Category Archives: Press Releases

30th Season Announced by Cincinnati Men’s Chorus

CMC_logoIt is the CMC’s 30th, XXX, Pearl Anniversary Season! So much of our lives, such as school, work, social and entertainment activities, have gone virtual due to the pandemic. The CMC will also be going virtual for at least the first half of our season. We’re eXcited to use the virtual platform to eXpand our membership and audience to those outside our area, while continuing our mission – “Through our music, we strive for eXcellence;… entertain our audiences; and work for justice, inclusion and harmony between the LGBTQ community and the community at large.”

We look forward to bringing you an eXceedingly eXhilarating eXperience, 30 years in the making. We hope you will join us virtually until such time as we can all be together in person to commemorate three decades of music by the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus.

–Michael Hoffman, President

Holiday Concert: “Hung with Care”
Capturing the eXuberance of the holidays. Featuring some of our favorite holiday songs from the past 30 seasons and of course, some of the CMC miX of naughty and nice that you’ve come to eXpect.

Cabaret: “Dear Johns”
They’re called eXes for a reason. This year’s cabaret “Dear Johns” highlights songs written or sung by people named John (think Legend, Elton, Lennon, Cougar Mellencamp, Olivia Newton) plus a maybe a few fun break-up songs (a little something for everyone).

Spring Concert: “String of Pearls”
The eXquisite pearl is the symbol of 30 years together. Our Spring concert, “String of Pearls” We open the Great American SongBook for an evening of standards.

Pride Concert: Big Gay Broadway
The eXtravaganza that is Broadway will be celebrated. Join us as we eXplore the many GLBT+ contributions to showtunes. GLBT+ composers, themes, and characters. All of your favorites plus a few rare ones. You’ll want to sing along….and we won’t stop you.

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Golden Girls Episode LOVE IS LOVE Presented by Equality Productions

EP_logoEquality Productions produces online theater and is expected to raise nearly $2000 in 2020 for charitable organizations in the US and Canada. Its mission is to produce theater that focuses on the voices of women, people of color, and the LBGTQIA+ communities and to raise money for charitable organizations. Visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Equality-Productions-in-Cincinnati-OH-105457637814367

The Golden Girls project was created to raise funds for Ohio-based LGBTQIA+ organizations. The first of the two episodes, “Love is Love,” was originally titled “Sisters of the Bride” and premiered in 1991. It is rated as one of the 10 ten best episodes by Golden Girls’ fans. Blanche’s brother, Clayton, brings his fiancee, Doug, to meet his sister. And Blanche is having none of it. Meanwhile, Rose readies herself to win the Volunteer of the Year award. The director rewrote the episode’s ending to reflect a more hopeful conclusion to the story.

Cast:

  • Blanche – Sharon Shaffer
  • Clayton – Matthew J. Wilks
  • Dorothy – Cathy Roesener
  • Doug – Kyle Overstake
  • Guest – Kim Welter
  • Irving – Gio Santiago
  • Rose – Julie Jordan
  • Sophia – Chessie Vigran

Directed by Richard Zenk

To see the episode, donate $10 (or “donate what you can”) to one or more of these organizations, which were selected by the cast.

Equality Ohiohttps://equalityohio.org/ – For 15 years, Equality Ohio has been working to change hearts, minds, and laws so that LGBTQ+ people can thrive in Ohio. The organization advocates for a statewide LGBTQ inclusive nondiscrimination law as well as laws that protect Ohioans from discrimination at the local level. After you donate, you will be provided the YouTube link. Donate @ https://secure.everyaction.com/d3R_OklBIE-nlXPKJIH0dQ2

Kaleidoscope Centerhttps://www.kycohio.org/ – The organization provides a safer place, programming, and leadership opportunities so that queer youth can be free to explore who they are and empowered to become their confident, truest self. Donate via Paypal (“friend to friend”) to equalityproductionscincy@gmail.com and include “GG donation: Kaleidoscope” in the comment box. You will be emailed the YouTube link to share with those in your household.

LGBT Community Center of Clevelandhttps://lgbtcleveland.org/ – The organization’s mission is to enrich the lives of the diverse LGBTQ+ community through advocacy, support, education, and celebration. Donate @ https://bit.ly/3m5VEXA Email the receipt to equalityproductionscincy.com to receive the YouTube link to watch the show with those in your household.

