Tag Archives: Know Theatre of Cincinnati

October 29, 2025 · 5:31 pm

DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE Runs Nov. 28-Dec. 21

DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Nov. 28-Dec. 21
[Over-the-Rhine]

By A.J. Baldwin and Alexx Rouse
Directed by Tatiana Godfrey

Christmas Eve, 1988. Mack’s literary star is on the rise but his marriage is on the rocks when he returns home to celebrate the holiday with his family. In an effort to reignite their parents’ romance, the teenage kids enact a plan to make Dad a hero again, but when late night intruders kidnap Mom, Mack and the kids embark on a Sweettart and adrenaline-fueled adventure to save their family.

A spoof-parody of the 1988 blockbuster hit “Die Hard,” this new holiday comedy brims with bombs, bad accents, and belly laughs that’ll have the whole family saying “Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho.”

  • Fri-Sat, Nov. 28-29 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Nov. 30 at 2pm
  • Wed-Fri, Dec. 3-5 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Dec. 6 at 2pm & 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 7 at 2pm
  • Mon, Dec. 8 at 7:30pm
  • Wed-Sat, Dec. 10-13 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 14 at 2pm
  • Wed-Sat, Dec. 17-20 at 7:30pm
  • Sun, Dec. 21 at 2pm

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October 21, 2025 · 4:59 pm

Know Theatre of Cincinnati Calls for New Work

Applications Are Open Through Early December for the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival and Serials! Season 16

Cincinnati, OH – Know Theatre of Cincinnati is excited to announce the opening of applications for their two wildly popular theatrical incubator programs: the 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival (May 29 – June 13, 2026) and Serials! now in its sixteenth season, running every other Monday for five performances between January 26th and March 23rd, 2026.

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is a 14-day festival of new work and live performance from local, national and international indie theatre artists that takes place annually over the first two weeks of June. The Cincy Fringe is a curated festival and each Primary Lineup application is reviewed by three arts professionals on the basis of diversity, innovation, passion, regional singularity, and for the project’s ability to be produced within the constraints of the Fringe structure. Applicants can submit to five different categories of programming: Primary Lineup, Special Events, Fringe In Development, Conceptual Fringe and Kids Fringe. With a Pay-What-You-Wish Application, a $125 Producer’s Fee, and a 50/50 box office split, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival aims to reduce the financial barrier for theatre artists to enable them to make exciting choices and take chances with their work – not their wallets. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, December 9, 2025; Applicants will be notified of their application status by February 2, 2026.

Serials! exists with the intention of giving local artists the opportunity to see their ideas onstage in a supportive, growth-oriented environment. Playwrights are encouraged to submit their ideas for serialized scripts that can be brought to full conclusion through no more than five episodes, to be performed live on the Know Theatre Cabaret Stage. Prior to each performance, each production is given time to do a technical rehearsal in the space and producers receive a 50/50 box office split. At the end of the five performances, the audience votes for the show that they wish to see performed in its entirety during a weekend run on the Know Theatre Cabaret Stage.

This year the Know Theatre welcomes new producers for Serials! After four seasons of production under the keen-eyed and loving care of Liz Carman, the Know is pleased to announce that Serials! Season 16 will be helmed by local theatre makers, Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson of A to Z Productions. Rouse has been personally involved as a writer and producer since Serials! Season 2 and Robinson since Serials! Season 3. Serials! has been integral to their personal as well as professional stories, as the two theatre makers met during Serials! Season 3, fell in love, and have since collaborated on many successful productions including All’s Faire, a Ren Faire who-done-it comedy musical that has gone on to be professionally produced multiple times.

The application for Serials! requires the submission of a title, short and full descriptions, a 5-page writing sample, cast size, the request of a 1-5 episode arc, special production requests and the production team’s general availability. The application for Serials! Season 16 closes Monday, December 15; applicants will be notified of their selection by Friday, December 19, 2025.

