Cincinnati Playhouse Travels 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

For one night only, audiences can immerse themselves directly in the action of a theatrical adventure when Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park goes off the grid for 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA at Newport Aquarium on Friday, March 15. Tickets are now available for three performances at 6:30, 9 and 10:15 p.m.

"Newport Aquarium will be transformed into the Nautilus, Captain Nemo's scientific marvel of a submarine," explains Daunielle Rasmussen, director of the production and director of education and community engagement for the Playhouse. "The performance will be a progressive play experience, meaning audience members will journey through the Nautilus as members of the Orka Fleet, tasked to apprehend the elusive war criminal known as Captain Nemo. In this immersive production of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, audience members become part of the action and go on a journey that will lead them into uncharted waters."

The performance, written by Ryan Underbakke and Nick Ryan and based on the book by Jules Verne, is part of the Playhouse's Off the Grid series. Off the Grid brings interactive, creative experiences to the community, specifically aimed at young professionals. Off the Grid events all happen out in the community, away from the Playhouse's Eden Park facility, and have included interactive movie events, live board games and themed pub crawls.

"20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is our biggest Off the Grid event to date and the culmination of three years of experimentation into what sorts of interactive experiences resonate most," Rasmussen says.

Tickets for the performance, recommended for audiences 10 years and older, are $30. Audience members will stand and move throughout the performance and no seating is available, but the interactive performance is wheelchair accessible. For an additional $20 per person, audiences ages 21 and up will gain access to a VIP Party (also at Newport Aquarium) from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with a live DJ playing music throughout the evening, as well as light-bite appetizers and a complimentary drink ticket.

Off the Grid is supported by the generosity of the thousands of young professional contributors to the ArtsWave Campaign.

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.