Category Archives: Press Releases

Regional Premiere of PERCY JACKSON Musical Coming to NKU

NKU_The Lightning Thief logo

Artwork by Ellen Barlage

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts continues its 21/22 Theatre & Dance season with the regional premiere of THE LIGHTNING THIEF: The Percy Jackson Musical, a musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling book, running from Feb. 25 through March 6, 2022 at NKU’s Corbett Theatre.

  • What: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: The Percy Jackson Musical by Joe Tracz
  • When: Feb. 25 – March 6, 2022
  • Where: NKU Corbett Theatre
  • Tickets: nku.edu/tickets or (859) 572-5464

As a son of Poseidon, Percy has newly discovered powers he can’t control and mythological monsters and Greek gods on his trail. Zeus’ master lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends must embark on an epic quest to find Zeus’ missing lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods. This dynamic musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling book is an action-packed, mythical adventure that will thrill everyone in the family.

The NKU cast features Ellie Bennett, Megan Carlson, Gabby Casto, Arianna Catalano, Ezra Crist, Zachary Farmer, Jeremiah Jackson, Jeshaun Jackson, Chris Monell, Ellie O’Hara, Field Oldham, and Alex Simpson. Understudies: Rachel Gardner, Chloe Hedrick, Nick Rohr, Tre Taylor. The show is directed by Jamey Strawn. Other creative team members include Damon Stevens (Music Director), Andrea Tutt (Choreographer) and Jensen Bowman (Stage Manager).

Health & Safety Guidelines
With safety in mind, SOTA is moving to touchless mobile ticketing and print-at-home options. If you do not have a mobile device or home printing capabilities, please call the Box Office (859) 572-5464 for alternative options.

Effective Jan. 1, 2022, all sales will be credit card only to create a “touchless” payment environment for improved health and safety of our guests.

NKU is following all CDC and government guidelines, and continues to monitor the COVID situation. Masks are required indoors on campus for all guests, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Actors undergo routine COVID-19 testing in order to perform without a face mask and to ensure safety of our guests. Visit nku.edu/covid19 for more information.

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 Theatre and Dance, Art and Design, and Music programs make up the School of the Arts that sit in the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Kentucky University. Theatre and Dance relies on intensive student involvement both inside and outside the classroom. Our staff, resources and facilities serve the developing artist. 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 are working in professional theatres in every major city in the United States and on five continents, having successful careers on Broadway and in regional theatre, on cruise ships, in theme parks and film and television. For more information, visit theatre.nku.edu.

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2022-2023 Season Announced by Springboro Community Theatre

SCT_logoKicking off our season will be our summer musical at North Park Amphitheater – OLIVER! With book, music, and lyrics by Lionel Bart.

OLIVER! performances will take place August 5-7 & 12-14, 2022.

The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of discovering the true love of a family.


Our next production in the 2022 – 2023 season will be THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, Adapted by Simon Stephens.

Performances are September 16-18 & 23-25, 2022.

15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.


The first musical of the 2022 – 2023 season at Springboro Community Theatre will be THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss.

Performances are set for November 11-13 & 18-20, 2022.

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box.


Our first Youth Program production will present a series of one-acts from the Marvel Spotlight collection – HAMMERED: A Thor & Loki Play, by Christian Borle (Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby) and MIRROR OF MOST VALUE: A Ms. Marvel Play, by Masi Asare (Based on the Marvel Comics by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona & Sara Amanat).

Performances will be January 6-8 & 13-15, 2023.

One is the Norse God of Thunder, Master of the Storm, Lord of the Living Lightning, and heir to the throne of eternal Asgard. The other born of a Frost Giant, but now the Norse God of Mischief. Yet they are brothers, and together they are… The Mighty Thor and Loki.
When a strange Terrigen Mist descended upon Jersey City, Kamala Khan was imbued with polymorphic powers. Her life was changed forever and so were the lives of her family and friends. Using her newfound abilities to fight evil and protect Jersey City, she became the all new Ms. Marvel!


The next musical at Springboro Community Theatre in the 2022 – 2023 season will be RENT (Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson).