Applicant Information
Applicants interested in applying to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival can find the Applicant Handbook, FAQs, and Application at https://cincyfringe.com/

For questions regarding the application or the festival, please contact Fringe Producer, Katie Hartman at katiefringe@knowtheatre.com

Applicants interested in applying to Serials! Season 16 can find the Applicant Handbook and Application at https://www.knowtheatre.com/serials-16/

For questions regarding Serials! or its application, please contact Serials! Producers, Alexx Rouse and Zach Robinson at Serials@knowtheatre.com

Ticket and Performance Information
Serials! Season 16 will take place on Mondays at 7:30pm: January 26, February 9 & 23, and March 9 & 23, 2026

Tickets and passes are now on sale for Serials! Season 16 and may be purchased by phone at (513) 300-5669 or purchased online at https://www.knowtheatre.com/serials-16/

  • Single Tickets: $17 ($15 plus $2 processing fee)
  • Five-show Pass: $75

The 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival: May 29 – June 13, 2026. Passes will go on sale when the 2026 festival lineup is announced on Monday, April 6, 2026 at cincyfringe.com. Single tickets will go on sale on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati exists to build belonging through bold theatre.

Serials! Season 16 and the 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival are made possible by the Morse and Betty Johnson Family Foundation. 

The 23rd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is sponsored by Norah and Joe Mock of Cutler Real Estate.

Know Theatre is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

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 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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September 17, 2025 · 3:47 pm

Saturday, October 11th: The Anti-Pestilence League Presents…!

As part of Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s octKNOWber Nights event, The Anti-Pestilence League (or The APL) will be serving audience members a “double dose of dread” with their live performance of two classic radio play episodes: SUSPENSE: Fugue in C Minor and THE WHISTLER: A Matter of Patience. Fugue is an eerie tale of a widower whose house seems to hold secrets in the pipes of the massive organ around which it was built while Patience tells the story of a frustrated husband who decides to take his wife’s health matters into his own hands.

This Samhain-inspired evening will feature the talents of Jeremiah Plessinger, Karolina Prokop, Faith Vonhandorf, Ted and Samantha Joy Weil, Lisa D. Dirkes, and the incomparable Bill Keeton.

Tickets to this and all other octKNOWber Nights offerings can be purchased here.

^The Anti-Pestilence League was born out of artistic frustration during the beginning stages of COVID-19. Harley Quinn Studios decided to gather a group of artists to perform old-timey radio dramas (and comedies!) as a way to entertain themselves while keeping a safe distance from one another. While the group began with recordings, the goal was always to incorporate live performances when the world was safe enough to accommodate them. APL Commissioner and Founder of Harley Quinn Studios Katrina “Kat” Reynolds, a life-long fan of radio shows, has always enjoyed using her voice for both good and evil; therefore, she and this COVID baby were the perfect match. Featuring the talents of regular company members such as Jeremiah Plessinger and Karolina Prokop as well as some warmly welcomed guest artists, the APL lives up to Harley Quinn Studios’ mantra in providing a space “where the voices in your head come to play”.

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September 16, 2025 · 7:57 pm

Know Theatre Presents a Month of Spooky Programming from Local Artists with octKNOWber Nights

16 Nights of Spine-Tingling Theatre runs October 2–30, 2025

Cincinnati, OH – Know Theatre of Cincinnati announces an entire month of live entertainment – created by local artists – that dares you to close your eyes, hold your breath,  and venture into the shadows.

With ten different live productions over 16 nights dedicated to the eerie, the uncanny, and the supernatural, octKNOWber Nights promises to raise the spirits of the Halloween season. Audiences will be treated to a lineup that ranges from original one-act dark comedies to the spookiest of golden era radio plays, a classic horror film screening with live musical scoring, stand-up and improv comedy, and cabarets that run the gamut from the musical and macabre to the truly bizarre.

With a costume contest (Oct 29), late night drag shows (Oct 24 & 25), and the festive atmosphere that only an underground bar full of theatre artists can create, octKNOWber Nights is just the trick to get you into the Halloween spirit.

octKNOWber Nights Lineup

October 2–5 – Katie Scarlett presents Z is for Zebra

A limited run Encore of the sold-out 2025 Cincy Fringe Development show from Cincinnati-based artist and activist Katie Scarlett. Directed by Liz Carman.

October 9 – Not Welcome At Home

A night of stand-up comedy from two Indigenous comedians, Janette Perez & Homer Shadowheart – and a great ally, Erica Russell.

October 10 – A Sad Vampire by Aleah Vassell

A harmless vampire spends Halloween in an Applebee’s facing her demons. A staged reading directed by Candice Handy.

October 11 – The Anti-Pestilence League presents A Double Dose of Dread

A live performance of two of the spookiest radio plays of the Golden Era: SUSPENSE: Fugue in C Minor and THE WHISTLER: A Matter of Patience.

