Ensemble Theatre Presents Regional Premiere BLOOMSDAY

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) closes its 31st season with a trip to Ireland in the regional premiere of Bloomsday by award-winning playwright Steven Dietz. Set against the backdrop of James Joyce's groundbreaking modernist novel Ulysses, an American man searches for the Irish woman who first captured his heart 35 years earlier during a Bloomsday walking tour in Dublin. This lyrical, intriguing drama transports audiences into a world of history, humor, and heartache to explore a love affair that might have been. Playing April 4-23, 2017. Directed by Michael Evan Haney.

James Joyce's mega-novel Ulysses (itself based on The Odyssey) charts the life of an Irish man, Leopold Bloom, on June 16, 1904-a day now celebrated annually as Bloomsday worldwide. Dietz's play finds Robert, a modern-day, middle-aged American, time-traveling to 1980s Dublin in search of Cait, a Bloomsday tour guide and the woman he once loved. Dancing backwards through time, they relive the unlikely, inevitable events that brought them-if only briefly-together. Not just another what-might-have-been story, this charming, Irish time-travel-love-odyssey is a buoyant, moving appeal for making the most of the present before it is past.

"It's hard to go wrong when you pick up a Steven Dietz play," explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. "There is an honesty in his writing that is unparalleled. Bloomsday gives us the perfect opportunity to get in touch with our younger and present selves." Guest Director Michael Evan Haney adds "Bloomsday is the kind of story that we conjure up in those foggy moments before we sleep or before we are truly awake. It examines the subject of lost chances and lost love and how we rationalize the decisions we make in our lives. It's a dream play."

About the Cast

Annie Fitzpatrick (Cait) was last seen in Luna Gale at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Her other favorite productions include Hands On A Hardbody, Next Fall, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls (for which she received an Acclaim Award), Wayfarer's Rest, Intimate Apparel, and Earhart. Additionally, Ms. Fitzpatrick received Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for her performances in Copperheads, Dinner With Friends, and Mauritius. She appeared in A Prayer for Owen Meany, To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, and Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Richard III, Death Of a Salesman, Little Women, A Man For All Seasons, and Blithe Spirit, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Silent Sky, Pluto, and Collapse, Know Theatre. She has worked regionally at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva Theatre, Florida Stage, Florida Studio, CATCO, Human Race Theatre Co., Porthouse Theatre, and New Edgecliff Theatre. She was a founding member of The New Group in New York and toured internationally with Murder à La Carte. She has appeared in numerous soaps and in local and national commercials. Her TV and film credits include Those Who Kill on A&E, Army Wives, Little Accidents, Fun Size, and Milk Money.

Becca Howell (Caithleen) graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Acting and was a member of the 2013-2014 Professional Acting Internship Program at ETC, where she was seen in Around the World in 80 Days. Ms. Howell recently worked on stage in the latest installment of Serials! at Know Theatre of Cincinnati and Prelude to a Kiss at Falcon Theatre. In addition to stage work, she has appeared on film in A Twisted Fate and Curvature.

Barry Mulholland (Robert) is delighted to return to Ensemble Theatre, having previously appeared in Tribes, Freud's Last Session, and End Days. Other local appearances include To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride & Prejudice, and Burkie, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; The Diary of Anne Frank, The Elephant Man, and Much Ado About Nothing, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and The Music Man in Concert with the Cincinnati Pops at Music Hall.
Mr. Mulholland appeared Off-Broadway in Ghost Sonata, Danton's Death, Wild Oats, Balloon (Outer Critics Circle nomination, Best Play), and in the L.A. production of Love Streams starring Gena Rowlands, directed by John Cassavetes. Regional credits include leading roles with such theatres as Long Wharf Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Capital Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, and A.C.T. Seattle. His plays Barnes & Noble Conquer the World and Existential Therapy have been featured in new play festivals in New York and Massachusetts. Recent screen credits include A Kind of Murder, Curvature, and Surviving Compton.

Patrick Phillips (Robbie) last appeared at ETC as Prince Freddy in Cinderella: After Ever After. He is a graduate of Xavier University with a BA in Theatre. His previous Ensemble credits include Luna Gale, Violet, Love and Information, and Sleeping Beauty. His other regional theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; Henry VI, Part I, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Saint Joan and Relatively Speaking, Diogenes Theatre Company.

Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Matt Callahan (Sound Designer), Stormie Mac (Costume Designer), and Julia Guichard (Dialect Coach). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Assistant Stage Manager is Elizabeth Freyman.

Performance Information

Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices

Ticket prices start at $28 for adults; student tickets are $25; and children are $18. For the 2016-2017 Season, ETC continues its popular $15 student and half-price rush tickets for all performances, which are available two hours prior to show time and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office.

Available Discounts

Military, Educator, ArtsWave ArtsPass, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.

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