Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Premieres Coming-of-Age Story from an Exciting Up-and-Coming Playwright

Cincinnati audiences will discover an exciting new voice in American theatre with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's latest world premiere, All the Roads Home by Jen Silverman, which runs from March 25 through April 23 in the Shelterhouse Theatre.

The play is a coming-of-age story that follows three generations of women in the 1950s, 1970s and today as they wrestle with their own half-buried dreams and desires along with the legacies they inherit from their mothers' choices. Original music with lyrics by Silverman connects each woman's generation as their lives weave together.

Jen Silverman, whose work has been produced off-Broadway, as part of the Humana Festival and at regional theatres across the country, tells a poignant tale of teenager Madeleine, who runs away to New York with hopes of becoming a dancer in the 1950s; Madeleine's headstrong daughter Max, a wannabe cowboy who rebels against the same small-town Massachusetts life that drove her mother away; and Max's daughter Nix, who travels the country as a musician, chasing a fantasy that may or may not be her own. As the daughters face the ripple effect of their mothers' choices, they wrestle with their own half-buried dreams and desires.

Silverman tells Playbill, "I think each woman comes up against a moment where they either have to choose to sort of step outside of expectation and possibly destroy a life that has been built up for them or they have to choose to let go of it and step back into their lives. The play is examining that whichever choice you make, that is how you hand to your children your unfulfilled longings and your unfulfilled dreams, and I think those things just imprint themselves in your DNA."

Directed by Lee Sunday Evans, the casting further highlights the play's universality. In this production, each of the women is played by an actress of a different ethnicity, giving audiences a sense that the play represents everyone. Another unifying element is each woman's pursuit of self-actualization. Based on the social and economic mores of each time period, each of these women had different ideas about what life choices were available to them. Final character Nix's music is a culmination of each of woman's pursuit of full, authentic self-expression.

Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison fell in love with All the Roads Home the first time he read the script. "I cared about these women and their choices tremendously," he says. "While representing three distinct generations, they share common desires to break free from the baggage they carry and individualize themselves apart from the relationships they have with their parents. The language of the play and the stories being told are theatrically provocative while deeply relatable."

In a recent profile, American Theatre called this "the year of Silverman." In the current theatrical season alone, she has plays appearing on stages in Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.; Costa Mesa and San Francisco, California; and off-Broadway.

"Jen is part of a new generation of very exciting and accomplished playwrights taking over American theatre," Blake adds.

Tickets for All the Roads Home start at $35; prices vary depending on seat location and performance day and are subject to change. Tickets for teens and students are $30. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show. Sunday is College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. performances just $10. In addition to calling the Box Office (513-421-3888), tickets can also be purchased by visiting The Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com.

All the Roads Home is sponsored by Bartlett & Co. Artist sponsor is Atkins & Pierce. Design sponsor is Playhouse Pride, which is offering a special Pride performance on Friday, April 21 with partial proceeds benefitting PFLAG, a non-profit organization of volunteers who offer support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals, families and friends.

The season sponsor of new work is the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation. Additional new play development support provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and The National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2016-17 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre season is presented by Heidelberg Distributing Co., and the season design sponsor is the Allan Berliant and Jennie RosenthAl Berliant Family Fund.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of more than 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.

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