Category Archives: Press Releases

June 3, 2021 · 10:44 am

Beat Covid Gloom by Playing BINGO at Cincy Fringe with BETSY CARMICHAEL LIVE AT THE BINGO PALACE

CFF21_Betsy CarmichaelA LIVE virtual interactive comedy…with BINGO!

BUFFALO to CINCINNATII to YOUR HOME – After a year of a global pandemic shutting down schools, restaurants, and BINGO Halls, Betsy Carmichael is facing one of her greatest challenges yet…technology! She is on a mission to bring BINGO back to every man, woman, and child. Betsy Carmichael’s BINGO Palace is open and streaming LIVE into your home!

Betsy grew up as a BINGO caller’s daughter in Buffalo, NY and from the time she had won her first BINGO she was hooked. Now an international BINGO celebrity, Betsy Carmichael has dedicated her life to bringing BINGO to the masses and now she’s doing it one home at a time with Betsy Carmichael LIVE at the BINGO Palace.

The award-winning Betsy Carmichael’s BINGO Palace is now going virtual directly to the comforts of your own home with her interactive comedy, Betsy Carmichael LIVE at the BINGO Palace. How is it interactive from home??? Betsy will send you your own digital BINGO cards so you can play along and be “part of the act” on Zoom! Betsy Carmichael LIVE at the BINGO Palace guarantees an hour of escape from your troubles with laugher, stories, prizes and of course the fabulous Betsy Carmichael. Digital performances for Cincy Fringe stream live from The BINGO Palace in Buffalo, NY June 6-18, 2021.

WHAT: Betsy Carmichael LIVE at the BINGO Palace
WHO: By Joey Bucheker and Mary Kate O’Connell, starring Betsy Carmichael
WHEN:

  • 8:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 6
  • 6:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 8
  • 8:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 9
  • 1:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 13
  • 6:15 p.m. EDT Friday, June 18

WHERE: LIVE from the BINGO Palace into your own home via the intertubes.
HOW MUCH: $10-$15
TICKETS: www.cincyfringe.com/betsy-carmichael/
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes
WEBSITE: www.betsybingo.com

BIOS
BETSY CARMICHAEL “The First Lady of BINGO” has dedicated her life to spreading the word of BINGO! From her humble beginnings, as the daughter of a BINGO caller in Buffalo, N.Y., Mrs. Carmichael has become an international BINGO icon bringing her own unique style to the game. Mrs. Carmichael was entertainer for the USO when she came to the attention of and later partnered with Bob Hope. She has held “BINGO for Peace” at 5 international summits and has awarded her the coveted “Medal of Patriotism” for her BINGO work throughout the United States. In the seventies Mrs. Carmichael had a residency in Las Vegas at the Sahara Hotel and made numerous television guest appearances on variety and game shows including “The Match Game”. When not at the BINGO Palace, she can be found touring the country bringing BINGO to the masses again.

JOEY BUCHEKER (Creator/Co-Writer) is the 2017 Broadway World Regional Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Killer Rack the Musical. Performing credits: Off-Broadway: Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. Regional: Hello, Dolly! starring Carole Cook, Mame with Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth, It Shoulda Been You (Artie Nom.), Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Artie Nom.), Young Frankenstein, West Side Story and God in An Act of God. Mr. Bucheker has created two sequels in the Betsy BINGO franchise, The Betsy Carmichael Christmas Special and Betsy Carmichael’s Hawaiian Luau BINGO and produces the tours through Betsibu Productions.

MARY KATE O’CONNELL (Director/Co-Writer) is one of the most imaginative and respected members of Buffalo’s Theatre Community. Ms. O’Connell is the Executive/Artistic Director of O’Connell & Company and creator of Buffalo’s longest running show, DIVA by DIVA a Celebration of Women. Notable roles: Glorious! (Florence Foster Jenkins), Nunsense (Rev. Mother), Dear World (Countess), Sweeny Todd (Mrs. Lovett), and The Lady with All the Answers (Ann Landers). Ms. O’Connell is a multi-Artie Award winning actress including a Lifetime Achievement Award and an induction to the Buffalo Theatre District Association’s Plaza of Stars.

