Tag Archives: Cincinnati Fringe Festival

May 31, 2022 · 12:19 pm

Gideon Productions Presents BE MY THIEF World Premiere as Part of Cincy Fringe Festival

GP_logoWORLD PREMIERE AS PART OF THE CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL
WRITTEN BY MAC ROGERS
DIRECTED BY JORDANA WILLIAMS

JUNE 14th – JUNE 17th @ ART ACADEMY ROOM 103

Gideon Productions, the company behind the Cincy Fringe hits God Of Obsidian (2017 Linda Bowen Full Frontal Pick) Musical Chairs (2018 Critic’s Pick Award), and This House Will Never Let Us Go (2019 Critic’s Pick Award) will present the World Premiere of playwright Mac Rogers’ (The Honeycomb Trilogy; the global hit podcasts The Message, LifeAfter and Steal The Stars) sci-fi-inflected psychological thriller BE MY THIEF, running from June 14th to June 17th at Art Academy Room 103 as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. The production will be directed by Jordana Williams (The Honeycomb Trilogy; Steal the Stars) and will feature Rebecca Comtois (Viral; Crystal Skillman’s Geek! with Vampire Cowboys), Mac Rogers (NYIT Outstanding Lead Actor Nominee for The Adventures of Nervous-Boy with Nosedive Productions), and Kristen Vaughan (Frankenstein Upstairs, The Honeycomb Trilogy, NYIT Outstanding Lead Actress Winner for Benefactors).

Mira just came home from her first day back at work in person… but her husband Sam doesn’t think she’s really Mira at all. Sam is convinced that she’s a duplicate, created for unknown and likely nefarious reasons. Unable to persuade Sam from his apparent delusion, Mira tracks down an unconventional (and unnerving) therapist, Latham, who takes the couple down a terrifying therapeutic rabbit-hole that unearths truths none of them could have imagined. BE MY THIEF is a twisty thriller about marriage, intimacy, identity, and the fear that society may be changing faster than we can ever prepare for.

BE MY THIEF will run June 14th at 7:00pm, June 15th at 7:00pm, June 16th at 8:45pm, and June 17th at 8:45pm, as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival at Art Academy Room 103 (1212 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45202). Tickets ($16) may be purchased online at www.cincyfringe.com. The show will run 60 minutes with no intermission.

MAC ROGERS (Playwright and Sam) is an award-winning playwright and audio dramatist. His sci-fi thriller podcasts THE MESSAGE, STEAL THE STARS, and LIFEAFTER were downloaded over 7 million times.  His plays God of Obsidian, Musical Chairs, and This House Will Never Let Us Go were all Cincy Fringe award-winners. His plays include THE HONEYCOMB TRILOGY (New York Times and Backstage Critic’s Picks and winner of the NYIT Award for Best Premiere Production), VIRAL (winner of Outstanding Play at FringeNYC 2009), and UNIVERSAL ROBOTS (nominated for four New York Innovative Theatre awards). Mac’s plays have earned acclaim from The New York Times, The Guardian, Time Out New York, The New York Post, and many others. 

JORDANA WILLIAMS (Director) has directed numerous plays by Mac Rogers, including the CityBeat Critic’s Picks This House Will Never Let Us Go, God Of Obsidian, Musical Chairs, and Ligature Marks, as well as The Honeycomb Trilogy (NY Times and Time Out NY Critics’ Picks), Universal Robots and Viral. She also directed Mac’s podcast thrillers Steal the Stars, a 2018 Audie Award finalist for Best Audio Drama, and Give Me Away. Other favorite directing work includes Kill Shakespeare at NY Comic Con, Vince Gatton’s Alexandria and The Particulars at FringeNYC.

REBECCA COMTOIS (Mira) previously worked with Mac Rogers and Jordana Williams on the Cincy Fringe award-winners This House Will Never Let Us Go, God Of Obsidian, Musical Chairs, and Ligature Marks, as well as Viral (Winner of FringeNYC’s Outstanding Production of a Play) and The Honeycomb Trilogy (NY Times and Time Out NY Critics’ Picks).  Other notable roles include Minnie the Minotaur in Cystal Skillman’s Geek! (Vampire Cowboys), Jenny in James Comtios’ Infectious Opportunity (Nosedive Productions) and Mag in Taylor Mac’s The Hot Month  (Boomerang’s Legacy Reading Series).

