Category Archives: Press Releases

CCM/The Carnegie’s PARADE Earns Four LCT Nominations

TC_ParadePanelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized The University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music and The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center’s PARADE with 4 LCT nominations, for Ensemble Acting, Music Direction (Steve Goers), Featured Actor (Noah Ricketts) and Lighting Design (Alan Hanson/Wes Richter), as well as distinguishing it as a recommended production.

In the sweltering intolerance of 1913 Atlanta, northerner and Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is wrongfully accused of murdering of a 13-year-old girl under his employment. As press frenzy and public outrage whip his trial into a referendum, Frank’s only hope lies in a brave crusade by the southern wife he never understood, among a people that never understood him. The 2000 Tony Award winner for “Best Book” and “Best Score”, Parade is a transformational story of a country at odds with its declarations of equality.

Panelists praised the ensemble, who “covered a variety of roles while always maintaining the atmosphere of the performance…their execution and full sound of the music carried the show from beginning to end.” Of Steve Goer’s music direction, the panelists noted, “the highlight of this show is Jason Robert Brown’s layered, beautiful, and complicated music, and Steve Goers did an excellent job of directing the entire cast to execute the challenging score very well…the dense harmonies were blended beautifully.” Featured actor Noah Ricketts, as Jim Conley, was “the whole explosive package…he commanded the stage.” Of Hanson and Richter’s lighting design, the panelists reported, “Both designers created a world that supported the story being told. …good use of color and atmosphere.” The production as a whole was “powerful” and “superb”; “an emotionally engaging, musically complex production that was staged and performed with great heart and talent.”

PARADE continues through April 21st. Tickets can be purchased at www.thecarnegie.com.

Final LCT awards will be determined at the end of the season and announced at the 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

CSC Presents Shakespeare’s Dark and Provocative Comedy MEASURE FOR MEASURE

CSC Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips, directs this story of vice and virtue set in prohibition era, playing May 3-26, 2013

The cast of MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Photo by Jeanna Vella.

The cast of MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Photo by Jeanna Vella.

CINCINNATI, April 5, 2013 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati’s stage for the classics, is pleased to present Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure”, playing from May 3-26, 2013. This production is directed by CSC Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips and features Kelly Mengelkoch, Brent Vimtrup and Nicholas Rose. The design of this production is generously sponsored by Cincinnati Book Publishing.

In a city where any prohibited vice is readily available, stands Angelo, left in charge by an absent Duke. As he begins a crusade to enforce long forgotten codes of chastity, a young man’s life is threatened. But when Isabella, a novice nun, pleads for the life of her brother, she is offered a truly indecent proposal to spare him from Angelo himself. Shakespeare puts hypocritical, ethical and religious double standards on trial in this captivating and deep examination of the value of virtue and the power of our vices.

Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips is excited to bring this play back to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for the first time in 18 years. Mr. Phillips says “we have discovered a lot of satire and wit as we explore the biting social criticism in this play. The behavior of these characters, from Isabella, a novice nun, to a comic bawd like Mistress Overdone is like a dark comic mirror, held up to nature. Shakespeare has written a play that begs us to examine modern day decadence and hypocrisy.” Mr. Phillips continues to say that “the setting for this production of ‘Measure for Measure’ will be in the prohibition era. We wanted to place this production in this era to help give modern audiences a context for the actions and deeply held opinions that characters in the play hold. We see the Duke carousing at a speakeasy with ladies, moral enforcers giving into lust and a sister asked to trade their virtue for their family and instantly must ask ourselves who represents right and wrong in such a world.” The set is designed by award winning resident set designer, Andrew Hungerford. Resident costume designer, Heidi Jo Schiemer and resident sound designer, Doug Borntrager return to help create the gritty and precariously dangerous world of prohibition.

Performances of “Measure for Measure” are scheduled from May 3-26, 2013 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Preview performances are on Tuesday May 1 and Wednesday May 2 at 7:30pm and tickets are $15. The theater is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center. Single ticket prices range from $22-$28 on Thursday Nights and Sunday Matinees and from $26-$32 on Friday and Saturday Nights. 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.

