Season 24
Myth Breakers and Story Makers
ALL’S FAIRE
By Alex Rouse & Zach Robinson
Music and Lyrics by James Allen
July 23-Aug. 8, 2021
MONGREL
By Adam Tran
Aug. 26-Sept. 12, 2021
SHOCK! The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra
By Joseph Zettelmaier
Oct. 8-24, 2021
GLASSHEART
By Reina Hardy
Nov. 19-Dec. 12, 2021
HARPERS FERRY 2019
By Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
March 4-20, 2022
THE TWUNNY FO’
By A.J. Baldwin
April 15-May 8, 2022
Filed under Season Announcements
CSO PROOF: ANNO Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Louis Langrée, conductor
Anna Meredith, electronics
Eleanor Meredith, video
Simon Hendry, sound design
At times haunting and achingly beautiful, at others punchy and bombastic, ANNO intertwines sections from Vivaldi’s hugely famous Four Seasons with newly composed electronic and acoustic music by Anna Meredith.
FREEDOM & JOY
Louis Langrée, conductor
Stefani Matsuo, violin
Drew Petersen, piano
Our opening concerts symbolize the freedom and joy in being able to gather together to share live music. The program features Brahms’ blockbuster Third Symphony—an outburst of freedom and joy. Pianist Drew Petersen joins concertmaster Stefani Matsuo for Brahms’ Scherzo movement from the collaborative F-A-E Sonata and then performs Andrew Norman’s enigmatic Suspend, which explores melodic fragments from both of Brahms’ works.
DANIIL TRIFONOV IN RECITAL
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Daniil Trifonov wowed sold-out Music Hall audiences with his 2019 CSO debut. Now, Cincinnati will get a chance to experience a rare solo recital showcasing the remarkable talent of the famed Russian pianist—an artist The London Times calls “without question the most astounding pianist of our age.”
GAFFIGAN CONDUCTS MAHLER 4
James Gaffigan, conductor
Robert Sullivan, trumpet
Catherine Trottmann, soprano
Conductor James Gaffigan returns with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, a work depicting the stunning grace often found amid tragedy. Soprano Catherine Trottmann makes her CSO debut, and Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan takes center stage with a rarely heard 18th-century gem by the little-known Czech composer Johann Baptist Georg Neruda.
MANNY, HAYDN & BEETHOVEN 8
Louis Langrée, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Emanuel Ax, a perpetual audience favorite, performs Haydn’s shimmering Concerto in D. Composer Sebastian Currier took Louis Langrée’s CSO commission instructions literally: each of the four movements in Track 8 parallels a movement of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, in what Currier calls
“a Beethoven remix.”
DEBUSSY, RAVEL & MENDELSSOHN
Roderick Cox, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano
Roderick Cox’s CSO debut takes us into the sound world of the imagination, with works by composers who used the full palette of orchestral colors to illustrate their vision. Mallarmé’s poem depicting a faun’s ephemeral fantasies inspired Debussy’s most famous work. Pianist Conrad Tao performs Ravel’s concerto inspired by jazz and Basque folk music, and Mendelssohn’s Scottish evokes the dramatic landscapes of the British Isles.
DAWSON, BEETHOVEN & BERNSTEIN: A Shared Humanity
James Conlon, conductor
James Conlon, May Festival Music Director Laureate, returns with works by three composers who touch on universal themes of cultural identity and our shared humanity. Dawson, a pioneering composer in his time, expresses the Black American experience while Beethoven’s and Bernstein’s works illustrate the conflicts between cultures thrown together through circumstance.
LA VALSE & SIMPSON PREMIERE
Louis Langrée, conductor
Nicola Bendetti, violin
At the turn of the 20th century, there were no greater orchestrators than Ravel and Strauss, whose works unleash the full force of the orchestra in all of its innumerable colors. Grammy-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti gives the U.S. premiere of Mark Simpson’s dazzling new violin concerto. Finished during the pandemic, the work “explodes with all those feelings—frustration, anger, restlessness, confusion, uncertainty—that have had nowhere to go during the lockdowns” (The Times, London).
