ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI
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The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation proudly supports the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati as it explores themes of kindness and reconciliation.
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D. Lynn Meyers, Producing Artistic Director
FUN HOME Book & lyrics by LISA KRON | Music by JEANINE TESORI Based on the graphic novel by ALISON BECHDEL Directed by D. LYNN MEYERS†
August 31 – September 28, 2019 Set & Lighting Designer BRIAN c . MEHRING
Costume Designer REBA SENSKE
Music Director STEVE GOERS Intimacy Choreographer ERIN CARR
Sound Designer MATT CALLAHAN
Properties Master/Design Assistant SHANNON RAE LUTZ Production Manager MATTHEW HOLLSTEGGE
Production Stage Manager BRANDON T. HOLMES*
Choreographer PATTI JAMES Technical Director JACK MURPHY Assistant Stage Manager LEXI MULLER*
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION IS A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW AND AN ACTIONABLE FEDERAL OFFENSE.
FUN HOME is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. Originally produced on Broadway by Fox Theatricals, Barbara Whitman, Carole Shorenstein Hays, Tom Casserly, Paula Marie Black, Latitude Link, Terry Schnuck/Jane Lane, The Forstalls, Nathan Vernon, Mint Theatricals, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jam Theatricals, Delman Whitney, Kristin Caskey, and Mike Isaacson. The world premiere production of FUN HOME was produced by The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director, in New York City on October 22nd, 2013. FUN HOME was developed, in part, at the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at White Oak and the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Sundance Resort.
*Member belongs to Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. This theatre operates under an agreement between Actors’ Equity Association, Professional Actors, and Stage Managers in the United States. Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.
†
PREMIERE SPONSOR
ARTIST SPONSOR Ehrsam Family Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
2019–2020 SPONSORS
SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR
SEASON FUNDER
OPERATING SUPPORT
FAIRY GODMOTHER SPONSOR
SEASON TICKET SPONSOR
EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT, & INCLUSION SPONSOR
SEASON SUPPORT Susan Friedlander Mitchell S. and Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation
EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT, & INCLUSION SUPPORT Anonymous (2) William P. Anderson Foundation The Charles H. Dater Foundation Donald C. and Laura M. Harrison Family Foundation
IN-KIND SUPPORT Chet Cavaliere Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, Interpreter Training Program College Hill Coffee Co. & Casual Gourmet Dewey’s Pizza LPK OMS Photography Suder’s Art Store
In Honor of Marilyn F. Hill Betty Huck The Johnson Family Foundation Macy's Mr. & Mrs. David E. Moccia P&G Fund The Daniel & Susan Pfau Foundation Nellie Leaman Taft Foundation The Dennis B. & Patricia L. Worthen Fund
6 | 2019–2020 sponsors
the arts are the highest form of expression. PNC is proud to be a part of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Because we believe in and support everything the arts can accomplish.
2019–2020 sponsors | 7
©2018 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC
ABOUT US OUR MISSION Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich, and inspire our audiences. OUR HISTORY From its founding in 1986, ETC has focused on providing an artistic home for local theatre professionals, including serving as a training ground for young artists. Each season, ETC produces a lineup devoted to the newest in contemporary theatre that attracts a diverse audience of 30,000 to more than 220 performances. Our work also includes education and engagement programs centered on introducing the performing arts to underserved audiences, especially economically disadvantaged children and children with disabilities. Combined, our productions and educational programs strive to fulfill ETC’s vision of creating an urban arts district that is accessible to all.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chip Gerhardt, Chair Kathy DeLaura, President Nick Apanius, Vice President Dennis Geiger, Treasurer Holli Alexander, Secretary Alicia Bond-Lewis Otto M. Budig Melanie Burden Brenda A. Carter Tom Carothers Susan Friedlander Kristine Garrett Stephen M. King Shekhar Mitra Nilesh Patel Richard L. Postler Jackie Reau Rich Roedersheimer Jeff Schloemer Paul G. Sittenfeld Mike Smith Mary Stagaman DIRECTORS EMERITI Skip Hickenlooper Edward G. Marks FOUNDERS' CIRCLE Ruth D. & John Sawyer Ken & Mary "Murph" Mahler Dr. Charles O. Carothers Mitchell Meyers FINANCIAL ADVISOR Chet Cavaliere
This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
(513) 421–3555 1127 Vine Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 www.ensemblecincinnati.org
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.
@ENSEMBLECINCY INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? Contact our team at Cincinnati Accredited member of the Better Business Bureau.
