Category Archives: Press Releases

August 27, 2013 · 11:24 am

Untethered Theater Takes Off For New 2013-14 Season

UTC_logoA desire for strong actor centered plays with challenging characters has resulted in one of Cincinnati’s youngest and boldest new theaters companies!

The Untethered Theater, critically acclaimed by the League of Cincinnati Theaters audience favorite for Red Light Winter is kicking off its third season in November with THE HOUSE OF YES by Wendy Macleod. THE HOUSE OF YES is a dark comedy that pries into the lives of the dysfunctional Pascal family. Time seems to have come to a screeching halt for this family with the Kennedy assassination. The story picks up as a Thanksgiving hurricane swirls outside. Jackie Pascal believes she is Jackie O! When her brother and former lover arrives with his new fiancé, mayhem and murder ensue. The show runs November 15, 16, 22, 23, 30 and December 2 and 6 at 8pm, November 17 at 3pm, and is directed by Leah Strasser.

Next up for the season in 2014 is REVELATION by Samuel Brett Williams. Who knew the End of Days could be so much fun? Kevin Crowley directs this comedy that follows Brandon and Rebecca, a match made in the Rapture. When people suddenly begin to disappear, Brandon’s Southern Baptist roots and Rapture preparedness leave him armed with a Bible, bottled water, canned food, and a mouthpiece (for the gnashing of teeth). Brandon finds his “save my soul” mate in Rebecca is a pre med atheist. Who joins him on a journey from New York City to Arkadelphia, Arkansas in hopes of finding the New Jerusalem. Playwright Samuel Brett Williams explores faith, love, and the American landscape in a pitch black comedy about the End Days.

REVELATION runs January 24, 25, 30, 31 and February 1, 3, 6, 7, 8 at 8pm, January 26 at 7pm and Feb 2 at 3pm.

The Untethered Theater calls the Clifton Performance Theater home, but a flood there forced the cancellation of the summer production. Untethered Theater Company is committed to bringing exciting, challenging – and often little-seen – plays to a Cincinnati audience in intimate, non-traditional spaces. This season the Clifton Players will join creative minds with the Untethered Theater to offer a season pass. Untethered Theater also calls the CPT home. The two companies are collaborating to offer the BYOB ticket strip that will have a ticket to each Clifton Players show and each Untethered Theater for 100 dollars. In addition to the season ticket, there will be one free ticket which you can use to bring a friend, BYOB (Bring Your Own Buddy)!

www.untetheredtheaterco.com/

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August 26, 2013 · 7:55 pm

CCM Announces 2013-2014 Studio Series

UC’S COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC ANNOUNCES
2013-14 STUDIO SERIES OF OPERA, MUSICAL THEATRE, DRAMA AND DANCE

CCM_logoCCM’s Division of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration presents a series of eight Studio productions this season, including collaborations with the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and Cincinnati Opera.

CINCINNATI, OH—The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is pleased to announce details for its 2013-14 Studio Series of opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions.

This season’s Studio Series includes eight exciting productions showcasing CCM’s rising stars. The series opens in October with the newly re-imagined musical adaptation of Stephen King’s CARRIE and concludes in April with the irreverent Shakespearean/zombie mash-up LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK.

This season’s series includes a revival of the Tony Award-winning comedy classic BOEING BOEING produced in collaboration with the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and a public reading of the new American opera FELLOW TRAVELERS, produced in collaboration with Cincinnati Opera as part of the Opera Fusion program.

Always innovative, CCM’s 2013-14 Studio Series also includes the annual TRANSMIGRATION Festival of student-created new dramatic works and annual student choreographer’s dance showcase. Emmanuel Chabrier’s effervescent opéra bouffe L’étoile and the Tony Award-winning musical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE round out this year’s Studio Series.

Tickets and Parking Information
With free admission and limited seating for all CCM-hosted performances, the Studio Series remains one of the hottest tickets in town. All Studio Series performances held at CCM are free and open to the general public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made the week of each show by visiting the CCM Box Office in UC’s Corbett Center for the Performing Arts or by calling 513-556-4183.

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates. For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

Please see the individual listings below for BOEING BOEING and FELLOW TRAVERRS ticketing details.

Additional Information
Titles and dates subject to change. For more information regarding CCM events, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or visit ccm.uc.edu.

CCM 2013-14 STUDIO SERIES
Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama, Dance

Carrie
Music by Michael Gore
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Aubrey Berg, director
Steve Goers, musical director
Vince DeGeorge, choreographer

Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she is an outcast who is bullied by the popular crowd and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she is at the mercy of her loving but cruelly overprotective mother. But Carrie has just discovered she has a special power and, if pushed too far, she is not afraid to use it. Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, the musical version of Carrie has not been seen since its legendary 1988 Broadway production. Now, the show’s original authors have crafted a newly reworked and fully re-imagined vision of this gripping tale. Recommended for mature audiences.

