Tag Archives: Know Theatre of Cincinnati

KNOW THEATRE KICKS OFF SEASON 19 WITH
GIRLFRIEND
Book by Todd Almond
Music & Lyrics by Matthew Sweet

Directed by Lindsey Augusta Mercer
Choreography by Kim Popa
Musical direction by Erin McCamley

July 29 – August 27 at Know Theatre

 

Nebraska, 1993. Two teenage boys – one a social outcast, the other the school’s golden boy – develop a friendship that becomes so much more during a summer of self-discovery between high school graduation and the rest of their lives.

Taking place in the heydey of the mixtape, GIRLFRIEND is set to the irresistible songs from Matthew Sweet’s landmark pop album of the same name, which Rolling Stone called “a rock ‘n’ roll valentine that delivers subtle wisdom with an exhilarating kick.”

CCM alumnus Todd Almond was inspired to write the show by his own experiences as a gay teenager in Nebraska. In an interview with KPCC, Almond said,

“I think that there’s an operatic-ness about love within that album, and maybe I was just feeling so alone in Nebraska and I wanted so desperately to be in love like the people around me that I saw having this experience. … I honestly felt like I was the only gay kid in my town — which wasn’t true, I now know — and I thought that I was probably the only gay kid in my state, which of course is not true. But that sensation was pretty potent at that time.”

Taking on the role of Mike, the guitar playing baseball hero, in his Know Theatre debut is Cary Davenport, known to Cincinnati audiences for his work at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and New Edgecliff Theatre. Joining him onstage as Will is Montez Jenkins, last seen at the Know in Moby Dick.

Making her mainstage debut as director is Lindsey Augusta Mercer, previously seen on Know’s MainStage in The Bengsons’ Hundred Days. Lindsey is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Queen City Queer Theatre Collective. Her directing work has also been seen at Diogenes Theatre, the Carnegie, and Falcon Theatre. About Girlfriend, Lindsey says,

“Girlfriend throws out the dramatic principles of a traditional musical, exploring instead the way we experience music in our everyday lives. The play encapsulates those ordinary moments when we’re listening to the radio, or when a conversation evokes a familiar lyric, and how the music we love transforms these moments into a transcendent, heightened experience.

Through a sweet summer romance, Todd Almond taps into that special way a song or album can define moments and even eras in our lives, reminding us that no matter how alone or “other” we feel, music lives to connect and transport us.”

Also joining the creative team is Kim Popa, artistic director of local dance company Pones Inc., who brings her unique choreographic sensibility to this non-traditional musical. Girlfriend also marks the debut production for new Know Resident Stage Manager Emily James.

Says Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford,

“I love that we’re kicking off our 19th season by bringing together a great group of local artists and collaborators, while highlighting an important undertold story. Being different can be incredibly isolating as a teenager, and this show is a potent reminder that sometimes all it takes is a connection with one person to change your world.”

In that spirit, Know Theatre will be using the story of Girlfriend to leverage community conversations about what it’s like to grow up gay in America. In partnership with GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, Know will offer two pre-show conversations with diverse, intergenerational panels of LGBTQ individuals.

Before the shows on August 4th and 11th, join Know, GLSEN, and panelists including Estelle Riley, Darnell Benjamin, Jack Harrison, Stephanie Bailey, Oliver Snape, Olive Short, and more in the Know Theatre Underground for conversations about their experiences with teen romance.

GLSEN envisions a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, and Know Theatre is proud to partner with them to help bring this vision to life for all members of our community.

Girlfriend runs July 29 – August 27 at the Know. Fall in love again with this new rock musical that gives voice to anyone who grew up in small towns,  who didn’t quite fit in, and who remembers the terror and thrill of first love.

Cast in Alphabetical Order

• Cary Davenport as Mike
• Montez Jenkins as Will

Production Team

• Director – Lindsey Augusta Mercer
• Choreographer – Kim Popa
• Music Director – Erin McCamley
• Scenic & Lighting Designer – Andrew Hungerford
• Sound Designer – Doug Borntrager
• Props Designer & Scenic Charge – Sarah Beth Hall

About Todd Almond

Todd Almond is a composer, lyricist, playwright and performer. As a performer, Almond was most recently seen as Ariel in his musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Central Park (Public Theatre). He also recently performed with Sherie Rene Scott in Piece of Meat at NYC’s 54 Below, London’s Hippodrome and the Cabaret Festival in Adelaide, Australia. His television roles include a recent appearance on Law and Order SVU. His favorite theatrical credits include Odyssey at the Old Globe in San Diego, I Am My Own Wife at Actors Theatre of Louisville (and Cincinnati’s Ensemble Theatre), People Are Wrong (with They Might Be Giants frontman John Flansburgh) at the Vineyard Theatre, and 2 Pianos, 4 Hands at Kansas City Rep. Learn more about Almond by visiting www.toddalmond.com.

