Category Archives: Press Releases

October 24, 2017 · 4:09 pm

The Spirits of the Season Return to Cincinnati Playhouse

A CHRISTMAS CAROL COMES TO LIFE NOV. 22 – DEC. 30

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Ebenezer Scrooge (Bruce Cromer) reacts to sinister Christmas Eve noises in his chilly parlor in the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s 26th annual production of A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic, presented by U.S. Bank, continues through Dec. 31 in the Robert S. Marx Theatre. Photo by Mikki Schaffner – Nov. 2016.

(CINCINNATI) — The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s joyous, time-honored celebration of the true meaning of the holidays returns for its 27th season as First Financial Bank presents Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The beloved, iconic story will be performed Nov. 22 through Dec. 30 in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre.

Nearly 600,000 people have enjoyed the timeless classic at Cincinnati Playhouse over the past 26 years. An immediate hit when Dickens wrote it in 1843, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is often credited for revitalizing the celebration of Christmas as we know it today.

“More than 20,000 people return each year to the Playhouse to make A CHRISTMAS CAROL a part of their holiday traditions,” explains Blake Robison, artistic director. “The timeless message of A CHRISTMAS CAROLhelps to make it one of the Playhouse’s most popular productions each season and a perfect way to introduce children to the joys of theatre.”
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Adapted by Howard Dallin, Dickens’ narrative comes to vivid life with spectacular effects and hundreds of costumes that illuminate Ebenezer Scrooge’s time-traversing pilgrimage with the spirits one magical Christmas Eve. From his kind-hearted sister Fan and first love Belle to his generous employer Fezziwig and humble clerk Bob Cratchit, Scrooge is repeatedly shown the saving grace of love and concern for humanity.

Bruce Comer returns to fill Ebenezer Scrooge’s miserly shoes for the 13th time this season, the longest run among the four actors who have played the role. Michael Evan Haney also returns as director.

“This story of redemption is timeless because, as human beings, we need to be reminded that we are all connected — that we are all fellow travelers to the grave,” Haney says. “As Scrooge learns this lesson for the first time, we are reminded that our greatest challenge during our time on earth is to help and love our fellow man. It is also our greatest joy.”

All show times for A CHRISTMAS CAROL are at 2 p.m. for matinees and 7 p.m. for evening performances to accommodate families with children. Please note the earlier curtain time. There will be no performances on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and selected weekdays in early December. There is an added performance on Friday, Dec. 22, at 2 p.m.

TICKETS
Prices for A CHRISTMAS CAROL start at $35 for the Nov. 22 preview performance and at $40 for all other performances depending on seat location. Tickets for children and teens are $45 or $30 depending on seat location. Prices subject to change. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show. In addition to calling the Box Office, tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is suitable for all general audiences, including children ages 5 and older. Due to the full-length nature of the show, children younger than 5 cannot be admitted.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs, and complete wheelchair access are available.

SPONSORS
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is presented by First Financial Bank. The design sponsor and artist sponsor/Ghosts is Ohio National Financial Services. Artist sponsor/Ebenezer Scrooge is AAA and Provident Travel. Artist sponsor/Tiny Tim is Skidmore Sales and Distributing. Artist sponsor/Bob Cratchit is Bahl & Gaynor.  Additional support is provided by The Stona Fitch Family.

The Robert S. Marx Theatre Season is presented by Schueler Group. Season Sponsor of New Work is The Rosenthal Foundation. Marx Theatre Season Design Sponsor is Macy’s.

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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EVENTS      
HOXWORTH BLOOD DRIVE
Saturday, Nov. 18, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join the Playhouse and Hoxworth Blood Center for our 22nd annual blood drive on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Rosenthal Plaza. Donors will receive half-price tickets good for select performances of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. You’ll also leave knowing that you provided life-giving support to those in need, saving up to three lives with your single donation. For an appointment, visit www.hoxworth.org/groups/playhouse.Appointment times are limited, so you are strongly encouraged to reserve your spot in advance.

CRATCHIT FAMILY FOOD DRIVE
Help a neighbor in need by participating in the Playhouse’s annual Cratchit Family Food Drive to support the Freestore Foodbank. To donate, simply bring a nonperishable food or personal care item to the Playhouse when you come for a performance in November or December and place it in one of the barrels located near the Box Office. Food items that are always in demand include canned meat products; canned vegetables; fruits and soups; peanut butter; and macaroni and cheese. Personal care items include soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products and disposable diapers. Please, no glass items.

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October 24, 2017 · 1:11 pm

SISTER ACT – Presented by Cincinnati Music Theatre | Nov. 10-18 | Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater

CMT_Sister Act logo

(Cincinnati, OH) – Cincinnati Music Theatre, a resident Company of the Aronoff Center, returns to the Aronoff’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater with seven performances of the Tony Award-nominated SISTER ACT, playing November 10-18, 2017.

