Tag Archives: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

February 17, 2026 · 5:14 pm

MARY’S WEDDING Review

Review by Rob Bucher

MARY’S WEDDING presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through March 8th. I attended the opening night performance. 

Aaron Schilling as Charlie & Britian Seibert as Mary. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Playhouse in the Park transforms the Shelterhouse Theatre into an early 1900s barn for an intimate love story opening just in time for Valentine’s Day. Set during and after World War I, Mary’s dream on her wedding day chronicles the love story of Mary and Charlie, who’s romance and resolve are tested by the realities of a world at war.

Actors Aaron Shilling as Charlie and Britian Siebert as Mary have great chemistry together and easily draw the audience into their romance. At times, Siebert also takes on the additional role of Flowers, Charlie’s commanding officer while in France. The script itself has been described as poetic, as the actors re-live their journey from their initial meeting, through the trials of war, until their story returns full circle to Mary’s wedding day.

The set by Lex Liang paired with lighting design by Michelle Habeck serves as a beautiful and dynamic backdrop to the story. Liang also serves as Costume Designer for the production, using added costume pieces to alter the actor’s looks throughout the intermission-less performance. Director Blake Robinson allows the story to unfold naturally, with expert pacing and great use of the entire stage.

Overall, a satisfying love story expertly told.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Click here for more information on the production.

 

 

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February 16, 2026 · 4:58 pm

Playhouse Summer Camps & Performance Academies Now on Sale

Summer programs offered in Mt. Adams and Mason

CINCINNATI – Registration is now open for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s immersive summer theatre camps and performance academies. Designed for campers entering 1st through 12th grade, the camps provide an opportunity to explore theatre while enjoying a diverse lineup of themes inspired by beloved films and Broadway hits, including KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, Seussical KIDS, Legally Blonde, Hamilton and Superman.

Camps take place at the Playhouse’s Mainstage Theatre Complex in Mt. Adams and the Mason Community Center, with options for before and after care.

Guided by camp staff, campers learn performance techniques including musical theatre, stage combat, writing, acting, rehearsal and performance — while at the same time gaining confidence and exploring their individuality.

One-week theatre camps for campers entering Grades 1-6 or 1-10

  • Learn the fundamentals of creating theatre with an informal Shareformance at the end of the week. Each week focuses on a unique theme: KPop Demon Hunters, Disney’s Zombies and Descendants, Super Mario, SpongeBob and Wicked: For Good.

One-week performance showcases for campers entering Grades 6-12

  • Campers explore theatrical skills with an emphasis on performance and storytelling techniques and a Showcase at the end of the week. Showcase themes: Hamilton and KPop Demon Hunters.

Two-week performance academies for campers entering Grades 1-12

  • Campers work together to stage a full-length play or musical from start to finish, while focusing on theatrical skills. Daily rehearsals culminate in a final performance complete with select costumes and set pieces. This summer’s performance academies are Seussical KIDS and Shrek KIDS for younger performers, with Legally Blonde The Musical JR. and Beware the Jabberwock for teens and tweens.

“The campers grow every single week, and we see it. A camper who comes in on the first day of a five-day camp is not the same camper who leaves on Friday,” says Ariana Moses, the Playhouse’s Education Director. “They’ve made friendships, they’ve formed a community, they’ve learned new skills, and they’ve put together something to show their family and friends.”

Summer Camp offers The Launch Pad Accessibility Program, offering opportunities for campers who have developmental disabilities, neurodivergence and sensory challenges to participate in camps and have their unique needs met. Camp staff are trained to meet specific needs and accommodations, and a family coordinator works with parents and caregivers to ensure a comfortable experience for their camper.

Enrollment is now open with early bird pricing through Feb. 28. Early bird tuition ranges from $320 – $750, depending on the week or session, and increases by $45 on March 1. Financial scholarships are available for campers who demonstrate need, and Before Care and After Care options are available at both locations.

For more information or to register, click here or call 513-421-3888.

Camps Offered in Mt. Adams at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Gonna Be Golden: Songs from KPop Demon Hunters

June 1-5 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Acting, Theater Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Two-Week Performance Academy: Legally Blonde The Musical JR.

