Category Archives: Press Releases

April 27, 2016 · 6:37 am

Laughs Abound at Sunset Players’ DUCK HUNTER SHOOTS ANGEL

SSP_Duck Hunter Shoots Angel promo

Blake Gehring, Michael Dean Conley, Robert Brumberg & Ivory Mazur.

CINCINNATI, OH – April 26, 2016 —Combine two duck hunting brothers with a swamp, angel and the tabloids and you have Sunset Players’ DUCK HUNTER SHOOTS ANGEL, which hits the Arts Center at Dunham (1945 Dunham Way, Cincinnati, OH 45238) stage from May 6 through 21.

Written by Mitch Albom who wrote Tuesdays with Morrie and directed by Mike Burke, this uproarious story centers on two bumbling Alabama brothers who think they shot an angel while duck hunting. As they lament their fates, they are chased by a cynical journalist and a reluctant photographer who don’t believe any of it – until feathers, wings, and a tiara are discovered. The play interweaves a love story, sibling rivalry, tawdry media, race relations, and cultural stereotypes as the chase ensures to find the angel in the swamp.

Cast includes:

  • Robert Brumberg as Sandy
  • Ivory Mazur as Lenny
  • Justin Fiser as Lester
  • Blake Gehring as Duane
  • Michael Dean Conley as Duwell
  • Deb Case as Woman
  • Sydney Schultheis as Kansas
  • Steve Fleming as Voice/Bank Loan Officer

Show dates are May 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, and 21. All shows begin at 8 p.m., with the Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. Cincinnati State’s Interpreter Training Program will provide sign language interpreting for the deaf community on Saturday, May 14. A cash bar will be available for performances, except the Sunday matinee.

Tickets are $14 general admission or $12 for seniors, students or groups of 10 or more and can be purchased online at the Sunset Players website (www.sunsetplayers.org) or at the door. Tickets can also be reserved by calling 513-588-4988.

Sunset Players, Inc. is a community theater group located on the west side of Cincinnati. Founded in 1979, the group performs at the Arts Center at Dunham and has produced more than 120 plays. Its mission is to bring a smile, and its plays include comedies, farces, dramatic comedies and musical comedies—as long as there is some “comedy” in the performance somewhere. For more information, visit our website at www.sunsetplayers.org or like us on Facebook.

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April 26, 2016 · 6:31 am

Covington Buses Become Mobile Stages and Galleries on “Ride with an Artist” Day

PONES_Ride with an Artist Day promoCOVINGTON, KY– Imagine you’re on a bus, mind numb, traveling from Point A to Point B. You’re worrying about the bills you have to pay, the errands you need to run, and… suddenly, people start dancing on the bus with you… Wait, on another bus, there are classical musicians and acoustic guitar and drums… And three other buses have been transformed into an art installation for a day! What is happening? Is this the coolest thing you have EVER seen? Is your day officially MADE?

Join in the celebration of your city, public transit and art as you connect with your neighbors during “Ride with an Artist” Day. Pones Inc. and TANK are teaming up for free pop-up art experiences happening throughout the day on buses. For the price of bus fare, riders will be transported in mobile stages and galleries on their ride to school, work, or home.

Leading up to the day are multiple free community classes and workshops for all ages and abilities, including dance classes for students at John G. Carlisle and Glenn O. Swing schools. We also need your help to create the mobile galleries!

Sign up today for free workshops for the whole family at Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center, The Carnegie, and Pique. Join your friends, family, and neighbors in making a bus come to life.

Workshop Information:

  1. “Window Wraps” at Pique on April 27th from 6:30-9:00pm led by artists Annie Brown and Lindsey Whittle
  2. “On Route to Cloud Nine” at Baker Hunt on May 3rd and 10th from 7:00-8:30pm led by artist Karen Saunders
  3. “Botanical Bus” at The Carnegie on May 6th from 5:00-6:00pm and May 7th from 1:00-2:00pm led by artists Greg Swiger and Emily Moores.

“Ride with an Artist” Day Information:
Date: Friday, May 13th between 11:00am-6:00pm

Times and Routes:

  • Your morning commute is about to have a whole new groove. Drummer Liz Wu and guitarist Nick Rose-Stamey will entertain riders with a fiery blend of South American folk music that will inspire you to start your day off right. Catch them on the #25 from 9-10:00am.
  • Pones Inc. dancers will keep things moving on the #1 from 2:00-3:00pm (with stops at John G Carlisle Elementary and Glenn O Swing Elementary)
  • MYCincinnati will be serenading you with a classical quartet on the Southbank Shuttle from 5:00-6:00pm. The musicians involved are part of MYCincinnati, a free, daily youth orchestra program for the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati.
  • Three art installations up all day on bus routes traveling all across the city on a variety of different routes.

