Category Archives: Press Releases

February 21, 2020 · 10:31 am

Springboro Community Theatre Presents ALMOST, MAINE

SCT_Almost Maine logoSpringboro, OH – A woman carries her heart, broken into nineteen pieces, in a small paper bag. A man shrinks to half his former size, after losing hope in love. A couple keep the love they have given each other in large red bags, or compress the mass into the size of a diamond. These playful and surreal experiences are commonplace in the world of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, where on one deeply cold and magical Midwinter Night, the citizens of Almost — not organized enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness — experience the life-altering power of the human heart. Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.

Propelled by the mystical energy of the aurora borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and sincere, Almost, Maine is a series of loosely connected tales about love, each with a compelling couple at its center, each with its own touch of sorcery.

Almost, Maine will be performed in the Premier Health Theatre at the Springboro Performing Arts Center.

Director Sara Bortz, along with assistant director Scott Madden and stage manager Bekki Madden, have assembled a skilled cast to tackle these stories! The production also features costumes by Sara Bortz and Tia Harris, set design by Les Dershem, lighting design by Jason Vogel, sound design by Ryan Shannon, and properties by Kerry Corthell.

Get your tickets to see this ensemble cast at BoroTheatre.org!

When:
Evening: February 28, 29, March 6 & 7 at 8PM
Matinee: March 1 & 8 at 2PM

Where:
Springboro Performing Arts Center, 115 Wright Station Way, Springboro, OH 45066

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February 20, 2020 · 3:36 pm

Region’s Bourbon History Takes Center Stage August 2020

TC_George Remus logo

GEORGE REMUS staged reading and bourbon tasting at The Carnegie

(COVINGTON, KY) – Few things are more Kentucky than bourbon, and a local trio wrote a musical to celebrate part of the beverage’s more infamous history. Songwriting team Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, the team behind TENDERLY: THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY MUSICAL, and their partner, lauded playwright Joseph McDonough, will offer a sneak preview of their new musical, GEORGE REMUS, at The Carnegie rescheduled to August 2020. Tickets are $35 for show and tasting, $15 for show only, and available at thecarnegie.com.

The musical tells the fascinating, true, and sometimes unbelievable history of George Remus, a German immigrant, pharmacist, and bootlegger who moved from Chicago to the Cincinnati area during prohibition to be near 80% of the country’s bonded whiskey after finding a loophole in the enforcement of prohibition.

“Returning to The Carnegie and having my own work performed on this beautiful stage, produced by their amazing staff, is a thrill and a dream realized,” said Friedman. “I am excited that the audience for GEORGE REMUS will experience this story and hear the music for the first time ever. It is also a delight that the musical will be performed mere blocks away from where Remus lived the last twenty years of his life, and in a place that holds so many memories for me.”

The first song from the musical, “Who the Hell is Andrew Volstead?” was released October 28 on the 100th anniversary of the Volstead Act. The Act was passed to enforce the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the production, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors. The song can be found on The Carnegie’s Facebook page, along with a link to purchase tickets for the premier staged reading of the full show on March 29, 2020.

“I was so excited when Janet, Mark, and Joe brought this project to The Carnegie,” said Carnegie Theatre Director Maggie Perrino. “George Remus has so many ties to the area, and I think it’s perfect to debut this musical, not in New York or Los Angeles, but in the heart of bourbon country where he really lived.”

The March staging will be accompanied by bourbon and whiskey tastings including Jim Beam Black, Maker’s 46, Knob Creek Single Barrel, and Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye. Following the staged reading the writer and composers will host a Q&A session. Tickets for the show and tasting are $35, $15 for the show only and available at thecarnegie.com.

Cincinnati-based Yates Vogt and Friedman are award-winning composers, lyricists, and playwrights. Their musicals have played worldwide in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Teaming up with Yates Vogt and Friedman is playwright Joseph McDonough, two-time winner of the Mickey Kaplan New American Play Prize. McDonough has had several of his plays premier at the Ensemble Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. 

The Carnegie’s 2019-20 Theatre Series is presented by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support comes from the Kentucky Department of Tourism. 

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About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at www.thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030.

