Brian Henry

With 2023 soon coming to a close, Native Son – the leading organization championing Black gay and queer men – today unveiled its annual year-end Native Son 101 List highlighting a powerful collective of Black gay and queer men who made incredible impact throughout the year. Find out who made the list!

What do you do when you're a Classics professor at one of the greatest universities in America and find a long lost manuscript by Euripides that will make you famous throughout the world? You lose it, of course. And then you call on the Ancient Greek Gods of Comedy to get you out of the mess. For young professor Daphne Rain, the first surprise is that the gods show up. And the second surprise is that any two people - even if they are gods - can wreak so much havoc on one university. The Ivy League will never be the same as a pair of screwball deities encounters the carnal complexity of college coeds, campus capers, and conspicuous consumption. Written by Ken Ludwig, Directed by Cathy Cordy, Cast: Randy Benge (Dionysus), Tiarra Dapo (Daphne), Julie Emmert-Silvius (Dean Trickett), Brian Henry (Aristide/Alexsi/Ares), Lynne Rouzer (Thalia), Daniel Sawtelle (Ralph), & Heather Schultz (Brooklyn/Zoe) Performances run March 10 - 25, 2023 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

BANSHEES wins Best Film, but Sarah Polley scores best Director for WOMEN TALKING. In our Female Focus sections, Viola Davis gets the nod for Outstanding Achievement and Danielle Deadwyler's turn in TILL is designated the Breakthrough Performance of 2022. Emma Thompson takes AWFJ's Grand Dame title.

On the occasion of Freddy's funeral and at his behest, six of his friends gather at the home of Hank and Kate in Kansas City, where five of them grew up. Hank and Kate were childhood sweethearts whose apparently idyllic relationship has proceeded uninterrupted through the years. Andy and Nessa were childhood sweethearts also, but are now divorced and living in New York. He's a successful advertising executive; she's the author of a bestselling roman à clef based on her friends' lives. Paul is the new Undersecretary for Eastern Affairs in Washington, and his wife, Alice, the only one who has not known the others since grammar school, is a housewife obsessed with the many infidelities she imagines Paul has committed. Hovering over them all is the spirit of Freddy, the only admitted homosexual in the group. As the liquor flows and memories (and recriminations) become more telling, Hank, in an emotional outburst, admits that he had been having an affair with Freddy for years prior to his death. Kate is overwhelmed by this revelation, the friends take sides and, as the night winds down into morning, facades are stripped away as no-holds-barred truth-telling replaces the party atmosphere with which the evening began. In the end Hank and Kate agree to strive for a more honest relationship, and the others, each in his or her own way affected by the absent Freddy, resolve to use the legacy of directness and honesty which he left them to set their own lives on firmer paths. Performances run Dec. 2 - 18, 2022 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

It's Christmas Eve in the tropical prison colony of Cayenne, French Guiana, where the temperature has graciously dropped to 104 degrees. Hopeless shopkeeper Felix Ducotel has hired three convicts - two of them murderers, the third a swindler - to fix his roof. But when Felix's evil cousin arrives to oust Felix and his family from their business, the three convicts realize the Ducatels need a few guardian angels, and decide to use every criminal art they possess to set matters right. Written by Samuel Spewack and Bella Spewack, based on La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson Directed by Stephen Grinch, the Cast includes: Randy Benge (Joseph), Al Minor (Jules), Tiarra Dapo (Marie Louise Ducotel), Julie Emmert (Mme. Parole), Brian Henry (Henri Trouchard), Jeff Kemeter (Lieutenant), Randy Lenhart (Felix Ducotel), Cheryl Nelson (Emilie Ducotel), Patrick Petrilla (Paul), & Kyle Smith (Alfred) Performances run May 6 thru May 22, 2022 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

As the curtain rises on the Manningham's residence in 19th century London, all appears to be the essence of Victorian tranquility -- except for items going missing, an injured dog, and Mrs. Manningham, who keeps hearing footsteps that aren't there. She thinks she's going mad, until an Inspector from Scotland Yard starts asking questions about Mr. Manningham's past, and she begins to suspect that her husband's insinuating kindness masks more sinister motives. A Broadway hit first produced on the West End under the title Gaslight, this tale of mystery and murder boast one of the most brilliant, suspenseful sequences in modern theatre. Performances run Oct 22nd thru Nov 7th, 2021 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

Bridget and her grandmother are about to become roommates. However, what Bridget saw as a unique opportunity to stay with her favorite nana in New York for the summer quickly turns into an experience she'll never forget. It seems her sweet grandma is running an illegal boutique from her apartment, selling handmade naughty knickers to every senior citizen in the five-borough area! Will Bridget be able to handle all the excitement? Will her nana get arrested - or worse - evicted? Performances run Sept. 10th thru the 26th, 2021 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

Listen to and learn about the VIVO Original Soundcheck album! It features all-new songs written and performed by the award-winning creator of Hamilton and In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda, with Gloria Estefan, Juan de Marcos, Zoe Saldaña, Brian Henry Tyree and more.