For additional information on “Measure for Measure”, including photography, or for interviews with any member of the cast or company, please contact Jeanna Vella by email jeanna.vella@cincyshakes.com or by phone 513.381.2273 x. 3202 or visit www.cincyshakes.com.

About the Director
BRIAN ISAAC PHILLIPS (Producing Artistic Director, Ensemble, Fourteenth Season)is celebrating his 10th season of artistic leadership of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. He was named Producing Artistic Director in 2010 after being Artistic Director since 2003. Prior to these responsibilities, he served with the organization as Associate Artistic Director for one season, as well as four seasons as a member of the acting company. He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Stage Director’s and Choreographer’s Society. Mr. Phillips is a graduate of Morehead State University and has been a resident of Cincinnati for almost fifteen years. In that time he has worked for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The Children’s Theatre, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, New Stage Collective, as well as over 100 productions with CSC. Most recent credits include “Romeo & Juliet”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Richard II”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Henry VIII: All is True”, “Macbeth”, “A Man for All Seasons” and “Bedroom Farce”. Outside of CSC Mr. Phillips has recently been seen onstage in “Collapse” at Know Theatre, Porgy and Bess at “Cincinnati Opera”, as well as “The Seafarer” and “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” at Ensemble Theatre. He staged Know Theatre’s recent critically acclaimed production of Andrew Bovell’s “When the Rain Stops Falling” and “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and served as dramaturg on Cincinnati Ballet’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Mr. Phillips is honored that CSC was named as a finalist last year for Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce’s Non Profit of the Year and has been nominated again in 2013. He is also thrilled that after next season CSC will have produced all 38 of William Shakespeare’s plays and, on a personal note, he will have either staged or performed in all 38 as well.

About Season 19:
Season 19 is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The season design sponsor is Judge Mark Painter. Production dates and info on the upcoming 20th Anniversary Season are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com/20th-anniversary-season.html.

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. CSC employs a resident company of actors and artists who live and work in Cincinnati year-round, and performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs see an average of 18,000 students each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions at its home on Race Street. In Season 20, CSC will become one of only a handful of companies worldwide to have produced Shakespeare’s 38-play canon in its entirety. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE
by William Shakespeare

Performance Schedule:

  • Wednesday May 1st at 7:30 pm (Preview)
  • Thursday May 2nd at 7:30 pm (Preview)
  • Friday May 3rd at 7:30 pm (Opening)
  • Saturday May 4th at 7:30 pm
  • Thursday May 9th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday May 10th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday May 11th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday May 12th at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday May 16th at 7:30 pm
  • Friday May 17th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday May 18th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday May 19th at 2:00 pm
  • Thursday May 23rd at 7:30 pm
  • Friday May 24th at 7:30 pm
  • Saturday May 25th at 7:30 pm
  • Sunday May 26th at 2:00 pm

Tickets & More Information

  • Thursday & Sunday: Adults: $28, Seniors: $24, Student: $22
    Friday & Saturday: Adults: $32, Seniors: $28, Student: $26
  • Discounts available for ETA/START, Public Radio Perks & AAA
  • Preview Tickets are $15.
  • Student Rush tickets w/ ID 30 minutes prior to show time for $14 (if available).
  • Tickets may be purchased through the CSC Box Office: 513.381.2273 ext. 1 or online at www.cincyshakes.com
  • Group discounts are available for 6 or more. Go online or contact the box office.
  • Limited accessible seating is available for persons using wheelchairs. Please ask the box office for assistance.
  • Assisted Listening Devices are available at the box office
  • Thursday’s include a pre-show talk about the show.
  • Sunday performances are followed by a talk-back with the cast on the stage.

