Category Archives: Press Releases

January 1, 2016 · 11:46 am

ANTIGONE Starts New Year of Free Family Fun at the Arts Center at Dunham

PIP_Antigone promo

Renika Williams as Antigone.

CINCINNATI, OH – December 29, 2015 — The Free Family Fun Series resumes at the Arts Center at Dunham with ANTIGONE, by John Yearley and performed by the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions on Saturday, January 30 at 2 p.m.

Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Arts CAT, Off the Hill Productions ANTIGONE begins as Antigone and Prince Haemon are resolved to bring peace and stability to their city through their wedding after a terrible war between their families. But Antigone remains tortured by the king’s edict forbidding the burial of her traitorous brother. Facing an uncertain future, this brave young woman must choose between obeying the laws of men and honoring her loyalty to her family in this inventive and very accessible new take on the timeless Greek legend. ANTIGONE is recommended for ages 11 and up.

“The Free Family Fun Series at the Arts Center at Dunham continues in 2016 and is an opportunity for families to experience live theater, puppet shows and operas aimed at children,” said Carrie Mees, who supports programming at the Arts Center at Dunham.

All Free Family Fun Series performances on Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. The remaining series events include:

–          March 12, 2016 – AESOP’S CLASSIC FABLES by Madcap Puppets.

In the bountiful array of children’s literature, no author is better known and respected than the Greek storyteller, Aesop. Using animals as characters, he served up life lessons and morals in a tasty and digestible cupcake of a story. In Madcap’s production, Aesop is an old man recalling three of our best-loved stories re-told by a cast of puppets – and you.

–          April 2, 2016 ROKCincy Opera for Children: THE WIZARD OF OZ

ROKCincy is thrilled to present “The Wizard of Oz!” Using the beloved and familiar story written by Frank Baum and made famous by the 1939 film, ROKCincy has added operatic classics to enhance the drama and retell the tale as only they can. The performance is 40 minutes in length and includes a Q&A session with the cast. ROKCincy is a non-profit program with a mission to introduce young people to the thrill of live, fully staged opera and to give developing professional musicians an opportunity to hone their performance skills through experience.

–          April 23, 2016 THE GARDEN OF RIKKI TIKKI TAVI by Y York and performed by the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Productions. Courtesy of a grant from Price Hill Arts CAT.

Rudyard Kipling’s beloved classic comes alive in this fun, free-flowing adaptation. The bossy bird Darzee is furious when Rikki Tikki Tavi washes up in her garden. With the dimwitted muskrat Chuchu, she pulls out all of the stops to convince the pesky young mongoose to leave. That is until they see that the tyrannical cobra Nag runs in fear of Rikki Tikki Tavi. Ultimately, the three must band together to save their home in this delightful comedy about sharing and cooperation. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Reservations for all performances in the ACAD FREE Family Fun Series can be made online (www.sunsetplayers.org), or by calling the reservation/information line at 513-588-4988.

The Arts Center at Dunham is a fine arts center for the west side of Cincinnati and its vision is to provide affordable creative and performing arts for Price Hill and surrounding communities. Housed in one of the three remaining buildings of what was the first municipally owned tuberculosis sanatorium in the United States, the Arts Center includes a 350-seat performance venue as well as extensive studio and programming space. The Arts Center is located in the Dunham Recreation Complex. See what is happening at the Arts Center at Dunham on Facebook.

1 Comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as , ,

December 28, 2015 · 6:24 am

Cincinnati Shakespeare’s Games of Thrones Continues with HENRY VI: The War of the Roses, Part 1

Brian Isaac Phillips directs the next installment in CSC’s 5 year, 8 play history cycle

CSC_Henry VI promo

Darnelle Pierre Benjamin as Henry VI. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

CINCINNATI, Dec. 23, 2015— Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its season and multi-year history cycle with HENRY VI: The War of the Roses, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.  This production is directed by CSC Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips.  This production features Cincinnati Shakespeare’s Resident Ensemble members including Darnell Pierre Benjamin at King Henry VI.  The History Cycle sponsor is Osborn, Rohs, Williams & Donohoe, LLC.  The costume design sponsors are Vantiv and Dave Herche & Wendy Thursby.

