Tag Archives: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

Come to the Bechdel Family Fun Home!

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Opens 2019-2020 Season with
Tony award Winning Musical Fun Home, August 31 — September 28, 2019

(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati opens its 2019-2020 arts season with the regional premiere of Fun Home – a memoir musical based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, with lyrics and book by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori. In this highly anticipated musical, Alison Bechdel’s coming-of-age memoir depicts the evolution of her young life, her identity, and the secrets that defined her family and her upbringing. Playing August 31-September 28, 2019. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.

Hailed as one of Broadway’s most original musicals and the winner of 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this is the groundbreaking story inspired by the best-selling graphic memoir. Alison’s father, Bruce, was an enigmatic, brilliant man whose secrets defined her family and her life. Bruce taught high school English, ran the family’s funeral home business, and was obsessed with restoring their old house. When he dies unexpectedly, Alison digs deeply into her childhood memories to explore and unravel the mysteries of her childhood and the surprising secrets that shaped her life.

“I believe that this show is an essential piece of theatre – it addresses universal values in terms of family, forgiveness, and understanding, as well as our ability to love and accept ourselves as the individuals that we are,” said director D. Lynn Meyers. “Jeanine Tesori’s music has been an enormous influence on my work, having directed Violet here twice. Once I heard she was doing a new musical I had to do it, and I’ve waited four years for the rights to Fun Home. I believe Cincinnati needs to share Alison’s story, and with the remarkable cast we have to do that it will certainly be something everyone needs to see.”

About the Cast

Charlie Clark (Bruce Bechdel) was last seen at Ensemble Theatre in Violet in 2016, where his credits include Next to Normal, Rapture, Blister, Burn, Hands on a Hardbody, Luna Gale, and Next Fall, among others. Some of his other local credits include Church Girls, Take Me Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, On Golden Pond, Carousel, Love’s Labour’s Lost, See What I Wanna See, The Full Monty, and Sunday in the Park with George. His Chicago credits include Company, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and Sweeney Todd. His Twin Cities credits include Guys and Dolls and Mary Poppins.

Sara Mackie (Helen Bechdel) is an alumna of the Wright State Acting BFA Program. She has performed with ETC in many productions since 1999 including Hands on a Hardbody, all three Wonderette iterations, Rabbit Hole, and Mauritius, among others. Some of her favorite credits include An Act of God, Twelfth Night, and Family Ties, Human Race Theatre; Pump Boys and Dinettes, The Carnegie; and Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, Falcon Theatre. Ms. Mackie appears briefly in the feature films The Public and the soon-to-be-released Dark Waters.

Natalie Bird (Alison) makes her Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Wright State University where she appeared in States of Independence, directed by Tina Land. Some of her New York theatre credits include The Top Job, off-Broadway with Vital Theatre Company; The Cherry Orchard, Columbia Stages; Edward II, Isle of Shoals; Hee-Haw: It’s a Wonderful Lie, Levin Productions; and Variety Show on a Weekday, Nuyorican Poets Café. Some of her regional credits include Lizzie with Human Race Theatre Company and The Christians and In the Next Room: The Vibrator Play with AthensWest Theatre Company. Her film, television, and web credits include The Bourne Legacy, Unforgettable, and Dominatrix Breakroom.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also welcomes the following performers in their ETC debuts: McKenna James Farmer (Young Alison), Emily Fink (Medium Alison), Max Meyers (Roy/Mark/Pete/Bobby Jeremy), Jude Walker (Joan), Henry Weghorst (John Bechdel), and Espen Wells-Jordan (Christian Bechdel).

Production team: Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic and Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), Steve Goers (Musical Director), Patti James (Choreographer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Assistant Stage Manager is Lexi Muller.

Performance Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Evening preview performances are at 7:00; evening performances are Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Ticket prices start at $35 for adults; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount does not apply to children’s tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

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CAST (in alphabetical order)

• Alison: Natalie Bird*
• Bruce Bechdel: Charlie Clark*
• Small Alison: McKenna James Farmer
• Roy/Mark/Pete/Bobby Jeremy: Max Meyers*
• Medium Alison: Emily Fink*
• Helen Bechdel: Sara Mackie*
• Joan: Jude Walker*
• John Bechdel: Henry Weghorst
• Christian Bechdel: Espen Wells-Jordan

BAND (in alphabetical order)

• Keyboard: Steve Goers
• Bass: Bill Jackson
• Cello: Lee Griffith
• Drums: William Mullen
• Violin: Molly Hickey
• Reeds: Daniel Outlaw

PRODUCTION TEAM

• Director: D. Lynn Meyers**
• Properties Master & Design Assistant: Shannon Rae Lutz

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2019-2020 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided PNC.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

(Cincinnati, OH) It’s time to take the field! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents gripping Pulitzer Prize finalist The Wolves by Sara DeLappe. In this highly anticipated regional premiere drama, a high school girls’ soccer team fights tooth and nail for a chance at the championship—and for their futures. Infused with the raw, jagged energy of youth, The Wolves offers a refreshingly complex and powerful reflection on society, sex, and soccer. Playing June 1-29, 2019. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.

