Cincinnati Playhouse Presents BEHIND THE EYE, 4/2-5/1

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will continue its Thompson Shelterhouse season with the world premiere of BEHIND THE EYE by Carson Kreitzer. Commissioned by the Playhouse, this remarkable new play about the life of World War II photographer Lee Miller begins public previews on April 2 and continues through May 1.

Lee Miller was at the center of some of the most exciting times of the 20th century. From a Vogue model in the '20s to muse of the Paris Surrealists in the '30s, she then became an acclaimed war photographer, covering the front lines as well as the London Blitz and the liberation of Paris. BEHIND THE EYE chronicles Miller's fascinating adventures and her personal struggle of what to do with yourself when you've done it all.

BEHIND THE EYE is the third of playwright Carson Kreitzer's dramas to debut at the Playhouse. The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer, winner of the Lois and Richard Rosenthal New Play Prize, made its world premiere in the Shelterhouse Theatre in March 2003. It went on to win the American Theatre Critics' Steinberg Citation and the Barrie Stavis Award, and is published in Smith and Kraus' New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2004 and by Dramatic Publishing. 1:23 premiered in February 2007 in the Shelterhouse Theatre.

Kreitzer's other work includes SELF DEFENSE or death of some salesmen, The Slow Drag (New York and London), Valerie Shoots Andy, Heroin/e (Keep Us Quiet), Freakshow, Slither, Dead Wait and Take My Breath Away. She is a resident playwright at New Dramatists, an associated artist with Clubbed Thumb and New Georges, and a member of The Workhaus Collective, The Playwrights' Center and the Dramatists Guild.

Mark Wing-Davey, who directed Kreitzer's two previous productions at the Playhouse, returns to lead the BEHIND THE EYE creative team. Other members include Peter Ksander and Douglas Stein (Co-Set Designers), Emily Rebholz (Costume Designer), Blake Burba (Lighting Designer) Ryan Rumery (Sound Designer/Composer) and Peter Flaherty (Projection/Video Designer). The Stage Manager is Andrea L. Shell.

The cast includes Sarah Agnew (Three Sisters) as Lee Miller, Alan Cox as Man One: Man Ray/Roland Penrose, Dee Pelletier as Woman: Tanja/Nusch/Audrey/Collette, Alex Podulke as Man Two: Antony/Registry Clerk/Paul Eluard/Dave Scherman and James Saba as Man Three: Guide/Aziz/Picasso/Collette's Husband/Soldier/Doctor.

Prices for BEHIND THE EYE range from $25-$67, depending on day and seat location. New this year, $25 preview performances have been added for the Shelterhouse Theatre (side B) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 2; 7 p.m. Sunday, April 3; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. In addition, $30 tickets on weekdays and $35 on weekends are also available in side B. The official opening night is Thursday, April 7 at 8 p.m.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets to BEHIND THE EYE are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800/582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility.

BEHIND THE EYE is not affiliated with or authorized by the Lee Miller Archives, Antony Penrose or any related entity.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to ArtsWave.

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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

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