Tag Archives: Cincinnati Fringe Festival

October 21, 2025 · 4:59 pm

Know Theatre of Cincinnati Calls for New Work

Applications Are Open Through Early December for the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival and Serials! Season 16

Cincinnati, OH – Know Theatre of Cincinnati is excited to announce the opening of applications for their two wildly popular theatrical incubator programs: the 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival (May 29 – June 13, 2026) and Serials! now in its sixteenth season, running every other Monday for five performances between January 26th and March 23rd, 2026.

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is a 14-day festival of new work and live performance from local, national and international indie theatre artists that takes place annually over the first two weeks of June. The Cincy Fringe is a curated festival and each Primary Lineup application is reviewed by three arts professionals on the basis of diversity, innovation, passion, regional singularity, and for the project’s ability to be produced within the constraints of the Fringe structure. Applicants can submit to five different categories of programming: Primary Lineup, Special Events, Fringe In Development, Conceptual Fringe and Kids Fringe. With a Pay-What-You-Wish Application, a $125 Producer’s Fee, and a 50/50 box office split, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival aims to reduce the financial barrier for theatre artists to enable them to make exciting choices and take chances with their work – not their wallets. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, December 9, 2025; Applicants will be notified of their application status by February 2, 2026.

Serials! exists with the intention of giving local artists the opportunity to see their ideas onstage in a supportive, growth-oriented environment. Playwrights are encouraged to submit their ideas for serialized scripts that can be brought to full conclusion through no more than five episodes, to be performed live on the Know Theatre Cabaret Stage. Prior to each performance, each production is given time to do a technical rehearsal in the space and producers receive a 50/50 box office split. At the end of the five performances, the audience votes for the show that they wish to see performed in its entirety during a weekend run on the Know Theatre Cabaret Stage.

This year the Know Theatre welcomes new producers for Serials! After four seasons of production under the keen-eyed and loving care of Liz Carman, the Know is pleased to announce that Serials! Season 16 will be helmed by local theatre makers, Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson of A to Z Productions. Rouse has been personally involved as a writer and producer since Serials! Season 2 and Robinson since Serials! Season 3. Serials! has been integral to their personal as well as professional stories, as the two theatre makers met during Serials! Season 3, fell in love, and have since collaborated on many successful productions including All’s Faire, a Ren Faire who-done-it comedy musical that has gone on to be professionally produced multiple times.

The application for Serials! requires the submission of a title, short and full descriptions, a 5-page writing sample, cast size, the request of a 1-5 episode arc, special production requests and the production team’s general availability. The application for Serials! Season 16 closes Monday, December 15; applicants will be notified of their selection by Friday, December 19, 2025.

Applicant Information
Applicants interested in applying to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival can find the Applicant Handbook, FAQs, and Application at https://cincyfringe.com/

For questions regarding the application or the festival, please contact Fringe Producer, Katie Hartman at katiefringe@knowtheatre.com

Applicants interested in applying to Serials! Season 16 can find the Applicant Handbook and Application at https://www.knowtheatre.com/serials-16/

For questions regarding Serials! or its application, please contact Serials! Producers, Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson at Serials@knowtheatre.com

Ticket and Performance Information
Serials! Season 16 will take place on Mondays at 7:30pm: January 26, February 9 & 23, and March 9 & 23, 2026

Tickets and passes are now on sale for Serials! Season 16 and may be purchased by phone at (513) 300-5669 or purchased online at https://www.knowtheatre.com/serials-16/

  • Single Tickets: $17 ($15 plus $2 processing fee)
  • Five-show Pass: $75

The 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival: May 29 – June 13, 2026. Passes will go on sale when the 2026 festival lineup is announced on Monday, April 6, 2026 at cincyfringe.com. Single tickets will go on sale on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati exists to build belonging through bold theatre.

Serials! Season 16 and the 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival are made possible by the Morse and Betty Johnson Family Foundation. 

The 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is sponsored by Norah and Joe Mock of Cutler Real Estate.

Know Theatre is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

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 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.

###

Leave a comment

Filed under Casting Call

Tagged as ,

September 8, 2025 · 5:02 pm

Z IS FOR ZEBRA Enlivens Arts as Advocacy Through Disabled Artists Telling Disabled Stories

An encore performance of a show critics called “tightly executed, deeply personal, and often
wickedly funny”

[Cincinnati, OH] Back by popular demand, after a sold out run at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Z IS FOR ZEBRA is returning to the Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s stage for a limited run in early October. Hailed as “a tightly executed, deeply personal, and often wickedly funny piece” (Kirk Sheppard) Z IS FOR ZEBRA, written by Katie Scarlett, explores the relationship between chronic illness and grief told through the eyes of a professor giving a lecture on Kubler-Ross’s “stages of grief.” But what happens when the professor’s overconfident (and unwanted) TA takes her on a whirlwind journey through her own hardships with chronic illness? Together, they navigate the path to acceptance (no matter how fleeting) through a series of successes and struggles with humor, heart, and a lot of pill bottles.

The show will run from October 2nd- 5th at The Know Theatre on 1120 Jackson Street. The cast includes: Ben Dudley, Kate Stark, and Katie Scarlett. Production team includes: Liz Carman (director), ErinMarie Suscheck (stage manager), and designers Becca Schall, Jared Earland, and Rupert Spraul.

