GINDEPENDENCE DAY: A Developmental Staged Reading
American Legacy Theatre
Nov. 7-8 | Available on Demand Nov. 11-18
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati [Over-the-Rhine]
Artsville [Madisonville]
Cast: Jovanni Candia as Bailey, Ariana Hodes as Remmy, Rory Sheridan as Doug & Roux Bedrosian as CJ
Three people in recovery. One wildly underprepared musical history of alcoholism in America. What could possibly go wrong?
Filed under On Stage, Staged Reading
WHO GETS GRANDMA’S EYEBALL and WAITING ROOM COMMERCE
Cincinnati Playwright Initiative
Nov. 17
Fifth Third Bank Theatre [Downtown]
WHO GETS GRANDMA’S EYEBALL
One-act play by Paul Bergman
Fun and the unexpected connect with a lucky, lurking eyeball and Grandma’s estate riddle in this one-act play. After the colorful Grandma Maissey dies, how will the rest figure out the mystery? And where does the funky Eyeball land? The challenges and disputes are met with ‘a wink and a prayer’ …and, always, a heartfelt sense of care.
About the Playwright
A retired professional, Paul enjoys writing stories—both meaningful and fun filled. This play represents the first time he has engaged with his son, Alan, and wife, Barb, in creating a script. They were able to help him find some clever, off-kilter instances with the characters in this heartwarming show. He dedicates this show to the ‘Bergman Team” and writers everywhere.
WAITING ROOM COMMERCE
One-act play by Jon Singer
Two patients in different stages of knee replacement surgery engage in conversation while awaiting access to the treatment room. In the holding area, they engage in the friendly banter of sports, kindred lines and commonality of spirit. By the time they are called to physician interaction they are thrust into the commerce of anger and distrust.
About the Playwright
Jonathan Singer, M.D. is Professor Emeritus Wright State University School of Medicine. He has published widely in scientific realms including 100 poems in Emergency Medicine periodicals. He authored an autobiography, anthologies of non-medical poetry and of short stories. He contributed 50 children’s books to print and electronic media. Three of his plays have had staged readings at the Aronoff.
Filed under On Stage, Staged Reading
MADE IN CINCINNATI NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Oct. 2-3
[Eden Park]
Made in Cincy: New Works Festival successfully piloted in May with plays by Nathan Alan Davis, Maggie Lou Rader and Isaiah Reaves. All the play readings were sold out with waiting lists, and the audiences engaged in conversations with the playwrights, contributing to this critical stage in development. It was a testament that our community shows up for artists and for new work.
All readings and the panel discussion are free, but advance reservations are required. Parking may be reserved and purchased in advance at a discounted rate.
Filed under On Stage, Staged Reading
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Cincinnati Playwright Initiative
Oct. 20
Fifth Third Bank Theatre [Downtown]
A full-length play by Leo Bradley
What Might Have Been follows the trials and tribulations, successes and failures, happiness and sadness, of two men; one who follows a safe and conventional life and one who takes a riskier, more unconventional one. Both antagonists possess similar intellects, talents, and interests, which make the feasibility of either path attainable. Alternate scenes from both scenarios present narration and dialogue revealing how choices affect all facets of life – especially family, relationships, careers, security, faith, and ambition. After the choices are made, we often ponder: “what might have been?”
About the Playwright
Dr. Leo Bradley is a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction. In the fiction genre, Here’s to Living is his second play. Bradley’s first, Bleachers, presented through music and dialogue, shows the parallels between the history of baseball and the story of America. He has also authored three novels: one with historical Civil War settings, as well as a family saga of the 20th Century. and a contemporary tale set in Music City, USA. What Might Have Been is Leo’s fourth play with CPI. Dr. Bradley is also a songwriter, musician, and singer. having written and recorded three CDs along with having over forty of his songs recorded.
Filed under On Stage, Staged Reading
THE OPPOSITE OF FAILURE
Cincinnati Playwright Initiative
Sept. 15
Fifth Third Bank Theatre [Downtown]
A full-length play by Nancy Robinson Crist
Martie has been trying to get back on her feet ever since her thirty-year marriage ended. Crippled by chronic depression, she has tried, without success, to find a treatment that works. But just when she thinks her life won’t get better, hope arrives in the form of a philosophical teen, a flaky coworker, an innovative doctor, and a “flustrated” nephew. Martie learns that, while it’s important for her to help herself, it’s just as important to accept help from the other people sharing her corner of the world.
About the Playwright
Nancy Robinson Crist’s first play, Everything’s Relative, was published by Dramatic Publishing in 1990. Over the next eight years she wrote The Case of the Disappearing Drumsticks, a children’s play; Murder in Mayberry, a comedy; Soul Survivors, a comedy-drama that received a staged reading at Lincoln Center and productions in Chicago and New York; and Jack the Chipper, a musical written with composer Mark Hollmann and produced in Chicago. She was hijacked by life for twenty-eight years before returning to her passion in 2026, writing The Opposite of Failure. She lives in Greendale, Indiana, with her cat and confidante, Javy
Filed under On Stage, Staged Reading