The Wolves are undefeated, and they plan to stay that way. Fiercely competitive and strikingly talented, these nine elite high school athletes gather each Saturday to battle it out at their indoor soccer league and leave it all—body and soul—on the field. But, when the world outside the game starts to creep onto their turf, will the pack be able to stick together? A ferociously funny and achingly honest portrait of the warriors that are teenage girls, The Wolves is the formidable and unexpected new play taking the theatre world by storm.

“I felt absolutely compelled to do The Wolves,” says Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “The writing is fiercely intelligent, articulate, contemporary. Not often have I heard nine female voices coming together and discussing the cost and need for success like this. This play is the best of what sports is about—on this field, we come face to face with young, female characters and their passionate inner lives.”

About the Cast

Maggie Cramer (#46) returns to Ensemble Theatre after completing the Professional Acting Apprenticeship last season. Some of her recent credits include Failure: A Love Story and The Dancing Princesses, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; and Dry Land at Liberty Exhibition Hall, which she co-produced in partnership with Planned Parenthood. Originally from Minneapolis, she received her BA in theatre from Loyola University Chicago.

Avery Deutsch (#2) is a Manhattan-based actor and makes her Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. She was a member of the 2018-2019 Professional Training Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where some of her credits include We’ve Come to Believe (part of the 43^rd Humana Festival), A Christmas Carol, and The Patriot which she wrote and performed for the Solo Mio Festival. Previously, she was a member of The Bats, the resident acting company at the Flea Theater. 

Maya Farhat (#14) returns to Ensemble Theatre having last appeared in Fly By Night. She is a proud alumna of Xavier University and was a member of Ensemble Theatre’s Professional Acting Apprenticeship Program. Some of her recent credits include Dryland, Liberty Exhibition Hall; Ruthless, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; and The Bureau (2018 Audience Pick), Cincinnati Fringe Festival. She also appeared in Mariah Carey’s Hallmark movie, A Christmas Melody and has done commercial work for Hulu.

Annie Fitzpatrick (Soccer Mom) last appeared at Ensemble Theatre in This Random World. Some of her other favorite ETC credits include Luna Gale, Hands on a Hardbody, Next Fall, Rabbit Hole, and String of Pearls. Her most recent production was The Roommate at American Stage. Some of her other credits include A Prayer for Owen Meany, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, and Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Richard III, Death of a Salesman, Little Women, A Man for All Seasons, and Blithe Spirit, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Silent Sky, Pluto, and Collapse, Know Theatre. She has worked with various regional theatres including  The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva Theatre, Florida Stage, and Florida Studio. Her television and film credits include Chicago P.D., Those Who Kill, Army Wives, The Old Man and the Gun, Fun Size, and Milk Money.

Maliyah Gramata-Jones (#00) makes her Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. After years of touring Japan, Germany, Poland, and Canada as an Arts Ambassador, she has returned to her Cincinnati roots and immersed herself in education and local arts. While entering her second semester at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (where she studies Communication Design), Ms. Gramata-Jones took the stage in Red Bike at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

Victoria Hawley (#8) is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and was a member of ETC’s Professional Acting Apprentice Company. She was recently seen in A Small Fire and Frankenstein at Falcon Theatre, and wrote, produced, and performed in All We Have Borne  as part of the 2018 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. She is proud to be an Education Associate with ETC’s Education Department.

Becca Howell (#11) returns to the Ensemble Theatre having last been seen in Red Velvet, The Humans, and Bloomsday. After graduating from Northern Kentucky University she completed the Ensemble Theatre Professional Acting Internship. She recently appeared in Macbeth at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

Natalie Joyce (#7) was last seen at Ensemble Theatre in Luna Gale, Sleeping Beauty, Hands on a Hardbody, and Love and Information. Her Chicago credits include The Wolves (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble), Goodman Theatre; Born Yesterday, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; Deirdre of the Sorrows, City Lit Theatre; Mary Shelley Sees the Future, Runaways Lab Theater; and For Annie, The Sound. She has also appeared on television in Chicago P.D. on NBC. She is a proud graduate of the Penn State School of Theatre and the British American Drama Academy.

Kayla Marie Klammer (#13) is a current member of Ensemble Theatre’s Professional Acting Apprenticeship Program. She was born and raised in rural Nebraska and studied at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a double major in Theatre Performance and Dance. After graduation, she performed throughout the country with different theaters, and spent seven months in Costa Rica interning for a nonprofit organization. Ms. Klammer understudied for Fly By Night, Ripcord, and A Doll’s House, Part 2 at Ensemble Theatre.

Katie Mitchell (#25) is a Cincinnati native and attended Xavier University where she majored in Theatre Performance. She was a member of Ensemble Theatre’s Professional Acting Apprenticeship Program during the 2017-2018 season and toured with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company during the 2018-2019 season. Some of her other credits include Larry 13:2, Cincinnati Fringe Festival; In Love and Warcraft, The Carnegie; and understudy roles for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Humans, Ensemble Theatre.

Production team includes D. Lynn Meyers (Producing Artistic Director), Brian c. Mehring (Set & Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), and Stormie Mac (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Stage Manager is Lexi Muller.

Performance Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Ticket prices start at $35 for adults; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount does not apply to children’s tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

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2018-2019 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided PNC.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.