RUSH JUST ANNOUNCED: Watch out, you might get what you’re after… if that’s 50% off tickets to MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL!
Students, seniors, members of the military, teachers, first responders with valid ID, or SNAP card holders can purchase up to two (2) tickets for week one (May 17 – 21) performances of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at 50% off current pricing.
Available in-person while supplies last at the Aronoff Ticket Office only, 2 hours prior to the performance.
Filed under Press Releases, Ticket Deals
Background
The mission of The Children’s of Cincinnati (TCT) is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. Now entering its 104th season, TCT is the oldest professional theatre for young audiences in the country and is recognized as one of the top children’s theatres in the nation. TCT brings art to life through three divisions: TCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre, TCT on Tour/WorkShops, and TCT Academy.
Arts organizations have the power to heal, uplift, and create lasting cultural change. Our goal is that the quality and inclusivity of TCT productions will continue to inspire all youth, with increasing numbers from historically marginalized populations, to love theatre and/or pursue careers both on- and off-stage, particularly through a practice of diverse representation in all areas of our operations.
The Change Fund at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati was launched in October 2020 with the goal of creating an inclusive culture and innovation through the addition of previously excluded voices. The Change Fund provides exclusive funding for projects dedicated to eight pillar areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. TCT has currently identified these pillars as:
The Change Fund seeks to offer opportunities for diverse individuals throughout the country including those of various races, ethnicities, religions, genders, abilities, socio-economic status, and more.
A generous donation from Macy’s will provide a second season of exclusive funding for The Change Fund in support of advancing a more equitable future for present and future theatre artists and administrators. In alignment with Macy’s Mission Every One, TCT will provide learning and leadership opportunities for underrepresented youth through the Change Fund Internship for Diverse Arts Administrators or Diverse Production Artists. During the 2022-23 season, Macy’s funded its inaugural Change Fund Internship for Diverse Production Artist R’reyonna Parker, who joined the Stage Management Team for Disney’s Descendants.
Macy’s has previously supported The Change Fund by funding the filming of the TCT on Tour production of ABIYOYO, a diversity-focused new work that was brought to life in the 2021-22 season.
How It Works
The Change Fund at TCT will provide professional and educational opportunities for diverse people interested in pursuing a career in the arts through internships for arts administrators and/or theatre production artists. Internships will amplify the voices of individuals who have been historically underrepresented. The Change Fund will be an educational resource dedicated to projects that specifically and intentionally propel the perspectives of people who are of varying race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and more, for many years to come.
Interested participants may apply for internships related to their professional goals in non-profit arts management and/or theatre production. Applicants may be aspiring non-profit marketing directors, CEOs, producers, development leaders, venue managers, scenic designers, technical directors, lighting designers, and beyond. Interns will lead various programming efforts, share in mentorship by TCT leaders, partake in professional development, engage in networking opportunities with other arts and business leaders in the community, and will be provided with valuable educational opportunities pertaining to their field of choice. Interns will also offer fresh expertise and perspective to TCT’s operations and programming departments.
Interns will work with TCT for a total of 8 weeks during the 2023-24 season. Interns will be provided with a stipend of $500 per week as well as a housing and/or travel allowance of $1,000.
Eligibility
Applicants must be:
How to Apply
Interested applicants should submit their resume/cover letter via submissions@tctcincinnati.com. In addition, please submit an essay not to exceed 500 words, or a video not to exceed five minutes, indicating how an internship at TCT is of interest to you and how it will impact you personally, and how you hope to impact TCT in the context of arts administration and/or theatre production.
Applications must be received by June 2, 2023.
Questions? Contact Development Manager Annie Bloemer annie.bloemer@tctcincinnati.com (513) 569-8080 ext. 32.
