Category Archives: Press Releases

RAIN: A Tribute to The Beatles | Mon., April 17 | Aronoff Center

COME CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF
THE SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND ALBUM!

JOIN RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES AS THEY BRING THE ALBUM TO LIFE IN ITS ENTIRETY
ALONG WITH ALL OF YOUR OTHER BEATLES FAVORITES!

CAA_Rain Sgt Pepper logo

One Night Only! – Monday, April 17, 2017
Aronoff Center

CINCINNATI, OH – Join RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles as they celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the release of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album! The celebration comes to the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall for one performance only on Monday, April 17 at 7:30pm as part of Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2016-17 Season.

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 the 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 with its 2017 Tour.

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 are 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, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Pepsi, Skyline Chili.

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES PERFORMANCE SPONSORS:  Macy’s, TriHealth, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc.

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 1.5 million students. For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org

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Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Premieres Coming-of-Age Story from an Exciting Up-and-Coming Playwright

PIP_All the Roads Home promo

ALL THE ROADS HOME explores three generations of women March 25 to April 23

(CINCINNATI) — Cincinnati audiences will discover an exciting new voice in American theatre with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s latest world premiere, ALL THE ROADS HOME by Jen Silverman, which runs from March 25 through April 23 in the Shelterhouse Theatre.

The play is a coming-of-age story that follows three generations of women in the 1950s, 1970s and today as they wrestle with their own half-buried dreams and desires along with the legacies they inherit from their mothers’ choices. Original music with lyrics by Silverman connects each woman’s generation as their lives weave together.

Jen Silverman, whose work has been produced off-Broadway, as part of the Humana Festival and at regional theatres across the country, tells a poignant tale of teenager Madeleine, who  runs away to New York with hopes of becoming a dancer in the 1950s; Madeleine’s headstrong daughter Max, a wannabe cowboy who rebels against the same small-town Massachusetts life that drove her mother away; and Max’s daughter Nix, who  travels the country as a musician, chasing a fantasy that may or may not be her own. As the daughters face the ripple effect of their mothers’ choices, they wrestle with their own half-buried dreams and desires.

Silverman tells Playbill, “I think each woman comes up against a moment where they either have to choose to sort of step outside of expectation and possibly destroy a life that has been built up for them or they have to choose to let go of it and step back into their lives. The play is examining that whichever choice you make, that is how you hand to your children your unfulfilled longings and your unfulfilled dreams, and I think those things just imprint themselves in your DNA.”

Directed by Lee Sunday Evans, the casting further highlights the play’s universality. In this production, each of the women is played by an actress of a different ethnicity, giving audiences a sense that the play represents everyone. Another unifying element is each woman’s pursuit of self-actualization. Based on the social and economic mores of each time period, each of these women had different ideas about what life choices were available to them. Final character Nix’s music is a culmination of each of woman’s pursuit of full, authentic self-expression.

Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison fell in love with ALL THE ROADS HOME the first time he read the script. “I cared about these women and their choices tremendously,” he says. “While representing three distinct generations, they share common desires to break free from the baggage they carry and individualize themselves apart from the relationships they have with their parents. The language of the play and the stories being told are theatrically provocative while deeply relatable.”

In a recent profile, American Theatre called this “the year of Silverman.” In the current theatrical season alone, she has plays appearing on stages in Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.; Costa Mesa and San Francisco, California; and off-Broadway.

“Jen is part of a new generation of very exciting and accomplished playwrights taking over American theatre,” Blake adds.

Tickets for ALL THE ROADS HOME start at $35; prices vary depending on seat location 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. Sunday is College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. performances just $10. In addition to calling the Box Office (513-421-3888), tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com.

ALL THE ROADS HOME is sponsored by Bartlett & Co. Artist sponsor is Atkins & Pierce. Design sponsor is Playhouse Pride, which is offering a special Pride performance on Friday, April 21 with partial proceeds benefitting PFLAG, a non-profit organization of volunteers who offer support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals, families and friends.

The season sponsor of new work is the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation. Additional new play development support provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and The National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2016-17 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre season is presented by Heidelberg Distributing Co., and the season design sponsor is the Allan Berliant and Jennie Rosenthal Berliant Family Fund.

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.

Cast: Tina Chilip as Max/Cathy/Mercy, Rebecca S’Manga Frank as Madeleine/Ade, Tramell Tillman as Michael/Phoenix/Trace, Libby Winters as Nix/Teacher/Dolly Parton/Julia

Directed by Lee Sunday Evans.

