Category Archives: Press Releases

January 16, 2018 · 1:48 pm

World Premiere of BE HERE NOW at Playhouse Feb. 9

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Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

New play written by Deborah Zoe Laufer runs Feb. 9-March 11

CINCINNATI—Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park announces the world premiere of BE HERE NOW by Deborah Zoe Laufer, a play commissioned by the Playhouse about two lost souls who come together under unusual circumstances in their search for happiness. BE HERE NOW debuts in the Shelterhouse Theatre on Feb. 9, 2018 and will run until March 11, with support from The Rosenthal Foundation, Season Sponsor of New Work.

Regarding her new production, Laufer says, “In most of my plays, people are searching for something by looking outside of themselves, their families, loved ones and friends. Ultimately, the characters find what they’re looking for in each other and the simple acts of being together… with the people who really matter to them.”

The play centers on woefully underemployed Bari, who is a humorous misanthrope, and brilliant and loveable Mike, who manages his own demons and makes art out of garbage.

Bari lives in a small town and aspires to complete her Ph.D. dissertation on nihilism (the belief that nothing matters). Her cheerful workmates try to perk her up but she rejects their offer. Bari decides to take on a new path when she meets Mike, an unexpected suitor. BE HERE NOW asks what we are willing to do for love and happiness and to create meaning in our lives.

Playhouse artistic director Blake Robinson says of Laufer, “I think Deb has an ear for how people really speak. Hers is a fresh and insightful voice.”

In 2013, the world premiere of Deborah’s play LEVELING UP was produced by the Playhouse. When asked how BE HERE NOW is similar or different to her previous plays, she says, “I think BE HERE NOW is very much my play. Hopefully, it is also funny and sad. Hopefully, it asks more questions than it answers. Hopefully, they will be surprised. Hopefully, they’ll see the world around them just a tiny bit differently. Hopefully, they’ll walk away with something to chew on and maybe argue on the way home. I like it when people argue.”

SPECIAL EVENT
Fundamentals of Playwriting with Deborah Zoe Laufer
Saturday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m. – noon at the Playhouse
BE HERE NOW playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer introduces the world of writing for the stage. Learn how to build the foundation of a story by creating complex characters, writing memorable dialogue and crafting a compelling plot. Adults and teens ages 16 and up with all skill levels are welcome! Cost is $50 per person, and does not include a ticket to the show.

TICKETS
Prices for BE HERE NOW start at $35 depending on seat selection and performance day and are subject to change. Tickets for teens and students are $30. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show. Plus, Sunday is College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. performances just $10. In addition to calling the Box Office, tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com.

ACCESS
The Playhouse is fully accessible. Large print programs and hearing enhancement receivers are available upon request.

BOX OFFICE
513-421-3888 or 800-582-3208 toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana; or 513-345-2248 – TDD access (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf).

SPONSORS
Production Sponsor is the Bartlett & Co. The Shelterhouse Theatre Season is presented by Heidelberg Distributing Company. The Season Sponsor of New Work is The Rosenthal Foundation. Shelterhouse Theatre Season Design Sponsor is the Allan Berliant and Jennie Rosenthal Berliant Family Fund. Additional Support is provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Media sponsor is 91.7 WVXU. BE HERE NOW was commissioned through the Playhouse’s Jerome Fey Endowment.

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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January 12, 2018 · 11:28 am

Gather ‘Round the Table: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents Tony Award Winning Play THE HUMANS

ETC_The Humans logoJANUARY 23 – FEBRUARY 17, 2018

(Cincinnati, OH) Set the table and pull up a chair! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents the regional premiere of the 2016 Tony Award Winner for Best Play, The Humans by Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Karam. This evocative drama brings a family face to face with their most familiar fears, and provides a poignant reminder of why we gather together. Featuring an all-star cast and an incredible two-story set, The Humans serves up trials, traditions, and turkey. Playing January 23 – February 17, 2018. Directed by Michael Evan Haney. Production Sponsor is The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation.

Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake has brought his family from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s dingy apartment in Manhattan. As darkness falls outside the ramshackle pre-war duplex and eerie things start to go bump in the night, family tensions reach a boiling point…and the hilarity and horrors of the Blake clan are exposed. Hailed as a new American classic, this haunting play encapsulates what we all dread most about the holidays and the pressure to present our best selves to those who mean the most to us.

“Stephan Karam’s The Humans is a monumental American play,” explains Director Michael Evan Haney. “It explores the current turbulent state of contemporary America through the lens of a working class family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Karam explores his themes with perfectly-pitched dialogue that exposes the deepest feelings and fears of each family member.” 