PINTSCHER PREMIERE & RACHMANINOFF
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
CSO Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher and close collaborator, violinist Leila Josefowicz, premiere Pintscher’s brand new concerto, written for the CSO. Completing the program is another composer who conducted his own works: Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose spirited Symphonic Dances are always an audience favorite.
TANGO & CITY NOIR
John Storgårds, conductor
Ksenjia Sidorova, accordion
The versatility of Glass, Piazzolla and Adams shines as conductor John Storgårds leads a program conjuring missing lovers, misspent youth, intrigue, and the early hours of Los Angeles. Piazzolla’s steamy, sultry Latin tangos are mesmerizing as performed by accordionist Ksenija Sidorova in her CSO debut.
CANELLAKIS & ELGAR CONCERTO
Karina Canellakis, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Audience favorite Alisa Weilerstein brings her trademark intensity to Elgar’s fiery and elegant Cello Concerto. Full of energy, Augusta Read Thomas’ Brio is a joyous opening to the program, and the artistry of conductor Karina Canellakis and the CSO is on display with Sibelius’ depiction of mythological dark Nordic waters, icy adventures and a sonorous swan song.
MOZART & MAZZOLI PREMIERE
Louis Langrée, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director
Jennifer Koh is a prolific champion of new works and stars in the premiere of a CSO co-commission by “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart,” Missy Mazzoli. The May Festival Chorus makes a triumphant return to Music Hall for Mozart’s poignant Mass, taking us from anxiety and darkness to glorious transfiguration.
SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Louis Langrée, conductor
Eighth Blackbird
GRAMMY Award-winning Eighth Blackbird joins the CSO for a premiere from
Kinds of Kings, a U.S.-based composer collective amplifying and advocating for underrepresented voices. A new fanfare by Wynton Marsalis shows off the Orchestra’s brass, and Symphonie fantastique completes the concert with a delirious dream fueled by Berlioz’s obsessive passion and unrequited love.
BARTÓK & PROKOFIEV 5
Kazushi Ōno, conductor
Seong-Jin Cho, piano
Prokofiev’s powerful hymn to humanity anchors a program featuring the CSO debuts of conductor Kazushi Ōno and star pianist Seong-Jin Cho. The vivid musical imagery of Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu sets the stage for Bartók’s airy and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3.
BRONFMAN & LA MER
Louis Langrée, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Powerhouse pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to the CSO with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Julia Adolphe’s premiere evokes the power of nature and its malleable, playful, childlike qualities. With La Mer let your imagination soar—Debussy’s masterful use of orchestral colors makes this impressionistic work a perpetual audience favorite.
ITZHAK PERLMAN IN RECITAL
Itzhak Perlman, violin
When we say, “think of a famous violinist,” who comes to mind? For many, it’s Itzhak Perlman. The “reigning virtuoso” (The New York Times) returns for a solo violin recital, putting Perlman’s legendary sound center stage. When we think of Perlman, we think, “can’t miss.”
CSO PROOF: Black Being
Flutronix
Nathalie Joachim & Allison Loggins-Hull, composers and soloists
Jaki Shelton Green, poet
Co-Commissioned by The Arts Club of Chicago and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Black Being explores the African-American female experience through themes of fear, sacrifice, beauty, survival and strength in an immersive staged performance that provides a lens into black cultural realities and human conditions.
CLASSICAL ROOTS
John Morris Russell, conductor
Shout for joy, Cincinnati! JMR and the CSO celebrate 20+ years of Classical Roots, one of The Queen City’s most inspiring musical traditions. Experience the voices of the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir and let the powerful presence of song and spirit in beautiful Music Hall lift up your heart.
CONNESSON PREMIERE & RACHMANINOFF
Louis Langrée, conductor
Dwight Parry, oboe
Rachmaninoff’s lush and romantic Second Symphony uses the full force of the orchestra to deliver one of the most popular symphonic works. Opening the concert is a world premiere by French composer Guillaume Connesson, written for CSO Principal Oboe Dwight Parry.