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Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids Program Announces 2017 Collection Dates: March 11 and 12

CCM_Link promoDo you have a musical instrument collecting dust? Your gift could provide the missing link for a promising young musician! Through the Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids (LINKS) program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), you can donate your used instrument to a promising young musician who cannot afford to rent or purchase their own.

CCM holds its annual LINKS Collection Days on Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12, at the Joseph-Beth Booksellers in the Rookwood Pavilion. The hours for the collection drive are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

A project of CCMpower in partnership with Buddy Roger’s Music, Joseph-Beth Booksellers and WGUC 90.9 FM, LINKS began in 1993 as the brainchild of CCM alumnus Bill Harvey (BM Music Education, 1971). The Vice President of Buddy Roger’s Music, Harvey wanted to fill the need for students whose parents were unable to buy, rent or borrow an instrument. The solution was somewhat simple: a “recycling program” for musical instruments.

LINKS accepts donations of new and used instruments from the Greater Cincinnati community, then places them with students in local elementary, middle and school bands and orchestras, as well as with students in CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement programs. Students are qualified by the recommendation of their music teacher, and a LINKS scholarship application is submitted in the student’s name.

Since its inception, LINKS has placed over 3,000 instruments into the hands of children. Even if the instrument is not in perfect condition, donations are gladly accepted. Buddy Roger’s Music generously contributes the time to carefully clean, restore and tune each instrument.

All donations are tax deductible, and Joseph-Beth Booksellers will donate 20% of book sales and 10% of all cafe sales back to LINKS during the collection days. Entertainment during the collection will be provided by local music students of all ages.

If you do not have an instrument, you can still assist young musicians who need a helping hand by making a contribution to the LINKS fund at ccm.weshareonline.org/LINKS.

In addition to the March 11 and 12 collection days, instruments are accepted year-round at Buddy Roger’s Music. Call 513-729-1950 for information on store hours and locations.

For more information on LINKS or to make a monetary donation, call the CCM External Relations Office at 513-556-2100.

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The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Establishes Groundbreaking Resident Artist Company

TCTC_new logoCincinnati – The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT), the country’s oldest professional theatre for young audiences, is proud to announce that it is accepting submissions for its very first Resident Artist Company. The nine-member troupe will receive a full-time salary with benefits. Each member of the Resident Artist Company will be guaranteed four to five performance projects each year and participate in touring, teaching, new works development and arts administration.

“This is not a gig,” said Roderick Justice, Producing Artistic Director for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. “Each recruit will be a full-fledged employee and part of the TCT family. This is the opportunity for nine extremely talented artists to be a part of something fresh, exciting, and rewarding. We are looking nationwide for a diverse and passionate troupe of artists, teachers, and versatile performers. The actors we will hire must be able to step into a variety of roles, yet be flexible enough to learn and cultivate new arts administrative skills.” Employment will begin August 1, 2017.

Those interested should send a headshot and resume to submissions@tctcincinnati.com. Submissions will be accepted only until Friday, March 24, 2017.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is the only professional theater in the region that devotes its entire MainStage season to children. TCT brings more than 97,000 people downtown annually and reaches over 68,000 students through touring productions. The company’s TCT Academy offers arts training to children in a variety of disciplines.

Since 1924, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) has been educating, entertaining and engaging audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming for schools and families throughout the region. “We are helping to create the future arts patrons for our city, while at the same time are filling a gap left by the reduction in arts education in schools,” said Kim Deaton, Managing Director and CEO of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. TCT brings art to life for children and the young at heart through three key programs: TCT MainStage at the Taft, TCT on Tour (including WorkShops), and TCT Academy (performing arts instruction).

Our TCT MainStage at the Taft series performed in downtown Cincinnati includes daytime performances for school audiences and weekend performances for the public. Four production runs are held each year, with individual shows formatted into one-hour, family friendly events. For each Broadway-quality production, we present seven performances for public audiences and ten performances for school students.

TCT on Tour brings the magic of live theatre directly to those who would otherwise be unable to enjoy it. TCT tours five productions each season, serving children of all ages (kindergarten through high school) with titles taken from classic literature, fairy tales, history and other works studied in school curricula. The acting troupe travels with innovative sets, which are designed to be both portable and visually enticing. TCT on Tour prides itself on productions that are both educational and entertaining, as well as affordable for schools and other venues across the broad geographic spectrum of Ohio. TCT on Tour also includes the WorkShop division, which takes a teaching artist directly into individual classrooms or after school programs, for a more interactive arts integration experience with children from pre-K through 16 years of age. Many of the workshops we offer examine contemporary concerns through the introduction of historical figures, such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Langston Hughes; while other workshops bring social topics such as healthy eating, self-esteem and anti-bullying to life through theater, music, writing and role-playing.

