CINCINNATI (May 18, 2023) – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will conclude its historic 2022-23 season with two world premiere plays by two of the nation’s hottest playwrights, thanks to support from The Rosenthal Family Foundation, Season Sponsor of New Work. ORIGIN STORY, an ensemble comedy by Nathan Alan Davis, premieres May 20 at the Rosenthal Sheltherhouse. (Opening night is May 25.) SHANE, a western by Karen Zacarías (Native Gardens, Destiny of Desire) debuts on June 3 in Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre. (Opening night is June 7.)
Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.
Playwright Nathan Alan Davis makes his Playhouse debut with ORIGIN STORY, a quirky and heartfelt world premiere comedy that asks some of life’s biggest questions and promises an enjoyable, surprising journey toward the answers. Davis, named one of the “Black Male Writers for Our Time” by The New York Times Style Magazine in 2018 is premiering a total of three new plays in 2023, in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“Davis is one of theatre’s most promising and thought-provoking new voices,” said Joanie Schultz, Playhouse Associate Artistic Director and director of ORIGIN STORY. “I love the play’s quirky sense of humor. I love television shows like Parks and Rec and The Good Place … I think this play falls into that genre. I also love the characters. They are so honest and earnest about their loneliness and isolation, and are trying so hard to live good lives.”
The Rouse Theatre will host its first world premiere with a story and playwright befitting the historic occasion: Acclaimed playwright Karen Zacarías injects new life and cultural authenticity into SHANE, which is based on the novel by Jack Schaefer and considered one of the greatest Westerns of all time. Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison directs the action-packed tale of a mysterious ex-gunfighter with a dangerous past who enters the lives of a family and swears to protect their Wyoming farm.
Zacarías is a Playhouse Associate Artist whose recent works at the Playhouse include Destiny of Desire (2020), the world premiere of Native Gardens (2016) and The Book Club Play (2013). She has been named one of the top 10 most-produced playwrights in the U.S. in recent seasons by American Theatre magazine; Native Gardens has consistently been named by the magazine as one of the country’s most-produced plays since its Playhouse debut. The production is being co-commissioned and co-produced with the renowned Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
“As a Latina playwright who grew up with the Jack Schaefer novel, Karen brings a culturally authentic perspective to this version of Shane,” says Robison. “Historically, we know that the West was filled with Mexican farmers, Black cowboys and Indigenous nations. Hollywood whitewashed the genre, making all of those communities into ‘bad guys’ or two-dimensional stereotypes. This script interrogates and celebrates the genre at the same time. In my mind, Karen is taking an American genre that was built on stereotypes and making it truly American.”
ORIGIN STORY
By Nathan Alan Davis
Directed by Joanie Schultz
A World Premiere in Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre
May 20 – June 25, 2023
CAST
Amira Danan (she/her, Margaret); Betsy Hogg (she/her, Val); Shonita Joshi (she/her, Anita);
Dwandra Nickole Lampkin (she/her, Roxanne); Michael Lepore (he/him, Bobby); Josh Odor (he/him, Dex); Bill Timoney (he/him, Gary)
PRODUCTION
Nathan Alan Davis (Playwright); Joanie Schultz (she/her, Director); Chelsea M. Warren (she/her, Set Designer); Izumi Inaba (she/her, Costume Designer); Heather Gilbert (she/her, Lighting Designer); T. Carlis Roberts (he/him, Sound Designer & Composer); Stephanie Klapper, CSA (she/her, Casting Director); Andrea L. Shell (she/her, Stage Manager)
TICKETS
Tickets begin at $35. Preview performances take place May 20, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. Performances take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A matinee will be offered on June 7 at 1 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.
EVENTS
PLAYHOUSE PERSPECTIVES
Urban Native Collective Presents: LIFE ON THE MARGINS – AN URBAN NATIVE EXPERIENCE
ORIGIN STORY, With Special Guest: Jae Merica
Mon, May 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
ORIGIN STORY, written by Nathan Alan Davis, asks “How do we connect to our roots when we live in an artificial world?” Join us for our live podcast recording as we discuss Native identities. We will converse about what it means to be indigenous, that we are not a people of the past, how our identities bring us strength and solidarity, and much more. Playhouse Perspectives is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Barbara and Roderick Barr.
Hosted by Homer Shadowheart and Briana Mazzolini Blanchard. Reservations are recommended but not required. Visit cincyplay.com for details.
