Category Archives: Press Releases

March 20, 2018 · 1:49 pm

In Response to the #METOO Movement, Walterhoope’s TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING to be Screened at People’s Liberty

WH_Too Like the Lightning logo

Walterhoope will screen their short film TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING, a satirical love poem to catcallers, mansplainers, followers on the street, and other sundry unsavories . Based on the feminist poetry of Teresa Spencer, TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING pulls back the curtain on street harassment against women.

The screening will take place on Monday, March 26 at 7 PM at People’s Liberty, 1805 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 . Single tickets, which include gourmet snacks created by In The Field, are now on sale for $10 at walterhoope.com, and can also be purchased with cash at the door. Pre-purchased tickets are recommended due to limited seating. All tickets are general admission.

Directed by Walterhoope founding members, Audrey Bertaux, David Mavricos, and William Vaughan; Featuring Audrey Bertaux, Billy Chace, Ernaisja Curry, Tatiana Godfrey, Padma, Teresa Spencer, and William Vaughan. Sound and original music by Matthew M. Neilson, The Curious Music Co. Surrounding the film will be community engagement, conversation, and poetry reading. Chef Kristen St. Clair of In the Field will be creating refreshments inspired by the film.

“Our goal with this project is to empower women of all background and experiences,” says Producing Artistic Director, Audrey Bertaux. “We are using comedy not to make light of the subject matter, but to rise above it.”

Walterhoope is a Cincinnati theatre arts organization, whose mission is to create the best theatre while uniting diverse art forms, to treat audiences as family and provide unique experiences for them, to use arts education to foster a healthy community, and to do it all responsibly.

For more information visit www.walterhoope.com or contact them at artistic@walterhoope.com or 646-481-8643. Connect with them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walterhoope.

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March 19, 2018 · 2:38 pm

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Stages Sizzling Family Drama, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

csc_cat-on-hot-tin-3

Maggie Lou Rader as Maggie in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer-winning drama, by turns sultry and explosive, comes to the The Otto M. Budig Theater directed by Michael Evan Haney

CINCINNATI, March 16, 2018 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues their Debut Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams. The production is directed by Michael Evan Haney, the former Associate Artistic Director of the Playhouse in the Park, and features Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s resident ensemble, including Maggie Lou Rader, Grant Niezgodski, Jim Hopkins, Justin McCombs, and Kelly Mengelkoch. This show is generously sponsored by Huntington, Murphy Landen Jones, and Roehr Insurance Agency.

The Pollitt family has gathered to celebrate their patriarch, the ailing Big Daddy (Jim Hopkins), but rumors of his declining health have everyone scheming to secure the largest part of the family estate. Meanwhile, Brick Pollitt (Grant Niezgodski) and his wife, Maggie (Maggie Lou Rader) wrestle with their own secret griefs and losses within their marriage. In the course of a single evening, relationships are tested, lies are exposed, and long-buried secrets at last come to light. This searing family drama by a true American master remains a potent exploration of the ties that bind, and sometimes strangle.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and remains as resonant today as when it was first performed. Director Michael Evan Haney says, “Living in this age where the truth is questioned constantly on a national level, it has been fascinating to work on a play like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Cat explores the lies and mendacity within the Pollitt family living on the Mississippi Delta. Lies between parents and children, brothers and sisters and husbands and wives, permeate this Tennessee Williams masterwork.” Longtime company member Maggie Lou Rader says of preparing to play the show’s iconic leading lady, Maggie “The Cat” Pollitt: “I first saw the film of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the one with Elizabeth Taylor, when I was just a kid, twenty-two years ago. Even though I didn’t quite understand yet everything she was talking about, I looked at her and thought ‘I really want to do that someday.’ And now, I’m so excited to finally dive into the role of Maggie the Cat.”

Director Michael Evan Haney previously directed at Cincinnati Shakespeare, helming The Hound of the Baskervilles and Oliver Twist. As Associate Artistic director for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, he directed over thirty plays including four world premieres and A Christmas Carol for the past twenty-five seasons. He has also directed Off-Broadway for the Irish Rep and regionally for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Alabama Shakespeare Festival and many others.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof runs April 6-28 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday April 28 at 2:00 PM.  Preview performances are April 4 and 5 at 7:30 PM.

On Sundays April 15 and 22, 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!

The theater is now located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Single ticket prices range from $14-$52.  Student/Children and Preview tickets are only $28. If available that day, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID. This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members. 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. 

Valet Parking is now available for every performance! Make reservations for $10 in advance when purchasing tickets. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot at the discounted rate of $10 (vs. $15-20+ 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!

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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 Theater 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 2017-2018 Season:
This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported.  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.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.