June 1 – 12 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Singing, Dancing, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

Keep Calm and Zombie On: Songs from Disney’s Zombies

June 8 – 12 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Acting, Theater Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Here We Go! Super Mario Playwriting

June 8 – 12 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-10

Classes Include: Playwriting, Acting, Improvisation, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Two-Week Performance Academy: Seussical KIDS

June 15 – 26 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Acting, Singing, Dance, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

The Room Where It Happens: Hamilton Showcase

June 15 – 18 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

Up, Up and Away! Superman Stage Combat

June 15 – 18 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-10

Classes Include: Stage Combat Movement, Acting, Improvisation, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Gonna Be Golden: Songs from KPop Demon Hunters

June 22 – 26 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Acting, Theater Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

It’s Our Moment: KPop Demon Hunters Showcase

June 22 – 26 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

Two-Week Performance Academy: Beware the Jabberwock

July 6 – 17 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Acting, Improv, Stage Combat, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

Good Is the New Bad: Songs from the World of Disney’s Descendants

July 6 – 10 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-10

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Acting, Theater Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Two-Week Performance Academy: Shrek The Musical KIDS

July 13 – 24 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Acting, Singing, Dance, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

How It’s Done: KPop Demon Hunters Stage Combat Camp

July 20 – 24 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-10

Classes Include: Stage Combat, Movement, Acting, Improvisation, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

The Room Where It Happens: Hamilton Showcase

July 20 – 24 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

We’re All Goofy Goobers: SpongeBob Square-Camp

July 27 – 31 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Classes Include: Acting, Improv, Comedy Movement, Theater Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

No Place Like Home: Songs from Wicked: For Good

July 27 – 31 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-10

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Acting, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Camps Offered at Mason Community Center & High School

Performance Academy: Shrek The Musical KIDS

June 15 – 26 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Acting, Singing, Dance, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

Two-Week Performance Academy: Seussical KIDS

July 6 – 17 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 1-6

Classes Include: Acting, Singing, Dance, Theatre Crafts, Rehearsal and Performance

The Room Where It Happens: Hamilton Showcase

July 13 – 17 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Campers entering Grades 6-12

Classes Include: Singing, Dance, Design, Rehearsal and Performance

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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February 3, 2026 · 4:44 pm

Poetic Romantic Drama MARY’S WEDDING Brings a Timeless Tale of Love, Loss and Resilience to Rosenthal Shelterhouse Beginning Feb. 7

Britian Seibert (Mary/Flowers) and Aaron Schilling (Charlie) in rehearsal for MARY’S WEDDING at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

CINCINNATI (Feb. 3, 2026) – MARY’S WEDDING, a poetic story of love, loss and the human spirit, begins in previews Feb. 7 in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre. The period drama, set during World War I and told through a series of interwoven dreams, runs through March 9. Opening night is Feb. 12.

The romance begins on the eve of the First World War. Mary and her mother have recently moved to Canada from England. Mary meets Charlie, a Canadian farm boy, and they fall in love. Soon after, Charlie is shipped off to battle in the trenches of France while Mary waits in anticipation of their wedding day. As the play unfolds, audiences experience an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.

MARY’S WEDDING is written by award-winning Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte. It received the 2002 Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play and the 2003 Alberta Book Award for Drama after it was first produced in Calgary in 2002, and it’s been widely produced across North America ever since.

The Calgary Herald noted, “Mary’s Wedding … proves Massicotte is a gifted storyteller with an ear for detail and imagery… It was Massicotte’s descriptive writing that allowed the audience to really lose themselves in the moment. There was nary a dry eye in the house by the time the actors took their final bows.”

“I believe there is great value in telling period stories set in a specific time and social context, with characters that are a product of their era,” states Osborn Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison, who directs the production. “Young people in love at a time of political turmoil and world tumult has something to do with what happens and continues to happen in the world today. The time period of World War I offered moral clarity that we don’t often get in contemporary times.”

ARTISTS

  • Aaron Schilling                                      Charlie
  • Britian Seibert*                                      Flowers/Mary
  • Stephen Massicotte                              Playwright
  • Blake Robison                                      Director
  • Lex Liang                                              Set/Costume Designer
  • Michelle Habeck                                   Lighting Designer
  • Matthew M. Nielson                              Sound Designer/Composer
  • Brandon T. Holmes*                              Stage Manager
  • Maggie Ballard                                      Production Assistant
  • D’Arcy Smith                                         Dialect Coach
  • Erin Carr                                               Intimacy Coordinator

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

TICKETS
Tickets begin at $35.00. Prices vary depending on performance. Preview performances take place Feb. 7, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances will 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 performance will take place at 1 p.m. on Feb. 25. 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

Preview Performances
Be among the first to see the show before opening night and save! Preview performance tickets are discounted.

  • Sat., Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Tue., Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Wed., Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Opening Night
Share the excitement of Thursday opening night.

  • Thu., Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Art Talks
(Formerly Meet the Artists), stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.

  • Sun., Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.
  • Sun., Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.
  • Wed., Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Thu., Mar. 5 at 7:30 pm

Audio-Described Performance
Trained volunteers describe the visual elements of the production via a hearing enhancement system, allowing patrons to hear dialogue, music and other sound effects. The description is timed to avoid interfering with dialogue. Before the show and during intermission, show and actor information are shared.