DUWAP’S CINCINNATI POETRY SLAM PRESENTS: BLACK ART TALKS | U.N.I.T.Y – BRIDGING THE GAP
Mon, June 12 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Playwright Nathan Alan Davis is one of the hottest contemporary playwrights. He’s one of many writers of color that are being produced today. Join DuWaup’s Cincinnati Poetry Slam for a panel discussion, U.N.I.T.Y – Bridging the Gap. There is enough room for all Black creatives to thrive. The panelists will discuss the pitfalls of generational gatekeeping in the Black Artspace and the need for a more unified Black art community.
Reservations are recommended but not required. Playhouse Perspectives is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Barbara and Roderick Barr.
ART TALKS (FORMERLY MEET THE ARTISTS)
Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.
- Sun, May 28 at 2:00 p.m.
- Sun, June 4 at 2:00 p.m.
- Wed, June 7 at 7:30 p.m.
- Thu, June 15 at 7:30 p.m.
ADVISORY
ORIGIN STORY is suitable for adult and teenage audiences. As Margaret and her coworkers find their way through life, they use strong adult language, discuss mature themes and engage in and discuss adult relationships.
SPONSORS
Design Sponsors are Terri and John Byczkowski. Honorary producers are Charles and Joann Mead. Rosenthal Shelterhouse Season Sponsor is The Vonz Family. Season Sponsor of New Work is the Rosenthal 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.
SHANE
By Karen Zacarías
Adapted from the novel by Jack Schaefer
Directed by Blake Robison
Co-production with the Guthrie Theater
A world premiere in Moe and Jack’s Place — The Rouse Theatre
June 3 -25, 2023
CAST
Juan Arturo (he/him, Older Bob/Bobby Starrett); Ricardo Chavira (he/him, Joe Starrett); William DeMeritt (he/him, Shane); Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey (she/her, Marian Starrett); Grant Goodman (he/him, Stark Wilson/Ernie Wright); Terry Hempleman (he/him, Jake Ledyard/Sam Grafton); Shayna Jackson (she/her, Winona); Bill McCallum (he/him, Luke Fletcher); Mikell Sapp (he/him, Chris Johnson); Tommy Thams (he/him, Ensemble); Christopher Wells (he/him, Ensemble)
PRODUCTION
Karen Zacarías (she/ella, Playwright); Blake Robison (he/him, Director); Lex Liang (he/him, Set Designer); Trevor Bowen (he/him, Costume Designer); Pablo Santiago (he/him, Lighting Designer); Matthew M. Nielson (he/him, Sound Designer and Composer); Jocelyn Clarke (he/him, Dramaturg); Vanessa Severo (she/her, Movement Director); Rick Sordelet (he/him, Fight Director); Christian Kelly-Sordelet, (Fight Director); Stephanie Klapper, CSA (she/her, Casting Director); Brandon T. Holmes (he/him, Stage Manager); Mary Kathryn Flynt (she/her, Assistant Stage Manager)
TICKETS
Tickets begin at $35. Preview performances take place June 3, 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is June 8. Performances take place on Tuesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A matinee will be offered on June 21 at 1 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit http://www.cincyplay.com. Patrons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services.
EVENTS
PLAYHOUSE PERSPECTIVES
Urban Native Collective Presents: LIFE ON THE MARGINS – AN URBAN NATIVE EXPERIENCE
Mon, June 12, 2023, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
In the story of SHANE, homesteaders claim and transform Native Wyoming land. Join the Urban Native Collective for a night of conversation about environmentalism. Reservations are recommended but not required. Visit cincyplay.com for details. Playhouse Perspectives is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Barbara and Roderick Barr.
ART TALKS (FORMERLY MEET THE ARTISTS)
Stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.
- Sun, June 11 at 2:00 p.m.
- Thurs, June 15 at 7:30 p.m.
- Weds, June 21 at 7:30 p.m.
ADVISORY
SHANE is suitable for ages 11 and up. In this fresh perspective on a classic Western, a mysterious ex-gunfighter embarks on a journey containing cowboys, gun violence and saloon showdowns.
SPONSORS
Production Sponsors are Johnson Investment Counsel and Clark Schaefer Hackett. Artist Sponsors are Frost Brown Todd and Roehr. Rouse Season Sponsor is the Schueler Group. Season Sponsor of New Work is the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and commissioned through the Jerome Fey Endowment.
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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SHANE 
This spring, we brought our once-in-a-generation project to a close with the opening of the Mainstage Theatre Complex, featuring Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre. Now, we’re looking forward to the first full season in our new home with a lineup of shows that exemplifies the best of American theatre and takes advantage of all the enhanced theatre technology our new, state-of-the art facility provides.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 