THE RULES written by Jessie Faye and directed by Jeff Weinkam is available NOW as part of TDW’s HOME VIEW THEATRE: SERIES II.
As they prepare for a first date, a man and woman reflect on societal pressure, self-doubt, and the complexities of the perfect outfit. Featuring Jeff and Maddy Weinkam in their TDW debut!
Get your streaming ticket at www.thedramaworkshop.org/homeview-series2, or get the whole series of six short theatrical works for just $25.
Thank you for supporting local theatre!
Filed under Events, Online Performance, Press Releases
Cincinnati, Ohio—Cincinnati Opera is proud to release the live audio recording of the world premiere production of Blind Injustice, the critically acclaimed new opera with music by Scott Davenport Richards and libretto by David Cote. Directed by Robin Guarino, Blind Injustice was hailed as a “powerful piece of music theater” (The Wall Street Journal) and a “masterpiece” (CityBeat). The opera was recorded in the Wilks Studio at Cincinnati’s Music Hall in July 2019 and is being released on the Fanfare Cincinnati label.
The digital album is now available for purchase via Amazon, iTunes, and other digital music retailers, and for streaming via Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon Music, and other music streaming services. The compact disc release is available for pre-order at cincinnatiopera.org/bravo-shop.
Blind Injustice premiered at Cincinnati Opera in July 2019 to sold-out audiences and rave critical reviews. The opera explores the true stories of six innocent people who were convicted of crimes they did not commit, then ultimately freed by the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP). A collaboration with the OIP and Cincinnati’s Young Professionals Choral Collective (YPCC), the opera is based on casework by the OIP and the book Blind Injustice by University of Cincinnati law professor and OIP Director Mark Godsey, as well as interviews with the six exonerees: Rickey Jackson, Nancy Smith, Clarence Elkins, and the East Cleveland 3—Derrick Wheatt, Laurese Glover, and Eugene Johnson. Through Richards’s music and Cote’s libretto, the opera brings to life the anguish, perseverance, and grace of these men and women.
The recording features the original cast, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, members of YPCC, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra led by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell.
Lead support for the Blind Injustice recording has been generously provided by Dianne and J. David Rosenberg.
Blind Injustice received its initial workshop through Opera Fusion: New Works, a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) that supports the development of new operas. Opera Fusion: New Works is made possible through funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
For more information, visit cincinnatiopera.org.
Blind Injustice
World Premiere Recording
Commissioned and produced by Cincinnati Opera
Composed by Scott Davenport Richards
Libretto by David Cote
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
John Morris Russell, conductor
Robin Guarino, stage director and dramaturg
Presented in partnership with the Ohio Innocence Project and the Young Professionals Choral Collective
Released by Fanfare Cincinnati
Cast
Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and the Young Professionals Choral Collective
About the Creative Team
Scott Davenport Richards (composer) creates works that inhabit various addresses at the intersection of jazz, musical theatre, and opera. New York City Opera performed two of his works—A Star Across the Ocean and Charlie Crosses the Nation—at its Vox Festival. Musical theatre commissions include The Rumble of Myth (The Public Theater) and The Break (Signature Theatre). Other musical theatre works include A Thousand Words Come to Mind, a musical monologue for Paulette Haupt’s Premieres company, Coyote Goes Salmon Fishing directed by Molly Smith at Perseverance Theatre, and the original score for A Christmas Story: The Musical at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. His play-scores have been heard at Yale Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Madison Repertory Theatre, Powerhouse Theatre, and New Federal Theatre. An early recipient of the Jonathan Larson Award, he taught at New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and is currently professor of musical theatre and composition at Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music.
David Cote (librettist) is a librettist, playwright, and arts journalist based in New York City. Operas include Three Way (BAM and Nashville Opera) with Robert Paterson; The Scarlet Ibis (Prototype Festival and Chicago Opera Theater) with Stefan Weisman; and We’ve Got Our Eye on You (SUNY New Paltz) with Nkeiru Okoye. Plays include Saint Joe, Fear of Art, and Otherland (O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference finalist). Premieres in 2021 include the Bach-inspired Cocoa Cantata with Robert Paterson at the Mostly Modern Festival and a short opera with Nkeiru Okoye co-commissioned by Cleveland Opera Theater and On Site Opera. Cote also wrote the text for Okoye’s Black Lives Matter piece for baritone and orchestra, Invitation to a Die-In, and lyrics for Paterson’s dating-site song cycles In Real Life I and In Real Life II. Cote’s reporting and criticism appear in 4 Columns, Observer, and American Theatre. He has written popular companion books about the hit Broadway musicals Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Spring Awakening.
