Category Archives: Press Releases

March 13, 2014 · 11:54 am

TCTC’s Roald Dahl’s WILLY WONKA JR. April 4-6 & 12

Bob Herzog as Willy Wonka.

Bob Herzog as Willy Wonka. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati ends its 89th MainStage Season with ROALD DAHL’S WILLY WONKA JR. directed and choreographed by Jay Goodlett. Words and music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, adapted for the stage by Leslie Bricusse and Timothy A. McDonald, based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl’s timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to life in this stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which features the songs from the classic family film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

LOCAL 12’s Bob Herzog will play the famous chocolatier, Mr. Willy Wonka, in the production.

Featuring a memorable score by Leslie Bricusse (Jekyll & Hyde, Doctor Dolittle) and Anthony Newley, “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR.” follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding five golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whoever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats: the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka’s rules in the factory–or suffer the consequences.

ROALD DAHL’S WILLY WONKA JR., The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, through April 12. 7:30 p.m. Friday April 4; Saturday April 5, 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, April 6 and Saturday, April 12, 2 PM; Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets $7-$25. 1-800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.

Find your Golden Ticket and you could live out a Willy Wonka fantasy! Chocolate bars will be given out at two TriHealth Priority Care locations – on Saturday, March 15 from 1 PM to 3 PM at the Priority Care Western Hills, 6139 Glenway Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45211; and on Saturday, March 22 from 1 PM to 3 PM at the Priority Care Mason, 8350 Arbor Square Dr., Mason, OH 45040. Five lucky winners will join Bob Herzog as he throws out the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game and see ROALD DAHL’S WILLY WONKA JR., plus win a Reds Heads Kids Club Membership and more great prizes.

Don’t miss Kid’s Kuisine, a tasty fundraiser for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, presented by Cincinnati Magazine on Saturday April 5 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Taft Theatre Ballroom, 317 E. 5th Street. Kids Kuisine guests will enjoy food and drink from exciting sponsors while area restaurants will showcase creative kid’s menus. There will also be “Play with your Food” stations plus young chefs will get inspired at the cooking stage. Children’s tickets are $15; adult tickets are $25 purchased in advance. To purchase call Chris Ohmer at 513-562-2777 or visit cincinnatimagazine.com/events.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of ROALD DAHL’S WILLY WONKA JR. is made possible by the generous support of TriHealth. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Children’s Theatre’s Season Sponsors are the Charles H. Dater Foundation and the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation. Media sponsors are LOCAL 12, The Cincinnati Enquirer and Q102. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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March 13, 2014 · 10:52 am

LCT Awards PO 11259 SINCERELY YOURS Top Prize in CCM’s Transmigration Series

CCM_logoPanelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized PO 11259 Sincerely Yours. as the best production at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music’s TRANSMIGRATION series, the Drama department’s annual presentation of student written and produced work. Panelists awarded second place to The 17th Annual Snipes, Arkansas Harvest Festival, and honorable mentions to Dreams R Us: Tonight’s Answers to Tomorrow’s and Complex: A Structure of Sound, An Organism of Vibrations.

The sixth -annual festival allows the audience to experience half-hour works produced by small groups of Drama majors, who create and design all aspects of their productions from start to finish. The festival is an exciting event for both guests and the presenters, as audiences get the opportunity to see up to four very different pieces of new theatre in a single night and the students premiere works that are entirely their own. This year, six shows were presented.

PO 11259 was praised for being “funny and poignant” and “a cool concept”, while The Snipes, Arkansas Harvest Festival allowed its actors to show “a lot of dimensions in a short play”. Dreams R Us was described as “creative” and Complex was noted for an amazing soundtrack and “an absence of text that really allowed some beautiful, true communication and honesty from the actors.” Overall, the panelists were impressed by TRANSMIGRATIONS this year, with “a lot of energy, good dancing, clever use of audio and sound, and interesting plot angles.” As one panelist remarked, “It’s always interesting to see how well young actors can work together to create art and all the pieces certainly demonstrated much talent and effort.”