Both TCT MainStage and TCT on Tour school shows are followed by a question and answer session between the audience and the cast and/or TCT representative (often, the Director) and are accompanied by complementary study guides, with state and national standards in mind, available on our website. Our productions are intended to act as a bridge for local curricula, giving schools access to high quality arts education as well as serving as a catalyst for integrating the arts with other subjects.

TCT Academy offers arts training to children in a variety of disciplines through our twelve-week, one hour/week class sessions, our one-week themed summer camps for introductory arts makers or our audition-based, two-week STAR Camp Red Bank program and one-month, audition-based STAR Intensive NKU summer program for children with demonstrated talent and interest in the performing arts. In addition to learning the arts, a primary objective for these arts integrated classes is to provide students with the necessary tools to become successful adults. Whether the students continue in an arts field or choose a different career path, the skills they develop in these programs can be leveraged and will last a life time.

The TCT Showtime Series at Red Bank is a brand-new destination for theater education expanding TCT’s reach into the community. The Ralph and Patricia Corbett Showtime Stage is a small 152-seat performance space housed in our new facility on Red Bank Road. This new theater gives us the opportunity to program for new audiences, including preschoolers as well as middle and high school students. Thus, we begin the creation of future arts patrons in Cincinnati at an even earlier age, and extend their engagement through high school. The Showtime Series will allow us to program the new space with more than 64 performances. The two productions slated for the coming year are: Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat June 2-July 9, 2017; and the regional premiere of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical February 23-March 25, 2018.

-end-

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CCM Acting Department’s TRANSMIGRATION Festival Returns March 8-10

CCM_Transmigration logoRunning March 8-10, this year’s TRANSMIGRATION festival will feature six original works from the CCM Department of Acting: Life Boat, God and Sheila, The Happiest People on Earth, The Harper Merman Project, Cliffhanger and The Land of Milk and Honey.

The festival grants CCM acting students the freedom to produce an entirely new show from start to finish. The teams, each made up of six students chosen at random, are tasked with writing, designing and producing a 25-minute piece of theatre all on their own.

TRANSMIGRATION productions are performed simultaneously and in non-traditional spaces throughout CCM’s Corbett Center for performing arts. Attendees may customize their personal theater-going experience by viewing up to four shows of their choice.
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THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH
“When you can’t let it go, let it out.”
Featuring: Owen Alderson, Clare Combest, Landon, Issac Hickox-Young, Jacqueline Daaleman, Gabriella DiVincenzo, Jeremy Maislin, Jack Steiner
Location: Corbett Center 4755
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THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
“Don’t piss in the creek.”
Featuring: Will Clark, Sarah Durham, Spencer Lackey, Katie McDonald, Meg Olson, Abby Palen, Eliza Palter, Andrew Ramsey, Hope Rice
Location: Corbett Center 4735
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THE HARPER MERMAN PROJECT
“We must believe in free will. We have no choice.”
Featuring: Annie Grove, Emily Walton, Joshua Reiter, Mafer Del Real, Madeleine Page-Schmit, Garek Bushnell, Zoe Cotzias, Amber Fasquelle
Location: Corbett Center 3705
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LIFE BOAT
“Blood in the water? These media sharks can smell it.”
Featuring: Ryan Garrett, Kenzie Clark, Rupert Spraul, Carissa Cardy, Ella Eggold, Briley Oakley, Madison Pullman
Location: Corbett Center Room 4735
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GOD AND SHEILA
“Sheila is dead. But for one night only, God and Sheila return to perform their greatest hits.”
Featuring: Chandler Bates, Matt Fox, Nicholas Heffelfinger, Julia Netzer, Olivia Passafiume, Nick King, Carter La Cava, Michaela Tropeano
Location: Corbett Center 4755
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CLIFFHANGER
“Don’t fall over the edge.”
Featuring: Sydney Ashe, Lauren Carter, Justin Harrington, Paige Jordan, Katie Langham, Gabriela Medina, Graham Rogers
Location: Corbett Center 3705
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Performance Times
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8
7 p.m. Thursday, March 9
7 p.m. Friday, March 10

Location
Various locations around CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Reserving Tickets
Admission to CCM’s TRANSMIGRATION Festival is free, but reservations are required. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 6. 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 more information on parking rates.

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

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

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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub

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