Tag Archives: Footlighters

January 21, 2025 · 6:54 pm

ALTAR BOYZ Runs Feb. 13-March 2

ALTAR BOYZ
Footlighters, Inc.
Feb. 13-March 2
Stained Glass Theatre [Newport]

Directed by Bunny Arszman
Vocal Direction by Libby Beiting-Lipps
Music Direction by George Drewyor
Choreography by JV Katz

Cast: Alex Devore as Matthew, Michael Richart as Mark, Christopher Ball as Luke, Ray Garcia as Juan & Jacob Gildenblatt as Abraham

Get ready for a foot-stomping, rafter-raising musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy band on the last night of their national “Raise the Praise” tour. The Boyz are five all-singing, all-dancing heartthrobs from Ohio: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham. With tight harmonies and spectacular choreography, the Altar Boyz delight their audiences with a message of unity: “there is no star as bright as its constellation, no harmony in a single voice.”

  • Thu-Sat, Feb. 13-15 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Feb. 16 at 2pm (cancelled due to snow)
  • Thu-Sat, Feb. 20-22 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Feb. 23 at 2pm and 5pm (added for cancelled 2/16 performance)
  • Thu-Sat, Feb. 27-March 1 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, March 2 at 2pm

Official page | 

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December 13, 2024 · 10:37 am

The Passing of Robert Weidle

12/17 – Robert’s obituary with Visitation & Funeral Service information.

From the GoFundMe set up to help his family with funeral expenses…

Robert Weidle, Everyone’s Santa (1962-2024)

It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of one of our longtime family members, the wonderful Robert Weidle. Anyone who met him loved Robert. With his distinctive laugh and gentle demeanor, he had an inherent way of connecting with people instantly. Robert wore many hats at in local theatre: He was a gifted performer, director, producer, board member, and box office manager with Newport’s Footlighters Inc, and he shared his talents with countless other groups in the area, such as Cincinnati Music Theatre, Mariemont Players, The Drama Workshop, Brieabi Productions, and Beechmont Players—just to name a few. He was actively involved with ACT Cincinnati as an adjudicator and ACT representative, as well as OCTA as a board member, regional rep, and OCTAFest chairperson. He performed professionally at La Comedia in such iconic musicals as Cats and Sound of Music. And, of course, with his big infectious smile and jovial disposition, he was known to the entire Tri-State area as Cincinnati’s Santa Claus. In fact, he was THE Santa Claus for an entire generation of boys and girls, many of whom brought their own children to visit with him at the zoo. But his favorite roles were that of partner to David, father to Rob and Cassidy, and grandfather to Mia and Keito. His unexpected passing leaves a hole in our organization as big as his generous and kind heart. We will miss him terribly.

With Robert’s unexpected passing, there are many financial costs that his children will have to cover. We are using this Go Fund Me to help them defray the cost of his funeral and burial. Thank you for your support for a man who gave us so much joy over the years!

We will announce funeral service information as soon as it is available.

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December 2, 2024 · 5:35 pm

Cast Announced for DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at Footlighters, Inc.

FLI_logoThe cast includes:

  • Wayne Wright as Lawrence Jameson,
  • Robert Breslin as Freddy Benson,
  • Rebecca Wall as Christine Colgate,
  • Robert Workley as Andre Thibault,
  • Jen Drake as Muriel Eubanks &
  • Laura Petracco as Jolene Oakes
  • Ensemble: Joey Domhoff, Kyle Fisher, Sarah Gidley, Matthew O’Brien, Jonathan White, Alexis Pinto, Kevin Rutkowski, Josh Stothfang, Caitlyn Thiel, Aimée Ward & Anna Wesselman

Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Wiesenhahn
Music Direction by Charlie Wilhelm
Co-Produced by George Fee and Kristen Vincenty

Lawrence Jameson makes his lavish living by charming wealthy women out of their money. Freddy Benson swindles much humbler amounts from sympathetic women with fabricated stories about his grandmother’s failing health. After a chance meeting on a train, they attempt to work together—only to find that this small French town isn’t big enough for the two of them. They agree on a settlement: The first one to extract $50,000 from heiress Christine Colgate wins, and the other must leave town. But who’s really conning who?

Performances run May 1-18.

For more information visit www.footlighters.org.

