Category Archives: Press Releases

February 3, 2013 · 4:10 pm

CMT Announces 2013-14 Season

CMT “He who would learn to fly must first learn to stand…walk…run…and dance.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

Cincinnati Music Theatre (CMT) is proud to announce their high stepping, high flying 2013-14 season.

The season will take off on the right foot in November 2013 as CMT presents the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A CHORUS LINE. Set in an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It’s what they’ve worked for – with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives. It’s the one opportunity to do what they’ve always dreamed — to have the chance to dance in a Broadway show. Brian Anderson, who contributed award winning choreography to CMT’s 42nd STREET and HAIRSPRAY, will direct and choreograph this stunning musical-verite, a brilliantly complex fusion of dance, song and compelling human drama. This musical for anyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line features a book by James Kirkwood and Nicolas Dante with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban.

Come spring 2014, audiences will be transported to that place “where dreams are born and time is never planned” when CMT presents the high flying classic PETER PAN. Skip Fenker, who has directed CMT’s productions of CHICAGO, DROWSY CHAPERONE and HAIRSPRAY among others, will direct this tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. This timeless, enchanting musical is filled with fantasy, adventure, Lost Boys, Indians and Pirates. Celebrating its 60th Anniversary of its Broadway debut, PETER PAN is based on the play by James M. Barrie and features music by Moose Charlap and lyrics by Carolyn Leigh with additional music by Jule Styne and additional lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. This favorite of children of all ages will make you believe again as it flies into your heart, full of faith, trust, and fairy dust!

Don’t miss this season!!

All performances are at the Jarson-Kaplan Theatre of the Aronoff Center.

Subscription sales begin August 1, 2013 at the CAA Box Office, 650 Walnut St. Cincinnati, 45202, or online at www.cincinnatiarts.org or www.cincinnatimusictheatre.org.

Follow CMT on www.Facebook.com/cincinnatimusictheatre.

Tickets are currently available for SUNSET BOULEVARD, a community theatre regional premier which culminates Cincinnati Music Theatre’s 50th anniversary season! Contact www.cincinnatiarts.org or www.cincinnatimusictheatre.org for information on purchasing tickets.

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January 31, 2013 · 12:58 pm

LEVELING UP Receives World Premiere at PIP, Feb. 9-March 10

LEVELING UP RECEIVES ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT 
CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK, FEB. 9 – MARCH 10

PIP_Leveling Up(CINCINNATI) – The fuzzy line between reality and virtual reality is explored in the world- premiere production of LEVELING UP by Deborah Zoe Laufer. This thought-provoking and often humorous play begins previews in the Playhouse’s Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Feb. 9 and continues through March 10.

LEVELING UP follows the story of four 20-somethings who struggle to transition from college to a “real” life that is rarely spent outside the glare of the video game monitors in their Las Vegas basement. What they find is a world of grown-up relationships that require levels of intimacy far beyond the social shield of technology. When one member of the circle is recruited by the NSA to pilot remote missiles, he’s ill-equipped to handle the moral ambiguities raised.

According to Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison, “LEVELING UP is a play about friendship, about growing up, about facing life’s important challenges. Gaming is the context, but everyone can relate to the hurdles faced by the young people in this play.”

The cast of LEVELING UP includes Ali Rose Dachis as Jeannie, Bobby Moreno as Chuck, Sean Mellot as Ian and Ben Morrow as Zander. All four actors are making their Playhouse debut.

Ms. Laufer’s play End Days was awarded The American Theatre Critics Association’s Steinberg Citation and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant. It has received more than 40 productions, including in Germany and Russia, is listed in the Burns Mantle The Best Plays Theater Yearbook as one of the best regional plays of 2008 and is published in The Best Plays of 2008 (Smith and Kraus). End Days was developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference. Sirens premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival in February 2010. Out of Sterno received its world premiere at Portland Stage in Maine in 2009 with a grant from The Edgerton Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Laufer is currently adapting both plays into musicals. Her play The Last Schwartz enjoyed a six-month run at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles, and was published in Women Playwrights, the Best Plays of 2003. Fortune premiered at Marin Theatre Company.

