Tag Archives: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

ST. NICHOLAS Runs Oct. 12-28

ETC_St. Nicholas logoST. NICHOLAS
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
Oct. 12-28
[Over-the-Rhine]

Directed by Brian Robertson

Cast: Bruce Cromer as Man

A jaded theatre critic spins a tale beginning with obsession and ending with a descent into a macabre world of vampires. Is it all a drunken lie? A tantalizing fairy tale? Or is it his own version of a higher truth? Bruce Cromer sinks his teeth into this hauntingly funny one-man play that is storytelling at its spooky best.

  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 12-13 at 8pm
  • Wed-Thu, Oct. 17-18 at 7:30pm
  • Fri-Sat, Oct. 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sun, Oct. 21 at 2pm
  • Wed-Thu, Oct. 24-25 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Oct. 26 at 8pm
  • Sat, Oct. 27 at 2pm & 8pm

Official page |

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FLY BY NIGHT Review

ETC_Fly By Night 6

Nathan Robert Pecchia as Narrator, Maya Farhat as Daphne & Brooke Steel as Miriam. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

FLY BY NIGHT presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati through Sept. 29. Click here for a synopsis and more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

ETC kicks off their 2018-2019 season with the contemporary musical fable, FLY BY NIGHT.

While I found the show well-paced, the script itself, although engaging, could use a bit of editing. The book has an abundance of plot lines spinning and for me there are times when the show loses momentum due to that volume. I didn’t mind the non-linear storytelling and it is used best when the audience gets to revisit a previous moment with more information or a different perspective.

ETC_Fly By Night 9

Phil Fiorini as Mr. McClam & Nathan Robert Pecchia as Narrator. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

The bulk of the cast is comprised of faces familiar to ETC audiences and as a whole they are solid across the board. Phil Fiorini completely charms as Mr. McClam who is lost after the passing of his wife. As the Narrator, Nathan Robert Pecchia handles the multiple-roles well, but there were times when his performance level could have been brought down a notch or two to match his scene partners. While I am very much appreciative that ETC so often casts local equity actors, it would be great to see returning actors further explore the physicality of their characters and make unique choices for them.

The cast handled the vocals for the show well, backed by a four-piece band. The only issue I noticed with the sound was a couple of instances when the mics of the supporting vocalists were at the same level as the lead.

ETC_Fly By Night 15

The Company. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

The set and lighting design by Brian c. Mehring was a standout for this production. The triangle of circular platforms, the color choices, the balcony, the set pieces tucked under the walls, and the lighting accents gave the set a great ethereal quality.

The solid black and white costume scheme worked well for the most part, but the lack of color or pattern had Harold and Joey in essentially the same costume that didn’t really speak to the period. I would also have liked to have seen the Narrator’s all-white ensemble broken up a bit. I understand the convenience of the black handkerchief for some of his quick costume changes, but for an extended scene as when Miriam visits the gypsy woman, something with a bit more size and substance would be welcomed.

Overall, FLY BY NIGHT is visually enthralling, touching. and bittersweet, this emotional roller coaster of a show hits the mark much more than it misses.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

 

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Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents Regional Premiere Musical FLY BY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 1-29, 2018

ETC_Fly By Night logo

(Cincinnati, OH) Grab your guitars and look to the stars! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati begins its 2018-2019 Season with the charming regional premiere of Fly By Night written by Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, and Michael Mitnick. This enchanting musical sparkles with humor and heart as two sisters follow their stars to New York City’s stage and food service industry where the light of love leads to unexpected discoveries about fate and fortune. Playing September 1-29. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. Production Sponsor is The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

In this darkly comic rock-fable, a gypsy prophecy propels melancholy sandwich-maker Harold and two bewitching sisters through a star-crossed journey of love and connection. Featuring a catchy score and inventive story-telling, this sweeping ode to young love culminates during the Northeast blackout of 1965 and is a tale about finding light in a world beset by darkness.

Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers says: “Having ended last season with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I wanted to start this season with a musical celebrating the universal language of music. Fly By Night is a beautiful parable about fate—about accepting the good in our lives as well as the bad. Somewhere mixed up between the earth and the sky is our destiny. A lot of it is up to us, but a lot of it is about making sure we’re looking up to the stars for guidance.”

About the Cast

Michael Gerard Carr (Harold McClam) returns to Ensemble Theatre, where his favorite shows include First Date, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and Hands on a Hardbody. He is a proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Acting Program and a past ETC acting intern. He is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati’s Musical Theater Department.

