Category Archives: Season Announcements

October 20, 2020 · 9:22 am

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Announces Updates to the 2020-21 Season Due to Pandemic Challenges

CSC_logoVirtual performances, audio dramas, and educational programs still planned.

CINCINNATI (Oct. 20, 2020 at 9am) – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company today announced their annual holiday production of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” has been cancelled, and the reopening of their mainstage productions postponed until fall of 2021. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will continue to deliver on its mission of bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for all through many of its established programs, like this past summer’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park Tour, and through new, innovative community outreach and educational programs.  An announcement of the 2021-22 season will come later and may include some previously announced shows from the 2020-21 season, subject to timing and availability.

Tickets for current subscribers and other ticketholders will be automatically rolled over to the 2021-22 season.  All subscribers and other ticketholders will be contacted directly with details and the process for alternate options.

Below are some of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s programming plans for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.  More programs will be announced:

The War of the Worlds: An Audio Drama: This original version, written and directed by CSC’s own Jeremy Dubin and Brian Isaac Phillips, and featuring the vocal talents of CSC’s Touring Company and current staff Sara Clark, Cal Harris, Jeremy Dubin, and Brian Isaac Phillips, will premiere in partnership with WXVU on Friday October 30 on 91.7.  It will be available for replay following the premiere broadcast.

More on “War of the Worlds”: In 1938 the legendary Mercury Theatre Company, led by Orson Welles, delivered the single most notorious broadcast in radio history- a riveting adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.” The broadcast’s depiction of a Martian invasion was so realistic, it incited a nation-wide panic. This Halloween, CSC brings Wells’ chilling sci-fi thriller back to life in a brand new auditory experience inspired by the Mercury Theatre’s original broadcast. Learn more at https://www.cincyshakes.com/event/war-of-the-worlds/

Holiday Video TBA:  This holiday season, CSC plans to bring audiences a dose of comic (and irreverent) holiday cheer via an on-demand video in the same spirit as our beloved “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)  Additional details to be released soon.

Educational Programming: For over 25 years, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has worked with students and schools in the tri-state and beyond.  This year, CSC has adjusted programs to align with school safety protocols performing in outdoor spaces, large indoor spaces with distancing, and virtual workshops and programming.  These programs have been happening this fall and will continue January through May 2021. Cincinnati Shakespeare will all continue to offer its signature Educational Program, PROJECT38 this school year adjusting to meet the needs of the 38 local schools who participate. Learn more at https://www.cincyshakes.com/education/

FREE Shakespeare on the Radio and on Video:  After safely presenting FREE Shakespeare in the Park to 10 in person parks this summer, CSC expanded the reach of the program to continue to fulfill its mission of reaching more people with FREE Shakespeare. CSC is providing filmed and recorded audio drama versions of popular Shakespeare titles.  These will be available on a rotating basis from now through summer of 2021. Learn more at https://www.cincyshakes.com/programs/

Podcast: The Good, the Bard, and the Ugly: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, in conjunction with Travis McElroy, presents “The Good, the Bard, and the Ugly” your guide to Shakespeare in pop culture. Each week Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s own Jeremy Dubin and accomplished Shakespeare scholar Dr. Niamh O’Leary explore the wealth of Shakespeare-centric entertainment that can be enjoyed right from the comfort of your living room! Joined by a rotating panel of guests from CSC and beyond, they tuck into the wide (and occasionally weird) array of Shakespeare movies, recorded performances, adaptations and more available for your consumption.  Learn more at https://www.cincyshakes.com/podcast/

Shakes Makes: CSC announced this innovative new program a few weeks ago.  In the program, people are able to order handmade products designed and crafted by the behind-the-scenes theatrical creatives at CSC including scenic, costume, crafts, and digital artisans.  There are also ready-made items for purchase like harvest and holiday print masks that have been popular.  This program utilizes the highly specialized skills of these makers to create items for the community while they are unable to create costumes, sets, and designs for theatrical productions due to the current pandemic closure.  Items include custom woodworking projects, fabric crafts and alterations, Halloween costumes, custom-sized and fashion masks, digital Shakespearean pet portraits, a collection of zero waste products such as reusable napkins, paper towels, shopping bags, and more! Learn more at https://www.cincyshakes.com/shakesmakes/

For more information visit www.cincyshakes.com

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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.  CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theatre Association.  Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics! More information: www.cincyshakes.com.