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the City of Covington. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

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February 19, 2020 · 12:06 pm

Country Music and Hijinks Hit the Stage at Sunset Players

SSP_The Pump Boys Takin a Break

The Pump Boys Takin’ a Break. Dan Wolking, John Wesseling & Allen Lindsey. Photo by Geri Wesseling.

CINCINNATI, OH – February 19, 2020 — Sunset Players, a Westside community theater group that performs at the Arts Center at Dunham, will be filled with country music with Pump Boys and Dinettes from March 6 through 21.

A musical comedy written by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann and directed by Don Frimming, the Pump Boys sell high octane on Highway 57 in Grand Ole Opry country, and the Dinettes run the Double Cupp diner next door. With gallons of hilarity and slices of heartbreak, they perform an evening of country and western songs on guitars, piano, bass and even kitchen utensils.

For its 40th anniversary season, Sunset Players reunited the Pump Boys from their original 2001 production with two new Dinettes to round out the cast. The cast includes:

  • Dan Wolking as Jackson
  • Allen Lindsey as L.M.
  • John Wesseling as Jim
  • Eddie as Jerry Yearout
  • Clare Hingsbergen as Prudie Cupp
  • Virginia Pollack as Rhetta Cupp
SSP_Pumpboys Dining at the Double Cupp

Dining at the Double Cupp. Allen Lindsey, Clare Hingsbergen, Virginia Pollack & Dan Wolking. Photo by Geri Wesseling

Produced by special arrangements from Samuel French, Pump Boys and Dinettes performances are March 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21. All shows begin at 8:00 pm, except Thursday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Cincinnati State’s Interpreter Training Program will provide sign language interpreting for the deaf community on the second Saturday performance.

Tickets are $20 or $18 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. They can be purchased online at the Sunset Players website (www.sunsetplayers.org) or at the door.

Sunset Players, Inc. is a community theater group located on the west side of Cincinnati. Founded in 1979, the group performs at the Arts Center at Dunham and has produced more than 145 shows. Its mission is to bring a smile, and its plays include comedies, farces, dramatic comedies and musical comedies—as long as there is some “comedy” in the performance. For more information about the 40th season, visit our website at www.sunsetplayers.org or like us on Facebook.

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February 19, 2020 · 9:35 am

The Human Race Theatre Company Presents Regional Premiere of GLORIA: A LIFE

HRTC_Gloria promo1

Aurea Tomeski, Sherman Fracher, Rae Buchanan, Jennifer Johansen as Gloria Steinem, Andrea Morales, Burgess Byrd & Eileen Earnest. Photo by Heather N. Powell.

After an acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere in 2018, Gloria: A Life runs February 27 – March 15, 2020 at the Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton

(Dayton, Ohio) — The Human Race Theatre Company is continuing its 2019-2020 “Women of Influence Season” with the Dayton premiere of Gloria: A Life, a new play celebrating the life and legacy of one of the most important figures of America’s feminist movement.

Fifty years after Gloria Steinem began raising her voice and advocating for others, her vision is as urgent today as ever. Described simply as “History. Her Story. Our Story,” Gloria: A Life is a richly detailed tapestry that’s both inspiring and remarkable.

Written by Tony Award-nominee playwright Emily Mann, Gloria: A Life opened Off-Broadway in 2018 to critical acclaim. Kappy Kilburn, Executive Director of The Human Race Theatre Company, played an instrumental role in bringing Gloria’s story to the stage in New York City, and now to Dayton, Ohio. The Human Race Theatre’s production will mark the first performances of Gloria: A Life beyond its original creative team.

“It was a privilege to be a part of the journey to the world premiere of Gloria: A Life as I packed up to leave NYC for Dayton,” said Kilburn. “And through that relationship, it is now my honor to present it here, at The Human Race Theatre Company, and continue the powerful conversation this play elicits.”

Gloria believes in the necessity of conversation as a catalyst for change, and the powerful play offers us all a path forward in a way that only live theatre can provide. This regional premiere features a dynamic all-female cast, led by Jennifer Johansen as Gloria Steinem and directed by Marya Spring Cordes.