TRANSCENDENT BRUCKNER
Louis Langrée, conductor
Louis Langrée calls Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony “a cathedral of sound—spiritual, soaring and transcendent.” The concert opens with a new work by Gabriela Ortiz, identified by NPR as “one of Mexico’s most sought-after classical composers,” whose musical language stems from her heritage and yet is all her own.
For more information visit https://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/tickets-and-events/buy-tickets/cso/2122-cso-season
Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements
VILLAGE PLAYERS OF FORT THOMAS ANNOUNCES
2021-2022 MAINSTAGE SEASON, LIVE AND IN-PERSON!
June 16, 2021, Fort Thomas, KY— Village Players of Fort Thomas is thrilled to announce its live and in-person 2021-22 mainstage season, a collection of popular, crowd-pleasing shows beautifully balanced by light-hearted humor and sentimentality. The season opens with the previously-scheduled-but-Covid-cancelled musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, and there’s a bonus with this show: the first twenty patrons to use the code welcomeback will receive half off their second ticket!
Village Players Vice President and play reading committee member Angela Klocke Forbes explains the process behind the selections. “We approached this ‘return-to-the-theater’ season by asking ourselves, ‘What have we missed most about live theater?’ And the answer we came up with, in a nutshell, was celebration—that uplifting feeling you have after the curtain falls on a show that was just simply special,” she says. “With that in mind, we chose shows that are sure to leave audiences feeling good, whether through comedy or music or heart.”
Village Players’ 2021-22 Season
October 1-3 & 7-9, 2021
THE LAST FIVE YEARS by Jason Robert Brown
Courtesy of Music Theatre International
Directed by Nathan Henegar
An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show’s unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.
December 3-5 & 9-11, 2021
DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten
Courtesy of Dramatists Play Service
Directed by Dan Maloney
It’s four days before Christmas in the tiny town of Tinsel, Texas, and a colorful parade of eccentric guests arrive at the Snowflake Inn and deck the halls with holiday hilarity. You’ll swear this family-friendly Jones/Hope/Wooten Christmas comedy is more fun than a joyride in a one-horse open sleigh!
February 25-27 & March 3-5, 2022
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU by Moss Hart and George S. KaufmanBottom of FormTop of FormTop of Form
Courtesy of Dramatists Play Service
Directed by Greg Hatfield
At first the Sycamores seem mad, but it’s not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. The plot shows how Tony, attractive young son of the Kirbys, falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening. You Can’t Take It With You is a madcap, idealistic comedy that reinforces the idea that you can only live life to the fullest by doing whatever makes you happy.
April 29-May 1 & May 5-7, 2022
SYLVIA by A.R. Gurney
Courtesy of Dramatists Play Service
Directed by Steven Ducker
Greg and Kate have moved to Manhattan after twenty-two years of child-raising in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career, as a public-school English teacher, is beginning to offer her more opportunities. Greg brings home a dog he found in the park—or that has found him—bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. The marriage is put in serious jeopardy until, after a series of hilarious and touching complications, Greg and Kate learn to compromise, and Sylvia becomes a valued part of their lives.
Season packages include all four shows for a discounted rate of $60 per person. Individual show tickets are $20. Purchase season packages or individual show tickets online now at villageplayers.org.
Village Players of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, is a vibrant community theatre that has produced plays and musicals for more than 50 years. Performing in an intimate space, you will feel like you are part of the action, sitting inches from the actors on three sides of the stage. We strive to appeal to a broad audience, producing three main-stage shows of varying styles and a children’s show each winter. Village Players is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), Association of Community Theatres Cincinnati (ACT), Ohio Community Theatre Association (OCTA), and the Kentucky Theatre Association (KTA).
###
Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements
THE CARNEGIE ANNOUNCES 2021-22 THEATRE SEASON
COVINGTON, KY – The Theatre Series is back! The Carnegie’s 2021-22 season features a fast-talking plant; an intimate glimpse into the complicated life of a Hollywood icon; a heartwarming, family musical that will have everyone humming “Do-Re-Mi”; and the debut of a new script by a local arts leader.
