Category Archives: Press Releases

March 26, 2018 · 9:48 am

Musical Theatre Meets Physics in CCM’s THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY

CCM_The Theory of Relativity promo

The cast of THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY. Photo by Kaelin Butts.

Art and science unite in the next Studio Musical Theatre Series production at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Using Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity as a beautiful and thought-provoking metaphor, THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY offers a crash course in physics while telling the story of a group of interconnected people who are searching for love.

The musical runs Thursday, March 29 through Saturday, March 31, 2018, at CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater. Admission is free but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 26 through the CCM Box Office.

From Drama Desk Award nominees Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY presents an array of characters experiencing life’s joys and heartbreaks and the inevitability and wonder of human connection.

The physics metaphors are expressed through lyrics, formulas and movement on stage, says CCM Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Katie Johannigman, director and choreographer of THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY.

CCM’s production invited Dr. Richard Gass, Undergraduate Director of UC’s Physics Department, to give the cast a crash course on General Relativity to prepare for the show. What was planned as a 30-minute lesson turned into an over two-hour interactive lesson about light cones, Newton’s laws, The Theory of Relativity and more, Johannigman says.

“Our students became enraptured by the physics and it launched a huge discussion about technology usage in our generation, perceptions people try to maintain through social media and how important our every action is during our time here on Earth.”

Gass listened to the musical and applied all of the physics lessons through the lyrics in the songs. He later brought ten of his students to watch a rehearsal of the show and had a discussion with the cast of CCM Musical Theatre students about how art and science overlap. Johannigman and THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY cast are grateful for Gass’ help, she says.

“We sing about the cosmos and our insatiable need to connect with each other through witty and contemporary lyrics that often reference Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein’s findings,” Johannigman adds. “The Theory of Relativity is funny, sad, heart-warming and familiar — a whirl of stars figuring out where we fit into every expanding universe.”
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THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY
Music and Lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
Katie Johannigman, director and choreographer
Stephen Goers, musical director

CAST LIST

  • Delaney Guyer as Amy
  • Madison Deadman as Caroline
  • Camila Paquet as Catherine
  • Zoe Grolnick as Jenny
  • Kendall McCarthy as Julie
  • Mikayla Renthrow as Mira
  • Bailee Endebrock as Sara
  • Zach Triska as Adam
  • Dylan Mulvaney as Anthony
  • Dylan Dougal as Oliver
  • Jack Brewer as Mike
  • Sam Pickart as Paul
  • Frankie Thams as Ryan
  • Swings: Eli Goykham, Elle Zambarano

PERFORMANCE TIMES

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29
  • 8 p.m. Friday, March 30
  • 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31

LOCATION
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

ADMISSION
Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 26. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

PARKING AND DIRECTIONS
Parking is available in the 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 information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY is presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. http://www.MTIShows.com

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March 23, 2018 · 2:01 pm

NKU Announces 2018-2019 Theatre + Dance Season

NKU_SOTA logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University | School of the Arts | Program of Theatre and Dance is excited to announce our 2018-19 academic season. An exact schedule of performances will be released in August 2018.

BIG FISH
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Book by John August
September 27 – October 7, 2018
NKU Corbett Theatre

Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, BIG FISH tells the larger-than-life tale of Edward Bloom, a man who leads a full and fantastical life – according to the stories he tells his family. His adult son, Will, who is getting married and expecting a child of his own, is no longer amused by his father’s extravagant tales and is determined to find his father’s “true” life story, once and for all. Overflowing with heart, humor and beautiful music, BIG FISH is a powerful and magical musical about fathers, sons, and the stories that we use to define our identities.

MARISOL
By José Rivera
October 23 – 28, 2018
NKU Stauss Theatre

Winner of the 1993 Obie Playwriting Award, MARISOL follows a young, book-smart woman named Marisol Perez, who works in Manhattan as a copy editor. After narrowly escaping a vicious attack, she is visited by her guardian angel who informs her that she can no longer serve as Marisol’s protector since she has been called to lead an angelic campaign to dethrone and kill an old and senile God – a struggle which throws the human world into complete chaos. MARISOL is a poetry-infused dark fantasia that grapples with a combination of surreal situations, spiritual and social issues, and political consciousness – a fascinating mix of the gritty and the sublime.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Adapted by Jon Jory
November 29 – December 9, 2018
NKU Corbett Theatre

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a refreshingly fast-paced and engaging new adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel involving manners, courtship and relationships. When the independent-minded Elizabeth Bennet meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, all feelings of attraction are muted by his pride and her prejudice. As their worlds keep colliding, their attraction increases and the sparks begin to fly in directions no one could have predicted.

CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred EbbFebruary 14 – 24, 2019
NKU Corbett Theatre

CABARET turns pre-war Berlin of 1931 into a sexually charged haven of decadence. At the seedy Kit Kat Club, a struggling American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, wanders into the club overseen by a garish and gender-bending Master of Ceremonies. There he meets Sally Bowles, a talented cabaret performer who holds her male admirers at a distance, keeping her from developing genuinely deep emotions. They’re all living in a morally ambiguous vacuum of desperate anxiety, determined to keep up appearances as the real world – the world outside the comfortable sanctuary of the cabaret – prepares for the nightmarish chaos of war. CABARET is a finely tuned combination of devastating drama and ebullient entertainment, and the result is one of the most substantial musicals ever made.

THE Y.E.S. FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS
April 4 – 14, 2019
NKU Corbett and Stauss Theatres

Be the first to see world-premiere plays in our 19th Biennial YEAR END SERIES (YES) FESTIVAL. Titles will be announced in January 2019.

SEASON EXTRAS

FIRST YEAR SHOW
November 9 – 11, 2018
NKU Stauss Theatre

This production shows off our talented freshman and transfer students.

DANCE ‘19
April 26 – 28, 2019
NKU Corbett Theatre

Not to be missed, DANCE ‘19 features a company of our best young dance artists. Full of new and innovative works created by faculty, guest artists, and nationally renowned choreographers in creative expressions including theatre dance, contemporary and classical ballet, tap, modern, jazz, and world dance, DANCE ‘18 features something for everyone!

For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at (859) 572-5464 or visit nku.edu/sotatickets. Tickets will go on sale in September 2018.

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March 22, 2018 · 5:54 pm

CCM Announces 2018-2019 Mainstage Series of Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre and Opera

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The best is yet to come with the UC College-Conservatory of Music’s eight-part series of theatre arts productions! With new streamlined subscription packages, it’s never been easier to get the best tickets at the season’s best prices.

CINCINNATI, OH—The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) will present eight masterworks spanning the spectrum of the theatre arts during its 2018- 19 Mainstage Series of Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre and Opera. Running from October 2018 through April 2019, these productions will showcase the phenomenal talent and polished professionalism of CCM’s young performing, design and media artists.

This season’s Mainstage Series includes classic and contemporary musicals with Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling’s Guys and Dolls and Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz and Peter Parnell’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the best of comedic and dramatic acting with Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector and Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good, great operas from master composers with Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and W.A. Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, and innovative dance programs that include a mixed repertoire concert of Birthday Variations and a fully-staged story ballet production of Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella.

The complete 2018-19 Mainstage Series lineup is listed below. Titles and dates are subject to change – rights pending. For the most current calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM’S 2018-19 MAINSTAGE SERIES
Acting, Musical Theatre, Opera, Dance

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Nikolai Gogol
Richard E. Hess, director

When the locals in a small Russian hamlet learn that an undercover government inspector is coming for a surprise visit, a case of mistaken identity sends the whole village spiraling into a world of panic and greed. Part farce, part slapstick and wholly entertaining, this timely and spirited adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s classic play exposes the corruption of a provincial town with biting hilarity.

Performance Dates: Oct. 3 (preview), Oct. 4-7, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

GUYS AND DOLLS
Book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Based on The Idyll of Sarah Brown and characters by Damon Runyon
Diane Lala, director and choreographer
Roger Grodsky, musical director

Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is the perfect musical comedy. Nathan Detroit is a gambler trying to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for 14 years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing straightlaced missionary Sarah Brown as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafés of Havana, Cuba and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong.