Sponsors:
CSC’s is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and The John Bridgeland, Crilley, Long, and Mason Families Honoring James R. Bridgeland Jr., The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation, The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts with Arts Midwest, Lightborne, The Shubert Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, and ArtsWave.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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October 20, 2020 · 9:18 am

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Cancels One-Actor Version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and Postpones the Mainstage Season of Plays Until Fall 2021

PIP_logoSpecial events, virtual performances and educational programs still planned

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park today announced that the one-actor version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL has been cancelled, and the mainstage subscription season will be postponed until Fall of 2021 with some of the shows expected to return. The Playhouse will instead present a series of special events on selected weekends with socially distanced seating in the Marx Theatre, as well as its Off the Grid Series and continued educational programming.

The Playhouse Presents will bring a series of special events featuring nationally recognized theatre artists to the Marx Theatre on selected weekends with socially distanced seating. The series kicks-off Nov. 20 to 22 with A NIGHT OF JOY WITH DANIEL BEATY. The Playhouse has previously produced two of Beaty’s acclaimed solo plays: THROUGH THE NIGHT (which featured Beaty) and MR. JOY. Additional events will be announced later.

The City of Cincinnati and State of Ohio approved the Playhouse to open at 30 percent audience capacity. However, the plays and musicals produced for the mainstage season require dozens of artists and staff to work in very close quarters indoors for extended periods of time. Even with comprehensive safety protocols in place, full productions are in perpetual risk of being shut down due to a COVID-19 spike or positive case.

“This decision helps ensure our healthy return in the fall of 2021, while still offering some inspirational, alternative programming at the Playhouse,” explained Blake Robison, artistic director. “Weekend special events require less time and risk to present, and this makes them a better option in the current environment. We plan to be very busy bringing our community virtual and socially distanced ways to experience live theatre in the coming months.”

In addition to The Playhouse Presents, other plans to date include:

  • Off the Grid: Off the Grid creates immersive theatrical experiences. It continues this fall with the previously announced schedule of virtual and socially distanced events, including the sold-out Children of the Corn Maze on Oct. 24 and Nancy Brew Zoom Dunnit on Nov. 12. More events will be announced for winter and spring 2021.
  • Virtual Outreach Touring Plays: A professionally filmed production of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is currently available. SNOWY DAY will be filmed for release in January 2021 as well as DRAGONS LOVE TACOS in the spring, which may also have live performances if it is safe to do so at that time.
  • Virtual Education Programs: A robust curriculum of virtual workshops for schools is already online, and more content will be added to it throughout the fall. Schools can access the workshops with an Education Membership.
  • Directing the Future: The Capital Campaign is in the home stretch and ground-breaking on Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre is expected sometime in early 2021. Opening is still slated for Fall 2022.

For more information on The Playhouse Presents and other programming, visit cincyplay.com. An announcement of the 2021-22 season will come later and will include some previously announced shows from the 2020-21 season, subject to timing and availability. The hope is to bring back the full production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL in 2021.

The safety and well-being of patrons, artists and staff is of the utmost importance at the special events and other activities planned. As such, the Playhouse has developed a comprehensive safety plan which follows all measures required by the City of Cincinnati, the State of Ohio and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those measures will include intense cleaning, hand-sanitizing stations, social distancing, and other safety protocols. Patrons will also be required to wear masks. All
events are subject to change or cancellation based on revised guidelines from the City or the State.

Tickets for current subscribers and other ticketholders will be automatically rolled over to the 2021-22 season, and subscribers who renewed will continue to save their regular seats. All subscribers and other ticketholders will be contacted directly with details and the process for alternate options. For more information, visit cincyplay.com.

Seasonal support of education and outreach programming is provided by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation. The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community campaign. 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.

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October 19, 2020 · 10:39 am

Performances Cancelled Until August 2021 at Dayton Theatre Guild

DTG_See You in August logoWe regret that due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic we are postponing our live performances until August of 2021, when we plan to kick off our 2021/2022 season.

Your health and safety, and that of our volunteers, casts, and production crews is of the utmost concern. We have come to this difficult decision as so many of our fellow arts organizations, both local and around the world, have done.

We look forward to offering you a robust season when we open. Please stay tuned for information on upcoming productions and ticket information.

During the pandemic, and as we approach the end of the year, the Dayton Theatre Guild would appreciate any monetary donation, in any amount you are able to make. All donations will be used to help keep the Guild viable until we are able to reopen to the public.

We have been fortunate to have your loyal patronage for all these years, and we are impatient to get back to the business of “Giving You Good Theatre, Done Well!”

Be well and stay safe!