Magazine for information: advertise@CincinnatiMagazine.com
Photo by Ross Van Pelt
ABOUT ETC
OUR STAFF LEADERSHIP
OPERATIONS
D. Lynn Meyers, The Ruth Dennis Sawyer/Mary Taft Mahler Producing Artistic Director
John Diehl, Business Services Manager Jared D. Doren, Programming & Events Manager
Michael R. Zimmer, Director of Fiscal Operations
ARTISTIC Brian c. Mehring, Resident Set & Lighting Designer Shannon Rae Lutz, Properties Master, Design Assistant, & Director of Apprentice Programming Professional Acting Apprentices: Joshua Brian Beasley • Aiden Dalton • Christian Gutierrez Karson McCall• Rachael M. Petranek • Amber J. Smith Alexia Vlahos • Nora Weisz
DEVELOPMENT Laura Proto, Director of Development Josh Neumeyer, Finance & Grants Manager
EDUCATION, ENGAGEMENT, & INCLUSION Lauren Carr, Director of Education, Engagement, & Inclusion Victoria Hawley, Education Associate Becca Howell, Education Associate
Nick Ligon, Head of Security
PATRON SERVICES Amy Weinstock, Box Office Manager Box Office Associates/House Managers: Ian Patrick Ashwell • Esther Cunningham • Olivia Diehl Jared Earland • Becca Howell • Kayla Marie Klammer Missy Lyons • Ben Ochsner • Patrick E. Phillips Sharisse Santos • Becca Schall Sara Agee, Lead Bartender Bar Staff: Heather Anderson • Darnell Pierre Benjamin Brianna Bernard • Carter Bratton • Burgess Byrd Zoe Davidson • Olivia Diehl • Lisa DeRoberts Wyn Jones • Jared Joplin • Jen Joplin • Holly Knox Andrew Maloney • Sara Ringenbach • DeAndre Smith Rebecca Stein • Daniela Nenova
PRODUCTION Matthew Hollstegge, Production Manager Jack Murphy, Technical Director
Teaching Artists:
Chris Holloway, Assistant Technical Director
Brianna Bernard • Michael Carr • Maggie Cramer
Stormie Mac, Costume Supervisor
Esther Cunningham • Zoe Davidson • Karson McCall
Rae Kuhn, Scenic Charge Artist & Production Assistant
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Ian Patrick Ashwell, Technical Apprentice
Jocelyn Meyer, Director of Marketing & Communications
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Amy J. Barbian, Marketing Manager
Brandon T. Holmes, Production Stage Manager
Kayla E. Moore, Content Marketing Coordinator
Lexi Muller, Assistant Stage Manager
ArtsWave is creating a more vibrant and connected community through the arts Learn more about how your gift to ArtsWave creates a Ripple Effect of benefits at ArtsWave.org
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GATHER WITH ART From company retreats to cocktail parties – let 21c provide an inspiring backdrop for your next gathering.
609 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 513.578.6600 | 21cCincinnati.com
| 11
CAST & CREW LIST CAST Alison................................................................................................................................... NATALIE BIRD* Bruce Bechdel............................................................................................................. CHARLIE CLARK* Small Alison............................................................................................. McKENNA JAMES FARMER Medium Alison....................................................................................................................... EMILY FINK* Helen Bechdel.................................................................................................................. SARA MACKIE* Roy / Mark / Pete / Bobby Jeremy................................................................................MAX MEYERS* Joan..................................................................................................................................... JUDE WALKER* John Bechdel.........................................................................................................HENRY WEGHORST Christian Bechdel........................................................................................ESPEN WELLS-JORDAN
BAND Keyboard............................................................................................................................ STEVE GOERS Cello......................................................................................................................................LEE GRIFFITH Violin.................................................................................................................................. MOLLY HICKEY Bass..................................................................................................................................... BILL JACKSON Drums.......................................................................................................................... WILLIAM MULLEN Reeds.............................................................................................................................DANIEL OUTLAW
RUNNING CREW Assistant Stage Manager............................................................................................... LEXI MULLER* Assistant Director...............................................................................................GRIFF BLUDWORTH Sound Engineer........................................................................................................RYAN BURGDORF Sound Operator...........................................................................................................AMBER J. SMITH Light Board Operator..................................................................................................AIDEN DALTON Spot Light Operator............................................. KATIE MITCHELL, CHRISTIAN GUTIERREZ Wardrobe Head.......................................................................................... RACHAEL M. PETRANEK Wardrobe Crew................................................................... KARSON McCALL, ALEXIA VLAHOS Running Crew............................................................. JOSHUA BRIAN BEASLEY, NORA WEISZ
UNDERSTUDIES Bruce Bechdel...........................................................................................JOSHUA BRIAN BEASLEY Roy / Mark / Pete / Bobby Jeremy...........................................................CHRISTIAN GUTIERREZ Helen Bechdel............................................................................................. RACHAEL M. PETRANEK Joan..................................................................................................................................AMBER J. SMITH Alison..............................................................................................................................ALEXIA VLAHOS Medium Alison...................................................................................................................NORA WEISZ
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Steve Miller
University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music
*Member belongs to Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.
12 | cast & crew list
SONG LIST "It All Comes Back (Opening)".................................Small Alison, Bruce, Alison, & Company "Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue"................................Helen, Alison, Small Alison, Christian, John, Bruce, & Roy "Come to the Fun Home".............................................................John, Christian, & Small Alison "Helen's Etude"....................................................Alison, Roy, Bruce, Small Alison, Helen, John, Christian, & Medium Alison "Party Dress"............................................................. Small Alison, Bruce, Medium Alison, Alison "Changing My Major"..................................................................................................... Medium Alison "Maps"...................................................................................................................................................Alison "Raincoat of Love"..................................................................................Bobby Jeremy & Company "Pony Girl"........................................................................................................................................... Bruce "Ring of Keys"..................................................................................................... Small Alison & Alison "Days and Days".................................................................................................................................Helen "Telephone Wire"............................................................................................................ Bruce & Alison "Edges of the World"...................................................................................................................... Bruce "Flying Away (Finale)".................................................... Alison, Medium Alison, & Small Alison
This production will be performed in one act with NO intermission. Approximate running time is 1 hour, 40 minutes.