Performance Dates: Oct. 19 and 21, Oct. 26-27, 2018
Note: A special gala performance of Guys and Dolls will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 20, in honor of CCM Musical Theatre’s 50th anniversary; special pricing applies.
Location: Corbett Auditorium

THE TURN OF THE SCREW
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Myfanwy Piper, after a story by Henry James
Mark Gibson, conductor
Vince DeGeorge, director

Based on Henry James’ classic ghost-story novella, Britten’s compelling chamber opera presents the story of a governess charged with the care of two orphaned children at their absentee uncle’s country estate, where the ghosts of a former valet and his lover haunt the grounds. With a blend of 12-tone techniques, arresting motifs and stirring lyricism, the action moves with incredible fluidity, creating a chilling tale of sexual repression and the corruption of innocence.

Performance Dates: Nov. 15-18, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

BIRTHDAY VARIATIONS
Jiang Qi, director

CCM Dance showcases an array of classic and contemporary works restaged and choreographed by CCM Dance faculty members. The thrilling highlight of the evening is Birthday Variations, originally choreographed by Gerald Arpino, former Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet, to music by Giuseppe Verdi. Birthday Variations is presented by arrangement with the Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey Foundation.

Performance Dates: Dec. 6-9, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD
By Timberlake Wertenbaker
Based on the novel The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally
Susan Felder, director

Set in Botany Bay in 1789, Our Country’s Good is a darkly comedic tale based on the true story of Australia’s first theatrical performance. A marine lieutenant decides to put on a play to celebrate the king’s birthday. He casts the play with convicts who populate an Australian prison camp. Few of them can read, let alone act, and the play is produced against a background of food shortages and barbaric prison punishments. Our Country’s Good is as an inspiring tribute to the transforming power of drama. For mature audiences.

Performance Dates: Feb. 13 (preview), Feb. 14-17, 2019
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Peter Parnell
Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film
Originally developed by Disney Theatrical Productions
Aubrey Berg, director
Stephen Goers, musical director
Katie Johannigman, choreographer

Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame begins as bells sound through the famed cathedral in fifteenth-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer, observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools, but he is held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo. He escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all but the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. Quasimodo isn’t the only one captivated by her free spirit, though — the handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. As the three vie for her attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies and it’s up to Quasimodo to save them all.

Performance Dates: March 7-10, 2019
Location: Corbett Auditorium

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO
(THE CLEMENCY OF TITUS)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Caterino Mazzolà
Aik Khai Pung, conductor
Robin Guarino, director

Mozart’s last opera seria displays some of his most memorable and marvelous arias! The story centers on Roman emperor Titus (Tito) who must choose a wife, but is unable to find a suitable match. In his search for an empress, Tito narrowly avoids an assassination plot instigated by his best friend Sesto and the former emperor’s daughter, Vitellia, who wants the throne for herself. Caught between his duty and his heart, the emperor must choose whether to rule with mercy or with an iron fist.

Performance Dates: April 12-14, 2019
Location: Corbett Auditorium

CINDERELLA
Jiang Qi, director

Celebrate spring’s arrival with a fully staged fairytale ballet. A poor girl wishes to escape the authoritarian rule of her evil stepmother and stepsisters, so her fairy godmother gives her a ticket to the ball! The girl meets Prince Charming and they fall in love, but she vanishes when the clock strikes midnight. Set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, Cinderella is known for its jubilant melodies, lush scenery and graceful retelling of the timeless romance by Charles Perrault.

Performance Dates: April 26-28, 2019
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

Mainstage Series Subscriptions

The 2018-19 CCM Mainstage Series of Acting, Musical Theatre, Opera and Dance
productions includes subscription packages for combinations of Eight Shows, Six
Shows, Four Shows or Three Shows. Newly streamlined subscription packages make this process easier than ever before. Simply choose your shows and select whether you want seats in Section A (the best views) or Section B (the lowest prices)!

Renewal subscriptions are on sale now with packages ranging in price from $78-$176. Subscribers to CCM’s 2017-18 Mainstage Series can receive priority access to seating by renewing their subscriptions by May 1, 2018.

Subscription packages for new subscribers go on sale May 2, 2018, with packages ranging in price from $81-$192.

Single tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 10, 2018, but subscribing is the only way to guarantee your seats and your savings for CCM’s Mainstage Series!

