Tag Archives: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

The popular Cincinnati holiday tradition,
EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD,
appears on CSC’s stage for a limited run of 17 performances
December 14-31, 2016!

Justin McCombs, Sara Clark, Miranda McGee & Billy Chance.

CINCINNATI, October 28, 2016 – For the eleventh straight year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is thrilled to offer a full season of holiday cheer in just 90 minutes with EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez. This hilarious production is a non-stop holiday romp through everyone’s favorite Christmas stories performed by just four actors in ninety minutes. Justin McCombs and Sara Clark, both now eleven-year veterans of the company, return to poke fun at the holiday season, joined by Billy Chace, and tenth-year company member. Miranda McGee, eighth-year company member, returns as a special guest. CSC Artistic Associate, Jeremy Dubin, returns to the director’s chair. This production is one of the most popular events in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company history breaking attendance and sales records every year. All tickets are $32, making this show one of the best holiday deals in town. Audiences are encouraged to get their tickets soon!

What starts as an annual performance of “A Christmas Carol” quickly descends into a playful skewering of everyone’s favorite “Beloved Holiday Classics.” Using just three actors and a little help from the audience, EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) crams an entire season’s worth of stories, carols, and television specials into ninety minutes of non-stop laughs. EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!) premiered in 2005 at Orlando Shakespeare Company under the direction of Artistic Director Jim Helsinger.

Audiences and critics have made the show a sold-out success for the last ten Decembers. Rick Pender of CityBeat wrote of the show, “If you’ve laughed yourself silly watching any of the scripts developed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company – you’ll find yourself in similar territory.  Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez clearly went to the same school… This production will certainly appeal to audiences looking for relaxing, adult holiday amusement.”  Director Jeremy Dubin remarks, “This cast has so much fun together that the show has become a very personal holiday tradition for all of us. Returning audiences will enjoy a fresh round of new fruitcake jokes, and new audiences will be amazed at Sara Clark’s frighteningly accurate Jimmy Stewart impression.”

This show will be appreciated by adults and older teens, but is not recommended for anyone young enough to still believe in Santa.

All performances are held at CSC’s Theatre, 719 Race St. No passes, subscriptions, group rates, or discounts apply. All tickets are $32. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are accepted.  To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273), or visit us online at www.cincyshakes.com.

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

Jeremy Dubin as Benedick & Miranda McGee as Beatrice. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

CINCINNATI, October 28, 2016 — Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues their 2016-2017 mainstage season with Shakespeare’s beloved comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, playing November 18- December 10, 2016.  This production is directed by CSC Artistic Associate Sara Clark and features the entire Cincinnati Shakespeare Resident Ensemble including Jeremy Dubin, Miranda McGee, Geoffrey Barnes, and Billy Chace. This production is sponsored by Frost Brown Todd and Messer.

Beatrice (Miranda McGee) and Benedick (Jeremy Dubin) are perfect for each other – it’s a pity they can’t stand each other. Their friends make it their mission to tame the pair’s warring wits and trick them into falling hopelessly in love. Meanwhile, the conniving Don John (Geoffrey Barnes) schemes to slander the honor of Hero (Maggie Lou Rader), Beatrice’s virtuous cousin, and destroy her coming marriage. Only the combined wit of Beatrice and Benedick – as well as a well-timed intervention by the bumbling constabulary, led by Dogberry (Billy Chace) – can save the day. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING features zingy repartee, dastardly villains, and warm-hearted romance, and it’s the perfect choice for a chilly winter night!

“It’s a dream come true to play Beatrice on this stage,” says Miranda McGee. “I’ve always identified with her. I feel like everything she goes through as a character, with her sharpness and then her softening as she finds love, I’ve gone through as a person. Also, I’ve grown so much as a performer in my time with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and I’m so excited to play this role in front of the audience that has watched me grow up.” Director Sara Clark says of the play, “It’s smart and sexy, charming and delightful, rife with opportunities for shtick but not reliant on them. The play is a beautiful confection, with some actual substance in its middle.”

