Category Archives: Press Releases

April 3, 2012 · 7:53 pm

PIP Presents Mystical and Magical THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR, April 21-May 20

(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s biggest musical hit of the last 20 years is back! Free your soul with the mystical and magical journey of Keith Glover’s THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR in the Robert. S Marx Theatre April 21 through May 20.

Set in Bessemer, Alabama, in 1966, THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR is a musical fairy tale steeped in folklore and the mystique of the Deep South. Marvell Thunder, a blues-playing stranger and supernatural shape-shifter, pays a visit to the Dupree family. Years before he’d lost a cutting contest to Jaguar Dupree, and now, after the man’s death, he has returned to challenge the children of the only musician who ever “out-licked him” and claim the pair of charmed guitars their father bequeathed to their care. He’s convinced that winning them will set his life right again, and stop him from turning to stone. Having already beaten the son, Jaguar Dupree, Jr., he’s set to challenge the daughter, the beautiful and blind Glory Dupree. With Delta blues guitars, they come together “where the two roads meet” for a musical face-off that will decide everyone’s fate.

Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern said, “THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR is a remarkable, intoxicating musical fable filled with humor, heart and extraordinary music. I am delighted to welcome Keith Glover back to the Playhouse. He is a visionary, a craftsman with a fabulous soul.”

THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which first produced it in 1996. It won the 1997 Osborn Award for Best Play from the American Theatre Critics Association. After that, the production received many revisions in eight cities, before coming to the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and the Playhouse in 1999.

Playwright Keith Glover said, “THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR is about the love of music, love of family, love of tradition, love between a man and woman, father and son, mother and daughter. We don’t have to see African-Americans hating each other all the time. We don’t always need to see ‘real life’ up there. Also, for some African-Americans, this is their real life. There are black people who are leading great lives. I have a great deal to be thankful for. African-American life, like the blues, is not only about sadness. There is room in the kaleidoscope for all of our experiences.”

Terry Burrell returns to the Playhouse to play Good Sister Dupree. She appeared in the same role in the 1999 production. Jennie Harney (Beehive) will play Glory Dupree. Making their Playhouse debuts are David St. Louis as Marvell Thunder, Trent Armand Kendall as Jaguar Dupree, Sr./Dregster Dupree and Timothy Ware as Jaguar Dupree, Jr. Supporting them will be a five-man blues band.

Joining Glover on the production team are Choreographer Kenneth L. Roberson, Music Director Michael Leroy Peed, Set Designer David Gallo, Costume Designer Paul Tazewell, Lighting Designer Thomas C. Hase, Sound Designer David B. Smith, Illusion Designer James Steinmeyer and Costume Coordinator Kara Harmon. The Production Stage Manager is Jenifer Morrow.

Prices for THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR range from $25 – $71, depending on day and seat location, and are subject to change. Tickets are just $25 for the preview performances at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 21; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 25. Some restrictions apply. The official opening night is Thursday, April 26 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 THUNDER KNOCKING ON THE DOOR 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 http://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, April 29
  • 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, May 13
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, May 17

Audio Described Performance
4 p.m. Saturday, May 12

Signed Performance
2 p.m. Sunday, May 13

Playhouse Perspective
A free, pre-show lecture series featuring theatre artists and experts. Funding provided by Roderick and Barbara Barr. The featured speaker will be creator and director Keith Glover. Time: Sunday, May 6 at 6 p.m.

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: Fifth Third Bank and this production honors the brave men and women in our armed forces

Artist Sponsor: Schiff, Kreidler-Shell, Inc.

Honorary Producer: Lee Meyer

The 2011-2012 Marx Theatre Series is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

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April 3, 2012 · 4:24 pm

DANCING FOR THE STARS Sells Out

Guest Celebrity Judge, Drew Lachey, just announced!

CINCINNATI, OH – DANCING FOR THE STARS, Cincinnati Arts Association’s (CAA) annual fundraiser, has sold-out two weeks before the event, scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2012 at the Music Hall Ballroom. The popular evening of dance and friendly competition, now in its sixth year, benefits CAA’s Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition.

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience will vote for their favorite celebrity dancer. The competitive dance for the evening will be the Cha Cha, and each dance pair will have 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

Emceed by Chris O’Brien (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM) and Tanya O’Rourke (WCPO-TV anchor and DANCING FOR THE STARS 2010 alum), DANCING FOR THE STARS will feature a silent auction; showcase performance by the 2012 Overture Award winner in dance, Danielle Betscher; the swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra; DJ “Rockin Ron” from 103.5 WGRR-FM; pre-event reception and wine tasting; open dancing before and after the competition; lite bites provided by some of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants and caterers; and a cash bar.

The celebrity dancers at this year’s event include: Janeen Coyle (On-Air Personality, 103.5 WGRR-FM), Chief James Craig (Police Chief, Cincinnati Police Department), Peter Hiltz (Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC), Candace Klein (Attorney, Ulmer & Berne, LLP; CEO, Bad Girl Ventures), Dr. Michael Leadbetter, MD (Cosmetic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Group), Joe Rigotti (Creative Director / Event Planner, Accent on Cincinnati;), Moe Rouse (Community Volunteer), and Regina Russo (Director of Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati Art Museum).

The judges for the centerpiece dancing competition include Terry Foster (DANCING FOR THE STARS 2010 alum), Sarah Hairston (Cincinnati Ballet), and Eleanor Lachman (local ballroom dance pro), and special guest celebrity judge, Drew Lachey (champion of ABC-TV’s second season of DANCING FOR THE STARS).

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April 1, 2012 · 9:48 am

MAMMA MIA! Walks Down the Aisle of the Aronoff Center

THE GLOBAL SMASH HIT WILL RETURN TO CINCINNATI
FOR 1 WEEK ONLY!

(March 30, 2012/Cincinnati, OH) – Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, returns to Cincinnati this spring as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati 11/12 Season. Performances begin on May 1 and run through May 6 at the Aronoff Center.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased from an authorized ticket agent in person at the Broadway in Cincinnati Box Office downtown in the Mercantile Center at 120 East 4th Street, online at BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800.982.2787.

Seen by over 50 million people around the world, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating over 4,000 performances in its tenth smash hit year at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway’s top selling musicals. The current North American Tour has played over 3,700 performances in over 150 cities with 145 repeat visits. The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is now in its thirteenth year and has celebrated over 5,000 performances in London and the international tour has visited more than 50 foreign cities and been seen by 4 million people. The blockbuster feature film adaptation of MAMMA MIA!, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.

With a worldwide gross of over $2 Billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as “quite simply, a phenomenon.”

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya – from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

MAMMA MIA! will play The Aronoff Center from May 1 – 6, 2012: Tuesday- Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM, and Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM. Tickets start at $27.50 and may be purchased, online at BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, Ticketmaster.com in person at the Broadway in Cincinnati Box Office downtown in the Mercantile Center at 120 East 4th Street and the Aronoff Center Box Office or by phone at 800.982.2787. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363.

Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

The special edition cast recording of MAMMA MIA! is available on Decca Broadway.

For information about MAMMA MIA! go to www.mammamianorthamerica.com.

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BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA (Producer), part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com, is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Broadway.com is the premier theatre website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (CEO – Theater Division), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Current Broadway productions include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Nick Jonas and Beau Bridges, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Godspell, Memphis, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and the New York and US touring productions of Million Dollar Quartet. For more information, please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

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March 27, 2012 · 10:07 am

Centers Earns LCT Award for RAPUNZEL! RAPUNZEL!

David A. Centers Earns a League of Cincinnati Theatres Award for Children’s Theatre Production of RAPUNZEL! RAPUNZEL! 

(CINCINNATI, MARCH 27, 2012)– David A. Centers, scenic designer for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, has been recognized with a League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) Award for the company’s production of RAPUNZEL! RAPUNZEL! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale. Centers received an LCT Award in the same category earlier this year for his work on the company’s production of Disney’s MY SON PINOCCHIO JR.

Centers scenic design for the show was described as “simple and very well executed in a style that was great for the play.” In addition to the show’s signature tower, the set also boasts a forest that “wasn’t too dank, dark and dismal, but instead had personality.”

RAPUNZEL! RAPUNZEL! is a world premiere musical that offers numerous new twists on the classic fairy tale thanks to its playwrights/composers, the local team of Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. Still front and center is a beautiful princess with extra long hair, locked by the evil Lady Zaza in a tower guarded by a 17-foot dragon. Lady Zaza aims to keep Rapunzel from her rightful place as ruler of the kingdom, until the arrival of a handsome suitor who’s not entirely certain for what he’s searching.

Performances for RAPUNZEL! RAPUNZEL! continue through March 31. Ticket information is available at www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

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.info.

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March 27, 2012 · 9:57 am

TIGERS BE STILL Earns LCT Award for Sound Design

Vincent Olivieri Earns League of Cincinnati Theatres Award for Sound Design in Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s TIGERS BE STILL

Lindsey Kyler as Sherry and Eric Nelsen as Zack. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

(CINCINNATI, MARCH 27, 2012)– Vincent Olivieri, sound designer for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s production of TIGERS BE STILL, has earned a League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) Award for his work. According to LCT panelists, “Olivieri set the tone, mood and memory through a deft and specific soundscape.”

Written by Kim Rosenstock, TIGERS BE STILL is billed by the Playhouse as a darkly funny and moving new comedy about a young woman juggling the excitement of her first job with even bigger challenges at home: a depressed mother who won’t get out of bed and a sister who won’t get off the couch.

Panelists described Olivieri’s sound design as key to the show’s success. “On a very small stage, scenes took place in a school gym, drugstore, office, closet, outdoors and in the living spaces of two houses. Except for the main set, capturing the essence of these scenes was limited to a couple of props and pieces of furniture — and the sound!,” said one LCT panelist. “The sound effects were so believable that I was in that school gym with the scratchy microphone, in that store with the scanner, watching the movie with the characters — and I knew there were dogs behind that basement door. Bravo.”

Olivieri also created the sound design for TIGERS BE STILL director Rob Ruggiero’s previous productions of HIGH and LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC at the Playhouse. Locally, he’s additionally worked frequently at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.

TIGERS BE STILL continues through April 15. Ticket information is available at www.cincyplay.com.

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.info.

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