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. More information about the League can be found at www.leagueofcincytheatres.com.

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March 10, 2014 · 12:01 pm

Falcon’s THE STORY OF MY LIFE Earns 4 Star LCT Rating

FT_The Story of my LifePanelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized the Falcon Theatre’s “Fourth Wall” production of THE STORY OF MY LIFE with a 4 Star Rating.

THE STORY OF MY LIFE is a moving musical that follows the friendship of Alvin and Thomas, two men from a small town. These lifelong friends are reunited after Alvin’s mysterious death. In the abstract world of his mind, Thomas struggles to write Alvin’s eulogy while recounting the many turns their lives have taken since meeting as children. The show was praised as  a“surprisingly touching and wonderful offering from the Falcon Theater.. a direct result of the strength of the two stars of the show [Zach Huffman and Brandon Fox] to create a world and make us believe in it.”

THE STORY OF MY LIFE continues through March 15th. Tickets can be purchased at www.falcontheater.net.

League of Cincinnati Theatre panelists evaluate productions on a 5 star scale and recommend shows at either a 4 star or 5 star level. Nominations for LCT awards will be determined and announced at the end of the season and winners awarded at the annual LCT gala in the spring.

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. More information about the League can be found at www.leagueofcincytheatres.com.

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March 10, 2014 · 11:19 am

Acting Up to Present ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

March 21, 22, and 23

ACTUP_Once Upon a MattressBefore Anna got “frozen,” Rapunzel got “tangled”, Fiona met her ogre, and Belle tamed her Beast, there was… Princess Winnifred! Acting Up, the Young Performer’s Community Theater based in Mason is proud to present Once Upon a Mattress, a musical based on the beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. A Broadway favorite, which launched the career of a young Carol Burnett as Winnifred herself, Acting Up’s production of this timeless classic will provide a fresh, contemporary spin on this classic tale.

Four performances of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

  • Friday, March 21 at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, March 22 at 3:00 pm (sign language interpreter provided)
  • Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 pm

at the Mason Middle School Theater, 6307 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason OH 45040

Tickets are only $12 each and may be purchased online at www.ActingUp.com or at the door starting one hour before each performance.

Who is Princess Winnifred? Certainly not your average fairy-tale Princess. Calling a swamp her childhood home, Winnifred the Woebegone (or Fred as she’s often called) is just an ordinary, yet high-spirited girl… who wants to get out of her swamp. Her knight-in-shining-armor? Prince Dauntless the Drab. Controlled by his over-bearing mother, Queen Aggravain, Dauntless yearns to meet the girl of dreams, yet one who will receive his mother’s approval.

Drawn by true love, Fred swims the castle moat to be with the young Prince… and face the ultimate “princess-proving” test: only a true princess will feel something as small as a pea under her mattress. Make that twenty mattresses! Yet, is it really a pea that is keeping poor Fred up at night? Add to this tale an “unconventional” romance between the beautiful Lady Larkin and the dashing Sir Harry, and an evil Wizard who serves only the sly Queen, and a Minstrel, who not only narrates the story, but interjects himself into it, and you have the makings of riotous romp around the kingdom with surprises hidden around ever castle corner.

Acting Up’s version of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS will feature a cast of approximately 75 talented youngsters ages 6 to 18, hailing from all over the Cincinnati area. The director is Joel Saeks, Jeanne Bilyeu is the vocal director, and Emily Brinkman is the choreographer. The cast features Autumn Carter as Winnifred, Cole Hankins as her Prince Dauntles, Emily Meinerding as Queen Aggravain, Michael Kaper as her ever-silent King Sextimus, and Dane Morey as the Minstrel.

