Category Archives: Press Releases

April 26, 2012 · 4:16 pm

CAA Presents STUDENT ART SHOW

Cincinnati Arts Association
presents
STUDENT ART SHOW
Local Students Display “Celebration” Artwork
May 5 – 13, 2012 • Aronoff Center

How do the children of Greater Cincinnati see and interpret the world around them? The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) has been exploring this question for ten years through its Student Art Show, which exhibits artwork by local students. This year’s theme is “Celebration.” The exhibition will be on display in the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater (7th & Main Streets in downtown Cincinnati) from Saturday, May 5 – Sunday, May 13, 2012. Exhibition hours are Friday, 4:00 – 8:00 PM; Saturday, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM; and Sunday, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. The Student Art Show is free and open to the public.

Representing students from grades K – 8, the diverse collection of two-dimensional artwork will include mediums from pencil drawings to textiles to multi-media. Now in its tenth year, the Student Art Show is organized and presented annually by CAA’s Department of Education and Community Relations, with the assistance of the Weston Art Gallery.

“CAA is excited to be presenting the Student Art Show for its tenth year. Every year students create a unique interpretation of the theme, which this year is ‘celebration’ to mark the ten-year milestone,” says Kathleen Riemenschneider, CAA’s Assistant Director of Education & Community Relations. “The program has been a wonderful opportunity for students to creatively express and share their views with their friends, family, and the public.”

The 2012 Student Art Show has 107 entries. Student artwork from the following schools will be on display: College Hill Prep Academy (West End, OH), Fairfield North Elementary (Fairfield, OH), John G. Carlisle (Covington, KY), Mercy Montessori Center (Walnut Hills, OH), Montgomery Elementary (Montgomery, OH), North College Hill Elementary (North College Hill, OH), North College Hill Middle School (North College Hill, OH), Oakdale Elementary School (Bridgetown, OH), Our Lady of Victory School (Delhi, OH), Our Lady of Visitation School (Delhi, OH), Schilling School for the Gifted (Deerfield Twp, OH), Springer School and Center (Hyde Park, OH), St. Boniface School (Northside, OH), St. Cecilia School (Independence, KY), St. Ignatius School (Montfort Heights, OH), Sts. Peter and Paul School (California, KY), and Terrace Park Elementary (Terrace Park, OH).

The student artwork includes such titles as Hot & Cold Celebration!, Happy Fireworks Day, Party on a Wire, Celebration Mask, Chinese New Year Festival, and Lantern Festival.

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April 25, 2012 · 8:32 am

Maggiano’s and The Whodunit? Players Present LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER!

Have you met Gloria Swansong, iconic cinema star of… well… a few years ago? Now’s your chance! Join Gloria, her biographer Will Writer and a bevy of her not-so-adoring fans on May 12th at Maggiano’s in Kenwood for an evening of food and fun.

The Whodunit? Players present LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER! a fast-paced, interactive murder mystery where audience members become suspects and have a chance to solve the crime. An uproarious combination of theater and comedy and a chance to use your deductive skills with hilarious results!

Gloria Swansong, star of “High Heeled Shoes” and countless other forgettable films is making a comeback! And her biographer, Will Writer, has put together a memorable party to celebrate her return to the screen. Unfortunately, some of the guests have a reason to want Gloria out of the picture and before you know it, Gloria is dead. But who killed Gloria Swansong… and how? Don’t miss this opportunity to use your deductive skills to see if you can uncover the murderer.

Join The Whodunit Players on May 12th at Maggiano’s in Kenwood Towne Center for LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER! There are two show seatings at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. A cost of $49.95 per person includes a delicious 3-course meal prepared by executive chef Karl Lenz, a glass of wine with dinner (cash bar available for additional wine, beer & cocktails), staffing fee, sales tax and a show. Treat the mom in your life to a fantastic evening of food and fun in celebration of Mother’s Day!

Seating is limited. Reservations are required. For reservations call 513.794.0672. Credit card required to secure reservation.

ABOUT THE WHODUNIT? PLAYERS: The Whodunit? Players is a troupe of professional actors who create interactive murder mysteries for parties, company meetings, rehearsal dinners and receptions or team building events. The Whodunit? Players can spice up any party, dinner, meeting or other professional engagement with a challenging game of MURDER. Audience members become suspects and have a chance to solve the crime. The Whodunit? Players present a unique entertainment that combines live theater and improvisational comedy with hilarious results! Productions can also be used as a team building effort where groups use wit, wisdom and common sense to solve the crime. Contact Bud Walters at 513.542.4064 for pricing and availability.