Robin Guarino (stage director and dramaturg) is a theatre, opera, and film director who has directed more than 90 original productions. Her work has been presented by esteemed opera companies, festivals, theatre companies, and symphony orchestras around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, BAM Next Wave Festival, Canadian Opera Company, Cincinnati Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, among others. Guarino’s films have been shown at international film festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe, and her film, Crossing the Atlantic, was broadcast on PBS. As co-artistic director of Opera Fusion: New Works, a groundbreaking partnership between the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and Cincinnati Opera, she has co-produced 18 workshops of new operas, many of which have gone on to world premieres at major U.S. opera houses. Renowned as a teacher and leader in young artist training, she has taught at The Juilliard School and held The J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera at CCM for more than a decade. She has also taught at the San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Program, Wolf Trap Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, and Houston Grand Opera’s young artist program. She is currently working with Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote on a second opera about the singer and activist Paul Robeson.
John Morris Russell (conductor) is in his tenth year as conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Russell is also music director of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, where he leads the classical subscription series and the prestigious Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Additionally, Russell serves as principal Pops conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, following in the footsteps of Marvin Hamlisch and Doc Severinsen. With the Cincinnati Pops, Russell leads performances at historic Music Hall, concerts throughout the region, as well as domestic and international tours. His visionary leadership at the Cincinnati Pops created the “American Originals Project,” which has garnered both critical and popular acclaim for its two landmark recordings: American Originals, featuring the music of Stephen Foster, and American Originals 1918, a tribute to the dawn of the Jazz Age, for which Russell was awarded a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Classical Compendium.” Russell helped launch the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s wildly successful Classical Roots initiative, which celebrates African American musical traditions. As a guest conductor, Russell has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and the National Symphony Orchestra.
The Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law (OIP) was founded in 2003 and is the primary component of the University of Cincinnati’s Rosenthal Institute for Justice. Harnessing the energy and intellect of law students as its driving force, the OIP seeks to identify inmates in Ohio prisons who are innocent of the crimes they were convicted of committing. To date, the OIP’s work has led to the release of 32 wrongfully convicted citizens who served a total of more than 625 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. The book Blind Injustice written by Mark Godsey, the director of the Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project, served as source material for the opera of the same name.
The Young Professionals Choral Collective (YPCC) is an innovative choral ensemble that combines Cincinnati’s love of singing, socializing, and culture for young professionals ages 21 to 45. The ensemble brings together young, energetic people to create quality choral music and connect in a fun, accessible, and low-pressure environment. YPCC was formed in 2011 at Below Zero Lounge in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Now comprised of a roster of more than 1,200 volunteer singers who live and work throughout the area, YPCC has quickly found a niche in the vibrant arts community of Cincinnati and has pioneered a choral model that is gaining national attention.
About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.
Cincinnati Opera receives support from ArtsWave, the Ohio Arts Council, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America.
To learn more, visit cincinnatiopera.org.
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Filed under Press Releases
– From the NKU SOTA Newsletter
Congratulations to Charlie Roetting, Lecturer of Improv and Acting in the Theatre & Dance Program, for being named Artistic Director of OTRImprov! Charlie has been acting, directing, and improvising on stages and screens on both coasts and Cincinnati for over a decade.
Filed under Press Releases
The first series was such a hit, we decided to make another round of videos! We will be releasing six MORE short plays on video as part of: HOME VIEW THEATRE: Series II!
Some will be filmed on stage, some on location as short films, and some even recorded as a “Zoom Play” written for that format.
The full list of titles, and links to buy tickets to view them can be found here: https://thedramaworkshop.org/homeview-series2
Tickets are $5 for each video, or you can buy the series of six for $25.
