Tag Archives: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

November 1, 2017 · 3:21 pm

THE DANCING PRINCESSES Runs Nov. 29-Dec. 30

ETC_The Dancing Princesses logoTHE DANCING PRINCESSES
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
Nov. 29-Dec. 30
Over-the-Rhine

Directed by D. Lynn Meyers

From the creators of last season’s runaway hit Cinderella: After Ever After comes a whimsical adaptation of the classic fairy tale about a kingdom where an enchanting mystery is afoot! Wanting the best for his daughters, an overprotective king locks the castle doors each night. Yet, each morning, the princesses’ shoes have been curiously worn to tatters. Keen to cobble together the mystery of the frayed footwear, the King resorts to drastic measures of royal proportions. This is the heartfelt and humorous story of five uniquely different sister princesses who embark upon a journey of the imagination that explores the universal quest for understanding, acceptance, and love. All ages.

  • Wed-Fri, Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 2 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Sun, Dec. 3 at 2pm & 6pm
  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 6-8 at 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 9 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Sun, Dec. 10 at 2pm & 6pm
  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 13-15 at 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 16 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Sun, Dec. 17 at 2pm & 6pm
  • Tue, Dec. 19 at 7pm
  • Wed, Dec. 20 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Thu, Dec. 21 at 7pm
  • Fri, Dec. 22 at 2pm  & 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 23 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Tue-Wed, Dec. 26-27 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Thu, Dec. 28 at 7pm
  • Fri, Dec. 29 at 2pm & 7pm
  • Sat, Dec. 30 at 2pm

Official page |

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October 20, 2017 · 12:30 pm

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Presents TODD ALMOND & MICHELLE SHOCKED for One-Night Only Performance November 1

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(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s (ETC) first pop-up performance in its newly renovated venue will be a one-night only fundraiser featuring Cincinnati favorite Todd Almond, with Michelle Shocked. Composer/performer Todd Almond and two-time Grammy Award-nominee and folk-rock icon Michelle Shocked share an intimate evening celebrating their provocative songwriting and their recently forged theatrical collaboration. Featuring songs by both artists as well as a look at Shocked’s seminal album, Kind Hearted Woman, the evening brings together two innovators in their fields.

The duo will perform new songs and past hits to benefit the expansion of ETC’s workshop opportunities. Additionally, at the performance, ETC will make a very special announcement. The performance is Wednesday, November 1 at 9:45 pm. The show will go up shortly following the conclusion of that evening’s performance of This Random World. Tickets are $20.

About the Performers

Todd Almond is a composer, lyricist, and playwright. His Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati credits include I Am My Own Wife (subsequently reprised at Actors Theatre of Louisville), Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2001 and 2003, and the world premiere of James and Annie. Other credits include musical director for the recent production of Suzan-Lori Park’s F**cking A (Signature Theatre); original music for the off-Broadway production of How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Lincoln Center); original music for the Broadway production of Noises Off (Roundabout); book for Girlfriend (songs by Matthew Sweet, directed by Les Waters; CTG; and Know Theatre of Cincinnati); book, music, and lyrics for Kansas City Choir Boy (also starred alongside Courtney Love, directed by Kevin Newbury; Prototype Festival, American Repertory Theater, Center Theater Group); music, lyrics, book/adaptation for The Odyssey, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest (directed by Lear deBessonet; Delacorte, Public Theater’s Public Works Program); Iowa (a collaboration with playwright Jenny Schwartz, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; Playwrights Horizons); score for Melancholy Play (a chamber-musical version of Sarah Ruhl’s play).