Filed under Press Releases
Photo by Jen Strickland
A (mostly) Comedy About Pain Touring Cincy Fringe in June
CINCINNATI – Linnea Bond’s one-woman play, HEART RIPPED OUT TWICE AND SO CAN YOU! makes its midwestern debut for 6 performances at the Cincy Fringe Festival, the fifth stop in a six-city tour. Extended twice by popular demand after its lauded Philly premiere, HROTASCY! is a clown comedy set in the world between death and rebirth, and asks how we find hope in the midst of life’s terrible pain. Written, directed, designed, built, and performed by Bond, the show was inspired by a double rare tumor diagnosis, open chest surgery, a severe infection, and a devastating breakup.
The “(mostly) comedy about pain” opens with an ebullient sales representative pitching the experience of existence to the audience, who is cast as a “floating, memoryless energy” between death and rebirth. As the clown educates the audience on the exciting adventure of being alive, hardships from Bond’s own life – including multiple hospitalizations and a difficult breakup – increasingly infiltrate the presentation, ultimately forcing Bond to directly confront the challenge of welcoming new humans into an often heartbreaking world.
From Philly’s Broad Street Review: “Time and effort can transform pain into art and laughter. Heart Ripped Out is the triumphant result of this alchemy…Witty and moving.”
Linnea Bond is a performance artist, actor, writer, director, and teacher who produces theatrical experiences with intentional social momentum. With degrees in Sociology, Acting, and Devising, her work explores apocalypse on a global, communal, and individual scale, including facing the looming reality of the climate crisis and our need for immediate comprehensive action.
Who: Written and performed by Linnea Bond, produced by Cincy Fringe Festival – TICKETS
When:
Where: Art Academy (Room 301)
You can watch the Teaser trailer here.
Filed under Press Releases
Village Players of Fort Thomas presents a fun evening of CLEAN COMEDY, one night only, Friday, May 26, 8pm.
Lee Hardin comes from Nashville, Tennessee, and has shared the stage with performers such as Henry Cho and Nate Bargatze. Lee also has appeared on The Mike Huckabee Show as well as DryBar Comedy with his own comedy special. It’s a clean show — everyone’s welcome!
Tickets are just $20.
Click here for tickets.
Filed under Events, Press Releases
Candice Handy i TROUBLE IN MIND. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
This 1955 play about power and race in the theater is a darkly comedic classic in the making.
Cincinnati, May 11, 2023 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company presents Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress, on stage from May 12 through June 3. Childress’ American Classic portrays a “play-within-a-play,” taking audiences behind the curtain in this trailblazing backstage story of egos, attitudes, sexism, and racism. Trouble in Mind is directed by Torie Wiggins and features Candice Handy as Wiletta. The cast of nine features Cincinnati fan-favorites Joneal Joplin, Justin McCombs, Courtney Lucien, Cary Davenport, Brandon Burton, Warren Jackson, Matthew Lewis Johnson, and Brianna Miller.
This production is generously sponsored by Monteverdi Tuscany and Blank Rome and the design is sponsored by Judge Mark and Sue Ann Painter and Marcie and Jim Kinney. ArtsWave is also generously supporting the production by hosting a signature Flow event at the performance of Trouble in Mind on May 31. Flow: an African American Arts Experience presented by ArtsWave, offers quarterly performances and experiences by renowned Black artists and ensembles from around the country whose work is unique and exciting. This series is designed to attract a highly diverse, culturally adventurous audience and create a shared and elevated appreciation for artists of color. Flow complements and expands the region’s existing inventory of multicultural experiences offered by local arts organizations.
Wiletta Mayer, a talented Black actor, is confronted with the decision to compromise her values when cast in the starring role of a “progressive” play by a newly integrated theater. As the show goes on, the curtains open, revealing a trailblazing backstage story of egos and attitudes, and an insightful and darkly comedic look at who we are and who we want to be. First staged over 60 years ago, Trouble in Mind is considered the masterpiece of actor and playwright Alice Childress.