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES. NO TEXTING.
#ETC1920 #FUNHOME
@ENSEMBLECINCY
song list | 13
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati dedicates our production of Fun Home in memory of our beloved friend Scot Woolley.
Souvenir (2007). Photo by Sandy Underwood.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network works to ensure safe schools for all students regardless of sexual orientation gender identity, and gender expression
SAVE THE DATE
SAVE THE DATE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION
2019 YOUTH SUMMIT THEME:
2019 YOUTH SUMMIT THEME:
SHARING OUR STORIES www.glsencincinnati.org
SHARING OUR STORIES www.glsencincinnati.org
Youth Services | Crisis Prevention | Allyship | Educator Resources | Advocacy
14 |
SAVE THE DATE
SAVE THE DATE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION
song list | 15
ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI
S t udio Series Poe pourri
10/24 & 10/25
@ 10 pm | tickets: $25 subscribers | $30 non-subscribers
Selected poems and stories by the master of horror Edgar Allen Poe, featuring the talents of Michael Blankenship.
10 - minu te Connections: Justice 2/10
@ 7 pm | tickets: $15 subscribers | $20 non-subscribers
10-minute plays by local playwrights coupled with Dominique Morriseau’s short play Night Vision.
S he's Crazy: Men t al Heal t h & Ot her Issues 4/27
@ 7 pm | tickets: $15 subscribers | $20 non-subscribers
An interactive musical that educates, uplifts, and inspires audiences to reduce stigma associated with mental illness.
The Jackie Demaline Regional Collegia t e P laywrigh t ing Compe t i t i on Reading 5/4
@ 7 pm | Free admission (reservations required)
First public reading of this year's winning script submission.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES It’s possible to say I have been in rehearsal for Fun Home for four years. The wonderful Scot Woolley and I started talking about doing this show when we first heard Jeanine Tesori’s music. Having directed Violet here twice, I have great affection and respect for Ms. Tesori’s work. Then I read Lisa Kron’s terrific book and Alison Bechdel’s amazing graphic novel, and this story has been in my heart ever since. While it breaks my heart that Scot cannot be with us now, his ideas and influence are present. Our Music Director Steve Goers has brought his own touch to every note you will hear and I am very grateful for his guidance and compassion with this story. Patti James brings life into any room she enters and her choreography is a delight—there’s a team behind the scenes that makes the show you see possible. As a director, I love the memory play aspect of this piece. It’s lovely to finally hear people performing the roles I envisioned them doing in my mind for so long and having three very young actors in the company is an immeasurable joy. Although we looked deeply into Alison’s personal story, we also worked to show how universal this story can be. The children in the cast helped us see that—their input and ideas are woven into our exploration of what family means, what we do to show our love for one another, and what makes us who we are and who we will become. I have often found when you say you want something and release it into the universe, the universe responds. In the case of this production, one of the elements we received from the universe is the piano you see on stage. Brian c. Mehring, our Set and Lighting Designer, spoke about having this very specific piano and as Shannon Rae Lutz, our Properties Master, began the search for one, a totally unexpected call came from Dr. Barry Applegate. He is a terrific dentist (as well as one of our subscribers), who graciously donated this piano to ETC which arrived just in time to fulfill the vision Brian had for the set. Not at all planned, but absolutely perfect. As we worked the music and the story each day, the love and sense of family lost and found filled the room. My hope is that you will allow this musical to lift you above yourself and soar in your personal memories. We are the sum of all that has happened in our lives since our first breath and relationships go on even when life as we know it doesn’t. Thank you for being here with us as we bring Alison’s story to light.
D. Lynn Meyers
director's notes | 17
HEADER A FREE ALL-ACCESS AUTHOR PASS! Your ticket to meet 100+ authors, buy their books and get them signed. TERRY GAMBLE
LAINI TAYLOR
JASMINE WARGA
NAL
IO l estiva ook F EG NATI R
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B
Come to the FREE BOOKS BY THE BANKS CINCINNATI REGIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL Saturday, Oct. 26 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Duke Energy Convention Center
18 | director's notes www.booksbythebanks.org
etc essentials A FREE conversation series with local scholars and community members that explores the themes and context of our productions.
Fun Home
LET'S GET GRAPHIC | SEPT 22, 2019 @ 1:00 PM A conversation about rethinking the literary merit and narrative complexity of graphic novels such as the bestselling memoir upon which Fun Home is based.
Sex and Education
A TENSE DEBATE | OCT 27, 2019 @ 1:00 PM Are you a staunch Oxford comma defender or a syntax revolutionary? Hotly contested topics include: double negatives, they as a singular pronoun, and, of course, the aforementioned and highly controversial comma drama.
Fortune
DOWN FOR THE ACCOUNT | FEB 9, 2020 @ 1:00 PM Think number-crunching is boring? Think again! Real-world CPAs relay some of their most off-the-wall tales from the treacherous front lines of accounting.
Pipeline
CINCINNATI'S PIPELINE | MARCH 29, 2020 @ 1:00 PM A meaningful discussion with educators and students about how the schoolto-prison pipeline affects our local community and what's being done to break the cycle.
Photograph 51
FROM STEM TO STREAM | MAY 10, 2020 @ 1:00 PM Hear from local scientists, teachers, and arts advocates regarding STEM learning and the importance of arts and reading integration into the sciences.
