Tag Archives: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati shines a light on the reality of violence and the beauty of forgiveness with the regional premiere of brownsville song (b-side for tray), a powerful new drama by Kimber Lee. This lyrical play tells a tale of resilience in the face of tragedy when a young man’s life is taken and his family is left without answers. Lee’s brownsville song (b-side for tray) delivers a message of hope that will challenge and move audiences. Playing October 11-30, 2016. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.

Eighteen-year-old Tray is working on his college essay, boxing at the gym, and holding down a part-time job. When he happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, a senseless act ends his life, leaving his family to grapple in the wake of his absence. Pivoting seamlessly between past and present, this shatteringly poetic and compelling drama reveals a family at a powerful crossroads and shines a light on the complex life of a victim lost too young, balancing humor, light, tragedy, and hope with equal weight.

“I felt an obligation and a responsibility as a human being to tell Tray’s story,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Kimber Lee’s play takes us between the past and the present, so that we get a chance to know Tray, to meet Tray, to know that he’s not just another statistic of another killing. Think of the generations of people that will not exist because these young men and women are dying. This show challenges audiences to empathize and understand.”

About the Cast

Deborah Brock-Blanks (Lena) has appeared in several ETC productions, including Intimate Apparel, Praying for Rain, A Lesson Before Dying, and The Exonerated. Ms. Brock-Blanks has an extensive background as a dancer, choreographer, actress and writer and has directed several regional productions. Her credits include film, stage, and television. She is an early member of Free Theatre, the oldest incorporated black theatre company in Cincinnati. She is a Youth Work Methods Specialist and a Wellness Consultant.

Kameron Richardson (Tray) is a recent graduate of CCM with a BFA in Musical Theatre and makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut as Tray in brownsville song (b-side for tray). Regional credits include: Aida and Seussical,  St. Louis Muny; Legally Blonde and Singin’ in the Rain, Pittsburgh CLO; and BlackTop Sky, Know Theatre of Cincinnati. His CCM credits include: Les Misérables, Peter Pan, Legally Blonde, Singin’ in the Rain, and Parade.
Mr. Richardson continues his training at Michael Howard Studios’ One-Year Acting Conservatory in New York. 

Lissa Urriquia Gapultos (Merrell) is making her debut on ETC’s stage with brownsville song (b-side for tray). Ms. Urriquia Gapultos is a past board president of Know Theatre of Cincinnati and a Stage Insights contributor for the League of Cincinnati Theatres. She has also worked onstage with several local theatres. Some of her favorite productions: Pacific Overtures, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Prelude to a Kiss, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, and The Afghan Women’s Writing Project, Know Theatre; and A Piece of My Heart, Drama Workshop. She works as the Senior Manager for Institutional Giving at Cincinnati Opera. 

Ari Elizabeth Johnson (Devine) is a third grader from Mason, Ohio making her ETC debut. Two years ago, at the age of six, she signed with Wings Model Management of Cincinnati, where manager Jake Lang asked her to attend a talent expo in Dallas. At that expo was a Vice President from one of the top childrens talent agencies in Los Angeles, the Osbrink Agency. Osbrink signed both Ari and her brother that summer. Since then, the family splits their time between LA and Cincinnati. After performing in A Christmas Carol with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park last year, she realized her heart is in theatre. 

Chauncey Ragland (Junior/Brooklyn College Student) makes his theatre debut on ETC’s stage with brownsville song (b-side for tray). Mr. Ragland is a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati and is currently undecided, but wants to be an engineer. Mr. Ragland got his first hint of theatre during his junior year of high school when he met Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s Director of Education and Outreach, Ben Raanan, through the theatre’s Prelude Program. Ever since, he has been itching to get on stage again. 

Production team includes Torie Wiggins (Assistant Director), 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), Sam Womelsdorf (Video Designer), Darnell Pierre Benjamin (Choreographer), 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 range from $28 to $44 for adults; student tickets are $25; and children are $18. For the 2016-2017 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, ArtsWave FunCard, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts 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.

2016-2017 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, the Shubert Foundation, and 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.

The King is Dead, Long Live the Queen!

