Tag Archives: The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati

Casper as imagined by illustrator James Claridades.

A world-premiere production at the Taft Theatre this October!

CINCINNATI:  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s world-premiere of CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL flies into the Taft Theatre October 12-October 21, 2019 and kicks off TCT’s 100^th birthday celebration season!

In TCT’s world-premiere musical adaptation, everyone’s favorite friendly ghost and his three uncles live in the family mansion. Fifty years after their lives were cut short in a lightning storm, Magdalena, their former maid, re-enters their (after)lives! Now a famous Reality TV Host, she’s looking for the mansion’s deed and believes it will lead her to a “great treasure.” She hosts a live million-dollar treasure hunt in the mansion. It’s up to Casper and his new friends, the contestants, to save the mansion and discover the greatest treasure of all!

Ideal for ages 4 and up.

Book and lyrics by Stephen Cole. Music by Matthew Martin Ward. Adapted by TCT and Roderick Justice. By special arrangement with Universal Theatrical Group. Directed by Roderick Justice. Choreographed by Eric Byrd.

Showtimes for CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL include:

• Saturday, October 12 at 2 PM* (this performance is signed for the hearing impaired)
• Sunday, October 13 at 2 PM and 5 PM
• Wednesday, October 16 at 12:15 PM (this is a Sensory-Friendly performance)
• Friday, October 18 at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, October 19 at 2 PM and 5 PM
• Sunday, October 20 at 2 PM

Families are encouraged to “test-drive” their Halloween costumes and wear them to the performances!

All of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Broadway-style MainStage productions, including CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL, are performed in the historic Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets start at $10.  Starting August 30, visit www.ticketmaster.com for tickets, or visit the TCT Box Office at 4015 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati, OH  45227, Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays from 10 AM to 4 PM and Tuesdays/Thursdays from 10 AM to 7 PM  to purchase tickets in person with reduced fees.

Public subscriptions for the entire 2019-2020 season available now at www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

School performances of CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL will be held October 15-18 and October 21, 2019 during the daytime hours.

The sensory-friendly performance of CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL on October 16 is intended for individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as children (and adults) with other special needs who may benefit.  To create a sensory-friendly performance, the show is performed in a welcoming, supportive environment for those with sensory challenges.  Slight adjustments to lighting and sound are made and effects such as fog, strobes, and lights that extend into the audience are minimalized.  A downloadable Social Narrative (in Word format) is made available on the TCT website one week before the performance.  At the theater, TCT provides an area staffed by specialists in the field where patrons can take a break from the performance if necessary, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has trained staff on hand.

For details about how to purchase tickets to TCT’s School or Sensory-Friendly performances, visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

And don’t miss The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s brand-new Podcast, Audio Footlights. Hosted by Producing Artistic Director, Roderick Justice, listeners will get to know the actors and actresses in each show. This podcast is designed to look at the shows we produce, and to ignite, impact, and inspire all of our young listeners to have a lifelong love of theatre. Flex your imagination and join us!  This free TCT Podcast runs about 8 minutes, and is currently available on iTunes as well as Stitcher, SoundCloud, GooglePlay, TuneIn, and Spotify!

Here’s a link to SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/tctcincinnati.  New episodes start this fall.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of CASPER THE FRIENDLY MUSICAL is made possible by the generosity of Production Sponsor Edyth B. Lindner and TriHealth; Season Sponsors H.B., E. W. and F. R. Luther Foundation and the Charles H. Dater Foundation; and ArtsWave and the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.  Media sponsors are LOCAL 12 and Q102.  Sea of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is TCT’s Ticket Envelope Season Sponsor.  First Watch: The Daytime Café is TCT’s Crown Club Sponsor.

Starring Jack Theodore Kruse † as Casper

(Cast in alphabetical order):

• Donald….Evan Blust †
• Minnie…Lyndsey Bowman
• Lane…MADELEINE BURGOON
• Precious…Brinley Culver †
• Coco…Haley Gillman
• Pierce…Nicholas Gundrum †
• Gretchen…Abby Johnson †
• Stretch…Sam Johnson
• Stinky…A. JAMES JONES
• Bradley…Andrew Lippert †
• Fatso…Joey Logan
• Magdalena…Marissa Poole
• Bettina…Makenzie Ruff 

ENSEMBLE
Brian Anderson, Donald Burns, Sara Cox, Marlo D’Ascenzo †, Alexis Rae Diggs, Faustina Gorham, Joseph Green, Jackson Hurt, Mackenzie Kasbaum, Ashley Olivia Morton, Talia Raider-Roth †, Ryan-Chavez Richmond, CJ Zimmer †

† Denotes members of TCT’s Young Artists Company

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Laura Stenger as a Suffragette.  Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Votes for women!  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) brings a historic 45-minute musical performance of SUFFRAGETTES: WITH LIBERTY AND VOTING FOR ALL presented by TCT On Tour (TCT’s touring division) to the Ralph and Patricia Corbett Showtime Stage September 21-22, 2019.

