By Joseph Zettelmaier
October 8 – 24, 2021
The Night Parlor is open; don’t touch that dial
What happens when you start living a dream you didn’t know you had? Step into the den of a sexy hostess of shlocky horror at Know Theatre with Shock!: The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra, running October 8 – 24, and see how the story behind the story has all the thrills.
In the late 1950’s, young actor Joyce is given the opportunity to take her love of horror movies to the next level, as a Horror Host of an campy late night television B Movie Extravaganza: Miss Spidra’s Night Parlor. Now, some 50 years later, an older Joyce reflects on the challenges, the fun, and the schlock, when a documentary considers her legacy.
We kicked off our return to in-person theatre this season with back-to-back outdoor productions, but as autumn arrives, we’re delighted to welcome you back into our Jackson Street MainStage with this production by one of our favorite playwrights, Joseph Zettelmaier, who also wrote the scripts for previous MainStage productions All Childish Things (2015), Pulp (2016), and The Man-Beast (2018).
Shock! tells of the rise and fall of a “horror host,” the costumed emcee of late-night television broadcasts of campy horror films. This fictionalized account is based on a real-life pop culture phenomenon: in the 1950s, cities all over the country showcased their own homegrown spins on the smash-hit success of LA’s Vampira TV show. And as it turns out, Ohio had the most local TV horror hosts of any state in the nation. (Perhaps YOU grew up watching The Cool Ghoul, Fritz The Nite Owl, or Ghoulardi, yourself?)
Andrew J. Hungerford, Producing Artistic Director of Know Theatre of Cincinnati, will direct this production. He says about Shock!: “I remember as a kid the inherent thrill in staying up late at night to watch something scary, or silly, or both, in the waning hours before the local station ended their broadcast day. It was a magical time and place that felt outside of reality, like anything could happen. It’s the same kind of feeling I still get when I walk into an empty theatre. This play, which threads connections through theatre, film and television, celebrates creativity, and the joy of making something that is your own, while never shying away from what it can all cost.”
Tess Talbot returns to the Know MainStage to play Joyce, creator and performer behind “Miss Spidra.” Ms. Talbot’s many appearances on our MainStage include (most recently) as an aspiring MMA fighter in The Girl in the Red Corner (2019) and as an occult shopkeeper in Mercury (2018). Paul Riopelle will play Ray, the producer who’s pinned all his hopes on Miss Spidra; Mr. Riopelle has previously appeared at the Know as a private eye in Pulp (2016). Brianna Bernard returns to the Know as Lucy Lupnicki, Joyce’s sexy sidekick-turned-rival. Audiences may recognize Ms. Bernard from her appearances as Lady Glethien in this summer’s touring musical All’s Faire or as Sally Perks in the smash-hit satire Puffs (2019).
Also joining the cast is Terry Neumann as Older Joyce, who appears in video footage, several decades after the play’s main action, as she speaks to a documentarian about her life as Miss Spidra. Ms. Neumann makes her Know Theatre debut in Shock!, but she’s certainly been seen around our theatre before – often in the company of Ms. Talbot, her real-life daughter.
Rounding out the cast in a cameo appearance is Daniel Winters, usually found behind the camera as our in-house stage photographer but also familiar to Know audiences from his role in 2014’s Moby Dick, as co-director of Neverwhere (2017), and as director of Whisper House (2018).
Shock! will also be available to watch online as a high-quality video-on-demand experience, filmed by cinematographer and Director of Photography Ryan Lewis.
So join us in Miss Spidra’s Night Parlor, and discover what can happen when you take a chance on a wild idea and set out to build your own legacy.
Tickets are available on our website, knowtheatre.com, or by calling our box office at 513-300-5669.
CAST
- Tess Talbot as Joyce Billings, “Miss Spidra”
- Paul Riopelle* as Ray Coslaw
- Brianna Bernard as Lucy Lupnicki
- Terry Neumann as Older Joyce
- Daniel Winters as Oglesby
*Appearing Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract
PRODUCTION TEAM
- Director & Lighting Designer: Andrew J. Hungerford
- Scenic Designer: Kayla Williams
- Costume Designer: Noelle Wedig-Johnston
- Sound & Projections Designer: Douglas J. Borntrager
- Director of Photography: Ryan Lewis
- Original Music: James Allen
- Technical Directors: Henry Bateman & Jim Stark
AT A GLANCE
Production: Shock!: The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra, by Joseph Zettelmaier
Dates: October 8 – 24, 2021; Wednesday – Saturday shows are at 8 PM; Sunday matinees are at 3 PM.
Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine
Tickets: The standard ticket price is $25. Audiences may opt to support the Know’s initiative to pay all artists and employees a living wage by selecting the $35 Living Wage Ticket. Low-cost admission available for $15. On Wednesdays, as part of our Welcome Experiment, tickets are $5 in advance or FREE beginning one hour prior to the show. The Welcome Experiment is bright to you this season by Judge Mark P. Painter (Ret).
Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.