About the Cast
Tony Campisi (Erik Blake) returns to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, having previously appeared in Permanent Collection and Glimmer, Glimmer, and Shine. He was seen at Playhouse in the Park in Men on the Take, Durango, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and You Can’t Take it with You. Other regional theatres include Cleveland Play House, McCarter Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Geva Theatre Center, New York Stage and Film, and Hudson Guild, among others. Broadway: Awake and Sing! (Tony Award), The Nerd, and Pvt. Wars. Off-Broadway: Lincoln Center Theatre, Roundabout Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and Primary Stages. His television credits include: Seven Seconds (Netflix), Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ally McBeal, Profiler, Matlock, EZ Streets, and several soap operas; film credits include: Cruzando, A Home of our Own, Tyson (HBO), and Green Plaid Shirt. 

Christine Dye (Deirdre Blake) last performed at Ensemble Theatre in When We Were Young and Unafraid. She has also appeared onstage in Much Ado About Nothing, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival; August: Osage County, Riverside, and Sarge, Clifton Performance Theatre; Dracula, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; House of Yes, Untethered Theatre; Jeffery, Parallel Lives, and Valhalla, Ovation Theatre; Power Failure, Night of the Iguana, and Bus Stop, New Edgecliff Theatre; and Vagina Monologues, Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, and Shirley Valentine, Middletown Lyric Theatre. Her film credits include Carol, Old Man and the Gun, Donnybrook, A Case of Murder, Mom and Dad, Aftermath, and First Kill. Ms. Dye can also be seen around town as a spokesperson for Miami Valley Gaming Casino, as “Lucy” the Lucky Buckeye Lady. 

Jeff Groh (Richard Saad) returns to Ensemble Theatre where he last performed in the 2004 production Blue/Orange and was a member of the Professional Acting Intern Program years ago. He has been working as an actor and educator in the Cincinnati area for nearly twenty years and is currently the Head of School at The New School Montessori. He has performed with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and won the 2009 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Local Actor portraying R.P McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. 

Dale Hodges (Fiona “Momo” Blake) returns to Ensemble Theatre, where her favorite credits include Outside Mullingar, Other Desert Cities, Grey Gardens, and Mrs. Mannerly. She was most recently seen at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, as well as Wit, King Lear, and 23 years of A Christmas Carol. Ms. Hodges has worked on Broadway in Equus and Benefactors, off-Broadway in Top Girls and A Woman in Mind, and in regional theatres around the country. 

Becca Howell (Brigid Blake) was last seen on the Ensemble Theatre stage in Bloomsday and Around the World in 80 Days. After graduating from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Acting, she completed the Professional Acting Internship Program at ETC during the 2013-2014 season. Ms. Howell recently worked on stage in several installments of Serials! at Know Theatre of Cincinnati and Poor Behavior at Falcon Theatre. Her film credits include A Twisted Fate, Curvature, and The Funeral. 

Jennifer Joplin (Aimee Blake) returns to Ensemble Theatre where her credits include Outside Mullingar, Tribes and Rapture, Blister, Burn. She has called Cincinnati home for more than seven years. Some of her favorite roles include Lady Macbeth and Cleopatra at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She is a graduate of Wright State University’s professional actor training program and longtime resident artist with Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton where her credits include the world premiere of 26 Pebbles, Glass Menagerie, Other Desert Cities, and God of Carnage, among others. Ms. Joplin can be seen on the big screen in Donnybrook and Old Man and the Gun, both recently filmed in Cincinnati.  She is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and is the founder and lead coaching artist for Spotlight Training.

Production team includes D. Lynn Meyers (Producing Artistic Director), Brian c. Mehring (Set Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Lighting Designer, Production Manager, & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Assistant Stage Manager is Elizabeth Freyman. 

Performance Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Ticket prices start at $35 for adults; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount does not apply to children’s tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

Available Discounts
Military, Educator, AAA, ArtsWave Artspass, and ArtsWave CincYPerks discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.

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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 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.

2017-2018 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided PNC. 

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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January 11, 2018 · 10:08 am

Xavier University Alum Michael Palascak Headlining at Go Bananas

MISC_Michael Palascak headshotMichael Palascak is returning to Cincinnati this week at Go Bananas Comedy Club this Thursday–Sunday.

Michael, a Xavier University alum, is a comedian, writer and actor based in LA. He’s done stand-up on Letterman, CONAN, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central’s HALF HOUR and most recently was a top 5 Finalist on LAST COMIC STANDING.

Roseanne Barr said of Michael, “This is a guy who could star in a sitcom” and Norm Macdonald said Michael reminds him, “…of a guy that’s just as funny offstage as on, which is like magic.”

  • Thu, Jan. 11 at 8pm
  • Fri-Sat, Jan. 12-13 at 7:30pm & 10pm
  • Sun, Jan. 14 at 8pm

For tickets visit http://www.gobananascomedy.com

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January 10, 2018 · 3:27 pm

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER: The Silver Screen Classic Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this Year, Comes to the Stage in its Cincinnati Debut!