The season opens in August with outdoor performances of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, a deliciously hilarious musical about a man-eating plant. In September, audience members will finally have the opportunity to see Judy Garland as she navigates a comeback in END OF THE RAINBOW, the final production of The Carnegie’s 2019-2020 season that was canceled due to COVID. Families are welcome to return to The Carnegie Theatre with a winter production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC in January of 2022. Closing out the season in April will be a new play by D. Lynn Meyers – in a first-of-its-kind regional collaboration, The Carnegie and NKU School of the Arts will work together to produce a new play by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Producing Artistic Director.
Subscriptions and single tickets for the 2021-22 Theatre Season are on sale now. Full season subscriptions are $106 and $102 for Carnegie Members. Pick three subscriptions are available for $82-87 depending on selected titles. Subscriptions may be purchased through The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940, Tuesday – Friday, Noon – 5 pm, or online at thecarnegie.com.
The Carnegie’s 2021-22 Theatre Series is presented by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.
The Carnegie’s 2021-22 Theatre Series
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS | Playing August 13-22, 2021
Performances at Covington Plaza Amphitheater (144 Madison Ave, Covington KY 41011)
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman | Music by Alan Menken
Based on the film by Roger Corman | Screenplay by Charles Griffith
Originally produced by the WPA Theatre (Kyle Renick, Producing Director)
Originally produced at the Orpheum Theatre, New York City by the WPA Theatre, David Geffen, Cameron Mackintosh and the Shubert Organization
A Broadway and Hollywood smash musical, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS has devoured the hearts of theatregoers for over thirty years. Seymour is a down-on-his-luck floral assistant living on Skid Row and pining for the love of his co-worker, Audrey. But his fortunes change when he meets a fast-talking plant who promises him wealth, fame, and the love of his dream girl to boot. There’s just one problem. In exchange for his wildest dreams coming true, Seymour must follow the plant down a murderous path to world domination.
Featuring a beloved score in a Motown style, you’ll be hopping and bopping to hits like “Suddenly Seymour,” “Skid Row,” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.
Six Performances:
Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members and $25 for students.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS-Broadway Version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MIT). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MIT. www.MTIShows.com
Content Advisory: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.
END OF THE RAINBOW | Playing September 10-19, 2021
Performances at Covington Plaza Amphitheater (144 Madison Ave, Covington KY 41011)
By Peter Quilter
The year is 1968 and Judy Garland is set firmly on the comeback trail. The failed marriages, the suicide attempts and the addictions are all behind her. At forty-six and with new flame Mickey Deans at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. But lasting happiness always eludes some people, and there was never any answer to the question with which Judy ended every show: “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why, can’t I?”
END OF THE RAINBOW is a savagely funny drama featuring a glorious ensemble of Judy Garland hits such as “The Trolley Song,” “The Man that Got Away,” and of course “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Six Performances:
Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members and $25 for students.
END OF THE RAINBOW is presented by special arrangement with CONCORD Theatricals, Inc.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC | Playing January 29-February 13, 2022
Performances at The Carnegie Theatre (1028 Scott Blvd, Covington KY 41011)
Music by Richard Rodgers | Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse | Suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp
THE SOUND OF MUSIC is one of the most beloved musicals of all time! In Austria, 1938, an exuberant young governess brings music and joy back to a broken family, only to face danger and intrigue as the Nazis gain power.
Featuring an iconic score including “My Favorite Things,” “Sixteen going on Seventeen,” and “Climb Every Mountain,” this family-friendly favorite shares a meaningful story for all ages.
Ten Performances:
Tickets are $32 for adults, $29 Carnegie members, $25 for students and $15 for children.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC is presented by special arrangement with CONCORD Theatricals, Inc.
CONTENT ADVISORY: This is a family-friendly production. Appropriate for all ages.