Cast

Bond, Ian…………………………………..…………………………….Claudio
Chace, Billy*……………………………………………………………….Lucio
Cromer, Charlie…Second Gentleman, Messenger, Varrius, Attendant, ensemble
Emery, Travis………………….First Gentleman, Elbow, Barnardine, ensemble
Goodman, Jessie Wray………….…………….…….Juliet, Francisca, ensemble
Hopkins, Jim*……………………….………………………………….Escalus
Mengelkoch, Kelly*…………………………………….………..……..Isabella
McGee, Miranda……………………………………………Mistress Overdone
Rabinovitz, Sam…………………………………………………………Provost
Rader, Maggie Lou…………………………………….Mariana, Mistress Froth
Riopelle, Paul*……………………………………………………….….Pompey
Rose, Nicholas*..………………………………………………………the Duke
Schute, Zach………………………………………..Friar Peter, Abhorson, ensemble
Vimtrup, Brent……………………………………………………………Angelo
ALL Ensemble: which includes officers, bawds, prostitutes, and prisoners

Production Staff
Brian Isaac Phillips**…………..………………………………..………Director
Justin McCombs*………….…………………..………..….……..Stage Manager
Alice Flanders*…………….……………………Asst. Stage Manager, Props
Doug Borntrager……………………….……….………………Sound Designer
Gregory Bredestege………………….Master Electrician, Technical assistant
Andrew J. Hungerford……………….……………Set and Lighting Designer
Travis McElroy ………….Technical Dir., Master Carpenter, Props Designer
Heidi Jo Scheimer….……..…………….…….……………Costume Designer
Teresa Wellman………..………………….Scenic painter, Technical assistant
Mary C. Woll…………………………………….…………Costume assistant

*Member of the Actors Equity Association
Subject to change before opening

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

CCM Announces 2013-14 MainStage Series

CCM ANNOUNCES 2013-14 MAINSTAGE SERIES OF
OPERA, MUSICAL THEATRE, DRAMA AND DANCE

CCM_StreetScene5069CCM presents a series of breathtaking operas, masterful musicals, delightful dramas and one timeless ballet as part of an unforgettable 2013–14 season.

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

The 2013-14 Mainstage Series features both classic and contemporary masterworks for the stage, including Arthur Miller’s Tony Award-winning The Crucible, the masterful comic opera Don Pasquale and an extended run of the musical that swept the world: Les Misérables.

CCM’s student and faculty artists also bring two classics of the screen to life – with Mainstage productions of Singin’ in the Rain and Owen Wingrave. Plus, guest artist D. Lynn Meyers directs CCM’s stars of tomorrow in the Drama Desk and Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of CCM’s Dance program, the 2013-14 Mainstage Series also includes a lavish production of the beloved romantic ballet Giselle.

This year’s must-see Mainstage Series features seven fully staged works guaranteed to fill audiences with delight, with performances scheduled from Oct. 2, 2013, through April 19, 2014. All performances take place in the Corbett Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Cincinnati campus.

Production and ticketing details are below. Priority subscription packages go on sale May 2013. Single tickets become available in August, but subscribing is the only way to guarantee your seats for these must-see shows!

Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/subscribe.html to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.

Additional Information
Titles and dates are subject to change—rights pending. To order subscriptions, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183. For additional information, visit ccm.uc.edu, email boxoff@uc.edu or call the Box Office.

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

The Crucible
Written by Arthur Miller
Richard E. Hess, director

1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. A polarized society wrestles with good and evil in this taut American masterpiece by Arthur Miller. When every action is fraught with life-or-death consequences, what guides us? Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play, The Crucible has become a central work in the canon of American drama.

Performance Dates: Oct. 2 (preview), Oct. 3–6, 2013
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

 

Singin’ in the Rain
Book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Based the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film
Diane Lala, director
Roger Grodsky, musical director
Patti James and Diane Lala, choreographers

One of the most-loved and celebrated MGM film musicals, Singin’ in the Rain comes to the CCM stage in a joyous, graceful and thoroughly enjoyable adaptation. Set in 1927, the musical satirizes the panic surrounding the transition from the “Silents” to the “Talkies” as the revolution in sound sweeps through the Hollywood dream factory. With great songs, lots of flashbacks and buckets and buckets of rain, the musical showers you with good old-fashioned entertainment. The glorious score includes such standards as “Good Morning,” “Make ‘em Laugh,” “You Are My Lucky Star” and the legendary “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Performance Dates: Oct. 31–Nov. 3, 2013
Location: Corbett Auditorium

 

Owen Wingrave
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Myfanwy Piper
Based on the short story by Henry James
Conductor TBA
Nicholas Muni, director

Commissioned by the BBC in 1966 and based on the Henry James short story of the same name, Benjamin Britten completed this two-act opera for television in August of 1970. Owen Wingrave is a pacifist born into a renowned military family. As he struggles to keep the affection of his would-be bride, he must face disapproval from his family over his beliefs and prove his inner strength – even if it leads to his own mysterious end. Sung in English with supertitles.

