Category Archives: Press Releases

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.

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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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The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Presents TARZAN The Staged Musical

TCTC_Tarzan promo1

Elizabeth Sunderhaus as Jane and Tyler Kuhlman as Tarzan. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Based on the Disney Film
This April at the Taft Theatre!

Cincinnati – This is serious monkey business!  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL BASED ON THE DISNEY FILM April 1-9, 2017 at the Taft Theatre.

Be a part of this wild adventure as Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts. This is the last production of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s 2016-2017 season.

Based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan of the Apes, TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL BASED ON THE DISNEY FILM features heart-pumping music by rock legend Phil Collins and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits like the Academy Award winning “You’ll Be in My Heart” as well as “Son of Man” and “Two Worlds” make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.

TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL BASED ON THE DISNEY FILM presented by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, April 1-2 and 7-9, 2017. Saturday April 1 at 2 PM; Sunday April 2 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday April 7 at 7:30 PM; Saturday April 8 at 2 PM and 5 PM; and Sunday April 9 at 2 PM at the Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets start at $10.  1-800-745-3000 and http://www.ticketmaster.com.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL BASED ON THE DISNEY FILM is made possible by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. Season Sponsors are the Charles H. Dater Foundation and the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Media sponsors are Cincinnati Enquirer, LOCAL 12 and Q102.

Cast List:

  • Madeleine Burgoon:  Ensemble
  • Megan Ainsley Callahan:  Ensemble, Tarzan’s Mother
  • Jeremy Cox:  Ensemble
  • Allison Edwards:  Ensemble
  • Nick Godfrey:  Ensemble
  • Anna Leigh Gortner:  Ensemble
  • Nicholas Gundrum:  Ensemble
  • Hillary Hahn:  Ensemble, Leopard
  • Austin Harvey:  Young Tarzan
  • George Ivan:  Snipes, Ensemble
  • Aubrey E. Jones:  Ensemble
  • James Jones:  Ensemble
  • Kaleb Kemp:  Young Terk
  • Brandon Kinley:  Terk
  • Tyler Kuhlman: Tarzan
  • Dylan McGill:  Clayton
  • Caleb McKenzie:  Ensemble
  • Deondra Kamau Means:  Kerchak
  • Danielle Muething:  Ensemble
  • Rachel Perin:  Ensemble
  • Rodger Pille:  Porter
  • Spring  Starr Pillow:  Kala
  • Elijah Prather:  Ensemble
  • Timothy Richardson:  Ensemble
  • Tiffany Rusch:  Ensemble
  • Savannah Slaby:  Ensemble
  • Yolanda Spencer:  Soloist
  • Renee Stoltzfus:  Ensemble
  • Elizabeth Sunderhaus:  Jane
  • Logan Weinfurtner:  Ensemble

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Carnegie Theatre Season Closes with Regional Premiere of Satirical Off-Broadway Hit, DISENCHANTED

TC_Disenchanted promo

Back row: Sara Kenny, Allison Evans, & Blair Godshall. Front row: Mikayla Renfrow, Brittany Hayes & Gabriella Francis. Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner.

Comedic musical shows what happens when fairytale princesses
stop being polite, and start getting real

(COVINGTON, KY)  Everyone knows how fairytales go – the prince rescues the princess and they ride off into the sunset for happily ever after. But what happens after the storybook ending? DISENCHANTED!, the final show of The Carnegie’s 2016-17 Theatre Series tells just that story. DISENCHANTED! is directed by Jodie Meyn and runs weekends March 25 – April 9, 2017.

Poisoned Apples. Glass slippers. Who needs ‘em? The fairytale princesses of DISENCHANTED! provide audiences with an uproarious evening of irreverent humor and satirical snipes as they throw out their tiaras and start getting real. Snow White, played by actress Sara Kenny, leads an all-star cast featuring Cinderella (Allison Evans), Belle, Rapunzel (Gabriella Francis), Sleeping Beauty (Blair Godshall), and many more in this not-for-the-kiddies comedic cabaret. Forget the princesses you think you know. These ladies will have you rolling in the aisle with their piercing take on happy ever after.

“I have loved this show since I first saw it four years ago in a sold out theatre in Minneapolis,” said Carnegie Theatre Director Maggie Perrino. “Since that day, I have looked for the right opportunity to bring it home to the Tri-State area. This show is witty, funny, sassy, and the perfect night out for adults. And our cast literally rocks. These ladies could not be more talented or hilarious.”

Noted, “a girls’-night-out rebellion” by The New York Times, the ‘storybook’ journey for DISENCHANTED! began with a sold-out, award-winning run at Orlando’s International Fringe Festival in 2011 (‘Best of Fest’ – Orlando Sentinel), and subsequent productions in the US, from New Jersey to California, all of which have been met with widespread critical acclaim.

Performances of DISENCHANTED! run weekends March 25 – April 9, 2017, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons at 3pm.  Tickets are $28, $25 for Carnegie Members and ArtsPass Members. Tickets to Carnegie Theatre Series performances are available through The Carnegie Box Office, open Tuesday through Friday 12 pm – 5 pm, online at www.thecarnegie.com, or by phone at (859) 957-1940.

