Category Archives: Press Releases

PIPPIN On Sale Friday, August 21 at 9AM

FOUR-TIME TONY® AWARD WINNER

IS COMING TO CINCINNATI FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 AT 9AM

 Cincinnati, OH –Experience the thrilling 2013 Tony Award®-winning musical PIPPIN – described as “An eye-popping, jaw-dropping, VISUALLY STUNNING extravaganza. THE THRILL OF THE SEASON!” by NY1.

PIPPIN will play the Aronoff Center, October 13-18, 2015 as part of the 2015-2016 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati Season presented by TriHealth. Tickets will be on sale Friday, August 21 at 9AM at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. Group orders of ten or more may be placed by calling 513.369.4363.

PIPPIN is back for the first time since it thrilled audiences 40 years ago… With a beloved score by Tony nominee Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), PIPPIN tells the story of a young prince on a death-defying journey to find meaning in his existence. Will he choose a happy but simple life? Or will he risk everything for a singular flash of glory? This captivating new production is directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus (Hair and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess). It features sizzling choreography by Tony Award nominee Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation of breathtaking acrobatics by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 Doigts de la Main (also known as 7 Fingers) the creative force behind the nationwide sensation Traces.  PIPPIN is noted for many Broadway standards including “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic To Do,” “Glory,” “No Time at All,” “Morning Glow,” and “Love Song.”

PIPPIN, the most nominated Broadway show of 2013, won four 2013 Tony® Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, four Drama Desk Awards, seven Outer Critic Circle Awards,  and the Drama League Award.

With a book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, PIPPIN features music supervision and arrangements by Nadia DiGiallonardo, orchestrations by Tony Award-winner Larry Hochman, scenic design by Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costume design by Dominique Lemieux, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner, sound design by Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm.

Barry & Fran Weissler and Howard & Janet Kagan present the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) production of PIPPIN with Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, Stephen E. McManus, A&A Gordon, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak,Rebecca Gold, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Hugh Hayes/Jonathan Reinis/Jamie Cesa, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Ben Feldman, Just For Laughs Theatricals, Square 1 Theatrics, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg,  Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, and Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney.

Join us… for this magical, unforgettable production the New York Times declared “Astonishing!  A PIPPIN for the 21st Century.”

PIPPIN will play the Aronoff Center from October 13 – 18: Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:00PM. Tickets for PIPPIN start at $29. They will be available Friday, August 21 at 9AM at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInCincinnati.com.

www.PippinTheMusical.com

Become a fan of PIPPIN on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PippinTheMusical and follow PIPPIN on Twitter @pippinthemusical

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Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati presented by TriHealth is committed to bringing the very best of Broadway to the Tri-State, presenting touring Broadway plays and musicals in Cincinnati since 1987. For the past twenty years, Broadway in Cincinnati has presented all shows at the Aronoff Center, and joins in celebrating the Aronoff’s landmark 20th Anniversary this year.  The Broadway in Cincinnati series brings more than 185,000 people downtown to the Aronoff Center each year, and contributes an average of $30 million to the local economy each season. Broadway in Cincinnati is a member of the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and The Broadway League. Fifth Third Bank is the sponsor of the Cincinnati 15/16 Season and the season is presented by TriHealth. LOCAL 12 is the official television station of the 15/16 Cincinnati Season.  

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA is part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, under the supervision of John Gore (Owner & CEO).  BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 38 markets. Current and past productions include Beautiful, Finding Neverland, It Shoulda Been You, Million Dollar Quartet, Hairspray and The Producers. BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com; Broadway.com

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Comedian Lewis Black Rants to Benefit The Human Race Theatre Company, October 11 at Victoria Theatre‏

COMEDIAN LEWIS BLACK PERFORMS STAND UP CONCERT
TO BENEFIT THE HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY

October 11, 2015 event at Victoria Theatre is a rant for a good cause.

Lewis Black.

Lewis Black.