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October 28, 2024 · 5:38 pm

The Footlighters, Inc., Celebrates the Holiday Season with the Wildly Popular, Family-Friendly Musical JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

NEWPORT, KY — Go go go Joseph!

Told entirely through song, this upbeat musical follows the trials and tribulations of Joseph from the Old Testament. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams lands him as Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Full of catchy tunes and a heartfelt message, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a story for the dreamer in all of us.

Veteran award-winning actor and operatic soprano Megan Ainsley Schneider takes the stage as the show’s narrator, a beloved role she has played before. In fact, this marks her fourth production of Joseph, having first appeared in the children’s chorus as an eighth grader at Walnut Hills High School. Megan has performed with several local companies in town, including The Covedale, The Carnegie, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, and Footlighters. She is a certified Early Childhood Montessori teacher, and her joy is working with young children each day.

For the past seven years, Megan has vocal directed summer theater camps through the Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has always held a special place in her heart, serving as a meaningful touchstone throughout her life, and she is excited to bring its magic back to the stage once more. What makes Footlighters’ family-friendly production even more extraordinary for her is that she gets to share the stage for the first time with her daughter, Hattie, and pass along her love of theater and Joseph.

Performances:

  • Thursday – Saturday, December 5 – 7 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m.
  • Thursday – Saturday, December 12 – 14 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m.
  • Thursday – Friday, December 19 – 20 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 21 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25 each and available online at footlighters.org/tickets or by contacting the box office via text or phone call at (859) 652-3849 or FootlightersTickets@gmail.com.

The Footlighters, Inc., has been producing quality community theater shows in Greater Cincinnati for over 60 years. The group was established in 1963 by a small group of community theater volunteers who wanted to bring theater opportunities to the west side of Cincinnati.

In 1987, the group bought the Salem United Methodist Church in Newport and transformed it into The Stained Glass Theatre. The theater is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Kentucky landmark. In September of 2021, Footlighters completed the third and final phase of their accessibility project by adding ADA-compliant seating in their theater to complement the ADA ramp and elevator installed in 2017 and 2018, allowing access for all patrons with limited mobility.

For more information, please visit footlighters.org or like The Footlighters, Inc., on Facebook.

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October 15, 2024 · 5:29 pm

Directors Sought for 2025-2026 Season at Footlighters, Inc.

Call for Directors for the 2025-2026 Season

The Footlighters, Inc. is accepting submissions for directors for their 2025-2026 season. Directors will be allowed to submit up to two productions for consideration. In a recent survey, our patrons have expressed that their favorite types of shows are comedic straight plays, followed by classic musicals, contemporary musicals, and dramatic straight plays. However, ALL submissions will be considered equally regardless of whether they are of the previously listed genres or not.

​Interested directors must submit their theatrical resume and the shows they are interested in pitching. To submit your show(s) electronically, please complete our Call For Directors 2025-2026 Google form.  All submissions must be submitted through the Google form or emailed to the Season/Director Committee Co-Chairs, Liz and Chuck Ingram at footlighters.showsubmissions@gmail.com. You may send your resume and the answers to these questions in an email if you prefer.

​​Footlighters will produce a four-show season for 2025-2026, so the committee will be selecting four directors and four productions for our season (three musicals and one play). A classic musical, a contemporary musical, a small cast musical and a dramatic or comedic play is preferred. We are looking for directors who possess a strong vision, an ability to produce marketable shows, and knowledge of the Footlighters’ community with regard to the patrons whom we serve.  We are seeking directorial candidates who feel they can bring a fresh and inclusive perspective to the shows they have submitted, and we encourage directors from diverse backgrounds, whether you’ve directed for Footlighters before or not, to apply.

The deadline to submit materials is Sunday, November 3, 2024. Interested directors will be contacted to schedule interviews for the week of November 18th. Interviews will take place at the Stained Glass Theatre.

Should you have additional questions or need assistance, please email us at footlighters.showsubmissions@gmail.com, and we will be happy to help.​

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The Footlighters, Inc. is a nonprofit organization located in Newport, Kentucky. For over 60 years, Footlighters has been committed to providing Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky with a wide variety of high-quality theatrical experiences and has received local, state, and national awards for outstanding production quality, individual and ensemble performances, and technical achievements.

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