Performance Dates: Nov. 21–24, 2013
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

 

Metamorphoses
Written by Mary Zimmerman
Based on a translation of the classic Ovid poem by David R. Slavitt
D. Lynn Meyers, director

From a simple, rippling pool of water, Metamorphoses conjures Ovid’s myths into gorgeous theatrical imagery, provocative moments and magic. The winner of two Drama Desk Awards and one Tony Award after its 2002 Broadway run, this entrancing series of vignettes offers breathtaking storytelling and an escape from the ordinary that dares to brush with the divine.

Performance Dates: Feb. 5 (preview), Feb. 6–9, 2014
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

 

Les Misérables
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Original French lyrics by Alain Boubill and Jean-Marc Natel
English libretto by Herbert Kretzmer
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo
Aubrey Berg, director
Steve Goers, musical director

Based upon the novel of the same name by French poet and playwright Victor Hugo, Les Misérables is one of the world’s most popular musicals, seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries. Set in France in the early 19th century, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean and his quest for salvation after serving 19 years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his starving sister’s child. Relentlessly tracked and hounded by police inspector Javert, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a student revolution, as a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade. With a score by Claude-Michel Schönberg that has risen to pop-culture status and an Oscar-nominated film version, Hugo’s saga of one man’s lifelong quest for redemption can still sweep a theater audience off its feet.

Performance Dates: Feb. 26 (preview), Feb. 27–March 2, March 4–9, 2014
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

 

Don Pasquale
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Giovanni Ruffini
Mark Gibson, conductor
Omer Ben Seadia, director

Donizetti’s comedic masterpiece Don Pasquale has thrilled audiences since its 1843 premiere. The old, slow-witted and haughty Don Pasquale tries to arrange a marriage for his nephew Ernesto and a series of hilarious twists and turns ensues. Can Ernesto find a way to marry his true love while managing to keep his claim to his uncle’s large inheritance? Find out in this beloved opera buffa! Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Performance Dates: April 3-6, 2014
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater

 

Giselle
Composed by Adolphe Adam
Choreography by Jean Corralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa
Jiang Qi, director
Conductor TBA

Presented in celebration of the 50th anniversary of CCM Dance, Giselle is the quintessential romantic ballet, continuing to stir the emotions of audiences of all ages. The story is based on the German legend about Wilis, female spirits who, jilted before their wedding day, rise from their graves at night and seek revenge upon men by dancing them to death. The noble Duke Albrecht disguises himself to woo the beautiful peasant girl, Giselle, but his deceit ultimately causes her untimely death. Still, it is Giselle’s undying love that saves Albrecht from a terrible fate, proving love’s triumph over treachery and death.

Performance Dates: April 17-19, 2014
Location: Corbett Auditorium

 

Mainstage Series Subscriptions
The 2013-14 CCM Mainstage Series of opera, musical theatre and drama productions includes subscription packages for six-show, four-show and three-show combinations. New for 2013-14, subscribers also have the ability to add the Mainstage Series production of Giselle to any subscription package for just $20.

Priority subscription packages go on sale in May 2013. Subscription renewal information will be sent to current subscribers during the month of April.

Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/subscribe.html to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.

New subscriptions will become available this summer. CCM’s customizable subscription packages range in price from $84 – $180.

Concert Series Options
CCM also offers dozens of chamber music, choral, jazz, orchestra, wind ensemble and guest-artist concerts each year. CCM’s Mainstage subscribers receive priority access to Ariel Quartet subscription packages, CCM Concert Series flex ticket packages, prepaid parking and other exclusive perks.

Full programming and package details for CCM’s 2013-14 Concert Series will be announced in April. Visit ccm.uc.edu for more information.

Additional Information
Titles and dates subject to change—rights pending. To order subscriptions, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183. Priority subscription packages go on sale in May, 2013. For additional information, visit ccm.uc.edu or call the Box Office.

