Category Archives: Press Releases

September 3, 2019 · 2:29 pm

Tri-County Players Opens 2019-2020 Season with EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (PG-13)

TCP_Evil Dead promo1

Jodi Zerbe & Jeff Richardson. Photo by Lisa Wilsey, Heart Photography – LLC.

(Evendale, Ohio) Tri-County Players is gearing up for another award-winning season with the hilarious musical comedy, EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (PG-13). The show runs from October 10th through October 13th. Performances are at the Evendale Bell Tower Center 3270 Glendale-Milford Rd. Evendale, Ohio 45241.

EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (PG-13)* takes all the elements of the cult classic films The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness and combines them into one of the craziest theatrical experiences of all time. Five college students go to an abandoned cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons. It’s up to Ash (a housewares employee turned demon-killing hero) and his trusty chainsaw to save the day. Blood flies. Limbs are dismembered. Demons tell bad jokes … and all to music.

The songs in the show are completely off the wall. Titles like “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons” and “What the Heck Was That?” will have audiences rolling in their seats and screaming for more and more blood. This show has fun with the horror genre and, in doing so, appeals to a wide audience.  It’s the only show with a “Splatter Zone”—a section of the audience that gets covered in fake blood.  And with this combination of blood, jokes, cheesy effects and awesome musical numbers, EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (PG-13)* is unlike any show you’ve ever seen.

*What do we mean by the PG version? Since our venue is a semi-outdoor public space we have to be conscious of language, so the script being used is a combination of the original and the high school version, but don’t worry EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (PG-13) may have very little swearing BUT it still has all of the blood!

Book & lyrics by George Reinblatt – Music  by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris and George Reinblatt – Music supervision by Frank Cipolla – additional lyrics by Christopher Bond – Additional music by Rob Daleman – Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois

Director- Sharon Buchtman, Music Director- Dennis Betz, Choreographer- Garrett Klaas, Producer- Nancy Hughes Cast: Alex Ross, Allie Webber, Cole Carlin, Erica Beimesche, Jodi Zerbe, Liz Koch, Mason Parker, Jeffrey Surber,  Jeff Richardson, Courtney Jones, and Jessica Meyer

Tickets are now on sale for EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL! Show dates: October 10th at 8pm, October 11th at 8pm, October 12th at 6:30pm AND 10pm, and October 13th at 6:30pm. Splatter Zone tickets are $18 and regular tickets are $15.

You can purchase online at https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/tricountyplayers/buy-tix?d=0

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September 3, 2019 · 10:28 am

Sunset Players Celebrates 40 Years of Performances with Its New Season

SSP_Greetings promo

John Wesseling, Nick Dunker and Susan Decatur in Sunset Players’ production of GREETINGS! Photo by Miranda Lally.

CINCINNATI, OH – August 30, 2019 — Sunset Players, a Westside community theater group that performs at the Arts Center at Dunham, celebrates its 40th season with its audience in mind.

“For our 40th season, we pulled shows from past seasons that were some of our favorites, and we are excited to share these gems with our patrons once more,” said John Wesseling, president and long-time member of Sunset Players.

Opening the season is Greetings! by Tom Dudzick and directed by Dennis Murphy. A young man brings his Jewish atheist fiancé home on Christmas Eve to meet his sweet Catholic mother, his sour Catholic father and his intellectually disabled brother. When his disabled brother with limited vocabulary spouts “Greetings,” the family’s belief system is turned upside down. Cast includes John Wesseling, Susan Decatur, Chadwin Davis, Brieanne Sheehan and Nick Dunker. Performances are September 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21. Produced by special arrangements from Samuel French.

The annual children’s show is Humpty Dumpty Is Missing by Joseph Robinette, directed by Bob Kelley and produced by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois. A spoof of the private-eye thrillers of the 1940s and 50s, a private investigator and his sidekick try to put the pieces together on the disappearance of Humpty Dumpty. With a list of fairy tale suspects, the pair work together to nab the culprit. Performances are December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15. Friday night performances are at 7:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.