Michelle Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe with her debut album, The Texas Campfire Tapes, a bootleg recorded around a festival campfire on a cassette recorder. She signed with Mercury (PolyGram/Universal) in 1987. Her U.S. debut came with the release of her 1988 album, Short Sharp Shocked,  vignettes of her early life in rural East Texas. On college radio rotations around the country, it was met with strong listener acclaim. Captain Swing, released in 1989, is a survey of swing styles from jump to hard bop. Arkansas Traveler, released in 1992, inspired by traditional bluegrass. In 1995, she contributed “Quality of Mercy” to the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning film Dead Man Walking. In 1996, she released a studio version of an underground release, Kind Hearted Woman. In 2002, with the release of Deep Natural, Shocked established her own Mighty Sound label. A 2005 trilogy, Threesome, and a 2007 bootleg of a gospel set, ToHeavenURide, followed. In 2009, Soul of My Soul, her most recent release. Shocked continues her creative endeavors as an independent artist and currently lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

Performance Information
This one-night-only performance is on Wednesday, November 1, at 9:45pm on ETC’s main stage. The show will start at approximately 9:45 pm, shortly following the conclusion of This Random World. 

Ticket Prices
All tickets are $20 and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office at (513) 421-3555. For more information, visit www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

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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 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.

2017-2018 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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September 20, 2017 · 3:09 pm

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Opens Newly Renovated Facilities and its 2017-2018 Season with the Regional Premiere of THIS RANDOM WORLD

ETC_The Random World logo(Cincinnati, OH) Roll out the red carpet! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati begins the 2017-2018 Season in its newly renovated theatre with the charming regional premiere of This Random World, a wistful drama by award-winning playwright Steven Dietz. This funny, intimate, and heartbreaking story about the power of chance takes audiences on a journey of self-discovery. Playing October 10-November 4, 2017. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. Production sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation.

Fate or luck? Happy coincidence or unintended consequence? Call it what you will, but how often do we intersect with someone else’s world and never even know it? Mining the comedy of missed connections, this humorous and bittersweet new play explores the myriad lives that may be happening just out of reach of our own. From dirty diners to beautiful Japanese temples to possibly haunted funeral homes, seven intertwined characters meet—or don’t meet—in imaginative and unexpected ways.

“What better way to open our newly remodeled, beautiful space than with a voice that our audiences have come to know and love,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Steven Dietz’s work is honest, complex, and beautiful. This Random World is about missed connections and the what-ifs in our lives. This was also a play that allowed me to hire some magnificent actors, some that have been with us many times and others that are taking our stage for the first time.”

About the Cast
Annie Fitzpatrick (Scottie Ward) recently appeared in Bloomsday at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Her favorite productions include Luna Gale, Next Fall, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls, Wayfarer’s Rest, and Earhart. She received Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for her Copperheads, Dinner With Friends, and Mauritius. Other credits include A Prayer for Owen Meany, A Christmas Carol, and Pride and Prejudice, Cincinnati Playhouse; Richard III and Blithe Spirit, Cincinnati Shakespeare; and Pluto and Collapse, Know Theatre. She has worked at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva Theatre, Florida Stage, and Human Race Theatre Co. She was a founding member of The New Group and toured internationally with Murder à La Carte. She’s appeared in numerous soaps and in local and national commercials. TV and film credits include Chicago PD, Those Who Kill, Army Wives, Fun Size, and Milk Money.

Kelly Mengelkoch (Beth Ward) returns to Ensemble Theatre, having appeared in The Other Place and Tribes. She is an associate artist and resident ensemble member at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, making the Queen City her theatrical home for thirteen years and counting. She has also performed locally with The Human Race Theatre Co., New Stage Collective, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Burgess Byrd (Bernadette) returns to Ensemble Theatre, having appeared last in Detroit ’67. Raised in Louisville, KY, Ms. Byrd has had the great pleasure of finding her theatrical home in Cincinnati. She most recently performed in Raisin In The Sun at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and in the Nicolas Cage movie Inconceivable, filmed in Cincinnati. Some of her favorite roles include Doubt, Avenue Q, Harry and The Thief, Caroline or Change, and the one-person shows Pretty Fire and Neat. 