(Dayton, OH)— On Sunday, October 11, everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, comedian/actor/playwright Lewis Black (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Inside Out), takes the Victoria Theatre stage in downtown Dayton for Lewis Black in Concert: A Benefit to The Human Race (Theatre Company), a one-night-only stand up concert benefiting The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton’s premier professional regional theatre company. You’ll laugh until you cry as the “King of Rant” himself skewers the absurdities of life in his trademark finger-wagging finest. Tickets begin at $30 and are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage.

The Human Race will produce Mr. Black’s comedy play, One Slight Hitch, on its 2015-2016 Loft Season, April 7 – 24, 2016.

“PATRON” SEATS/POST-SHOW RECEPTION
There are a select number of $150 “Patron” tickets available which include prime center-section seats close to the stage, a Human Race Theatre “bling bag” and an exclusive post-show dessert reception with Lewis Black in The Loft Theatre lobby. The reception is hosted by Larry and Marilyn Klaben. $50 of the “Patron” ticket price is a tax-deductible gift to The Human Race Theatre.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The Sunday, October 11 performance is at the Victoria Theatre, located at 138 North Main Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Show time is 7:00 p.m.

The exclusive post-show reception with Lewis Black is in The Loft Theatre lobby, located on the third floor of the Metropolitan Art Center, located at 126 North Main Street, next to the Victoria Theatre. The meet and greet is for “Patron” ticket holders only.

ABOUT LEWIS BLACK

Though Lewis Black came to stand-up later in life, he quickly became one of the biggest comics of his generation. Often political, Black’s trademark style is an angry boil that builds to a full-on shouting rant; his frustration with politics and society drive him from frustration to rage. Like George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks before him, Black is fed up with the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world, and his comedy is devoted to preaching that gospel to the unsuspecting masses. He is well-known to audiences from his regular segment, “Back in Black,” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and his numerous stand up concert shows which include Black on Broadway; Red, White and Screwed; Stark Raving Black; In God We Rust and the Grammy Award-winning The Carnegie Hall Performance. As an actor, he has appeared in the films Accepted and Man of the Year (with Robin Williams), and is currently the voice of “Anger” in the Walt Disney/Pixar animated film Inside Out. A prolific playwright for the past several decades, his wedding day comedy One Slight Hitch has recently received productions around the country.

For a full, in-depth biography on Mr. Black, please visit The Human Race Theatre Company’s website page on the October 11 concert.

Lewis Black in Concert: A Benefit to The Human Race (Theatre Company) is sponsored by Doug Annala and Sam Rinehart, and Maureen Lynch and Richard Lapedes. Cox Media Group Ohio is the media sponsor.

Sunday, October 11, 2015  7:00 p.m.

Victoria Theatre – 138 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio 45402

For tickets:

  • Ticket Center Stage box office phone: (937) 228-3630 or (888) 228-3630
    Box office hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Schuster Center Box Office, and two hours prior to performances at the Victoria Theatre Box Office.
  • Online: www.humanracetheatre.org or www.ticketcenterstage.com.

Ticket prices: $30, $50, $65. “Patron” ticket price: $150 (includes exclusive post-show meet and greet with Lewis Black and Human Race gift bag; $50 tax-deductible contribution to The Human Race Theatre Company)

The Human Race Theatre Company was founded in 1986 and moved into the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at the 212-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Eichelberger Loft Season, The Human Race produces a summer Festival of New Works and special event programming. Under the direction of President and Artistic Director Kevin Moore, the company also maintains education and outreach programs for children, teens and adults, as well as artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, and a summer youth program. Human Race organizational support is provided by Culture Works, the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, the Shubert Foundation, the Erma R. Catterton Trust Fund, the Jesse & Caryl Philips Foundation Fund for the Development of New Works, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, which helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The 2015-2016 Sustainability Sponsors are the ELM Foundation, Anne F. Johnson and Steve and Lou Mason. The 2015-2016 Loft season sponsor is the Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation of the Dayton Foundation, with additional support from Premier Health and Morris Home Furnishings.

