Category Archives: Press Releases

February 17, 2017 · 6:40 am

THE ODD COUPLE Arrives at The Drama Workshop

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Oscar Madison (Chris Bishop) begins to realize that Felix Ungar (Eric Thomas) may be too much for him to take in. Photo by Kristy Rucker.

(Cheviot, OH) The Drama Workshop’s production of Neil Simon’s timeless comedy, THE ODD COUPLE is playing February 24 through March 12 at its theater in Cheviot at 3716 Glenmore Ave. Showtimes are 8 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, and at 2 pm on Sunday afternoons, with an added performance on Thursday, March 9 at 7:30.

Divorced, broke, and sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison is doing all right – having split from his wife six months ago, he has nobody to answer to. He also has nobody to clean up after him, and his Manhattan apartment shows it, to the dismay of his poker buddies who come over every Friday night. But when his best friend, neat-freak Felix Ungar gets thrown out by his own wife, Oscar takes him in. It doesn’t take him long to realize that he and Felix make a rotten combination – how can they live together without driving each other crazy?

THE ODD COUPLE is produced and directed by Ray Persing. The cast features the talents of Chris Bishop, Meagan Blasch, Adam Drake, BJ Simpson, Eric Thomas, Scott Unes, Kristen Vincenty, and Mark Waldfogle.

Eric Thomas plays the role of Felix Ungar, and says that he was drawn to the role because of its place in American theatre. “In a few short pages Neil Simon creates these true comedic archetypes. When you think of the great comedic characters of the 20th century, Oscar and Felix have to be right up there with Chaplin’s Tramp, Lucy Ricardo, Barney Fife, or Archie Bunker.”

The character of Oscar Madison is played by TDW veteran Chris Bishop, who explains that he channeled his Navy experiences as the roommate of a slob to help flesh out his portrayal of Oscar. “The opportunity to put my own spin on such an iconic character as Oscar Madison, and to work with the others in this cast has been fantastic,” he said.  “They are nothing short of amazing!”

Director/producer Ray Persing cites the timeless nature of the show’s central theme as to why he has wanted to direct the show for many years. “Oscar and Felix approach life very differently, and the conflict this creates is what drives the comedy. But the soul of the play is that despite their differences, they do love each other – and in the end, it’s all that matters. It’s why, after over 50 years, THE ODD COUPLE is still relevant.”

To order tickets to THE ODD COUPLE, please either order online at www.thedramaworkshop.org, or via the 24/7 ticket line at 513.598.8303. Performances are at The Glenmore Playhouse, 3716 Glenmore Ave, Cheviot, 45211. Ticket prices for the show are $16 in advance, or $17 the day of the show. Seating is extremely limited, and some performances are close to sold out. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.

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February 16, 2017 · 2:05 pm

2017-2018 Season Announced by The Drama Workshop

TDW_VERTSubscriptions for The Drama Workshop’s 2017-2018 season are on sale now, at only $70 for the exciting five-show season. Next season brings a mix of exciting drama, toe-tapping music, and side-splitting comedies to the intimate 96-seat theater in the heart of Cheviot.

The opening show will be the Tony-award winning musical comedy, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, and directed by Dennis Murphy. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Rome, the musical tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door. Chock-full of puns, slamming doors, cases of mistaken identity, and satirical comments on social class, this is sure to delight all audiences. Show dates are August 11 to August 27, 2017.

The next production will be a hysterical British farce, NATURAL CAUSES written by Eric Chappell, and directed by Ray Lebowski. Chappell is widely regarded as one of the top playwrights in the United Kingdom, and provides a laugh-out-loud tale of Vincent and his unusual occupation as a “professional suicide merchant.” When Vincent is invited to Walter’s lovely country house to assist in the disposal of Walter’s wife, Celia, he senses something is wrong. Why are the suicide notes unsigned? What is the role of Walter’s attractive secretary? Why has the Samaritan been sent for? Will any of them die, willingly or unwillingly, from natural causes? NATURAL CAUSES is a sure-fire prescription for laughter, running October 6 to October 22, 2017.