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June 3, 2021 · 10:12 am

Finding Nemo Meets Predator in this Retro-Futurism Hellscape Comedy

CFF21_You Will Live Under the Sea(CINCINNATI, OHIO) –  YOU WILL LIVE UNDER THE SEA  at the 2021 Cincinnati Fringe Theatre Festival, June 4–June 19.  Every year the land gets more and more crowded. More people. More buildings. More roads and more cars. Out there, the sea isn’t crowded at all. It’s just you. And that man. And miles and miles and miles of nothing else.

From the creative force behind 2020’s award winning show Killjoy, Ohio  comes a children’s fable about our dreams for the future. PICK-OF-THE-FRINGE winners Bridget Leak, Jordan Trovillion and Trey Tatum return with a new story of the bizarre in an entirely new format.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES FOR QUEEN CITY FLASH

  • 2020 Cincy Fringe All Access Pick – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2020 The Young-Howze Theatre Awards,  Show of the Year Winner – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2019 Cincy Fringe Full Frontal Pick – Zoinks!
  • 2018 Cincy Fringe Full Frontal Pick – Of Monster Descent
  • 2014 Cincy Fringe Artist Pick – Slut Shaming

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE

  • ★★★★★ STARS – Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Of Monster Descent
  • ★★★★ STARS – CBC, Of Monster Descent
  • ★★★★ STARS – Winnipeg Free Press, Of Monster Descent

WHO DID WHAT
Written by Trey Tatum
Directed by Bridget Leak
Performed by Jordan Trovillion & Trey Tatum
Backstage: Taylor Hauter (Lighting Design), Molly Francis (Sound & Projections 1), Elyse Stieby (ASM/Projections 2), Grayson Halonen (ASM/Fish wrangler)

SEE YOU WILL LIVE UNDER THE SEA AT THE CINCYFRINGE FESTIVAL, VIDEO ON DEMAND!

TICKETS:   $11 General Admission, $16 Love-Your-Artist Ticket

Tickets can be purchased at https://cincyfringe.com/you-will-live-under-the-sea/

For additional questions, please email queencityflash@gmail.com

Previous Queen City Flash productions at Cincy Fringe:

  • 2020 – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2019 – Zoinks!
  • 2018 – Of Monster Descent
  • 2017 – The Disappearance of Nicole of Jacobs
  • 2016 – The Midnight Express
  • 2015 – Shelter (with Pones, INC.)
  • 2014 – Slut Shaming

ABOUT TREY TATUM: Trey Tatum is a playwright / composer from Cincinnati, Ohio. Recent credits include ZOINKS!, a Nancy Drew send-up about the opioid epidemic, Alabama Monster, his solo show about mental illness, family ties and creatures that lie just out of sight, and JALZ, a remake of the blockbuster movie JAWS that examines Alzheimer’s disease, end of life care and family legacy. For the past four seasons, Trey has been composer for Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Education Touring Series. Current Projects include Have Monster, Will Travel, a new audio fiction podcast about road trips, monsters and the meaning of family. Trey makes theatre and mischief with his wife, director Bridget Leak. treytatum.com

ABOUT JORDAN TROVILLION: Jordan Trovillion is an actor based in Covington, Kentucky; the endpoint of her Southerly drift from her home state of Michigan. Recent theatre credits are Puffs (Susie Bones track) and The Absentee (The Operator) at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Zoinks! (Nolan) at the 2019 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, and JALZ (Dylan), both with Queen City Flash. Other favorite shows include Neverwhere (Hunter) with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Ken Ham’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (Most Women) with Queen City Flash, and Baskerville (Actress) at Falcon Theater. Jordan is a member of SAG/AFTRA and has performed in various films and television shows, including “The Old Man and the Gun,” “My Days of Mercy,” and Comedy Central’s “Detroiters.” She is also a freelance illustrator, and used to be in a cover band. More info at www.jordantrovillion.net.