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October 14, 2020 · 12:34 pm

The Know Theatre Continues Its 23rd Mainstage Season

ktc_logoWe’re Rebuilding It. 

The Know Theatre of Cincinnati is very pleased to announce continuing plans for its 2020-2021 theatrical season. The Know remains committed to its mission as “Cincinnati’s theatrical playground” to present bold and creative new works from unexpected and surprising voices, while maintaining the highest possible level of safety for artists and audiences alike.

Mainstage Season
The Know Theatre’s twenty-third season, themed as “We Can Rebuild It,” continues with our next Mainstage production, Zack, by Christian St. Croix and directed by Andrew J. Hungerford. Livestreaming from the Know November 20 through December 13, this nostalgically satirical new play tackles the tropes of early 90’s teen sitcoms through the eyes of its tokenized minority characters, and asks the question: whom does the bell save? Starring David Armando and A.J. Baldwin, Zack is as packed full of hilarious and tender moments as the shows by which it’s inspired, while bringing an unflinching honesty all its own.

In February, the Know will present Theatre: A Love Story, by Caridad Svitch. This boldly poetic script, which peels back layers of storytelling convention and artifice to expose the raw beating heart of performance, will receive a collaborative production that blurs the lines between theatre and film and which draws on the strength of Cincinnati’s artistic community with multiple directors, a local cast, and collaboration with the dance company Pones, Inc. Theatre: A Love Story will stream online February 26 through March 27.

The mainstage season will be rounded out by two other shows, opening in January and in April; these titles will be announced later in the season.

Previously, the Know’s mainstage season debuted in August with a digital performance of Feast., by Megan Gogerty and directed by Tamara Winters. Featuring local star Jennifer Joplin, this solo retelling of the story of Grendel’s Mother from the epic poem Beowulf received rave reviews from critics and patrons alike and was viewed by audiences across the country. Ticket-buyers had the option to purchase a special “party favor” that was shipped to them in the mail, which added a bit of live, interactive flavor to the digital performance.

The season continued in September with a two-week run of Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It!, adapted by Cheryl L. West from her play Fannie. Created in association with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre to engage and activate voters in anticipation of November’s election, Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! was a traveling outdoor production, performed by two actors from the back of a pickup truck, that captured the spirit of the civil rights rallies led by the activist Fannie Lou Hamer in the 1960s and 1970s. This show, along with voter registration drives courtesy of the Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative, visited fourteen different parking lots across the greater Cincinnati area, from Covington to Hamilton.

Radio Know
When the Know closed its doors back in April, due to the first outbreak of COVID-19, we began production on a series of new radio plays. It was an exciting opportunity to create safely-distanced work for local actors, directors, and playwrights, while providing our patrons and subscribers with new entertainment. The Radio Know library now encompasses seven full-length audio plays, spanning a wide variety of styles and genres, from comedy to family drama to gothic drama even to jazz-infused, with a new play debuting monthly. Next up will be Haunted: The Great Lakes Ghost Project, by Joseph Zettelmaier, just in time for Halloween. Following that will be The Election of Miss Rebecca’s Third-Grade Class, by Brandon Leatherland, in November.

Stream Team
When production was put on an indefinite hiatus in the spring, the Know dove into its vaults to share archived recordings of some recent favorite shows. Currently available for video-on-demand streaming is Darkest Night at the Gnarly Stump, by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, with music by Paul Strickland. More recordings will be released throughout the coming season.

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival
The 2020 Cincinnati Fringe Festival pivoted to an all-digital production, with the whole Fringe experience, from Primary Lineup to Bar Series, fully online. It’s too early now to say what the 2021 Cincy Fringe will look like, but we know this: it’s happening, and it’ll be Kinda Weird, Like You. Applications are now open on cincyfringe.com.

It’s no secret: 2020 has been hard on all of us, but the Know Theatre didn’t quit when the going got tough. We’re pursuing our mission to be Cincinnati’s theatrical playground, and we’re working hard to reinvent and rebuild our industry and find new ways to delight and inspire our audiences. We’re so proud of what we’ve done so far, and so pleased that audiences have had such a great time along with us. So if you’re missing live events, if you’re curious about the art we’re making, or if you want to support a local Cincinnati business, we’re waiting for you. Come on in. The water’s great. 

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./U.S. Bank 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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September 23, 2020 · 2:32 pm

THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON Cancelled at Alibi Players

ALIBI_logoAlibi Players is sad to announce that our scheduled January 2021 play, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON has been cancelled due to Covid-19.

However, our September 2021 show, THE MEMORY OF WATER will go on as scheduled.

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