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

CCM Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the leading conservatories for the performing and electronic media arts, composition, scholarship and pedagogy.

CCM is the largest single source of performing arts events in Ohio with an annual calendar of nearly 1,000 performances and presentations, ranging from solo recitals to full-scale opera and musical theatre performances.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events or to view CCM’s 2012-2013 season brochure visit our website at http://ccm.uc.edu.

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music – The Sound of Synergy

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements

KTC Presents COCK – Cast Announced

KTC_Cock2Know Theatre is thrilled to announce the regional premiere of COCK by Mike Bartlett as our next mainstage production. This will be only the second American production following its premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, London. COCK opens April 12, 2013 and runs through May 11, 2013. Brian Robertson, who currently teaches in the Theatre and Dance Department at Northern Kentucky University, will direct this production. Some of his past directing credits include Camelot at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and A Flowering Tree at Cincinnati Opera. COCK features performances from Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Kevin Thornton, Danielle Knox, and George Alexander.

In this tense comedy about sexual identity, COCK explores one man’s choices about which path of love to pursue. When John takes a break from his longtime boyfriend, the last thing he expects is to fall in love with a woman. Trapped between two lovers, John feels the physical and emotional tug of both, and neither party wants to lose the battle for his heart. John has a choice to make as he navigates his sexuality, selfhood, and the intersection of the two.

Without scenery or props, COCK allows the audience to focus on the relationships between the characters and opens a dialogue about what we’re physically attracted to and why. This feisty and energizing piece is an exercise in emotional carnage with quick-paced dialogue that suggests to-the-death battle of the characters. Each character, with the exception of John, knows what he or she wants and is willing to fight to get it.

“I had the chance to check out this production while visiting New York for the American Theatre Wing award ceremony, and I loved it,” says Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director. “It’s a kind of pansexual love story that’s told very simply without all of the trappings of a traditional production. A very simple set, no props, minimal lighting and sound all conspire to allow the actors and Mr. Bartlett’s text to truly take center stage and to shine.”

“This is one of the first victories of Know Theatre’s new scheduling model. Rights for this production have only just become available and because we’ve created a schedule that can bend and flex, we’ve been able to schedule a production almost immediately. We’re thrilled to be one of (if not the) first post-New York production of this work.”

COCK made its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, London in November 2009. In May 2012, COCK made its US premiere at The Duke, New York.

All tickets are $15 in advance and $18 on the week of the show, beginning Mondays at noon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling 513.300.5669. Flex-passes are valid for this event. This production features bleacher style seating.

If you are unable to print the title of the play, we suggest “Cockfight Play.”

Production Team

  • Director – Brian Robertson
  • Scenic & Lighting Design – Andrew Hungerford
  • Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
  • Sound Design – Doug Borntrager

Production Dates
8pm: April 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11 3pm: April 28 & May 4

Additional Information
Mike Bartlett (Playwright) – Mike Bartlett is currently Associate Playwright at Paines Plough. In 2011, he was writer-in-residence at The National Theatre, and in 2007 he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at the Royal Court Theatre. His play Love, Love, Love won Best New Play in the 2011 Theatre Awards UK, and his play COCK won an Olivier Award in 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre; he won the Writer’s Guild Tinniswood and Imison prizes for Not Talking and the Old Vic New Voices Awards for Artefacts. Theatre credits include: Love, Love, Love, 13 (National Theatre), Decade (co-writer), Earthquakes in London, COCK, Contractions, Artefacts, and My Child.. Radio credits include: “The Core,” “Heart,” “Liam,” “The Steps,” “Love Contract,” “Not Talking,” and “The Family Man,” all on BBC. Screen credits include “Earthquakes in London” and “Hometown.” Directing credits include Honest by DC Moore. He is currently under commission from Headlong Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Hampstead Theatre, and The Royal Court Theatre.

