Category Archives: Press Releases

March 30, 2023 · 5:55 am

A Return Home:  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati at the Emery 

TCT_The Emery TheaterCincinnati – The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) has embarked on a campaign to purchase, restore, and reimagine the historically significant Emery Theater. This partnership will revitalize the theatre, a treasured cultural asset, and provide a permanent home for The Children’s Theatre in Cincinnati’s vibrant urban core.   

What TCT envisions is not simply a restoration, but a reinvention of the theater into a modern and memorable venue equipped with the latest technology that inspires and teaches diverse audiences. TCT’s plans to incorporate the most modern technology, stage lifts and projection mapping will enliven the audience experience and overcome backstage and wing limitations. Through this remarkable technology and planned expanded programming, TCT will revitalize an icon, return to its original home, and put Cincinnati on the map as a family theatrical destination.  

This move will allow TCT to expand its annual production schedule beyond the 40 days currently allowed within their home in the Taft Theatre, enabling the theater to expand their programming and produce more original works.  

It will also preserve a rare, theater-style, symphonic concert hall – one of only four in the United States – that has hosted the likes of George Gershwin, Bette Davis, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.    

TCT’s Managing Director and CEO, Kim Kern, states, “This project is of vital importance to our community for so many reasons. First, providing a permanent home for the nation’s oldest professional theatre for young audiences, but also restoring an iconic venue while honoring Mary Emery’s wishes of keeping it a place of gathering and education. TCT’s future home will continue to revitalize our city’s core – keeping Cincinnati a place where people wish to live, work, and play.”  

“Restoring the Emery for theatrical use has long been a challenge,” says GBBN associate principal, Steve Karoly. “Because the size and configuration of the stage was originally designed for an orchestra, it did not have the depth or wing space of a traditional theatrical stage. We had to develop some innovative solutions—such as using a large video screen at the back of the stage to create depth and using a large lift to access the basement for quick scene changes—to overcome that challenge.”   

“Working within the constraints of a historic theater like this has been really rewarding,” observes GBBN Director of Arts, Marcene Kinney. “This will not only be a space that weaves together different historical moments, but it will also be a space that welcomes children. So, the design is really embracing whimsy and illusion as we create a fully immersive environment that brings the magic of the theater beyond the bounds of the stage.”  

Celebrating 103 years this season, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is the oldest children’s theatre in the country and the only professional theater in the region that devotes its entire MainStage season to children. Its mission is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. Its vision is to awaken a lifelong love of theater in children and the young at heart. Today, the Children’s Theatre brings art to life for audiences through three key programs: TCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre, TCT on Tour and Workshops, and TCT Academy. Each season TCT strives to reach more than 200,000 people in the Cincinnati region.    

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March 29, 2023 · 6:07 am

Human Race Theatre Company Presents BARBECUE

HRTC_BarbecueUp next at The Human Race Theatre Company: Barbecue, by Robert O’Hara, pairs America’s fascination for self-destruction with an unexpected twist in this hilarious and devastating comedy. Performances run from April 13 – 30, 2023 at the Loft Theatre.

The four O’Mallery siblings have planned a barbecue picnic for their youngest sister, Barbara, but they secretly plan to stage an intervention to confront her outrageous behavior and reckless drug and alcohol use. We soon learn that each sibling needs their own intervention; Lillie Anne calls James “white trash” – blackout. When the lights return, so do the four siblings: same park, same situation, same personalities, different actors! From that moment on, the two parallel families alternate, and the day becomes raucous and unpredictable.

“Robert O’Hara has an extraordinary way of leaving you with changed perceptions while your sides split with laughter,” comments Emily N. Wells, Human Race Theatre Company artistic director.  “His understanding of our flawed humanity provides a way to see and respect one another as complex, individual beings.” This marks the first time that one of O’Hara’s works has been produced in the area, despite growing up in nearby Cincinnati.  Also a skilled director, O’Hara was nominated for a Tony Award for his 2021 Broadway production of Jeremy O’Harris’ Slave Play.

