Category Archives: Press Releases

JAMMING ON THE JOB – LIVE, Featuring 123 Andrés Pierce Freelon | April 17, 2027 | Aronoff Center

JAMMING ON THE JOB – LIVE

Featuring 2024 Grammy-Winners and Grammy-Nominee
for Best Children’s Music Album: 123 Andrés and Pierce Freelon

April 17, 2027
Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

Tickets on sale now!

[Cincinnati, OH] – The hit podcast from PBS KIDS, “Jamming on the Job,” will turn into an interactive live show when it plays the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater on Saturday, April 17, 2027, at 10:30 AM & 1:30 PM. The fun and educational family-friendly event is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2026-27 Season. 

Tickets are currently on sale at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. For group sales (10 or more), call (513) 977-4155.

This live, fully interactive show features the three original characters from the podcast – Andrés, Christina ,and BoomBox, played by Pierce Freelon – and brings to life songs and storylines from the from “Jamming on the Job.” Just like the podcast, the trio hops on their tour bus and travels from place to place, making music. But in the live show, when they encounter a problem, the trio will need the audience to help. Kids will be singing along, shouting out answers, teaming up with their grown-ups, and wiggling with silly dance moves. 

The learning goal of the live show and podcast is for kids to learn about jobs and careers in which opportunities are growing, and that go beyond the stereotypical list of jobs kids are already familiar with. For example, kids who are fascinated by firetrucks will learn about fire managers, who work in forests to prevent uncontrolled forest fires. In a fast-changing world, Jamming on the Job – LIVE strongly emphasizes deeply human skills and traits – like teamwork, critical thinking, flexibility, and creativity – that will be essential no matter how the future evolves. 

“At a time when AI is reshaping the job market, it’s vital to equip kids with the skills to imagine, prepare for, and create tomorrow’s jobs,” says Pierce. “Jamming on the Job – LIVE helps kids explore careers – with a beat!”

During the live show, kids participate by taking on the role of the featured jobs to help the characters solve problems and get unstuck. When the trio sings “Stick with It” for example, the audience will be play-acting as wind turbine service technicians who show perseverance instead of giving up. 

“On the podcast and at the live show, our goal is for kids to find out about cool careers and know they are capable of having any of these jobs in the future if they want to,” says Andrés. 

The “Jamming on the Job” podcast continues PBS KIDS’ legacy of high-quality and thoughtful educational content for young children. It has been a hit with families, with over 26 million streams across podcast platforms. Every aspect was developed in consultation with PBS KIDS educational experts. For example, the careers were carefully selected to represent a range of industries, job types, and required levels of education. The podcast earned “Best Podcast of the Year for Kids” by Common Sense Media in 2023 and an “Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Honor” from the American Library Association in 2024. 

The performers also have a storied trajectory in kids’ music. Pierce Freelon is a 2024 Grammy® nominee for “Best Children’s Music Album,” and 123 Andrés (Christina Sanabria and Andrés Salguero) are 2024 Grammy® winners in the same category. Just like their characters on the show, 123 Andrés and Pierce Freelon tour nationally, performing for kids and families at some of the country’s most recognized venues and festivals.

Following Jamming on the Job – LIVE performances in cities including Los Angeles, CA, Austin, TX, and Durham, NC, the Aronoff Center performances will mark the first time the show makes a stop in Ohio. “We’re thrilled that Jamming on the Job – LIVE is coming to the Aronoff Center,” says Christina. “The Aronoff Center is recognized as a world-class venue, and they’re committed to putting on age-appropriate events for kids, so families can have that magical ‘theater experience’ together.”

ABOUT PIERCE FREELON
Pierce Freelon is a Grammy®-nominated artist, picture book author, and podcaster. His Grammy®-nominated children’s music albums AnceStars and Black to the Future have been featured on NPR, Billboard, and The Today Show. Pierce is the co-creator of the PBS Kids podcast “Jamming on the Job” and the voice of its beat master Boombox. He also co-created the Emmy-winning PBS web series Beat Making Lab. He is the author of two children’s picture books with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – Daddy and Me: Side by Side (2023) and Daddy-Daughter Day (2022). Pierce is a dad to two creative and hilarious kids, loves reading Octavia Butler books with his wife of eighteen years, and is proud that he can still dunk a basketball in his 40s!