October 12 – Death Defying presents CREEPSHOW

Horror meets humor in five twisted tales brought to life by a killer cast of actors and improvisers. A live script reading with only a little improvisation.

October 17–19 – A to Z Productions presents Ghost Stunters

Fake ghosts make good television. Real ghosts make GREAT television. A paranormal comedy by Alexx Rouse & Zach Robinson.

October 24–26 – Bard & Bandit presents Madhouse the Musical

Experience the drama. Embrace the darkness. A cabaret of musical theatre – with a sinister spin. Plus: Odd Presents the Madhouse Unleashed Drag Show after the cabaret on October 24 & 25.

October 29 – Show Us Your WeirdSpooky Cabaret + Costume Contest

One night. 20 unforgettable acts. Presented by Erika MacDonald.

October 30 – InnerSpace Collective Presents: Nosferatu

The 1922 silent film with a live, improvised score.

Performance Information

octKNOWber Nights runs October 2–30, 2025
Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
All evening performances are at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees are at 2pm.

Ticket Information

Know Theatre of Cincinnati exists to build belonging through bold theatre.

The 22nd Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival was made possible by a generous partnership with our neighbors at First Lutheran Church, the Miami University Center for Community Outreach in Over-the-Rhine, and Coffee Emporium. 

Know Theatre is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

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 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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September 8, 2025 · 5:02 pm

Z IS FOR ZEBRA Enlivens Arts as Advocacy Through Disabled Artists Telling Disabled Stories

An encore performance of a show critics called “tightly executed, deeply personal, and often
wickedly funny”

[Cincinnati, OH] Back by popular demand, after a sold out run at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Z IS FOR ZEBRA is returning to the Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s stage for a limited run in early October. Hailed as “a tightly executed, deeply personal, and often wickedly funny piece” (Kirk Sheppard) Z IS FOR ZEBRA, written by Katie Scarlett, explores the relationship between chronic illness and grief told through the eyes of a professor giving a lecture on Kubler-Ross’s “stages of grief.” But what happens when the professor’s overconfident (and unwanted) TA takes her on a whirlwind journey through her own hardships with chronic illness? Together, they navigate the path to acceptance (no matter how fleeting) through a series of successes and struggles with humor, heart, and a lot of pill bottles.

The show will run from October 2nd- 5th at The Know Theatre on 1120 Jackson Street. The cast includes: Ben Dudley, Kate Stark, and Katie Scarlett. Production team includes: Liz Carman (director), ErinMarie Suscheck (stage manager), and designers Becca Schall, Jared Earland, and Rupert Spraul.

Scarlett, who is disabled herself, strongly believes in art as a form of advocacy. “For a lot of chronically ill people self-advocacy starts young in medical settings. You must learn how to stand up for yourself because often you’re not believed by medical professionals or you receive a lot of pushback,” Scarlett says. “This show for me was a way of broadening my advocacy past myself. My story isn’t unique. I can name multiple people in the disabled and chronic illness communities who have shared similar experiences. Most people don’t know how hard it is to navigate a complex healthcare system when the chronic part of being ill never ends. It’s exhausting to live in a body that defies you every step of the way and the medical system that is meant to help shouldn’t be part of that exhaustion.” This message is important as, according to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States are disabled. Most people have someone in their life that has struggled with their health, this story provides more context to relate on a deeper level.

It was important to Scarlett to build a team of disabled artists. She believes disabled stories need to be told, and by disabled artists whenever possible. “I was astounded by the amount of people who came up to me afterwards and told me they felt like they were watching their story, or a part of their story, unfold onstage,” Scarlett says. “If it wasn’t their personal story, it was the story of a loved one or a friend. I was honored that so many people suggested the show as a must watch for medical professionals. I think it points to the unfortunate shared experience of navigating the medical world as a patient who doesn’t fit into traditional boxes. I’m so excited so many people wanted to come back and experience the show again.”

AT A GLANCE
What: Z IS FOR ZEBRA, by Katie Scarlett
When: October 2 – 4, 7:30 PM; October 5, 2 PM.
Where: Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St, Over-the-Rhine
Tickets: From $20. Available at knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025 or by phone at 513.300.5669.

For tickets and more information please check out the Know Theatre’s octKNOWber lineup:
www.knowtheatre.com/octknowber-2025

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