Houston director Eboni Bell Darcy makes her directing debut with The Human Race. The 10-person cast comprised of returning and first-time artists includes A.J. Baldwin and Mierka Girten (Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help) as Marie, Burgess Byrd (Gloria: A Life) and Darlene Spencer (Around the World in 80 Days) as Lillie Anne, Rico Parker and Josh Aaron McCabe (Deadline) as James T, Marva M.B. Williams-Parker (Gem of the Ocean) and Lisa Stephen Friday as Adlean, and Oluchi Nwokocha and Erin Eva Butcher as Barbara.

Joining Darcy on the Barbecue production team are: Tammy Honesty, Scenic Design;  John Rensel, Lighting Design; L’Amour Ameer, Costume Design; Antonio Lopez, Sound Design; Sarah Gomes, Props; Mark Tynan, Production Stage Manager; Rachel Heine, Assistant Stage Manager; ErinMarie Suscheck, Production Assistant. For press ticket requests, please contact Tara Lail, Creative Producer, at tara@humanracetheatre.org

Barbecue will play in the Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton, April 13 – 30, 2023.  Tickets are on sale through Dayton Live box office, 937-228-3630, or online at www.humanracetheatre.org   More details about the show can be found on our website. The Human Race Theatre Company continues its commitment to high quality theatre with access points for all with two ticket initiatives sponsored by Morris Furniture Company: two sections of $20 seats available at any time through the box office, and ten $10 rush seats available 90 minutes before any performance.

Special Nights at The Loft:   

  • Pay What You CAN – Wed. April 12, 8 pm – admission by non-perishable food donation for The Foodbank OR a cash donation to benefit onefifteen
  • Inside Track – Thursday, April 13, 8pm – Pre-show Discussion at 7:15pm
  • Sawbuck ($10) Sunday – Sunday, April 16, 7 pm – $10 tickets available 5:30pm at the door
  • While We’re On The Subject – Sunday, April 23, 2pm – Post-Show Discussion with guest speakers

The Human Race expresses gratitude for the public and private support which makes these productions possible: The Loft Season Sponsors: Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation; Production sponsor: Barbara N. O’Hara; Sustainability sponsors:  Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, ELM Foundation, and Morris Furniture Company;  Additional Season support:  Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts, Erma R. Catterton Trust, The Shubert Foundation;  Organizational support:  Culture Works, Montgomery County, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant. Media Sponsor: WDPR Discover Classical. Pay What You Can Sponsor: Enterprise Holdings Foundation.

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March 29, 2023 · 6:06 am

Experience the Best of Broadway with A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING at NKU

NKU_A Grand Night for SingingHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Get ready to experience the best of Broadway at Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts with their upcoming production of A Grand Night for Singing! Running from April 14-23, 2023 at the NKU Stauss Theatre, this Tony-nominated musical revue is a fresh take on the beloved works of Rodgers & Hammerstein. A Grand Night for Singing is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

  • What: A Grand Night for Singing
  • When: April 14-23, 2023
  • Where: NKU Stauss Theatre
  • Tickets: nku.edu/tickets

Conceived by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, A Grand Night for Singing features an impressive lineup of songs from some of the most popular shows in musical theater history, including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. But it’s not just the big hits that take center stage. The revue also includes songs from lesser-known works such as Allegro, Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream, offering a true celebration of the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon.

The cast includes Katherine Sharp, Kelly Messer, Tasha Conzelman, Lawson Smith, and Tre Taylor. The production team features Savanah Kennedy as Stage Manager, Dee Anne Bryll as Choreographer, Ron Shaw as Scenic & Props Designer, Annie Yuan as Costume Designer, Chanelle Dau Pino as Lighting Designer, Kevin Havlin as Sound Designer, and Damon Stevens as Music Director. The show is directed by Ed Cohen & Dee Anne Bryll.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at nku.edu/tickets.

About NKU: Founded in 1968, we are a growing metropolitan university of more than 15,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. Located in the quiet suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky—just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati—we have become a leader in Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky by providing a private school education for a fraction of the cost. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students’ names. For more information, visit nku.edu.