  • Tue., Mar. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

ADVISORY
MARY’S WEDDINGis recommended for ages 13 and up. Two characters fall in love against the backdrop of World War I, navigating their feelings across space and time. Using very mild adult language, their story depicts war, with some sound effects and descriptions of violence and death.

SPONSORS
Production Sponsors are Dick and Sandy Manteuffel. Honorary Producer is the Lemmerman Family. Artists Sponsors are Betsy and Jerry Shroat and Diane and Carl Iseman. This production is made possible by a generous gift from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Media Sponsor is 91.7 WVXU.FM. The 2025-26 Rosenthal Shelterhouse Season is presented by the Vontz Family.

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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February 2, 2026 · 4:54 pm

MRS. CHRISTIE Runs Feb. 28-March 29

MRS. CHRISTIE
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Feb. 28-March 29
Rouse Theatre [Eden Park]

A mystery about Agatha Christie! The curious, real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie sets the stage for this charming and heartfelt comedy that celebrates writers and the stories that shape our lives. In 1926, after the recent death of her mother and with her marriage on the rocks, 37-year-old Agatha Christie vanished for 11 days, then reappeared without explanation. The reasons behind her disappearance remain unknown. A century later, devoted superfan Lucy, who is going through her own life crisis, attends an Agatha Christie Festival. There, she follows the clues left by Agatha and might finally crack the case. As we follow their parallel timelines and journeys of self-discovery, we experience the thrill of good old-fashioned mystery. Note: MRS. CHRISTIE is recommended for ages 13 and up. Using minimal adult language, the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie leads to depictions of attempted murder as well as references to violence, infidelity and death. Two characters discuss having suicidal thoughts.

  • In preview Sat, Feb. 28 at 7:30pm
  • In preview Tue-Wed, March 3-4 at 7:30pm
  • Thu-Fri, March 5-6 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, March 7 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, March 8 at 2pm
  • Tue-Fri, March 10-13 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, March 14 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, March 15 at 2pm
  • Tue, March 17 at 7:30pm
  • Wed, March 18 at 1pm
  • Thu-Fri, March 17-20 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, March 21 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, March 22 at 2pm
  • Tue-Fri, March 24-27 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, March 28 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, March 29 at 2pm

Official page |

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January 27, 2026 · 5:14 pm

LITTLE WOMEN Review

By Katrina “Kat” Reynold

LITTLE WOMEN presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through Feb. 15. I attended the Opening Night performance. 

In a co-production with Portland Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park brings audiences Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, a stage adaptation by Lauren M. Gunderson. This particular take on the classic novel takes us behind-the-scenes, so to speak, as Ms. Alcott pens her famous tale of family and resilience. But rest assured: you still get to see the lives of the March sisters play out before your very eyes.

Director Joanie Schultz (who serves as Playhouse’s Associate Artistic Director) makes excellent use of the playing space provided by Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre. The actors are mobile throughout – and still when warranted – which can also be partially credited to Movement Director Vanessa Severo. Complementing the physicality displayed is Set Design by Chelsea M. Warren, with the glaring exception of the split steps center stage. These felt awkward and inhibited natural movement from one stage level to the next. However, the coordination of set pieces being moved on and off stage offers its own choreography and creates beautiful stage pictures. Kudos also to Lighting Designer Sarah Hughey for their contribution to the mixed media set; the highs and lows of the character arcs are mirrored by the illumination levels.

The Cast (and Set) of Louisa May Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

 

In one of their best performances to date, Beasley is a force of nature as Louise May Alcott/Jo March. Seamlessly toeing the line between falling into expected Civil War-time female etiquette and loudly questioning it, they make Louisa/Jo plucky and lovable. Kieran Cronin, who plays love interests of two of the March sisters, masters the ideal balance of strong characterizations while knowing this story should not be focused on the men. I defy audiences not to fall in love with him – twice! Finally, Brianna Woods gives us a stunning performance as Beth March. Ms. Woods’ portrayal embodies all the words used to describe the fated sister: angelic, tranquil, and perfect.

For those who know, I am rather hot and cold about Ms. Gunderson as a playwright and felt both ways within the confines of this script. I wished she had pushed the envelope: adaptations can be mediocre copies of another (hu)man’s genius if they do not offer fresh, new perspectives. In addition, the “asides” as spoken by the actors initially felt both unnatural and overused; but when used more sparingly in Act II, I found them endearing and impactful. Fortunately, luck is on Ms. Gunderson’s side: Ms. Alcott’s tale is timeless and just about any re-telling of it should prove to be engaging. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is no exception and is rife with talent, sentiment, and will leave you feeling a wee bit warmer this cold winter.

Click here for more information about the production.

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