Acting Up is an all-volunteer, young performer’s community theater which strives to bring high-quality, polished theatrical productions to the northwest suburbs. They stress family involvement and working with the community to provide an enjoyable, educational and an enriching experience for all. Acting Up is a member of ACT Cincinnati and has won well over 100 awards in the last 5 years.

Acting Up will present four shows of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS on March 21, 22 and 23, at the Mason Middle School Theater, 6370 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040. Performances will be Friday, March 21 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, March 22 at 3 pm. (sign language interpreter will be provided), and 7:30 pm; and Sunday, March 23 at 3 pm. Tickets are only $12. You can purchase your tickets online at www.ActingUp.com or at the box office starting one hour before the show. Supported by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals: www.rnh.com. For more information, visit www.ActingUp.com or call 513-494-6062.

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March 7, 2014 · 1:10 pm

CSC’s Game of Thrones Continues with HENRY IV: PARTS 1 & 2

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

Jim Hopkins & Joneal Joplin.

Jim Hopkins & Joneal Joplin.

CINCINNATI, March 5 2014 — Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati’s stage for the classics, is proud to present William Shakespeare’s HENRY IV: PARTS 1 & 2, playing from March 28- April 19, 2014. This production is directed by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips and features CSC Resident Ensemble Members Jim Hopkins, Justin McCombs and Matthew Lewis Johnson. The History Cycle Sponsor is Osborne Rohs Williams & Donohoe and the design is sponsored by Messer Construction.

“Henry IV” features an incredible mix of exhilarating battles, boisterous comedy and heart-wrenching emotion. After usurping the throne from King Richard II (Brent Vimtrup), King Henry IV (Jim Hopkins) finds he has inherited a country in chaos. Rebellions abound, lines are being drawn and one false step could plunge the country into civil war. To make matters worse, his son Hal (Justin McCombs) is now heir to the throne but has forsaken his duties at court and taken up with a band of brigands under the charge of that notorious drunkard and pot-bellied prankster, Sir John Falstaff (Matthew Lewis Johnson), one of Shakespeare’s most hilarious characters!

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is only the 2nd theater company in the United States to present Shakespeare’s 8 play history cycle in chronological order. Last season’s “Richard II” began this multi-season history cycle at Cincinnati Shakespeare that includes this upcoming production of “Henry IV: Part 1 & 2” as well as next season’s recently announced “Henry V”. The cycle concludes with “Henry VI: Parts 1, 2 & 3” and “Richard III” which CSC will present in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips has noted that “as the company has produced Shakespeare’s less familiar works, like the wildly popular “Henry VIII: All is True” and “The Life and Death of King John”, audiences and artists alike have discovered something wonderful in each play that expands their appreciation of Shakespeare’s artistry and skill.”Performances of “Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2” are scheduled from March 28- April 19, 2014 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. No show on Easter Sunday April 20, so a performance has been added for Saturday April 19 at 2pm. Preview performances are on Wednesday Mar. 26 and Thursday Mar. 27 at 7:30pm and tickets are $20. The theater is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center. Single ticket prices range from $22-$31 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$35 on Fridays and Saturdays. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before a show with a valid student ID. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as Enjoy the Arts and 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.

Performances on Thursday feature a pre-show presentation about the production and performances on Sundays feature a Q&A with the cast following the show. Both are free and included in the ticket.

Performance Schedule:

  • Wednesday March 26th at 7:30 pm *Preview
  • Thursday March 27th at 7:30 pm *Preview
  • Friday March 28th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday March 29th at 7:30 pm
  • Thursday April 3rd at 7:30 pm
  • Friday April 4th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday April 5th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday April 6th at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday April 10th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday April 11th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday April 12th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday April 13th at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday April 17th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday April 18th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday April 19th at 2:00 pm
  • Saturday April 19th at 7:30 pm

*Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Union

About the 20th Anniversary Season:
The 20th Anniversary 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. Production dates and information on the 20th Anniversary are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com. 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.

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 30,000 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. This season, CSC is proud to become one of only 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!

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