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:

The Human Race Theatre Company presents

Lewis Black in Concert

A Benefit to The Human Race (Theatre Company)

Sunday, October 11, 2015  7:00 p.m.

Victoria Theatre

138 North Main Street

Dayton, Ohio 45402

Comedian Lewis Black, the “King of Rant” himself, takes the Victoria Theatre stage in this one-night-only stand up concert benefiting The Human Race Theatre Company. You’ll laugh until you cry as one of the most popular comics of our time skewers the absurdities of life in his trademark finger-wagging finest.
For tickets:

Ticket Center Stage box office phone: (937) 228-3630 or (888) 228-3630

Box office hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Schuster Center Box Office, and two hours prior to performances at the Victoria Theatre Box Office.

Online: http://www.humanracetheatre.org or http://www.ticketcenterstage.com
Ticket prices: $30, $50, $65

“Patron” ticket price: $150 (includes exclusive post-show meet and greet with Lewis Black and Human Race gift bag; $50 tax-deductible contribution to The Human Race Theatre Company)

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THE COMPLETE TOM Comes to a Close

QCF_Detective(CINCINNATI) – Queen City Flash, Cincinnati’s flash mob-style theater company, concludes its four-play cycle with THE COMPLETE TOM: 4. DETECTIVE. Based on the works of Mark Twain and adapted by Trey Tatum, 4. DETECTIVE runs August 26 through 31, 2015. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Bridget Leak, this production is produced with assistance from SDC Foundation’s 2015 Denham Fellowship.

Tom and Huck have spring fever and are looking for an adventure to occupy them until summer. But when a murder is committed and someone close to Tom is implicated, the boys will stop at nothing to find the real culprit and hog as much glory as they can. Join Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn on their search for clues in Queen City Flash’s final romp with Tom, THE COMPLETE TOM: 4. DETECTIVE. Please note that this production contains the sparse use of racial epithets consistent with Mark Twain’s social commentary.

Dave Powell in THE COMPLETE TOM: 3. ABROAD at Bellevue Beach Park; July 2015. Photo by Paul Kerford Wilson.

Dave Powell in THE COMPLETE TOM: 3. ABROAD at Bellevue Beach Park; July 2015. Photo by Paul Kerford Wilson.

The show features local actors Brandon Holcomb, Terrance McCraney, Patrick McWilliams, Andy Simpson, Trey Tatum and Tara Williams, with costumes by Tara Williams.

All performances are flash mob-style, meaning tickets can be reserved based on the date, time and accessibility level of your choice. At 4:00 p.m. the day of the show, an email will be sent to ticket holders with a map and parking instructions to the secret location. All performances are outdoors. Tickets are free to the public and can be reserved at www.QueenCityFlash.com starting Wednesday, August 12. For additional questions about accessibility, please email queencityflash@gmail.com.

THE COMPLETE TOM: 1 ADVENTURES was presented in August 2014, followed by 2. HUCKLEBERRY in April 2015 and 3. ABROAD in July 2015.

The Denham Fellowship is an annual award given to directors, particularly women directors, to further develop their directing skills by providing financial support for the Director’s fee for a particular project. This fellowship was established in October 2006 by Mary Orr Denham as a bequest to the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) in honor of her late husband, Reginald H.F. Denham.

Queen City Flash is a new theater company dedicated to open access to the arts and expanding audiences’ sense of theatricality by untethering the arts from physical space, prohibitive costs and traditional notions. Through flash mob-style theater, artists and communities combine to transform environments and unite over stories, picnics and sunsets.