Wendy C. Goldberg, who directed Durango and Doubt at the Playhouse, will helm the production. She is artistic director of the Tony Award-winning National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. A workshop of LEVELING UP was developed and directed by Goldberg at the O’Neill Center during a residency at the National Playwrights Conference of 2011.

Other members of the production team include Set Designer Kevin Depinet, Costume Designer Anne Kennedy, Lighting Designer Josh Epstein, Sound Designer Benji Inniger and Fight Director Drew Fracher.

Prices for LEVELING UP range from $30 to $71, depending on day and seat location, and are subject to change. Tickets are just $30 for the preview performances at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9; 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. The official opening night is Thursday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets to LEVELING UP 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 TDD accessibility.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to ArtsWave.

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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Special Performances

Meet the Artists
These free programs allow audiences to interact with cast members and others associated with the production following the show.

  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24
  • 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 7

Dining Options
Karlo’s Bistro at the Playhouse offers full-service dining prior to most evening performances. Dinners include salad, entrée and dessert. Reservations are required by noon on the day of the show. The price is $27. Karlo’s Casual Fare offers busy theatre patrons an alternative light, quick bite prior to the show. Options include salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta and desserts. No reservations are required. Credit cards are now accepted.

Sponsors

Production Sponsor: Vickie Buyniski Gluckman and Jack L. Gluckman, M.D.

Additional Support Provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

The 2012-2013 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Series is presented by The Heidelberg Distributing Co.

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January 29, 2013 · 12:28 pm

TCTC’s THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN Feb. 15-23

Olaf Eide as Merlin. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is pleased to bring THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN to life February 15-17 & 23 on the Taft Theatre stage. This world-premiere musical will introduce audiences to the teenage wizard, Merlin, and his mysterious and magical youth. This coming-of-age tale, will share the backstory of Merlin, his boyhood friend ,– King Arthur, and the beautiful, bewitching Morgana, as teens in mythical ancient England. Come and take a journey with Merlin and discover the greatest magic of all, friendship! Featuring magic tricks, illusions, sword fighting and more!

The show is directed by Angela Powell Walker. Book, Music and Lyrics are by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman who created the hit “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati for the 2011-2012 season, as well as “How I Became a Pirate” which the company produced in 2010-2011.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is excited to recruit the work of Fight Director, Gina Cerimele-Mechley as she creates all the show’s sword battles and fight choreography.

SYNOPSIS:
In the days of old, when knights roamed the kingdom, a young apprentice wizard named Merlin is slowly discovering the secret to becoming a great sorcerer. Another young lad, Arthur, is destined to become king – but only if he is able to pull the magical sword, Excalibur, from the stone. Two sister sorceresses have their own idea for the fate of the sword. Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, commands the sword into the stone to keep it from the hands of her evil sister, Morgana. But Morgana vows, “Arthur will never be king!” and proclaims that the sword shall be hers.

Merlin, who lives with the Old Master Sorcerer and his wife, is tired of doing chores like cleaning out the dragon cage and mopping the floor. Instead he only wants to work on mastering his magical skills. Everyone in town is fighting to pull the sword from the stone. Morgana puts a stop to this while Arthur, in disguise, looks on. Recognizing he is in danger, he seeks the help of the kindly Master Sorcerer, who advises him to join forces instead with his young apprentice, Merlin. Arthur, who is nicknamed “Wart” and Merlin become fast friends. As they journey to the sword in the stone, Merlin begins to teach Arthur the “principles of magic” and the qualities of a true king: strength, wisdom, bravery, humility and vision. They encounter Morgana’s knights who battle Arthur, but are defeated by Merlin’s magic. Soon after, they meet the Lady Guinevere, whose skill with the sword proves her to be a worthy companion on their quest. Arthur tells her that he hopes to be king and she asks him how he would rule. He describes a “peaceful and just kingdom where all of the knights sit together at a round table.”