The production is set in the time period following the Revolutionary War and features modern design pops in costume and prop pieces to keep the show fun, festive, and fresh.  The production is a great choice for the whole family.

Performances of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING are scheduled from November 18- December 10, 2016 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. No show on Thanksgiving Nov. 25, show added Saturday Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.  There is no performance on Sunday Nov. 20.  Preview performances are on Wednesday Nov. 18 and Thursday Nov. 19 at 7:30pm and tickets are $25.

The theater is currently located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center.  Single ticket prices range from $22-$38 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$42 on Fridays and Saturdays.  Previews are $25.  If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased one hour before a show with a valid student ID.  This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted.  Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members.  To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

Cincinnati Shakespeare brings internationally renowned artist-educators to town to work with this year’s PROJECT38 Teachers

CINCINNATI, October 17, 2016 – A pair of teaching artists from Shakespeare’s Globe in London will be visiting the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on October 22 to facilitate a day of workshops for the CSC artist-educators and the local teachers involved in this year’s PROJECT38. PROJECT38 is an educational celebration of the thirty-eight plays in Shakespeare’s canon in which each of over forty schools in the greater Cincinnati area explore one of Shakespeare’s plays, facilitated by classroom visits from a CSC artist-educator; the project culminates in the spring in a weekend-long arts festival in which students present a series of performances and visual art projects created in response to their assigned play.

Jeremy Dubin, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Artistic Associate and Co-Artistic Director of PROJECT38, said about the workshops with the Globe educators, “When it comes to Shakespeare, we like to think that we have some of the most experienced people in the area, but now we have the opportunity to be working with some of the most experienced people in the world.  We couldn’t be more excited to be working with practitioners form Shakespeare’s Globe, an organization that is continually demonstrating how engaging, exciting and accessible Shakespeare is. To have these folks, who really are some of the best at what they do in their field, coming to work with PROJECT38 teachers and teaching artist is tremendously exciting, and we hope it’s the beginning of a collaboration that will continue and grow.”

Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare’s Globe (located in London) is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of performance and education. Together, the Globe Theatre, Globe Exhibition & Tour and Globe Education seek to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance.

There will be two workshops in which the PROJECT38 educators can take part. Mary McNulty will be teaching a masterclass on rhetoric, the art of using language to persuade. It was something of which Shakespeare was an undisputed master, and is a topic that’s especially compelling during this election season. Ms. McNulty was a member of the Artistic Advisory Committee during the planning stages of the construction of Shakespeare’s Globe, and currently is a lecturer at Kent University in England, specializing in courses in Shakespeare, Modern Theatre, and Dramaturgy. In the second workshop, Tas Emiabata will be delving into Macbeth, leading a physical exploration of the text that will experiment with archetypes and power dynamics, seeing just what can be gleaned about one of Shakespeare’s most fascinating couples. Mr. Emiabata is a London-based actor and arts educator who has appeared on stages across the United Kingdom and leads Shakespeare workshops across the world.

The workshops are on Saturday Oct. 22 at the School of Creative and Performing Arts and is invitation only to PROJECT38 Teachers. The workshops will include a teaching demonstrations with students, curriculum and activity workshops, and pedagogical discussion with Teaching Artists and Educators.

Meet the Globe Teaching Artists!

Mary McNulty– Mary gained her BA in English and Theatre Studies at Lancaster University, then spent some time in journalism before taking a Post-Graduate Acting Diploma at The Drama Studio and a Licentiate in Speech and Drama Teaching from the Royal Academy of Shakespeare’s Globe, and continues to work with the Globe’s Education Department as a Learning Consultant, developing strategies for teaching performance skills which are practical, text-based and draw on early modern theatre practice. Mary used her experience during the planning stages of Shakespeare’s Globe as the basis for her research MA: The Cultural Positioning of Shakespeare’s Globe from Wanamaker to Rylance. She is an Associate Lecturer at Kent University, teaching Shakespeare at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as courses in Modern Theatre and Dramaturgy.