ABOUT 123 ANDRÉS
123 Andrés are Andrés and Christina, the Grammy®- and Latin Grammy®-winning, husband-wife music duo. Both native Spanish-speakers, they tour the US and Latin America performing for thousands of children and families each year, in Spanish and English. They have published five bilingual children’s picture books with Scholastic and recently received their plaque from YouTube for surpassing ten million subscribers on their channel. Their songs are incorporated in lesson plans for early learners at schools across the US and Latin America.

ABOUT THE “JAMMING ON THE JOB” PODCAST
In each episode of this music-infused podcast, produced by PBS-NC for PBS KIDS, kids and families learn about a different fascinating job. Listeners join Christina, Andrés, and BoomBox, as they tour the country performing concerts. But at every stop, they run into an obstacle that threatens to derail the show! The trio jumps into problem-solving mode and meets a grownup with an interesting job who can help them along their way. As they learn about the inspiring career-of-the-day and the skills needed to be successful in that job, Christina, Andrés, and BoomBox solve the big problem and compose an original song about their new friend’s job.

Stream the “Jamming on the Job” podcast on the PBS KIDS website, YouTube, Spotify, or anywhere you find podcasts.

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS 

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

Season Sponsors:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), MIAMI UNIVERSITY, ARTSWAVE, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, PROCTER & GAMBLE, TRIHEALTH 

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, altafiber, Bahl & Gaynor, CityBeat, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, The Party Source, Pepsi, Summerfair Cincinnati

#  #  #

CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                Jamming on the Job – LIVE

                             featuring 123 Andrés and Pierce Freelon

WHEN:                Saturday, April 17, 2027 – 10:30 AM & 1:30 PM

WHERE:              Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

PRICES:               Start at $20.75, inclusive of all fees 

RUNTIME:          60 minutes, with no intermission

INFO:                   The live, fully interactive show features the three original characters from the podcast “Jamming on the Job” – Andrés, Christina, and BoomBox, played by Pierce Freelon – and brings to life songs and storylines from “Jamming on the Job.” Just like the podcast, the trio hops on their tour bus and travels from place to place, making music. But in the live show, when they encounter a problem, the trio will need the audience to help. Kids will be singing along, shouting out answers, teaming up with their grown-ups, and wiggling with silly dance moves. 


TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

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Cincinnati Opera on WGUC

Cincinnati Opera and 90.9 WGUC bring opera to the airwaves with fall broadcasts of the 2026 Summer Festival and a live 2027 Season Preview

CINCINNATI (October 26, 2026)—Cincinnati Opera and 90.9 WGUC, Cincinnati’s classical public radio station and the Opera’s media partner, continue their collaboration to bring local opera to the airwaves this fall and winter.

Beginning November 1, 2026, WGUC will broadcast six performances from Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. ET. Then, on Saturday, January 23, 2027, WGUC will air Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Season Preview live from the Cincinnati Public Radio studios, and the public is invited to join the studio audience.

Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival took place June 18–August 2, 2026, at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. The fall broadcasts include Richard Strauss’s Salome; the world premiere of Kevin Day and Tifara Brown’s Lalovavi, the first work in Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project; Georges Bizet’s Carmen; Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice; and both of Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Studio Sessions: “Soul & Sound 2.0: The Gospel of Tomorrow” and “Matthew White in Recital.”

The 2027 Season Preview in January offers an early look at Cincinnati Opera’s 107th Summer Festival, which features the world premiere of Maria Thompson Corley and Diana Solomon-Glover’s John Lewis: Good Trouble, the second work in the Black Opera Project; the all-star concert Viva Verdi!; Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; Puccini’s Turandot; and the return of Studio Sessions.

All broadcasts can be heard locally on air at 90.9 FM and online at wguc.org.