To order subscriptions, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or boxoff@uc.edu.

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
2018-19 MAINSTAGE SERIES OF ACTING, MUSICAL THEATRE, OPERA, DANCE

THE GOVERNEMENT INSPECTOR
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3 (preview)
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7

Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

GUYS AND DOLLS
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 (CCM Musical Theatre 50th Anniversary gala performance; special pricing applies)
  • 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21
  • 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27

Location: Corbett Auditorium

THE TURN OF THE SCREW
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18

Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

BIRTHDAY VARIATIONS
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9

Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13 (preview)
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17

Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 7
  • 8 p.m. Friday, March 8
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, March 9
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, March 10

Location: Corbett Auditorium

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, April 12
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, April 14

Location: Corbett Auditorium

CINDERELLA
Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, April 26
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28

Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

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 Titles and dates are subject to change.

For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

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March 22, 2018 · 12:38 pm

Cincinnati Playhouse’s RAPUNZEL Offers Fairy Tale, Friendship and Female Empowerment

PIP_Rapunzel

Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

Off the Hill production visits community centers April 6-May 20

CINCINNATI—Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill production of RAPUNZEL will begin touring community centers around the region beginning April 6. A charming adaptation of the beloved fairy tale, the production travels from Oxford to Columbia Tusculum to Covington, and other places in between, before it closes May 20.

In this story, young Rapunzel lives in a tower with her overprotective grandmother, safe from the dangers of the world. As her curiosity about the outside grows, Rapunzel meets Rafi, a local boy whose friendship finally gives her the courage to be free.

With a script from award-winning playwright Mike Kenny, RAPUNZEL stays faithful to its fairytale setting that fans of the Brothers Grimm adaptation have come to know and love, while offering a nuanced perspective of independence, friendship, and family relationships. The production will feature magical design elements from Playhouse artisans and is directed by Playhouse Director of Education and Community Engagement Daunielle Rasmussen.

“One of the things I love about this version is that it’s not about a boy saving a girl,” says Rasmussen, who emphasizes that the show celebrates both male and female empowerment. “Their friendship brings meaning to the girl. She finds her own life and she finds her own destiny that’s different from his.”

The story also explores how the relationship between Rapunzel and Nana changes as Rapunzel matures. Nana must learn that she cannot keep her granddaughter safe from the world no matter how scary it is. It is a theme that Rasmussen hopes will resonate with parents today.

“It’s really a story about growing up. It’s about becoming your own person as a child, and as a parent, it’s about letting your child become their own person while still providing a sanctuary where they can become who they’re meant to be,” adds Rasmussen.

RAPUNZEL tours the Greater Cincinnati area from April 6 to May 20, 2018 and is appropriate for ages 4 and up.

For information on locations and tickets, visit cincyplay.com.

Off the Hill is supported by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, The Charles H. Dater Foundation, John C. Griswold and KeyBank.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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March 21, 2018 · 9:00 am

Step into the Past to Understand Our Digital Future in ADA AND THE ENGINE

KTC_Ada and the Engine logoADA AND THE ENGINE
by Lauren Gunderson
April 13 – May 12

It’s like Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in the story of Ada Lovelace –
the world’s first computer programmer

A bright, ambitious young woman. A wary mother, who has seen where too much freedom can lead. A brilliant man, whose ideas are almost revolutionary – almost.

And the legacy of a legendary and deeply flawed father whose genius was matched only by his reputation…

These are the ingredients of Lauren Gunderson’s new play ADA AND THE ENGINE, which follows the extraordinary life and work of Ada Byron Lovelace – whose magnificent mind imagined our digital world more than a century before the dawn of the computer age.

Know Theatre is proud to bring another inspirational tale of a trailblazing woman of science to our stage, following the smash-hit run of Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky in 2016. But this time, instead of exploring the cosmos, ADA AND THE ENGINE explores the creativity and ingenuity that would ultimately lead to the digital revolution – starting in the unlikely place of 1830s England.

Ada Byron Lovelace was more than your average high society girl – despite being the daughter of celebrated (but notorious) poet Lord Byron. Pushed by her cautious mother from artistic pursuits into scientific study and mathematical exploration, Ada soon discovered she had a knack for numbers…and that numbers, poetry, and music have more in common than her mother would like her to realize.

