Tag Archives: Unity Productions

Barebones Staged-Reading Theatre Series Begins May 6

Barebones Staged-Reading Theatre Series:
MY BOOT and THE AMERICAN CENTURY

Unity Productions logo-FREE EVENT-
-ALCOHOL AVAILABLE-

MY BOOT is the world premiere of pulitzer prize nominee Ron Jones’ 10 minute play offering a perspective on the life of a Nazi soldier, and a Jewish man during the holocaust. Both characters poetically justify their family’s condition upon the eve of WWII.

Cast includes:

  • Matt Dentino… Man 1
  • Jared Joplin… Man 2 

THE AMERICAN CENTURY by Murphy Guyer is a blithely hilarious play starting off as a romantic wartime reunion that turns into the ultimate baby boomer’s nightmare. A young couples’ reunion is interrupted by a mysterious stranger who provides an astonishing window to their future; a scathing indictment of post WWII America.

Cast includes:

  • John Scheller… Man
  • Lauren Le Roux… Woman
  • Mike Dennis… Stranger 

Monday May 6th 7:30pm @
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
719 Race St Cincinnati, OH 45202

MY BOOT by Ron Jones (10 minute world premiere)
THE AMERICAN CENTURY by Murphy Guyer

Barebones Staged-Reading Series is a brand new artistic iniative with the mission to give its audience and its artists a considerable amount of exposure to contemporary plays without the baggage of a large budget or excess production hours. In keeping with a conventional “staged-reading” the actors will read directly from the script— where Barebones differs is in its accompaniment with multimedia, and/or music (live & otherwise), to enrich, and enliven the “theatrical” experience of the read— thus enhancing its impact on the audience— without being a full-blown production. Overall, the Barebones approach is meant as an effort to have local audiences and artists exposed to more plays— and to afford busy, local, starving-artists a minimum of prep time, so that the maximum of works can be read. It is the hope of this approach to have two to three plays read a month, to be performed on theater off-nights, such as Mondays and Tuesdays— and to attract the finest local artists to impart the most amount of contemporary plays possible to local audiences, free of charge— plays for gratis.

The Barebones Staged-Reading Theatre Series was awarded with a Jackson Street Market Artist Supper Club grant through the generous support of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation and The Know Theatre of Cincinnati. The Jackson Street Market Artist Supper Club was an evening full of great food and wonderful community.

Other upcoming readings:

Monday May 20th 7:30pm @
The Carnegie Theatre
1028 Scott Blvd Covington, KY 41011
LOBBY HERO by Kennith Lonergan

Founded by Billy Chace and Jon Kovach

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NOTHING runs Aug. 17-Sept. 2

Jon Kovach as Ben.

NOTHING
Presented by Unity Productions
Aug. 17-Sept. 2
Clifton

Inspired by a true story, NOTHING is a multi-media play about Ben, a young man with autism who is struggling through the social grind that is high school. He retreats to a world of technology (MP3, video cameras, online gaming) in order to escape the tragic reality of constant bullying. When Ben meets Barbie in a divine online connection, he builds up the courage to venture out of his comfort zone and visit her in the flesh. This overwhelming escapade leads Ben into a dangerous situation, putting his own life at risk.

Cast: Daniel Britt as Metalwork Teacher, Kathleen Ferrini as Maaike, Bren Harper as Barbie, Jon Kovach as Ben, Robert Livingston as Bogaert, Max Meyers as Desmet, Michael Peake as Headmaster, Grace Poganski as Psychiatrist, Tracy Schoster as Mother, David Stone as Coppola

  • Fri-Sat, Aug. 17-18 at 8pm
  • Sun, Aug. 19 at 3pm
  • Fri-Sat, Aug. 24-25 at 8pm
  • Sun, Aug. 26 at 3pm & 8pm
  • Fri-Sat, Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 2 at 3pm

Official page with online ticketing | BTC page for Fringe Festival performances with reviews | FaceBook event |

Local media coverage: Local 12 story |

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NOTHING By Nic Balthazar Review

Jon Kovach as Ben.

