Category Archives: Press Releases

May 12, 2022 · 2:44 pm

ETC Closes 2021-2022 Season with Regional Premiere Dramedy TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS

ETC_Tiny Beautiful Things logoMay 28 – June 25, 2022

(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) closes its 2021-2022 Season with the regional premiere drama Tiny Beautiful Things. Based on the acclaimed book by Cheryl Strayed (author of the best-selling book Wild), this story was brilliantly adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, the Academy Award-nominated writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A funny and deeply touching exploration of resilience, Variety calls Tiny Beautiful Things “a theatrical hug in turbulent times.” Playing May 28–June 25, 2022. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.­­

Tiny Beautiful Things follows a writer as she takes over the unpaid, anonymous position of an advice columnist named Sugar. At first unsure of herself, she finds a way to weave her own life experiences together to help those seeking guidance. This captivating and uplifting play is about reaching out when you’re stuck, recovering when you’re broken, and finding the courage to ask the questions that are hardest to answer.

“The reason I felt compelled to include Tiny Beautiful Things in the season is that we are all lacking connection. We were forced into separation the last couple of years to keep each other safe, but it also did a lot to pull us apart,” says Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “The Dear Sugar columns and all these other outlets that are there for us to connect with strangers might just help us to reconnect with those we love and care about. This show allows us to reach out to each other and say we’re in it together, as cliché as it sounds. Tiny Beautiful Things celebrates our uniqueness, but also our universal need to connect with another human, to open our hearts to listening, and to share that which we can give as best we can.”

About the Cast

Connan Morrissey (Sugar) returns to Ensemble Theatre having last appeared in Pipeline (2020) and A Doll’s House, Part 2. Her previous credits include roles in new and classical plays at Arena Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Asolo Theatre Center, Folger Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Clarence Brown Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Capital Repertory, North Carolina Stage Company, Vermont Stage Company, and Peterborough Players. Some of her other work experiences include performance coaching for executives at Deloitte, PWC, Unilever, and Fifth Third Bank and the care and transport of family members throughout Cincinnati. Connan has an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Michael G. Bath (Letter Writer #1) was last seen at Ensemble in Cinderella, as well as The Frog Princess, Fly By Night, The Dancing Princesses, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Sleeping Beauty, and Hands on a Hardbody, among countless others. Other regional credits include Superior Donuts with Clifton Players and Angels in America at Know Theatre. Michael has also performed with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, the Performance Gallery, Showboat Majestic, and Stage First Cincinnati. 

Kearston Hawkins-Johnson (Letter Writer #2) makes their Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. Some of their previous credits include The Snowy Day and Other Stories, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; Dragon Play and Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; and various films and audio dramas. Kearston is also a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes photography and filmmaking. They received a BFA in Acting from Northern Kentucky University with additional training at Howard University.

Taha Mandviwala (Letter Writer #3) makes his Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. He is a 2016 graduate from the University of Kentucky with a BA in Theatre, and he was a member of the 2016-2017 Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. His recent regional credits include The Taming of the Shrew and Witness for the Prosecution, Great Lakes Theater and Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labour’s Lost, Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival; and Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, and multiple seasons of A Christmas Carol, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Production team: Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic and Lighting Designer), Dana Rebecca Woods (Costume Designer), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), Kelly Yurko (Wig Designer), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Curator & Design Assistant), and Jack Murphy (Technical Director). Production Stage Manager is Margot Whitney. Assistant Stage Manager is Lexi Muller.

Performance Information

Performances Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday at 8:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday at 2:00 pm. Performances vary. A complete calendar of performances is available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.