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April 24, 2012 · 10:34 am

ETC Presents LIFE COULD BE A DREAM, May 2-20,2012

(Cincinnati, OH) SH-BOOM! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) concludes its 2011-2012 main stage season with the regional premiere of Life Could Be a Dream, May 2-20, 2012. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers; Musical Director is Scot Woolley; and Choreographer is Patti James. Production sponsors include Judith Postler; John Goering, in Memory of Gloria Goering; Dr. and Mrs. Charles O. Carothers; and Thompson Hine.

From the Roger Bean, creator of sell-out hit The Marvelous Wonderettes, comes the Crooning Crabcakes, the boy group banned from the Springfield High School prom that made it possible for The Marvelous Wonderettes to perform. In an era before “American Idol” and “Star Search,” the guys get one more chance at fame and fortune as Denny, Eugene, Skip and Wally form a singing group to enter and win the local radio contest and realize their dreams of making it to the big time! Featuring such classic songs as “Stay” (Just a Little Bit Longer),” “Runaround Sue,” “Tears On My Pillow,” “Unchained Melody,” “Earth Angel,” and of course the title song, Life Could Be A Dream is another musical trip down memory lane that will leave you laughing, singing and cheering!

“ETC is delighted that three of our actors will receive their Equity cards through this production. Additionally, Will Selnick, a former intern also received his Equity membership through Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Nurturing young talent and giving them a start on their professional path is a large part of our mission and it’s so wonderful we get to end the season on a high note with such a fun production,” she concludes.

About the Cast
Nick Laughlin (Denny) a Fairfield, Ohio native makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut. At Wagon Wheel Theater, he performed in Big River, State Fair, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lend Me a Tenor, Godspell, All Shook Up and Cats. At CCM, he appeared in Oklahoma!, A Little Night Music, and ensemble in Hair, Evita, and Out of This World.

Cassie Levine (Lois), also makes her Ensemble Theatre debut. She is currently finishing up her junior year at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There she was seen as Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, Female Swing in Make Me A Song, Chloe in Out of This World, and a Tribe Member in Hair. Last fall, she was a soloist with the Cincinnati Pops. This summer, she will be seen as a sister in The Muny’s production of Pirates!.

James Oblak (Skip), a Cleveland native, is a senior in Wright State University’s musical theatre program. Mr. Oblak also makes his debut at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with this production. His credits include Disney’s High School Musical and The Papermill Theatre’s 2011 Summer Touring Children’s Theatre. Other university credits include, Rent, Hairspray, I love you Because, Cymbeline, The Light in the Piazza, Hello Dolly, 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Little Women, and Smokey Joe’s Café. This summer he will be performing at Maples Repertory Theatre’s production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Lee Slobotkin (Eugene), a Philadelphia native, is currently a junior pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre at Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut. His CCM credits include Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music, Cinderella’s Father in Into the Woods, and Pluto in Out of This World. Other favorite roles include Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Moonface Martin in Anything Goes. Mr. Slobotkin has performed with the Cincinnati Pops, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Broadway Dreams Foundation at the Kimmel Center.

Will Selnick (Wally) returns to ETC’s stage where previous performances include Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Melancholy Play, the 2011 entry in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. His other Cincinnati credits include Singing’ in the Rain, and Cotton Patch Gospel. In addition to his onstage work, Mr. Selnick has also worked Next to Normal and Winter Wonderettes as assistant to the musical director and assistant stage manager, respectively. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, and proud former ETC Acting Intern.

Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Aaron Clements (Technical Operations Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Coordinator & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), David Hunter (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Constance Dubinski.

Performance & Ticket Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Performance times: Tuesday-Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday: 2:00 p.m.

Ticket prices for weeknight (Tues-Thurs) performances are $36; weekend performances are $42.

Senior/student, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people.

A full list of available discounts is available on ETC’s new website, www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

2011-2012 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Season Sponsors: John & Ruth Sawyer, LPK, and PNC Bank. Season Fairy Godmother Sponsor: William and Susan Friedlander. Season Media Sponsors: 91.7 FM WVXU and 90.9 FM WGUC. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation.