Patrick E. Phillips (Tim Ward) last appeared at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Bloomsday. He received his BA in Theatre from Xavier University and was an Acting Intern at Ensemble during the 2014-2015 Season. His previous Ensemble credits include Cinderella: After Ever After, Luna Gale, Violet, Love and Information, and Sleeping Beauty. His other regional theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; and Henry VI, Part I, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; Saint Joan and Relatively Speaking, Diogenes Theatre Company; and multiple appearances in Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s Serials. 

Justin McCombs (Gary) makes his Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. Originally from farm country in Illinois, he has worked on over 100 productions since moving to Cincinnati in 2006. He is a resident ensemble member at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where some favorite roles include Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, The Grapes of Wrath, and the title role in Henry V. He has also been seen in Pulp, Silent Sky, and Moby Dick at Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

Brianna Bernard (Claire) recently toured the Midwest as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre. She was a member of the 2016-2017 Professional Acting Apprentice Company at Ensemble Theatre, where she was seen in ANTIGONE (born against.). Other regional credits include Finding the Falcon, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; The Winter’s Tale, Bare Bodkins Theatre; Children of Eden and A Funny Thing…Forum, Black Hills Playhouse. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre from University of South Dakota.

Ernaisja Curry (Rhonda) makes her Ensemble Theatre debut with this production. A Florida native, she has made Cincinnati her home after completing the Bruce E. Coyle Acting Internship with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Her favorite recent roles include A Prayer for Owen Meany, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Marian, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; and kates, Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Assistant Stage Manager is Elizabeth Freyman. 

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. For the 2017-2018 Season, ETC continues its popular $15 student and half-price rush tickets for all performances, which are available two hours prior to show time and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office.

Available Discounts
Military, Educator, AAA, ArtsWave Artspass, and ArtsWave CincYPerks discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.

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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 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.

2017-2018 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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June 1, 2017 · 3:16 pm

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Announces the Final Addition to its 2017-2018 Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Season

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(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) is pleased to announce the much-anticipated addition to its 2017-2018 Season, which already includes an impressive line up of leading contemporary theatre titles. In addition to the five titles previously announced, ETC will present the regional premiere of Larry Parr’s HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, the powerful, heartbreaking, and uplifting account of the legendary Ethel Waters, who overcame a spirit-breaking childhood and racial injustice to become a legendary jazz and blues singer, Broadway pioneer, and Oscar-nominated actress.

Playing April 24-May 19, 2018, this musical biography will feature celebrated local actress and Ensemble Theatre veteran Torie Wiggins in the leading role, singing some of Waters’s most famous songs, including “Stormy Weather,” “Black and Blue,” and “This Joint is Jumpin’.” Sharing the stage in telling Ms. Waters’s remarkable story is pianist Scot Woolley.

Born in 1896 into abject poverty, Ethel Waters became a Vaudeville success and a recording sensation while crossing racial barriers to emerge as a Broadway and Hollywood star. However, a reputation for being difficult and her own distrust of those who might employ her or love her—largely a response to the unspeakable horrors of Jim Crow America—caused her to lose everything and become a recluse, until she found new strength from a most unlikely source. The music spans the decades of Waters’s career from the uplifting gospel spirituals of her youth to the blues and jazz of her 1920s Cotton Club days; plus “Frankie and Johnny;” the 1933 Rudy Vallee/Hoagy Carmichael classic “Old Man Harlem;” and Fats Waller’s “Cabin in the Sky,” sung by Waters in the hit 1940s Broadway musical of the same name.

“HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW is one of those titles that captivated me,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “I was looking for a show that was a bridge between the fascinating history of Red Velvet and the energy and excitement of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This play not only showcases the remarkable music of Ethel Waters, but is also a great story about the transformative power we have inside ourselves to change. It seemed like a perfect fit.” She adds, “I am thrilled to have Torie Wiggins and Scot Woolley, two of our best local professionals, to be a part of this exciting project.”