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 Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.
Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.
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Rico Grant is a serial entrepreneur, founder of Paloozanoire, creator of Gallery at Gumbo, Executive Director of SoCap Accelerate based out of Northern Kentucky University, the architect behind Black and Brown Faces art exhibition (previously on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum), and the new regionally-focused rewards program – 17 Under Seventeen. Grant serves on the Board of Directors of Findlay Market, OTR Chamber, Elements, and now Cincinnati Ballet. He also advises several startups and foundations around the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. As a proud native of Cincinnati, he states that he will never leave the city because ‘opportunity is here.’ Believing that Cincinnati is under a creative renaissance, he brings his talents to our organization. His mission is to continue to bring ballet and the arts community to the youth of our city through intentional inclusion.
Bruce W. Jeffery is the Vice President of Community Action and Executive Director of Cradle to Career Cincinnati and joins the Cincinnati Ballet this year as a board member. Bruce has been a champion for youth his entire career from impacting lives with the Boys & Girls Club for more than a decade to the YMCA of Greater Louisville. Bruce has held multiple leadership roles, all while ensuring that the community rallies and advocates heavily for the young people of the communities he resides in. Although he spent most of his life in athletics, he sees how dance can bring both worlds together, art and athletics, to affect the communities in a positive way. The Arts are an important part of his life, and Jeffery believes that it empowers youth in the community to grow and develop. With his help, and the new Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance, Jeffery sees an opportunity to significantly impact the youth of our community. He received his B.S. in Exercise Science from Millikin University. In his free time, Bruce enjoys CrossFit, cheering on his favorite football team, and vacationing with his wife, Brittney, and their two dogs.
Jack Miner is Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Cincinnati. Under Jack’s leadership, University of Cincinnati has seen record enrollment growth and a continued commitment to diversity and improving student experiences. Jack is a two-time graduate of The Ohio State University where he was one of only two people in the university’s 150-year history to receive the Outstanding Senior, Distinguished Alumni, and Distinguished Staff Award. In 2013, Ohio State launch of the Jack Miner Scholarship for Transgender Students in his honor. This scholarship, the first of its kind in the nation, was in recognition of Jack’s work in advocacy for that community on a local and national level. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Ballet, Jack serves as Secretary for the Board of Directors of the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center in Worthington, Ohio and as Past-President of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, in Washington, D.C. During the Obama administration, Jack served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education on gender and gender identity. Jack has consulted with state education systems and hundreds of colleges and universities on college access for underrepresented students, gender and gender identity, college affordability, accreditation, records management, recruitment and retention, and management of intercollegiate athletics.
Toilynn O’Neal doesn’t remember a time when art and activism were not a part of her life. From her earliest memories to her work today, her very existence has been defined and shaped by standing up and speaking with the creative voice inside her. Toilynn grew up with her well-respected and well-known artist activist father, Robert O’Neal. She remembers his struggles to change the community and speak through his art. Her father and mother were both strong influences on her life. Inspiring her to have an appreciation for both arts and sciences, she studied both in college. Her unique background allows both her creative side and her analytical side to worth together with government officials, artists, and community leaders to affect change. Toilynn’s unending dedication to the city of Cincinnati drives her passion for community collaboration, diversity, and cultural education for her city. Her extensive list of current volunteer positions includes membership on the board of the Cincinnati Arts Association, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Museum Center African Cultural Fest Committee, African American Chamber of Commerce, Walnut Hills Area Council, Nrityarpana School of Performing Arts, and on committees for the Freedom Center Martin Luther King Breakfast, University of Cincinnati Diversity Officer Roundtable, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati School, Mayor’s Commission of Gender Equality, National African American Museum Association, and Freedom Center / Youth Conference Planning Committee. Currently, Toilynn is the Executive Director of Queen City Foundation, a non-profit organization whose vision is to provide educational opportunities to minority students through independent college preparatory schools. In addition, her latest venture is to secure a permanent location for the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC) in honor of her late father. As Founding Director of ROMAC,
Alandes Powell, Vice President and Business Controls Director at Fifth Third Bank, has worked in the banking and financial services industry for nearly 30 years. Powell was recently named a UC Health 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Special Recognition Award honoree for her leadership in the creation of Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter mural. She was also named one of the 32 power brokers in the Midwest by Madison 365 and Mayerson Academy Strengths Hero Award. She was recognized, in part, for her service as board chair of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio and as a past board member for the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s Center. She is the cofounder of Black Art Speaks, a non-profit arts collective in Cincinnati, Ohio, and co-author of two books. Powell and her husband Gordon are the proud parents of Damonte, a Cincinnati firefighter, Kendra, a small business owner, and Julian, a recent graduate of Ohio Media School. They enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and helping others reach their potential. Her favorite ballet is Moulin Rouge and she looks forward to another great season at Cincinnati Ballet.
About Cincinnati Ballet
Area professional “suits” to perform concert and raise funds for arts education 
Reception to include artist panel discussion to highlight closing show on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 