CINCINNATI OPERA’S 2026 SUMMER FESTIVAL ON 90.9 WGUC

Broadcast Schedule:

Sunday, November 1 | 8 p.m. ET

Salome
Originally performed June 18 and 20, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Richard Strauss; libretto by Hedwig Lachmann, based on the play by Oscar Wilde
Robert Spano, conductor; Jose Maria Condemi, stage director

Featuring: Kathryn Lewek, Alfred Walker, Chad Shelton, Michelle DeYoung, Zach Borichevsky; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Salome, the teenage princess of Judea, becomes dangerously fixated on the imprisoned prophet John the Baptist. When he rejects her advances, her desire curdles into obsession. At her stepfather Herod’s birthday feast, Salome dances and, at her maniacal mother’s behest, demands a gruesome reward. Set to Richard Strauss’s lush score, Salome is a fever dream of lust, power, and prophecy, where every glance is loaded, and no desire is without cost.

Sunday, November 8 | 8 p.m. ET

Studio Sessions—Soul & Sound 2.0: The Gospel of Tomorrow
Originally performed June 25, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio

Featuring: Tifara Brown (poet and host), G. Thomas Allen (countertenor), Donald Lee III and Kevin Miller (pianos)

Description: Hosted by poet Tifara Brown and featuring countertenor G. Thomas Allen and pianists Kevin Miller and Donald Lee III, this intimate cabaret-style performance is more than a concert—it is a living, breathing ceremony, rooted in the gospel tradition and expanded through virtuosic performance and storytelling. The artists remember and reimagine the power of Black music across time, from the sacred foundation of spirituals into the heart of gospel, through the freedom of jazz and the depth of Black classical excellence, and into a bold Afrofuturist horizon.

Sunday, November 15 | 8 p.m. ET

Studio Sessions—Matthew White in Recital
Originally performed July 1, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio

Featuring: Matthew White (tenor), James Maverick (piano)

Description: Cincinnati audiences will remember tenor Matthew White from his 2025 starring role as Cavaradossi in Tosca and his Don José in 2026’s Carmen. During this Studio Session, White takes to the cabaret stage for his first-ever solo recital, featuring an enthralling evening of music, from opera arias to Appalachian folk tunes, with Cincinnati Opera’s Head of Music Staff James Maverick at the piano.

Sunday, November 22 | 8 p.m. ET

Lalovavi (world premiere)
Originally performed July 9 and 11, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Kevin Day; libretto by Tifara Brown
Kevin Miller, conductor; Kimille Howard, stage director and dramaturg

Featuring: Brittany Olivia Logan, Adrienne Danrich, Morris Robinson, Talise Trevigne, Zoie Reams, Terrence Chin-Loy, Michael Preacely, G. Thomas Allen; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Set 400 years into the future, Lalovavi (lah-low-VAH-vee) is an Afrofuturist adventure that follows Persephone, the youngest daughter of the ruler of Atlas, the city formerly known as Atlanta. Currency and status in Atlas are determined based on the presence of Syndica, a gene that promotes vitality and longevity. When Persephone is found to possess a version of Syndica that confers immortality, she is betrayed by her family and must run for her life. She is thrust into an epic journey, uncovering a hidden past that leads her to discover love’s true meaning and the power to determine her destiny. 

Sunday, November 29 | 8 p.m. ET

Carmen
Originally performed July 25, 29, 31, and August 2, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Georges Bizet; libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Ramón Tebar, conductor; Paul Curran, original stage director; Anderson Nunnelly, revival stage director

Featuring: J’Nai Bridges, Matthew White, Teresa Perrotta, Ryan McKinny, Sam Smith, Kayleigh Decker, Jeysla Rosario Santos, Thomas Dreeze, Jack Keller, Nathan De’Shon Myers; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: The fiercely independent Carmen lives—and loves—on her own terms. When she sets her sights on Don José, a straitlaced soldier with a sweetheart back home, he quickly unravels, abandoning everything for her. But Carmen’s heart doesn’t stay in one place for long, and when the charismatic toreador Escamillo enters the ring, jealousy turns deadly. Set to Bizet’s iconic, rhythm-driven score, Carmen is a story of desire, freedom, and fatal choices.

Sunday, December 6 | 8 p.m. ET

Orpheus and Euridice

Originally performed July 28, 30, and August 1, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio
Music and text by Ricky Ian Gordon
Stephen Mulligan, conductor; Audrey Chait, stage director

Featuring Heidi Middendorf (soprano), Christopher Pell (clarinet); members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Orpheus, a grieving musician, loses his beloved Euridice too soon—and is granted one impossible chance to bring her back from the underworld. Guided by music and memory, he descends into a realm of shadows with only one rule: don’t look back. Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice retells the ancient myth with lyrical intimacy and emotional clarity, blending classical voice with contemporary style.

