Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Explores Humanity in THE ELEPHANT MAN

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its 2016-2017 mainstage season with The Elephant Manby Bernard Pomerance, a stirring modern classic about humanity and compassion, playing October 14-November 5, 2016. This production is directed by CSC Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips and features the Cincinnati Shakespeare Resident Ensemble including Giles Davies, Brent Vimtrup, Barry Mulholland, Kelly Mengelkoch, and Billy Chace.

The Tony Award-winning The Elephant Man tells the true-life story of John Merrick (Giles Davies), a man whose profound physical deformities drive him first into a Victorian workhouse and then into employment as a sideshow curiosity. Dr. Frederick Treves (Brent Vimtrup), a physician at London's Royal Hospital, encounters Merrick by chance and recognizes a deeply intelligent and curious mind behind Merrick's startling exterior, and sets out to rescue him from his grim surroundings. As the world opens up to Merrick, he realizes that it is both more beautiful and more cruel than he could have imagined.

Critically acclaimed and the winner of numerous awards, The Elephant Man premiered on Broadway in 1979 winning the Tony Award for Best Play that year. The play's recent revival featuring Bradley Cooper as Merrick, won the 2015 Tony Award for Beat Revival of a Play, among other accolades. In addition to Bradley Cooper, the lead role of Merrick has been portrayed by David Bowie, Mark Hamill, Bruce Davison, David Schofield, and many more. In the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company production, long-time Resident Ensemble favorite, Giles Davies will be featured as Merrick. The play calls for no prosthetic makeup on the actor portraying Merrick; the actor portrays Merrick's deformity through physicality, letting the audience imagine Merrick's appearance.

Mr. Phillips directs a vivid and imaginative staging of this classic script, incorporating a strong Victorian aesthetic. This production will also offer on-stage audience seating, evocative of the nineteenth century's operating theatres and is a tribute to the early days of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on Race Street when on-stage seating was offered for its productions.

Performances of The Elephant Man are scheduled from October 14-November 5, 2016, Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pmand Sundays at 2pm. There is no performance on Sunday October 16. There is an added performance at 2pm on Saturday November 5. Preview performances are on Wednesday October 12 and Thursday October 13 at 7:30pm and tickets are $25.

The theater currently is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center. Single ticket prices range from $22-$38 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$42 on Fridays and Saturdays. Previews are $25. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased one hour before a show with a valid student ID. This production is a part of this season's subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.

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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. Currently located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. In the summer of 2017, the theater will relocate to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC's repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors' Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's Education and Outreach Programs reached over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to "Complete the Canon" by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati's stage for the classics!

About The 2016-2017 Season:

This season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

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