Ticket Prices

Tickets start at $35 for adults; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount only applies to adult tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

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2021-2022 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

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May 11, 2022 · 11:54 am

HAMILTON On Sale Date Announced

BIC_Hamilton logoPUBLIC ON SALE MAY 19, 2022 

PERFORMANCES SEPTEMBER 6 – OCTOBER 2
AT ARONOFF CENTER

Producer Jeffrey Seller and Broadway in Cincinnati announce today that single tickets for HAMILTON will go on sale to the public on May 19 at 10 am at CincinnatiArts.org, in person at the Aronoff Box Office, or by calling (513) 621-2787. Tickets will be available for performances September 6 – October 2, 2022.

There is a maximum purchase limit of nine tickets per account for the engagement. When tickets go on sale, prices range from $59 – $179 with a select number of premium tickets from $249.  There will be a lottery for 40 $10 seats for all performances. Details will be announced closer to the engagement.

Jeffrey Seller notes, “It’s tempting to get tickets any way you can. There are many sites and people who are selling overpriced, and in some cases, fraudulent tickets. For the best seats, the best prices and to eliminate the risk of counterfeit tickets, all single ticket purchases for the Cincinnati engagement should be made through CincinnatiArts.org.”

HAMILTON is the story of America then, told by America now.  Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. It has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.

The HAMILTON creative team previously collaborated on the Tony Award®-Winning Best Musical In the Heights. 

HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by The Telsey Office, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical.

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide. The HAMILTON recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

HAMILTON, will play the Aronoff Center from September 6 – October 2, 2022: Tuesday – Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 2:00PM and 8:00PM, Sundays at 1:00PM and 6:30PM. Tickets start at $59 and are available online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit BroadwayInCincinnati.com.

For information on HAMILTON, visit:

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Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati presented by TriHealth is committed to bringing the very best of Broadway to the Tri-State, presenting touring Broadway plays and musicals in Cincinnati since 1987. For over twenty years, Broadway in Cincinnati has presented all shows at the Aronoff Center. The Broadway in Cincinnati series brings more than 185,000 people downtown to the Aronoff Center each year, and contributes an average of $30 million to the local economy each season. Broadway in Cincinnati is a member of the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and The Broadway League. Fifth Third Bank is the sponsor of the Cincinnati 21/22 Season and the season is presented by TriHealth.

Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com and Group Sales Box Office.  Led by 14-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 48 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton. Current and past productions include Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge! and To Kill A Mockingbird.

The John Gore Organization is the leading developer, producer, distributor and marketer of Broadway theatre worldwide. Under the leadership of 14-time Tony-winning theater producer and owner John Gore, its family of companies includes Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, and Group Sales Box Office. The company presents shows in 48 cities across North America as well as on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London’s West End, Japan, and China. It has won Tony Awards in every producing category as well as numerous other Drama League, Drama Desk and Olivier awards.

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May 10, 2022 · 9:56 am

Ancient Greek Muses of Art Arrive at 2022 Cincy Fringe to Help Festival-Goers Fix Reality, Save the Future and, Maybe, Hang Out and Have a Beer

CFF22_Your Gorgeous Future logoCincinnati, OH – Aoede and Terpsichore, ancient (but well preserved) Muses of Art, heed the call of Cincinnati’s Citizenship to unlock their humanity-saving, creative genius in Your Gorgeous Future: Cincy Edition, presented by the Cincy Fringe Festival June 6th, 8th, 12th, 13th and 16th.

Having discovered the true nature of reality: that our future is created by what we collectively imagine in the present, Cincy 2022 fringe-goers have called upon Aoede and Terpsichore to time-bounce to the southern shores of the Ohio this June and guide them in an immersive, online creative collaboration to concoct the utopian future, save humanity and enjoy some irreverent, improvisational play.

To save the world, Cincy Citizen-Artists (once securing their admission ticket), shall grab their sacred implements of art (a crayon and scrap paper will do) an adult-beverage and approach the all-seeing eye of Mt. Zoom. Once logged into the Zoom room-of-making, they shall draw, chat and make new friends. Then, shall the Muses of Inspiration descend into the room (via the bodies of human hosts, Dawn Falato and Karen Getz) and guide participants across the vast seas of their boundless imagination, in a journey of collective creation and play.  Scheduled activities include but are not limited to; divine cheerleading, epic ode writing, 70s power balladry, encounters with stoner demi gods and the slings and arrows of outrageous punnerry. 