Tickets are $26.00 for adults and $23.00 for students, seniors, military, and groups of 15 or more, and may be purchased at www.Cincinnatimusictheatre.org, www.CincinnatiArts.org, the Aronoff Center Ticket Office, or (513) 621-ARTS [2787].

Original music written by Tony- and eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) will have you singing WITH the nuns. “It is a smart adaptation of a beloved film with fantastic disco music,” said Mike Fielder, director and choreographer of the musical. “The first time I heard the music from SISTER ACT I knew I had to bring it to life in Cincinnati.”

Cincinnati Music Theatre’s production of SISTER ACT is just another example of how Cincinnati’s community theatre scene is booming and attracting top talent. Adia Dobbins (Deloris) played the role of Nala in the West Coast tour of Disney’s The Lion King. Dobbins is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and has performed for other theater groups in Cincinnati, but this is her biggest role yet. “Deloris is full of energy, and I hope the audience will connect with her charisma in some way,” said Dobbins. The audience can expect a powerhouse voice from Dobbins that brings the entire talented cast of SISTER ACT together in sisterhood.

For more information about Cincinnati Music Theatre, visit www.cincinnatimusictheatre.org, LIKE us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cincinnatimusictheatre, and follow us on Twitter @CinMusicTheatre.

SISTER ACT is directed and choreographed by Mike Fielder, and produced by Karen Galliers and Cody Hendershot. It features vocal direction by Bree Hunter Cox and musical direction by Charles Wilhelm. SISTER ACT is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com.

SISTER ACT Performance Schedule 

  • Friday, November 10, 2017 – 7:30pm
  • Saturday, November 11, 2017 – 7:30pm
  • Sunday, November 12, 2017 – 2:00pm
  • Wednesday, November 15, 2017 – 7:30pm
  • Thursday, November 16, 2017 – 7:30pm
  • Friday, November 17, 2017 – 7:30pm
  • Saturday, November 18, 2017 – 7:30pm

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October 20, 2017 · 12:30 pm

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents TODD ALMOND & MICHELLE SHOCKED for One-Night Only Performance November 1

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(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s (ETC) first pop-up performance in its newly renovated venue will be a one-night only fundraiser featuring Cincinnati favorite Todd Almond, with Michelle Shocked. Composer/performer Todd Almond and two-time Grammy Award-nominee and folk-rock icon Michelle Shocked share an intimate evening celebrating their provocative songwriting and their recently forged theatrical collaboration. Featuring songs by both artists as well as a look at Shocked’s seminal album, Kind Hearted Woman, the evening brings together two innovators in their fields.

The duo will perform new songs and past hits to benefit the expansion of ETC’s workshop opportunities. Additionally, at the performance, ETC will make a very special announcement. The performance is Wednesday, November 1 at 9:45 pm. The show will go up shortly following the conclusion of that evening’s performance of This Random World. Tickets are $20.

About the Performers

Todd Almond is a composer, lyricist, and playwright. His Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati credits include I Am My Own Wife (subsequently reprised at Actors Theatre of Louisville), Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2001 and 2003, and the world premiere of James and Annie. Other credits include musical director for the recent production of Suzan-Lori Park’s F**cking A (Signature Theatre); original music for the off-Broadway production of How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Lincoln Center); original music for the Broadway production of Noises Off (Roundabout); book for Girlfriend (songs by Matthew Sweet, directed by Les Waters; CTG; and Know Theatre of Cincinnati); book, music, and lyrics for Kansas City Choir Boy (also starred alongside Courtney Love, directed by Kevin Newbury; Prototype Festival, American Repertory Theater, Center Theater Group); music, lyrics, book/adaptation for The Odyssey, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest (directed by Lear deBessonet; Delacorte, Public Theater’s Public Works Program); Iowa (a collaboration with playwright Jenny Schwartz, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; Playwrights Horizons); score for Melancholy Play (a chamber-musical version of Sarah Ruhl’s play).

Michelle Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe with her debut album, The Texas Campfire Tapes, a bootleg recorded around a festival campfire on a cassette recorder. She signed with Mercury (PolyGram/Universal) in 1987. Her U.S. debut came with the release of her 1988 album, Short Sharp Shocked,  vignettes of her early life in rural East Texas. On college radio rotations around the country, it was met with strong listener acclaim. Captain Swing, released in 1989, is a survey of swing styles from jump to hard bop. Arkansas Traveler, released in 1992, inspired by traditional bluegrass. In 1995, she contributed “Quality of Mercy” to the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning film Dead Man Walking. In 1996, she released a studio version of an underground release, Kind Hearted Woman. In 2002, with the release of Deep Natural, Shocked established her own Mighty Sound label. A 2005 trilogy, Threesome, and a 2007 bootleg of a gospel set, ToHeavenURide, followed. In 2009, Soul of My Soul, her most recent release. Shocked continues her creative endeavors as an independent artist and currently lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

Performance Information
This one-night-only performance is on Wednesday, November 1, at 9:45pm on ETC’s main stage. The show will start at approximately 9:45 pm, shortly following the conclusion of This Random World. 