META Center Inc.https://metacenterinc.org/ -The organization creates regular programming for transgender and gender non-conforming youth ages 7-19. Through providing affirmation to one of society’s most vulnerable, META Center Inc. works to create social change and foster acceptance. Donate via Paypal (“friend to friend”) to metacenterinc@gmail.com. Email the Paypal receipt or screenshot to equalityproductionscincy.com to receive the YouTube link to watch the show with those in your household

Outreels Cincinnatihttps://www.facebook.com/outreelscincinnati/ – OutReels Cincinnati is a creative outlet for the Ohio and Tri-state area where LGBT issues are expressed and discussed through the art of film. Donate via Paypal (“friend to friend”) to equalityproductionscincy@gmail.com and include “GG donation: OutReels” in the comment box. You will be emailed the YouTube link to share with those in your household.

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OFF THE GRID SERIES Features Virtual and Socially Distanced Interactive Performances This Fall

Offerings Include Pod Plays, Shadow Cast Films and a “Zoom Dunnit” Mystery
PIP_logoCINCINNATI – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s immersive theatrical experiences return this fall with the 2020-21 Off the Grid series. The line-up features virtual and socially distanced opportunities that include streaming audio dramas, interactive shadow cast film events, a spooky site-specific theatrical experience in late October and a “Zoom Dunnit” mystery. Events will take place throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.

“The purpose of Off the Grid series has always been to reimagine the nature of theatrical storytelling with site-specific experiences like our 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at the Newport Aquarium or creative social connections like Beauty and the Bourbon Tasting at New Riff Distillery,” says Blake Robison, artistic director. “Adjusting the programming to work during our current health crisis was a natural extension of the unconventional approach Off the Grid has been taking for the past five years.”

New this year is THE POD PLAYS PROJECT, which makes creative use of technology, storytelling and outdoor space. The Playhouse commissioned two playwrights to choose a unique location in Cincinnati and write an original audio play that makes use of that setting. When listeners tune in to the audio file and begin the play, they’ll be guided through the location as the story unfolds, interacting with the same views, spots and markers as the characters in the story they’re streaming.

Two pod plays are available to stream now at cincyplay.com. They can be experienced at the convenience of the listener and are free of charge:

THE AVIATORS
Written by Trey Tatum
Set in Alms Park, the story follows Kaylan and Cece, who form an unlikely friendship after working through the trials of a school project about flight. Their journey includes an exploration of Alms Park and all its hidden gems, as well as an exploration of the history of aviation. 

RICHIE AND BLANCHE
Written by Isaiah Reaves
Taking place on the Purple People Bridge (starting at Newport on the Levee), the story finds a mother and son at a crossroads. Their relationship had taken a turn after Richie came out to his parents, setting off five years of estrangement. Their emotional journey includes a walk across the Purple People Bridge as they take in the beautiful sites and views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati Skyline.

“What’s key is that we have a live and interactive element to everything. Even the pod plays, which are pre-recorded, are meant to be experienced at the site, as if you are in the moment of the story with the characters,”  says Daunielle Rasmussen, director of education and community engagement at the Playhouse and the director/producer of the Off the Grid events. “We have an exciting mix of new efforts, such as the Pod Plays, along with the types of programs we’ve been developing and refining since the beginning of Off the Grid – like shadow cast film events and site-specific theatrical experiences.”

The fall schedule of date specific Off the Grid events is listed below:

THE SHADOW CAST FILM SERIES features actors reenacting cult classic films in front of an audience as the movie plays on the big screen behind them — a la Rocky Horror Picture Show. All shadow cast events will take place at the Mariemont Theatre. Cost is $12. For tickets, visit mariemonttheatre.com. 

  • DREAMGIRLS
    Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
    In the 2006 hit musical Dreamgirls, three female soul singers find their dreams of musical stardom coming true (and their personal lives forever changed) in the early 1960s. This special screening will feature a live shadow cast performance for an interactive event.
  • HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
    Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
    Harold and Kumar set out to satisfy their munchies and encounter some wild and hilarious surprises along the way in this cult comedy screening. Audiences may find themselves as part of the screening and performance as a group of actors perform a live shadow cast.

AN IMMERSIVE, SITE-SPECIFIC THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE arrives in time for Halloween.

  • CHILDREN OF THE CORN MAZE
    Written by Trey Tatum
    Saturday, Oct. 24.
    Burger Farm and Garden Center, located at 7849 Main St. (Rt. 32)
    Cost is $20. For tickets, visit cincyplay.com.

    Strange things are happening in the cornfields of Burger Farm… There are whispers of supernatural events and sightings of monstrous creatures, and everything is becoming a little spookier than usual. With fun nods to horror and thriller favorites from Stephen King to Ghostbusters, a twisted tale unfolds as audiences walk the haunted trail. Timed entries leave every 10 minutes between 6:40 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and should be reserved in advance. Suitable for ages 13 and up.

