Category Archives: Press Releases

November 14, 2019 · 12:07 pm

THE LYIN’ KINGS Presented by The Capitol Steps at Memorial Hall

MISC_The Lyin Kings loogThe Capitol Steps: THE LYIN’ KINGS
March 7 at 5pm & 8pm

“They’re the best. There’s no one like them, no one in their league.”
— Larry King, CNN

“The Capitol Steps make it easier to leave public life.”
— Former President George H. W. Bush

OVER 30 YEARS AGO, the Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.

Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded over 35 albums, including their latest, THE LYIN’ KINGS. They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard twice a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.

The Capitol Steps were born in December, 1981 when some staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Ronald Reagan was President when the Steps began, so co-founders Elaina Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala figured that if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers! Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin! So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor that was as popular in Peoria as it was on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Most cast members have worked on Capitol Hill; some for Democrats, some for Republicans, and others for politicians who firmly straddle the fence. No matter who holds office, there’s never a shortage of material. Says Elaina Newport, “Typically the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That’s what we call the two-party system.”

ALTHOUGH the Capitol Steps are based in Washington, DC, most of their shows are out-of-town or for out-of-town audiences, whether it’s the National Welding Supply Association, a University audience, High Schoolers, or State Legislators. In fact, the Capitol Steps have performed for the last 5 Presidents (6, if you include Hillary). The only complaints the Steps seem to get are from politicians and personalities who are not included in the program!

No matter who or what is in the headlines, you can bet the Capitol Steps will tackle both sides of the political spectrum and all things equally foolish. What more would you expect from the group that puts the “MOCK” in Democracy?!

Click here to purchase tickets.

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November 13, 2019 · 2:38 pm

Romantic Comedy THE BARTERED BRIDE Opens CCM’s 2019-2020 Opera Series

CCM_The Bartered Bride promo

CCMONSTAGE Opera Series presents THE BARTERED BRIDE on Nov. 21-24, 2019. Tickets are on sale now

CINCINNATI, OH — UC’s College-Conservatory of Music opens its new CCMONSTAGE Opera Series with Bedřich Smetana’s romantic comedy THE BARTERED BRIDE, which runs Nov. 21-24, 2019 at Patricia Corbett Theater. This classic Czech opera is described as “irresistible for its charming characters and lively pace, and, above all, for its rich, colorful score” by the New York Times.

Part bubbly operetta and part Bohemian folk pageant, CCM sets THE BARTERED BRIDE in a Czech community in Texas in 1948. Mařenka is arranged to marry the son of a rich landowner, but she is in love with someone else. Defiantly, Mařenka vows before her parents that she will only accept her love, Jeník, as her husband. As her parents and the matchmaker fight for the arranged marriage, the young lovers fight against tradition in order to be together.

“This story lends itself wonderfully to being shaped from a modern point of view,” says CCM Artist Diploma student Audrey Chait, director of the opera. “This production explores what it means to be a young American immigrant, preserving the traditions of the old country while embracing a new way of life.”

CCM’s production is conducted by guest artist and CCM alumnus Levi Hammer (DMA Orchestral Conducting) and features a new English singing libretto by CCM Opera faculty member Kathleen Kelly. The opera’s original libretto is by Karel Sabina. The process of translation and adaptation started between Kelly and Chait in the summer. In order to make the translation more authentic to the immigrant experience, some text is left in the original Czech.

“In the spirit of realism, the folk songs are sung as-is, as are moments when characters do not want to filter their most urgent thoughts through a second language,” Chait adds.

Movers and Makers magazine named CCM’s production of THE BARTERED BRIDE a “must see” event of Cincinnati’s music and opera of the fall season. Read more about this season’s Opera Series in The News Record.

The 2019-20 CCMONSTAGE Opera Series presents THE BARTERED BRIDE on Nov. 21-24, 2019, at Patricia Corbett Theater. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office; student discounts are available.