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March 16, 2018 · 3:30 pm

Neil Simon Proves Why He’s the Eternal King of Broadway Comedy with Hilarious BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS

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Richard Buchanan as Stanley, Eric Deiboldt as Eugene and Rory Sheridan as Jack. Photo courtesy of Immobulus Photography

The Human Race continues its 31st Season with his semi-autobiographical classic,
April 5 – 22, 2018 at the Loft Theatre

(Dayton, OH) —This April, The Human Race Theatre Company (HRTC) is going back in time with Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, the first of Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical trilogy. He has holes in his shoes and liver on the dinner table, but all teenage Eugene Jerome can think of is girls, baseball and writing—in that order. There’s hardly a moment’s peace in a house filled with his domineering mother, over-worked father, and worldly older brother, not to mention his widowed aunt and her two maturing daughters. Simon’s comedy about growing up in a crowded, lower middle class home in 1937 Brooklyn is a touching coming-of-age classic that proves no matter how crazy life gets, family can make it crazier.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs reveals Neil Simon as his wittiest and most poignant self. The first play of the Eugene Trilogy, and semi-autobiographical, we meet Eugene at 15, taking us through his memoirs as he writes about a blended family, living on top of each other in a little-bit-too-small house: each individual yearning for independence, yet fiercely committed to keeping the family strong. Oh so funny and relevant, I invite you into the Jerome home for a look at love, growing pains, and blood being thicker than water!” – Marya Spring Cordes, director.

Marya Spring Cordes (HRTC’s Becky’s New Car and Managing Maxine), returns to The Race to direct Brighton Beach Memoirs. Cordes serves as Head of Acting in Wright State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures and is a proud Resident Artist of The Human Race Theatre Company.

American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon is widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific and performed playwrights in the world. In addition to Lost in Yonkers, which won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, his plays and musicals include Come Blow Your Horn, Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, Plaza Suite, and many more.

The preview performance of Brighton Beach Memoirs is Thursday, April 5. Opening night is Friday, April 6.

CAST AND DESIGN TEAM
The cast of seven includes two Human Race veterans and several faces new to local audiences.

Richard Buchanan (Shakespeare in Love at Baltimore Center Stage and Cincinnati Playhouse) plays Eugene’s older brother, Stanley, in his debut performance at The Human Race Theatre. Eric Deiboldt (Peter Pan at Northern Stage, West Side Story, All Shook Up, Lend Me a Tenor) is excited to be making his debut at The Human Race Theatre Company as Eugene. Lisa Ann Goldsmith (HRTC’s Macbeth, Mame and Torch Song Trilogy, World Premiere of Windfall, directed by Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, Sundance nominee for The Lifeguard, The Next Three Days, and many other titles) is back at HRTC playing Eugene’s mother, Kate. Oakwood High School student Julie Murphy (Muse Machine’s Mary Poppins, We Could Be Heroes, Hairspray, and Hello, Dolly!) plays his younger cousin, Laurie. Sonia Perez (HRTC’s The Fully Monty, Shawnee Playhouse’s Carousel and many more) plays Eugene’s aunt, Blanche. Rory Sheridan (The Pillowman at Falcon Theatre, Neverwhere at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and Doubt at Cincinnati Landmark Productions) plays his father, Jack. Wright State University student Katie Sinicki (You Can’t Take It with You, Jane the Plain, The Children’s Hour, and King Lear) makes her HRTC debut as Eugene’s older cousin, Nora.

Dan Gray (scenic designer) rejoins HRTC for Brighton Beach Memoirs. Other HRTC credits include: Sweeney Todd, Taking Shakespeare, and more. Dave Arevalo (costume designer) is making his Human Race design premiere. Resident Artists John Rensel (lighting designer) and Jay Brunner (sound designer) round out the design team. Jacquelyn Duncan, who has worked as Production Assistant for HRTC since 2016, moves up to the position of production stage manager.

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

The Human Race Theatre Company’s production of Brighton Beach Memoirs is sponsored by The Richard A. and Mary T. Whitney Fund for the Arts, Marion’s Piazza, Two Friends, Jack and Maryann Bernstein, Larry S. Glickler – Glickler Funeral Home, Marni Flagel, John and Barbara Rion, and Patti Giering.

PERFORMANCE AND SPECIAL EVENT INFORMATION
Tickets for the preview performance of Brighton Beach Memoirs on April 5 start at $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and $17.50 for students. For all performances April 5 – 22, single ticket prices start at $40 for adults, $37 for seniors and $20 for students. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and seating location. Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. The Human Race is offering a pair of discount ticket opportunities during the run of the show. A limited number of $12 and $25 side-area seats are available in advance for all performances. The Sunday, April 8 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 Brighton Beach Memoirs 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 Brighton Beach Memoirs 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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2017-2018 marks the 31st 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 President and Artistic Director Kevin Moore, the company also maintains education and outreach programs for children, teens and adults, 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 Jesse & Caryl Philips Foundation, 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 2017-2018 Sustainability Sponsors are the ELM Foundation, Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, and Morris Home. The 2017-2018 Loft season sponsor is the Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation of the Dayton Foundation, with additional support from Premier Health, Heidelberg Distributing Company and Buckeye Vodka.