20th Century Blues
OH SNAP! | JUNE 21, 2020 @ 1:00 PM Local panelists bring photographers' lifelong projects into focus with an accompanying installation of local artists' work.
Admission is FREE but reservations are required!
Limited space | Reserve through the ETCdirector's Box Office notes | 19
PLAY IN PROGRESS
Charlie Clark and Natalie Bird. Jude Walker and Emily Fink.
Max Meyers and Charlie Clark.
Music Director Steve Goers and McKenna James Farmer.
20 | play in progress
PLAY IN PROGRESS
Charlie Clark, Max Meyers, and Sara Mackie. Emily Fink.
Natalie Bird, McKenna James Farmer, and Emily Fink.
Sara Mackie.
play in progress | 21
Fun Home:
Juxtaposing Bruce and Alison “My Dad and I were exactly alike. My Dad and I were nothing alike.” —Alison Bechdel, Fun Home Fun Home, based on the family history of self-identified lesbian writer and comic artist Alison Bechdel, revolves around the everyday reality of Bechdel’s family throughout different stages of her life. Both the graphic novel and the musical adaptation touch on themes of appearance, identity and family dynamics and, inevitably, delve into the crossover of these themes between Alison and her father, Bruce. As the musical unfolds, it becomes clear that Alison and Bruce are similar people who rely upon one another in a unique way. Although Alison does not initially notice the similarities, regarding her father as somewhat of an outsider who doesn’t understand much of her life, there is substantial overlap in the ways that they both exist, especially in terms of these touchstones in their lives. Bruce Bechdel is notably recognized as a man who prides himself on appearances from the start of the story: he is obsessed with the cleanliness and the lavish environment he has curated in his family’s home, and is incredibly invested in his personal appearance on top of this. Alison struggles with appearance in that femininity is perpetually projected onto her by her father and others around her. This difference in perspective of appearance from her father also touches on the generational divide between their queer identities. Bruce feels that he and his daughter need to maintain a standard sense of a ‘normal’ appearance, but Alison desires something entirely separate from the girlish style that she was supposed to want.
22 |
In the scene where Alison sings "Ring of Keys," this is especially evident; she becomes enamored with the delivery woman, identifying with her in a way that she does not yet really understand, but relates to nonetheless. Queer identity and embracing one’s truth(s) are also themes that cross over heavily between Alison and her father: both are afraid to fully embrace different aspects of their personality and this becomes increasingly evident as the musical progresses. Bruce and Alison share a similar identity, but present it differently to the world. When Alison does come out to her parents as gay, her father responds with support of identity experimentation, prompting the acknowledgment of Bruce’s closeted bisexuality. However, as Alison fully embraces her identity and projects it, Bruce continues to hide his behind the curtain of marriage and his various hobbies. Alongside of their identity and appearance to the world, though, Alison and Bruce are incredibly similar in that they rely on each other and possess a similar hunger for knowledge and academia. They also entirely understand what the other has endured when it comes to their identity and mindset regarding it. Alison grows up watching her father hide his truth, and in her youth she learns to embrace it. She soars above and comes into her own while Bruce supports her, just like he did when she wanted to play airplane.
As he launched me, my fuLl weight would fall on the pivot point betwEen his feEt and my stomach.
Like many fathers, mine could oCcasionally be prevailed on for a spot of “airplane.”
oOf!
it was a discomfort welL worth the rare physical contact, and certainly worth the moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
in the circus, acrobatics wheRE one person lies on the floor balancing another are called “icarian games.”
Page 3 from Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. Copyright © 2006 by Alison Bechdel. 1 Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
3
JUXTAPOSING BRUCE & ALISON | 23
Sara Mackie, Denise Devlin, Brooke Steele, & Mia Gentile in Winter Wonderettes. Photo by Sandy Underwood.
GET CLOSER TO THE THEATRE YOU LOVE
Join The Producers for exclusive events and experiences that bring you closer to all the magic on and off stage!
THE PRODUCERS Lucy Allen Louis & Judy Belli Barbara Carr* & Bren Blaine James Cissell & Carolyn Ford Brian & Elizabeth Coley Pamela & Charles Colman Mary* & Scott Donaldson Melanie Garner* & Michael Berry Linda & Gary Greenberg Linda Holthaus* & Richard Zinicola Betty Huck* Dan & Karen Hurley
Betty Prince Carol Purnell Alva & Leon Reid Carol* & Steven Reubel Jerri Roberts & Jim Thomas Lynn Ryan Susan Schertzer* Norma Skoog Martha Spiess Paula Steiner Julie Stothfang Glenda Suttman
Diane Iseman Robert Keith & Kathleen Thornton-Keith Allen Middleton David & Diane Moccia* Norah & Joe Mock Patricia Myers & Alan Flaherty
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Margaret & Michael Valentine Terry & Pann Webb Ronna* & James Willis Patricia* & Joseph Witson Dennis & Patti Worthen
Visit www.ensemblecincinnati.org to learn more about becoming a member of The Producers.
READ ON. BOOKS
Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel (Graphic Memoir)
Calling Dr. Laura by Nicole Georges (Graphic Memoir)
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
HEADER B
Materials inspired by Fun Home, courtesy of
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson (Fiction)
MOVIES
Pariah Beginners The Glass Castle
by Roz Chast (Graphic Memoir)
2.5 Minute Ride and 101 Humiliating Stories
CD Caroline, or Change
by Lisa Kron (Nonfiction)
In the Darkroom
by Abby Wambach (Nonfiction)
All materials available through your local library branch.