Your Gorgeous Future: Cincy Edition is a project of a company called, The Gorgeousity – a delicious, immersive art-weapon, designed to combat and transcend the societal demons which divide us and diminish our human potential. The company was created in 2013 as an audience-generated, improvisational collaboration between artists and attendees. Each experience is guided by Ancient Muses of Music and Dance, Aoede and Terpsichore (Falato and Getz, respectively). Gently transforming audience members into an instant-ensemble of makers and playmates, each Gorgeousity adventure stealthily takes attendees on a journey through their collective imaginative potential, as they metaphorically and fantastically face and transcend some of society’s greatest problems.

Your Gorgeous Future: Cincy Edition wonders “What if what we collectively-imagine, begets our future reality?”, “What if the (seemingly) intractable course towards a bleak and hopeless future can be rerouted towards a better, more promising one?”, “What if all we need is some uniquely Cincy, mind-magic to make it so?”

The Gorgeousity will be presenting Your Gorgeous Future: Cincy Edition at the 2022 Cincy Fringe, as a a 50-minute, interactive, online experience at 8:30 PM on Monday, June 6th, Wednesday, June 8th, Sunday, June 12th and Thursday, June 16th, with a 10:00 PM show on Monday, June 13th. 

Dawn Falato and Karen Getz are award-winning theater artists based out of Philadelphia. They have helmed over 20 original productions, collectively, and are fringe festival veterans. Falato and Getz were both recipients of the prestigious Philadelphia Theatre Initiative grants for Independent artists; Falato, for her solo-show Saint Anthony’s Body (Philadelphia Live Arts, 2003 / Berkshire Fringe, 2005) and Getz for her acclaimed comic ballet, Suburban Love Songs, (Philadelphia Live Arts/Fringe, 2006 / 1812 Productions, 2008) and The A.I. Project, (BRT, 2010). Falato’s projects outside of the fringe circuit have included, among other adventures, appearing as a performer in The Public Theater’s 2009 revival of Hair in NYC’s Central Park. Getz was last seen at Cincy Fringe in 2012 in Cecily and Gwendolyn’s Fantastical…(Cincy Fringe Improv Award). Fringe-goers all over the world might also be familiar with her as one of the eight featured dancers in the movie Dirty Dancing. 

YOUR GORGEOUS FUTURE: CINCY EDITION  ONLINE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Mon 6th June 8:30 PM 60 min
Wed 8th June 8:30 PM 60 min
Sun 12th June 8:30 PM 60 min
Mon 13th June 10:00 PM 60 min
Thurs 16th June 8:30 PM 60 min

CREDITS
Creators and Performers:

  • Karen Getz
  • Dawn Falato
  • Cory Palmer

TICKETING INFORMATION
Single tickets to Your Gorgeous Future: Cincy Edition, presented by the 2022 Cincy Fringe Festival, are on a sliding scale of $16-$20, and may be ordered at, https://cincyfringe.com/your-gorgeous-future/.

All other festival passes are currently on sale at www.cincyfringe.com.

CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL GENERAL INFORMATION
Know Theatre proudly presents The 19th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival – the region’s largest and longest-running annual performing arts festival – June 3–18, 2022! A 14-day celebration featuring hundreds of live performances from independent local, national, and international artists, the Cincy Fringe is Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party. This year, our Primary Lineup Productions return indoors and in-person, and is, as always, Kinda Weird. Like You!

