Know Theatre Kicks Off Our 21st Anniversary Season With WHISPER HOUSE

Along the rocky coast of Maine, in the shadow of World War II, a young boy is sent to live among strangers...and ghosts.

?With music & lyrics by Duncan Sheik, the Tony-winning composer of Spring Awakening, this daring new pop rock musical unfolds in 1942, in and around a remote lighthouse on the coast of Maine.

Amid the threat of U-Boats patrolling the shoreline and the nation's rising suspicion toward foreigners, a young boy named Christopher is sent to live with an aunt he's never met, after his father is shot down over the Pacific.

His aunt Lily is a reclusive lighthouse-keeper, unaccustomed to the company of children and harboring more than a few secrets in her isolated home.

Surrounded by strangers on a forbidding rocky shore, Christopher becomes entangled in a web of intrigue between the hard-nosed and patriotic Sheriff Charles; Lily's Japanese handyman, Yasuhiro; and a pair of singing ghosts who may or may not be entirely real.

The Know is thrilled to present the third ever full production of this new musical, and the first US production of the current version of the show. Says Know Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford,

"I've been following Whisper House since its world premiere in San Diego and the release of the original concept album, waiting for the opportunity to get my hands on the script. In Spring of 2017, I had the chance to catch the London premiere. It confirmed for me what a great, and increasingly timely, show it would be for the Know. Through the magic of Twitter, I was able connect with Duncan Sheik, and here we are."

Whisper House became the perfect way to start our 21st season, entitled "Fear Itself." Each story this season explores a fresh aspect of what we fear and why, and how we overcome those fears - or what happens when we don't. Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow's show kicks things off by taking a lyrical look at our fear of the "other": what fuels it, and how we confront it.

(Fun fact: Know Theatre previous produced Tony-nominated writer Kyle Jarrow's A Very Merry (Unauthorized) Scientology Pageant back in 2008!)

Bringing to life the world of Whisper House is a fantastic cast of veteran Cincinnati talent and bright new faces:

Leading the cast as Lily the lighthouse-keeper is Kelly Mengelkoch, a beloved regular on the Cincinnati Shakespeare stage now making her Know Theatre MainStage debut. Joining her as Lily's devoted helper and handyman Yasuhiro in his Cincinnati debut is Adam Tran.

College-Conservatory of Music theatre professor Brant Russell is a familiar face to Know Theatre fans for his work in the director's chair. But this time he appears onstage as the unbending and nationalistic Sheriff Charles.

And stuck in the middle of it all as young Christopher is newcomer Andrew Ramos, making his professional debut on the Know Theatre stage.

To fill out this ghost story, the Know is proud to welcome back two fan-favorites to add both musicality and the spooky edge to this tale: Erin Ward (last seen in 2017's The Arsonists) and Cary Davenport (seen in both 2015's Girlfriend and 2018's Ada & The Engine) play the ghosts of musicians who perished along the lighthouse's shore years before...and who now revel in interfering with the affairs of the living.

And at the helm of this adventurous new musical is Dan R. Winters, co-director of one of Know's most popular shows of all time, 2017's smash-hit Neverwhere.

Dan brings a love of physical theatre and a sense of playful experimentation to the stage that are a fantastic match for this stirring look at a tumultuous moment in our history - one that looks increasingly like today.

Join us as we dive into the mystery and music of Whisper House, running July 27 - August 19 - only at Cincinnati's Theatrical Playground.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting knowtheatre.com or calling 513.300.5669 (KNOW).

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