The winter will be filled with country music with Pump Boys and Dinettes by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann. Directed by Don Frimming and produced by special arrangements from Samuel French, the Pump Boys sell high octane on Highway 57 in Grand Ole Pry country, and the Dinettes run the Double Cupp diner next door. With heartbreak and hilarity, they perform an evening of country and western songs on guitars, piano, bass and kitchen utensils. Performances are March 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21.

The season wraps up with Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor, directed by John Wesseling and produced by special arrangements from Samuel French. This play focuses on the star of a weekly comedy-variety show circa 1953 and his staff and the writing, fighting and wacky antics that ensue in the writers’ room. Performances are May 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 and 23.

All shows, except Humpty Dumpty Is Missing, 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.

Season tickets for all four shows are now on sale and can be purchased online at the Sunset Players website (www.sunsetplayers.org) or at the door. Individual tickets can be purchased online 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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September 3, 2019 · 10:19 am

Take a Trip Back in Time to the Final Days of One of Jazz’s Brightest Stars: Billie Holiday

HRTC_Lay Day promo

Tanesha Gary as Billie Holiday. Photo by Heather N. Powell.

The Human Race kicks off its 33rd season with LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL by Lanie Robertson, running September 12-29

(DAYTON, Ohio) In 1959, Billie Holiday, or “Lady Day” as she was called, performed one of her final shows in a run-down bar in South Philly. In Robertson’s award-winning play, Holiday engages the audience with salty, often humorous reminiscences of her troubled life as a travelling performer in a segregated south. With the help of her piano man, Jimmy Powers, she lets music tell her story, sharing soulful, heart-wrenching and bawdy songs from her memorable canon including: “Strange Fruit,” “God Bless the Child,” “When a Woman Loves a Man,” and “Taint Nobody’s Business If I Do.”

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL is directed by HRTC Founding Resident Artist Scott Stoney, who says about the show, “What I think is most interesting about this show is Billie herself. We don’t usually think of her as an activist, but she was an activist by virtue of her own personal experiences, how she was faced by racial injustices every step of her career, even as she was revered by the arts community. … I was particularly excited to direct this show because I knew I had the perfect Billie. [In 2011] I directed Caroline, or Change [at HRTC] and met Tanesha Gary, and when this show was mentioned to me, I knew she had to play Billie.”

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL stars Tanesha Gary as Billie Holiday and features a local jazz trio (Keigo Hirakawa, Deron B. Bell Sr, and Eddie Brookshire) as her backing band.

The preview performance of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL is September 12; opening night is September 13. Both performances begin at 8 PM.

This production is sponsored by Beth and Alan Schaeffer, David and Dulie Greer, Marsha and Alan Pippenger, and the Billie Holiday Fan Club.

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 September 23 at 7:30 pm for a double bill of New Orleans, in which a gambling hall owner entertains his patrons with hot jazz by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, and the newly restored short film Symphony in Black, in which Billie Holiday makes her screen debut as Duke Ellington plays his symphonic jazz piece. Tickets are $8 each or $30 for a series pass, available at neonmovies.com.

PERFORMANCE AND SPECIAL EVENT INFORMATION

Tickets for LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL start at $16. 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 September 15th 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 LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL 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 Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill are available at 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, the Schueler Group, 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.

The Human Race Theatre Company presents
LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL By Lanie Roberston

Directed by Scott Stoney
Music directed by Deron B. Bell Sr.

September 12-29, 2019

Performed at the Loft Theatre Metropolitan Arts Center
126 North Main Street (between First and Second streets)
Dayton, Ohio 45402

In 1959, Billie Holiday, or “Lady Day” as she was called, performed one of her final shows in a run-down bar in South Philly. In Robertson’s award-winning play, Holiday engages the audience with salty, often humorous reminiscences of her troubled life as a travelling performer in a segregated south. With the help of her piano man, Jimmy Powers, she lets music tell her story, sharing soulful, heart-wrenching and bawdy songs from her memorable canon including: “Strange Fruit,” “God Bless the Child,” “When a Woman Loves a Man,” and “Taint Nobody’s Business If I Do.”

