety of shows from a wide array of artists, folks meet there and talk about all the art they just saw and the party just keeps going. It’s a joyful and generous place where people get to show up as their favorite self; we’re so excited to welcome folks into that experience.”

This year we march onward carrying the torch of creative community care and radical self-expression with:

  •  25 Primary Lineup Productions
  •  35+ Productions and over 190 performances (Including 4 Fringe in Development projects, 4 Limited Run Productions, and 2 Kids Fringe shows and 3 All-Ages Events) to entertain at 5 venues across Over-the-Rhine: Know Theatre, Gabriel’s Corner, 2 venues within First Lutheran Church, and the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.
  • FREE Kids Fringe and All Ages Performances on Weekend Afternoons
  • Cincy Fringe Deaf Day – a full Saturday of back-to-back ASL-interpreted performances and box office services
  • FREE Late Night Events – every night- in the Know Theatre Underground Bar

TICKETING INFORMATION

  •  50% of all Box Office revenue is given to the Producing Fringe Artists.
  • Single tickets to the 2026 Cincy Fringe are $20
  • The Full Schedule is live and single tickets are on sale at cincyfringe.com
  • The All-Access Pass ($330) is good for one entry into all Primary Lineup, Limited Runs, Fringe in Development and Kids Fringe performances.
  •  Our 5-ticket Flex Pass ($90) can be used in any combination of shows and is transferable among individuals.
  • Volunteers see shows for free!

This year’s Primary Lineup totals 25 productions and features new work from 13 local creators, 10 productions from across the U.S., and 2 international artists from Canada and Australia. With 21 world premieres, 13 regional premieres, and 10 producing companies that have never-been-seen in Cincinnati, adventurous audiences are guaranteed an experience of a brave and unabashed creative community that can’t be had anywhere else.

The 2026 Cincy Fringe Festival Primary Lineup
The heart of the Cincy Fringe: 25 productions of NEW indie theatre.

1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals: Reception to Follow
Ben & Justin Present
Cincinnati & Columbus, OH
’Til death do us party!

A Hollywood Horror Story
Ingrid Garner
Los Angeles, CA
The wild true story behind TV’s first horror host, Vampira.

Antonym
Solasta Theatre Lab
Cincinnati, OH
Why did Kafka cross the road? Because Bukowski pushed him.

Appalachian Songcatcher
Hannah Sage From
Atlanta, GA
Banjo tunes, folk songs, and a queer Appalachian coming-of-age.

BOMB! An FBI Memoir
Silver Linings Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Songs of the unsung heroes. An explosive new musical.

Champagne Dreams
3 Sticks
Auburn, AL
Eloise longs to escape her boring life for… Champagne Dreams.

Colonial Circus: History, Clown Style
Two2Mango
Toronto, ON, Canada
Two brown clowns pretending to be British colonizers journey through the history of colonialism.

Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue presents The Saints
Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue
Baltimore, MD
A satirical take on Catholic Saints with rock and roll, puppetry and magic.

Early Bird
Jack Fogle and the River Rat Puppet Collective
Cincinnati, OH
A grandson hiding his queerness visits his Appalachian grandparents.

ERYS SICHTHON
Lina Keys
Cincinnati, OH
After messing with Demeter’s forest, Erys faces the cursed consequences.

FRONTIER So Far
Justin Dodd and george mcconnell
New York, NY and Bryan, TX
An experimental comedy that imagines how to do masculinity better.

Jon Bennett: This Will Only Ever Happen Once
2HOOTS PRODUCTIONS
Adelaide, Australia
A hilarious show by a world-renowned Aussie about life’s unrepeatable moments.

Locusta’s School For Assassins
Samantha Joy Weil
Covington, KY
Two women bond over plants, poisons, and murdering privileged men.

Memento Holly
Zoë Peterson
Cincinnati, OH
A journey to spread a friend’s ashes reignites past relationships.

Modern Butchood
Molly Gloeckner
Los Angeles, CA
A dark comic lesbian quarter life crisis.

Papa
Madeleine Rowe
Minneapolis, MN
Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t just a creation. He’s somebody’s son.

Private Equity: The Musical!
Doin’ Too Much Productions
Cincinnati, OH
If the Phantom Tollbooth happened in a hypergentrified apartment complex.