ABOUT BRIDGET LEAK: Bridget Leak is a freelance director and co-founder of Queen City Flash. She recently made her LORT debut with Actually at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, where she has previously directed for the Playhouse’s Off-the-Hill Series. Bridget is a 2019 People’s Liberty Grant recipient for her project Desktop Theatre, an arts-initiative that helps teachers integrate the performing arts with larger-than-life plays made small enough to fit on a child’s desk. She previously collaborated with Cradle Cincinnati to develop a healing-through-storytelling pilot program for Mothers in Price Hill and is a former Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow. Bridget has her M.F.A. in Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. She calls East Price Hill home with her husband, playwright-composer Trey Tatum and puppies “Pocket” & “Lint” bridgetleak.com #ADirectorsLife

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June 2, 2021 · 12:38 pm

NKU Virtual Dance Concert Features New Works by Guest Artists

NKU_Dance 21 logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts will be streaming Dance ’21, a dance concert highlighting new works by guest artists, faculty, and students. Eleven dynamic dances will add up to an evening of concert pieces that highlight various genres of dance. The production will be available to watch for free at the Dance ’21 website. The production is directed by the artistic team of Teresa VanDenend Sorge, Dee Anne Bryll and Sylvia Chervus.

  • What: Dance ’21
  • When: Available now through June 30
  • Where: Online at nku.edu/dance21
  • Admission: Free to watch

Jenny Fitzpatrick is the Founder and Artistic Director of Blackbird Dance Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky. She has also worked as a dance professional, taught at the Burbank School of Ballet and choreographed/directed for the National Enrichment Teacher’s Association. She is a performer, choreographer, director, writer, producer and costume designer.

Jay Goodlett majored in dance, drama, and musical theatre before training at the School of American Ballet for several years. By the age of 18, Mr. Goodlett joined the Cincinnati Ballet and rose quickly through the ranks to Senior Soloist by 2002. He has performed in numerous classical full-length ballets and Neo-classical works and also has worked with many ground-breaking contemporary choreographers, performing internationally. He now works at SCPA in Cincinnati, teaches various classes at Lachey Arts, and choreographs for multiple universities and institutions throughout the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Area.

Jessica Harris hails from Neptune, New Jersey, where she has trained in all styles of dance for over 20 years. Harris has performed on several television shows including ABC’s hit show “The Apprentice”, “Good Morning America”, CBS Sports, and ESPN. She is currently a guest artist for the contemporary company Exhale Dance Tribe and can be found teaching a variety of dance classes at Planet Dance in Cincinnati.

A native of Cincinnati and and faculty member of African Dance Forms at NKU, Jeaunita Ìfẹ́wándé Château Weathersby Olówè is a professional dancer, choreographer, teaching artist and athlete for the past 30 years in African, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Ballroom, Latin dances and Zumba®. She’s performed, taught and toured throughout the US, Canada, Africa, Asia since 1994 and performed for the US/NATO military in Europe and Mediterranean. Jeaunita was one of the seven talented artists that traveled to perform in Europe during 2003-2005 for the United States and United Nations Armed Forces military families. She is a certified Zumba® fitness instructor and AFAA Group Fitness instructor.

Andrea Tutt, a graduate of one of Canada’s leading Theatre Conservatories, has been performing professionally and teaching theatre and dance for over 15 years. She has taught acting, dance and movement studies in many established training facilities, including Ontario Ballet School in Toronto, Canada, Toi Whakaari – New Zealand’s National Drama School, New Zealand School of Dance, University of Minnesota’s BFA/Guthrie Theatre Acting program and most recently in the theatre/music theatre departments at NKU, Miami, Xavier and CCM at UC.

Teresa VanDenend Sorge is the developer and Founding Director of Koresh Kids Dance, which serves nearly 500 Philadelphia public school children each week. For nearly a decade she was a full-time lecturer at Muhlenberg College in the Department of Theatre and Dance and remains a part-time lecturer at Sydney Kimmel Medical School in Philadelphia. Teresa holds a BA in Dance Education and Dance Performance/Choreography from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and a Masters of Education in Dance degree from Temple University. She is also adjunct faculty at NKU teaching Modern Dance and Dance History.