The Drama Workshop’s holiday offering will be the comedy, INSPECTING CAROL, written by Daniel Sullivan, and directed by Ray Persing. INSPECTING CAROL deals with a regional theatre company that is rehearsing its annual production of A Christmas Carol, when it gets news of the impending arrival of an inspector from the National Endowment for the Arts to review their work. When they assume that the man who asks to audition is really an informer for the NEA, everyone caters to the bewildered wannabe actor and he is given a role. What will happen when the actual inspector shows up? Come see this laugh-a-minute romp, running December 1 to December 17, 2017.

TDW’s first show in 2018 will be a real treat, THE GIRLS OF MILLER’S COURT, written by local actor and playwright Jack Williams, and directed by Jef Brown. After Jack the Ripper begins his bloody rampage in 1888, a band of prostitutes join forces to save their own lives by trapping the murderer themselves. A battle of wits ensues, as the hunter becomes the hunted – or does he? Based on true events, this is a Jack the Ripper tale that you’ve never seen before! This world premiere runs from February 23 to March 11, 2018.

Finally, the 2017-2018 season closes with the classic comedy, THE STING, adapted by David Rogers from the screenplay by David Ward, and directed by Fred Hunt. The excitement, maneuvers and comedy of the Paul Newman/Robert Redford screen triumph have been brilliantly adapted for stage production – in 1936 Chicago, small-time grifter Johnny Hooker joins forces with master con man Henry Gondorf to exact revenge on a powerful racketeer. The explosive excitement will have the audience guessing and gasping as it builds to the final con movement. THE STING runs from May 4 to May 20, 2018.

Season tickets will be on sale during the run of The Odd Couple, opening February 24 and running through March 12, or you can inquire with the TDW box office at 513.598.8303.

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February 16, 2017 · 1:38 pm

Know Theatre Welcomes You into the Labyrinth with HEAVIER THAN…

heavier-than-coming-soon-to-know-theatre-image-by-dan-r-winters-1A tragicomic new play by Steve Yockey

Directed by Bridget Leak
March 10 – April 1

The Minotaur is turning 30. He could use some friends.

Know Theatre’s 19th Season continues with a strange account of the minotaur in the Labyrinth: Asterius the Minotaur turns 30 tomorrow, and he’s facing more than just your average birthday blues…

Seen by the world as nothing but a murderous oddity, Aster must navigate warriors out to kill him, a deceptively seductive Chorus, a plotting sister, and Icarus, a sex-obsessed boy with wings—all while pining to see his estranged Mother.

Steve Yockey, author of previous Know Theatre MainStage hits Pluto (2014) and The Fisherman’s Wife (2016) uses wit, lyric language, and ancient legend to tell a painfully funny and moving story about the families we yearn for versus the families we’re stuck with.

Queen City Flash’s Bridget Leak is back on the Know MainStage to bring this tragicomic mythical mashup to life. Here’s what Bridget had to say about diving into HEAVIER THAN…

Steve Yockey’s script presents us with some really fun challenges – we’re building Icarus’ wings, we’re putting bull horns on an actor; lots of imaginative visual ideas in this one!

But I’m most excited to tackle a script that examines ancient stories through a 2017 lens. I love how this script blends contemporary language with timeless ideas from mythology.

And I’m thrilled to bring together a mix of some familiar faces and newcomers to the Know MainStage – members of OTRimprov, Cincinnati Shakespeare company members, even a dancer! They have such a wide range of talents; each one brings something special to this show.

We are as delighted as Bridget to have assembled such a diverse and talented cast to tell this story:

NKU’s Landon Horton stars as Aster the Minotaur, who longs for his mother’s love and wants to be known as more than a monster. Landon returns to the Know MainStage after a critically-acclaimed turn in last season’s BlackTop Sky and, more recently, as Jim O’Connor in New Edgecliff Theatre Company’s The Glass Menagerie.

