Tag Archives: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

August 25, 2013 · 3:39 pm

MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS on Sept. 22

SEVENTH ANNUAL MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS…CURTAIN UP!
Sunday, September 22, 2013, Playhouse in the Park,
3:30-5 PM

LCT_VMEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS…CURTAIN UP is back for a seventh season. The League of Cincinnati Theatres and Jackie Demaline, writer and Theatre critic for the Enquirer, introduce the engaging and charismatic brain trust behind the Cincinnati Theatres, who in turn will introduce their upcoming productions.

Artistic Directors from Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre, New Edgecliff Theatre, Ensemble, Clifton Players, Falcon Theatre, Cincinnati Childrens’ Theatre and more will be on hand to meet and greet audiences. Ms. Demaline will lead a lively discussion with the directors which will give informative, special insights about the 2013-14 theatre seasons….insider info not found in the playbill! Meet the directors and find out: How do they select a season? What makes a good actor great? How do they approach the script? What really happens during the rehearsal process? This is your chance to meet the men and women up close and personal who create theatre in our community and ask your own questions!

This year, for the first time, The League of Cincinnati Theatres has added a special feature, “Curtain Up”. Community theatre companies will be on hand with information on their seasons to help chart your personal theatre selections. You’ll have the jump on ALL theatre information for the entire year!

This is an exceptional, once a year event and the 2013-14 theatre season is full of surprises, regional premieres, and NEW works, with 100’s (literally 100’s) of productions beyond the downtown theatres! Lots of treasures and gems to be discovered in your neighborhood theatres.

Join us for the love of the play—the one place to find out EVERYTHING theatre and what’s more, MEET THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS hosted by Jackie Demaline at LCT’s flagship theatre, Playhouse in the Park. Get introduced to theatre makers and explore the 2013-14 theatre season in depth and personal as only Jackie Demaline can do! Immediately preceding “Meet the Artistic Directors” is the LCT Annual Members Meeting, beginning at 2:30 PM.

Meet the Artistic Directors: Sunday, September 22th, 3:30-5 PM
Playhouse in the Park
962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202: 513-345-2242

LCT Annual General Meeting (open to all) 2:30 PM preceding the Meet the Artistic Directors event at Playhouse

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT promotes collaboration within the theatre community through events such as The Unified Auditions; educational seminars and workshops, and assisting dialogue between theatres, collective promotional events, print advertising and collective performance space.

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August 19, 2013 · 5:26 pm

Cincinnati Playhouse Opens 2013-2014 Seasons with FLY, Sept. 7-Oct. 5

PIP_Fly(CINCINNATI) –The inspiring story of World War II’s heroic Tuskegee Airmen is brought to vivid life in FLY by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan. The play opens the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Robert S. Marx Theatre season from Sept. 7 through Oct. 5.

The Tuskegee Airmen were ordinary men who soared in extraordinary times, against seemingly insurmountable odds. FLY provides a fast-paced, visual and visceral immersion into the hopes, fears and triumphs of America’s first black military pilots.

The play inventively combines live action and video projections with the emotionally-charged expressions of a tap dancer. Called the Tap Griot, the role is a choreographed illumination of feelings that the Tuskegee pilots were forced to suppress. The role will be portrayed by dancer, entertainer and musician Omar Edwards, a past winner of Star Search whose credits include the Broadway production of Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk and the international tour of Black and Blue. He creates all of his own tap choreography for the show.

“FLY brings to life an important and, to some, a lesser-known story in American history,” Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison said. “As Americans, we remain inspired by the bravery and courage of our armed forces. Confronting challenges, overcoming the odds, standing up for what’s right — that’s what our country is all about. I hope that Cincinnati families will take this opportunity to share and learn together. FLY makes the greatest generation come to life for all generations.”

FLY originally was commissioned by Lincoln Center Education as a student show. The expanded version was workshopped at the Vineyard Theater, had its world premiere in October 2009 at New Jersey’s Crossroads Theatre Company and was subsequently produced at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The show is recommended for audiences ages 10 and older.