Enter Charles Babbage, one of the greatest inventive minds of his age, whom Ada meets at a society party in her late teens. The much older Babbage captures Ada’s imagination with his prototype for a “Thinking Machine” – a device that can take the human error out of calculations by performing them automatically, by machine.

But this story is more than a historical account of an unprecedented scientific discovery – the story of Ada & Babbage is one filled with unrequited love, forbidden poetry, and the consequences of English high society’s extreme pressures.

And like many of Gunderson’s plays in 2016, it’s also full of humor, music, and heart.

Ada and Charles soon discover a profound intellectual connection, which blossoms into an emotional one, as well. But in 19th Century British high society, one cannot always follow one’s heart, even when your soulmate is also your mental match.

Know Theatre brings together the creative team behind 2016’s Silent Sky to uncover this lyrical and romantic tale for you. Producing Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford takes the helm as director, scenic and lighting designer, and is ready to transport you into this sweeping historical drama that is rooted in Victorian England while having its eyes on the future.

And we’ve assembled a cast of Cincinnati all-stars to help him along the way. Tess Talbot makes her return to the Know as Ada Byron Lovelace, after her critically-acclaimed run in our 2017 world premiere of Kara Lee Corthron’s Listen for the Light. Playing both Ada’s embattled mother Lady Byron and pioneering scientist Lady Somerville is the inimitable Annie Fitzpatrick.

Know audiences last saw Brian Griffin in 2013’s wildly acclaimed production of When the Rain Stops Falling, and we are proud to welcome him back as the complicated genius Charles Babbage. And Cary Davenport, last seen in 2016’s rock musical Girlfriend, takes a decidedly different turn as Ada’s devoted-yet-distant husband.

Why is the Know so excited to bring this tale of ingenuity to life, right now? Says Associate Artistic Director Tamara Winters,

“Ada’s story is one that resonates beyond her century – not only because her discoveries were fundamental to the very way our modern society functions, but also because who hasn’t rebelled against being told what her place should be? Who hasn’t felt the pull of a larger purpose, despite society’s pressure to do as you’re told? And who hasn’t yearned for a larger understanding of the world – and fought like hell when they’ve discovered someone who can help them get a glimpse of it?

Ada’s story is both specific and universal – personal, but also world-changing. It’s a story of a phenomenal woman who changed the course of history, but it’s also a story of how the potential to change the world lies in all of us: we just have to look for the spark.”

ADA AND THE ENGINE is the inspirational tale that every lover of poetry, science, and progress is hungering for. Open your mind and your heart at this uplifting new play, onstage April 13 – May 12 – only at the Know.

Cast

  • Tess Talbot as Ada Byron Lovelace
  • Annie Fitzpatrick* as Lady Byron/Lady Somerville
  • Brian Griffin as Charles Babbage
  • Cary Davenport as Lord Lovelace/Man
    *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.

Production Team

  • Director, Scenic & Lighting Designer – Andrew J. Hungerford
  • Scenic Charge & Prop Designer – Sarah Beth Hall
  • Costume Designer – Noelle Johnston
  • Sound Designer – Douglas Borntrager

ADA AND THE ENGINE is made possible with the generous support of Drew Gores & George Warrington, Dan & Fran Bailey, and the Warrington Foundation.

ADA AND THE ENGINE by Lauren Gunderson

  • 8:00 pm  April 13, 14; 18, 19, 20, 21; 25, 26, 27, 28; May 2, 3, 4, 5; 9, 0, 11, 12
  • 3:00 pm  April 15, 22*, 29, May 6
    *A pre-show brunch is available on this date with purchase of $35 “Brunch + Show” tickets in advance. Deadline for brunch reservation is April 16. Brunch provided by Water Tower Fine Wines.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. In historic Over-the-Rhine.

Tickets

  • $25 regular Price
  • $15 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)
  • FREE walk-up tickets are available on Wednesdays, as part of Know’s Welcome Experiment initiative. Advance reservations to Welcome Experiment performances are $5.00.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling 513.300.5669 (KNOW).

Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.

Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.  

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Know Theatre is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.

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