Going up March 3-5 & 10-12, 2023.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.


In the Spring, we will present our final play of the season – THE OUTSIDER.
Written by Paul Slade Smith, this production will hold performances April 21-23 & 28-30, 2023.

Ned Newley doesn’t even want to be governor. He’s terrified of public speaking; his poll numbers are impressively bad. To his ever-supportive Chief of Staff, Ned seems destined to fail. But political consultant Arthur Vance sees things differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office. Unless the public is looking for… the worst candidate to ever run for office. A timely and hilarious comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy.


To wrap up our 2022 – 2023 season, the final production will be our youth musical – CYRANO DE BURGER SHACK, a modern retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand with a book by Jeremy Desmon, and featuring hit contemporary pop music!

Performances are June 16-18 & 23-25, 2023.

Cyrano is king of the local Burger Shack, but he can’t seem to win the love of his best friend, Roxanne. When Roxanne confesses her crush on the new burger-flipper, Christian, Cyrano decides that playing Cupid is better than sitting out of the game. An updated, modern-day version of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, this rollicking musical features hit contemporary pop songs that will have audiences cheering.

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SUMMERFAIR SELECT Public Reception Rescheduled Due to Inclement Weather

caa_logoCINCINNATI, OH — The public reception for Summerfair Select, originally scheduled for Thursday, February 3, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM., has been rescheduled to Thursday, February 24 , 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM due to an impending winter storm system that threatens to bring severe weather and difficult travel conditions to Cincinnati.

Since 1995, the Weston Art Gallery’s mission has been to present and support the visual arts of the Tri-state region through exhibitions and special programs. Its objectives are to foster an awareness and appreciation of the visual arts among area residents and to support the development of professional and emerging artists of the region. 

Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts
650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-2517 • 513/977-4165

Tue. – Sat., 10 am – 5:30 pm; Sun., noon – 5:00 p.m.
(open late on Procter & Gamble Hall performance evenings)

www.westonartgallery.com • WestonArtGallery@CincinnatiArts.org • Admission is free.

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Immersive Theatre Goes Off the Grid Again

WITH FOUR, NEW INTERACTIVE EVENTS STARTING IN FEBRUARY

PIP_Tom Mom and Pop promoCINCINNATI (Feb. 1, 2022) Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Grid series returns for its fifth year of interactive, site-specific programming with four upcoming events, starting with “Top Mom and Pop” the weekend of Feb. 25 and 26 at Garage on York in Newport, KY.

Off the Grid uses an innovative artistic approach– interactive performances take place in site-specific or social settings– that reimagine the nature of theatrical storytelling.

“We are excited to welcome back adventure seekers this spring to a whole new season of Off the Grid. We are once again exploring new venues with fun interactive story-telling experiences designed to make you a part of the show.” said Daunielle Rasmussen, director of artistic engagement.

The 2021-22 season of Off the Grid events take place, in-person at locations around Greater Cincinnati:

  • Feb. 25 and 26: A reality-style cooking show at Newport’s Garage on York | Facebook event
  • March 24 and 25: An interstellar adventure in Cincinnati Museum Center’s Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery
  • April 13 – 24: An interactive Dungeons and Dragons experience at the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio
  • May 14: A time-travelling cabaret aboard the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad

Details for each event are below. Tickets for the February, March and April events are on sale now at cincyplay.com. Tickets to the May event aboard the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad go on sale March 1. COVID-19 Safety protocols will vary by venue. Visit cincyplay.com for details.

INTERSTELLAR EXPEDITION
Written by Margot H.G. Manburg
Dates: March 24 and 25, 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Tickets: $30

For the first time in 200 years, humankind has a second planet to call home in the far reaches of space. But disaster strikes, threatening the lives of crewmembers. Captain Promise Jones, charged with the safety of everyone onboard, summons the brightest astronauts from neighboring ships to redirect their course. Can they work together to survive the expedition? Step aboard the starship in this thrilling, interactive adventure as audience and crew members alike engage in star charting, training modules, simulations and more!