Ensemble Holiday Brunches Sat, Dec 7th & Sun, Dec 8th, 12:00 – 1:30 pm Brunch bites and drinks $35 for adults | $20 for ages 18 & under
Reservations: (513) 421-3555 or www.ensemblecincinnati.org
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SPECIAL EVENT
Seth Rudetsky's
Deco nstru cting Broadway
AT ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI
SHOWS ONLY! ✩ ✩ TWO MON, OCT 21 @ 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm Sirius/XM radio's Broadway host Seth Rudetsky brings his hilarious one-man show to ETC! Featuring his trademark deconstructions of "the good, bad, and the headache-y" of Broadway's best, Deconstructing Broadway is described as a combination of “The Tony Awards” and “The Daily Show." This award-winning show recently played to a sold-out crowd in London where it received 5-star reviews and was called “blindingly brilliant,” “fantastic,” “hysterical,” a “mustsee,” and “nothing short of brilliant!”
FOR TICKETS: 26 WWW.ENSEMBLECINCINNATI.ORG | or (513) 421-3555
Learn more at www.artacademy.edu/150
WINNER! BEST MUSICAL ALL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ALADDIN AND THE CO-DIRECTOR OF
THE BOOK OF MORMON THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE SMALL TOWN THAT WELCOMED THE WORLD
FEB 21 - MAR 5 SEPTEMBER 17MAR - 29 21 - 26 ARONOFF CENTER
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BroadwayInCincinnati.com CincinnatiArts.org • 513.621.ARTS | 27
CAST BIOS NATALIE BIRD (Alison) is excited to be making her Ensemble Theatre debut! She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Wright State University, where she appeared in the Tina Landau-directed States of Independence. Off-Broadway: The Top Job!. Other New York theatre: The Cherry Orchard, Columbia Stages; Edward II, Isle of Shoals; HeeHaw: It’s a Wonderful Life, Levin Productions; and Variety Show on A Weekday, for which she also wrote. Regional credits: Lizzie, Human Race; and The Christians and In the Next Room: The Vibrator Play, Athens West. Her film credits include: The Bourne Legacy. Television/Web: Unforgettable and Dominatrix Breakroom, which she also wrote. She is currently a teaching artist at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Instagram: @dottieilikeyou. www.nataliebird.com. CHARLIE CLARK (Bruce Bechdel) has lived throughout the Midwest and was last seen at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in Violet. Other Ensemble credits include Dr. Madden in Next to Normal, Don in Rapture, Blister, Burn, Benny in Hands on a Hardbody, Pastor Jay in Luna Gale, and Brandon in Next Fall. Other local credits include Church Girls, Take Me Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, On Golden Pond, Carousel, Love’s Labour’s Lost, See What I Wanna See, The Full Monty, and Sunday in the Park with George. Chicago credits include: Company (Jeff Award), Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and Sweeney Todd. Twin Cities: Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls and Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins. Much love to Greta, Ben, Jack, and Owen. For Scot. McKENNA JAMES FARMER (Small Alison) is excited to be performing her first lead role in Fun Home at Ensemble Theatre. Ms. Farmer lives in Cincinnati with her family and is a 4th grader at St. Veronica School. In addition to singing and acting, she enjoys reading and playing basketball and volleyball. She would like to thank her mom, dad, and sister Teagan for all their love and support. She is grateful for this opportunity and the support given by the cast, crew, and director. EMILY FINK (Medium Alison) is an NYC-based performer and 2018 graduate of University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Her Cincinnati performing credits include: Mack and Mabel (Mabel Normand), They Were You, Sondheim on Sondheim, Lysistrata Jones, and Jesus Christ Superstar, CCM; and appearances with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s children’s series. Regional professional productions include Sophie in Mamma Mia! and Kari in Always a Bridesmaid, Flat Rock Playhouse; and Eileen in I Love a Piano, Totem Pole Playhouse. Ms. Fink is thrilled to be back in Cincinnati working with Ensemble Theatre! Huge thanks to the the cast, crew, and creatives. Love to the Fink family, Adam, MT18 and as always...#ToTheMax.
28 | cast bios
CAST BIOS SARA MACKIE (Helen Bechdel) is grateful to be a player in this production at Ensemble Theatre, where some of her credits include Hands on a Hardbody, all three Wonderette iterations, Rabbit Hole, Mauritius, and many holiday favorites since 1999. She is a Wright State Acting BFA program alum and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Other favorite regional credits include: An Act of God, Twelfth Night, Family Ties, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune. She appears briefly in the feature films The Public and the forthcoming Dark Waters. She thanks Lynn and Ensemble for this opportunity and sends love to Michael and the girls. A special thank you to Ma, who reminded her that on the piano, the pedal in the middle is to separate the other two. Hats off to you all for supporting live, local, professional theatre. www.saramackie.com.
