Tag Archives: NKU School of the Arts

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts continues its Theatre & Dance season with The Princess Plays, featuring the musicals Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty: Rise and Shine, running from March 24 – April 2, 2023 at NKU’s Corbett Theatre.

• What: The Princess Plays
• When: March 24 – April 2, 2023
• Where: NKU Corbett Theatre
• Tickets: nku.edu/tickets or (859) 572-5464

With music, lyrics, and book written by three award-winning Theatre & Dance Faculty, The Princess Plays offers a fresh take on two beloved fairy tales. Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs reinvents the classic Brothers Grimm story, adding dance and music to the mix. The seven dwarfs take center stage in this production, enchanting audiences with their rhythm and skill. Meanwhile, Sleeping Beauty: Rise and Shine takes a steam punk twist on the traditional story, featuring a bold and unconventional princess, Aurora, who forges her own path and learns to believe in herself through rock music and a journey of self-discovery.

The cast includes Alec Harrison, Alleyne Louise, Allie Reardon, Andie Angel, Anthony Nocero, Austin Mills, Avery Sherman, Braeden Criss, Chloe Esmeier, Chloe Hedrick, Chris Monell, Ella Cooper, Elliet Malatesta, Emily Hilbrecht, Field Oldham, Hailey Watson, Hunter Broyles, Jathan Briscoe, Jeremiah Jackson, Kristin Kaufman, Marlo D’Ascenzo, Nick Rohr, and Payton Trout. The production team features Marcia Fortner as Stage Manager, Maddie Burgoon as Choreographer, Tyler Gabbard as Scenic Designer, Jo Sanburg as Lighting Designer, and Jamey Strawn as Music Director. The puppets are designed and created by Kevin Frisch, with costumes by Kathy Hudson (Snow White) and Jeff Shearer (Sleeping Beauty). The show is directed by Ken Jones.

Thank you to Roderick Justice, Artistic Director of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, for their invaluable support in making this production possible.

About NKU: Founded in 1968, we are a growing metropolitan university of more than 15,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. Located in the quiet suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky—just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati—we have become a leader in Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky by providing a private school education for a fraction of the cost. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students’ names. For more information, visit nku.edu.

About SOTA: The School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is made up of three programs: Theatre and Dance, Art and Design, and Music. The Theatre and Dance program relies on intensive student involvement both inside and outside the classroom. At the program’s center is a vital balance of process and production, giving each student opportunities to stretch boundaries and discover new possibilities. Graduates have gone on to successful careers in professional theatre, film and television. For more information, visit theatre.nku.edu.

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts continues its Theatre & Dance season with William Shakespeare’s timeless classic Twelfth Night. The play will run from February 16-26, 2023 at NKU’s Stauss Theatre.

• What: Twelfth Night
• When: Feb. 16-26, 2023
• Where: NKU Stauss Theatre
• Tickets: nku.edu/tickets or (859) 572-5464

Shipwrecked on the shores of the kingdom of Illyria, Viola believes herself alone in the world and her twin brother drowned. She disguises herself as a man and enters the service of Duke Orsino. Duke Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia, who in turn falls in love with Viola, thinking she is a man. What ensues is a series of mistaken identities and miscommunications. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night explores themes of love, gender and societal hierarchy. Many scholars and critics believe it is one of the most structurally perfect comedies of all Shakespeare’s works.

The cast features Austin Fidler, Barrett Minks, Brody Wells, Caitlin Walsh, Chandler Murray, Charlie Frank, Dylan Perez, Ella Prather, Ellie O’Hara, Hannah Beaven, James Pinkley, Jason Coffenberry, Jordan Whittaker, Kiley Ernst, Natalie Hayslett, Phoenix Bills, Rachel Gardner, Ray Garcia, Trey Finkenstead, and Zachary Farmer. Production team members include Stage Manager: Kat Taylor; Scenic Designer: Tao Wang; Props Designer: Kristen Craven; Costume Designer: Ronnie Chamberlain; Lighting Designer: Jo Sanburg; Sound Designer: John Herndon. The show is directed by Mike King.

Twelfth Night marks the final NKU production for veteran theatre faculty member Mike King, who is retiring at the end of the school year. With a career spanning decades, King has directed many productions for the NKU stage. He has done classics, such as The Importance of Being Earnest, Three Sisters and You Can’t Take it With You (which he directed twice); several other Shakespeare plays, including Antony and Cleopatra and Much Ado About Nothing: musicals, such as Anything Goes and Beauty and The Beast; and ten Y.E.S. world premieres, including Two on the Aisle, Three in a Van, The Divine Visitor, and Pig. In addition, King has both directed and appeared on stage in productions at Jenny Wiley Summer Theatre and the NKU Summer Dinner Theatre, and he has performed at the Carnegie in Covington, and at the Aronoff’s Fifth Third Bank Theatre. He has also done voice-over and film work; his last movie was the legal drama, Dark Waters. As King takes his final NKU curtain call, the university community salutes the contributions of this talented artist.

About NKU: Founded in 1968, we are a growing metropolitan university of more than 15,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. Located in the quiet suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky—just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati—we have become a leader in Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky by providing a private school education for a fraction of the cost. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students’ names. For more information, visit nku.edu.

About SOTA: The School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is made up of three programs: Theatre and Dance, Art and Design, and Music. The Theatre and Dance program relies on intensive student involvement both inside and outside the classroom. At the program’s center is a vital balance of process and production, giving each student opportunities to stretch boundaries and discover new possibilities. Graduates have gone on to successful careers in professional theatre, film and television. For more information, visit theatre.nku.edu.

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