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my FaceBook fan page. You can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

NOTHING BY NIC BALTHAZAR presented by Unity Productions as part of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Jon Kovach gives one of the best solo performances in this year’s fringe festival as autistic teen Ben in NOTHING.

This production is a modified version of the show that is performed to high school students as an anti-bullying presentation. The video clips are of professional quality and well-acted. The multi-media execution is extremely well-done. Kovach offers a detailed and nuanced performance. I was also impressed by how Jon, as a lone actor, recounted the physical confrontations Ben had to endure.

I did feel that the play spun its wheels for a bit right before the resolution and I was slightly confused about the action at one point. Both are minor issues, and this being the Fringe, I was able to discuss those with Kovach after the performance.

If you stay for the Q&A after the performance, (which I recommend), one thing that definitely comes through is Kovach’s excitement and commitment to the work.

For parents of teens, this is a great opportunity to share an experience and open a dialogue with you kids. For educators, a chance to preview a program you may want to bring to your school. For Fringe audience members, a chance to see a strong performance in an interesting and thought-provoking show.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for NOTHING BY NIC BALTHAZAR. 

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.

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Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

NOTHING By Nic Balthazar

NOTHING By Nic Balthazar
Presented as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival ’12
Know Theatre
Over-the-Rhine 

Reviews: CityBeat | Cincinnati Examiner | Behind the Curtain |

Inspired by a true story, NOTHING is a multi-media play about Ben, a young man with autism who is struggling through the social grind that is high school. He retreats to a world of technology (MP3, video cameras, online gaming) in order to escape the tragic reality of constant bullying. When Ben meets Barbie in a divine online connection, he builds up the courage to venture out of his comfort zone and visit her in the flesh. This overwhelming escapade leads Ben into a dangerous situation, putting his own life at risk.

Cast: Daniel Britt- Metalwork Teacher, Kathleen Ferrini- Maaike, Bren Harper- Barbie, Jon Kovach- Ben, Robert Livingston- Bogaert, Max Meyers- Desmet, Michael Peake- Headmaster, Grace Poganski- Psychiatrist, Tracy Schoster- Mother, David Stone- Coppola

  • Sat, June 2 at 2pm
  • Mon, June 4 at 8:30pm
  • Sat, June 9 at 3:30pm

Official page with online ticketing | FaceBook event |

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Win Tickets to NOTHING

Win FREE TICKETS to see The U.S. Premiere of
NOTHING by Nic Balthazar! 

Unity Productions is giving away FREE TICKETS to The U.S. Premiere of NOTHING by Nic Balthazar showing in The 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival at The Know Theatre of Cincinnati (1120 Jackson st. Cincinnati, Ohio) on Saturday June 2nd at 2:00pm, Monday June 4th at 8:30pm, and Saturday June 9th at 3:30pm.

For a chance to win FREE TICKETS. All you need to do is like their Facebook page (facebook.com/unityproductionsohio) or share their cover photo (http://on.fb.me/IIHOko) to earn entries into the raffle. The winner will be drawn on Friday June 1st announced through Facebook and the winners recieve their choice of performance date.

1 entry into the raffle= like their page at: facebook.com/unityproductionsohio

4 entries into the raffle= share their facebook cover photo here: http://on.fb.me/IIHOko

Inspired by a true story, Nothing is a multi-media play about Ben, a young man with autism who is struggling through the social grind that is high school. He retreats to a world of technology (MP3, video cameras, online gaming) in order to escape his tragic reality of constant bullying. When Ben meets Barbie in a divine online connection, he builds up the courage to venture out of his comfort zone and visit her in the flesh. This overwhelming escapade leads Ben into a dangerous situation, putting his own life at risk.

NOTHING is premiering in the U.S. after finding it’s success in Europe. Video, music, and theatre are presented by one actor through use of rhyme and modern technology. Bullying, autism awareness, and suicide prevention are brought to light through NOTHING, a story at odds with the tragic reality.

For tickets or more information you can visit: http://bit.ly/JdVF1H

Or any of the following links:
Facebook: facebook.com/unityproductionsohio
Homepage: unityproductionsohio.weebly.com
Fringe Page: http://bit.ly/JdVF1H
Trailer: http://bit.ly/IReFrf

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Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, In Other News