Creating dance with Covid restrictions required the team to think outside of the box and develop creative solutions for building dances. The entire process was in compliance with the Norse Nine Guidelines with safety at the forefront of the process.

To learn more about the School of the Arts on-demand performances, visit its website.

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.

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May 27, 2021 · 4:30 pm

2021-2022 Season Announced by Mariemont Players

MPI_logo 2020Mariemont Players, Inc. is pleased to announce our 2021-2022 season! Circumstances permitting, we are hopeful to start our season as planned in September. This is, of course, subject to change, and specific dates for each production will be determined and announced closer to the summer. Information on ticketing and subscriptions will also be available at a later date. We look forward to welcoming you all back to the theater when it is safe to do so!

The Outsider – By Paul Slade Smith
Directed by Doug Berlon
Comedy
September 10-26, 2021
Ned Newley doesn’t even want to be governor. He’s terrified of public speaking, and 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.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo – By Alfred Uhry
Directed by Aaron Whitehead
Comedy/Drama
November 5-21, 2021
In December 1939, Gone with the Wind is having its world premiere and Hitler’s invading Poland, but members of Atlanta’s Jewish-German elite are more concerned with who’s going to Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. Amidst comedy, romance, and unexpected turns, the Freitag family is forced to face where they come from and deal with who they really are. Winner of the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play.

[Previously Announced as TBA]
Intimate Apparel – By Lynn Nottage 
Directed by Derek Snow
Drama
January 7-23, 2022
Intimate Apparel takes place in 1905 and follows Esther Mills, an African American seamstress, who makes lingerie for the wealthy women uptown and the ladies of the night downtown.  When the owner of Esther’s boarding house, Mrs. Dickson, gives her a letter from a mysterious man in Panama, Esther’s world begins to shift. “’Intimate Apparel’ explores the desire for both independence and connection, the insidious effects of racism and classism, the social oppression of women, and the bravery, hard work, friendship, and love, of people who have been forgotten by history.”

Ripcord – By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Becky Collins
Comedy
March 11-27, 2022
For 4 years, irritable and sarcastic Abby Binder has kept a room to herself at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, through sheer force of her rude personality. Nursing disappointment at the direction her life has taken, she has no room for distraction. When bubbly, bright, and unbearably cheerful Marilyn Dunne is placed in her room, Abby tries her usual tricks, but fails to scare her annoying new roommate away. Ripcord is an enemies-to-friends story for a pair of excellently well-rounded, mature women.

Ada and the Engine – By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Darren Lee
Biographical/Drama
May 6-22, 2022
As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul mate Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge—a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future.

Harvey – By Mary Chase
Directed by Jerry Wiesenhahn
Comedy
July 8-24, 2022
Harvey is the story of a perfect gentleman, Elwood P. Dowd, and his best friend, Harvey – a pooka, who is a six-foot tall, invisible rabbit. When Elwood begins introducing Harvey around town, his embarrassed sister, Veta Louise, and her daughter, Myrtle Mae, are determined to commit Elwood to a sanitarium. A mistake is made, however, and Veta is committed rather than Elwood! Eventually, the mistake is realized, and a frantic search begins for Elwood and the invisible pooka.

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May 27, 2021 · 9:19 am

CSC’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park is Back and Bigger Than Ever! June 16-Aug. 26

CSC_Free Shakespeare

The tour of over 40 locations starts in early June and runs all summer long!
View the complete schedule online here.

Cincinnati, May 28, 2021- Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s 2021 FREE Shakespeare in the Park Tour continues, after a few early May performances, on June 16 with 40+ performances of FREE Shakespeare all summer long through September 12, 2021!  This marks the return of the full outdoor program that had a truncated season due to the pandemic in 2020. The FREE Shakespeare in the Park tour will bring 3 different Shakespeare productions to parks and venues all across the tristate area including Cincinnati, Fairfield, Glendale, Lebanon, Madeira, Mason, Maysville, Milford, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sharonville, Springfield, and West Chester in Ohio, Burlington, Covington, and Erlanger in Kentucky, and Brookville, Lawrenceburg, and Richmond in Indiana – and more! These performances are FREE and open to the public to enjoy professional theatre outdoors in their community. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is constantly working to expand their reach further and further into the region and is proud to operate one of the largest programs for free outdoor Shakespeare in the nation, both in number of stops and the size of the region reached.