Creative Team 

  • Audrey Chait*, director
  • Levi Hammer, conductor
  • Kathleen Kelly, master coach
  • Molly Getsinger*, chorus master
  • David Adams, Czech language advisor
  • Joshua E. Gallagher*, scenic designer
  • Blaine Shepherd*, costume designer
  • Nina Algelvis*, lighting designer
  • Zachory Ivans*, sound designer
  • Cheyenne Holbert*, wig and make-up designer
  • Marley Giggey*, production stage manager
  • Myrrh Sewell*, prop master
  • Shauna Steele, movement consultant
    * CCM Student

Cast List

  • Samuel Kidd*, Jordan Krack+ as Krušina, a peasant
  • Deborah Rivera-Badillo*, Rachel Ballitch+ as Ludmila, his wife
  • Jordan Stadvec*, Brittany Olivia Logan+ as Mařenka, their daughter
  • Turner Staton as Mícha, a landowner
  • Elana Bell as Háta, his wife
  • Tayte Mitchell*, Mishael Eusebio+ as Vašek, their son
  • Victor Cardamone*, Jordan Loyd+ as Jeník, Mícha’s son by a former marriage
  • Michael Hyatt*, Ryan Wolfe+ as Kecal, a marriage broker
  • Manfred Anaya as Principál komediantů, ringmaster
  • Justin Burgess as actor
  • Anyeé Farrar*, Vistoria Ellington+ as Esmeralda, dancer and comedienne
  • Manfred Anaya, Alexander Kapp, James Henry Benson, Haksung Lee, Megan Graves, Anna Mosoriak, David Guzmán, Michael Pandolfo, Saane Halaholo, Josey
    Poppin, Johan Hartman, Yi-Chun Tsai, Andrea Tulipana as ensemble
  • Sophie Beadie, Sarah Santarsiero, Lily Kozub, Rebekah Docea, Erika Shi, Meg Green, Ying-Chi Lu as circus performers
    * Thursday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 23
    + Friday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 24

Performance Times

  • 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22
  • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Single tickets prices start at $39.50; Student discounts and group rates are also available.

Learn about additional ticket options for current CCM students.

Subscribe to CCMONSTAGE’s Three-Show Opera Series for just $89.

Tickets and subscriptions can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online now through our e-box office.

Directions and Parking
CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit
ccm.uc.edu/about/directions for detailed driving directions to CCM Village.

Parking is available in UC’s CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors.

CCMONSTAGE Production Sponsor: Macy’s and Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

Story by CCM Graduate Student Kelly Barefield

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio. All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at https://ccm.uc.edu/.

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November 12, 2019 · 11:18 am

The Spirits of the Season Return to Cincinnati Playhouse, A CHRSTIMAS CAROL Comes to Life Nov. 27-Dec. 29

PIP_ChristmasCarol28_01

Britney Nicole Simpson as Ghost of Christmas Past and Bruce Cromer as Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

(CINCINNATI) — The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s joyous, time-honored celebration of the true meaning of the holidays returns for its 29th season as First Financial Bank presents Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The beloved, iconic story will be performed Nov. 27 through Dec. 29 in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre. (Opening night is Nov. 29.)

More than 630,000 people have enjoyed the timeless classic at the Playhouse over the past 28 years. An immediate hit when Dickens wrote it in 1843, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is often credited for revitalizing the celebration of Christmas as we know it today.

“Thousands of families return each year to the Playhouse to make A CHRISTMAS CAROL a part of their holiday traditions,” explains Blake Robison, artistic director. “The enduring message of A CHRISTMAS CAROL helps to make it one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions each season and a perfect way to introduce children to the joys of live theatre.”

Adapted by Howard Dallin, Dickens’ narrative comes to vivid life with spectacular effects and hundreds of costumes that illuminate Ebenezer Scrooge’s time-traversing pilgrimage with the spirits one magical Christmas Eve. From his kind-hearted sister Fan and first love Belle to his generous employer Fezziwig and humble clerk Bob Cratchit, Scrooge is repeatedly shown the saving grace of love and concern for humanity.