Brian Robertson (Director) – Brian currently teaches in the Theatre and Dance Department at Northern Kentucky University and is the co-founder of Cincinnati’s Performance Gallery. Over the past 25 years, Brian has had an extensive career in film, television, theatre, and opera. From 1998-2002, he was the principal stage director for Cincinnati Opera’s education department, production credits include: La cenerentola, Operacadabra, an original production, which he co-created, and Hans Krasa’s Brundibar. He has been a guest director at Miami University (Oxford), University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, New Edgecliff Theatre, and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. He worked at the Des Moines Metro Opera, Bayview Music Festival, and Sarasota Opera. Most recently he directed Camelot at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and Lucia di Lammermoor for Sarasota Opera. He was also the stage director for a new production of A Flowering Tree at Cincinnati Opera and wrote and directed new adaptations of la boheme and The Magic Flute for the Cincinnati Opera education department.

The Cast
Darnell Pierre Benjamin is cocked and ready to shoot in another production with Know Theatre. Since 2009, Darnell has had the pleasure of working with Know Theatre, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Third Season Resident Company Member), Pones. Inc, Madcap Puppets, and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra–all in Cincinnati; and most recently, he wrapped a short film with Brand New Gay Productions, which will premiere this Summer. His past favorites at Know are Belize in Angels in America, Dameon in Sideways Stories at Wayside High, and Oedipus in The Eyes of Oedipus.

Kevin Thornton is a New Faces winner at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and recently performed at Gotham Comedy Club in New York. When he’s not doing stand-up he is a full-time fringe performer, and has appeared in nearly every US fringe. He’s also an author, musician and podcast radio host. He talked about the many facets of his career as a guest lecturer at Berkeley last year, and has been invited to speak again in 2013. Kevin has been seen in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival in Strange Dreamz (2012), I Love You (We’re F*#cked (2011), Sex, Dreams, & Self Control(2009).

Danielle Knox is excited to be making her Know Theatre debut. She has had a varied career in musical theater and opera. Danielle has performed leading roles with the Tri-Cities Opera, Ohio light Opera, Atlanta Lyric Theater, Chamber Opera of Chicago, Light Opera Works, and the Castleton Festival. Her regional music theater credits include Maria (West Story), Marian Paroo (The Music Man), Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice), Amalia (She loves Me), Laurie (Oklahoma!) and Sarah (Guys and Dolls). Recently, Danielle appeared locally with The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center as Guenevere in their production of Camelot. Danielle received her Bachelors Degree in Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Masters Degree from Binghamton University.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Know Theatre is supported by the National Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing, dedicated to supporting the most promising emerging theatre companies from around the country. Know Theatre of Cincinnati also receives support from The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation.

Our mission is to create evocative and explosive live entertainment.
We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Hal Holbrook in MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! | Fri., May 17 | Aronoff Center

Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain.

Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain.

CINCINNATI, OH –­­ Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Hal Holbrook returns to the Aronoff Center on Friday, May 17 at 8:00 PM in Mark Twain Tonight! – his acclaimed award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. This must-see theatrical event is a presentation of Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2012-13 Season.

Hal Holbrook has never been able to quit Mark Twain and probably never will. He has toured the show in some part of every year since 1954, with over 2,200 performances, making 2013 the 59th consecutive year for this remarkable one-man show. Mark Twain Tonight! has become perhaps the longest-running show in theatre history. Holbrook adds to his Twain material every year, editing and changing it to fit the times, and has mined over sixteen hours of Twain with more coming all the time. He has no set program – he chooses material as he goes along.

Hal Holbrook.

Hal Holbrook

Holbrook’s Mark Twain characterization grew out of an honors project at Denison University, in which he and his first wife Ruby created a two-person show, playing characters from Shakespeare to Twain. Holbrook’s first solo performance as Mark Twain was at the Lock Haven State Teachers College in Pennsylvania in 1954. While hunting for a job in New York, the show was his desperate alternative to selling hats or running elevators to keep his family alive. The following year, Holbrook pursued the Twain character at night in a Greenwich Village night club and was spotted by Ed Sullivan, who gave his Twain national television exposure.

In 1959, after five years of researching Mark Twain and honing his material in front of countless audiences in small towns all over America, he opened at a tiny theatre off-Broadway in New York. He was a stunning overnight success, as stunning to Holbrook as anyone else. “The critics went wild.” (Associated Press). “Mr. Holbrook’s material is uproarious, his ability to hold an audience by acting is brilliant.” (New York Times). “Uncanny. A dazzling display of virtuosity.” (The New Yorker). “One of the treasures of the American Theatre.” (Life Magazine).