The popular Shakespeare titles, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth will be presented.  The cast features six actors from CSC Professional Touring Company including Marcus Anthony, Angelique Archer, Arrianna Chai, Tyren Duncan, Colleen Dougherty, and Brianna Miller. Directors include Jeremy Dubin (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Courtney Lucien (Romeo and Juliet), and Darnell Pierre Benjamin (Macbeth) under the direction of CSC’s Director of Education Candice Handy. Following the Park Tour, these shows will hopefully travel and tour to local schools, community centers, venues, and other performing arts locations through May 2022.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park tour is the only professional outdoor theatre opportunity of this king in Cincinnati each summer, attracting more than 10,000 patrons to over 40 area parks during the summer months. CSC’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park Tour enhances the vibrancy of neighborhoods throughout the region by creating traveling arts programs that increase the affordability, availability, and accessibility of the arts outside the downtown core.  If you would like to learn how you can support this program, visit our FREE Shakespeare in the Park Fund page online here. FREE Shakespeare in the Park is generously supported by: the Thomas J. Emery Memorial, Western & Southern Financial Group, GBBN, EY, Graeter’s, Taft Law, Clark Schaefer Hackett, Cincinnati Bell, Susan Esler and Steve Skibo, Vicky and Rick Reynolds, Redknot Homes, Tim Cagle and Rick Kammerer, Kim and Dirk Doebereiner, Mark and Sue Ann Painter, Rosemary and Mark Schlachter, and Friends of FREE Shakespeare in the Park. FREE Shakespeare in the Park would also not be possible without our season sponsors: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; The John Bridgeland, Crilley, Long and Mason Families: Honoring James R. Bridgeland Jr.; the Ohio Arts Council; the Robert & Adele Schiff Family Foundation; the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation; and the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

Admission to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare in the Park Tour is free and there is no ticket or RSVP required.  All performances are open to all and are general admission, open seating.  Arriving early is typically recommended for best seating and lawn chairs and blankets are recommended.  For questions regarding inclement weather or for details and rules regarding outside food and drink (including or excluding alcohol), please contact the individual parks and venues. Please check with each venue regarding specific COVID Protocols as the Public Health situation is constantly evolving.

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Production Information:

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare
What happens when feuding fairies meddle in the love lives of human couples? Comical adventures, mistaken identities, and a silly play-within-a-play! The cast of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on tour with fairies, lovers and Nick Bottom and the Mechanicals as they hilariously attempt to rehearse and perform a play for the Duke’s wedding. In this whimsical forest, a happy ending is guaranteed for both sprites and mortals alike.

ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare
One of the most beloved romantic tragedies in Shakespeare’s canon, Romeo and Juliet is the tale of the Bard’s star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet fall instantly in love only to discover they come from feuding families. In defiance of their families, amidst the animosity of friends, and in concealment from their mentors, a young couple risk everything to be together. CSC is proud to present this modern production of Romeo and Juliet and prove its continued relevance in the lives of the young and old alike.

MACBETH by William Shakespeare
Prophecies. Ambition. Murder. Madness. In Shakespeare’s famous cursed play “Macbeth”, we see the darkness of the world overcome the light. After an encounter with three witches on a Scottish battlefield, Macbeth must make a decision that will change the course of her life.  Betrayal, love, bloodshed and tragedy adorn the path in this chilling, supernatural tale, leaving us wondering how far Macbeth will go to get what she wants. Tormented by visions and guilt when the price of his crimes take their toll, what fate awaits Macbeth? Find out in Shakespeare’s supernatural thriller.

Both shows are suitable for children and families of all ages and are approximately 90 minutes in length with an intermission.

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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 OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.  CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by 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!

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