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March 16, 2018 · 12:09 pm

Commonwealth Theatre Co. at NKU Announces Summer Dinner Theatre Season

CTC_logoHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Commonwealth Theatre Company at Northern Kentucky University is proud to announce our 2018 Summer Dinner Theatre season. Performances begin in June 2018. Tickets on sale in March 2018.

CTC_Life Could Be a DreamLIFE COULD BE A DREAM
By Roger Bean
Directed by Dee Anne Bryll
June 8 – 24, 2018 | NKU Stauss Theatre

Take a trip to Springfield and meet Denny and the Dreamers, a fledgling doo-wop singing group preparing to enter the Big Whopper Radio contest to realize their dreams of making it to the big time! Trouble comes in the form of Lois, who arrives to put some polish on the boys. Denny falls in love, Wally falls in line, Eugene falls apart, and along comes handsome heartthrob Skip to send the whole situation spinning. The ‘60s hits say it all: “Fools Fall in Love,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Runaround Sue,” “Earth Angel,” “Stay,” “Unchained Melody,” “Lonely Teardrops,” and “The Glory of Love.” Winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Best Musical Award, LIFE COULD BE A DREAM will leave you laughing, singing, and cheering.

CTC_The Odd Couple logoTHE ODD COUPLE
By Neil Simon
Directed by Mike King
July 6 – 22, 2018 | NKU Stauss Theatre

Back by popular demand, THE ODD COUPLE returns to the Summer Dinner Theatre stage! This comedy classic features favorites Ken Jones as Felix Unger and George Alexander as Oscar Madison. When Felix moves in with recently divorced Oscar after his own marriage ends, it quickly becomes apparent that the roommates are complete opposites in their habits and lifestyles. Oscar is a sports writer who enjoys junk food and takes a certain pride in his sloppiness. Felix is a neat-freak photographer who cooks gourmet meals and is obsessed with removing each and every bit of dirt and disorder from Oscar’s apartment. Hilarity ensues as the two drive each other crazy – will their friendship survive in spite of their differences?

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

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March 16, 2018 · 11:03 am

THE BOOK OF MORMON On Sale at Broadway in Cincinnati

“THE BEST MUSICAL OF THIS CENTURY.
Heaven on Broadway!  A celebration of the privilege
of living inside that improbable paradise called a musical comedy.”
Ben Brantley, THE NEW YORK TIMES 

BACK BY POPULAR DEMANDBIC_Book of Mormon logoPerformances Begin July 31 at the Aronoff Center

Tickets on sale now 

Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON, which played a record breaking run in 2016 returns to Cincinnati for a limited engagement July 31 – August 5 at the Aronoff Center. Single tickets are on sale now and are available at the Aronoff Center box office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 513.369.4363.  

THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, “South Park.” Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q.  The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.  

THE BOOK OF MORMON is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Book (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Direction (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker), Best Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Scenic Design (Scott Pask), Best Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt), Best Sound Design (Brian Ronan) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus); the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album; four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, and the Drama League Award for Best Musical. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON features set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Brian Ronan.  Orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus.  Music direction and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording for THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is available on Ghostlight Records.

THE BOOK OF MORMON will play the Aronoff Center, July 31 – August 5, 2018 with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and 8:00pm and Sunday at 1:00pm and 6:30pm. For more information, please visit BroadwayinCincinnati.com.

For more information, visit www.BookofMormonTheMusical.com.

Follow THE BOOK OF MORMON on Twitter and on Facebook.

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 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati is committed to bringing the very best of Broadway to the Tri-State, presenting touring Broadway plays and musicals in Cincinnati since 1987. For over twenty years, Broadway in Cincinnati has presented all shows at the Aronoff Center.  The Broadway in Cincinnati series brings more than 185,000 people downtown to the Aronoff Center each year, and contributes an average of $30 million to the local economy each season. Broadway in Cincinnati is a member of the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and The Broadway League. Fifth Third Bank is the sponsor of the Cincinnati 17/18 Season.. LOCAL 12 is the official television station of the 17/18 Cincinnati Season.   

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA (BAA) is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com and The Broadway Channel.  Led by 11-time Tony-winning producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 44 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Current and past productions include Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Groundhog Day, Hairspray, Hello, Dolly!, Million Dollar Quartet, On Your Feet!, The Producers, School of Rock and Waitress. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

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