In addition to Edwards, the cast for FLY features Greg Brostrom as Capt. O’Hurley, Eddie R. Brown III as W.W., Will Cobbs as Oscar, Cary Donaldson as Bomber Pilot Reynolds/Instructor/Col. Snopes, David Pegram as Chet Simpkins, Timothy Sekk as Bomber Co-Pilot Shaw/Staff Sargeant/Barman and Terrell Donnell Sledge as J. Allen. All are appearing at the Playhouse for the first time.

Ricardo Khan, the co-playwright for FLY, also will direct the production. Hope Clarke is the choreographer. The design team includes Beowulf Boritt (set designer), Toni-Leslie James (costume designer), Rui Rita and Jake DeGroot (co-lighting designers), John Gromada (sound designer/composer) and Clint Allen (projection designer). Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager and Denise Marie Cardarelli and Andrea L. Shell are the second stage managers.

The production is sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. The design sponsor is Huntington Bank, artist sponsor is The Morse and Betty Johnson Charitable Foundation and additional support is provided by The Louise Taft Semple Foundation.

Prices for FLY range from $30 to $75, depending on seat location. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. Child, teen and student tickets are $25 each. Previews are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. The official opening night is Thursday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Special performances include free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with cast members and others associated with the production after the show. Meet the Artists performances are at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29; and 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3. The production will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

Tickets to FLY are on sale now. 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. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

Through a special collaboration with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, patrons who bring their FLY tickets to the museum can receive $2 off the price of admission. Museum hours and additional information can be found at freedomcenter.org.

The 2013-14 Marx Theatre Series is sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, and the Robert S. Marx season design sponsor is Macy’s. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to ArtsWave.

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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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August 14, 2013 · 3:28 pm

Free Reading of New Play CINCINNATI KING at PIP on Aug. 31

PLAYHOUSE TO HOST FREE READING OF NEW PLAY
ABOUT CINCINNATI’S KING RECORDS 

PIP_Cincinnati King

Click image to enlarge.

(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will host a free reading of a new play about Cincinnati music pioneer Syd Nathan and King Records. CINCINNATI KING, a “theatrical album” of stories about the history of Cincinnati music, racial equality and the legendary rhythm and blues label, will be presented in the Playhouse’s Thompson Shelterhouse on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 7:00 p.m.

Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison commissioned KJ Sanchez, one of the theatre’s new associate artists, to create the play. Sanchez is the founder and CEO of American Records, a company devoted to making theatre that chronicles our time. The CINCINNATI KING project was designed to collect and share stories that preserve a unique part of Cincinnati’s history, foster understanding and ignite dialogue.

What began as an investigation specifically into the history of King Records quickly took on broader meaning thanks to Nathan’s unique contributions to the music industry and to Cincinnati at large. Nathan founded King Records in 1943 as a country label. Among those who made “hillbilly music” for him were The Delmore Brothers, Cowboy Copas and Moon Mullican. King’s sister labels, Queen and Federal, became immensely successful for fulfilling the needs of a different audience and supporting the growing popularity of African-American rhythm and blues artists. Iconic singer James Brown started his career at King Records.

King Records became one of the most successful independent labels of the 1940s and 1950s. Nathan revolutionized the industry by keeping the entire production process in house, recording, mastering, printing, pressing and shipping all of the albums King produced. At the same time, he employed both blacks and whites, who worked side by side, inside and outside of the studio. King Records was one of the first integrated industries in Cincinnati.

Working with a group of Playhouse board and staff members, drama students from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and community volunteers, Sanchez compiled the play from transcripts of interviews with nearly 50 people from across the Tristate. Additional material was drawn from recordings Nathan himself made, as well as newspaper clippings and books written about King Records.

“What surprised me was how large Syd’s — and King’s — impact was,” Sanchez says. “In a very short time span, basically 25 years, Syd went from nothing to the sixth largest record company in the country, with offices all across the world and hundreds (maybe even thousands) of artists and millions of records sold.