This event was made possible with generous funding from Covington Ten and The Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington. More information on “Ride with an Artist” Day and the surrounding events can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/520484391472388/ or www.ponesinc.com.

Pones Inc. provides artistic opportunities for community growth by creating engaging new ways for audiences to experience dance. Founded in 2008, Pones Inc. has collaborated with over 200 artists and 100 art and service organizations. The company creates site-specific performances through a fusion of movement and dance with other art forms. Pones Inc. performers use their bodies to speak their minds and use their signature pedestrian-inspired movement to spark collaboration, connection, and community. Pones Inc. believes that art creates powerful change.

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky is an integral part of  the Northern Kentucky  community,  providing  public  transit  service  to  Boone,  Campbell,  and  Kenton  Counties  as  well as downtown Cincinnati  for more  than 35 years.  Close  to 4 million passengers each  year rely on TANK buses  throughout  the region  to get  them where they need  to be.  Visit  TANK on the web at www.tankbus.org.
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April 25, 2016 · 6:28 am

Mariemont Players Announces WHO AM I THIS TIME? (& OTHER CONUNDRUMS OF LOVE)

MPI_Who Am I This Time promo1

Michael Gettinger as Newt and Hannah Waskowitz as Catharine. Photo by Amy Sullivan.

Mariemont Players presents Who Am I This Time? (& Other Conundrums of Love), a romantic comedy by Aaron Posner, adapted from stories by Kurt Vonnegut, at the Walton Creek Theater, 4101 Walton Creek Road (just East of Mariemont), May 6th through May 22nd, 2016.

The subject of this play—as we are told at the outset—is love, pure and complicated. Set on the stage of The North Crawford Mask & Wig Club (“the finest community theater in central Connecticut!”), three early comic masterpieces by Kurt Vonnegut (Long Walk to Forever, Who am I This Time? and Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son) are sewn together into a seamless evening of hilarity and humanity. With Vonnegut’s singular wit and insight into human foibles, this is a smart, delightful comedy for the whole family.

“…as a night in the theatre, it’s easy to love.” –The Oregonian. “It takes love as its subject and handles it with the utmost skill…The overwhelming message, though, is one of hope, delivered with humor and heart…delightful.” –Willamette Week. “This delightful, lyrical piece of love and simpler times…delivers just the right amount of fun…more than a few belly laughs of a more home-spun Vonnegut quality. Audiences will find themselves enchanted and often laughing out loud.” –PortlandStageReviews.com. “The play might be light, but it’s also serious, because its subject is the mysterious powers and vagaries of love. And it might be new, but its verities are traditional: tight script…approachable characters, recognizable tension, satisfying resolution.” –Oregon Arts Watch.

Who Am I This Time?  is produced and directed by Dan Maloney and features the talents of Arny Stoller, Michael Gettinger, Hannah Waskowitz, Martha Slater, Amy Waldfogle, Patrick Kramer, Kenny Tessel, and Samantha McDaniel.

Performances will be:

  • 8 PM Friday, May 6th
  • 8 PM Saturday, May 7th
  • 2 PM Sunday, May 8th*
  • 7:30 PM Thursday, May 12th
  • 8 PM Friday, May 13th
  • 8 PM Saturday, May 14th
  • 2 PM Sunday, May 15th
  • 7 PM Sunday, May 15th
  • 7:30 PM Thursday, May 19th
  • 8 PM Friday, May 20th
  • 3 PM Saturday, May 21st
  • 8 PM Saturday, May 21st
  • 2 PM Sunday, 22nd

*The performance on Sunday, May 8th will feature a special, Mother’s Day reception with complementary tea and cookies before the show starting at 1 PM.

To order tickets for Who Am I This Time?, call Betsy at 513-684-1236 OR order online at www.mariemontplayers.com. All seats are reserved and $20 each. For more information, contact Dan at maloneykd@gmail.com.

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April 24, 2016 · 10:42 am

Diogenes Theatre Company Proudly Presents HAPPY DAYS by Samuel Beckett

DTC_Happy Days1

Amy Warner as Winnie. Photo by Larry Lamb.

Diogenes Theatre Company proudly presents
HAPPY DAYS by Samuel Beckett

Directed by Michael Evan Haney
Performed by Amy Warner and Michael Sommers

May 12 – 22, 2016

(Cincinnati, OH) April 22, 2016 —A woman buried up to her waist. A man sleeping in a hole. A revolver. Another happy day! In Samuel Beckett’s comic allegory on the human condition — his most uplifting play — Winnie keeps her sanity and optimistic outlook on life while facing greater and greater adversity.