KRISTEN VAUGHAN (Latham) is a three-time NYIT Awards nominee for Lead Actress, winning for Jane in Benefactors (Retro Productions).  Among Kristen’s other roles; Amelia Cooke in The Honeycomb Trilogy and Victoria Frankenstein in Frankenstein Upstairs (Gideon Productions), and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (Bleecker Company).  www.kristenvaughan.com

Critical acclaim for Gideon Productions:

“Television is where you find complicated storytelling. Film is the home of epic sci-fi trilogies. Giant aliens are expensive. Mac Rogers’s “Honeycomb Trilogy,” a titanic story about humanity in crisis wedged into a small theater in Queens, laid waste to these truisms, and provided giddy, cerebral fun along the way.” The New York Times 

“With a minimal but imaginative set, two very talented actors, and a powerful passionate script, God Of Obsidian is not to be missed.”  The Sappy Critic

“A sexy, subtle, and startling exploration of apathy versis desire.” CityBeat on This House Will Never Let Us Go 

GIDEON PRODUCTIONS crafts gripping plays that explore what’s strange about being human and what’s human about being strange, using familiar genres and cultural touchstones as a springboard to something wholly unexpected.

www.gideonth.com
www.cincyfringe.com

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May 30, 2022 · 10:13 am

Satirical Clown Show Taking Aim at Multi-Level Marketing Debuts at Cincy Fringe

CFF22_Upline logo

Image by Jonny Woolley

UPLINE: It’s Not a Show, It’s an Opportunity makes its world premiere this week in Cincinnati. New York-based performer Megan Stern and Las Vegas-based director Shannan Calcutt invite you to a Varmon makeup party! Varmon is the multi-level marketing empire that has it all: beauty, skincare, diet shakes, oils. It’s also an irresistible business opportunity and your ticket to financial freedom. Think GOOP meets Mary Kay meets NXIVM. Just don’t call it a pyramid scheme. In this solo show, Megan Stern leads you up through the ranks of Varmon –  skewering the beauty industry, wellness culture, and girlboss feminism.

Performances are Saturday, June 4 at 5:30 PM; Wednesday, June 8 at 9:00 PM; Friday, June 10 at 9:00 PM; Wednesday, June 15 at 7:15 PM; and Saturday, June 11 at 7:15 PM at the Art Academy Room 204 (A204), 1212 Jackson St. Tickets are $16 and will be available at the door, Fringe Headquarters, https://cincyfringe.com/upline-opportunity/, or by calling 513.300.5669(KNOW).

Megan Stern, a New York-based performer and writer, has been called “excellent” (Los Angeles Times), “utterly delightful” (Broadway World), and “a complete original” (Chicago Theater Beat). Her work has been seen in such New York venues as The Public Theater, Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, Dixon Place, Walkerspace, BAX, and HERE Arts Center, as well as the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, and the Kennedy Center.

A multi-award winning artist, Shannan Calcutt has played an eclectic range of venues worldwide. From the Sydney Opera House, to San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club, to Cirque du Soleil’s sensual sensation, Zumanity. She has designed comedy acts for Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld, the philanthropic event One Night for One Drop, and Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. Currently, Shannan is the Associate Resident Director of Spiegelworld’s Atomic Saloon Show in Las Vegas. 

THE CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL, Cincinnati’s most unpredictable theater festival is back and ready to save us from the scourge of online theater. Impulsive, spontaneous and often combustible, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival – this is the 19th – runs June 3-18. Unlike the past, when venues were scattered all over the place, this year’s venues are all within a couple of hundred yards of one another; six in the Art Academy, and one more in the Know Theatre. Here are the numbers; 2 weeks, 38 ticketed events, 177 performances. Most are live, but small handful are digital. Tickets are $16, with an optional “Love Your Artists” ticket for $20. Learn more at cincyfringe.com.  

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May 27, 2022 · 3:25 pm

Cincy Fringe 2022 Proudly Presents HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr

CCF22_Hedy2

A True Story of Hollywood Glamour & Scientific Genius

The 22x Award-Winning, Internationally Acclaimed NYC Play
Written & Performed by Heather Massie
Cincy Fringe Festival – Cincinnati, OH – June 5-11, 2022

“Hedy Lamarr, glamorous siren of the silver screen, was more than ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in the World’. She invented Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology that makes the world of wireless communication tick. From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, she was there!” 

Cincinnati, OH – Cincy Fringe 2022 is proud to present HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr in their Primary Line Up from June 5-11, 2022.