​​In 2020, the nation will the celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in the United States – the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Experience the empowering history of the brave women who made triumphant strides through sacrifice and determination. Through story and song, learn about the great gift these women left us – an empowering heritage of pride, momentum and purpose. From 1920 to today, these women are a constant source of strength and inspiration.

The 4-person cast includes members of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Resident Artist Company:  Whitney Daniels, Lauren Everett, LaShondra Hood, and James Stringer Jr. The production was written and directed by local playwright, Mary Tensing, with music by Tracy Walker—who has been at the forefront of Cincinnati’s independent music scene and whose style sits at the crossroads of Folk, Rock, Country, Jazz, and Blues. 

SUFFRAGETTES is most enjoyed by those ages 8+ and will be presented on the Ralph and Patricia Corbett Showtime Stage, 4015 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati, OH  45227. Only 152 seats are available for each performance. A question-and-answer session follows every show.

Performances will be held:

• Saturday, September 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM
• Sunday, September 22 at 2 PM

Tickets are $10 each (plus service fees) and are available exclusively through ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Mainstage subscribers pay just $7 per ticket – a savings of $3. Tickets available now.

TCT On Tour is bringing this production to schools and venues around the Tri-State and throughout the region.  If you’re interested in booking, please contact Violet Webster at 513-569-8080 x20 or by emailing violet.webster@tctcincinnati.com.

Don’t miss The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Podcast, Audio Footlights. Hosted by Producing Artistic Director, Roderick Justice, this podcast is designed to look at the shows TCT produces, and to ignite, impact and inspire young listeners to have a lifelong love of theatre. This free TCT Podcast runs about 8 minutes, and will be available on iTunes as well as Stitcher, SoundCloud, GooglePlay, TuneIn and Spotify soon!

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s TCT On Tour production of SUFFRAGETTES: WITH LIBERTY AND VOTING FOR ALL is made possible by PNC.  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the Ohio Arts Council and the generosity of the tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. 

TCT On Tour Actor Bios:

WHITNEY DANIELS – Whitney is excited to be making her debut with TCT. Past credits include It Should’ve Been You (Annie), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Esmeralda), Dreamgirls (Michelle), as well as performing in the Holly Jolly Trolley Show at Carowinds Amusement Park. Whitney is a graduate from Coastal Carolina University with a BA in Music Performance and Minor in Dramatic Arts.

LAUREN EVERETT – Lauren is a proud graduate of Wright State University’s BFA Musical Theatre Program. She was last seen with TCT at the Taft Theatre as Cinderella/Trinhilda in Sleeping Beauty. Regional Credits: Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), Twelfth Night (Olivia). WSU Credits: No, No, Nanette! (Nanette), The Music Man (Marian u/s), The Great Gatsby (Daisy u/s), Peter Pan (Wendy u/s). Website: www.laureneverett.net Instagram: @misslaureneileen.

LASHONDRA HOOD – LaShondra is honored to join The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati for their 100th season! She recently received her M.F.A. from the University of Louisville and is excited about this new chapter of her career. Some of LaShondra’s proudest theatrical credits include The Mountaintop, Fabulation, Eurydice, Our Country’s Good, Crowns, Fences, and Flyin’ West. Other opportunities include an apprenticeship with Williamstown Theatre Festival ‘16, a company member of U of L’s Repertory Theatre Company, and partner of the 2019 winner of the Kennedy Center Irene Ryan competition.

JAMES STRINGER JR. – James is ecstatic to be joining The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati this year as part of their touring company. James just finished the internship program at The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as part of the 18-19 season where he was seen in mainstage shows such as Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and A Christmas Carol. Touring shows included Cyrano and Five Little Monkeys. James graduated from The University of Louisville in 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts. He is looking forward to another great year in Cincinnati and working with the amazing team at TCT!

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