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 7. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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Boeing Boeing
Presented by CCM Drama and the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center
Written by Marc Camoletti
Translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans
Brant Russell, director

Bernard is engaged to Gloria. And to Gabriella. And to Gretchen. Three beautiful flight attendants kept secret from each other only by Bernard’s precise timetables of flights in and out of Paris. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Play,” Boeing Boeing is a high-flying physical comedy classic featuring the exciting emerging talent of CCM Drama in the debut of new faculty director Brant Russell!

Performance times:

  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8
  • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15
  • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22
  • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24

Location: The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, KY
Admission: $17 – $24; tickets may be purchased through the Carnegie Box Office at 859-957-1940 or online at www.thecarnegie.com.

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Opera Fusion: New Work Lab Presents:
Fellow Travelers
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
Composed by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Greg Pierce
Mark Gibson, conductor
Kevin Newbury, director
Junghyun Cho/Carol Walker, pianists

Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work. Based on the searing historical novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon, Fellow Travelers takes place in Washington during the McCarthy era and focuses on what has become known as the “Lavender Scare,” an internal investigation into what was termed “sexual subversion” within the US government.

Public reading:

  • 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 

Location and Admission: TBA. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at 513-241-2742 for more information.

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L’étoile
Composed by Emmanuel Chabrier
Libretto by Eugene Leterrier and Albert Vanloo
Stefano Sarzani, conductor
Robin Guarino, director

Set in a mystical fairy-tale kingdom, this wickedly witty three-act opera will charm and delight as lovelorn hopes and misunderstandings inevitably lead to a happy ending. L’étoile will be sung in French with English supertitles.

Performance Dates:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16 

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 10. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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TRANSMIGRATION 2014: A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard Hess, director

TRANSMIGRATION, so named for “the movement from one place to another” or “the transition from one state of being to another,” is a festival of new works created by the acting students in CCM Drama. Six teams of actors craft and perform five original 30-minute shows. Performed simultaneously in different locations throughout CCM Village, TRANSMIGRATION will allow the audience to sample four different new works of their choosing in one spectacular evening. “Thanks to the drama program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music,” observed CityBeat’s Rick Pender, “theater fans were offered a jolt of onstage vitality.”

Performance Dates:

  • 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6
  • 7 p.m. Friday, March 7
  • 7 p.m. Saturday, March 8 

Location: Various locations in the CCM Village
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 3. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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Dance Student Choreographers Showcase
Deirdre Carberry, director

Come experience the next generation of emerging choreographers as CCM dance majors take the stage with exciting and diverse new works. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of CCM Dance with this all-new program, showcasing a variety of styles, from classical to contemporary.

Performance Dates:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 6
  • 8 p.m. Friday, March 7
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, March 8
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, March 8 

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 3. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin and Jay Reiss
Vince DeGeorge, director

Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grownups who have barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. A hilarious overachievers’ angst against the spelling championship of a lifetime, this Tony Award-winning musical is the unlikeliest of hits about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky, yet charming, cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, April 3
  • 8 p.m. Friday, April 4
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5 

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 31. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

_____

Living Dead in Denmark
Written by Qui Nguyen
k. Jenny Jones, director

Set five years after the tragic events that ended Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a resurrected Ophelia, Juliet and Lady MacBeth must save Denmark from an overwhelming zombie horde. Time Out New York hailed Living Dead in Denmark as, “A perfect storm of horror and geek obsessions.” Due to adult language and some violent content, this production is recommended for mature audiences.

Performance Dates:

  • 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, April 19
  • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 14. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor & Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation 

CCM Dance Department Supporter: The Corbett Endowment at CCM 

CCM Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal 

CCM Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub 

Opera Fusion: New Works is sponsored by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

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August 25, 2013 · 3:39 pm

MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS on Sept. 22

SEVENTH ANNUAL MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS…CURTAIN UP!
Sunday, September 22, 2013, Playhouse in the Park,
3:30-5 PM

LCT_VMEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS…CURTAIN UP is back for a seventh season. The League of Cincinnati Theatres and Jackie Demaline, writer and Theatre critic for the Enquirer, introduce the engaging and charismatic brain trust behind the Cincinnati Theatres, who in turn will introduce their upcoming productions.

Artistic Directors from Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre, New Edgecliff Theatre, Ensemble, Clifton Players, Falcon Theatre, Cincinnati Childrens’ Theatre and more will be on hand to meet and greet audiences. Ms. Demaline will lead a lively discussion with the directors which will give informative, special insights about the 2013-14 theatre seasons….insider info not found in the playbill! Meet the directors and find out: How do they select a season? What makes a good actor great? How do they approach the script? What really happens during the rehearsal process? This is your chance to meet the men and women up close and personal who create theatre in our community and ask your own questions!

This year, for the first time, The League of Cincinnati Theatres has added a special feature, “Curtain Up”. Community theatre companies will be on hand with information on their seasons to help chart your personal theatre selections. You’ll have the jump on ALL theatre information for the entire year!

This is an exceptional, once a year event and the 2013-14 theatre season is full of surprises, regional premieres, and NEW works, with 100’s (literally 100’s) of productions beyond the downtown theatres! Lots of treasures and gems to be discovered in your neighborhood theatres.