Brooke Steele (Miriam) has appeared numerous times at Ensemble Theatre, where some of her favorite credits include Violet, Cinderella, and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Most recently, Ms. Steele was seen at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in Noises Off!. When not performing, she teaches with Community Arts Initiatives.

Maya Farhat’s (Daphne) is a proud graduate of Xavier University and the 2016-2017 ETC Professional Acting Intern Program. Her favorite previous credits include First Date and The Dancing Princesses at Ensemble Theatre and, most recently, The Bureau, which was Cincinnati’s Audience Pick of the 2018 Fringe Festival. She has also dabbled in film (Hallmark’s A Christmas Melody) and commercial work for Hulu. 

Michael G. Bath (Crabble) has appeared in ETC’s productions of The Dancing Princesses, Cinderella: After Ever After, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Hands on a Hardbody. His other regional credits include Superior Donuts with The Clifton Players and Angels in America at Know Theatre. Mr. Bath has also performed with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, the Performance Gallery, Showboat Majestic, and Stage First Cincinnati. 

Phil Fiorini (Mr. McClam) was last seen at the Ensemble Theatre in Violet, as well as Sleeping Beauty and Hands on a Hardbody. He performed in Taylor Mac’s Hir at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City this summer where he then donned some large heels in La Cage Aux Folles and The Legend of Georgia McBride at Kansas Repertory TheatreMr. Fiorini was seen in The Realistic Joneses at the Clifton Performance Theatre and spent three years on the Broadway tour of The Lion King as Pumbaa the Warthog.

Nathan Robert Pecchia (Narrator) returns to Cincinnati from Washington state, where he played in Oklahoma! as an AEA Guest Artist for Wheatland Theatre Company. Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, he is currently based in New York City. He is an alumni of Wright State University’s Musical Theatre Program, where his favorite credit was The Music Man. Some of his other recent credits include First Date, Ensemble Theatre; Spamalot!, Short North Stage; Miracle on 34th Street, Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts; and Sweeney Todd and the American premiere of Legendale: A New Musical, Human Race Theatre Company.

Patrick Earl Phillips (Joey Storms) received his BA in Theatre from Xavier University and was an Acting Intern at Ensemble Theatre during the 2014-2015 Season. He was last seen at ETC in This Random World, as well as Bloomsday, Cinderella: After Ever After, Violet, Luna Gale, and Love and Information. His other regional theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; Henry VI, Part I, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Saint Joan and Relatively Speaking, Diogenes Theatre Company.

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), Scot Woolley (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. 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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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.

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

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.

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FLY BY NIGHT Runs Sept. 1-29

ETC_Fly by Night promoFLY BY NIGHT
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
Sept. 1-29
[Over-the-Rhine]

A gypsy prophecy propels melancholy sandwich-maker Harold and two bewitching sisters through a star-crossed journey of love and connection. Featuring a catchy score and inventive story-telling, this sweeping ode to young love culminates during the Northeast blackout of 1965 and is a tale about finding light in a world beset by darkness.

  • In preview Sat, Sept. 1 at 7pm
  • In preview Tue, Sept. 4 at 7pm
  • Wed-Thu, Sept. 5-6 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 7 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 8 at 2pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 9 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Thu, Sept. 11-13 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 14 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 15 at 2pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 16 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Thu, Sept. 18-20 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 21 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 22 at 2pm & 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 23 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Thu, Sept. 18-20 at 7:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 21 at 8pm
  • Sat, Sept. 22 at 2pm & 8pm

Official page |

 

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Bystander Training in the Theatre Community on June 25

MISC_Bystander Training logoBystander Training in the Theatre Community
Facilitated by Jennifer Joplin

Date: June 25th
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm 

Location: Ensemble Theatre 1127 Vine St Cincinnati OH 45210

Bullying is a real or perceived imbalance of power. It’s as simple as that. It is prevalent throughout our society and can leave anyone feeling like The Other. In the face of that imbalance, we experience a social psychological phenomenon known as the Bystander Effect. Learning about this and other natural human tendencies gives us the understanding and confidence we need to ask for and offer help in these situations. There are tools and ground rules that can help individuals and our artistic community create opportunities for education and discussion. 

Jen Joplin is a proud member of AEA, working professionally across the country for over 25 years. When not on stage, she is a mom, writer, teacher, voiceover artist and the founder & lead coach for Spotlight Training.

All are welcome! We want everyone to be a part of the discussion!!!

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