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CORPORATE MEETINGS • SPECIAL EVENTS • CASUAL GATHERINGS PRE- & POST-SHOW RECEPTIONS • LECTURES & DISCUSSION GROUPS
A variety of spaces available to accommodate your group!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: (513) 421-3555 x2111 or events@ensemblecincinnati.org cast bios | 29
CAST BIOS MAX MEYERS (Roy / Mark / Pete / Bobby Jeremy) In honor of his performance in Fun Home, Mr. Meyers is making a donation to the It Gets Better Project. To join him and learn more about the important work they do, visit www.itgetsbetter.org. Mr. Meyers is grateful to be in his hometown performing professionally for the first time since age 14. Off-Broadway credits: Lolita, York; and The Christians, Playwrights Horizons. National Tour: Buddy Holly Story. Other favorites: Last Five Years and HAIR (Claude). Next, he’ll be playing Billy Cane in Bright Star at Florida Studio Theatre. He sends immense gratitude to Lynn, his family, and all of his teachers and mentors. He earned his BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is a proud alum of The New Studio on Broadway. Dedicated to his grandfather, Mitchell Meyers, whose love of theatre lives on in him. www.maxmeyersonline.com @heyitsmaxmeyers. JUDE WALKER (Joan) is over the moon to be making their Ensemble Theatre debut! Most recently, Jude was seen in the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s touring productions of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and their personal favorite, Julius Caesar as Mark Antony. Last year, Jude published their first poetry book, For the Braves Ones, exploring themes of gender and sexuality. Jude is a proud graduate of the Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Jude is eternally grateful to their family for the unconditional love and to ETC for the opportunity to help tell such an important and personal story. Instagram: @jude.m.walker. HENRY WEGHORST (John Bechdel) is honored to be making his debut with Ensemble Theatre in Fun Home. His recent work includes: A Christmas Story, Cincinnati Landmark Productions; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; A Christmas Carol (20152017), Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; All My Sons, Stagecrafters, and five different productions with Cincinnati Opera. Mr. Weghorst is a fifth grader at Ruth Moyer Elementary School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, where he is a member of the Moyer School Chorus and the academic team. When not participating in the arts, he enjoys chess, Cub Scouts, basketball, and flag football. He would like to thank his family and friends for all of their love and support! ESPEN WELLS-JORDAN (Christian Bechdel) is delighted to have his debut with the Ensemble Theatre. He is a sixth grade student at Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, majoring in Drama and Vocals. Mr. Wells-Jordan has studied with the Cincinnati Boychoir and most recently performed as Fletcher in Disney’s Freaky Friday: A New Musical, directed by Drew and Lea Lachey. He is very grateful for this opportunity and thanks his family, friends, and teachers for their continued support and love.
30 | cast bios
1125 BAR Series SEPT 13
Red wines
OCT 25
Bourbon
DEC 13
Holiday cocktails
JAN 31
White wines
MARCH 20 MAY 1 JUNE 12
Red wines Bourbon Sparkling wines
TICKETS: $25 per subscriber per tasting; $30 for non-subscribers Drink selections and light bites curated by:
TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE ETC BOX OFFICE
For more content about this production of Fun Home, including videos, behind-the-scenes photos, interviews and more, visit ensemblecincinnati.org/fun-home
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CREATIVE TEAM BIOS LISA KRON (Librettist/Lyricist) is a writer and performer whose work has been widely produced in New York, regionally, and internationally. Her plays include Well, 2.5 Minute Ride, and The Ver**zon Play. She wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Fun Home (with music by composer Jeanine Tesori), winner of five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Ms. Kron and Ms. Tesori were the first all-woman team to ever receive a Tony Award for best score. As an actor, Ms. Kron was most recently seen as Mrs. Mi-Tzu and Mrs. Yang in the Foundry Theater’s acclaimed production of Good Person of Szechuan (Lortel Award, Outstanding Featured Actress). Honors include a Guggenheim fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artists Award, and the Cal Arts/Alpert Award. She is a proud founding member of the OBIE- and Bessie-Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers. Currently, she serves as Secretary of the Dramatists Guild Council and on the boards of the McDowell Colony and the Lilly Awards. JEANINE TESORI (Composer) has written a diverse catalog for Broadway, opera, film, and television. Her Broadway musicals include: Fun Home (2015 Tony Award Winner and Pulitzer finalist), Violet, Caroline, or Change, Shrek the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Twelfth Night (LCT), and John Guare’s A Free Man of Color. Delacorte: Mother Courage (starring Meryl Streep). She has received five Tony nominations, three Obie Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. The hallmarks of her work have been described as "close-to-the-surface emotion, structural rigor and rhythmic drive." Her operas include: The Lion, the Unicorn and Me, Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (MET/LCT Opera/Theater and Glimmerglass Opera commission); and her upcoming collaboration with Tazewell Thompson, Blue, was commissioned for Glimmerglass Opera company and will premier there next season. She wrote the musical featured in the 2016 revival of Gilmore Girls and has also written special material for artists such as The Girl in 14G for Kristin Chenoweth and has been featured in documentaries Show Business and Theater of War. Ms. Tesori became the founding Artistic Director of a new concert series at New York City Center called Encores! Off-Center for which she has helmed seasons joined by artists such as Stephen Sondheim, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Randy Newman, William Finn, Alan Menken, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Sutton Foster, and Jonathan Groff. After producing four seasons of Off-Center concerts, she took one of those concerts, Sunday in the Park with George (starring Jake Gyllenhaal) to Broadway where she produced the 2017 revival, with ATG and Riva Marker. She was the recording producer for Sunday as well as the Original Cast Recordings of Violet, Caroline, or Change, Shrek, Twelfth Night, etc. A lecturer in music at Yale and on faculty at Columbia University, Tesori has spoken and taught at universities and programs all over the country. She is the founding Creative Director of the non-profit A BroaderWay, an arts empowerment program for young women. She was given the Einhorn Mentorship Award by Primary Stages for her exceptional work with young artists. Her daughter, Siena Rafter, is a sophomore at Brown University.