HEXES AND VEXES: A Dungeons and Dragons Interactive Experience
Presented in partnership with Green & Garb
Written by Julia Gomez and Kyle Carey Miller
Dates:

  • April 13-15: 7 p.m.
  • April 22: 7 p.m.
  • April 23: 7 and 8:30 p.m.
  • April 24: 6 p.m.

Location: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park
Tickets: $30

Surrounded by a blighted and enchanted forest, the Kingdom of Cinestreal has long been protected by the ancient magic of the Queen’s Crown. But calamity erupts when a cloaked mage steals this powerful artifact and vanishes beyond the city’s walls. Only by assembling your motley crew of friends, your magical items and all your knowledge of spells can you hope to vanquish the villain and — with the luck of the dice — restore peace and balance to your beloved home.

THE ERSATZ EXPRESS
Written by Ethan Graham Roeder
Date: May 14, 7 p.m.
Location: Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad
Tickets: $50, (Ticket includes a personal pizza and one beverage (beer or soft drink). Cash bar available.

You’re cordially invited to an evening of starlit cabaret and time-traveling adventures! Along the tracks of the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad, you’ll encounter a ragtag band of time-traveling explorers who commandeer your train ride as they try to get back to their own era. It’ll take more than song and dance to convince them that you shouldn’t be taken along with them. Secure your seats to a uniquely entertaining train ride full of love, loss and live, locomotive storytelling.

SPONSORS
The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of more than 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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The Carnegie Announces New Summer Theatre Season

TC_2022 Summer Season logoSEASON TO RUN JUNE THROUGH AUGUST IN REPERTORY FORMAT

COVINGTON, Ky. (January 28, 2022) – Exciting changes are coming to The Carnegie and its Theatre Series. A brand-new summer season will take the stage June through August with three thrilling shows and the option to add on a winter production for the whole family. Subscribers will adventure through a magical woods, live the bohemian life in 1990s NYC, and hit the bourbon trail with the King of the Bootleggers, all from a comfortable seat in our newly renovated Otto M. Budig Theatre. Add on the family-friendly winter offering, and we’ll have you tapping your way through one of MGM’s greatest movie-musicals. So, don’t miss your chance to be part of an outstanding season of shows at The Carnegie.

In June, the summer season will open with Stephen Sondheim’s gorgeous retelling of popular fairytales in INTO THE WOODS. Then in July, we’ll add the contemporary favorite, RENT, to the lineup of shows. Then the season will finish with the world premiere of GEORGE REMUS, A New Musical, which shares the shocking story of a local bourbon runner who made a killing during prohibition only to lose it all when accused of murdering his wife. Some say George was even the inspiration for The Great Gatsby. It’s a Cincinnati story with all the intrigue of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The summer season will run in a repertory format. Instead of offering one show and closing it before offering the next show, titles will overlap throughout the summer allowing theatergoers their choice of multiple shows in one weekend or the ability to come back to catch a favorite performance again.

Then in January, theatergoers can cure their winter blues with a musical that rightfully holds the title of “greatest movie musical of all time.” SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN will take the stage by storm, bringing hilarious comedy, wistful romance, and top-notch tap dancing to audiences of all ages. Add this winter show to your summer package to get the best price or grab single tickets for the whole family.

The Carnegie Summer Theatre Series

INTO THE WOODS
Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by JAMES LAPINE
Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Playing June 18 – August 27, 2022

When a childless baker and his wife set out to lift their family curse by journeying into the woods, they encounter Jack (with his beanstalk), Cinderella (and her prince) and Little Red Riding Hood (and her wolf)! These familiar characters find themselves in decidedly unfamiliar circumstances and must brave the darkness of the woods in an effort to break the curse, conquer their fears and find out if what they’ve always wished for is what they truly want.

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece. The Tony Award-winning book and score feature poignant musical numbers such as “Giants in the Sky,” “No One is Alone,” and “Children will Listen.”

Eight Performances:

  • Saturday, June 18, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 19, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, June 24, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 25, 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday, July 22, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 31, 3:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 18, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 27, 7:30 p.m.

