Tag Archives: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

Torie Wiggins as Pearl Johnson. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s BLACK PEARL SINGS with an LCT nomination for lead actress in a play (Torie Wiggins) as well as distinguishing it as a recommended production.

Set during the Great Depression, Susannah travels the country, recording lost traditional songs. Hoping to find the one song that will bring her long-awaited recognition, she discovers Pearl Johnson in a Texas prison. With a silky, soulful voice and a wealth of African-American spiritual songs, Pearl seeks information and a chance at freedom. This moving drama chronicles a powerful story about being a woman in a man’s world, being black in a white world, and fighting for one’s soul in a world where anyone can be a commodity.

Panelists praised Torie Wiggins’ portrayal of Pearl as “consistent and transformative”; “she beautifully captured the internal struggle, humanity, humor, pain, and joy of this complex woman.” Panelists praised the overall production for “the caliber of the performances and the sensitivity of the direction”—“everyone should see it”.

BLACK PEARL SINGS continues through March 31st. Tickets can be purchased at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Final LCT awards will be determined at the end of the season and announced at the LCT gala in the spring.

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. More information about the League can be found at www.leagueofcincytheatres.com.

Barry Mulholland as Sigmund Freud and Bruce Cromer as C.S. Lewis. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

Panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s FREUD’S LAST SESSION with an LCT nomination for props (Shannon Rae Lutz) as well as distinguishing it as a recommended production.

This spirited drama centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites a then little-known professor, C.S. Lewis, to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex and the meaning of life—only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own. Not just a powerful debate, this is a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time.

The panelists singled out Shannon Rae Lutz for her “fantastic” work on props: “She did more than create a replica of Freud’s office; her choice of colors, furniture and art were just the right side of worn to give the set the look of a cluttered work space.” The show as a whole was described as “fascinating”, “refreshing” and “intriguing.”

FREUD’S LAST SESSION continues through February 10th. Tickets can be purchased at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Final LCT awards will be determined at the end of the season and announced at the LCT gala in the spring.

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. More information about the League can be found at www.leagueofcincytheatres.com.