Tag Archives: Know Theatre of Cincinnati

New play by Allison Moore takes a funny look
at the crumbling structures of lives

Know Theatre is pleased to announce COLLAPSE by Allison Moore which as our next production of the 2011-2012 Season. The production will be directed by former Artistic Director of Know Theatre Jason Bruffy, with scenic and lighting design by Andrew Hungerford, costume design by Noelle Wedig, and sound design by Doug Borntrager. The production will show February 4 – March 3, 2012.

In 2007, the Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring another 145. Hannah’s husband David was driving one of the cars that went off the bridge. He’s suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but refuses to attend a support group. Hannah’s life is falling apart. She can’t get pregnant, she’s one step away from losing her job, and she thinks her husband, who hasn’t been to work for months, may be an alcoholic. All he does is sit around the house, watering the plants with beer. When her flaky sister, Susan arrives from California for an open-ended stay Hannah seems ready to unravel for good. Collapse is an uncomfortably funny exploration of the crumbling structures that undergird our bridges, our economy, and our most intimate relationships.

“I’m excited to be able to produce this brand new show right at the tail end of its rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network. Ms. Moore has created a script that is both humorous and tragic. It shines a light on people dealing with a unique tragedy, but shines a light on how all of us deal with adversity and fear we all face in daily life,” says Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director. “I’m delighted to have Jason Bruffy back in town to direct and I look forward to having Torie on stage again following her Know debut during Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party.”

COLLAPSE premiered at the Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, CA and was developed as part of Aurora’s Global Age project in February 2011. Collapse is currently a part of the National New Play Network rolling world premiere collaboration with Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, Curious Theatre in Denver, and Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas.

“Most of my work plays with tone in some kind of way,” says Allison Moore. “This particular one is a comedy of anxiety. That seems to me to be an honest way to deal with very difficult topics, in a hopefully engaging way. There’s a whole lot of denial, which is funny, because there’s a lot of humor in watching people vehemently deny anything is wrong,” Moore said.

This season, tickets are $15 in advance and $18 the week of the performance (beginning Mondays at noon). Season subscription five-show flexible passes are available for $75 and guarantees the advance ticket price all season long. Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 513.300.KNOW (5669)

Cast
Hannah – Annie Fitzpatrick*
David – TBA
Susan – Torie Wiggins
Ted – TBA
*Member of Actors Equity Association

Production Team
Director – Jason Bruffy
Scenic & Lighting Design – Andrew Hungerford
Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
Sound Design – Doug Borntrager

Production Dates
8pm: February 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, March 1, 2, 3
3pm: February 25

Additional Information
Allison Moore (Playwright): Allison Moore is a displaced Texan based in Minneapolis. Her play, Slasher, premiered at the 2009 Humana Festival and has been produced at theaters around the country. Other plays include: My Antonia (2010 Illusion Theater), End Times (Kitchen Dog Theater), American Klepto (2006 Illusion Theater), Hazard County (2005 Humana Festival), Split (2005 Guthrie Theater commission), Urgent Fury (2003 Cherry Lane Mentor Project, Mentor: Marsha Norman), and Eighteen (2001 O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference). Her newest play, Collapse, will receive a rolling world premiere in 2011 at Aurora Theater (Berkeley), Curious Theater (Denver) and Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas). She is a two-time Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow, two-time McKnight Fellow, and Bush Artists Fellow.

Jason Bruffy (Director) is a Director and Producer who has worked all over the country both regionally and in New York City. He has directed and produced over 50 productions to date. Off-Broadway companies include: Soho Repertory Theatre and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Regional companies include: Interact Theatre (PA), Orlando Shakespeare Theatre (FL), Florida Studio Theatre (FL), Salt Lake Acting Company (UT), Know Theatre of Cincinnati (OH), Cincinnati Opera (OH), Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (OH), and Wayside Theatre (VA). Jason has served as Resident Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre, Associate Producer of Soho Rep (Obie Award winning Born Bad), Associate Artist of Florida Studio Theatre and Artistic Director of Salt Lake Acting Company and Know Theatre of Cincinnati. He is also the founding producer of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. As an actor Jason has been featured in national commercials for Visa, Gillette, as well as numerous stage productions. Jason Bruffy has been recognized as Person of the Year in 2009 by Cincinnati CityBeat, as well as a Cincinnati’s Theatre Entrepreneur and Arts Risk Taker (Cincinnati Enquirer), Arts Innovator (Cincinnati CityBeat), Forty under 40 Business Leaders (Cincinnati Business Courier), and one of 40 people who shaped Cincinnati in 40 years by Cincinnati Magazine. Jason Bruffy is a proud Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SSDC). http://www.jasonbruffy.com

Our mission is to create evocative and explosive live entertainment.
Our vision is a world awakened to its collective possibility.
We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.

Documentary film aims to end sexism in the media and empower women

Know Theatre of Cincinnati is pleased to announce the Cincinnati screening of the documentary film MISS REPRESENTATION on December 7, 2011 at 7pm. Tickets for this special event are $10 and can be purchased at knowtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 513.300.5669 (KNOW).

