THE NAUGHTY LIST
OTRimprov
Dec. 14-29
Arnold’s Bar & Grill [Downtown]
The improvised holiday show that wants to know if you’ve been bad or good. Using suggestions from the audience, OTRimprov will present a completely unscripted show each night that revolves around your love – or disgust – for the Holiday Season.
Filed under On Stage
A long time ago (2006), in a galaxy far, far away (Norwood)…
James Creque as Carter, Ben Dudley as Dave, Chris Wesselman as Max & Laurie Benning Roberts as Kendra. Image by Daniel R. Winters.
Know Theatre–Your Theatrical Playground–is ready to open a brand new comic adventure about epic friendship, fandom, and what it takes to be a hero when your Jedi mind tricks won’t cut it anymore.
ALL CHILDISH THINGS by Michigan playwright Joseph Zettelmaier is the story of three friends whose lives have fallen spectacularly short of the promise their beloved Star Wars movies made to them as kids.
Now in their 30s, Dave still lives in his mom’s basement, Max is trying to raise a kid by himself, and Carter’s getting too old to keep living like a teenager. But they have a plan: if they can pull off a heist of Cincinnati’s secret Kenner Toys warehouse, they just might be able to change their lives forever.
Because, when the Force is with you, what could possibly go wrong?
Starring Ben Dudley as Dave, Chris Wesselman as Max, James Creque as Carter, Laurie Benning Roberts as Kendra, and Michael Sherman as The Big Man, All Childish Things is the show you’re looking for this November: whether you know what a nerf-herder is or not!
Come to the Know and find out what happens when this ragtag bunch of misfits gets in way over their heads. ALL CHILDISH THINGS opens this Friday, November 20 at 8 PM and runs through December 19.
Showtimes are Wed – Saturday at 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.
Regular tickets are $20. $10 (cash-only) Rush tickets become available 10 minutes before showtime when seats are still open. Select Wednesdays are FREE thanks to Know Theatre’s Welcome Experiment program. For tickets and more information, call 513-300-5669 or visit www.knowtheatre.com.
About Know Theatre
KNOW THEATRE OF CINCINNATI, now in its 18th season, 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.
Filed under Press Releases
Links to all reviews can be found using the REVIEWS link at the top of the any page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my Facebook fan page. You can also receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.
Paul Strickland. Photo by Daniel R. Winters Photography.
ANDY’S HOUSE OF [BLANK] presented by Know Theatre of Cincinnati through Nov. 14. Click here for more information on the production. I attended the opening night performance.
“Weird is extraordinary.” –Andy
Paul Strickland and Trey Tatum take their very enjoyable, diamond in the rough musical from SERIALS! 2: THUNDERDOME and polish it to a brilliant shine into this full-length, fully-staged production.
First and foremost, the show is funny. Throw-your-head-back and laugh-out-loud funny. Those familiar with Strickland’s fringe entries know he is quite the homespun-wisdom wordsmith. Partnering with musician and drinking-buddy Trey Tatum, the two have a created a quirky, genuine and touching musical with a sci-fi conceit.
Trey Tatum. Photo by Daniel R. Winters Photography.
Tatum and Strickland serve as narrators and portray teen-aged versions of themselves in the play. They also provide the musical accompaniment for the show, playing piano and guitar, respectively. The two have an easy chemistry and great rapport with each other and the audience.
Rounding out the cast are Erika Kate MacDonald & Christopher Michael Richardson, returning to the roles they originated.
MacDonald gives Sadie an emotionally-guarded quality that I feel works well for the character. I wouldn’t mind seeing Richardson a bit “bigger” on stage.
Richardson is fun as Andy, the “werido” owner of his ever-changing roadside attraction. He has a rich, powerful voice that easily fills the space. There were a couple of times I thought he might bust loose with his belt. He didn’t at the performance I attended, but I say if the spirit of the show moves you, go for it.