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THE SECRET GARDEN Opens Playhouse in the Park’s 2015-2016 Season, Sept. 5-Oct. 3

THE SECRET GARDEN OPENS CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK’S 2015-16 SEASON, SEPT. 5 – OCT. 3, 2015

PIP_The Secret Garden promo(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park opens its 2015-16 season with the heartwarming, soaring musical THE SECRET GARDEN, based on the enduring family classic penned more than a century ago by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Winner of three Tony Awards on Broadway, with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon, THE SECRET GARDEN runs Sept. 5-Oct. 3 in the Playhouse’s Robert S. Marx Theatre.

When 10-year-old Mary Lennox loses her parents to a devastating cholera outbreak in India, she is sent 6,000 miles away to live with her inattentive uncle at his foreboding English manor. Like Mary, Archibald Craven knows suffering, having never recovered from the death of his wife, Mary’s Aunt Lily, a decade earlier.

Selfish and spoiled, left mostly on her own, Mary has a difficult time adjusting to the peculiarities of her new home, where it seems as though the spirits of those who’ve come before her are always just out of sight. That is until she is befriended by the plucky housemaid Martha and her brother Dickon, who introduces Mary to the wonders of nature all around her. When Mary discovers the locked-away secrets of an abandoned garden, she coaxes far more than its flowers back to life.

“THE SECRET GARDEN is one of my favorite musicals,” said Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison. “It’s emotionally rich, musically lush and the book is fantastic. So many stories with child protagonists are cutesy and saccharine. Not so in THE SECRET GARDEN. Mary’s journey is complex. She navigates a very adult world of loneliness and isolation, only to restore love and light to herself and those around her.

“THE SECRET GARDEN is a beloved literary classic,” Robison continued. “The musical brings it to life in a uniquely human way.”

“Frances Hodgson Burnett’s timeless story, Lucy Simon’s richly beautiful music and Marsha Norman’s Tony Award-winning book all combine to make THE SECRET GARDEN a piece of great musical theatre,” said Marcia Milgrom Dodge, the Tony Award-nominated director and choreographer who will helm the production (she previously directed Cabaret at the Playhouse). “I love how the characters convey their innermost feelings and fears though the haunting melodies of Lucy Simon’s music combined with the delicate dialogue and highly charged lyrics of Marsha Norman.”

THE SECRET GARDEN is sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Barbara and Bill Weyand are the show’s orchestra sponsors, and Rosemary and Mark Schlachter are the artist sponsors for Mary Lennox. The production honors the support of The Lemmerman Family.

The cast of THE SECRET GARDEN features Cameron Bartell (Dickon), Dan Beckmann (Captain Albert Lennox/Ensemble), Brandi Burkhardt (Lily), Caitlin Cohn (Mary Lennox), Carlyn Connolly (Claire Holmes/Ensemble), Kevin Earley (Archibald Craven), Anthony Frederickson (Colin Craven), Charlotte Maltby (Martha), Timothy McDevitt (Lieutenant Peter Wright/Ensemble), Adam Monley (Dr. Neville Craven), Gayton Scott (Mrs. Medlock), Vishal Vaidya (Fakir/Ensemble), Jessica Van Kipp (Rose Lennox), Anita Vasan (Ayah/Ensemble), Dathan B. Williams (Ben Weatherstaff), Michael Yeshion (Major Holmes/Ensemble) and Talia Noelle Zoll (Alice/Ensemble).

In addition to Dodge, the creative team features Sariva Goetz (music director/orchestral arranger), Michael Sebastian (associate music director/conductor), Narelle Sissons (set designer), Leon Wiebers (costume designer), Matthew Richards (lighting designer), David Bullard (sound designer) and Puppet Kitchen Productions Inc. (puppet designer/construction). Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager, and Brooke Redler is second stage manager.

icket prices for THE SECRET GARDEN 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 general audiences, including children ages 8 and up.

Returning 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 children, teens and students are available in advance for all productions — $30 and $45, depending on seat location.