Bruce Cromer returns to fill Ebenezer Scrooge’s miserly shoes this season for the 15th time, the longest run among the four actors who have played the role, and his son, Charlie, returns for a second season to portray Scrooge as a young adult. Michael Evan Haney is the director of the production.

All show times for A CHRISTMAS CAROL are at 2 p.m. for matinees and 7 p.m. for evening performances to accommodate families with children. Please note the earlier curtain time. There will be no performances on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and selected weeknights in early December.

TICKETS
Prices for A CHRISTMAS CAROL start at $35 for the Nov. 27 preview performance and at $40 for all other performances depending on seat location. Tickets for children and teens are $50, $45 or $30 depending on seat location. Prices are subject to change. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show. In addition to calling the Box Office at 513-421-3888, tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is suitable for all general audiences, including children ages 5 and older. Due to the full-length nature of the show, children younger than 5 cannot be admitted.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. There is a sensory-friendly performance on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

CAST
(in speaking order)

Bruce Cromer (Ebenezer Scrooge); Nick Rose (Mr. Cupp/Percy/Rich Man at Fezziwig’s);
Taha Mandviwala (Mr. Sosser/Topper/Man with Shoe Shine/Guest at Fezziwig’s); Ryan Wesley Gilreath (Bob Cratchit/Schoolmaster Oxlip); Daniel Petzold (Fred); Greg Procaccino (Jacob Marley/Old Joe); Britney Nicole Simpson (Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs. Peake); Benjamin Sheffer (Boy Scrooge/Boy at Fezziwig’s/Bootblack/Streets); Ari Elizabeth Johnson (Fan/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Douglas Rees (Mr. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present); Annie Fitzpatrick (Mrs. Fezziwig/Patience/Streets); Nicolás Acosta (Dick Wilkins/Streets); Jo Garcia-Reger (Mary [Scrubwoman at Fezziwig’s]/Caroler/Streets); Charlie Cromer (Young and Mature Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Future); Sara Masterson (Belle/Catherine Margaret); Joshua Carandang (Constable at Fezziwig’s/Man with Pipe/Caroler/Streets); Kelly Mengelkoch (Mrs. Cratchit/Laundress/Streets); Teancom Thacker (Peter Cratchit/Gregory/Apprentice at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Ashlynn Isabel Hezlep (Belinda Cratchit/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Mia Goodlett (Martha Cratchit/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Roshan Chitnis (Tiny Tim); Julia Gomez (Rose/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Caroler/Streets; Stephen Tait (Ignorance/Matthew/Apprentice at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Teagan Farmer (Want/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Shonita Joshi (Mrs. Dilber/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Ethan Graham Roeder (Undertaker/Caroler/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Sabian Swan (George/Charles/Rich Son at Fezziwig’s/Streets); Deja Elliott (Poulteress/Guest at Fezziwig’s/Streets)

PRODUCTION
Michael Evan Haney (Director); James Leonard Joy (Set Designer); David Murin (Costume Designer); Kirk Bookman (Lighting Designer); David B. Smith (Sound Designer/Composer); Steve O’Shea (Lighting Contractor); Cindy Witherspoon (Costume Coordinator); Rebecca N. Childs (Music Director); Dee Anne Bryll (Choreographer); Stephanie Klapper, CSA (Casting Director); Andrea L. Shell (Stage Manager); Jenifer Morrow (Second Stage Manager)

SPONSORS
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is presented by First Financial Bank. The design sponsor and artist sponsor/Ghosts is Ohio National Financial Services. Artist sponsor/Ebenezer Scrooge is AAA/Provident Travel. Artist sponsor/Tiny Tim is Bahl & Gaynor.  Additional support is provided by The Stona Fitch Family.

The Robert S. Marx Theatre Season is presented by Schueler Group. Season Sponsor of New Work is The Rosenthal Family Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of more than 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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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EVENTS

HOXWORTH BLOOD DRIVE
Saturday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join the Playhouse and Hoxworth Blood Center for our 24th annual blood drive! Donors will receive a voucher for half-price tickets for select performances of A Christmas Carol and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. You’ll also leave knowing that you provided life-giving support to those in need, saving up to three lives with your single donation.
For an appointment, visit www.hoxworth.org/groups/playhouse. Appointment times are limited, so you are strongly encouraged to reserve your spot in advance.

SENSORY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m.
This performance is specifically for individuals on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities. The Playhouse removes sensory challenges and provides various accommodations to address needs by making technical adjustments to the production (such as sound modifications and removing fog, haze and certain kinds of lighting). Offstage accommodations are also available.

Recommended for first-grade and older students and adults. Tickets cost $15 per person. Companion seats can also be purchased. To reserve tickets for this special performance, please contact Valerie Perez at 513-977-2028, or valerie.perez@cincyplay.com. To read about accommodations, modifications and our philosophy surrounding the event, visit our blog.

CRATCHIT FAMILY FOOD DRIVE
Help a neighbor in need by participating in the Playhouse’s annual Cratchit Family Food Drive to support the Freestore Foodbank. To donate, simply bring a nonperishable food or personal care item to the Playhouse when you come for a performance in November or December and place it in one of the barrels located near the Box Office. Food items that are always in demand include canned meat products; canned vegetables; fruits and soups; peanut butter; and macaroni and cheese. Personal care items include soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products and disposable diapers. Please, no glass items.

 

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November 12, 2019 · 9:38 am

World Premiere, LIKE DEMONS on Nov. 22-25

IBP_Like Demons logoInBocca Performance is pleased to announce the World Premiere of LIKE DEMONS, a brand-new show from playwright Maggie Lou Rader and director Alice Flanders.

We’ve all learned in history class that the Civil War pitted brother against brother. This autumn, leave the history books behind and learn the untold real-life story of the women who hid their true selves and dressed like men to give their lives for their country and Eight for what they thought was right. Focusing on Sarah Emma Edmonds (Nurse and Spy in the Union Army,) playwright Maggie Lou Rader brings the same careful study to the women of the Civil War as she did to Mary Shelley in the Know Theatre’s 2018 hit production of Mary’s Monster.

Come join us for a swashbuckling, emotionally charged adventure you definitely didn’t learn about in high school! Starring eight Cincinnati favorites: Elizabeth Carman, Esther Cunningham, Hannah Gregory, Ashley Morton, Ryan-Chavez Richmond, Chaslee Schweitzer, Rory Sheridan, and Kate Stark.

LIKE DEMONS will run Friday, November 22nd through Monday, November 25th. All performances are at 7:30 P.M. at Leapin Lizard (724 Main St, Covington, KY 41011).

Tickets are $15, and the show is appropriate for most ages (please be advised there is light cursing and stylized depictions of war and violence.)

To order tickets, please visit inboccaperformance.com or follow the links
below:

InBocca Performance utilizes experimental theatre methods to create devised works highlighting women specifically, which build actors’ craft and produce a unique experience for the audience; all under general direction from producer Caroline Stine.

History of the Company
InBocca Performance humbly began as the Cliffview Players in a basement in 1997 and became a main stage company in 2008. Notable past performances for the Ft. Thomas Community Theatre were Peter Pan in 2008 and Into the Woods in 2010. Artistic Director Caroline Stine began working with young actors to devise theatrical pieces in the summer of 2011 at The Village Players in Ft. Thomas, KY. In 2012, they created The Maid of Orleans, an emotionally charged production about Joan of Arc. The next year, they created Romeo y Margarita, a story that combined the lyricism of Shakespearean verse with the romance of the Spanish language. They then expanded to create art within greater Cincinnati, including a sellout production of Swan Lake: A Waking Dream at the
Southgate House Revival in 2015, followed by My Twisted Face at Cincinnati Fringe Festival. In 2016, InBocca performed at Cincy Fringe again with Charlie’s Girls, which built a script almost entirely from testimonies from the trials of the Charles Manson murders. In 2017, InBocca created ALICE, a dance/theatre sequel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland set in a Victorian asylum. Ms. Caroline Stine received her Bachelor degree from Butler University and her Masters in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. She received theatrical training in Italy and Russia and participated in the Crisis Arts Festival in Arezzo, Italy. She is currently teaching at Northern Kentucky University and Notre Dame Academy.

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November 11, 2019 · 12:23 pm

Xavier University Theatre Presents THE WOLVES, Nov. 15-23

XUT_The Wolves promo

Becky Williams as 8, Kennedy Florence as 13, Olivia Pletcher as 2, Lily Dennstaedt as 14, Liv Hardy as 46, Victoria Forbes as 11, Lauren Davidson as 00, Holland Taylor as 25, & Gigi Relic as 7.

Helmed by HAMILTON tour resident director Tiffany Nichole Greene
with sets by Paul Shortt

(CINCINNATI, Nov. 8, 2019) – Xavier University continues its 2019-20 season with one of the nation’s most-produced shows this year, Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. The play, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, runs for two weekends from Nov. 15 to 23 in Xavier’s Gallagher Student Center Theater.

Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girl’s indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. The Wolves is a portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

Director Tiffany Nichole Greene is elated to be working with the Xavier theatre program for a second time, having previously directed the world premiere production of Cannibal Galaxy in 2017. Originally from Houston, Greene now splits her time as the resident director of the Philip Tour of Hamilton and as a freelance director in theatres across America. She is a proud member of SDC whose recent work includes Boudica (Guthrie Theater); A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center); The Danger: A Homage to Strange Fruit (JACK Brooklyn); Between Riverside and Crazy (SpeakEasy Stage); Well-Intentioned White People (Barrington Stage); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Theatre Three); A Raisin in the Sun (Triad Stage); and Skeleton Crew (Trinity Rep).

“At first glance, The Wolves could easily be perceived as a play about bratty teen girls, but that would be incorrect. And that doesn’t interest me,” says the show’s director, Tiffany Greene. “There are three central ideas that I found to be powerful and used as the baseline in my direction: this play skillfully explores the ways in which we pollute our most sacred spaces; it artfully articulates the effects fear and insecurity have on the ways in which we connect or reach out; and it leaves us clear about one thing- a sacred space is not to be confused with a protected one… no one is exempt.”

“We are ecstatic to have Tiffany directing for us again,” said Stephen Skiles, director of Xavier University Theatre. “She was the perfect person to work on this physical, important, dynamic piece of theatre. The fact that she stepped away from Hamilton to work with us says a lot about the dedication of our students. I can’t wait for audiences to see the nuance, energy and commitment that Tiffany gets from these young performers.”

The cast for The Wolves features first-year students Kennedy Florence and Becky Williams; sophomores Lauren Davidson, Victoria Forbes, Olivia Hardy and Olivia Pletcher; juniors Tina Boffa and Holland Taylor; and seniors Lilly Dennstaedt and Gigi Relic. Understudies are first-year student Emily Bruns, sophomore Connie Kavensky and senior Emily Jorgensen.

In addition to Greene, other members of the creative team include Paul Shortt (set designer), Jessica Pitcairn (costume designer), Joe Beumer (lighting designer) and Tatum Mann (sound designer). Support is provided by Stephen Skiles (producer), Amara Shroba (soccer coach) and Joe Leonard (technical director). The stage manager is senior Emi Suarez, and assistant stage managers are first-year student Lillian Reynolds and junior Katherine Ivins.

Performances take place in the Gallagher Student Center Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 and 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 16. Tickets for The Wolves are available now through the Xavier University Theatre Box Office. They are $18 each for adults and $13 each for students, as well as Xavier faculty and staff. To purchase tickets, visit www.xavier.edu/theatretickets or call 513-745-3939.

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