Shakespeare’s game of thrones continues with this first installment of the Henry VI trilogy. King Henry V, one of England’s most beloved monarchs, brought unity and peace to his fractious country and victory over the rival nation of France. But when Henry’s untimely death leaves his infant son to inherit the crown, the country falls back into chaos as rival families of York and Lancaster seek to seize the throne for themselves. Featuring some of history’s most controversial characters, including Joan of Arc, this first installment in the epic War of the Roses trilogy sets the stage for the exciting conclusion soon to come.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin, a sixth season resident ensemble member of CSC, will be playing King Henry VI in this production.  “I hold a great deal of responsibility in my hands,” says Darnell, “I am a Black male from St. Martinville, LA; and, despite how much I’ve always fixated my interests on the classics, I never thought that I’d have the honor of representing one of Shakespeare’s history kings.”  Darnell has appeared on CSC’s stage many times to to critical acclaim including as Tom Robinson in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Aaron in “Titus Andronicus”, and Valentine in “The Two Gentleman of Verona.” Darnell says he “hope(s) to open people’s minds and hearts to seeing the core of this story as it is: A young man coming into his own as he learns that there are forces, both good and bad, that can alter his perception of himself; but, if he holds fast onto who he is and who he is becoming, regardless of what the outcome will be, he will maintain leadership of his truest self.”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is only the 2nd theater company in the United States to present Shakespeare’s 8 play history cycle in chronological order.  The 2013 production of “Richard II” began this multi-season history cycle at Cincinnati Shakespeare and was followed by 2014’s “Henry IV: Part 1 & 2” and 2015’s “Henry V” and now with 2016’s “Henry VI: The Wars of the Roses, Part 1”.  The cycle will conclude with “Henry VI: The Wars of the Roses, Part 2” and “Richard III”.

Performances of HENRY VI: The War of the Roses, Part 1 are scheduled from January 22- February 13, 2016 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm as well as on Saturday Feb. 13 at 2pm. There is no performance on Sunday Jan. 24.  Preview performances are on Wednesday Jan. 20 and Thursday Jan. 21 at 7:30pm and tickets are $25.

The theater is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center.  Single ticket prices range from $22-$35 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$39 on Fridays and Saturdays.  Previews are $25.  If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before a show with a valid student ID.  This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted.  Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members.  To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.

 

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season.  The repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached nearly 34,000 young people and underserved community members last season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions at its home on Race Street.  In 2014, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About the 2015-2016 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave.  The season design sponsor is Mark & Sue Ann Painter.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as

December 23, 2015 · 6:09 am

MamLuft&Co. Dance Partners with Clifton Cultural Arts Center to Premiere DOUBLE|SIDED

MAM_Double SidedCINCINNATI, OH — Cincinnati’s resident Modern Dance company, MamLuft&Co. Dance, announces the premiere of a new work titled DOUBLE|SIDED (Jan. 14-17). The performance opens MamLuft&Co. Dance’s ninth home season, “The Year of Doubles,” which also includes The Double (May 20-21).

DOUBLE|SIDED employs perspective, framing, a split audience, and the absence of a fourth wall — or any stage-defining walls, for that matter — to explore conflict and community.

The world premiere is presented in collaboration with the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, where MamLuft&Co. Dance is housed. The Clifton Cultural Arts Center is truly a regional Cultural Arts Center encompassing – and preserving – over 53,000 square feet of historically significant space in an urban campus. CCAC has welcomed over 150,000 visitors for an exhibit, concert, theater performance, civic function, or class since opening its doors in 2008. CCAC’s mission is to strengthen the critical link between participation in the cultural arts and successful, healthy children, adults, and communities. Created specifically for the grand auditorium in what was originally a schoolhouse built in 1906, DOUBLE|SIDED capitalizes on the architecture to create a unique experience for audiences.

In many ways, DOUBLE|SIDED presents dance in ways most people have never experienced.

Audiences will not only face each other, split in halves, but they will also be enveloped by the performance. Audiences can then uniquely experience — in remarkable proximity — the power of the performers in a way that is just not possible in large proscenium houses.

The performers also employ two moveable walls to create framing, obscure, reveal, build, and break-down. DOUBLE|SIDED pushes, pulls, encircles, collides, divides, and unifies. The experience, combined with daring athletic physicality, goes beyond engaging.

The new dance work opens eyes through its meaning, as well, using movement and staging as metaphors for communal division and harmony. Inspired by recent events and growing tensions in America, break-out choreographers Elena Rodriguez and Steven Evans explore individual and cultural presumptions and perspectives. The two choreographers premiere as headliners in this work and bring fresh artistry to the company of nine years.
Choreographer Steven Evans says, “We were drawn by many contemporary conflicts in our communities and our world…Our differences can either be used to stifle progress, or they can be used to find likeness and understanding. Our piece examines ourselves and our own prejudices. ”

Partner Elena Rodriguez says about the process of making DOUBLE|SIDED: “It was a very personal process that dug deep for Steven and me: we were forced to analyze our own biases and perspectives and take responsibility for our roles in creating social change. We asked the dancers to do the same and bring their own opinions and personal experiences to the table. We worked to create movement that we felt represented ourselves and then began creating a story about finding acceptance and understanding with others who are not like us or who may think differently. We wanted to build a piece that showed how volatile and aggressive human confrontation can be, as well as one that portrayed some of the beauty and understanding within true human connection.”