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Darnell Pierre Benjamin as John Prentice in GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

CSC presents the regional premiere of this new stage adaptation of the classic film directed by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s D. Lynn Meyers

CINCINNATI, January 10, 2018 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues the Debut Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, by Todd Kreidler, based on the screenplay by William Rose, playing January 26- February 17, 2018. This production marks the script’s Cincinnati premiere, and is directed by D. Lynn Meyers, the Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. The cast includes CSC Associate Artists Darnell Pierre Benjamin and Kelly Mengelkoch alongside Barry Mulholland, Annie Fitzpatrick, Caitlin McWethy, Ken Early, and Thursday Farrar. The production is sponsored by Frost Brown Todd, BB&T, and Moerlein Lager House.

Self-proclaimed liberals Matt and Christina Drayton (Barry Mullholand and Annie Fitzpatrick) must wrestle with their own buried prejudices when their daughter Joanna (Caitlin McWethy) returns home with her new fiancé: African-American doctor John Prentiss (Darnell Pierre Benjamin). When the family is joined by John’s parents (Ken Early and Thursday Farrar), the young couple offers an ultimatum: the families must come to terms with their impending marriage that night – or John and Joanna will part forever.

This production follows closely on the 50th anniversary of the film GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, which premiered December 12, 1967. The film featured Hollywood’s first interracial kiss and was groundbreaking in its portrayal of Joanna and John’s romance, and its incredible financial success cemented Sidney Poitier’s position as the top box-office draw of the year. The film also marked the final time that real-life power couple Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy appeared together onscreen, as Tracy passed away mere days after filming ended.  Sidney Poitier will also be turning 90 years old this year on Feb. 20, days after this production closes!

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company welcomes D. Lynn Meyers to the Director’s Chair again after working with CSC on Sense and Sensibility.  Ms. Meyers is in her 22nd season as the Producing Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, where she has directed over 80 world and regional premieres, including The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hands on a Hardbody, Detroit ’67, I Am My Own Wife, Next to Normal, andCinderella: After Ever After. She has directed Off-Broadway at the York Theatre with Marsha Norman’s Traveler in the Dark and James McClure’s Max and Maxie. She has directed extensively throughout the US and Canada and began her career as the Associate Artistic Director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Aside from directing, Ms. Meyers is also a member of the Casting Society of America, having cast for Hallmark, PBS, CBS, BBC, HBO, MTM, Paramount, and MGM. Her favorite feature credits include Carol, Miles Ahead, The Goat, and The Public, in addition to serving as the Location Casting Director for The Shawshank Redemption. She was named a finalist for the Zelda Fichandler National Award in 2011 and is a past recipient of the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award.

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER runs January 26- February 17, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday February 17 at 2:00 PM.  Preview performances are January 24 and 25 at 7:30.

On Sundays Feb. 4 and 11, 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 Shakespeare 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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January 10, 2018 · 10:31 am

RAIN: A Tribute to The Beatles | Tue., Feb. 27 | Cincinnati Music Hall

CAA_Rain Sgt Pepper logoCINCINNATI, OH – RAIN:  A Tribute to The Beatles returns for a record-breaking eighth CAA Presents engagement, and its first time at Cincinnati Music Hall, on Tuesday, February 27 at 7:30 PM as part of CincinnatiArts Association’s 2017-18 Season.

Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center / Music Hall Ticket Offices. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4157.

As “the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!” (Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles’ discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. In addition to updated sets that include brand new LED, High-Definition screens and multimedia content, RAIN will bring the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album to life in its entirety.

Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that’s as infectious as it is transporting. Let RAIN take you back with all of the songs from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band along with all of your other Beatles favorites such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Let It Be,” “Come Together,” “Hey Jude” and more! This adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

Like The Beatles, the onstage members of RAIN ar not only supreme musicians, but electrifying performers in their own right.

“Just turn off your mind, relax and float downstream for a quick fix of nostalgic cheer!” -Entertainment Weekly

“A fun-filled family crowd-pleaser!” – Toronto Star

“A two-hour homage to pop music’s most brilliant gem.” – Los Angeles Times

“The enraptured audience relives the soundtrack of its life!” – Chicago Tribune

“Uncanny! RAIN are a quartet of fine musicians in their own right…as The Beatles, they triumph!”  – The Boston Herald

“An adoring Valentine to The Beatles!” – The Washington Post

“RAIN is a spectacular extravaganza…did the audience love it?  Yeah, yeah, yeah!” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Parents (and grandparents) and kids were on their feet bopping like crazy!” – The Courier Post

For more information, visit www.raintribute.com. Become a fan of RAIN on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RainTribute, follow RAIN on Twitter @raintribute, Instagram: @RainTribute and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RainTribute.

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

SEASON SPONSORS:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), FURNITURE FAIR, LOCAL12 WKRC, THE P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Courtyard Marriott Midtown- Rookwood, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Holiday Inn Downtown Cincinnati, Hyatt Regency – Cincinnati , Macy’s, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc.

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES PERFORMANCE SPONSOR:  Prosource

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES MEDIA PARTNER:   103.5 WGRR- FM

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.6 million students. For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org.

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