Ticket Prices
All tickets are $20 and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office at (513) 421-3555. For more information, visit www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

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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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October 20, 2017 · 12:25 pm

POOR BEHAVIOR to Open November 17th as Falcon Theatre’s Latest Production

FT_Poor Behavior logoWe’ve all been there.

A couples’ weekend getaway to a secluded and stylish country home. A boozy dinner. Empty wine bottles pile up. Inhibitions are lowered, and lips are loosened. Philosophical friction between the wife of Couple A and the husband of Couple B lead to a sexually charged argument that continues unabated after the other spouses have retired for the night. 

It all goes downhill from there. 

Falcon Theatre’s second production of its 2017-18 season is Theresa Rebeck’s hilarious quarrelsome comedy POOR BEHAVIOR. But far from being mere farce, the story takes a serious look at the nature of love and marriage and what exactly constitutes morality. Variety calls the play’s original Off-Broadway run “indecently funny,” and Theatermania describes it as “incredibly satisfying.” And according to The Wrap, the play’s antagonist is what would have happened “if George Bernard Shaw had conceived Stanley Kowalski” (a fitting and apt description, given that Falcon’s fourth production this season is A Streetcar Named Desire.) 

POOR BEHAVIOR arrives on the heels of Falcon’s first season production, Frankenstein, which came within a handful of seats of selling out its entire run. 

First-time Falcon director Lauren Carr says of POOR BEHAVIOR, “It’s a story about functioning dysfunctional couples in search simple human decency and maybe a chocolate muffin,” referencing one of the play’s running gags. Ms. Carr says that she’s approaching the production from an actor’s perspective. “The characters in the play leave actors a lot of room for interpretation and development. It gives me a chance to work with actors, which is my favorite thing as a director.” 

The Falcon production features Phineas Clark as Ian, Becca Howell as Ella, Derek Snow as Peter, and Torie Pate as Maureen.   

Performances are at 8 P.M. on November 17, 18, 24, 25, and 30 and on December 1 and 2 2017 (please note that there is no performance on Thanksgiving night). Tickets are $22 for Adults and $15 for Students (with valid i.d.) and are available by calling (513) 479-6783 or by visiting falcontheatre.net.

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October 18, 2017 · 10:46 am

SEUSSICAL Comes to the ROYAL Theatre Company Stage November 3-5

CTM_Seussical logo65 talented local performers bring this story to the Mason High School Auditorium
for four performances

ROYAL Theatre Company, Home of The Children’s Theatre of Mason, is proud to present SEUSSICAL, November 3-5 in Mason. One of the most performed shows in America, SEUSSICAL is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza!

The show will run for four performances – Friday, November 3rd at 7:00pm; Saturday, November 4th at 2:00pm and 7:00pm; and Sunday, November 5th at 2:00pm. VIP reserved seating tickets can be purchased for any show for $25 each, and General admission tickets for any show are $12 each. All tickets can be purchased online at www.ctm-kids.com through November 2nd at 5pm and at the door starting one hour before each show.

Tony winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird and a child with a big imagination – Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant. “There are wonderful and powerful messages in Seussical,” said Karen Kilgore, President of ROYAL Theatre Company. “

ROYAL Theatre Company recently announced a capital campaign for a new state-of-the-art 750 seat Performing Arts Center. Karen Kilgore said, “Just like the Who’s come together to announce ‘We are here’, so too have we seen great support for our efforts to build a brand new theatre to benefit our entire community.  To paraphrase Dr. Seuss…’Oh the places we’ll go!’”

Fans can follow ROYAL Theatre Company on Facebook (ROYAL Theatre Company – RTC), Twitter (@ROYALTheatre_Co) and Instagram (royal_theatre_company).

Don’t miss ROYAL Theatre Company’s next show The Hunchback of Notre Dame, May 25-27, 2018 at Mason High School!

About ROYAL Theatre Company, Home of The Children’s Theatre of Mason
ROYAL Theatre Company produces two large-scale productions each season, from “Les Miserables” to “South Pacific” and “Annie” to “West Side Story” as well as many other popular favorites. ROYAL offers children from ages 7-18 from all over the Cincinnati area the opportunity to take part onstage as performers as well as off stage as crew members, make-up assistants and many other behind-the-scenes roles. To volunteer, donate or learn more, visit www.CTM-kids.com or call 513.398.0116.

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