32 | creative team bios
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS ALISON BECHDEL (Author) is an internationally beloved cartoonist whose darkly humorous graphic memoirs, astute writing, and evocative drawing have forged an unlikely intimacy with a wide and disparate range of readers. For twenty-five years, Ms. Bechdel selfsyndicated Dykes to Watch Out For. The award-winning generational chronicle has been called “one of the pre-eminent oeuvres in the comics genre, period” by Ms. Magazine. From the strip was born the now famous “Bechdel Test,” which measures gender bias in film. Her first graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was named the Best Book of the year by TIME, describing the tightly-architected investigation into her closeted, bisexual father’s suicide “a masterpiece about two people who live in the same house but different worlds, and their mysterious debts to each other.” Fun Home was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award and was adapted into a Broadway musical that has won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. She was the recipient of a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship and in 2014 she received a MacArthur “Genius” Grant. In their citation, the MacArthur Foundation noted that Ms. Bechdel “is changing our notions of the contemporary memoir and expanding the expressive potential of the graphic form.” In 2017, she was ushered in as Vermont’s third cartoonist laureate.
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creative team bios | 33
DIRECTOR BIO D. LYNN MEYERS (Director) is the Producing Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre, where she has directed more than 100 world and regional premieres, including The Wolves, Ripcord, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hands on a Hardbody, Detroit ’67, I Am My Own Wife, Next to Normal, and The Dancing Princesses. She began her career as the Associate Artistic Director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, has directed OffBroadway at the York Theatre, and has directed extensively throughout the US and Canada. As a member of the Casting Society of America, Ms. Meyers's recent feature credits include Carol, The Old Man & the Gun, and The Public in addition to serving as the Location Casting Director for The Shawshank Redemption. She was named a finalist for the Zelda Fichandler National Award in 2011, is a past recipient of the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award, and recipient of the 2018 Rosa F. and Samuel B. Sachs Fund Prize for her regional arts impact and leadership.
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34 | director bio
PRODUCTION BIOS BRIAN c. MEHRING (Set & Lighting Designer) has designed more than 100 productions at Ensemble Theatre. His favorite productions include Thom Pain (based on nothing), Next to Normal, 33 Variations, Freud's Last Session, and I Am My Own Wife. Mr. Mehring’s regional favorites for set design include The Last 5 Years and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Henry IV, Part 1, The Georgia Shakespeare Festival; and I Am My Own Wife, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Peterborough Players, and Florida Studio Theatre. REBA SENSKE (Costume Designer) is the Associate Costume Designer at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. She has designed costumes for Ensemble Theatre's Becky's New Car, 33 Variations, Mauritius, Grey Gardens, The Seafarer, Rabbit Hole, Souvenir, String of Pearls, I Am My Own Wife, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), among countless others. Some of her CCM credits include Hot Summer Nights, Violet, We Tell the Story, Singin' in the Rain, The Boys from Syracuse, Oklahoma!, Big River, and Guys and Dolls. She designed Noah's Flood for the May Festival and is Cincinnati Opera's Costume Manager. She designed Song from the Uproar, Ainadamar, Cosi Fan Tutti, and Calisto for the Cincinnati Opera. MATT CALLAHAN (Sound Designer) was the Resident Sound Designer for Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons. His most recent designs for Ensemble Theatre include The Wolves, Ripcord, Fly By Night, St. Nicholas, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mr. Callahan was also a co-creator/designer of Rock n’ Roll: The Reunion Tour. He spent two seasons as the Resident Sound Designer at The Eugene O’Neil Center for their National Playwrights Conference. He was formerly the sound engineer for Steppenwolf Theatre, the Assistant Engineer for Blue Man Chicago, and a member of the disbanded Defiant Theatre. He received a Jeff Citation for Red Dragon, a nomination for Fortinbras, and a Kevin Kline nomination for Sherlock Holmes. PATTI JAMES (Choreographer) is happy to be back at ETC, where her credits include: Fly By Night, Violet, Next to Normal, Marvelous Wonderettes, Grey Gardens, and the role of Lottie in Mack and Mabel. For almost 20 years, she was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at CCM, teaching tap and jazz, as well as choreographing productions of Candide, The Full Monty, Wonderful Town, Little Women, Good News, Anything Goes, Evita, Into The Woods, The Merry Widow, Big River, Lysistrata Jones, and Mack and Mabel. For her involvement in Cincinnati theatre, Ms. James received the 2009-2010 Acclaim MVP Award. For eight years, she directed and choreographed Home for the Holidays, featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. For the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, she choreographed the 2004 Today’s Tonys, and the 2007 Red, White and Boom at Riverbend. She also choreographed the production of Mariel for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and has worked on a number of productions with The Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky. Ms. James lives with Keith, her husband of 40 years, and they have two grown daughters, Alexis (husband Emmett and children Emmett, Auggie, Darcy, and Reggie) and Chloe (husband Eric and son Fletcher).