Christopher Michael Richardson as Andy & Erika Kate MacDonald as Sadie. Photo by Daniel R. Winters Photography.
Director Bridget Leak keeps the show moving at a nice pace and makes good use of the small play area. Understanding her cast’s limitations, there is no choreography. The musical numbers are performed concert style and Trey’s solo work is limited. 🙂
For the Serials performances, the props were constructed out of cardboard. Scenic designer and charge Sarah Beth Hall has taken that concept to the nth degree, cluttering Andy’s shop with an amazing array of two- and three-dimensional objects.
For this production, technical director Nick Koehike has rebuilt the Underground stage, giving future performances a more versatile play space and smartly improving the sight lines at the same time. I also enjoyed how he incorporated cardboard into the set pieces.
Erika Kate MacDonald as Sadie, Christopher Michael Richardson as Andy & Paul Strickland. Photo by Daniel R. Winters Photography.
The well-done lighting and sound design by Andrew Hungerford and Doug Borntrager added depth to the production.
Another great element for the show was Know partnering with local artists to creatively provide missives for the “Unmailed Love Letters” section of Andy’s shop. You can check them out near the windows before and after the show, and at intermission.
To recap: A throw-your-head-back, laugh-out-loud funny, quirky, genuine and touching little musical. Even if you caught ANDY’s original incarnation, the fully-realized production is definitely worth re-visiting.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.
Filed under Reviews
Know Theatre announces Open Auditions for the
2016 Calculus: The Musical Educational Tour
Each year Know Theatre chooses an intrepid duo of performers to help us spread love and advanced mathematics to students with our tour of Matheatre’s CALCULUS THE MUSICAL, and it’s time to hold open auditions for local Cincinnati artists!
Do you act, sing, have intermediate or better guitar and/or piano skills, and have Calculus in your heart? If so, this may be the perfect gig for you!
CALCULUS THE MUSICAL is a comic “review” of the concepts and history of Calculus, blending sketch comedy and classroom lecture with musical parodies that span genres from light opera to hip-hop. The show has become an integral part of Calculus curricula in local and national high schools and we’re excited to send the show back out on the road with a revamped score and libretto.
Roles Available
Schedule and Pay
Contract runs from February 22nd, 2016 to May 7th, 2016.*
The tour pays $300/wk during rehearsals and for in-town performance weeks, $405/wk for out-of-town performance weeks.
*Exact dates for rehearsals and performances TBD ASAP as we finalize bookings.
Auditions
Please prepare a one-minute, family-friendly comedic monologue and up to 32 bars of a self-accompanied song on piano or guitar. (If both instruments can be played, please be prepared to demonstrate this.) A piano and guitar will be available for use. Please be prepared to move and do math.
All auditions are by appointment only. To schedule an audition, please e-mail a headshot and resume to Kristen Ruthemeyer with the subject line “Calculus Audition Request” at kristenr@knowtheatre.com.
Filed under Auditions
James Creque, Ben Dudley, Chris Wesselman & Laurie Benning Roberts. Photo by Daniel R. Winters Photography.
ALL CHILDISH THINGS
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Nov. 20-Dec. 19
Over-the-Rhine
Directed by Tamara Winters
Cast: Ben Dudley as Dave, Chris Wesselman as Max, James Creque as Carter, Laurie Roberts as Kendra & Michael Sherman as The Big Man
A long time ago (2006) in a galaxy far, far away (Norwood)…. Dave, Carter and Max have a problem. Their lives never fulfilled the promise that the Star Wars films made, they never had the means to embark on their own galactic adventure. Now they’re 30, and Dave’s still living in his mom’s basement. And Kendra, Carter’s new girlfriend, doesn’t even know what a nerf-herder is. But they have a plan. They will raid Kenner’s secret warehouse and get all the collectibles they can. Their mysterious buyer has promised them more money than they could imagine (and they can imagine quite a bit). Max may have a bad feeling about this, but when the Force is with you, what could possibly go wrong?
Filed under On Stage
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 