Diogenes Theatre Company will produce “Happy Days” in the Aronoff Center for the Arts Fifth Third Theatre from May 12-22. Diogenes is thrilled to produce this iconic play with internationally acclaimed director Michael Evan Haney. The show was produced earlier this year by Open Eye Figure Theatre and enjoyed a successful run in Minneapolis from March 4 to the 19th. Haney directed the production for Open Eye Figure Theatre and it starred Amy Warner, playing the lead role of Winnie, and Michael Sommers as her laconic husband Willie. Warner and Sommers will reprise their roles in Cincinnati. Haney and Warner, who are married, relocated to Minneapolis in 2014 from Cincinnati and are excited to return to Ohio and share this play.

Haney worked on seven plays with Alan Schneider, who directed the 1956 American premiere of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Haney was drawn to Happy Days because of its deep, complex commentary on the human condition and long-term relationships.

Michael Sommers created the dystopian landscape which also made the journey from Minneapolis to Cincinnati for the production.

Amy Warner moved back to her home town of Minneapolis in 2014. Currently, she can be seen playing Cate Blanchet’s mother-in-law in the film CAROL. While living in Cincinnati, she acted at the Playhouse, Ensemble Theater, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Know Theater and New Stage Collective in plays such as Whose Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Hamlet, 33 Variations, Other Desert Cities, Angels in America, A Little Night Music, The Goat, Speaking In Tongues and A Christmas Carol. While living in Los Angeles, she appeared in a number of episodic TV shows, including THE PRACTICE, ALLY MCBEAL, and E.R. While living in New York, she was a member of the Off-Broadway repertory theater, Classic Stage Company. Her many roles with them include Helena in FAUST and Athena in THE ORESTIA.

Michael Evan Haney has been a fixture on the Cincinnati theatre scene for the past 15 years. His work in Cincinnati includes for the Playhouse: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, BLACKBIRD, CRIME & PUNISHMENT, THE CLEAN HOUSE and the world premiers of THE HISTORY OF INVULNERABILITY, A DELICATE SHIP by Anna Ziegler and HIDINGBEHIND COMETS. For Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati: AN ILIAD, TRIBES and GROUNDED. For Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and OLIVER TWIST. He has directed at many regional theatres including Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and KC Repertory Theatre.
As an actor he appeared on and off Broadway and as Cate Blanchett’s father-in-law in the film CAROL. His production of THE SYRINGA TREE played Vienna and Frankfurt and across the U.S. and Off-Broadway he directed AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS for the Irish Rep. He is married to his favorite actress, Amy Warner.

Michael Sommers has worked in professional theater for 30 years and is recognized as one of the country’s most versatile and ingenious theater artists. An Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota, Mr. Sommers is a two-time Bush Fellowship recipient and a 2004 McKnight Theatre Fellow. In 2008 he was awarded a Ford Fellowship and in 2009 he was recognized with the Bush Enduring Vision Award. His signature work is produced at Open Eye — including A Prelude to Faust, Elijah’s Wake, and The Holiday Pageant. He has traveled internationally, teaching and performing in China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and Mexico.

About Diogenes Theatre Company
Diogenes Theatre Company is a small professional theatre performing the best of comedy and drama in intimate studio settings . For more information visit – www.diogenestheatrecompany.com/.

About Open Eye Figure Theatre (OEFT)
OEFT creates original figure theatre, animating the inanimate on an intimate scale; trains the next generation of figure theatre artists; and advances adventurous, artist-driven programming in the Open Eye theater space. For more information visit – www.openeyetheatre.org.

Performance Schedule: May 12 – 22

  • Thursday, May 12, 7:30 pm
  • Friday, May 13, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, May 14, 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, May 15, 2:00 pm
  • Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 pm
  • Thursday, May 19, 7:30 pm
  • Friday, May 20, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, May 21, 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, May 22, 2:00 pm

Tickets $29 — General Admission $14 — Students Reservations or pre-purchase recommended. Available at cincinnatiarts.org

Location Aronoff Center for the Arts650 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-721-3344

The entrance to the lobby of the Fifth Third Theater is located at the corner of 7th and Main Streets in downtown Cincinnati.

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April 24, 2016 · 9:27 am

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival Presents THE SECRETS OF AVONDALE FALLS

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival
Presents
THE SECRETS OF AVONDALE FALLS
June 5th – 11th

CFF_The Secret of Avalon Falls

Photo by Rick Poston.

Cincinnati, OH: Look out Queen City, because The O’Debra Twins are coming all the way from Brooklyn for you! You are invited to the Cincinnati Premiere of The Secrets of Avondale Falls – an absurd, over-the-top, outrageous 1980s soap opera performed radio-style. It’s like Dynasty meets The Power Rangers, but with a thousand times more quicksand. Performances are Sunday, June 5 at 3:45 PM; Tuesday, June 7 at 9:15 PM; Thursday, June 9 at 7:20 PM; and Saturday, June 11 at 9:30 PM at the Art Academy Commons (1212 Jackson St). Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door, Fringe Headquarters, www.cincyfringe.com, or by calling 513.300.5669(KNOW).

