Category Archives: Press Releases

Brent Vimtrup as Leontes & Courtney Lucien as Perdita

Cincinnati Welcomes UK Director to the Queen City!

The production has been extended for another week, now playing March 1-23, 2019

Cincinnati, February 1, 2019 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its 25^th Anniversary Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. The production is directed by The Royal Shakespeare Company Associate Artist, Christopher Luscombe and features an 18 person cast featuring CSC Resident Ensemble Members Brent Vimtrup as Leontes, Kelly Mengelkoch as Hermione, Courtney Lucien as Perdita, and Josh Katawick as Polixenes. The Winter’s Tale is generously sponsored by Calvin & Patricia Linnemann, Julia Meister, Judge (ret.) Mark P. Painter & Sue Ann Painter as well as Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Huntington Bank and Matson Money

CSC is very pleased to welcome Christopher Luscombe Cincinnati, OH to direction this production.  Mr. Luscombe arrives from the UK where here is an Associate Artist of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).  His directorial work for the RSC includes Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night. He directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park; for Shakespeare’s Globe his productions include The Comedy of Errors, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Nell Gwynn, which transferred to the West End and won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. His work in the US includes his own Shakespeare Revue at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Hay Fever at the Guthrie in Minneapolis and Henry V for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. When he returns to the UK he will be directing his first opera – Falstaff, at the Grange Festival.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Newcastle upon Tyne and on tour across the UK and internationally.  As well as the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the RSC produces new work from living artists and develops creative links with theatre-makers from around the world, as well as working with teachers to inspire a lifelong love of William Shakespeare in young people and running events for everyone to explore and participate in its work.  The RSC celebrated its 50th birthday season in 2011.  In 2013, the company began live screenings of its Shakespeare productions – called Live from Stratford-upon-Avon – which are screened around the world. In 2016, the company collaborated with Intel and The Imaginarium Studios to stage The Tempest, bringing performance capture to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the very first time.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s production of The Winter’s Tale is set against the backdrop of Regency England in two worlds, that of Sicilia and Bohemia. An irrational and unfounded jealousy has consumed Leontes, the king of Sicilia. Convinced his wife Hermione has been carrying on an affair with Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, he unleashes his rage upon her and their newborn child, whom he banishes to the wilderness. The consequences of his actions unfold over many years, in ways no one, most of all Leontes could have anticipated.

The creative team is made up of Shannon Moore (Scenic Designer), S. Watson (Lighting Designer), Douglas J. Borntrager (Sound Designer), with music composition by Cary Davenport and choreography by Darnell Pierre Benjamin. They are joined by newcomer Rainy Edwards making her CSC debut as the Costume Designer for the production.

“The Winter’s Tale” runs March 1-17, 2019 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday March 17 at 2:00 PM.  Preview performances are Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28 at 7:30 PM and tickets are $30.  Advance sale single ticket prices start at $28.  Day-of Student 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 www.cincyshakes.com.

On Saturday, Mar. 16 and Sunday, Mar. 17 bring your younger kids (4+) for artist-led childcare DURING the performance! The “Playdate” program is only $15 and free for subscribers. The option to add this program will be available as you are buying tickets for either of these show dates. Activities will range from storytime to theatre games and crafts. Share the great benefits of CSC’s programming with your children: Playdate will style activities to correspond with each production, so even your youngest can join in the discussion on the ride home!

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 $15 in advance when purchasing tickets or visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot at the discounted rate of $15 (vs. $20+ at the curb).  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!

###

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 2018-2019 25^th Anniversary Season:
The season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  The 25^th Anniversary sponsor is the The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, JR./U.S. Bank Foundation.  This season is funded by ArtsWave.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation.  The season’s marketing design sponsor is POSSIBLE. 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.