Scarlett, who is disabled herself, strongly believes in art as a form of advocacy. “For a lot of chronically ill people self-advocacy starts young in medical settings. You must learn how to stand up for yourself because often you’re not believed by medical professionals or you receive a lot of pushback,” Scarlett says. “This show for me was a way of broadening my advocacy past myself. My story isn’t unique. I can name multiple people in the disabled and chronic illness communities who have shared similar experiences. Most people don’t know how hard it is to navigate a complex healthcare system when the chronic part of being ill never ends. It’s exhausting to live in a body that defies you every step of the way and the medical system that is meant to help shouldn’t be part of that exhaustion.” This message is important as, according to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States are disabled. Most people have someone in their life that has struggled with their health, this story provides more context to relate on a deeper level.

It was important to Scarlett to build a team of disabled artists. She believes disabled stories need to be told, and by disabled artists whenever possible. “I was astounded by the amount of people who came up to me afterwards and told me they felt like they were watching their story, or a part of their story, unfold onstage,” Scarlett says. “If it wasn’t their personal story, it was the story of a loved one or a friend. I was honored that so many people suggested the show as a must watch for medical professionals. I think it points to the unfortunate shared experience of navigating the medical world as a patient who doesn’t fit into traditional boxes. I’m so excited so many people wanted to come back and experience the show again.”

AT A GLANCE
What: Z IS FOR ZEBRA, by Katie Scarlett
When: October 2 – 4, 7:30 PM; October 5, 2 PM.
Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St, Over-the-Rhine
Tickets: From $20. Available at knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025 or by phone at 513.300.5669.

For tickets and more information please check out the Know Theatre’s octKNOWber lineup:
www.knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as ,

June 10, 2025 · 6:47 pm

CFF25: My Fringe Show Rankings

The question I get asked most by people with limited time and resources is, which shows are a “must see.” And I give them my bias answer, based on how I reacted to the shows. Please understand that differences between shows in the rankings can be infinitesimal. And I guarantee everyone’s list is different and just as valid.

And if you do decide to attend, I highly recommend you look at all the options. Aside from the fact that there are still plenty of shows I just haven’t seen yet. If a show sounds interesting to you, I highly encourage you to see it. Grab a friend, split a flex pass and hit three shows. You never know what you might discover. Happy Fringing.
-Rob

Updated 6/10/25

My Rankings

  1. ELEANOR’S STORY: LIFE AFTER WAR | Review |
  2. TEA TIME | Review |
  3. A CABARET OF LEGENDS | Review |
  4. MUTTNIK
  5. AMERICAN’T
  6. WHISPERS OF THE DEEP | Review |
  7. THE FAMILY CROW: A Murder Mystery
  8. Z IS FOR ZEBRA
  9. STUCK
  10. CLOCKWORK O’FRINGE
  11. EVERY GOOD STORY ENDS WITH ONE | Review |
  12. 1 GAY WEDDING AND ABSOLUTELY NO FUNERALS
  13. ARSENIC AND OLD SPICE | Review |
  14. WINNING: WINNING
  15. TRUMPETS! A Pretty Gay Video Game Play
  16. BUBBLEGUM
  17. TRAITORS

Leave a comment

Filed under In Other News

Tagged as

June 5, 2025 · 3:52 pm

CFF25: WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP Review

WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP presented by A to Z Productions as part of the 2025 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. 

A mysterious narrator and his ministry of shadow puppets take you on an eerie, captivating journey through haunting tales from the deepest reaches of the sea. Tales from the Crypt meet The Lighthouse in these horrifying tales.

Partners in life and art (I liked this turn of phrase so much I stole it from their bio), the team of Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson have created an entertaining deep dive of three chilling sea tales wrapped in a musical number. Think Tales from the Crypt meets Pee Wee’s Playhouse with a nautical theme.

Alexx and Zach are joined in the cast by Merritt Beischel, Zoë Peterson and several puppets, along with Calvin Horner as keyboard accompanist and vocalist . Zoë, Merritt and Alexx narrate the individual stories, each handling the storytelling demands of their role well. Zach serves as main puppeteer and host.

Fun, humorous and quirky, WHISPERS is definitely worth your time for a quick trip under the sea.

Three performances remain at the The Basement at First Lutheran Church:

  • Sun, June 8 at 6:45pm
  • Wed, June 11 at 8:30pm
  • Fri, June 13 at 8:30pm

1 Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as

June 3, 2025 · 1:52 pm

CFF25: A CABARET OF LEGENDS Review

A CABARET OF LEGENDS presented by Dynamite Lunchbox Entertainment as part of the 2025 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. 

Legendary songs from the collections of Legendary Artists, and the stories behind them. Starring International award-winning vocalist and performer Tymisha Harris (Josephine, Josie & Grace). “As a standard bearer for almost an entire century of music, you really couldn’t do better than badass burlesque diva Tymisha Harris.” – 5 STARS, Edmonton Journal

Tymisha Harris is a vocal chameleon and a force of nature, covering songs from Ella Fitzgerald to Beyoncé. She has one of those voices where she could sing the side of a cereal box and still be thoroughly entertaining.

A technical glitch (yay, live theater!) may have caused a few bumps along the way, but for her opening night audience, we did not care. She won us over with her first number and we thoroughly enjoyed everything she was serving up, resulting in a spontaneous standing ovation.

I hope she returns to the Cincy Fringe with another show very soon, and I’ll be there opening night.

Four performances remain at the Know Theatre:

  • Tue, June 3 at 6:45pm
  • Thu, June 5 at 8:30pm
  • Sat. June 7 at 8:30pm
  • Sun, June 8 at 6:45pm

1 Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as