Alice Childress is an American playwright, actress, and novelist, celebrated for her “stories that posited the enduring optimism of Black Americans.”1 She was born October 12, 1916 and grew up in Harlem, New York. In the 1940s, she studied drama in the America Negro Theatre (ANT). Acting with the theatre company for a little over a decade, her talent and fame flourished, leading her to perform on Broadway with ANT’s Anna Lucasta, a play which “became the longest-running all-Black play in Broadway history.”2 Childress described her work as, “attempts to interpret the ‘ordinary’ because they are not ordinary. Each human is uniquely different. Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne.”3 Alice Childress wrote Trouble in Mind, her first full-length play, in 1955. It was produced at Greenwich Mews Theatre and was set for Broadway. It would have been the first play by a Black woman on Broadway, however, Childress pulled the play upon refusing to continually edit and change the play’s ending, as she was pressured to do at the time. Decades later, Trouble in Mind, was revived, finding its way back in the spotlight in the early 2000s and finally premiering on Broadway in 2021 at the Roundabout Theatre Company.
The Artistic Team for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s production of Trouble in Mind is led by Director Torie Wiggins and features Scenic Designers Shannon Robert and Matthew Leckenbusch; Costume Designer Daryl Harris; Lighting Designer and Assistant Lighting Designer Jessica Drayton and Charlie Raschke, respectively; Sound Designer Robert Carlton Stimmel; and Properties Designer Kara Eble Trusty.
Trouble in Mind runs from May 12 – June 3, 2023. Performances of Trouble in Mind are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, with two Sunday matinees on May 21st and May 28th at 2:00 PM. CSC offers performances with accessibility resources. Live Audio Descriptions are available on Friday, May 19, and there is a Sign Language Interpreted performance on Friday, June 2.
Tickets are on sale now. Discounts are available for students, seniors, local residents, and community partners, as access to all is important to CSC. Each performance night has a limited number of $14 “Access” tickets. These can be purchased in advance by going online or calling the Box Office. And starting 1 hour before each performance, any unreserved tickets may be available as a discounted Rush Ticket to anyone, not just students. These tickets are only $12 and could be located anywhere in the house, depending on that evening’s availability. These cannot be reserved more than 1 hour before a show and must be purchased in person in the Box Office. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.
Saturday June 3 is a special event called REVEL and Rise. This Gala and Benefit Performance of Trouble in Mind supports Shakespeare and the Classics for all at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Supporter tickets include complimentary valet, festive libations and dinner-by-the-bite throughout the Otto M. Budig Theater, tickets to the closing night performance of “Trouble in Mind,” dessert intermission, raffle, and other surprises throughout the evening. Benefactor tickets include everything at the Supporter level plus 10 raffle tickets and recognition night of the event. Champion tickets include everything at the Supporter level plus 20 raffle tickets, premium seating, and recognition night of the event. At REVEL, CSC honors an individual without whom Cincinnati Shakespeare Company would not exist with the annual Globe Award. This year, CSC is proud to honor a true philanthropist, a civic-minded heart, and a dear friend: Richard Westheimer. Tickets for this fundraiser start at $250. Visit online here for ticket levels and benefits. Tickets will available for purchase until Friday, May 26th. Please contact our Development Team with any questions by emailing Sara.Clark@cincyshakes.com.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Many parking spaces are available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information, visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.
CSC also offers Valet Parking for every performance! Make reservations for $25 in advance when purchasing tickets, or visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot. Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Cars can be picked up for up to one hour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valet service directly.) After purchasing, the valet will have your name on the list— it’s that easy!
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s 2022-23 Season is generously presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; along with our Education Season Sponsor, Debby and Jim Mason; and our Operating Support Partners, The Ohio Arts Council, The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, Rosemary and Mark Schlachter, The National Endowment for the Arts with Arts Midwest, The Shubert Foundation, Lightborne, and the tens of thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.
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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!
Alice Childress Biography References
1 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. “Alice Childress”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Childress. Accessed 19 April 2023.
2 Woodman, Sue (September 14, 1994), “A testimonial to black America” (obituary of Alice Childress), The Guardian.
3 Busby, Margaret, “Alice Childress”, Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent, Vintage, 1993, p. 279.
Filed under Press Releases