(There is also a “Generous Admission” options to show your support for The Drama Workshop during these difficult times!) And if you are one of our Season Subscribers for this current suspended season, once again these videos are complimentary!
Ticket buyers will receive a link to view each video. Show details below!
HOME VIEW THEATRE SERIES II
THE RULES
A romantic comedy by Jessie Faye. As they prepare for a first date, a man and woman reflect on societal pressure, self-doubt, and the complexities of the perfect outfit. TDW is excited to welcome Jeff and Maddy Weinkam to their TDW debut. They will play the couple, and Jeff is directing. The Rules will premiere on February 12 just in time to share with your loved one on Valentine’s Day weekend.
Vis:Us
A collection of monologues written by a group of TDW artists who began a writer’s group during their pandemic downtime. Each monologue, performed by its author, explores how people try to make connections with others during the pandemic. The group of actor/playwrights consists of Chris Bishop, Betsy Bossart, Stephanie Klein, Lindsey Pullum, Fred Tacon and Eric Thomas. Vir:Us will premiere February 26.
SECOND STORY JOBS
A comedy by Fred Tacon that portrays what happens when an extremely overworked tooth fairy visits an adult man. The video will be directed by Lynne Aronson and feature Michael Sharon and Rusty Lacey. Second Story Jobs premieres March 12.
GOODWILL
A play by Teri Foltz. While clearing out the garage after their mother’s death, a brother and sister learn of a family secret. The cast includes Linda Callahan and Steve Phelan under the direction of Julie Jordan. Goodwill premieres March 26.
INDIAN SIGN
Indian Sign is a drama by Clint Bramkamp in which conflict arises between a man leading a campaign to keep a twenty-eight-foot sign depicting an outdated view of Native Americans in place and a Native American activist who wants to see the sign taken down. Richard Zenk directs the cast which features Jessie Faye and John McInerney. Indian Sign premieres April 9.
I’M BLOODY RETIRED
A comedy by Eric Thomas. Retiring Detective Sergeant Royal is given one last assignment – to train rookie Detective Francis – and one last case — to finally bring down his arch-nemesis . Dennis Murphy will direct and play Detective Royal. The cast also includes Nicholas Dunker, Lindsey Pullum, Chirs Bishop and others. I’m Bloody Retired premieres April 23.
Filed under Events, Press Releases
Watch the Ariel Quartet collaborate with CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson during this upcoming virtual performance
CINCINNATI, OH—The University of Cincinnati’s nationally ranked and internationally renowned College-Conservatory of Music invites arts lovers from around the world to tune in to the next episode of CCMONSTAGE Online at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. The premiere will stream simultaneously on CCM’s website, YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
Titled Joining Hands, this 30-minute-long virtual concert features CCM string quartet-in-residence the Ariel Quartet collaborating with master’s degree students Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson, who are also both second-year participants in CCM’s innovative Diversity Fellowship initiative with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
To open the concert, Wilson and Diaz – a cellist and a violist respectively – join the Ariel Quartet on the stage of CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall for a performance of the first movement of Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet in B-flat Major.
The Ariel Quartet – which is comprised of CCM faculty members Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola – then perform the third movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major.
For the finale of this digital program, the Ariel Quartet are rejoined by Diaz for a performance of the fourth movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quintet in G Minor.
Like other episodes in CCM’s new virtual performance series, Joining Hands also features commentary from CCM students and faculty. All episodes of CCMONSTAGE Online will be digitally streamed for free. After the premiere broadcast, each installment in this ongoing series will remain available for on-demand viewing on CCM’s website, YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. Additional footage provided by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
Receive broadcast reminders and information on future episodes of CCMONSTAGE Online by subscribing to CCM’s YouTube channel and email newsletter.
CCMONSTAGE Online Presents
JOINING HANDS
Featuring the Ariel Quartet
With Second-Year CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson
Streaming Premiere
7:30 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 12, 2021
Performance Details
Visit us online to learn more about the performers
A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music offers nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.
The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world stage.
For more information, please visit us online at https://ccm.uc.edu/.
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Filed under Events, Online Performance, Press Releases