Join us for the love of the play—the one place to find out EVERYTHING theatre and what’s more, MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS hosted by Jackie Demaline at LCT’s flagship theatre, Playhouse in the Park. Get introduced to theatre makers and explore the 2013-14 theatre season in depth and personal as only Jackie Demaline can do! Immediately preceding “Meet the Artistic Directors” is the LCT Annual Members Meeting, beginning at 2:30 PM.

Meet the Artistic Directors: Sunday, September 22th, 3:30-5 PM
Playhouse in the Park
962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202: 513-345-2242

LCT Annual General Meeting (open to all) 2:30 PM preceding the Meet the Artistic Directors event at Playhouse

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT promotes collaboration within the theatre community through events such as The Unified Auditions; educational seminars and workshops, and assisting dialogue between theatres, collective promotional events, print advertising and collective performance space.

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August 25, 2013 · 2:53 pm

ETC Pay-What-You-Can Preview of OTHER DESERT CITIES

ETC_Other Desert CitiesEnsemble Theatre Cincinnati
OTHER DESERT CITIES
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN PREVIEW PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, September 3 at 7:00 pm
Pay-what-you-can fine print: General admission seating for the pay-what-you-can preview is limited to the first 120 people who arrive to receive an admission pass. Lobby does not open until 6:00 p.m., and passes will then be available. One admission pass per person present. Phone reservations will not be accepted.

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August 25, 2013 · 2:26 pm

New Musical, HORIZONS OF GOLD, Plans Local Premiere

IAG_Horizons of GoldCincinnati, OH – August 21, 2013 – Inspiring Arts Group’s new musical, HORIZONS OF GOLD, will make its premiere on a local stage September 13th at Parrish Auditorium in Hamilton, Ohio.

HORIZONS OF GOLD, inspired by the biblical story of Ruth, is set in the heartland of America during the Great Depression. “It tells the story of people who refused to lose hope in the midst of very desperate circumstances,” said Beth Kenniv, playwright and director. “I reset the original story to show the timelessness of it’s message. Just as Bernstein’s West Side Story repackages the message of Romeo and Juliet, I believe HORIZONS OF GOLD reimagines an old story, bringing new life to it.” Kenniv explained.

Audiences will find the parallels to the original story striking. The basic ideas of a famine, a family who moves to a foreign land, and a woman, who is a foreigner, becomes part of the family. It’s an ancient story reset in the context of American history.

Rose is a young Mexican migrant looking for a second chance when her path crosses with Margaret Thomas, a displaced Dust-Bowl farmwife in California in 1938. These two women make their way back to Margaret’s home in Kansas and the story unfolds.

This full scale musical is appropriate for the entire family with powerful music and lively dance numbers, but mature as it deals with real human suffering. “As a director, I am contantly searching for wholesome theatrical pieces with compelling storylines. As I read the story of Ruth, I realized that it tells of the human struggle and the beauty of redemption. I loved the characters and story – believing it contained great material for powerful theatre,” Kenniv said.

HORIZONS OF GOLD is being produced by Inspiring Arts Group, a newly formed arts organization led by Beth Kenniv, playwright and director, Jeff Smith, composer, James Kenniv, composer and Dave Thompson, lyricist.

“The music brings this story to life. It’s been wonderful to work with three very gifted musicians and composers. I believe audiences will experience the beauty of a Rogers and Hamerstein’s – type melody and orchestration but the feel of a contemporary sound,” Kenniv said.

HORIZONS OF GOLD opens Friday, September 13th and runs through Sunday, September 22nd at Miami University’s Parrish Auditorium in Hamilton. For more information, visit www.horizonsofgold.com.

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Cast:

  • Rose: Kennedy Carstens/Kendall Hart
  • John Bollen: Phil Nelson
  • Margaret Thomas: Karie-Lee Sutherland
  • Lawrence Thomas: Dirk Doebereiner
  • Edward Thomas: Dave Kenniv
  • Opal: Victoria Shields
  • Nettie: Madison Kilgore/Jenna VanWeelden
  • Pearl: Kaitlyn Rawlings/Audrey Cornett
  • Alice: Emily Farnell
  • Hester: Diane VanWeelden
  • Birdie: Kailey Schneider
  • William: Brent Knipper
  • Charlie: Michael Viox
  • Hank: Taylor Robinette
  • Clarence: Colin Cranstoun
  • Otis: Brent Knipper
  • Ensemble: Hannah Keeton, Alex Wiles, Keegan Redslob, Mary Bistline, Warren Bistline, Abby Bowling, Joshua Kenniv, Sam Bennett, Evelyn Kenniv, Elisha Kenniv, Nicole Niven, Felicity Kenny, Olivia Wiles, Gianna LaRocca, Anna Camerer, Austin Kershaw, Jake Kenniv, Josiah Kenniv, John Kenniv, Lucas Meinerding, Leah Smith, Claire Smith, Abby Kenniv, Teressa Kenny, Hillary Truax, Grace Bennett, Kate Koch, Megan Peters, Faith Marsh, Quinn York, Arthur Hart, Dave Thompson, Brandon Baumann, Dave Robinette, Emily Scheie, Magaly Lannum, Kristen Kenniv, Karen Kilgore & Gail Allen

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