Thanks to the L and L Nippert Charitable Foundation and the Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund and the Victoria L. Memmel Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation for supporting WGUC’s Cincinnati Opera broadcasts.


CINCINNATI OPERA’S 2027 SEASON PREVIEW: LIVE ON 90.9 WGUC

Saturday, January 23, 2027 | 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. ET

Cincinnati Public Radio, 2117 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207

Broadcast live on 90.9 FM and wguc.org

Tickets: $15; to order, visit www.cincinnatiopera.org beginning Monday, October 26.

Description: Be part of the live studio audience for an inside look at Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival. Hosted by Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, the program explores the history behind each work and shares behind-the-scenes details about the productions coming to Music Hall. Live singers will perform excerpts from the 2027 Summer Festival, which features John Lewis: Good Trouble, Viva Verdi!, The Marriage of Figaro, Turandot, and Studio Sessions. 


About Cincinnati Public Radio
Cincinnati Public Radio is home to 90.9 WGUC, Greater Cincinnati’s classical music station, and 91.7 WVXU, the region’s NPR news and information station. In addition to its broadcast programming, Cincinnati Public Radio offers a variety of music experiences through its digital streams, including JazzWorks, Inhailer Radio, and Radio Artifact. Through music, journalism, and community engagement, Cincinnati Public Radio connects audiences to the arts, culture, and stories that enrich our region. Learn more at Cinradio.org.


About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920, it is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. It presents a season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, featuring world-renowned artists and the esteemed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round education and community engagement programming throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.

The company’s repertoire spans beloved classics and bold new works, with a distinguished tradition of producing opera that resonates far beyond the stage. Select regional, national, and world premieres include Margaret Garner (2005), Fellow Travelers (2016), and Blind Injustice (2019), which have gone on to productions across the country. Cincinnati Opera is also the originating home of The Black Opera Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative creating three full-length operas from 2026 through 2028 celebrating the Black American experience. Through Opera Fusion: New Works, its long-running creative partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the company shepherds new American operas from workshop to world premiere. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund as well as the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Programming is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Cincinnati Opera also receives support from The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

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Inaugural Production of MATT AND BEN Presented by Parade

Almost thirty years ago, Boston Natives (allegedly) Matt Damon* and Ben Affleck* convinced the world they had written an Oscar-worthy script (subjective) so effectively that the entire east coast leapt to their feet to applaud the two young men (boys?) when they actually won! Have you ever wondered to yourself, “How’d they do it? How’d they pull this massive entertainment heist off? Is Dunkin’ a Massachusetts psyop?”

Well worry no more, as we are finally able to bring you all the answers you have been looking for! (Which are as follows: we’ll tell you, it is CRAZY, and yes)

Join in on the fun at Parade in Northside for their FIRST-EVER Theatrical Production as we bring you the award-winning comedy from Mindy Kaling, (creator of HBO’s hit animated comedy VELMA), and Mindy Kaling’s college roommate Brenda Withers (co-writer of lesser-known off broadway play Matt and Ben).

Take a step back in time and witness the ABSOLUTELY TRUE** origin story of the star of hit films such as ‘We Bought a Zoo’(2011) and ‘Downsizing’(2017), and how he almost missed out on fame because his friend (who we have to tell you has been in movies since then as well, I guess) got jealous one time (idk you’ll have to come see it to find out cause I didn’t read the script***).
*fake names
**absolutely maybe
***probably true

Parade Presents
MATT AND BEN by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers
Nov. 20-22, 27-29

Fri-Sat: 7:30pm
Sun: 2:00pm

Starring: Regan Utrup as Matt Natalie Hayslett as Ben

Directed by Timothy Andrew Leonard
Stage Managed by Claire Lefton
Produced by Ellis Quinn, Parade A.D.