After a twenty-two week run in New York, he toured the country again, performed for President Eisenhower, and appeared at the Edinburgh Festival. The State Department sent him on a tour of Europe, during which he became the first American dramatic attraction to go behind the Iron Curtain following World War II. At 36-years-old, he was a star who had never appeared in a Broadway play, a nighttime television show, or a movie.

With his success came roles on Broadway; at the acclaimed Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut; and with the original Lincoln Center Repertory Company in New York, among others. He continued to do Mark Twain every year, and in 1966, on Broadway, his second New York engagement won him a TonyÒ Award and a Drama Critics’ Circle Award. This was followed in 1967 by a ninety-minute CBS television special of Mark Twain Tonight!, which was nominated for an Emmy® Award and seen by an audience of 22 million.

Throughout his long career, Holbrook has continued to perform Mark Twain every year, including his third and fourth New York engagements in 1977 and 2005; and a world tour in 1985, the 150th anniversary of Mark Twain’s birth.

Hal Holbrook
Stage-and-screen legend Hal Holbrook was born in Cleveland in 1925, and enjoyed an illustrious and acclaimed early career in the theater, highlighted by his lauded one-man show Mark Twain Tonight!

In 1970, after a dozen plays in New York, he was brought to Hollywood to star in a controversial television series, The Senator, which won eight Emmy® Awards and was cancelled in one year. In the 39 years since then, Holbrook has done some 50 television movies and mini-series, been nominated for twelve Emmys® and won five for The Senator (1971), Pueblo (1974), Best Actor of the Year (1974), Sandburg’s Lincoln (1976), and as host and narrator of Portrait of America (1989). He has appeared in two sitcoms: Designing Women and Evening Shade, and has made guest appearances on The West Wing, the sitcoms Becker and Hope & Faith, The Sopranos, NCIS, and two episodes of ER in 2008. During the 2010-11 season, Holbrook appeared in Sons of Anarchy and The Event.

Equally at home on the big screen, Holbrook’s movie career began with The Group in 1966 when he was 41-years-old. Since then, moviegoers have seen him in nearly 40 films including Magnum Force, Midway, All The President’s Men, Julia, Capricorn One, The Fog, Star Chamber, Creepshow, Wall Street, The Firm, The Bachelor, Waking The Dead, Men of Honor, The Majestic, Shade, Killshot, Into the Wild (written and directed by Sean Penn, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination), and That Evening Sun (which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin in March 2009). In 2012, Holbrook was seen in Steven Speilberg’s Academy Award-winning film Lincoln and Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land.

In addition to his work on the screen, Holbrook has constantly returned to the stage: in New York (Buried Inside Extra, 1983; The Country Girl, 1984; King Lear 1990; An American Daughter, 1997); at regional theatres (Our Town, Uncle Vanya, Merchant Of Venice, King Lear, A Life In The Theatre, Be My Baby, and Southern Comforts, the last two with his wife Dixie Carter); and a National Tour of Death of a Salesman.

In September 2011, Harold, the first of two volumes of Holbrook’s memoirs, was published. He continues to work on the second volume, covering the years since Harold ended.

Media Partners
WGUC 90.9 FM
91.7 WVXU-FM

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS

Season Sponsors: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, LOCAL12 WKRC, FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner)

“CAA PRESENTS” SPONSORS: Coldwell Banker/West Shell, Heidelberg Distributing, Macy’s, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc.

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: Cincinnati Bell, CityBeat, Cincinnati Herald, Furniture Fair, Millennium Hotel

CALENDAR INFORMATION

  • WHAT: Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!
  • WHEN: Friday, May 17, 2013 – 8:00PM
  • WHERE: Aronoff Center for the Arts – Procter & Gamble Hall
  • PRICES: $65 • $50 • $40 • $30
  • INFO: Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Hal Holbrook returns in his acclaimed award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. For more than 50 years, Holbrook has enthralled audiences around the world with Twain’s unique take on politics, culture and the world. Holbrook edits and changes his show to fit the times – he has more than sixteen hours of Twain’s material in his repertoire – and makes each performance a unique and memorable experience. A must-see treasure of the American theatre!

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases