The Know’s 24th Season: Myth Breakers and Story Makers
Cincinnati, the team at Know Theatre has missed you. Don’t get us wrong: we’re grateful we spent the last year playing, innovating, and bringing you bold and fresh digital content full of unexpected stories and brave new voices, but we are over the moon to once again present a full season of live and in-person entertainment.
If you’re hungry for connection, if you’re tired of Netflix and want to be a part of something fierce and new, or if you’re just really excited to get out of the house and back in the community, we can’t wait to see you at our summer outdoor performances and our MainStage season.
Mainstage Season
The Know Theatre’s twenty-fourth season is our joyful return to the living breathing society of in-person theatre following our mostly-digital 2020-2021 season. This season, themed as “Myth Breakers and Story Makers” begins with two open-air shows before returning to the Know’s MainStage on Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine.
We begin the season with All’s Faire, by Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson with music and lyrics by James Allen. This four-person romp, packed full of music, whimsy, and puppets, is a whodunit in the thick of a Renaissance Faire, and will tour to locations around the city July 23 – August 8, 2021.
Before summer ends, we’ll present a second outdoor show: Mongrel, by Adam Tran. In this World Premiere, you’ll step into the camp of Genghis Khan, and meet a young man who defies the destiny of his birth and builds himself a legend. Mongrel will be presented in an outdoor venue August 26 – September 14, 2021.
As the weather turns colder, we will return to the Know Theatre’s MainStage with SHOCK!: The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra, by Joseph Zettelmaier. SHOCK! celebrates the campy TV horror hostesses of the 1950s and 1960s (a la the iconic Vampira). It’s a story for all the passionate creators brave enough to take a chance on the weird, the kooky, and unexpected. SHOCK!: The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra will run on the MainStage October 8 – October 24, 2021.
For the holiday season, we love a fresh spin on an old tale. This year, we’re breathing new life into a tale as old as time. Glassheart, by Reina Hardy, up-ends the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, and gives us a new kind of fairy tale: for the romantics, for the broken-hearted, and for everyone who’s ready to breathe a little magic back into the world. Glassheart runs November 19 – December 12.
Our January show is still yet to be announced. Stay tuned for details coming soon.
Next up we’ll present Harpers Ferry 2019, by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, that cost 18 lives – and changed the course of American history. In 2019, three park rangers find themselves entangled in a love triangle – and entangled with a history that keeps wanting to repeat itself. Harpers Ferry 2019 runs March 4 through March 20, 2022.
Our season closes with The Twunny Fo’, by Cincinnati playwright A.J. Baldwin. Step inside of the last holdouts of a rapidly changing neighborhood – an all-night convenience store – barely hanging on to its identity after it’s rebranded by Corporate as “The 24.” What’s at stake when the gentrification machine rolls through your neighborhood? A world premiere comedy, The Twunny Fo’ runs April 15 – May 8, 2022.
Radio Know
Last year, we began a monthly series of audio dramas, spotlighting local talent. In the coming season, the plays in our collection will remain available for download, and we will continue to release Radio Know productions on a quarterly basis.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival
The 2021 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, in a hybrid live/digital format and an outdoor block party venue, was a rousing success, and Cincy Fringe will return for its nineteenth year in 2022. Applications will be open in the autumn, with the Festival’s Primary Lineup announced in April.
How to enjoy the 24th Season of Know Theatre of Cincinnati:
Single Tickets for all MainStage and summer shows will go on sale July 1!
This year, you can choose the ticket price that fits your budget – $15 if you need it, $25 for an average price, and $35 if you want to help us ensure a living wage for all.
The Welcome Experiment
We know that, especially after this past year, there are lots of members of our community for whom even a $15 ticket is too much of a budget strain. That is why we are proud to bring back The Welcome Experiment: our Wednesday MainStage performances where anyone can reserve a ticket in advance for $5, or get a ticket at the door completely free of charge (subject to availability). Come see a show at the Know – you’re welcome here!
Want to sample a few shows this season? Our Flex Pass option for $90 lets you pick 6 entries to any MainStage or Second Stage event throughout the season, in any combination you like – and it never expires!
Want to see it all? We have an Annual Membership that is valid for one full year from time of purchase, for $250 – including admission to every MainStage and Second Stage event, access to all Radio Know releases, Artist-priced drinks at the bar, and members-only experiences. (Plus, your Annual Membership goes a long way to helping us maintain a living wage for MainStage artists – thank you!)
Season 24: Myth Breakers & Story Makers begins in July – Let’s Play!
Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground.
The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
Know Theatre’s work is made possible, 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 also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.
Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.
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