Kate Hamill's playful adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters. Sense and Sensibility examines our reactions, both reasonable and ridiculous, to societal pressures. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart? Presented 'Drive-In' style, the play will be projected live onto a screen outside the playhouse while the actors perform inside. Performances run from October 23rd thru November 8th, 2020 at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

This classic whodunit finds a group of strangers stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, and the suspicions in their minds nearly wreck their perfect marriage. Others are a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. Into their midst comes a policeman, traveling on skis. He no sooner arrives, when the jurist is killed. Two down, and one to go. To get to the rationale of the murderer's pattern, the policeman probes the background of everyone present, and rattles a lot of skeletons. Another famous Agatha Christie switch finish! Chalk up another superb intrigue for the foremost mystery writer of her time. Performances run December 6th thru the 22nd at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org

The Alternative Theater Company presents ALTERED MINDS, Off-Broadway AEA Showcase, a collection of short plays, from quirky to inspiring, on relevant mental health issues and the stories of those whose lives they touch.

The Alternative Theater Company presents ALTERED MINDS, the May 6th first Staged Reading in a series of short plays tackling different perspectives, from quirky to thought provoking, on the complex issue of mental health.

In Ionesco's most accessible Absurdist drama, it's King Berenger's dying day and also the last day of the universe. Everything is falling apart - from his own palace to the very physics of the solar system. Will his commands to restore order be enough? Or will we fade into the mist? Written by Eugene Ionesco, Directed by Danielle Mari, Produced by Booth Muller, Stage Manager Jennifer Shively.  Cast includes:  Brian Henry, Tony Ludovico, Laura Tirronen, Aaron Turnbull, Elise Vargo, & E. Molly Watson. Performances run May 4th thru May 20th at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio  43021.  For more information or to purchase tickets, visit:  http://curtainplayers.org

A brand new play receiving its first fully staged production. In this darkly comic version of the Peter Pan story, Wendy's mother sets in motion a journey that threatens to change her family forever. Suggested for audiences ages 13 and older. Performances run September 8th thru 24th at Curtain Players, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena, Ohio 43021. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://curtainplayers.org/season/2017-2018/1_wendy.php

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Stephanie van Duijn received a $7,500 BIG ARTS SANIBEL CLASSICAL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP this winter to support the continuation of her violin studies. The 17-year-old student who lives in Philadelphia, PA and Fort Myers, Florida, is a junior in a home school education program.

Vice has kicked off 2017 with the official video for his genre-bending single “Steady 1234” featuring Jasmine Thompson & Skizzy Mars.

Two wealthy London bachelors each pretend to be a fictitious man called Earnest in order to win over two eligible young ladies, despite the ladies' avowed preference for that name alone - and the interference of the intimidatingly proper Lady Bracknell - in Wilde's 'trivial comedy for serious people.'

Join us for Robin Hood in the park this summer in Westerville! Sword fights, secret identities, love, betrayal, and redemption: history and legend collide in this new tale of Robin Hood. 800 years ago, when the Brothers Huntingdon lost their parents to the treachery of the Plantagenets, their lives took very different paths. When they cross again in Sherwood Forest, they find a maiden on a quest, a queen fighting for freedom, and the King who destroyed their family. Divided by their past and united by a family secret, the brothers' feud puts the fate of England at stake. One brother must choose whether to put law before kin, while the other must choose between being a noble and being an outlaw; which it turns out, might just be in his blood.

Casting is now complete for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's musical MARY POPPINS, set to open on Friday, April 24. Directed and designed by Tom Thayer, with choreography by Philadelphia choreographer Jenn Rose, lighting design by Noel Rennerfeldt, flying effects by ZFX, costumes by Premiere Clothing and Debby Dowlen, hats by Blanche's Place, and sound sequencing by The MT Pit, the cast will feature local youth in the roles of Michael and Jane. Nate Miller and Kylan Ritchie will play one set of children, while Riley Jenkins and Virginia Richardson will double during the run of the show.

Casting is now complete for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's musical MARY POPPINS, set to open tonight, April 24. Directed and designed by Tom Thayer, with choreography by Philadelphia choreographer Jenn Rose, lighting design by Noel Rennerfeldt, flying effects by ZFX, costumes by Premiere Clothing and Debby Dowlen, hats by Blanche's Place, and sound sequencing by The MT Pit, the cast will feature local youth in the roles of Michael and Jane. Nate Miller and Kylan Ritchie will play one set of children, while Riley Jenkins and Virginia Richardson will double during the run of the show.