Joining him is Piper Davis as his graceful but hard-edged mother Pasiphae, the Queen of Crete—who has a few secrets she’d rather not have get out. Piper starred in Know’s first show at 1120 Jackson back in 2006, and most recently appeared on Know’s mainstage in her 2014 starring role as Harriet Tubman in Harry & The Thief.

Nathan Tubbs makes his Know Theatre debut as Icarus, Aster’s flighty, fickle, and not-so-innocent friend; while Jordan Trovillion, most recently seen in December’s Ken Ham’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, joins the cast as Aster’s crafty sister Ariadne.

Aster’s constant companions are the Chorus, three women who speak as one and hide secrets of their own. The chorus is brought to vivid life by a trio of Know Theatre and Cincy Fringe favorites —Nicole Hershey, Maggie Lou Rader, and Miranda McGee.

Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford has dreamed of bringing this show to the Know ever since he saw the world premiere at the Theatre @ Boston Court in Los Angeles in 2011. Andrew says,

This is the third Steve Yockey play we’re producing at the Know, but it’s actually the first play of his that I encountered. It contains so many of the hallmarks of his work that I love: complicated familial relationships, dark humor, a sense of the ridiculous, big themes, and powerful visual metaphors.

It’s the kind of play that gets my mind racing as both a designer and audience member, contemplating thousands of years of theatrical magic, and how we connect ancient tradition to contemporary, urgent work.

Join us for HEAVIER THAN… and discover a clever and poignant look at the age-old question: Do you control your Fate, or does your Fate control you?

Cast

  • Piper Davis as Pasiphae
  • Landon Horton as Asterius
  • Jordan Trovillion as Ariadne
  • Nathan Tubbs as Icarus
  • Nicole Hershey, Miranda McGee*, and Maggie Lou Rader as the Chorus.
    *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.

Production Team

  • Director – Bridget Leak
  • Lighting & Scenic Designer – Andrew Hungerford
  • Scenic Charge & Prop Designer – Sarah Beth Hall
  • Costume Designer – Noelle Johnston
  • Sound & Video Designer – Doug Borntrager

Calendar Listing

Production:   HEAVIER THAN… by Steve Yockey

When:

  • 8:00pm  March 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31; April 1
  • 3:00pm  March 12, 19**, 26

**A pre-show brunch is available on this date with purchase of $35 “Brunch + Show” tickets in advance. Deadline for brunch reservation is March 13. Brunch provided by Water Tower Fine Wines

Where:
Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. In historic Over-the-Rhine.

Tickets:

  • $25 regular Price
  • $15 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)
  • FREE walk-up tickets are available on Wednesdays, as part of Know’s Welcome Experiment initiative. Advance reservations to Welcome Experiment performances are $5.00.
  • Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling                                              513.300.5669 (KNOW).

Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.

Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Know Theatre is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

Additional support for Heavier Than… was provided by the Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate member of the National New Play Network.

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February 16, 2017 · 5:18 am

Cincinnati Playhouse Announces New Building Campaign, Will Stay in Eden Park

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Artistic Director Blake Robison. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

CINCINNATI– Artistic Director Blake Robison announced today that Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will remain in Eden Park and move forward with a major capital campaign to replace the Playhouse’s current mainstage with a new state-of-the-art facility commensurate with the Playhouse’s artistry and national reputation.

Board of Trustees President Jack Rouse explained that “after more than a year of insightful research and analysis, the Board approved the capital campaign and the plan to build a brand new theatre complex. We remain committed to Eden Park and to the Mt. Adams neighborhood for the long term.”

While still in the earliest stages of planning and development, the building project will feature a new, and even more intimate, mainstage theatre with support facilities including new dressing rooms, a rehearsal room, green room, costume shop and backstage areas. The new theatre will enhance audience experience with better comfort, sightlines, acoustics and entry/exit and expand what can be done on stage.

Details of the building project design, campaign goal and construction timeline will be announced at a later date. The new mainstage theatre complex is projected to open in the Fall of 2020.

“Our campaign leadership is now launching the quiet phase of the campaign,” said Woody Taft, vice president of the board and chairman of the campaign. “We will focus on lead gifts for the next six to nine months before launching the public campaign.”