The Carnegie Presents, in Collaboration with NKU School of the Arts
A New Play by D. Lynn Meyers | Playing April 1-16, 2022
Performances at The Carnegie Theatre (1028 Scott Blvd, Covington KY 41011)
In a first-of-its-kind regional collaboration, The Carnegie and NKU School of the Arts will work together to produce a new play by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Producing Artistic Director, D. Lynn Meyers. This bold pairing of educational and creative goals will allow the students of NKU’s School of the Arts Theatre + Dance Program to work intimately with Meyers to workshop and refine the new playscript through the ‘21-22 school year. The Carnegie will then debut this world premier script and kick-off the 20th anniversary of NKU’s YES festival, the oldest collegiate new-play festival in the country.
Eight Performances:
Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for Carnegie members and $21 for students.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Production includes adult themes and language. Not recommended for children under 13.
###
About The Carnegie
The Carnegie is Northern Kentucky’s largest multidisciplinary arts venue providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. The Carnegie facility is home to The Carnegie Galleries, the Otto M. Budig Theatre, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center. More information about The Carnegie is available at thecarnegie.com or by calling (859) 491-2030.
The Carnegie receives ongoing operating support from Cincinnati International Wine Festival, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the City of Covington. The Carnegie is also supported by the generosity of more than 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.
About The Carnegie Theatre Series
The Carnegie Theatre Series produces professional, innovative stagings of an eclectic range of theatrical works. Striving to unite the greater Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati theatre community through partnerships and collaborations, the series engages and nurtures both emerging and established talent, including working professionals, committed part-time theatre artists, university performing arts students and younger students. The Carnegie Theatre Series productions bring together these forces to provide quality theatre for Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.
Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements
The Drama Workshop 2021 – 2022 Season
August 6 – 22, 2021
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ABRIDGED
By Long, Singer & Winfield. Directed by Becky Collins
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ABRIDGED features
three actors performing parodies of all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 97 minutes! It makes for one fast, funny evening. The Shakespearean “canon” gets loaded with jokes! Whether you love, hate or just don’t understand Shakespeare, it’s a blast!
Presented by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing, Inc, NYC
November 12 – 14, 2021
ALL TOGETHER NOW!
by Music Theatre International
Directed by Linda Abbott
One Weekend Only! The Drama Workshop and Music Theatre International invite you to attend a unique, one-time only musical revue celebrating the return of live theatre. ALL TOGETHER NOW! is a unique, one-time only revue that features favorite songs from over 20 of Broadway’s most loved songwriters as well as the Disney songbook. This show will be performed on the same weekend by theaters all over the world!
Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International, Inc.
MAKING GOD LAUGH
December 3 – 19, 2021
By Sean Grennan
Directed by Michael L. Morehead
MAKING GOD LAUGH is a touching family comedy which follows a family
across 30 years of holidays. Bill and Ruthie’s grown children — a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former football star – return home, where we learn that their plans and dreams reshape over time, ending at unexpected destinations.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc (www.playscripts.com)
HOME BREW THEATRE
January 14 – 16, 2022
Ten Short Plays by Ten Authors
We’re back! …in January! HOME BREW THEATRE is the fifth installment TDW’s
celebration of local playwrights and local beer. Join us for a selection of witty and thought-provoking ten-minute plays by local authors, and a chance to raise a glass with the actors, directors and writers at a reception afterwards.
BRIGHT STAR
March 4 – 20, 2022
By Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Directed by Dennis Murphy
Featuring the Grammy-nominated bluegrass-based score by Steve Martin and
Edie Brickell, Broadway’s BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping, tuneful tale of love, loss and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40s. Made possible by our show sponsor: Greg Schaper.
Presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide
FOOLISH FISHGIRLS AND THE PEARL
May 7 – 23, 2022
By Barbara Pease Weber
Directed by Rose Vanden Eynden
FOOLISH FISHGIRLS AND THE PEARL is a feisty fairytale about a mermaid’s
life on dry land after true love is found and lost. Three former deep-sea divas didn’t get the storybook “happily ever after” lives when they followed love and came ashore thirty years ago. Now a new mermaid has appeared, and they try to warn her of the perils of falling for fallible mortal men.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc (www.playscripts.com)
For more information on season subscriptions, visit www.thedramaworkshop.org/subscribe
Filed under Press Releases, Season Announcements
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 