Quiet Coyotes
Green Fuse Productions
Southgate, KY
A wildfire creates opportunities for campers to discover nature’s resilience.

RAT MAN HAPPY PLACE
Bruce Ryan Costella
Orlando, FL
A guided comedy tour through the happiest ruins on Earth.

Tapped In
Pones
NKY / Cincinnati, OH
Uncovering cultural identity through tap’s layered lineage and creative collaboration.

The Boy from Bantay
Jeremy Rafal
New York, NY
Cartoons. Classical Music. A Coming-of-Age Story.

Transcendent
Queen City Queers
Cincinnati, OH
A macabre exploration on living in your freaky, felty, flesh.

Unreconciled
Unreconciled Project
Easthampton, MA
A humorous, heartbreaking story of courage, family, and reclaiming your voice.
*With a special talkback on Sunday, May 31, following the show

What Art Is and What Art Is Good Art
Ben Dudley
Cincinnati, OH
Two self-proclaimed experts offer the definitive, final statement on art.

White Whale
Autumn Kaleidoscope & Mette Puppets
Cincinnati, OH
Discover the forgotten history of Cincinnati’s living white whales!

2026 Cincy Fringe Festival Limited Runs
Unique productions with parameters outside of the usual lineup

Bloody Fairytales: Paul Strickland
Paul Strickland Presents
Covington, KY
Dark fairytales for adults where laughter and dread share space.

Mad Women’s Ball
InBocca Performance
Cincinnati, OH
The Mad Women’s Ball: Entrance Upon Invitation, Exit Upon Transformation.

O’Fringe Is The New Black
Wit’s End Productions
Newport, KY
A sketch comedy show. Break out – into laughter!

trueFRINGE 2026
True Theatre
Cincinnati, OH
Fringe artists sharing true, personal, behind-the-scenes stories!

2026 Cincy KIDS Fringe
Free ticketed events made possible by the Andrew Jergens Foundation.

Linton PB&J Presents: Heroic Harmonies!
Linton Chamber Music PB&J Sessions
Cincinnati, OH
Interactive superhero training for young kids with live music!

Pato y Muerte
Dos-Corazones Productions
Cincinnati, OH
A playful, bilingual dance-theater performance that celebrates life, death and friendship.

All Ages Free Events
Know Theatre: 1120 Jackson Street

Heroes Rise: Tournament of Styles
High-energy monthly dance showdowns building legends, elevating talent and crowning champions.
SUN, 5/31, 5:30pm-9:30pm

Band In A Bus: BUCKET BRIGADE
Groove. Dance. And Drum at our family-friendly Bucket Brigade!
SUN, 6/7, 12:30pm-1:15pm

CAM CRUISER
Drop by and make finger and mini puppets with the Cincinnati Art Museum’s mobile art-making van!
SUN, 6/7, 1:15pm-3:15pm

2026 Cincy Fringe in Development
Works-in-progress developed during the Festival itself, culminating in a one-night only public performance.

Good… Girl?
Lucía Duque
Cincinnati, OH
Four different characters, one bottom – ahem! One body.

Homesick
Iliana Soria
Cincinnati, OH
Need to run from your problems? Go to the moon!

Minotaur in Flight
Carmen Foster & Lucia Salazar-Davidson
Cincinnati, OH
A queer retelling of the story of Icarus.

Talk on… Stage?
Megan Flynn and Teresa VanDenend Sorge
Cincinnati, OH
Two embodied monologues by dancers terrified to talk on stage.

The 2026 Cincy Fringe Late Night Series
At 10pm every night of the festival we throw a different, free, themed event in the Know Theatre Underground Cabaret & Bar!

Friday, May 29: 60 Second Previews
Every producer gets exactly 60 seconds on the Cabaret stage to pitch their show!
Sponsored by Buddy Goose and Mary Rita Dominic 

Saturday, May 30: Fringe-A-Oke!
This isn’t your ordinary Karaoke – it’s Fringe-A-Oke!
Sponsored by Rope Burn, a new novel by Kirk Sheppard, available June 16 

Sunday, May 31: Swap Night
Bring your gently-loved ANYTHING to swap!
Presented by the League of Cincinnati Theatres

Tuesday, June 2: Alternate Transportation Night
Ever wanted to ride a segway? Or an electric bike? Now is your chance:)
Presented by The Garage OTR