About SOTA: The School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is made up of three programs: Theatre and Dance, Art and Design, and Music. The Theatre and Dance program relies on intensive student involvement both inside and outside the classroom. At the program’s center is a vital balance of process and production, giving each student opportunities to stretch boundaries and discover new possibilities. Graduates have gone on to successful careers in professional theatre, film and television. For more information, visit theatre.nku.edu.

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March 29, 2023 · 6:03 am

Cincinnati Playhouse Explores the History of the Asian Immigrant Experience through the Eyes of THE CHINESE LADY Beginning March 30

PIP_The Chinese LadyCINCINNATI (March 28) – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will open THE CHINESE LADY by Lloyd Suh, the first show in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre since the opening of the mainstage theatre complex, beginning March 30. (Previews are March 28 and 29; the show runs through April 30. Opening night is March 30.)  Inspired by a true story, the production paints a unique and surprising portrait of the U.S. as seen through the eyes of the first Chinese woman to set foot on American soil in 1834.

“THE CHINESE LADY offers an eye-opening look at the experience of Asian and Asian American women in the US that calls for empathy and understanding of cultural differences by tracing the experience of Afong Moy nearly 200 years ago to our present day,” says Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison.

The story blends historical accounts with a deep exploration of character and culture through the experience of Afong Moy, a 14-year-old girl brought to the U.S. in 1834. She was placed on display like an exhibit and then sent on a tour across the nation.

New York Theater called THE CHINESE LADY, which premiered off-Broadway in 2018 at Ma-Yi Theater Company, “a gently amusing, lyrical, yet sharply pointed play.” New York Theatre Guide praised the production as “an evocative exploration of cultural difference.”

Suh’s script breaks the traditional bounds of autobiographical storytelling by following Afong Moy from the 19th century to the present day. All the while, she walks us through American history with a singular point of view, striking a rare balance between poetic darkness and humorous moments of whimsy.

“We’re having a lot of fun playing with the fact that Asian American women are always performing,” explains director Jess McLeod. “Whether you’re Afong Moy in 1834 or me, an Asian American woman walking down the street in 2023, we’re forced to be in conversation with Asian stereotypes because we’ve been silenced and kept from the public eye — other than stories about Asian women written by white men with their own agendas.”

As Moy’s character says in the production, “It is a beautiful thing to look at something long enough to fully understand it. But it is so much more beautiful to be looked at long enough to be understood.”

CAST

Sami Ma (Afong Moy); Albert Park (Atung); Yuchi Chiu (Understudy); Elizabeth Chinn Molloy (Understudy)

PRODUCTION

Jess McLeod (Director); Se Hyun Oh (Set Designer); Hahnji Jang (Costume Designer/Cultural Consultant); Lee Fiskness (Lighting Designer);  Fan Zhang (Sound Designer/Compositions); Stephanie Klapper, CSA (Casting Director); Brandon T. Holmes (Stage Manager)

TICKETS 

Tickets begin at $35. Preview performances take place March 25, 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. Performances will take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A matinee will be offered April 12 at 1 p.m.   To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.

EVENT: ART TALKS (FORMERLY MEET THE ARTISTS)

Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.

  • Sun, April 2 at 2 p.m.
  • Sun, April 9 at 2 p.m.
  • Wed, April 12 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Thu, April 20 at 7:30 p.m.

ADVISORY

The Chinese Lady is suitable for ages 13 and up. As Afong May tells her story, she doesn’t shy away from authentic and unfiltered descriptions of historical violence and cultural exotification.

SPONSORS

Production Sponsor is Ohio National Financial Services. Artist Sponsor is Mark and Rosemary Schlachter. Rosenthal Shelterhouse Season Sponsor is The Vonz Family. Season Sponsor of New Work is the Rosenthal Family Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

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March 27, 2023 · 6:07 am

Cincinnati Opera and CCM to Workshop Two Operas-in-Progress This Spring Through Opera Fusion: New Works Partnership

co_logoThe two new operas—Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote and The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith—will receive workshops this April and May, and the public is invited to attend a sneak peek

Cincinnati, Ohio—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) are pleased to announce the next events in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works.