Fulbright Specialist and NYC artist Heather Massie will deliver her Ohio debut of her 22x Award-Winning, Internationally Acclaimed New York City show. The show celebrates the unexpected scientific genius of Viennese-born Hollywood screen siren and inventor Hedy Lamarr.

Known as the ‘Most Beautiful Woman in the World’, Lamarr spent her spare time in Hollywood inventing technology for torpedoes during WWII.  Also known as Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology, her invention is used today in cell phones, WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

Portraying 30+ characters in this solo play, Massie enchants the audience as Hedy Lamarr, along with Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Louis B Mayer, and more! Hedy is summoned to unearth the truth behind how a glamorous actress could create an invention which launched today’s wireless technology revolution!

Playing at The Art Academy,  Room 204 (A204), at 1212 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH on Sunday 6/5 @ 5:30 PM; Tuesday 6/7 @ 9:00 PM; Wednesday 6/8 @ 7:15 PM; Thursday 6/9 @ 7:15 PM; and Saturday 6/11 @ 7:15 PM, with a showtime of 60 minutes.

General Admission Tickets are $16, and Love Your Artists Tickets are $20.

Tickets & Information Here: www.CincyFringe.com/Hedy

Show Blurb:
Hedy Lamarr, glamorous siren of the silver screen, was more than ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in the World’. She invented Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology that makes the world of wireless communication tick. From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, she was there!

The Show:
HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr celebrates the unexpected scientific genius of Viennese-born Hollywood screen siren and inventor Hedy Lamarr. Known as the ‘Most Beautiful Woman in the World’, Lamarr spent her spare time in Hollywood inventing technology for torpedoes during WWII.  Also known as Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology, her invention is used today in cell phones, WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Portraying 30+ characters in this solo play, Massie enchants the audience as Hedy Lamarr, along with Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Louis B Mayer, and more! Hedy is summoned to unearth the truth behind how a glamorous actress could create an invention which launched today’s wireless technology revolution! The show premiered Off Broadway in 2016 on Theatre Row, and has since toured throughout the United States, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, Italy, Iceland, and Finland garnering 22 awards and critical acclaim. Written and performed by Fulbright Specialist Heather Massie, its mission is to inspire audiences to make the world a better place, especially to encourage young women in science and technology, and to establish Hedy Lamarr as a role model for intelligence, ingenuity, and invention.

The Performer:
Having studied Astrophysics with dreams of becoming an astronaut, Heather Massie marries her loves of art and science in the person of Hedy Lamarr. She studied Astrophysics at the University of Virginia with dreams of becoming an astronaut, before studying Theatre Arts in the Virginia Tech School of the Arts and becoming a professional actress in NYC and throughout the US. She has toured the world with her show HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr garnering 22 awards and critical acclaim. She brings the show to theatres, arts festivals, science festivals, science centers, technology conferences, museums, universities, schools, Jewish centers, STEM & STEAM Events, and cultural and scientific organizations throughout the United States and around the world.  In 2019 she served as a Fulbright Specialist with a tour of the show through South Africa sponsored by the US State Department, World Learning, and the US Embassy South Africa.

Full bio here: www.heathermassie.com/heather-massie/

Reviews:

  • “Captivating.”  –  The Huffington Post
  • “Effervescent” – Silicon Republic
  • “Fascinating”  – Belfast Times
  • “Highly inventive”  – The Irish News
  • “Richly realized”  – Blogcritics Magazine
  • “Highly entertaining”  – Splash Magazine
  • “Magnetic performance”  – Theater Scene
  • “Exceptionally talented”  – MD Theatre Guide
  • “Lively & enlightening” – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
  • “Remarkable”  – Theatre in the Now
  • “Gorgeous”  – Total Theater

22 Awards Including:

  • US Embassy Sweden Grant – Sweden
  • Mid Atlantic Arts – Turku, Finland
  • UMEZ – Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Grant – NYC
  • US Embassy Iceland Grant – Reykjavík, Iceland
  • The Maine Award – RVK Fringe, Reykjavík, Iceland
  • Audience Choice – IndyFringe, Indiana
  • Sold Out Award – IndyFringe, Indiana
  • Fulbright Specialist – South Africa
  • Best Performance – PRO.ACT Fest, Ukraine
  • Character Actor Award & Maine Award – RVK Fringe, Iceland
  • Best Actress – Galway Fringe, Ireland
  • US Embassy Zimbabwe Grant – Intwasa Arts Festival, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
  • US Embassy Zimbabwe Grant – Harare International Festival of the Arts, Harare, Zimbabwe
  • Outstanding Performance – Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, NYC
  • Best Actress – SaraSolo Festival, Florida
  • Audience Choice – Shenandoah Fringe, Virginia
  • Festival Bestseller – United Solo Festival, NYC