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May 6, 2022 · 11:30 am

Pones and Partners Reimagine GRAPHIC, a Walking/Dance Tour of Downtown Murals as Part of Cincinnati Ballet’s 2022 BOLD MOVES FESTIVAL

PONES_Graphic logo(Cincinnati, OH) Pones will partner with Exhale Dance Tribe, Yarroway Productions, Revolution Dance Theatre, Heroes Rise Street Dance Academy, and Q-Kidz Dance Team to reimagine Graphic, originally produced by Pones in 2016, as an interactive dance experience that includes a walking tour of our city’s iconic downtown murals.

Dance pieces will be performed in front of the murals, extending these backdrops off their walls, telling stories inspired by the visuals and related to issues and subjects vital to each company and our community. The presentation will be featured as an add-on experience in the Cincinnati Ballet’s 2022 Bold Moves Festival.

“I am most excited about the enthusiasm of so many local companies in coming together and showcasing the wide range of dance diversity our city has to offer. It’s not something that has happened in the past decade, and we all agree it has potential to be the start of an annual coming together of the Cincinnati dance community,” said Kim Popa of Pones.

Carolyn Guido Clifford of the Cincinnati Ballet shared her reason for including this revival in Bold Moves: “In 2016, Graphic was one of my first introductions to the Cincinnati arts scene – not only to the fabulous performances and beautiful murals, but the incredible conversations our community was having at the time and continues to have today. I hope remounting it as part of the Festival, with so many members of the Cincinnati dance community, will provide a similar introduction to Cincinnati Ballet’s subscribers and patrons. As Cincinnati Ballet moves into a season of growth and discovery, what better way than by celebrating and promoting the diversity of the dance scene that already exists in our city!”

Murals and Performance Pieces:

  • At Visionary Reality Threshold by Saya Woolfalk (1005 Walnut St), Exhale Dance Tribe will perform “#thisisOTR,” choreographed by Missy Lay Zimmer & Andrew Hubbard and featuring music by Ian Forsgren, Ian Gullet, and Jai Washington
  • At Homecoming (Blue Birds) by Charley Harper (119 E Court St), Yarroway Productions will perform “Where Creation Has Been Drawn,” choreographed by Katie Chal and featuring music by Rob Keenan
  • At Self-Portrait, Elizabeth Nourse by Elizabeth Nourse and Still Life by Tom Wesselmann (811 Main St), Pones will perform “Her,” choreographed by Glenda Figueiredo and featuring music by Preston Bell Charles III
  • At Black Box by Michael A. Coppage (Walnut St at Gano St), Revolution Dance Theatre will perform “Say Their Names,” choreographed by David Choate and Kim Popa and featuring music by Galen Tipton
  • At Vibrant Minds, Colorful Lines by KiiK Create and Jenny Ustick, Heroes Rise Street Dance Academy will perform “Antiviral Still,” choreographed by Julius Eclypse Jenkins and featuring music by Flying Lotus, Abiyah, and Nathan Singer
  • At The Genius of Water by Ferdinand Von Miller (Tyler Davidson Fountain at Fountain Square, Vine St at Fifth St), Q-Kidz Dance Team will perform “Just Boom!” choreographed by Mariah Jones, Chariah Jones, and Marquicia Jones-Woods featuring music by Cary Davenport

About the Partners:

  • Exhale Dance Tribe, named among the 2008 “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, is rooted in rhythmic storytelling existing to leave an emotional imprint on our audiences, uniting our community through the universal language of dance and creating a hypnotic human experience. org
  • Yarroway Productions comprises a trio of local artists: a dancer, a painter, and a musician. Katie Chal, formerly of Nashville Ballet and DeLa Dance Company, now works as a Cincinnati Waldorf School teacher and independent dance artist. Patricia Chal studied painting at NKU and DAAP, but her most rigorous schooling has been from her three young children. She teaches an art class for adults that aims to reignite the inner child. Rob Keenan, a guitarist and singer-songwriter, studied music at Berklee College of Music and played guitar and synthesizers for beloved local duo Dawg Yawp. He is currently working as a farmer at Rose Hill Farm and pursuing his solo music project.
  • Pones provides artistic opportunities for community growth by creating engaging new ways for audiences to experience dance. The company creates site-specific performances through a fusion of movement and dance with other art forms. Pones performers use their bodies to speak their minds. The collective uses its signature pedestrian-inspired movement to spark collaboration, connection, and community. Pones believes that art creates powerful change. org
  • Revolution Dance Theatre, Cincinnati’s ONLY African American Dance company in residence at the prestigious Aronoff Center for the Arts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building cultural diversity in the world of dance. Intent on inclusion in ballet, RDT is committed to work that raises the level of access, visibility, and representation of American Americans in dance. com
  • Heroes Rise Street Dance Academy teaches a comprehensive curriculum of fundamental street dance movement along with history and culture, striving to set a new standard for what is expected of street style dance and street style dance teachers and to share the beauty of the street dance arts. Heroes Rise Always. com
  • Q-kidz Dance Team improves the lives of Cincinnati youth through dance instruction and educational programs that build strong character, confidence, teamwork, and a mindset for success. The organization plays an essential role in the community by offering youth a safe and supportive platform for creative expression, communication, and accountability. Q-kidz.org

Performance Schedule:
Performances will take place Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, 2022, with tours beginning at the Fifth Third Bank Theater at the Aronoff Center for the Arts (corner of Seventh and Main Streets). Start times are 11:15, 11:30, and 11:45 am both days. Each tour will last approximately 70 minutes, and the total distance walked will be 1 mile. For reservations, visit https://bit.ly/Graphic2022.

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May 6, 2022 · 9:57 am

May 19: Legendary Singer/Songwriter Janis Ian Performs in Cincinnati at Memorial Hall on Her Last US Tour

MISC_Janis IanNashville, TN – Legendary singer/songwriter Janis Ian performs in Cincinnati on May 19 at Memorial Hall on her “Celebrating Our Years Together Tour.”  She will be supporting her new album The Light at the End of the Line which was released in January. The Light at the End of the Line is Ian’s first album of new material in 15 years, and is also her last solo studio recording – a “swan song,” she notes. The “Celebrating Our Years Together Tour” is also Ian’s final North American tour in 2022. Ian’s single “I’m Still Standing” is the perfect statement for this enthralling album and tour; listen HERE. Ticket info is HERE.

The Light at the End of the Line bookends a kaleidoscopic catalog that began with her 1967 self-titled debut at age 15. The songs are intimate portraits of getting older but wiser (“I’m Still Standing”), of knowing when to stand up and not take any more shit (“Resist”), of celebrating life’s fleeting beauty (“Swannanoa”), of exalting in your true identity (“Perfect Little Girl”), of paying homage to a lifelong hero and her demons (“Nina,” as in Simone). The Light at the End of the Line feels like a victory lap for an artist who has nothing to lose and nothing left to prove. You hear that in the risks Ian took in both her lyrics and the inspired production choices.

“I love this album,” Ian says. “There is an element of, ‘This is the absolute best I can do over the span of 58 years as a writer. This is what I’ve learned.’ And I realized that this album has an arc, and I’ve never really done anything like that before.”

Janis Ian began her iconic career at age 14 when she wrote her socially and politically impactful song “Society’s Child” about an interracial romance between teenagers.  Her honest songwriting has translated into timeless, culturally significant tracks including “At Seventeen,” “Jesse” and “Stars,” the latter which was covered by Nina Simone, Cher, Mel Tormé and a host of other artists who felt the song spoke to their own lives. She has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and won two: one in 1976 for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female (“At Seventeen”) and one in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Recording (Society’s Child: My Autobiography).

Over her extraordinary career, Ian has forged deep connections with her fans, and she cherishes those associations. She notes, “As I wrote The Light at the End of the Line, I realized that it’s really a love song. I didn’t understand that so many years of meeting my audience after shows, of corresponding with them, had created this very real relationship that few artists are privileged to have.”

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