Cincinnati Playhouse Announces New Events For Spring

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will present a slate of new events for the spring - including the first in-person performances in the Marx Theatre in over a year with two limited engagements featuring nationally recognized theatre artists. Also planned are three outdoor performance events, two new pod plays, 25 different virtual enrichment workshops and two streaming productions.

"We are thrilled to be re-opening the Marx Theatre and re-entering the realm of live, in-person performances in more than a year," says Artistic Director Blake Robison. "The outdoor events and virtual programs provide a variety of alternatives for anyone who's craving a theatrical experience."

Performances include:

Higher and Higher: A Rock 'n Soul Party with Chester Gregory

April 30 - May 2
Broadway star and recording artist Chester Gregory honors the legends of Rock and Soul. The star of Motown: The Musical, Hairspray and Dreamgirls won acclaim for his outstanding portrayal of Jackie Wilson in The Jackie Wilson Story. In concert, Gregory offers his considerable talents to the music of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown and more. Presented by Artists Lounge Live.

The Skivvies: Live and Literally In-Person

May 26 and 27
The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, singer/actor/musicians performing stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals. Not only is the music stripped down - cello, ukulele, glockenspiel, melodica - but the Skivvies literally strip down to their underwear to perform. Cearley and Molina were last seen at the Playhouse in 2019's You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Cearley previously starred as Seymour in the 2017 production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Seating in the Marx Theatre has been reduced for proper social distancing to a maximum of 30 percent capacity. Masks are required. Tickets are $54 and $39 and are on sale now for Higher and Higher. Tickets to The Skivvies go on sale April 14.

Upstanders Onstage: Performances for Social Change:

Outdoor events featuring an eclectic mix of scenes, monologues, spoken word and music - May 8, 16 and 23

The Playhouse is partnering with The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and the Cincinnati Music Accelerator to present a series of live, outdoor events featuring theatre artists, musicians and poets who are using art to create dialogue and affect change in the world. The socially distanced events will take place from 6 - 8 p.m. in the parking lots of Cincinnati Union Terminal on May 8, Cincinnati Art Museum on May16 and the Mayerson JCC on May 23. Each evening will feature a different line-up of artists and content, which will be announced at a later date. Appropriate for ages 12 and up. The events are free, but an advance reservation is required to ensure appropriate social distancing. Reservations open on April 14.

Two streaming productions in April and May:

Dragons Love Tacos will be available to stream for free on weekends as part of the virtual Off the Hill series from April 16 to May 16. As a boy and his dog watch a television show about dragons, they unexpectedly get caught up in the "Dos and Don'ts" of what to feed them. Appropriate for ages 3 and up.

The Catastrophist by Lauren Gunderson, a co-production of Marin Theatre Company and Round House Theatre Company, will have its exclusive Cincinnati presentation April 26 - May 23. Cost to stream is $25.

About the play: Virologist Nathan Wolfe, named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World for his work tracking Ebola and swine flu, proposed pandemic insurance years before the novel coronavirus outbreak. No one bought it. Now, in a post-COVID world, we hear his story. The Revolutionists playwright Lauren Gunderson's time-jumping tale takes a deep dive into the profundities of scientific exploration and the harrowing realities of facing your own mortality. The Catastrophist is a critically acclaimed theatrical experience built of and for this moment in time.

Virtual Enrichment Workshops

The Playhouse is offering 25 different virtual enrichment workshops on Zoom for kids, teenagers and adults this spring. They are taught by professional theatre artists and include a variety of crafts, writing, design and performance activities. The workshops begin the week of April 22. Cost is $30 - $60, depending on the number of sessions in the workshop.

The Pod Plays Project rolls out two brand-new stories in June that make use of technology, storytelling and a unique location in Cincinnati to experience an audio play.

The Edge of Town by Cincinnati musician and hip-hop artist Deuces is a musical pod play about Black empowerment in a suburban neighborhood and takes place in the city of Wyoming.

Cincinnati playwright Carolyn Guido Clifford's pod play (title TBD) takes place in Eden Park and tells the story of a young woman who undergoes an unexpected change and must relocate to Cincinnati to live with her aunt.

The pod plays are free. Those launched last fall - The Aviators by Trey Tatum and Richie and Blanche by Isaiah Mikel-Reaves - can be streamed now.

Tickets and information for all performances and programs, including Covid-19 safety guidelines for in-person events, can be found at cincyplay.com.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community 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.

The special event series in the Marx Theatre is presented by Schueler Group. Higher and Higher is sponsored by Digi and Mike Schueler.

Upstanders Onstage: Performances for Social Change is presented as part of the Playhouse Perspectives series, funded by a generous grant from Roderick and Barbara Barr.

Seasonal support of Education and Outreach programs is supported by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation and Linda and Gary Greenberg. Off the Hill is supported by KeyBank and John C. Griswold Foundation. Off the Grid is sponsored by The William Baude-Maurice Oshry Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.