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

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April 24, 2012 · 9:31 am

THE CRUCIBLE Marks TDW Exit from Westwood

(Westwood, Ohio) The Drama Workshop, the award-winning community theater based at the Westwood Town Hall, is preparing for its last production at the venerable 1890 facility. The Drama Workshop is leaving Westwood Town Hall on a high note, with its season-closing presentation of “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, directed by Dan Cohen and produced by Gretchen Gantner.

Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for best play, “The Crucible” is set in the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts. As rumors of witchcraft fill the town, local farmer John Proctor finds himself ensnared in the midst of the turmoil after spurning the advances of young servant girl Abigail Williams when the girl accuses Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft herself. In an attempt to clear Elizabeth’s name amidst the growing hysteria, Proctor brings the girl to court to admit the lie. It is here that the deep fault lines run through the Salem community are exposed and a monstrous course of bigotry and deceit given free reign. John, instead of saving his wife, is himself accused of witchcraft and finds himself in a fight for his very life.

“The Crucible” features a cast of award-winning TDW favorites, including David Levy as John Proctor, Tara Williams as Elizabeth Proctor, and Colette Thomas as Abigail Williams.

While TDW is leaving Westwood, it’s not travelling very far. After performing for many years at the Westwood Town Hall, in November, 2011 The Drama Workshop purchased the former Glenmore Bowl building in Cheviot. Work on the new theater, The Glenmore Playhouse, is under way. The first show at the new facility will be “Snoopy! The Musical”, opening October 5, 2012.

While the group is excited to finally own its own building, leaving Westwood Town Hall is bittersweet. The history of TDW and the Town Hall has been intertwined for decades. After its founding in 1954, TDW performed periodically at the Town Hall building for ten years. In the mid-sixties, it became apparent that long-discussed and deferred plans for tearing down the Westwood Town Hall in favor of a parking lot might become a reality. At that time, several interested parties– among them The Drama Workshop–joined forces to save the property. The groups proposed repurposing the building into the Westwood Town Hall Performing Arts Center, and presented a master plan to the city for the building’s financial and physical upkeep. The city approved the plan and leased the building to the group for $1 a year, until the city adopted the landmark and incorporated it into the Cincinnati Recreation Department five years later.

A renovation of the Westwood Town Hall facility in 2004-2005 reduced the utility of the building for community theater events, but the unique challenges of the building were offset by the flexibility it offered by virtue of its extremely high ceilings and reconfigurable playing area.

“Westwood Town Hall and The Cincinnati Recreation Commission have been proud to play host to such fine tenants as The Drama Workshop for all these years,” said former WTH director Marlene Trapp. “It is with deep sadness that we bid them a fond adieu. We wish them only happiness and success in their new theater.”

Show dates for “The Crucible” are April 27 (8 pm), April 28 (8 pm), April 29 (3 pm) and May 3 (8 pm), May 4 (8 pm), and May 5 (3 pm and 8 pm). Tickets for “The Crucible” may be ordered through the TDW ticket line at 598-8303, or online at http://www.thedramaworkshop.org. All seats are $15.00. Online orders may be paid for by a major credit card; checks and cash only are accepted at the door.

For more information, contact Ms. Gretchen Gantner at 513-470-5516, or groose1876@aol.com.

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April 23, 2012 · 11:33 am

J. M. Barrie’s PETER PAN – A Silent Film With Live Music

Lost for generations, beautifully restored silent film
screened with live original score

(Covington, KY) Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, Peter Pan and Wendy first leapt from the storybook to the screen in 1924, with the actors portraying them chosen by creator J.M. Barrie himself. Misplaced for more than 70 years, that cinematic treasure and an accompanying contemporary harp score receive their first screening and performance in the Greater Cincinnati area next month.

Seattle area harpist Leslie McMichael unfurls her original film score with a screening of the 1924 silent film “Peter Pan” at the Otto M. Budig Theatre at The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center (The Carnegie) on Thursday, May 17 at 7:30pm. Magnificently restored after having been lost for generations, “Peter Pan” is a cinematic gem and a spellbinding musical adventure for all boys and girls and those who never grew up.