THE SECRETS OF AVONDALE FALLS
Written by The O’Debra Twins

Starring

  • Gregg Bellon
  • Kevin Holladay
  • Antonia Lassar
  • Diane O’Debra
  • Tanya O’Debra
  • And a secret surprise guest every show!

Avondale Falls. Where everybody knows your name. Because they’re planning to poison you for seducing their fiancé while they were in an amnesia-induced coma after falling into a pit of quicksand, and your husband, the world’s handsomest doctor, is trying to put you in a medical prison for the exceptionally beautiful and rich. Don’t worry. You’ve got the skeleton key to the Harrington Diamond Vault and a mind control laser beam. They’re all going to pay for what they’ve done to you.

THE O’DEBRA TWINS are asthmatic Irish twins who were born out of cabbages in a McDonald’s bathroom. They have no blood or guts. They are instead filled with confetti. The ECNY Award nominated comic sister duo tragically split in 2008, and have triumphantly reunited. They co-hosted the hit open mic SHOW & TELL at The Bowery Poetry Club for five years. Their wildly popular annual O’Debbie Awards Show garnered a Best of New York Award from The Village Voice. “Two of the smartest, most perverse gals in the city… They deserve more attention than most of this city’s conventional comedians.” – NY Press www.odebratwins.com

DIANE O’DEBRA is an actress/comedienne who has performed stand up and sketch internationally. She produced and starred in Skits & Tits, a monthly variety/sketch show, and co-hosted the weekly open mic, NYC Talent Show. Diane is a frequent guest on the Keith and the Girl podcast. She trained at The Upright Citizens Brigade and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Theater credits include Ellen O’Debra in Straight Up Vampire (Joe’s Pub), and multiple characters in 64 (HERE Arts Center). She played the heroin addict in the YouTube hit, I Am Drugs.

TANYA O’DEBRA is a Brooklyn-based Boston-born writer/performer. Published by Original Works, her play RADIO STAR has been produced all over the world, receiving numerous awards and accolades. Her play, Shut UP, Emily Dickinson was presented at the Orlando and Cincy Fringe Festivals, as well as Dixon Place’s Main Stage Works-in-Progress Series. Winner of the Miss Fag Hag Pageant, other theater credits include Patrice O’Debra in Straight Up Vampire (Joe’s Pub), The Evil Queen in Snow White (The New Acting Company) and Amanda McCloud in The Ultimate Stimulus (Cincy Fringe, FringeNYC, Dixon Place). www.tanyaodebra.com

GREGG BELLÓN is a performer, director, writer, designer, and production manager. Recent credits: Shut UP, Emily Dickinson (by Tanya O’Debra, Dixon Place, Orlando & Cincy Fringe Festivals), Dumporama (by Cheri Magrid, Centenary Stage); Flood (by Kirby Fields, Samuel French One-Act Festival); Conexion Sin Hilo (by Julie deGrandy, Hudson Exploited Theater Company). He is the Founder and Director of Production Consolidated, a full-service production company dedicated to a holistic approach to theater production. For more info, check out www.ProductionConsolidated.com. As always, for Nick.

KEVIN HOLLADAY studied playwriting at Indiana University. He wrote and produced several original works at the Bloomington Playwright’s Project Black Box Theatre where he also served on the board of directors. He taught with New York’s National Circus Project. Over the last 20 years, Kevin worked as a clown (where he stood on stage at the 1996 Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony for Circus America), punk rock and lounge singer, professional wrestler, roller derby announcer, and award-winning children’s storyteller and recording artist. Kevin currently serves as the Artistic Director of his theatre company, Schedule C Productions. His play, The King & I: a Hunk of Burnin’ Love, earned a Critic’s Pick at the 2014 Cincy Fringe. Kevin will be performing his latest play, VELOUR, at the 2016 festival.

ANTONIA LASSAR is first and foremost a Beyoncé enthusiast. She is also an actor, poet, playwright, and musician. Antonia spends most of her time touring solo theatre around the country, and will also be seen at the Cincy Fringe in Post Traumatic Super Delightful. She was recently featured in Marie Claire Magazine and a panelist on Glamour Magazine’s Top Ten College Women Program. Antonia has a BFA from Boston University and is based in Brooklyn with her super hot boyfriend and her Netflix account. antonialassar.com

THE CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL, produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati, celebrates its 13th Anniversary this year May 31 – June 11, 2016. The Festival is a collaborative organization striving to provide opportunities and exposure to artists who are willing to take a risk. Our artists push the boundaries of the “norm” and continually experiment with style and content. During the festival local, regional, national and international artists invade downtown Cincinnati for 12 days of artistic celebration in both traditional and non-traditional spaces. These artists represent a variety of media including theatre, dance, music, poetry, visual art, film and beyond. www.cincyfringe.com

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