For tickets: Ticket Center Stage box office phone: (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org or www.ticketcenterstage.com.

Box office hours: Tuesday – Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Schuster Center; and two hours prior to each performance in the Loft Lobby. Ticket prices start at: $37 for adults, $34 for seniors and $19.50 for students. Prices vary depending on performance date.

Discounts: Select side-area seats available for $16 and $28 at all performances; “Sawbuck Sunday” September 15 at 7:00 p.m. – $10 seats available for walk up sales only.

Student Discounts: All adult priced tickets are discounted at 50% for students. *A student I.D. must be presented at the box office.

Military Discount: U.S. Military members (active duty & retired) can receive 50% off a Full Priced Adult Ticket with Military ID. *Limit 2 per performance.

Group sales: contact Betty Gould at (937) 461-8295 or Betty.Gould@victoriatheatre.com

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL performance dates:

  • Wednesday, September 11 8:00 p.m. Pay-What-You-CAN open rehearsal
  • Thursday, September 12 8:00 p.m. “Inside Track” pre-show discussion/Preview performance
  • Friday, September 13 8:00 p.m. Opening night with post-show lobby party
  • Saturday, September 14 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, September 15 2:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, September 15 7:00 p.m. “Sawbuck Sunday” – $10 tickets at the door
  • Tuesday, September 17 7:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, September 18 7:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 19 8:00 p.m.
  • Friday, September 20 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 21 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, September 22 2:00 p.m. “While We’re on the Subject” post-show talk-back
  • Tuesday, September 24 7:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, September 25 13 7:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 26 8:00 p.m.
  • Friday, September 27 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 28 16 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, September 29 2:00 p.m. Closing performance

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August 29, 2019 · 11:57 am

NKU SOTA Explores American Inclusiveness with THE AFRICAN COMPANY

NKU_Richard III final promoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts will launch its 2019-2020 Theatre + Dance Season with THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III by Carlyle Brown, running Sept. 26-Oct. 6 at NKU’s Corbett Theatre.

In 1820’s Manhattan, William Henry Brown, a free black American, organizes a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III for a predominantly black audience. When the booking of a famous English actor to play Richard III by a rival theatre company threatens to close their production, his African Grove Theatre Company is forced to reflect on their lives – performing jobs of servitude by day and their artistry by night. Drawn to the stage because of their ability to create art out of their own experiences, the company members must determine if their artistry is worth risking it all. Based on a true story, The African Company Presents Richard III carries a timeless message of negotiating racial consciousness in theatre that still resonates today.

Carlyle Brown’s script honors the earliest pioneers of African American Theatre. Rooted in ritual theatre techniques, this production pays homage to the African traditions from which the company evolved, while also referencing its contemporary descendants. Celebrating scholar Brenda Dixon Gottschild’s concept of the Africanist Aesthetic, the production incorporates both cross-centurial and cross-cultural (African, Asian, European) artistry. For example, Bunraku-styled puppeteers, in the roles of Ancestors, transport us through history via shadow puppetry – one of the oldest performance traditions throughout the world. In African puppetry, the puppet holds specific meaning and supernatural power in performance. The puppet has a traditional significance in its ability to convey both sacred and secular meanings.

The NKU cast features Alexander Slade (Stephen Price), Mary McNeill (Sarah), Maiya Caldwell (Ann Johnson), Je’Shaun Jackson (James Hewlett), Thomas Smith (Papa Shakespeare), Isaiah Reaves (William Henry Brown & Ira Aldrige), and Jerrod Gruber (Constable-Man). The Ancestors and Shadow Puppeteers will be portrayed by Olivia Barrell, Ezra Crist, Shelby Flynn, Brooke Hardin, Sabrina Mack, Elizabeth McClure, Erin Reardon, Katie Tierney and Theodore Molstad. The show is directed by Daryl Harris with additional material by Isaiah Reaves.