Tas Emiabata- Tas’s theatre credits include I Do (Dante or Die/Almeida Festival); The Two Noble Kinsmen; The Tempest; Romeo and Juliet (2004); Anthony and Cleopatra;In Extremis; Romeo and Juliet (2007 Globe Tour); Much Ado About Nothing (Ed. Tour); Othello (Ed. Tour) all for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Other theatre work includes: Paul (National Theatre); Natural Breaks and Rhythms (Northampton); Oedipus (Actors of Dionysus); Woyzech (Theatre Melange); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner(Calypso Productions); Macbeth (Ludlow Festival); The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (RSC). Film includes Hippie Hippie Shake, dir. Beeban Kidron & Simon McBurney; Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown; Hidden City. Television includes: Murder Investigation Team (Thames TV), Neighbors (Grundy Television).

Tas is a Globe Education Learning Consultant and regularly facilitates workshops with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre both nationally and internationally. He also works with Southwark Theatres Education Partnership, Talawa, The National Youth Theatre, English National Opera and Emergency Exit Arts.
###

About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.

Cincinnati Shakespeare’s blockbuster final season on Race Street continues after a sold-out run of “The Diary of Anne Frank” with “The Elephant Man”! 

Brent Vimtrup as Frederick & Giles Davies as Joseph Merrick in THE ELEPHANT MAN. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.

CINCINNATI, Sep. 22, 2016 – The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its 2016-2017 mainstage season with The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance, a stirring modern classic about humanity and compassion, playing October 14-November 5, 2016. This production is directed by CSC Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips and features the Cincinnati Shakespeare Resident Ensemble including Giles Davies, Brent Vimtrup, Barry Mulholland, Kelly Mengelkoch, and Billy Chace.

The Tony Award-winning The Elephant Man tells the true-life story of John Merrick (Giles Davies), a man whose profound physical deformities drive him first into a Victorian workhouse and then into employment as a sideshow curiosity. Dr. Frederick Treves (Brent Vimtrup), a physician at London’s Royal Hospital, encounters Merrick by chance and recognizes a deeply intelligent and curious mind behind Merrick’s startling exterior, and sets out to rescue him from his grim surroundings. As the world opens up to Merrick, he realizes that it is both more beautiful and more cruel than he could have imagined.

Critically acclaimed and the winner of numerous awards, The Elephant Man premiered on Broadway in 1979 winning the Tony Award for Best Play that year.  The play’s recent revival featuring Bradley Cooper as Merrick, won the 2015 Tony Award for Beat Revival of a Play, among other accolades.  In addition to Bradley Cooper, the lead role of Merrick has been portrayed by David Bowie, Mark Hamill, Bruce Davison, David Schofield, and many more. In the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company production, long-time Resident Ensemble favorite, Giles Davies will be featured as Merrick. The play calls for no prosthetic makeup on the actor portraying Merrick; the actor portrays Merrick’s deformity through physicality, letting the audience imagine Merrick’s appearance.

Mr. Phillips directs a vivid and imaginative staging of this classic script, incorporating a strong Victorian aesthetic.  This production will also offer on-stage audience seating, evocative of the nineteenth century’s operating theatres and is a tribute to the early days of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on Race Street when on-stage seating was offered for its productions.

Performances of The Elephant Man are scheduled from October 14-November 5, 2016, Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  There is no performance on Sunday October 16. There is an added performance at 2pm on Saturday November 5. Preview performances are on Wednesday October 12 and Thursday October 13 at 7:30pm and tickets are $25.

The theater currently is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center.  Single ticket prices range from $22-$38 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$42 on Fridays and Saturdays.  Previews are $25.  If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased one hour before a show with a valid student ID.  This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted.  Ticketing fees may apply.  Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members.  To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com. 

###
About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages.  Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions.  In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:
This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.  Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.