“I saw something in the lake.”
SLEEPING GIANT
by Steve Yockey
August 4 – 20, 2023
A marriage proposal gone awry awakens an ancient evil at the bottom of the lake. Against a rising tide of the thing’s uncanny influence, its self-proclaimed acolytes grow increasingly unhinged as they careen toward a heart-pounding reckoning with their eldritch idolatry.
Know Theatre of Cincinnati‘s 26th MainStage season kicks off with a splash as we bring Steve Yockey’s monstrously funny new dark comedy about creeping fascism, cosmic horror, and butterflies to life on our MainStage.
Sleeping Giant is a new tale from master storyteller Steve Yockey, whose previous works at the Know include Pluto, Mercury, Heavier Than …, and the smash hit The Fisherman’s Wife. Steve has recently received widespread acclaim (and an Emmy nomination) as the showrunner for HBO’s The Flight Attendant; he’s also helming Netflix’s much-anticipated forthcoming Neil Gaiman adaptation Dead Boy Detectives – we’re elated to be the first theatre in town to showcase the work of this singular American voice!
Sleeping Giant is packed with sharp wit, wild imagery, and fast-paced action, but it’s also an incisive look at what happens when people wait too long to fight back.
Why Sleeping Giant, right now?
If you brush past the mass of tentacles, at the heart of Sleeping Giant is a story about the dangers of slow-growing totalitarianism, the risks of cult mentality, and how far people will twist to look away from immediate and looming danger.
It’s about the lengths people will go to so they can insist “this is fine,” even as they sit in the heart of a fire.
Who is this show for?
Sleeping Giant is for anyone who digs the contemporary spin on cosmic horror in Lovecraft County, the lightning-fast dialog and worldview-bending antics of The Good Place, or the moodiness and head-spinning plot twists of the oeuvre of Stephen King. It’s for people who are gearing up for the Barbie/Oppenheimer double-feature, because they relish high-style comedy and existential horror in equal parts.
It’s for anyone looking for an unusual date night opportunity that will spark unexpected and deeper conversations on the ride home, and for anyone who likes to see themselves and their experiences reflected in pop culture.
It’s for you.
Meet the monster’s acolytes:
Making her MainStage debut is Brianna Miller as the Naïf. Fans of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival may have seen Brianna as the titular Lady Ferrers in The Highway Woman at 2023’s Cincy Fringe.
Returning to the Know are Tess Talbot as the Convert and Jared Earland as the Raconteur, both of whom were featured in last season’s production of Dickless. Tess’s other Know credits include Shock!, The Girl in the Red Corner, Ada and the Engine, and our most recent Yockey-penned comedy Mercury, while Jared has also appeared in Puffs: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.
Rounding out the cast is Ryan-Chavez Richmond as the Messenger, who has previously been seen on the Know stage in Harpers Ferry 2019 and Sunrise Coven.
Dive into the deep end of human nature as our 26th season opens with Sleeping Giant.
Sleeping Giant runs August 4 – 20. Tickets are available on our website, knowtheatre.com, or by calling our box office at 513-300-5669.
Special Note: Evening performances at the Know are now at 7:30! Our Underground Bar will open at 6:30 for evening shows this season; come by early for specialty cocktails and conversation before or after your show.
CAST
- Jared Earland as the Raconteur
- Brianna Miller as the Naïf
- Ryan-Chavez Richmond as the Messenger
- Tess Talbot as the Convert
PRODUCTION TEAM
- Director & Lighting Designer: Andrew J. Hungerford
- Scenic & Props Designer: Danielle Robison
- Costume Designer: Noelle Wedig-Johnston
- Sound & Projections Designer: Douglas J. Borntrager
- Technical Director: Jim Stark
- Stage Manager: Grace Wohlschlegel
AT A GLANCE
Production: Sleeping Giant, by Steve Yockey
Dates: August 4 – 20, 2023. Wednesday – Saturday shows are at 7:30 PM; Sunday matinees are at 3 PM.
Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine.
Livestreaming on select dates beginning August 9.
Themes: dark-comedy · creeping fascism · cosmic horror · tentacles · butterflies
Tickets: The standard ticket price is $35. Audiences may opt to support the Know’s initiative to pay all artists and employees a living wage by selecting the $45 Living Wage Ticket.
Low-cost admission available for $25. On Wednesdays, as part of a program we call “The Welcome Experiment,” tickets are $10 in advance, or FREE at the door.
Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
Know Theatre is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.
Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.
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SLEEPING GIANT by Steve Yockey
BRIANNA MILLER plays The Naïf
On the final night of Fringe, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival honored five special shows with “Pick of the Fringe” awards, voted on by artists, patrons, critics, and the producers of the festival itself. We’re very pleased to present to you the winners of the 2023 Picks of the Fringe:
The question I get asked most by people with limited time and resources is, which shows are a “must see.” And I give them my bias answer, based on how I reacted to the shows. Please understand that differences between shows in the rankings can be infinitesimal. And I guarantee everyone’s list is different and just as valid.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 