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Opens 2016-2017 Season with the Regional Premiere of THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE

(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati opens its 2016-2017 with a show-stopping, regional premiere of The Legend of Georgia McBride, an edgy and feel-good comedy by award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez. A young Elvis impersonator just scraping by learns life can be a real “drag” when he discovers an unlikely path to prosperity in this music-filled comedy about finding your voice. With a handbag full of catty humor, sequins, and stilettos (of course!), The Legend of Georgia McBride promises to deliver a whole new level of sass and spirit. Playing September 6-25, 2016. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.

He’s young, he’s broke, his landlord’s knocking at the door, and he’s just found out his wife is going to have a baby. To make matters even more desperate, Casey is fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small-town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey learns that necessity is the mother of reinvention and that he has a whole lot to learn about show business–and himself.

“The Legend of Georgia McBride is a story that demanded to be told,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Matthew Lopez has a remarkable ability to craft a very personal story around a universal topic and he has taken on the idea of gender identity with warmth and humor.” Meyers goes on to share her excitement for Ray “Raven” Payne joining the production team as the Wig/Makeup Designer and Dragologist for this production. “Raven has a national reputation for drag work,” Meyers says. “It’s extraordinary to have him on staff for the show to do wigs and makeup, but also to be our ‘dragologist’. It’s going to be a joy to watch this story unfold.”

About the Cast
Bruce Cromer (Tracy/Bobby) returns to Ensemble Theatre for his tenth production. Previous roles include The Poet in An Iliad, The Librarian in Underneath the Lintel, Dan in Next to Normal, and C.S. Lewis in Freud’s Last Session. He has been an Actors’ Equity Association member since 1981, performing in over 160 professional stage productions at:  Cincinnati Playhouse, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, the Human Race Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, etc. A busy voice-over artist for local television, Mr. Cromer has also performed one-man shows with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat with the Society of American Fight Directors and has been a Professor of Acting in the BFA Professional Actor Training Program at Wright State University since 1987.

Michael G. Bath (Eddie) returns to ETC’s stage having recently appeared in ETC’s production of Cinderella. Other ETC credits include Sleeping Beauty, The Other Place, Hands on a Hardbody, Around the World in 80 Days, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Next Fall, Cinderella, Becky’s New Car and My Name is Asher Lev. Other regional credits include Superior Donuts with The Clifton Players and Angels in America at Know Theatre. Mr. Bath has also performed with Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Children’s Theatre, the Performance Gallery, Showboat Majestic, and Stage First Cincinnati. 

Darnell Pierre Benjamin (Roxy/Jason) has recently been seen at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Detroit ’67 and Cinderella. Mr. Benjamin is beginning his seventh season as a resident actor with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company where a few favorite shows include Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Other favorite credits include Graphic with Pones, Inc, Angels in America with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Othello with Human Race Theatre Company, and A Raisin in the Sun with Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. When not performing, he can be found at schools all over Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky teaching for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Pones, Inc.

Michael Gerard Carr (Casey) is a Cincinnati native. Favorite roles include Hands on a Hardbody (Greg Wilhote) and Good People (Stevie), both at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.

Margaret Ivey (Jo) returns to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, having last been seen as Kate in Good People. She has performed in the Off-Broadway productions of Measure for Measure and Dominique Morisseau’s Mend with Epic Theatre Ensemble. Ms. Ivey’s regional credits include pen/man/ship and The Wedding Gift (Contemporary American Theatre Festival), Richard III, All My Sons, Stargirl (People’s Light), As You Like It (Georgia Shakespeare), Les Misérables (Aurora Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Rent and Almost, Maine (Papermill Theatre), and A Christmas Carol (Alliance Theatre). She is a proud graduate of the University of Southern California, the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England, the American Theatre Wing’s SpringboardNYC Program and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Acting Internship Program. Based in New York, Margaret is a teaching artist with Epic Theatre Ensemble, and she leads high school summer abroad programs with the Experiment in International Living.

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), Patti James (Choreographer), Brian Horton (Costume Designer), and Raven (Wigs & Makeup Designer, Dragologist). 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 range from $28 to $44 for adults; student tickets are $25; and children are $18. For the 2016-2017 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, ArtsWave FunCard, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.

###

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.

2016-2017 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, the Shubert Foundation, and 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.