About the Cast
Torie Wiggins (Ethel Waters) has appeared in Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s productions of Cinderella, Violet, The Mountaintop, and Black Pearl Sings!, among others. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, she created three one-woman shows: Everywhere You Look, Everywhere Else You Look, and Torie on Ice. She co-adapted and performed another one-woman show, Your Negro Tour Guide, at various venues in Cincinnati and elsewhere. She appeared on All My Children and in the feature films Love Me Through It and Hallmark Channel’s A Christmas Melody, directed by Mariah Carey. Her voice can also be heard on numerous television and radio commercials. She appeared in Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s Pluto and was a Seasonal Resident Artist there, appearing in their productions of Collapse, Afghan Women Writer’s Project, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. She also appeared in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s To Kill a Mockingbird and The Crucible.

Scot Woolley (Music Director/Pianist) has appeared at ETC in 33 Variations, Grey Gardens, and Souvenir (also at Vienna’s English Theatre). He created Broadway arrangements for State Fair, and Off-Broadway vocal arrangements for Tapestry, the Music of Carole King. Other ETC credits include 25 The Musical, Cinderella, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Mack and Mabel, and Nite Club Confidential. He also composed the theme for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float in 2004. Playhouse credits include conducting for Rocky Horror, Candide, Carnival, as well as performing in the world premiere of Ace. National tours include Crazy for You, Tommy, and The Will Rogers Follies. Mr. Woolley’s orchestral arrangements have been heard in Atlanta, Portland, Indianapolis, Hong Kong and regularly with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.

Subscriptions On Sale Now
Subscriptions to the 2017-2018 Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati season are on sale now. ETC will continue to offer a 
5-show Tuesday evening Preview Subscription for just $150 (excludes holiday production). Additionally, ETC has added an additional subscription series week. Regular subscription prices range from $218 to $242.

Student Subscription Options
ETC will continue is deeply discounted subscription options for students, with packages ranging from $110-$140.

Single Tickets
All single tickets for the 2017-2018 Season go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 31, 2017 at 
10:00 am. Subscribers, however, may start making exchanges, purchasing additional tickets, or reserving their FlexPass dates during Subscriber-Only Days, July 24-28 2017.

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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.

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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April 15, 2017 · 3:10 pm

BLOOMSDAY Review

BLOOMSDAY presented by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati through April 23. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.

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Patrick E. Phillips as Robbie & Becca Howell as Caithleen. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, during which the events of his novel Ulysses (which is set on June 16, 1904) are relived. It is observed annually on June 16 in Dublin. Joyce chose the date as it was the date of his first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle. The name is derived from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses. –Wikipedia

The adage that “Youth is wasted on the young” meets the age-old question of “If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?” in Steven Dietz’s BLOOMSDAY, the final offering of the ETC season and their final show pre-renovation.

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Barry Mulholland as Robert & Annie Fitzpatrick as Cait. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Due to this play taking place in both the present and 35 years earlier, the cast consists of two versions of the same couple; modern day Cait and Robert (Annie Fitzpatrick and Barry Mulholland) and their younger incarnations of Caithleen and Robbie (played by Becca Howell and Patrick E. Phillips). The cast is wonderful, charming to watch, and the chemistry between the pairs is easily believable. Director Michael Evan Haney has such an eye for detail and I enjoyed the mirroring taking place in the staging and physical performances.

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Annie Fitzpatrick as Cait & Becca Howell as Caithleen. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The second act is very enjoyable and ends on a very satisfying note. I did struggle with pinpointing what troubled me about the first act. At times, I found the volume of exposition to be a bit overwhelming in that it pulled my focus away from the action on stage as I tried to keep the time travel, life details of all four characters, and hints to what did/will happen straight. But maybe that is just how my mind works. 🙂

I really enjoyed the look of Brian c. Mehring’s set, but I absolutely fell in love with how well it worked with the lighting and staging. The special effect was an unexpected and pleasant surprise as well. A shout out to the interns for their well-choreographed set changes that kept the pacing strong.

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Barry Mulholland as Robert & Patrick E. Phillips as Robbie. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Overall, a well done and charming, romantic tale where the journey of the first act pays off in the destination of act two.

My rating: 4.25 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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