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MAROONED! A Space Comedy | Sat., Jan. 23, 2027 | Aronoff Center

ALEX and OLMSTED’S
MAROONED! A Space Comedy


“Achingly beautiful…” – Maryland Theatre Guide 

“…amusing, charming, delightful and, at times,

utterly and completely astonishing.” – DC Theater Scene

January 23, 2027
Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

[Cincinnati, OH] – The award-winning, 60-minute, family-friendly puppet sensation Marooned! A Space Comedy will touch down at the Aronoff Center’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater on Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 PM for an out-of-this-world live performance. The show is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2026-27 CAA PRESENTS! season.

Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-2787 [ARTS], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. For group sales (10 or more), call (513) 977-4155. Prices include all applicable fees and taxes and are subject to change.

An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she survive strange creatures, an abnormal atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED! Featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, this innovative new puppet show takes place at the outer reaches of space. Internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company Alex and Olmsted presents this Jim Henson Foundation grant–awarded production.

Alex and Olmsted (Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas) is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company based in Baltimore, Maryland. They have toured original shows in France, Portugal, Italy, South Korea, Germany, Denmark, and Canada. USA highlights include the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Symphony Space and HERE Arts in New York City, the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Puppeteers of America Festival, and many stages in their beloved city of Baltimore. Alex and Olmsted has been recognized by The New York Times, featured in the Washington Post, and awarded four Jim Henson Foundation grants, several awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Baker Artist Award, and two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence: the highest honor for puppetry arts in the United States. Alex and Olmsted has led masterclass workshops at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, among others. Their work was presented by Mid Atlantic Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and named an official selection of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Paris Art Film, and others. Alex and Olmsted is a resident company at Baltimore Theatre Project. Vernon and Thomas are also proud company members of Happenstance Theater with whom they have created twelve productions since 2012. In addition to their work in live performance, Vernon maintains and repairs the automata on exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum and Olmsted serves as President of the National Capital Puppetry Guild.

For more information, visit https://www.alexandolmsted.com/marooned-a-space-comedy.html.


Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS

The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

Season Sponsors:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), MIAMI UNIVERSITY, ARTSWAVE, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, PROCTER & GAMBLE, TRIHEALTH 

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: 21C Museum Hotel, altafiber, Bahl & Gaynor, CityBeat, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, The Party Source, Pepsi, Summerfair Cincinnati

#  #  #

CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT:                MAROONED! A Space Comedy

WHEN:               Saturday, January 23, 2027 – 2:00 PM

WHERE:             Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

PRICES:             Start at $20.75, inclusive of all fees.

INFO:                   An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she survive strange creatures, an abnormal atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED! A Space Comedy. Featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, this innovative new puppet show takes place at the outer reaches of space. Internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company Alex and Olmsted presents this Jim Henson Foundation grant–awarded production.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155

 

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National Tellers Announced for 6th Annual 
Cincinnati Storytelling Festival November 12-14

(Cincinnati, OH) Cincinnati’s favorite storytelling event returns for their sixth annual festival. This November, three nationally recognized storytellers are taking center stage in historic Over-The-Rhine’s Know Theatre. Kevin Kling, Motoko, and Paul Strickland will delight audiences young and old over three days of live storytelling.

Tickets go on sale October 15th. No stories are repeated over the three days of programming, so come to as many as you like and enjoy them all.

The festival’s first events, “Gather Round” and “Twisted Tales,” have sold out the last three years, so it is recommended to secure advance tickets. Friday night’s shows include “Laugh Riot!” a short dinner break, and then the much-anticipated ghost story show “Spooky Stories.” Who says spooky season ends October 31st?

Saturday will include a wide variety of programming, starting with a free show for children and families, and then a guest performance featuring the best of “True Theatre.” “Old Tales Told New” will feature masterful and entertaining reimagining of age-old stories, and the closing show “My Favorite Stories” is sure to delight and entertain.

This year’s featured tellers are both new to the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival, but neither is new to professional storytelling. “Kevin Kling is the first professional storyteller I ever saw, and he remains one of my favorites,” says Artistic Director Paul Strickland. “Kevin combines the highest level of craft with an incredible relatability, and he’s also one of the best joke writers I’ve ever encountered. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share Kevin’s work with Cincinnati audiences.”

Strickland continues, “Motoko is a fantastic teller of fantastical tales, particularly folktales from her native Japan. And while it’s impressive that she appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I promise you’ll be even more impressed by the brilliant artistry she brings to her performances, from the expressive movement to the delightful quirkiness of the stories themselves.”