Cast: 

  • Snow White – Sara Kenny
  • Cinderella – Allison Evans
  • Sleeping Beauty – Blair Godshall
  • Little Mermaid/Belle/Rapunzel – Gabriella Francis
  • Pocahontas/Mulan/Princess Badroulbador –  Mikayla Renfrow
  • The Princess Who Kissed the Frog – Brittany Hayes

Production Team:

  • Director – Jodie Meyn
  • Music Direction – Erin McCamely
  • Choreography – Maggie Perrino

Cast Bios:

Sara Kenny (Snow White) is no stranger to the Carnegie Stage. She was last seen on stage here in MUSIC MAN (Ethel Toffelmeier) and COMPANY playing Amy (“Not Getting Married Today”). Sara has worked with The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, The Commonwealth Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati as well as Christmas at The Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY and The Old Creamery Theatre in Iowa. Favorite professional credits include: SNOOPY!!! THE MUSICAL (Lucy Van Pelt), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Stephanie Crawford), LIFE COULD BE A DREAM (Mrs. Varney), NEXT TO NORMAL (Diana u/s), and NUNSENSE (Mother Superior). Sara graduated with her BFA in performance from Northern Kentucky University and completed a Performance Internship at the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. After a brief “battle” with New York City, Sara calls Cincinnati “home” and is here to stay. The Tri-state’s theatre scene is KILLER right now and she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! In her free time Sara is an avid “Baking Actor” as well as raising Autism Awareness on behalf of her beautiful nephew Theodore.

Allison Evans (Cinderella) graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Musical Theatre. She is beyond thrilled to be working with this amazing cast and team on Disenchanted!, and to be back on The Carnegie stage. Her previous credits at The Carnegie include: West Side Story (Graziella) and Pippin (Player/Manson Trio Dancer). Among her favorite credits from elsewhere are: Young Frankenstein (Inga), A Chorus Line (Val), White Christmas (Judy Haynes), A Chorus Line (Bebe), Chicago (Annie) and Anything Goes (Chastity). She is so excited for people to see another side of these princesses, and cannot wait to share this hilarious show with an audience.

Mikayla Renfrow (Pocahontas/Mulan/Princess Badroulbador) feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the powerhouse cast of DISENCHANTED. She’s so excited for audiences to see this fantastic group of women share the real story behind the classic fairytale princesses. She is a senior at the School for Creative and Performing Arts double majoring in Drama/Vocal, with studies in musical theatre and vocal jazz. She plans to continue her music theatre career into college, although she’s not sure where that will be yet. Her recent credits include Ensemble in THE MUSIC MAN at the Carnegie, Galinda in THE WIZ at SCPA, as well as many CLP shows including; Maria in WEST SIDE STORY, Purity in ANYTHING GOES, Connie in A CHORUS LINE,  and Ensemble in THE PRODUCERS.

Performance Dates and Times:

DISENCHANTED! runs weekends, Saturday, March 25 – Sunday, April 9, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 7:30pm ● Sunday, March 26, 3pm
Friday, March 31, 7:30pm ● Saturday, April 1, 7:30pm ● Sunday, April 2, 3pm
Friday, April 7, 7:30pm ● Saturday, April 8, 7:30pm ● Sunday, April 9, 3pm

Theatre Series Sponsors:
The 2016-17 Carnegie Theatre Series is sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Season Funder: ArtsWave

DISENCHANTED! is presented through arrangement with Theatre Rights Worldwide. 

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About The Carnegie: The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  More information about The Carnegie is available at www.thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030.

The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. / US Bank Foundation. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.

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CCM Acting Holds Annual Senior Showcase and Dolly Awards on March 24

ccm_acting-2017

CCM Acting Class of 2017.

Graduating students from UC College-Conservatory of Music’s Department of Acting present the annual Senior Showcase at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, March 24, in Werner Recital Hall. The annual DOLLY Awards ceremony follows the evening showcase performance and includes the recognition of an outstanding alumnus of the program. These events are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

The showcase performance consists of a variety of scenes by graduating seniors in CCM’s Acting program, demonstrating the depth and breadth of the acting skills they have honed during their undergraduate training at CCM. The Senior Showcase is the first presentation of a performance that the students will take on the road to exhibit their talent in New York and Los Angeles in March and April.

The evening performance is followed by the annual DOLLY Awards, hosted by Professor Richard E. Hess, CCM’s A.B., Dolly, Ralph and Julia Cohen Chair of Acting. The awards recognize the outstanding student achievements and performances in the 2016-17 CCM Acting Season, which includes the productions of TRANSMIGRATION 2016, Very Dumb Kids, Romeo and Juliet, Middletown and Her Naked Skin. Awards are given for Excellence in Performance and Excellence in Ensemble Performance.

The highlight of the DOLLY Awards ceremony is the presentation of the 2016 Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award to a graduate of CCM Acting. This year’s honoree is alumna Julianna Bloodgood (BFA Dramatic Performance, 2005).

Bloodgood began her work with Poland’s multi-award winning and critically acclaimed theatre company Teatr Pies´n´ Kozla (Song of the Goat Theatre) in 2009. In addition to her studies at CCM, she holds an MA from Manchester Metropolitan University in conjunction with Song of the Goat Theatre and she is a graduate of California’s Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. At Song of the Goat Theatre, Bloodgood has developed and performed in Songs of Lear, Portraits of the Cherry Orchard, Return to the Voice, Dead Walk Love and Crazy God. She is currently rehearsing and developing a work based on Hamlet. Bloodgood has traveled and performed throughout Europe, Asia, South and North America.

Bloodgood’s work also consists of community-based projects and artistic outreach, using art as a vehicle for healing and change. She is a founding member of the Great Globe Foundation, an organization devoted to increasing cultural exchange and empowering voices through the arts, and is the proud co-founder of the Dadaab Theater Project, a youth based theater project in Dadaab, Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp.

CCM ACTING SENIOR SHOWCASE

Performance Times
2 p.m. & 7 p.m.* Friday, March 24
*The DOLLY Awards ceremony takes place after the 7 p.m. performance.

Location
Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Admission to the CCM Acting Senior Showcase and DOLLY Awards Ceremony is FREE and open to the general public. Reservations are not required.

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

 

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