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May 27, 2022 · 1:19 pm

Award-Winning Horror Drama ROSEGOLD Comes to Cincy Fringe 2022

CFF22_Rosegold2The 2022 Cincy Fringe Festival is offering a range of performances this year, including “Rosegold”, written and performed by Cincy Fringe veteran Donna Kay Yarborough (“Diagnose This!”, “Shenatra!”, “The Famous Haydell Sisters”).

The gripping solo-performed horror tale takes place in an alcoholism support meeting, when a new attendee, Jamie, shares the story of her path to the bottle. What begins as a familiar experience takes a terrifying turn as she reveals the bizarre trauma– and literal haunting– that is the source of her addiction. As one viewer described, “It starts in A.A. and quickly descends to Hell.”

The show was workshopped as a staged reading at Fresno Rogue Festival in March 2020. The pandemic lockdown began in the middle of that first run, and the show seemed doomed to the shelf, never fully-realized. Then an opportunity arose for it to debut as a virtual, “Zoom”-presentation show. Since then it has won universal acclaim, in both virtual and in-person formats. In 2021, it received awards for “Best Dramatic Performance” (Pittsburgh Fringe Festival, Thornhill Fringe Festival UK), and the top honor “Best Solo Drama” at the Orlando International Fringe Festival.

“…a gently escalating exercise in horror that stands in the ranks of H. P. Lovecraft, Rod Serling, and Stephen King.” –Terrance McArthur, Kings River Life Magazine.

“‘Rosegold’ is not a conventional horror story; Donna Kay Yarborough is so confident, she even mocks the clichés of the genre… an intense experience and essential viewing.” –David Cunningham, British Theatre Guide.

“The beauty of Yarborough’s tale is how it blends the everyday with the philosophical with the spine-tingling. She hits the tropes of any good horror story head on — and then turns them on their head… ” –Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel.

“Even if you aren’t usually a fan of horror, Yarborough’s understated intensity will suck you in as she weaves a richly absorbing world in only 40 minutes with nothing more than a folding chair and laser-focused gaze.” –Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly

“It’s damn scary.” –Michael Freeman, Orlando Fringe Reviews

“Rosegold” can be seen at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (room 402), 1212 Jackson St., Cincinnati, OH. 

Showtimes:

  • Sat. 6/4– 9:00 PM
  • Tues. 6/7– 9:00 PM
  • Wed. 6/8– 9:00 PM
  • Sat. 6/11– 5:30 PM
  • Sun. 6/12– 9:00 PM
  • Tues. 6/14– 9:00 PM
  • Thu. 6/16– 7:00 PM

For more info, including other show offerings and ticket prices, go to CincyFringe.com. 

Follow Donna Kay Yarborough:

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May 20, 2022 · 1:21 pm

The Further Adventures of a Teen Detective and Her Dog

CFF22_Jinkies logo(CINCINNATI, OHIO) –  JiNKiES! at the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Theatre Festival, June 3–June 18. A follow-up to their 2019 hit, JINKIES! is the thrilling next adventure in the life of a very meddlesome duo. This hilarious escapade is perfect for both newcomers and returning fans alike and finally answers the question, “What if the Hardy Boys wanted to burn this shit down?”

From the creative force behind 2021’s award winning show You Will Live Under the Sea comes an opioid-fueled dive into the world of latch-key children and the haunted, dangerous places that mischief leads. PICK-OF-THE-FRINGE winners Bridget Leak, Jordan Trovillion and Trey Tatum return with a fresh look at the teen detective genre.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES FOR QUEEN CITY FLASH

  • 2021  Cincy Fringe All-Access Pick- You Will Live Under the Sea
  • 2020 Cincy Fringe All-Access Pick – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2020 The Young-Howze Theatre Awards,  Show of the Year Winner – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2019 Cincy Fringe All-Access Pick – Zoinks!
  • 2018 Cincy Fringe All-Access Pick- Alabama Monster
  • 2014 Cincy Fringe Artist Pick – Slut Shaming 

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE

  • ★★★★★ STARS – Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Alabama Monster
  • ★★★★ STARS – CBC, Alabama Monster
  • ★★★★ STARS – Winnipeg Free Press, Alabama Monster 

THE CREATIVE TEAM

  • Written by Trey Tatum
  • Directed by Bridget Leak
  • Performed by Jordan Trovillion & Trey Tatum
  • Design: Grayson Halonen (Lighting and Puppet Design), Liam Belluso (Lighting, Set, and Puppet Design), and Lucas Wall (Sound and Puppet Design)

SEE JiNKiES! AT THE CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL!