Most shows are for adults and children ages thirteen and up, with the exception of the Saturday afternoon show which is specifically for children and families.

FESTIVAL HISTORY
The Cincinnati Storytelling Festival, founded in 2020, is a weekend event featuring professional storytellers from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. The festival brings communities together to enjoy fairy tales, scary stories, laugh-out-loud tales, and everything in between! Over the past five festivals, the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival has brought nationally-recognized storytellers to Cincinnati audiences, including Bil Lepp, Lyn Ford, Sheila Arnold, Adam Booth, Megan Hicks, Antonio Rocha, Andy Offutt-Irwin, and Charlotte Blake Alston.

 
THE STORYTELLERS

KEVIN KLING
Kevin is a frequent storyteller at storytelling festivals across the country, as well as an author and a playwright. He has written five books and appears often on PBS and Minnesota Public Radio. Kevin is most proud of his work as a teacher, playwright and performer with Interact Center, a company that creates art in the spirit of radical inclusion. He has written a wide range of plays, including everything from adaptations and original plays for children and families to orchestral commissions. His one person shows Home and Away, 21A, and How How, Why, Why, Why and his full cast plays Lloyd’s Prayer and The Ice Fishing Play have been produced in regional theaters, including The Guthrie, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and more. Awards include the Whiting Award, NEA, McKnight, Bush Fellowship, Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board the A.P. Anderson Award, the VSA Jeahny, the Eric Peterson Award, and two regional Emmys for Kevin Kling: Lost and Found and Art + Medicine: Disability, Culture and Creativity. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Theater in 1979. kevinkling.com

MOTOKO
Recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s 2017 Circle of Excellence Award, Motoko has captivated audiences of all ages since 1993. She brings to life a rich repertoire of Asian folktales, Rakugo and Zen tales, ghost stories, and oral memoirs inspired by her childhood in Osaka and her journey as an immigrant. Motoko has been featured in the National Storytelling Festival, Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Bay Area Storytelling Festival, and the Provincetown Playhouse at NYU. Storytelling has taken her to China, Japan, Senegal, and the U.A.E. She is the author of A Year in Japan: Folktales, Songs and Art for the Classroom. motoko.folktales.net/

PAUL STRICKLAND, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Paul is a professional storyteller and theatre artist who lives in Covington, Kentucky. He performs over 150 shows a year across the U.S. and has well over seven hours of unique family friendly stories in his repertoire, including reupholstered folk tales, fairytales for adults and future adults, tall-tales and even historical stories that just happen to have never happened. Paul has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and many more major storytelling festivals across the U.S. Cincinnati audiences know and love Paul Strickland for his award-winning performances at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. He runs TellStoriesBetter.com , an online coaching and education business. He is one of the co-founders of the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival. ainttrue.com

SCHEDULE AND INFO

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AND TICKETS
Full Weekend Pass: $72
Thursday Pass: $40
Friday Pass: $40
Saturday Pass: $50
Single Tickets also available ($20 per show)
All prices listed here include ticketing fees.

Advance Tickets go on sale October 15:
https://www.cincystoryfest.com/buy-tickets
Ratings: All shows are recommended ages 13+ unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, November 12, 2026
“Gather Round” at 7pm (60 min.) $20
“Twisted Tales” at 8:15pm (75 min.) $20

Friday, November 13, 2025
“Laugh Riot!” at 6pm (60 min.) $20
Dinner break from 7-8:30pm
“Spooky Stories” at 8:30pm (75 min.) $20

Saturday, November 14, 2026
Special Family Event – recommended ages 4 and up
“Children’s Stories” at 2pm (45 min.) FREE
Main Events
“True Theatre” at 4:30pm (60 min.) $20
“Old Tales Told New” at 5:45pm (65 min.) $20
Dinner break from 7-8:15pm
“My Favorite Stories” at 8:15pm (90 min.) $20

LOCATION
Know Theatre – in the heart of OTR – 1120 Jackson St. Cincinnati OH 45202
Entrance just off 12th St. on Jackson (between Walnut & Vine)
Box office hours: 11am-5pm Tue-Friday | 513.300.5669

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