“Then only a few years after Syd’s death, what we knew of as King Records was no more,” Sanchez says. “The name still exists, but now it’s a catalogue. For Syd to have done all that in such a short time — wow, what a life!”

The CINCINNATI KING reading is free and open to the public. However, space is limited, and reservations are required. Two free tickets are permitted per person. To make a reservation, contact the Playhouse Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208). Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

The 2013-14 season is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and Heidelberg Distributing Co. The season sponsor of new work is the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to ArtsWave. 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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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August 8, 2013 · 8:34 pm

FLY Runs Sept. 7-Oct. 6

PIP_FlyFLY
Presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Sept. 7-Oct. 5
Eden Park

Reviews: Behind the Curtain | CityBeat | Enquirer |

Directed and co-written by Ricardo Khan
Choreographed by Hope Clark

Cast: Greg Brostrom as Capt. O’Hurley, Eddie R. Brown III as W.W., Will Cobbs as Oscar, Cary Donaldson as Bomber Pilot Reynolds/Instructor/Col. Snopes, Omar Edwards at Tap Improvographer, The Tap Griot, David Pegram as Chet Simpkins, Timothy Sekk as Bomber Co-Pilot Shaw/Staff Sergeant/Barman & Terrell Donnell Sledge as J. Allen

The inspiring and powerful story of World War II’s famed Tuskegee Airmen comes to life in this fast-paced and highly theatrical event. Fly inventively combines live action and video projections with an emotionally-charged tap dancer, who offers insight into the hopes, fears and triumphs faced by the airmen. Follow the journey of these heroic military pioneers as they train for a place in history.

  • In preview Sat, Sept. 7 at 8pm and Sun, Sept. 8 at 2pm. $30 seats available.
  • In preview Tue-Wed, Sept. 10-11 at 7:30pm. $30 seats available.
  • Thu-Fri, Sept. 12 & 13 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 14 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 15 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, Sept. 17-18 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, Sept. 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 21 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 22 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, Sept. 24-25 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, Sept. 26-27 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 28 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 29 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue, Oct. 1 at 7:30pm
  • Wed, Oct. 2 at 1pm
  • Thu-Fri, Oct. 3-4 at 8pm
  • Sat, Oct. 5 at 4pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Oct. 6 at 2pm & 7pm

Official page |

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July 29, 2013 · 10:39 pm

CPI Playwriting Salon Welcomes Blake Robison

Blake Robison.

Blake Robison.

CPI Playwriting Salon

Sunday, August 25, 2013, at 7 PM

YOU ARE ALL INVITED !!!!

Guest Speaker – Blake Robison, the Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will discuss: “Subjects of relevance to local theater, process, submissions, selections and more.”

Open discussion and Q&A will follow.

BLAKE ROBISON is the new Artistic Director of Playhouse in the Park. He comes to Cincinnati with over 20 years of experience as a producer, director, and arts administrator. He has acted on Broadway and directed internationally in France and Germany. He comes to us most recently from the Washington DC area – and he has happily given up on the Nationals and adopted the Reds as his new home team. This season at the Playhouse, he directed The Three Musketeers, the world premiere of Abigail 1702, and The Book Club Play.

FREE!!! Call for Reservations. General seating.

Chair Sandi Kivkovich, sandikivi2@cinci.rr.com, or call 513.861.0004

We ask those who come, to bring an appetizer or beverage to share.

Directions:
If you go on Jefferson Ave, park your car near intersection with University Ave. (Free parking on Jefferson Ave. / fee at the Garage). Walk toward the campus. Turn left at the rotunda (circle) and go on Commons Way to the 1st building on the right French Hall. Enter the lobby and just follow the signs to room 2225 (Ground Floor).

Important Note: Unless you display a UC decal or Handycap tag, DO NOT park on any campus streets.

French Hall’s actual address is 2815 Commons Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

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