Cincinnati Playhouse to Present HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN, 9/26-10/30

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's popular Off the Hill series for families launches its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of Allyson Currin's HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN, which was commissioned by the Playhouse in 2013. Recommended for ages 7 and up, HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN will tour to Tristate community venues from Sept. 26 through Oct. 30.

New to the Off the Hill schedule this season, each production will debut "on the hill" at the Playhouse; HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN will be presented at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, with tickets priced at $5 and available through the Playhouse Box Office.

HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN spins the typical high school pecking order categories into a new orbit when an alien from outer space enrolls at Maddie's high school. An eager freshman, Maddie hopes to reinvent her image to fit in with the popular crowd, but that goal is compromised as she gets to know Renata, the outlier alien student who creates quite a stir.

"I am thrilled to be directing HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN because it is so relatable for everyone," said Bridget Leak, a former Playhouse directing intern who also directed last season's touring production of Theory of Mind. "We all want to be liked and to find a group of people that you connect with, we all want to fit in, whether it's middle school or middle age. Maddie looks forward to starting over as she transitions into her first year of high school - shedding her younger self and trying on a new personality to fit in with the cool group. We all have that one person we want to impress, have moments where we have tried too hard and have to adapt to change. High school is difficult for everyone and you see that through the eyes of Maddie and the alien - both feel out of place and everything feels foreign to them."

The HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN cast includes Serena Ryen as Maddie, Kyle Powell as Charlie, Erin Ward as Robyn, Lilian Wouters as Renata and Law Dunford as Rex, all members of the Playhouse's 2015-16 Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company. Other production team members include set designer Veronica R. Pullins-Bishop, costume designer Melanie Mortimore, sound designer Trey Tatum and stage manager Tracy Hoida.

In addition to HIGH SCHOOL ALIEN, the 2015-16 Off the Hill season features ANTIGONE by John Yearley, an inventive, accessible world premiere based on the timeless Greek legend that explores the choice Antigone must make between the laws of men and loyalty to her family (performances Jan. 23-Feb. 21, 2016, recommended for ages 11 and up). The season closes with THE GARDEN OF RIKKI TIKKI TAVI, a fun, free-flowing adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's beloved classic about sharing and cooperation by Y York (performances April 16-May 22, 2016; recommended for ages 5 and up).

For more information about the Playhouse's education and outreach programs, contact the Education Department at 513-345-2242 or visit www.cincyplay.com.

Off the Hill is supported by the Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, PNC Bank, the John C. Griswold Foundation, ArtsWave and the Ohio Arts Council.
The Cincinnati Playhouse season is presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and Heidelberg Distributing Company. The season sponsor of new work is The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of the community contributors to the ArtsWave campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.