The Playhouse has hired Rachel Kirley as its Capital Campaign Director. In this added staff position, she’ll dedicate 100 percent of her time to the capital campaign. Additionally, the Playhouse has retained the national firm Arts Consulting Group as campaign counsel to work with Kirley and help guide this effort.

The new Mainstage Theatre Complex is Phase One of a Facility Master Plan. Future phases will include additional capacity for increased initiatives in community engagement and educational outreach across the region.

No major improvements have been made to the Marx Theatre since its construction nearly 50 years ago in 1968. It is the oldest un-renovated mainstage facility at any regional theatre in the country. The Playhouse’s last capital campaign was from 1994 to 1996 and culminated in a major renovation to the public and production support areas in 1997, but did not include any significant improvements to the two theatres.

Winner of two Tony awards, the Playhouse is the region’s preeminent professional theatre with unequaled access to the nation’s finest actors, directors and designers.

“The new state-of-the-art mainstage positions the Playhouse for the future,” Robison explained. “It will enhance our patrons’ experience and give our artists the modern technologies to achieve 21st century production values that are on par or exceed those in New York and London.”

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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February 14, 2017 · 9:04 pm

Broadway Cast Member Teresa De Zarn Visits THE SECRET GARDEN Cast at Beechmont Players

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Aubrey Wilson as Mrs. Medlock, Rebecca Mactaggart as Mary Lennox & Isaac Owens as the Fakir.

The cast of Beechmont Players soon-to-open Cincinnati production of the musical THE SECRET GARDEN got a special glimpse into the show’s beginnings when original Broadway cast member Teresa De Zarn spoke to them before rehearsal last Friday night.

Teresa was with the show much of the way, from backer’s auditions to the Broadway run.  Originally cast as Rose, the young orphan Mary’s dead mother, a family emergency took her away briefly, but she was invited back before the show opened on Broadway to take an ensemble role and understudy both Rose and Rose’s sister Lily.  On opening night, Rose was unable to perform, so Teresa was able to premiere her original role for the show’s first night on Broadway at the St. James Theater.  That cast included Daisy Eagan as Mary Lennox, along with Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker, Robert Westenberg and John Cameron Mitchell.

“It was an exciting process,” Teresa told the cast.  “During the backers’ auditions, the songs were changing constantly as the writers firmed up the show.  I was there from the beginning, and got to be part of our five-minute excerpt at the 1991 Tony Awards (introduced and narrated by Julie Andrews!), when the show won for Outstanding Musical.”

Teresa started her Broadway career in CATS (playing Sillabub and Grizabella) and was in THE THREE-PENNY OPERA (with Sting) before doing THE SECRET GARDEN.  She later played Gueniviere in the national tour of CAMELOT and Christine in the international tour of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.  She returned to Cincinnati, and today runs the theater program at McNicholas High School, where her theater career took root as a freshman in 1972.

THE SECRET GARDEN began as an enchanting classic of children’s literature, and has become a brilliant, innovative musical. Orphaned in India, 11 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her reclusive, uncle and his invalid son. The estate’s many wonders include a secret garden which beckons the children with haunting melodies and spirits from Mary’s past who guide her through her new life, dramatizing a compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal.

The show is currently preparing for a Spring, 2017 regional tour before coming back as a Broadway revival. But you can see it now–Beechmont Players’ production opens Friday, February 17th and runs through February 25th.  Information is available at www.BeechmontPlayers.org.

Director Joey Schnell says “I love this show, but it’s only rarely performed.”  He and Teresa agree that “It’s a powerful show,”  and Teresa adds, “if you’re a romantic you need to see it.”

Beechmont Players is one of Cincinnati’s oldest community theatre groups, having opened its doors in 1959 to provide quality community entertainment to the Anderson area.  Beechmont Players is the Arts Organization in Residence at the Anderson Center. The gorgeous, state-of-the-art Anderson Center Theater provides a breathtaking showcase for Beechmont Players’ award-winning productions.

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