INTO THE WOODS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. http://www.mtishows.com 

Content Advisory: Production includes adult themes. Not suitable for young children.


RENT
Music and Lyrics by JONATHAN LARSON
Playing July 16 – August 26, 2022

Set at the end of the 1990s in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT has become a pop culture phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Featuring favorites like “Seasons of Love,” “Out Tonight,” and “La Vie Boheme,” RENT is sure to have you singing along from your seat.

Eight Performances:

  • Saturday, July 16, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 17, 3:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 24, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday, August 19, 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday, August 26, 7:30 p.m. 

RENT is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. http://www.mtishows.com 

Content Advisory: Production includes sexual content, adult themes and language. Not appropriate for children under 13.  


GEORGE REMUS, A New Musical
Music and Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt & Mark Friedman
Book by Joseph McDonough
Playing August 13 – 28, 2022

A penniless German Immigrant who settled in the Cincinnati area, George Remus became a pharmacist, then a lawyer, and eventually the most famous bootlegger of them all. He had government politicians in his pocket, the Chicago mob at his feet, and the perfect scheme for selling barrels and barrels of whiskey during the era of prohibition and speakeasies. With a lavish mansion on a hill and over-the-top parties, Remus was a millionaire playboy worth millions in 1922 – some even say he was the real Jay Gatsby.  His legendary rise and fall are now the subject of this new musical.

The Carnegie presented a staged reading of this new musical at The Covington Plaza amphitheater in May of 2021. Now see a full-fledged production in our gorgeous, historic theatre. Enjoy a slate of brand-new songs, including “There Once was a King,” “Just Pay Gillespie,” and “Don’t mess with Mabel,” that bring George Remus’ bigger-than-life story to the stage.

Six Performances:

  • Saturday, August 13, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 14, 3:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 20, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 21, 3:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 25, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 28, 3:00 p.m.

GEORGE REMUS, A New Musical is presented through special arrangement with the authors. 

Content Advisory: Production includes adult themes and language. Not suitable for young children.


Winter Series Add-on

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Inc.
Playing January 28 – February 12, 2023

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN has all the makings of a Tinseltown tabloid headline – the starlet, the leading man, and a love affair that could change lives and make or break careers. In silent movies, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a hot item but, behind the scenes, things aren’t always as they appear on the big screen. Meanwhile, Lina’s squeaky voice might be the end of her career in “talking pictures” without the help of a talented young actress to do the talking and singing for her.

The “Greatest Movie Musical of All Time” is lovingly adapted for the stage, with each unforgettable scene, song and dance accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade of popular songs like “Good Mornin,” “Moses Supposes,” and “Broadway Melody” make SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.

Ten Performances:

  • Saturday, January 28, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, January 29, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, February 3, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 4, 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, February 5, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 11, 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, February 12, 3:00 p.m.

SINGING IN THE RAIN is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. http://www.mtishows.com 

Content Advisory: This is a family-friendly production. Appropriate for all ages.

Ticketing

Subscriptions for the Summer Theatre Series are $84 or $81 for Carnegie Members. Subscribers can add the winter family friendly show for $28 or $27 for Carnegie Members. Single tickets go on sale Friday, April 1, 2022 at noon. Tickets may be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940, open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5pm, or online at www.thecarnegie.com. All performances will take place at The Carnegie.

For the safety of guests and staff, The Carnegie continues to monitor and update its COVID-19 policies. Updated safety precautions will be announced closer to the opening of the Summer Theatre Series and will follow local health department protocols. 

The Carnegie Summer Theatre Series is presented by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support for the Summer Theatre Series comes from the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet.

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About The Carnegie Theatre Series
The Carnegie Theatre Series produces professional, innovative stagings of an eclectic range of theatrical works. Striving to unite the greater Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati theatre community through partnerships and collaborations, the series engages and nurtures both emerging and established talent, including working professionals, committed part-time theatre artists, university performing arts students and younger students. The Carnegie Theatre Series productions bring together these forces to provide quality theatre for Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.

About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at http://www.thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030. 

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati International Wine Festival, City of Covington, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the City of Covington. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

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