Calendar Listing

Production: Girlfriend Book by Todd Almond. Music & Lyrics by Matthew Sweet.

When: 8:00pm July 29, 30, 31; August 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27
3:00pm August 7, 14, 21

Where: Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. In historic Over-the-Rhine.

Tickets:

• $25 regular Price
• $30 opening night
• $15 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)

FREE performances on Wednesdays^, as part of Know’s Welcome Experiment initiative. Advance reservations to Welcome Experiment performances are $5.00.

Walkup tickets are available for free the day of the show.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling                                                           513.300.5669 (KNOW).

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./U.S. Bank 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.

# # #

THE FISHERMAN’S WIFE
by Steve Yockey
Directed by Andrew Hungerford
A sex farce. With sea creatures.

Vanessa and Cooper’s marriage is on the rocks.

She wants adventure (especially in the bedroom). He is compelled to fish the uncaring sea. Their relationship seems doomed to lethal monotony until a pair of magical sea creatures with erotomania and an “Alternatively Attractive” traveling salesman with a bag full of mysterious wares come to town.

Playwright Steve Yockey (author of Know Theatre’s 2014 hit Pluto) draws inspiration from a famous Japanese erotic woodcut, “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife,” to craft a story of a marriage in crisis that’s naughty, hilarious, and a little shocking.

Describing his writing process for LA’s This Stage Magazine, Steve Yockey said:

“My thinking at the time was twofold: 1) I’m going to take a stab at writing a built farce about the revitalization of a struggling marriage and 2) if I’m going to do that, then I’m going to use a lens I haven’t ever seen before to explore it: tentacle porn. Full-tilt, uninvited sea-creature-on-human action. Because that kind of extreme is probably exactly what a marriage on the rocks doesn’t need.”

Know Theatre Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford returns to helm a show for the first time since 2014’s Moby Dick. Says Andrew:

“This play is highly theatrical, incredibly unique, and very, very, uncomfortably funny. It’s a show that had its start in tiny theatres in LA and Berkeley that share the Know’s artistic bent, and we’re really excited to bring our design and production aesthetic to this disturbing little play. We’ve assembled a fantastically talented comic cast that is a joy to work with and watch.”

That cast features Know Theatre regular James Creque (Hearts Like Fists, Hundred Days, All Childish Things, Serials!) and Know Theatre resident artist Miranda McGee (When the Rain Stops Falling, Saturday the 14th, Hearts Like Fists, Silent Sky, Serials!).  Returning to Know Theatre’s stage are OTRimprov’s Eileen Earnest (Beertown) and Andrew Ian Adams (Beertown, Hearts Like Fists).

Rounding out the cast in his Know Theatre Mainstage debut is Cal Harris, known around town as Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Director of Customer Relations, and previously seen at the Know as part of last Summer’s Serials! Roundhouse.

Taking lead on scenic design duties is Know Theatre’s Design Associate Sarah Beth Hall, who has created a theatrical world that combines Japanese Edo period art and a New England seaside shack on Know Theatre’s Underground cabaret stage.

And joining the know theatre design team as puppet designer is Brandon Johnson, fiance of Know Theatre resident costume designer Noelle Wedig.

The Fisherman’s Wife also marks the final production for longtime Know Theatre Resident Stage Manager Kristen Ruthemeyer, who leaves the Know this summer to chase other dreams. Says Kristen:

“I’ve done a lot of weird stuff at the Know over the years, so it seems totally appropriate to end my time here with a show based on Japanese tentacle erotica.”

All in all, The Fisherman’s Wife promises a wild, very adult, night at the seashore. A night that’s full of surprises.

Note that The Fisherman’s Wife features adult situations, language, and sexual content. It is recommended for mature audiences only.

Cast in Alphabetical Order

• Andrew Ian Adams as the Octopus
• James Creque as Thomas Bell
• Eileen Earnest as the Squid
• Cal Harris as Cooper Minnow
• Miranda McGee as Vanessa Minnow

Production Team

• Director & Lighting and Sound Design – Andrew Hungerford
• Scenic & Props Design – Sarah Beth Hall
• Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
• Puppet Design – Brandon Johnson

Calendar Listing

Production:   The Fisherman’s Wife by Steve Yockey

When:
8:00pm June 24, 25, 29, 30; July 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16
3:00pm June 26, July 3, 10

Where:
Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. In historic Over-the-Rhine.

Tickets:
$20 in advance
$10 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)

FREE performances on Wednesdays^, as part of Know’s Welcome Experiment initiative. May be reserved at the door, or online beginning the Sunday before each performance. Subject to availability; reserved Welcome Experiment tickets must be claimed 15 minutes before the performance or be subject to redistribution.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling                                                           513.300.5669 (KNOW).

Since 1997, Know Theatre has been dedicated to creating explosive and evocative live entertainment. We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.

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./U.S. Bank 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.