Merlin encounters Morgana’s sister, Nimue, who offers him advice on ways to strengthen his magic. But Morgana stops Merlin, tempting him to leave Arthur and Guinevere behind and join their powers together to capture the sword and rule the kingdom. Will Merlin choose ultimate magical power – his lifelong dream – or friendship with Arthur and Guinevere? Will Arthur pull the sword from the stone and defeat Morgana and her knights? Can the young apprentice Merlin become the greatest wizard of the land? Magical surprises provide the answers in this enchanted and bewitching adventure.

Visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com for more information.

THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, through February 23. 7:30 p.m. Friday February 15; Saturday February 16, 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 17 and Saturday, February 23, 2 PM; Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets $7-$20. 1-800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.

THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN is made possible by the generous support of Chemed and Hilliard Lyons. 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 The Cincinnati Enquirer, LOCAL 12 and Time Warner Cable. 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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January 29, 2013 · 9:41 am

CCM Mainstage Series Offers Audiences THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE This February

Ellie Jameson as Kitty, Cliff Nunley as Nick and Will Kiley as Joe in CCM’s ‘The Time of Your Life.’ Shot at Uncle Woody’s Pub in Clifton.

Ellie Jameson as Kitty, Cliff Nunley as Nick and Will Kiley as Joe in CCM’s ‘The Time of Your Life.’ Shot at Uncle Woody’s Pub in Clifton.

The only play to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award, William Saroyan’s thoughtful masterpiece runs Feb. 6 (preview) – 10 at CCM.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) proudly presents a sprawling, elegant production of American playwright William Saroyan’s award-winning five-act play THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, running Feb. 6 (preview) – 10 in UC’s Patricia Corbett Theater.

Set in a run-down waterfront dive bar on the docks of San Francisco (“Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace”) in October of 1939, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE is filled with colorful characters, love and the follies of humanity. CCM Associate Professor of Drama Diane Kvapil directs.

With the second World War looming on the horizon, Saroyan faced the suffering of mankind and presented that suffering with a choice. “I want to restore man to himself,” Saroyan once explained. “I want to restore man to his natural dignity and gentleness.” Out of this playwright’s need to express his idea of the human condition came what the New York Post calls a “tender and hilarious, probing and elusive” portrait of life.

“People everywhere needed respite from fear,” Kvapil explains. “Hope was hard to find. … the whole world was at war or in fear of invasion.” In this climate, the run-down waterfront saloon of Saroyan’s play serves as a refuge, a place of peace and camaraderie.

Scenic Designer Mark Halpin elaborates, “Because Saroyan’s original audience would have seen this play during the Great Depression, we felt we needed to give our contemporary audience some visual sense of the world outside of Nick’s Saloon. Thus, we get a look at an abstract and impersonal, harsh exterior world, as well as the quirky, warm and cozy interior. The saloon is definitely a safe haven for the characters in the play, and we wanted to emphasize that by giving a glimpse of the world it’s a haven from.”

A Colorful Cast of Characters
Kvapil’s goal with this production was simply “to serve the playwright.” She coached the students into their colorful characters, encouraging the eccentricities of Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon’s patrons to blossom. This approach led to a magnificent array of unexpected delights throughout the show, including some casting surprises.

A senior from Pickerington, Ohio, Daniel Martens plays the role of starving artist Wesley. Not necessarily a familiar face in the Drama department, Martens is actually a piano student, studying under CCM Professor of Jazz Piano Phil DeGreg. According to Martens, he was actively recruited for The Time of Your Life. “I’m a Resident Advisor, and some of my residents from a few years back contacted me to play background music for one of their shows. I was involved in some of the student-led productions last spring,” Martens explains. “Thus, I was readily thought of when a character was needed who could play the piano [on stage].” A majority of Martens’ music for the show is improvised, so the audience can expect different and unique “musical scores” at each performance.