New for the 2015-16 season is the Playhouse’s Tasting Series, which begins with afternoon teas by the BonBonerie before all Saturday and Sunday matinee performances of THE SECRET GARDEN. Each afternoon tea will include an English scone and freshly brewed teas from Elmwood Inn, as well as a selection of tea sandwiches and BonBonerie sweets. Afternoon tea begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 12:30 p.m. on Sundays; all tastings are $22 per person. For reservations, call the Box Office at 513-421-3888.

Previews for THE SECRET GARDEN are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. The official opening night is Thursday, Sept. 10, 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 THE SECRET GARDEN will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.

THE SECRET GARDEN will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available. Tickets to THE SECRET GARDEN 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 www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility. (more)

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.# #

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ETC Opens 2015-2016 30th Anniversary Season with Regional Premiere of LUNA GALE

ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI OPENS 2015-2016 30TH ANNIVERSARY
SEASON WITH THE REGIONAL PREMIERE OF LUNA GALE

ETC_Luna Gale logo(Cincinnati, OH) Fasten your seat belts for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s 30th anniversary lineup! The 2015-2016 season opens with the regional premiere of Luna Gale, an intense and heartbreakingly honest drama by award-winning playwright Rebecca Gilman. This forceful and sobering story examines our foster care system and how an innocent baby girl becomes the object of a family’s life-altering game of tug-of-war. LUNA GALE plays September 8-27, 2015 and is directed by D. Lynn Meyers.

Veteran social worker, Caroline, thinks she has a typical case on her hands when she meets Peter and Karlie, two teenage drug addicts accused of neglecting their baby. But when she places their infant daughter in the care of Karlie’s mother, Caroline sparks a family conflict that exposes a shadowy, secretive past—and forces her to make a risky decision with potentially disastrous consequences. Powerful and arresting, LUNA GALE is a heartbreaking and unforgettable tale about moral ambiguity and knowing how to do good in the world.

Cast includes several regulars Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati performers, including: Charlie Clark (Pastor Jay), Annie Fitzpatrick (Caroline), and Kate Wilford (Cindy).

Additionally, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati welcomes Brent Vimtrup (Cliff) in his ETC debut, as well as former 2014-2015 acting interns Molly Israel (Karlie), Patrick E. Phillips (Peter), and Natalie Joyce Smith (Lourdes) in their main stage debut.

“I’m a huge fan of Rebecca Gilman’s writing,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “When I read LUNA GALE, I have to admit that, at first, I felt it was unsettling with its honesty. It only took me a few more moments to realize that is why we needed to do it. Luna Gale has twists and turns that take us places we don’t expect. The show teaches us about judgment and our inability to sometimes see things clearly and fairly, even when a life lives in the balance.”

About the Cast

Annie Fitzpatrick (Caroline) recently appeared in Hands On A Hardbody at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Other favorite productions include: Next Fall, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls (for which she received an Acclaim Award), Wayfarer’s Rest, Intimate Apparel, The Exonerated, Women of Lockerbie, Earhart. In addition, she won Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for her performances in Copperheads, Dinner With Friends, and Mauritius. She appeared in Pride and Prejudice and Hank Williams: Lost Highway at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Little Women, A Man for All Seasons and Blithe Spirit at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and Pluto and Collapse at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati. She has worked regionally at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva Theatre, Florida Stage, Florida Studio, CATCO, Human Race Theatre Co., Porthouse Theatre, and New Edgecliff Theatre. She was a founding member of The New Group in New York and toured internationally with Murder à La Carte. She has appeared in numerous soaps and in local and national commercials. TV and film credits include Those Who Kill on A&E, Army Wives, Little Accidents, Fun Size, and Milk Money.

Charlie Clark (Pastor Ray) was last seen at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati as Benny Perkins in Hands on a Hardbody and Don in Rapture, Blister, Burn. Previous Cincinnati credits include Next to Normal, Next Fall, Grey Gardens, Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over, The Frog Princess, and Alice in Wonderland, all with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; Carousel, Oliver! and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, all at The Carnegie; Loves Labour’s Lost and Henry VIII, both with Cincinnati Shakespeare. Other local credits include The Full Monty, Sunday in the Park with George and Take Me Out for New Stage Collective; See What I Wanna See, Know Theatre; Hello Again, The Satori Group; and Charlie in The Charlie Clark Show at the 2008 Fringe Festival. Prior Chicago credits include Kiss of the Spider Woman with Apple Tree Theatre, The Hawkshaws with The Baum House, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods and Company, all for Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago, among others.

Molly Israel (Karlie) is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and was a member of Ensemble Theatre’s 2014-2015 Acting Intern Company where favorite roles included Love and Information (Ensemble) and The Other Place (The Woman U/S). At Muhlenberg, her stage credits included Riley in the world premiere of Brighde Mullins’ The Bourgeois Pig and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which she received Irene Ryan nominations. Next, Ms. Israel will be flying off to Neverland to play Molly Aster in the Cleveland premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher at the Dobama Theatre in December.

Patrick E. Phillips (Peter) is a graduate of Xavier University where he received his BA in Theatre and English. He is also the recipient of the League of Cincinnati Theatres’ 2014 Rising Star Award and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor the same year. He was last seen on the ETC stage in the 2014-2015 Acting Intern production of Love and Information (Ensemble) and in the holiday show, Sleeping Beauty (Branch/Dragon). During his internship, he understudied Michael G. Bath (Hands on a Hardbody, The Other Place), Bruce Cromer (An Iliad) and Brian Isaac Phillips (Outside Mullingar). Some of Mr. Phillips’ favorite collegiate credits include The Crucible (Rev. Hale; co-production with Cincinnati Shakespeare Co.), From White Plains (Gregory), Avenue Q (Princeton), and The Taming of the Shrew (Lucentio).

Natalie Joyce Smith (Lourdes) last appeared at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Love and Information as part of the 2015 Fringe Festival. Ms. Smith is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University School of Theatre. She was a proud member of the 2014-2015 Intern Company for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, where she understudied roles in Hands on a Hardbody and An Iliad. Some of her favorite roles include Georgie in Theresa Rebeck’s Spike Heels and Maria in The Sound of Music.

Brent Vimtrup (Cliff) makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut. His artistic home is with the resident ensemble at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company where he has played a slew of amazing roles including John Proctor in The Crucible (League of Cincinnati Theatre Award for Best Actor), and title roles in Hamlet and Richard II. Selected additional credits include The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Syracuse Stage, The Voysey Inheritance at Milwaukee Rep, and Sight Unseen at InProximity Theatre, for which he was a nominated for a 2011 New York Innovate Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role.

Kate Wilford (Cindy) was seen last seen at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Hands On A Hardbody and Sleeping Beauty. Her other past Ensemble favorites are Becky’s New Car, Good People, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, The Women of Lockerbie, as well as the world premieres of the musicals Snow White, Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over, and Joe McDonough’s drama Wayfarer’s Rest. Elsewhere, she won Acclaim and CEA awards as best actress for her performance in Death of a Salesman. Other award-winning performances include When The Rain Stops Falling at Know Theatre of Cincinnati and Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. She has appeared at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in Romeo And Juliet, The Cherry Orchard, All My Sons, and Bedroom Farce. Regionally, she has also worked at The Lyceum Theatre, Beef N Boards, Westgate Theatre, The Kenley Players, and was a founding member of The Troupe, here in Cincinnati, as well as directed at Xavier University, Thomas More College, and for three years at Cincinnati Children’s Theatre

Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes.

Performance Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Ticket prices range from $28 to $44 for adults; student tickets are $25; and children are $18. For the 2015-2016 season, ETC continues its popular $15 student and half-price rush tickets for all performances, which are available two hours prior to show time and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office.

Available Discounts
Military, Educator, Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave FunCard, AAA, Senior, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.

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Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

2015-2016 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, the Shubert Foundation, and PNC.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

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