“When we work together, anything is possible,” said Cordes. “While a good deal has changed for the better, every worthwhile fight is three steps forward and one step back. We are still fighting for a good deal of the same gender and civil rights issues all these years later.”

“Gloria: A Life humanizes and contextualizes the iconic history of Gloria’s life, shining as an example of how rewarding and challenging it can be to lead a fully human, active life,” she added.

The entire community is invited to join The Human Race Theatre in celebrating this award-winning journalist, social political activist, and nationally recognized leader of the American feminist movement and Toledo, Ohio native.

GLORIA: A LIFE is rated PG-15. Parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under the age of 15.

Biographies on the cast and creative team can be found on The Human Race Theatre Company’s website.

The preview performance of GLORIA: A LIFE is Thursday, February 27. Opening night is Friday, February 28. 

The Human Race Theatre Company’s production of GLORIA: A LIFE is sponsored by Larry Glickler – Glickler Funeral Home, Marni Flagel, The Hope-Aholics, Alice & Burt Saidel, and R. Doug Annala. 

All season long, The Human Race Theatre Company is partnering with The Neon for the “Women of Influence in the Movies” series. Join us at The Neon on Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. for 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement (2020 work in progress). In the early 1970s, a group of women office workers in Boston decided they’d suffered in silence long enough. Largely forgotten today, their movement was a unique convergence of those fighting for both women’s and labor rights. Still-relevant issues such as workplace harassment, equal pay for equal work, and the “glass ceiling” were brought to the national stage by the 9 to 5 movement. A 2020 work in progress, this new documentary was directed by Dayton filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. Tickets are $8 each or $30 for a series pass, available at neonmovies.com. 

Performance and special event information
Tickets for GLORIA: A LIFE start at $14. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and seating location. Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. Student tickets are available at 50% off regular adult prices and a student I.D. must be presented when picking up at the Box Office. The Sunday, March 1 7:00 p.m. performance is “Sawbuck Sunday,” when any available seat can be purchased in person for just $10 at the Loft Theatre box office two hours prior to the show. Discounts are subject to availability and some restrictions apply.

All performances are at the Metropolitan Art Center’s Loft Theatre, located at 126 North Main Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Show times for GLORIA: A LIFE are 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Performances on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings begin at 7:00 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday matinees.

Tickets and performance information for GLORIA: A LIFE are available at http://www.humanracetheatre.org or by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630, and at the Schuster Center box office. 

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2019-2020 marks the 33rd season for The Human Race Theatre Company, “Dayton’s Official Professional Theatre Company.” Founded in 1986, The Human Race moved into the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence in its current home, the 212-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Eichelberger Loft Season, The Human Race produces new works development and special event programming. Under the direction of Executive Director Kappy Kilburn and Kevin Moore, Artistic Director, the company also maintains outreach programs, as well as artist residencies in area schools and a summer youth program. Human Race organizational support is provided by the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, Culture Works, the Shubert Foundation, the Erma R. Catterton Trust Fund, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, which helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The 2019-2020 Sustainability Sponsors are the ELM Foundation, Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, Morris Home, and the Jesse & Caryl Philips Foundation. The 2019-2020 Loft season sponsor is the Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation of the Dayton Foundation. The Women of Influence season sponsor is the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts.

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February 17, 2020 · 11:43 am

CSC Presents “Fizzy and Festive” Adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Presented in the Round

CSC_Pride and Prejudice 4 promo

Caitlin McWethy as Elizabeth & Courtney Lucien as Jane in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company presents the ‘fizzy and festive’ adaptation on the classic novel by Jane Austen, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill – presented in the Round 

Sweepingly romantic but with a playful touch, it’s Jane Austen like you’ve never seen before! Join Lizzy Bennet and the girls at the theater February 28-March 28, 2020 

Cincinnati, February 14, 2020 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its 2019-2020 Season of the Woman at The Otto M. Budig Theater with Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice. The production is directed by newly appointed Director of Development, Sara Clark and features a cast of 8 with CSC returning favorites Caitlin McWethy as Lizzy Bennet, Courtney Lucien as Jane Bennet, and Grant Niezgodski as Mr. Darcy, as well as debut ensemble member Sara Mackie as Mrs. Bennet. With 5 of the 8 person cast playing multiple roles, CSC will showcase gender-fluid doubling that will give old words new life in this classic romance. This is also the first production at the brand new Otto M. Budig Theater that is presented fully in the round!

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” One of the single most beloved stories of all time returns to the CSC stage in a fresh new adaptation which critics are calling “delightfully different,” “fizzy and festive,” and “unlike any adaptation of Jane Austen one has seen before.” Sweepingly romantic, with a good dose of the tongue-in-cheek, Pride and Prejudice follows the affaires de cœur of the witty and willful Elizabeth Bennet, as she finds that the path to true love can lead to the most unexpected of places.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Season of the Woman is on full display with this production of Pride and Prejudice. CSC’s production of a female playwright’s adaptation of one of the most influential female author’s novels of all time, includes: a female director, 50% of the cast is female identifying, and the cherry on top of this girl power powerhouse, 3 of the 4 production designers are women as well. In a note by Director Sara Clark, she says “virtually all the stage adaptations [of Pride and Prejudice are] written by men.” She continues saying “Kate Hamill’s adaptation retells the story by this proto-feminist author… [and] highlights what is often missed by Hollywood treatments of Austen novels: how FUNNY Jane Austen was and how keen her satire of the society in which she lived…[and that] Hamill has taken the original novel and made the comedy, the social commentary, and the romance more in line with our modern sensibility.”

This is the very first production in the brand new Otto M. Budig Theater to be presented in the round.  This is a form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. There will be a circular stage center with audience members on all sides. And the stage will be on a turntable allowing the actors to act to all audience members while the stage rotates.  This also adds to the comedic lightheartedness and enhances the playfulness of the production for the audience who will experience the production all around them!

Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice first appeared on stage in the summer of 2017 at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in New York. During the 2018-2019 theater season, her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was one of the 10 most produced plays nationally and was nominated for the Off Broadway Alliance Award- Best Unique Theatrical Experience. Her play has been praised by critics nationally and the Wall Street Journal wrote that Pride and Prejudice is “the stuff hits are made of”…“completely and delightfully different”…and “adapted with fizzy, festive freedom”.

The creative team transforming The Otto M. Budig Theater stage into a beautiful regency era inspiration is made up of Shannon Moore (Scenic Designer), Clara Jean Kelly (Costume Designer), visiting Sound Designer Kevin Semancik, as well as visiting and debut Lighting Designer, Nina Agelvis. They are joined by Choreographer Rachel Perin.

Pride and Prejudice runs February 28—March 28, 2020 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday, March 28th at 2:00 PM.  Preview performances are Wednesday, February 26th and Thursday, February 27th at 7:30 PM and tickets are $45.  Advance sale single ticket prices start at $28.  Day-of Rush tickets are $14 and may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID if available. This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees apply.  To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com,

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park.  There are many parking spaces available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.

CSC also offers Valet Parking for every performance! Make reservations for $20 in advance when purchasing tickets or visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot.  Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Cars can be picked up for up to one hour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valet service directly.) The valet will have your name on the list after you purchase- it’s that easy!

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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 audiences of all ages.  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 Theatre 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!

About The 2019-2020 Season of the Woman:
From June of 1919 to August of 1920, these United States passed and ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. In commemoration of this centennial, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will shine the spotlight on the Women of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in our “Season of the Woman”, both onstage and off, and join organizations across the city in an ArtsWave led initiative called “Power of Her” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage!

This season is also funded by ArtsWave.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, JR./U.S. Bank Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council, and The Shubert Foundation.  The season’s marketing design sponsor is Grey Midwest. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

About POWER OF HER:
POWER OF HER is a collaboration of organizations across the Greater Cincinnati region, united to activate and amplify women’s voices in the arts. Led by ArtsWave, and inspired by the women’s suffrage movement, the initiative salutes the women who came before us, and honors female leadership and woman-centric works of all kinds.

At its core, POWER OF HER underscores creativity as a vehicle for inclusion and equality by celebrating the female voice — and the many ways it champions a more diverse and vibrant world.  Learn more at https://www.artswave.org/discover/power-of-her

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