Premiering as Company dancers in this performance are McKenzie Barkdull (Salt Lake City, Utah), Christina Cairns (Farmington Hills, Michigan), and Amelia Koper Heintzelman (Muncie, Indiana).

Performances are Thursday through Sunday, January 14 through 17, 2016 (Thu./Sun. performances at 7pm at discounted rates, Fri./Sat. at 8pm). Tickets are available now at MLCo.org, at 513.494.MLCo (6526) M-F 11am-4pm, and at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (3711 Clifton Ave, call 513-497-2860 for hours, as they vary). Tickets purchased before January 1 are 15% off.

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as

December 23, 2015 · 5:56 am

Alumni Awards Announced by CYPT

CYPT_logoEvery year at the Benefit, several notable alumni are recognized for their contributions to the organization or as great ambassadors after their years in CYPT.

Like last year, the award recipients are being announced in advance of the Benefit.

It is with great pleasure that we honor the following:

Mayor John Cranley
2015 CYPT Founder’s Award

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the success and long term development of Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre and Cincinnati Landmark Productions. Both before and during his tenure in office, Mayor Cranley served as a tireless champion for the Incline Theater Project. His leadership and counsel were invaluable as CLP sought to create a second year-round venue in Price Hill – the first performing arts center built in Cincinnati in over 20 years – setting up the organization for a bright future. Mayor Cranley was also a key advocate for the creation of the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts in 2002 during his time on City Council.

Previous honorees: Mark Mueller, Tony Hungler, Steve Papin, Doug Ridenour, Nicola Burgun, Greg Dastillung, Joe Bunke.

Tom McCafferty
2015 Distinguished Alumni Award – Life

Created to recognize the many alumni who make valuable contributions to our community through their volunteerism or occupations outside the arts. Tom graduated West Point Military Academy in 1988 and was commissioned as an Army Infantry officer, where he served mostly in Germany. After leaving the Army in 1994, he moved to Los Angeles and launched a successful career as a writer, actor and director. Earlier this year, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Veterans in Film and Television (VFT), an organization which connects military veterans with entertainment career opportunities.

Previous honorees: Greg Lynch, Sean Tierney, Matt Miller, Tara Tuttle, Molly O’Brien Peters, Laura Grosse Holland.

Steven G. Kennedy
The Matt Gunnels Memorial Award for Distinguished Alumni – Performing Arts

This award recognizes notable achievements in the performing arts after one’s participation in CYPT. Since first appearing in CYPT’s Joseph..Dreamcoat in 1989, Steven has made a substantial impact on the business of the performing arts. Through cutting edge projects such as Inspire Change, Steven has enjoyed introducing arts educators and thousands of under-served young people to the arts. Most recently, Steven has worked with Music Theatre International and iTheatrics, developing a series of show specific choreography DVDs and serves as the Choreography Supervisor working directly with licensing departments at Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group, Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc. the Rogers and Hammerstein Organization and Samuel French.

Previous honorees: Richard Oberacker, Allen Kendall, Eric Bricking, Aaron LaVigne, Brandy Rice Bailey, Amy Miller and Matt Wilson.

Reginald Hemphill
Lindsey Mullen
2015 CYPT Hall of Fame Award

Reginald and Lindsey will be inducted into the CYPT Hall of Fame for their outstanding performances during their years with Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre.

Reggie started his CYPT career in 2011’s Crazy for You. He then appeared as Sammy in The Wedding Singer, Roger in Grease, Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose and Duane in Hairspray. Reggie is currently a junior theatre major at Ohio Wesleyan University. After graduation, he would love to return to Cincinnati to grow as an actor and work with different companies within the Tristate area.

Lindsey was involved in her first CYPT production in 2010 as Cosette in Les Misérables. She also performed as a Follies Singer in 2011’s Crazy for You, Julia Sullivan in 2012’s The Wedding Singer, and Marty in 2013’s Grease. Her final production with CYPT was 2014’s Footloose as Vi Moore. Lindsey served as a member of CYPT’s Teen Board in 2013 and 2014. Lindsey is currently in her junior year at Vanderbilt University and is pursuing a major in Mathematics, as well as minors in Voice Performance and Financial Economics. She has plans to return to Cincinnati after finishing school and hopes to be involved in future CLP shows.

Previous honorees: Jan Bruce, Laura Zervic, Doug Berlon, Joe Moeller, Jeni Bayer Schwiers, Tommy Boeing, Emily Berger, Susie Robinson, Kelcey Steele.

Congratulations to the recipients and to all nominated. Join us on December 27 at the Benefit as we honor these deserving individuals in person.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as ,

December 22, 2015 · 6:13 am

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Cultivates Comedy with Karen Zacarias’ World Premiere NATIVE GARDENS, Jan. 23-Feb. 21, 2016

PIP_Native Gardens logo(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park kicks off the New Year with laughter as friendly neighbors become feuding enemies in the world premiere production of NATIVE GARDENS, which will run Jan. 23 through Feb. 21 in the Robert S. Marx Theatre. This comedy of good intentions and bad manners is the latest offering from playwright Karen Zacarías, well-known to Playhouse audiences as the author of The Book Club Play, a smash hit in the Shelterhouse (and at theatres across the country) in 2013.

When high-powered D.C. attorney Pablo and his pregnant, doctoral candidate wife Tania move into a fixer-upper in a neighborhood of stately Victorian homes, next-door neighbors Virginia and Frank welcome their improvement plans for the neglected property. However, the initial goodwill possessed by both couples evaporates quickly when those improvements reveal larger philosophical differences. Environmentalist Tania dreams of creating a native garden, one in which all of the plants are local to their region. But her neighbor, Frank, feels a sting of judgment toward his formal English garden with its high-maintenance, foreign plants. NATIVE GARDENS, which will be directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison, uses comedy to dig into deeper issues of taste, class, privilege and entitlement with hilarious results.

“Humor creates a comfortable distance for the audience,” explains Robison. “It allows them to laugh at the characters, and even themselves, without seeming quite as threatening as in a drama. I think the distance literally allows us to look at ourselves through a telescope. Some of these difficult issues become a little easier to discuss when it’s with characters who are not exactly us, living in a place that’s not exactly where we live. “The fact that these characters act in comic and outrageous ways shines a light on the issues but allows us to view them from the safety of our own experiences,” Robison continues. “By creating a relationship between us and the characters on stage, we find that the truth is somewhere in the middle.” Zacarías’ world premiere — one of five of her plays debuting this season throughout the country — was commissioned through the Playhouse’s Jerome Fey Endowment as part of its ongoing commitment to the development and production of new plays.

It was party small talk that inspired the idea for NATIVE GARDENS. “My friends were talking about this unbearable protracted battle they were having with their neighbors,” Zacarías says. “It was both a dispute about land and about taste … and I thought how this small fight has many of the ingredients for every bigger battle happening in the world today.”

The cast of NATIVE GARDENS features Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran Karen Ziemba as Virginia Capanini Butley. In addition to the Tony, Ziemba received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her portrayal of The Wife in Contact. Additional cast members include John Lescault as Frank Butley, Gabriel Ruiz as Pablo Del Valle and Sabina Zuniga Varela as Tania Del Valle. The cast also includes landscape technicians Xavier Blanco, Miguel Casanova, Darlene Estela and Michael Urriquia.

In addition to Robison, the creative team features Joseph P. Tilford (set designer), Bill Black (costume designer), Mary Louise Geiger (lighting designer) and Joe Payne (sound designer). Brooke Redler is the stage manager, and Jenifer Morrow and Andrea L. Shell are the second stage managers. NATIVE GARDENS is sponsored by Johnson Investment Counsel and Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. David and Jenny Powell are the artist sponsors, and Linda and Gary Greenberg are the honorary producers.

Ticket prices for NATIVE GARDENS start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adult and teenage audiences.

Continuing this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances (not including A Christmas Carol) priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances. Discounted ticket prices for teens and students are available in advance for all performances for $30. The Playhouse’s new culinary series continues with wine tastings with tapas before every Thursday evening performance of NATIVE GARDENS. The tastings, $22 per person, will kick off at 6 p.m. with wine selections from Heidelberg Distributing Co. and food provided by Vonderhaar’s Catering. For reservations call the Box Office at 513-421-3888. Previews for NATIVE GARDENS are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27. The official opening night is Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast and others associated with NATIVE GARDENS will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18.

NATIVE GARDENS will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available. Tickets to NATIVE GARDENS are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit http://www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility. The 2015-16 Robert S. Marx Theatre season is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, and Macy’s is the Robert S. Marx Theatre season design sponsor. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as