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a creative partnership between CCM and Cincinnati Opera that fosters the development of new operatic works. Through OF:NW, composers and librettists are given a 10-day workshop to hone their operas-in-progress and further prepare them for the opera stage. Each workshop ends with a public performance of excerpts from the featured work.

This April 4–13, OF:NW will mount a second workshop for the new opera, Robeson, featuring music by Scott Davenport Richards and a libretto by Richards and David Cote, with CCM Professor and Co-Director of Opera Fusion: New Works Robin Guarino as dramaturg and stage director. The work received an initial workshop last May through OF:NW.

Robeson Creative Team

man with glasses and blue shirt

Scott Davenport Richards
Composer & Co-Librettist

man wearing glasses and a dark suit jacket
David Cote
Co-Librettist


Robin Guarino
Stage Director & Dramaturg

From the creative team behind Cincinnati Opera’s critically acclaimed 2019 world premiere, Blind Injustice, Robeson is an epic and inspiring biographical examination of Black singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson (1898–1976). A global superstar, Robeson leveraged his fame to fight on the frontlines for equality. His heroic and uncompromising efforts against fascism and racism worldwide led Robeson to be entangled in the tragic power struggle between the two superpowers of the twentieth century—the United States and the USSR—with his own life and career hanging in the balance. Inspired by historical events, Robeson also resonates with today’s ongoing fights for social justice. The public performance of excerpts from Robeson will take place on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at Music Hall’s Wilks Studio.

From May 5–15, OF:NW will host a workshop for The Righteous, the newest opera from composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith, the creative team behind Cincinnati Opera’s celebrated 2022 world premiere, Castor and Patience. Kevin Newbury (Castor and Patience, Fellow Travelers) will serve as stage director and dramaturg.

The Righteous Creative Team

black and white photo of a man with short hairGregory Spears
Composer

woman in a pink shirt
Tracy K. Smith
Librettist

Kevin Newbury
Stage Director & Dramaturg

Commissioned by Santa Fe Opera and slated for a summer 2024 world premiere, The Righteous follows a preacher and leader of a growing church in the 1980s American Southwest, who finds himself caught up in the confluence of religion and politics. Slowly his connection to God is weakened as he becomes drawn to public office alongside contemporary events including the rise of feminism, the war on drugs, conflict in the Middle East, and the AIDS epidemic. Along the way, those closest to him grapple with their own understanding of faith and truth. The Righteous explores the timeless struggle to reconcile spiritual humility with ambition in our modern world. The public performance of excerpts from The Righteous will take place on Monday, May 15, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater.

Admission to the public performances is free, and reservations are required. Reservations are available through the Cincinnati Opera Box Office by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.

CALENDAR INFORMATION

Opera Fusion: New Works presents
Robeson

Music by Scott Davenport Richards
Libretto by David Cote and Scott Davenport Richards
Dramaturgy and stage direction by Robin Guarino

When: Thursday, April 13, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
What: A performance of excerpts from the new opera-in-progress, Robeson.
Where: Music Hall’s Wilks Studio, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Free; reservations are required. Reservations are available by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.

Opera Fusion: New Works presents
The Righteous

Music by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Tracy K. Smith
Dramaturgy and stage direction by Kevin Newbury

When: Monday, May 15, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
What: A performance of excerpts from the new opera-in-progress, The Righteous.
Where: Cohen Family Studio Theater, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 290 CCM Boulevard, Cincinnati, OH 45221
Admission: Free; reservations are required. Reservations are available by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.

About Opera Fusion: New Works
Funded through a generous gift from the Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. This collaboration is jointly led by Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, and Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM. OF:NW offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati. Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Season Presenting Sponsor for Cincinnati Opera’s 2023 Summer Festival is Chavez Properties. Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from the Ohio Arts Council, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. To learn more, visit cincinnatiopera.org

About CCM
Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers nine degree types (BA, BM, BFA, MFA, MM, MA, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.

Declared a top college vocal program by Backstage Magazine and described as “one of the continent’s major music schools,” by the Toronto Star, CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Several national opera companies hold auditions at the conservatory, and CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. CCM graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, the Metropolitan Opera (New York), Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy) and more. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu.

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