Following its premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the documentary feature film MISS REPRESENTATION (a Girls’ Club Entertainment production) has been widely screened during the summer and fall at schools, universities, corporations, government, institutions, community organizations and film festivals. The film was premiered on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) on October 20, 2011.

Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, MISS REPRESENTATION exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

MISS REPRESENTATION includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne, and Gloria Steinem. The film offers startling facts and statistics that will leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective.

“I first saw the trailer on the internet and was drawn in by it immediately,” says Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director of Know Theatre. “This film addresses topics that are not often thought about and even more rarely discussed. We love these kinds of projects at Know Theatre and we’re honored to present the first Cincinnati screening of the film. I believe it is important to challenge these kinds of ingrained conventions and to start talking about making changes to the status quo.”

About Girls’ Club Entertainment
Girls’ Club Entertainment was founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom – actress, filmmaker, and former First Lady of San Francisco. It was formed as an umbrella entertainment company to develop and produce independent films with strong social, political, and cultural significance focused primarily on empowering women.

Our mission is to create evocative and explosive live entertainment.
Our vision is a world awakened to its collective possibility.
We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.

Know Theatre is pleased to announce the holiday production of the 2011-2012 Season, ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S BIG GAY DANCE PARTY by Aaron Loeb. The production is directed by Eric Vosmeier, Know Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, with scenic and lighting design by Andrew Hungerford, costume design by Noelle Wedig, and sound design by Doug Borntrager. The production will show November 26 –December 23, 2011.

Ms. Harmony Green’s fourth-grade class presents a new take on their traditional Christmas pageant in a rural Illinois town. The production sets off a firestorm of controversy when it calls into question Honest Abe’s sexual orientation – based on historical facts. This thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud funny, and uniquely American story unfolds, offering surprises at every turn. Each of the three acts lets the audience see the story from a different character’s viewpoint. Oh, and of course, plenty of big gay dancing.

“I’m thrilled to bring together a very talented group of actors, most of which have never performed together or at Know Theatre,” says Vosmeier. “The play is a totally different way of telling a complex story, while creating a thoroughly hilarious and poignant script.”

The production features a cast of seven actors who all play multiple characters, and all of them play the role of Abraham Lincoln periodically through the play. Robert Pavlovich, last seen at Know Theatre in Eurydice and Adding Machine: A Musical, will play District Attorney Tom Hauser, who is running for Governor of Illinois. Visiting from New York City, Torie Wiggins returns to Cincinnati to play the roles of Regina Lincoln, an Illinois State Senator also running for Governor of Illinois, and Esmerelda Diaz, a photographer for The New York Times. Torie was last seen in Cincinnati performing her one-woman show Your Negro Tour Guide at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival in 2009 and at Ensemble Theatre in 2010. New to Know Theatre’s stage is Randy Bailey, who was recently seen at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival in Peyote Business Lunch, Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn, and The Success Show. Randy plays Lloyd, a political operative from Washington assisting Tom Hauser in the case. Also new to Know Theatre, Jason Podplesky who recently returned to Cincinnati after working in New York City, plays Anton, a New York Times reporting visiting Menard County to cover the trail. Elizabeth Harris, who performed with Know Theatre in Another American, Matt and Ben, and The Eight Reindeer Monologues, will be playing Ms. Harmony Green, the teacher on trial for the four year olds controversial performances. Annie Kalahurka, recently seen at Know Theatre in Sideways Stories from Wayside School and The Dragon, will play Tina, Regina Lincoln’s legislative aide. Last but not least, a new addition to Know Theatre’s staff as Associate Company Member, is Kellen York, is a recent graduate of the College Conservatory of Music. Kellen has appeared at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival in Anna & The Slut and the (almost) chosen one, Guns and Chickens, and Medea. Kellen will be playing Jerry, the son of Tom Hauser and operator of the town pie shop.

This show was originally commissioned by PlayGround and received its world premiere at the SF Playhouse in 2009 and won “Best New Play” from the Bay Area Critics Circle. It continued with a run at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival where it was awarded their “Outstanding Play” award, and in the summer of 2010, the production enjoyed a short Off-Broadway run.

Know Theatre has partnered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Cincinnati for our Pay-What-You-Can preview performance on Friday November 25 at 8pm. Half of all proceeds will support vision of a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Seating is first come first served and tickets will be available beginning at 7pm.

This season, tickets are $15 in advance and $18 the week of the performance (beginning Mondays at noon). Season subscription five-show flexible passes are available for $75 and guarantees the advance ticket price all season long. Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 513.300.KNOW (5669)

Cast
Randy Bailey
Elizabeth Harris
Annie Kalahurka
Robert Pavlovich*
Jason Podplesky*
Torie Wiggins
Kellen York
*Member of Actors Equity Association

Full bios for the cast can be found at knowtheatre.com

Production Team
Director – Eric Vosmeier
Choreography – Diane Lala
Scenic & Lighting Design – Andrew Hungerford
Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
Sound Design – Doug Borntrager

Production Dates 8pm: Nov 26, Dec 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 3pm: Dec 11 & 17

Our mission is to create evocative and explosive live entertainment.
Our vision is a world awakened to its collective possibility.
We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.