According to Martens, audience members can look forward to “a great mix of humor and serious issues, which makes for a good time.” It could even be the time of your life.

The Time of Your Life Cast List
In order of appearance:

  • William Saroyan – William Brown (Junior from Asheville, North Carolina)
  • Joe – Will Kiley (Senior from Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Nick – Clifford Nunley (Senior from Houston, Texas)
  • Arab – Christian Carey (Junior from Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Sam – Trey Wright (Sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky)
  • Sailor – Spencer House (Sophomore from Plano, Texas)
  • Newsboy – Jonah Sorscher (Fifth-grade CCM Prep student at Indian Hill Elementary)
  • Willie – Joey Dippel (Senior from San Jose, California)
  • Drunk – Joe Markesbery (Junior from Villa Hills, Kentucky)
  • Tom – Nathan Wallace (Sophomore from Tupelo, Mississippi)
  • Kitty Duval – Ellie Jameson (Senior from Olympia, Washington)
  • Harry – Kevin Brown (Senior from Simi Valley, California)
  • Dudley R. Bostwick – Connor Lawrence (Sophomore from Bowling Green, Kentucky)
  • Wesley – Daniel Martens (Senior from Pickerington, Ohio)
  • Lorene – Jaclyn Chantel (Junior from Youngstown, Ohio)
  • Blick – Alex Escher (Sophomore from Dorset, Vermont)
  • Mary L. – Mary Malloy (Junior from Atlanta, Georgia)
  • McCarthy – Jack Conroy (Senior from Burlington, Vermont)
  • Krupp – Ty Olwin (Senior from Boulder, Colorado)
  • Kit Carson – John Patrick Maddock (Junior from Arlington, Texas)
  • Ma – Fabiola Rodriguez (Sophomore from Dallas, Texas)
  • Hotel Whore – Cait Penson (Sophomore from Richardson, Texas)
  • Anna – Anna Carroll Horton (Sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee)
  • Elsie Mandelspiegel – Anna Stapleton (Sophomore from Portland, Oregon)
  • Streetwalker – Megan Marshall (Junior from Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Side Kick – Colleen Ladrick (Sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Society Gentleman – Zach Crowley (Junior from Batavia, Ohio)
  • Society Lady – Madeline McKenzie (Junior from Fort Collins, Colorado)
  • Cop – John Odom (Junior from Annandale, Virginia) 

Performance Times

  • 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 (preview)
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8
  • 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10 

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE are $30 for adults, $19 for non-UC students, $17 for UC students, with $12 student rush tickets available for the Saturday matinee beginning at 1 p.m. on Feb. 9. Tickets for the Feb. 6 preview are $12.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice.

Parking and Directions
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.

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Community Partner: ArtsWave
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

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

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January 28, 2013 · 12:47 pm

Cincinnati Playhouse’s ABIGAIL/1702 Earns Two LCT Nominations

Stephanie Fieger as Abigail. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Stephanie Fieger as Abigail. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s ABIGAIL/1702 with 2 LCT nominations, scenic design (Wilson Chin) and lighting design (Matthew Richards).

What really happened to The Crucible’s Abigail Williams after she stole through Salem’s forest one dark night in search of a new life and new beginning? In this exciting world premiere, 10 years have passed since the infamous witch trials, but Abigail still struggles to atone for her sins, the ones history remembers — and darker ones that live in her heart. As she cares for a young sailor on the brink of death, a mysterious stranger from Abigail’s past catches up with her, sending her on one final, suspense-filled quest for redemption.

Panelists described Wilson Chin’s set as “captivating… the set was incredibly effective in emoting both a wooden serenity and quickly transforming i

nto a dark, shadowy place of fear.” Matthew Richards’ lighting design was “haunting” and “evoked a unique and mysterious world on the stage.”

ABIGAIL/1702 continues through Feburary 17th. Tickets can be purchased at www.cincyplay.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.

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