Wednesday, June 3: Fringe Biergarten
Taste samples of new beers from Rhinegeist, Cincinnati’s Hometown Brewery.
Sponsored by Rhinegeist

Thursday, June 4: The Kinda Weird Puppet Slam
An evening of bawdy short-form puppetry acts hosted by Daniela Nenova & Sean Mette
Sponsored by The Puppet Slam Network

Friday, June 5: Dance Party
Dance the night away on the Know’s MainStage

Saturday, June 6: The Gay Spelling Bee
A game show with gay contestants and gay words – from Ben & Justin Presents!
Sponsored by Karen “Auntie Fringe” Brinkman

Sunday, June 7: Fringe DnD & Game Night
Play DnD with your new 20-sided ride-or-die, DM Travis McElroy on the Know MainStage or enjoy board games with friends in the Underground.
In Partnership with Woodburn Games

Tuesday, June 9: Fringe Olympics
Team up and test your strength and wits in Feats of Fringe!
Enjoy Artist-Priced Drinks!

Wednesday, June 10: Improv Jam
Say “yes and” to short and long-form improv games.
Sponsored by OTR Improv

Thursday, June 11: The Sideshow Cabaret
Kick off PRIDE with an evening of drag hosted by the Queen City’s Lady Phaedra!

Friday, June 12: The Flashlight Cabaret
An evening of unforgettable entertainment lit entirely by audience flashlights.
Sponsored by Suzana & Randy Waterhous

Saturday, June 13: Pick of the Fringe Awards
Party with us as we celebrate the Fringe and award the Picks of the Fringe!
Sponsored by Mark Bowen

Know Theatre of Cincinnati exists to build belonging through bold theatre.

The 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is presented by Rhinegeist.

The Cincy Fringe is made possible by a generous partnership with our neighbors First Lutheran Church, Gabriel’s Corner at Salem United Church of Christ, and the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.

The Cincy Fringe is supported by the Morse and Betty Johnson Family Foundation, Joe Mock and the real pro team at Cutler Real Estate (and Norah, too!), Jeffrey Hungerford, Patrick Cusick, and the Schubert Foundation.

Kids Fringe is made possible by a generous donation from the Andrew Jergens Foundation.

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 supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

The Know Theatre is supported by the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Judge Mark P. Painter (retired) and Joshua Wallace.

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group.

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May 14, 2026 · 9:56 am

The Carnegie Announces 2027 Joint World Premiere of New Music HIT SHOW

The new musical from Billy Recce comes to Covington in June 2027

(Covington, KY, May 13, 2026) — Covington, KY’s THE CARNEGIE (Tyler Gabbard, Producing Director of Theatre) and Oklahoma City’s SOUTHERN PLAINS PRODUCTIONS (Jackson Gifford, Artistic Director) have announced a joint world premiere of the new musical Hit Show in Spring 2027, setting its sights on an Off Broadway production to follow. Hit Show features music, lyrics, and book by Billy Recce (Little Black Book, Fowl Play, FIVE: The Musical), with arrangements and orchestrations by Adam Dorfman (The Outsiders National Tour). Eamon Foley (Michael Arden, David Cromer) serves as director. The musical will launch in Oklahoma City, OK in May 2027 and move to Covington, KY in June 2027. Tickets will go on sale in June 2026. More information is available at HitShowMusical.com.

Hit Show drops you into a jazz-fueled fever dream where the spotlight burns and the truth keeps slipping out of reach. A swanky, noir-flavored musical inspired by the 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. and set against the stirrings of the queer liberation movement, it unfolds like a smoky 60s floor show with a dangerous edge. The lights are low, the martinis are cold, and the night is closing in.

Sexy, volatile, and darkly funny, Hit Show is a high-gloss hallucination of fame at its most intoxicating and corrosive—a world of flashbulbs, backrooms, and buried secrets where image is currency and identity is a risk. Featuring a cast of four, Hit Show blurs performance and confession into an electrifying, late-night experience that lingers long after the music stops.

Billy Recce is an award-winning, Billboard-charting composer, lyricist, and playwright who believes in the transformative power of musical comedy. His work actively aims to queer the canon by centering fringe moments and characters from pop culture history. One of the most prolific young musical theatre writers of his generation, Billy began his career with Balloon Boy: The Musical, becoming the youngest writer ever selected for the New York Musical Theatre Festival at age 17. The show went on to receive productions across the country and is now available for licensing.

His Off-Broadway and NYC credits include Fowl Play (directed by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tye Blue), FIVE: The Parody Musical (“ABC Nightline” and New York Times feature), A Musical About Star Wars, Singfeld, VAPE, Petunia’s Big Day, RealityTown, and Hear/Now. His Heidi Fleiss musical, Little Black Book, received its concert premiere at the Bowery Ballroom starring Tony Award nominee Orfeh and directed by Tony nominee Kristin Hanggi. Licensed titles include The Big Twist: A Musical OzVenture and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse: The Musical.

Billy’s work has been performed by Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Laura Benanti, Tituss Burgess, Alice Ripley, Beth Leavel, Bonnie Milligan, Leslie Kritzer, Kerry Butler, Rachel Dratch, Jackie Hoffman, Nathan Lee Graham, Jessica Vosk, and RuPaul’s Drag Race favorites Rosé, Jackie Cox, and Alexis Michelle. His songs have been heard internationally and at venues including Broadway in Bryant Park, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Signature Theatre, and 54 Below. He has developed musicals and projects with Goodspeed Musicals, Barrington Stage, and the Edinburgh Fringe.

Billy is a two-time MAC Award winner and has been recognized by the The Orchard Project, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, NAMT, The Bushwick Starr, and the Jonathan Larson Grant. He is currently under commission with the EST/Sloan Project, USDAN, Barrington Stage, Broadway Licensing/Concord, and several production companies.

Billy is based in New York City. billyrecce.com

Eamon Foley was cast in his first Broadway show at nine years old and went on to perform in four other Broadway productions before the age of sixteen. He then went to Princeton University to turn his focus towards direction and choreography, where he founded Grind Arts Company. Eamon began his professional career choreographing two-time Tony Award winning director Michael Arden’s production of Merrily We Roll Along and went on to choreograph numerous productions with Arden including Guys and Dolls in Tokyo and Annie at the Hollywood Bowl. Eamon also choreographed Tony Award winning director David Cromer’s Next to Normal at Writer’s Theater.

As director-choreographer, he helmed the re-imagined, contemporary ballet-infused Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center to critical acclaim. He also conceived, directed, and choreographed the aerial-dance, rock musical Hero. He has directed and choreographed Cyrano, Sweeney Todd, Nine, and The Last Five Years with Grind Arts Company, along with a slew of dance films and music videos for which he has also been the cinematographer. Most recently, Eamon directed and choreographed I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical at SoHo Playhouse, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Revue. Other choreography credits include His Story directed by Jeff Calhoun, Ragtime in Tokyo, The Wedding Banquet in Taiwan directed by Gordon Greenberg, Next to Normal at Barrington Stage Company, Waitress at Theater Raleigh, and Hello, Dolly! at Olney Theater Center.

Adam Dorfman is a music director, arranger/orchestrator, and multi-instrumentalist primarily based in New York City, and currently on the road as the associate music director for the first national tour of The Outsiders. He has worked closely with Nadia DiGiallonardo, Doug Besterman, Ian Weinberger, Nate Patten, Jeanine Tesori, Mark G. Meadows, Charlie Rosen, Will Van Dyke, Joey Contreras, and more.

The Carnegie Theatre, part of Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts organization, operates within a historic landmark dedicated to connecting people through meaningful arts experiences. As Greater Cincinnati’s only professional theatre devoted exclusively to musicals, it reimagines beloved titles through bold, contemporary staging—transforming audience familiarity into urgent, shared experience. In 2025, the Theatre welcomed more than 18,000 in-person audience members, signaling sustained growth and deepening regional demand driven by a younger, more diverse, and increasingly engaged audience. Looking ahead, the Theatre will expand its performance schedule in 2027 to meet this demand, reinvesting increased revenue into greater artistic scale, production capacity, and creative risk, while introducing new musical works alongside established titles. Through this evolution, The Carnegie Theatre is not only growing—it is redefining what a regional musical theatre can be: a dynamic cultural force and a vital gathering place for Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. For more information visit thecarnegie.com.

Southern Plains Productions is a professional, nonprofit arts organization dedicated to enriching Oklahoma City’s cultural landscape through dynamic live performance. Operating within a presenting and producing model, the company brings innovative and acclaimed work to local audiences. Most recently, Southern Plains Productions presented the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Wakka Wakka for a run of Dead as a Dodo. In addition, the company offers an annual free-to-the-public series, expanding access and ensuring a broad, diverse community can experience its programming. The company is currently in residence at the Oklahoma City Civic Center.

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May 11, 2026 · 4:52 pm

FREE Shakespeare in the Park 2026 Summer Dates Announced

Sam Hopper as Benedick & Eva Olivia Catanzariti as Beatrice.

The annual Cincinnati tradition continues with the beloved comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing” in 43+ locations across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana this summer July 14-September 6, 2026

Click here for the full schedule

Cincinnati, May 8, 2026 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) is thrilled to announce the much-anticipated schedule of this summer’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park tour, featuring the favorite comedy Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare directed by CSC’s Robert Carlon Stimmel. Between July 14 and September 6, 2026, over 40 parks across the tri-state area will host free performances in Hamilton, Warren, Butler, Montgomery, Miami, and Clermont counties in Ohio; Kenton, Mason, Boone, and Grant Counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn, Franklin, and Wayne counties in Indiana. The complete schedule can be viewed online here. FREE! Shakespeare in the Park is sponsored by our Shakespeare Season Sponsors, The Linnemann Family Foundation. Additional support comes from the Western & Southern Financial Group, ArtsWave, and generous donors to the FREE Shakespeare in the Park Fund.

Much Ado About Nothing follows two sparring skeptics, Beatrice and Benedick, whose witty war of words masks something far more tender. Packed with mistaken identities, overheard conversations, and joyful chaos, this beloved classic is one of Shakespeare’s most enduring comedies. This production of Much Ado About Nothing is set in 1776 to honor “America 250” the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Bringing this Shakespeare classic to a park near you is an ensemble of eight fantastic actors. Last seen in 2025’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eva Olivia Catanzariti returns to the park tour as Beatrice. Making his CSC debut is CCM student Sam Hopper as Benedick. Rounding out the ensemble are Kennedy Kirkland, Bryce Nevison, Romeo Seay, Emily Renee Shimskey, Regan Utrup, and Colin Waters.

From 7:00-8:00 PM on August 29, audiences across the Tri-State can experience FREE Shakespeare in the Park in a whole new way by listening to 91.7 WVXU for a live radio drama version of “Much Ado About Nothing” featuring the same cast from the park summer tour! After more than a dozen successful airings of Cincy Shakes radio dramas on WVXU starting in 2020, this marks the first-ever LIVE broadcast performance, presented in partnership with Cincinnati Public Radio. Performed live by the cast from the CPR studios in Evanston, the one-hour production brings Shakespeare into your home on the radio and offers audiences a fresh new way to enjoy this beloved comedy. Limited in-person RSVP opportunities to attend the live recording will be announced at a later date.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s FREE! Shakespeare in the Park brings the excitement of Shakespeare’s plays directly to the community, with FREE outdoor performances staged in various parks across the tri-state area. These productions, featuring one of Shakespeare’s classic plays, are open to all, with no tickets or RSVP required. Audiences can simply bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of entertainment under the stars. For questions regarding a specific location’s policies on parking, outside food and drink, etc., please contact the venue directly or visit our website at cincyshakes.com/park.

CSC continues to be proud of the impact this 20-year-old program has had on our community:

  • 73% of audiences surveyed have more pride in their community because of this tour.
  • 97% feel their neighborhoods are positively impacted through this program.
  • 86% of audiences report that their community still needs more arts opportunities.
  • 89% of audiences report that this is the easiest and most accessible way to attend live theatre in their lives.

This annual tradition reflects CSC’s commitment to making the arts accessible to everyone, providing an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the power of live theater in a casual and welcoming environment. Because of this CSC offers audio described and sign language interpreted performances of FREE! Shakespeare in the Park. The dates for sign language interpreted shows are below and audio-described will be posted later:

Sun., 7/26 @ 6pm Washington Park
Sat., 8/22 @ 7pm Devou Park

Learn more: https://cincyshakes.com/on-stage/much-ado-park

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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for all.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. CSC’s repertoire is composed of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, world premieres, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with the Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of Theater Communications Group and Shakespeare Theatre Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach more than 50,000 young people and community members by meeting audiences where they are. This includes sharing programming in schools, parks, community centers and 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!

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