Leslie McMichael’s Original Score
Originally commissioned in 2007 by the Northwest Film Forum, McMichael’s “Peter Pan” score and performances have received critical acclaim since her debut performance in Seattle. Following successful performances in Los Angeles, Houston and Oklahoma City, she published a recording of the composition which was recently featured on the public radio show “The Score”. The piece incorporates elements of ragtime and Celtic melodies, precisely coordinated with the film through the use of remote controls and timers.

A Cinematic Treasure, Lost Then Found
Film historians had longed to recover this mysteriously lost and cherished film, “misplaced” for over 70 years. Acclaimed film preservationist and curator for Eastman House, James Card, is one of many who saw the original, to which nothing else compared. Serendipitously, it was James who eventually found the film, while working for Kodak. He uncovered the masterpiece in a vault filled with a highly combustible mixture of fumes and decomposing nitrate films. The work was carefully rescued and restored from its precarious condition. The film boasts a brilliant cast, chosen by J.M. Barry himself.

Ticketing
Tickets for J. M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” – A Silent Film with Live Music are $19; $16 for Carnegie Members, WVXU Perks and Enjoy the Arts Members and students. Tickets can be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office, open Tuesday through Friday noon – 5pm, in person or by phone at (859) 957-1940. Tickets are also available online at http://www.thecarnegie.com.

The 2011-2012 Carnegie in Concert Series is sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

About Leslie McMichael
Leslie McMichael feels lucky to be doing what she loves for a living. A graduate of Wellesley College, her musical pursuits include performance, teaching, recording, and composition. Leslie’s versatility takes her from touring with silent film performances to playing for local weddings. Leslie has pursued Suzuki Method training with Mary Kay Waddington at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and now directs a thriving Suzuki harp program in the greater Seattle area. Recently asked to join the Suzuki Academy faculty at Music Center of the Northwest, Leslie has also taught harp at the Evergreen Suzuki Institute, the Edmonds Summer Music School, and the Suzuki Institute of Seattle. Leslie is on the 4Culture Touring Arts Roster, has served as president of the Suzuki Association of Washington State and of the Seattle Chapter of the American Harp Society, directs the annual Vashon Island Harp Camp, and has adjudicated at the Washington State Solo and Ensemble Contest and the Pacific Northwest Scottish Games harp competition. She lives on Vashon Island in a purple house with her wonderful husband, four cats and a turtle.

Carnegie In Concert Series
Entering its fifth season in 2011-12, Carnegie in Concert strives to break the mold of chamber music offerings from yesteryear. The series challenges established programming norms by blending traditional string quartets, wind ensembles, and solo piano performances with gospel, jazz, musical theatre, Dixieland, and a cadre of other musical styles. The relationship between performer and audience is also re-imagined through an open dialogue revealing the essence of the selections and their meaning to the performers. The Otto M. Budig Theatre provides an intimate environment for a unique concert experience, complete with a cash bar in the beautiful Carnegie Galleries.

Remaining 2011-12 Carnegie in Concert Performances
Viva la Divas!
Starring Nancy James, Patricia Linhart, and Kathy Wade
Thursday, June 14, 2012 | 7:30pm

Three fabulous voices, three uniquely captivating styles. Three of Greater Cincinnati’s most cherished “divas” share a stage for the first time in a thrilling evening of jazz, standards, and musical theatre favorites. Featuring peerlessly self-styled tunes from each leading lady’s repertoire, plus showstopping trios and duets.

About The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center
The Carnegie is a multidisciplinary arts venue serving the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. Over the course of the past ten years The Carnegie has “morphed” from a grassroots gallery with an education component into an all-inclusive arts organization offering professional theatre, art exhibitions showcasing the best of local and regional artists, and a comprehensive arts education program.

The Carnegie is home to the Carnegie Galleries, comprised of more than 6,000 square feet of gallery space where emerging and established artists exhibit in multiple shows throughout the year; the Eva G. Farris Education Center, which provides arts education to thousands of children, many of whom are at or below the poverty level; and the newly renovated 465-seat Otto M. Budig Theatre, which offers an affordable theatre space for local, up-and coming and established production companies and is home to The Carnegie’s Theatre and Concert Series. The Carnegie is the largest arts venue in Northern Kentucky.

The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center receives ongoing operating support from ArtsWave, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. / US Bank Foundation.

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