  • PUMPKIN PARTY
    While the grown-ups walk the haunted trail, kids ages 4 to 12 can attend a 90-minute Pumpkin Party for $10. Each session includes excursions in the Pumpkinland maze, pumpkin crafts and Halloween-themed movies like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

AN INTERACTIVE WHODUNNIT will be hosted via Zoom. 

  • NANCY BREW ZOOM DUNNIT
    Written by Margot H.G. Manburg
    Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
    Cost is $10. For tickets, visit cincyplay.com.
    Armchair detectives can log in from home to track down the culprit of a crime. Participants will break out into teams, observe scenes, track clues and interact with characters to solve a mystery, virtually.

More information on all the events can be found at cincyplay.com. Additional Off the Grid events are planned for 2021, including two shadow cast events: Girls Trip on Feb. 4 and Mean Girls on April 1. The remaining events will be announced later.

Seasonal support of education and outreach programming is provided by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation. The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 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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A WINNIE THE POOH CHRISTMAS TAIL Cancelled at Beavercreek Community Theatre

BCT_YouthTheatreOnce again, BCT must announce that due to the current COVID situation, we must cancel our youth production of A WINNIE THE POOH CHRISTMAS TAIL. While things are beginning to open up, we feel we must keep the health and best interest of our performers and patrons the top priority, and to move forward with this production would not do that.

We miss you all and hope that things return to normal soon.

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John Lewis: Good Trouble | Nationwide Watch Event and Virtual Panel Discussion

CAA_John Lewis Good Trouble logoAudiences Across the Country
Urged to Get into Good Trouble

Nationwide watch of documentary about John Lewis during September, plus virtual conversation with national civic leaders on September 21 at 7:00 PM

(Cincinnati, OH)  Representative John Lewis of Georgia — Freedom Rider and Congressman, Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, and conscience of the nation —  served the cause of social justice for decades, both as an elected representative and as a groundbreaking activist whose fervent belief in getting into “good trouble, necessary trouble” for the cause of racial equality changed our country.

The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) invites audiences to join in a nationwide watch, in collaboration with more than sixty of the nation’s arts and cultural institutions, of the riveting new documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble, which looks at the impact of Lewis’ life and work. CAA audiences will be able to rent the film directly from Magnolia Pictures, then take part in a live virtual conversation about John Lewis’ remarkable legacy. 

JOHN LEWIS DOCUMENTARY
The film celebrates Lewis’ sixty-plus years of activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform, and immigration through rare archival footage and exclusive interviews with the late Congressman.

This special rental of the documentary includes two extra features: an interview Congressman Lewis gave to Oprah Winfrey shortly before his death earlier this year, as well as a one-hour panel, recorded in July, with the documentary’s director, Dawn Porter, and two of Lewis’ fellow original Freedom Riders, Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Dr. Rip Patton.

The film’s $12.00 rental fee includes a $5.00 donation to the Cincinnati Arts Association. 

VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSON
After screening the film, audiences are invited to join a live, interactive online panel discussion about Lewis’ history and impact on the social justice struggles of today. Panelists include Dawn Porter, the film’s director; Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, NJ; Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Director of the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project; and Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, who worked extensively with Lewis to establish the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The free virtual conversation takes place at 7:00 PM EST on Monday, September 21 on Zoom.

To rent the movie and register for the panel discussion, visit the Cincinnati Arts Association website at www.CincinnatiArts.org/John-Lewis 

The online conversation and coordinated effort amongst the country’s performing arts centers is produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) of Newark, NJ.

This event is part of NJPAC’s ongoing initiatives designed to offer both a greater understanding of current racial disparities and a forum for learning about the actions all citizens can take to advance the cause of equality.

“Everyone at NJPAC stands in solidarity with those fighting against structural racism, societal inequity, and police brutality, and for civil rights, multiculturalism and authentic inclusion. Changing the world requires the efforts of everyone. Now, more than ever, each of us has an indispensable part to play,” says John Schreiber, NJPAC’s President and CEO. For more information, please visit NJPAC’s website at NJPAC.org.

“We are very pleased to join NJPAC and performing arts centers across the country in offering this important documentary and panel discussion to our audiences,” said Steve Loftin, President, Cincinnati Arts Association. “Throughout history, the arts and culture have reflected and supported social change and civil rights, and it is our hope that this opportunity will add to the ongoing national and local conversation about equity, inclusion, and racial justice.”

CAA SEASON SPONSORS:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), CINCINNATI-NORTHERN KENTUCKY HONDA DEALERSFURNITURE FAIRLOCAL12 WKRC-TVThe P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

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