Other creative team members include Aretta Baumgartner (Movement/Puppetry Coach), Cat Schmeal (Costume Designer), Terry Powell (Lighting Designer), Griffin Allen (Assistant Lighting Designer), Jeremiah Kearns (Sound Designer), Brandon Kirkham (Scenic and Puppet Designer), Lily Adcock (Assistant Scenic Designer), and Sydney Dent (Props Master). The Stage Manager is Scott Slucher and Assistant Stage Managers are Ashlyn Duggan and Katie Mitchell.

For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at (859) 572-5464 or visit nku.edu/sotatickets.

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August 29, 2019 · 11:24 am

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents AN EVENING WITH SETH RUDETSKY on October 21, 2019

ETC_Seth Rudetsky

Seth Rudetsky.

(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents a one-night only experience with sensational Broadway host Seth Rudetsky – he will be leading a masterclass with 10 local artists with opportunity to view the class as an audience member, followed by two performances of his one-man show Deconstructing Broadway.

Deconstructing Broadway, which is described as a combination of “The Tony Awards” and “The Daily Show” is a 90-minute tour-de-force featuring Rudetsky’s trademark “deconstructions,” in which he uses his amazing audio collection to breakdown brilliant performances from beloved Broadway divas (Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Ben Platt) as well as showcase mind-boggling recordings like The Osmonds singing a medley from Fiddler On The Roof. Seriously. Seth does an entire section on Barbra Streisand, who actually came to the show in Los Angeles…and loved it! This award-winning show recently played to a sold-out crowd in London where it received 5-star reviews and was called “blindingly brilliant,” “fantastic,” “hysterical,” a “must-see,” and “nothing short of brilliant.”

About Seth Rudetsky
Seth is the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s On Broadway as well as the host of SETH SPEAKS on Sirius/XM Stars. He spent many years on Broadway as a pianist and conductor for shows such as Ragtime, Grease, Les Misérables, and Phantom of the Opera as well as two years as a comedy writer on The Rosie O’Donnell Show (three Emmy nominations). He wrote the opening number for the 1998 and 2000 Tony Awards and produced/conducted concerts on Broadway benefiting The Actors Fund including Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald, Chess with Josh Groban, and Hair with Jennifer Hudson (Grammy nomination).

He is now the afternoon deejay on the Sirius/XM Broadway Channel as well as the host of the talk show Seth Speaks. He’s performed his show, Deconstructing Broadway in London, Boston (Irne award), and L.A. (with Barbra Streisand in the audience!). He co-wrote and co-starred in Disaster! (NY Times Critic’s Pick) on Broadway which was licensed by Music Theater International. He’s written Seth’s Broadway Diary Volume 1, 2, and 3 (Dress Circle publishing) and has also authored two young adult novels, My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan and The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek (Random House).

He and his husband produced the “What the World Needs Now is Love” recording with Broadway Records featuring amazing performers such as Idina Menzel, Audra MacDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carole King, and so many more to help the victims and families of the Orlando shooting. The song went to number one on iTunes and the money is now being split between Orlando and The Trevor Project, a suicide hotline for teenagers. Starting in 2017, he produced a monthly Concert for America across the country, raising money for NAACP, Sierra Club, National Immigration Law Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The concerts starred celebrities such as Barry Manilow, Vanessa Williams, Chita Rivera, Andy Cohen, Tina Fey, and more.

Performance Information
The masterclass will begin at 1:00 pm and the performances of Deconstructing Broadway will begin at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  More information is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Tickets to Deconstructing Broadway are $75 for the general public; current ETC subscribers receive a $10 discount. Tickets to observe masterclass are $10.

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2019-2020 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided PNC.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

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