TICKETS:  Tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at https://cincyfringe.com/jinkies/

VENUE: Art Academy Room 402 (A402), 1212 Jackson St. Cincinnati, OH 45202

SHOW DATES AND TIMES (60 MINUTES): Saturday June 4 at 3:45pm; Sunday June 5 at 5:30; Thursday June 9 at 7:15pm; Saturday June 11 at 9pm; Sunday June 12 at 2pm; Wednesday June 15 at 7:15pm, Thursday June 16 at 9pm

PRICING: $16 plus $1 ticketing fee. Multi-show passes available

RATING: PG-13 (13+)

Previous Queen City Flash Productions at Cincy Fringe:

  • 2021 – You Will live Under the Sea
  • 2020 – Killjoy, Ohio
  • 2019 – Zoinks!
  • 2018 – of Monster Descent
  • 2017 – The Disappearance of Nicole of Jacobs
  • 2016 – The Midnight Express
  • 2015 – Shelter (with Pones)
  • 2014 – Slut Shaming 

ABOUT TREY TATUM: Trey Tatum is a playwright / composer from Cincinnati, Ohio. Recent credits include ZOINKS!, a Nancy Drew send-up about the opioid epidemic, Alabama Monster, his solo show about mental illness, family ties and creatures that lie just out of sight, and JALZ, a remake of the blockbuster movie JAWS that examines Alzheimer’s disease, end of life care and family legacy. For the past four seasons, Trey has been composer for Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill Education Touring Series. Current Projects include Have Monster, Will Travel, a new audio fiction podcast about road trips, monsters and the meaning of family. Trey makes theatre and mischief with his wife, director Bridget Leak. treytatum.com

ABOUT JORDAN TROVILLION: Jordan Trovillion is so happy to be reprising her role of Nolan Blackwell; Teen Sleuth, Girl Detective, from the 2019 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Pick of the Fringe Award Winner “Zoinks!” Interim credits include “Queen” (Ariel) at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, “All’s Faire” (Johnson) at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, “Silent Sky” (Henrietta Leavitt) at Falcon Theatre, and “You Will Live Under the Sea” with Queen City Flash at the 2021 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Other favorite shows include “Puffs” (Susie Bones track) and “The Absentee” (Operator) with Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Jordan is a member of SAG/AFTRA and has performed in various films and television shows, including “The Old Man and the Gun,” “My Days of Mercy,” “Jack Reacher,” and Comedy Central’s “Detroiters.” She is one half of the pair of proprietors of a mysterious magic shop in Covington, a freelance illustrator, and used to be in a cover band.

ABOUT BRIDGET LEAK: Bridget Leak is a freelance director and co-founder of Queen City Flash. Previous directing credits; Queen (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), Actually (Playhouse in the Park), Playhouse’s Off-the-Hill Series, and both digital and live productions for the Cincy Fringe Festival. Upcoming productions: more episodes of the podcast Have Monster Will Travel produced by Queen City Flash. Bridget is a People’s Liberty Grant recipient and a Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow. She was recently featured in Movers & Makers, American Theatre Magazine and had her work highlighted in Teaching Theatre magazine, a publication of EdTA. Bridget teaches at Xavier University and has directed at Xavier and Miami University. Bridget has her M.F.A. in Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. She calls East Price Hill home with her husband, playwright-composer Trey Tatum, infant Wilder and pups “Pocket” & “Lint” bridgetleak.com

ABOUT QUEEN CITY FLASH

Queen City Flash is Director Bridget Leak and Playwright/Composer Trey Tatum. We are committed to: Creating. New. Plays. Critically-acclaimed original works, emboldened by experiments with form, augmented with original music, and deepened by collaborations with neighbors and partners. Money in people’s pockets, not on the walls.  Where a minimum of 51% of the budget goes to paying local artists, not sustaining venues or overhead. Open Access. Creating experiences that an entire family can afford, enjoyed in transformed and relaxed environments.

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