production bios | 35
PRODUCTION BIOS STEVE GOERS (Music Director) is thrilled to make his debut as music director at Ensemble Theatre. He has worked on previous Ensemble productions of The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Grey Gardens as conductor and keyboardist. He is an Adjunct Professor on the CCM Musical Theatre faculty and has worked with theatres throughout the region, including Playhouse in the Park and Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, as well as national and international tours. Mr. Goers has composed and orchestrated numerous works for theater and film including world premiere adaptations of Where the Wild Things Are, Peter Pan and Wendy, and the awardwinning feature film Over-the-Rhine. He is a graduate of the DePaul University School of Music and the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. SHANNON RAE LUTZ (Properties Master/Design Assistant) earned her Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music in 1996 and became Properties Master at Ensemble Theatre. Trained as a performer, she first appeared on ETC’s stage during the 1988-1989 New Works Festival. In 1991, she was granted an ETC internship. Now the Director of Apprentice Programming, she is honored to guide ETC’s essential ensemble: The Professional Acting Apprentice Company. Ms. Lutz would like to thank D. Lynn Meyers, Ruth Sawyer, and the Cincinnati theatre community and patrons for their generous, supportive, and tenacious spirit.
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36 | production bios
PRODUCTION BIOS JACK MURPHY (Technical Director) is excited to be in his seventh season at Ensemble Theatre. He grew up in the Cincinnati area and studied technical theatre at Hanover College. While there, he spent his summers at several different summer stock theatres including Georgia Shakespeare Company and the Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company as a carpenter. After graduation, he moved to Bellport, NY to work for The Gateway Playhouse as a carpenter and rigger, and he went on to work for Norwegian Cruise Line. After another summer at the Janiec Opera Company, he came full circle and returned home to Cincinnati. Mr. Murphy is eager to continue to do the cutting edge work ETC is known for and has enjoyed working on such productions as An Iliad, Grounded, and The Humans. BRANDON T. HOLMES (Production Stage Manager) is in his eighth season with Ensemble Theatre. Past regional credits include: Newsies, Legally Blonde and West Side Story, Lexington Theatre Company; Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone and Side by Side by Sondheim, LOOK Musical Theatre; and more than 20 productions with Music Theatre Wichita including Sunset Boulevard, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Miss Saigon, and Les Misérables, as well as productions with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park including Thunder Knocking on the Door, Merrily We Roll Along (directed by John Doyle), and A Christmas Carol. Other favorite credits include: Tribes, A Chorus Line, The Music Man, and The Legend of Georgia McBride. Love to his wonderful family and his fiancé, AJ, for their continued love and support. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. LEXI MULLER (Assistant Stage Manager) is delighted to be returning to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, where her previous credits include: The Wolves, Skeleton Crew, A Dolls House, Part 2, Ripcord, and Fly by Night. Other regional credits include: Sex with Strangers, The House, Legendale, and 26 Pebbles with the Human Race Theatre Company. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and a graduate of Wright State University, where she received her BFA in Stage Management. She would like to thank her friends, family, and her extraordinary mother for supporting her every step of the way. RAE KUHN (Scenic Charge Artist/Production Assistant) is thrilled to be in their fourth season at Ensemble Theatre. Rae graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Multidisciplinary degree focusing on fine arts, creative writing, and neuropsychology, however, technical theatre has been a hobby since high school. Rae is a former scenic artist for 3DX, and has worked in stage management, sound engineering, and special effects makeup for organizations including New Edgecliff Theatre, Falcon Theatre, and Cincinnati Landmark Productions. Rae began to paint backdrops for ETC's Education Department, which led to their current position at the theatre, where some favorite credits include: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Bloomsday, and When We Were Young and Unafraid.
production bios | 37
THE PREMIERE SOCIETY The Premiere Society recognizes individuals who have made gifts totaling $1,000 or more within the past year. The exceptional generosity of these donors supports ETC's mission of producing the very best in professional, contemporary theatre and vital community outreach. The following list includes donors whose gifts were received between July 5, 2018 and August 8, 2019.
WORLD CIRCLE ($10,000+) Anonymous (3) Mark & Wendy Armstrong ArtsWave Gale & Dave Beckett† The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation†‡ Tom & Annette Carothers† The City of Cincinnati† Burton & Susan Closson†‡ Corky & Rick Family Foundation The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. Harry & Linda Fath† William A. Friedlander Fund*†‡ GBBN Architects John & Gloria Goering Family Gift Fund The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./ US Bank Foundation† The Donald C. & Laura M. Harrison Family Foundation* Betty Huck‡ William & Mary Jane James†‡ The H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank & Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees‡ Macy's Messer Construction Co.† The Mitchell S. & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation† Ohio Arts Council P&G Fund*‡ The Daniel & Susan Pfau Foundation PNC Foundation Richard Postler & Manuel Hernandez Rotary Foundation of Cincinnati The Schueler Group The Shubert Foundation, Inc. Mary Stagaman & Ron Kull† State of Ohio through the Cultural Facilities Commission† Paul & Jill Staubitz The Sutphin Family Foundation‡ The Dudley S. Taft Charitable Foundation The Louise Taft Semple Foundation Ms Carol Talbot† Dale & Joyce Uetrecht Irwin & Barbara Weinberg Western & Southern Financial Fund‡ The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation The Dennis B. & Patricia L. Worthen Fund‡
NATIONAL CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999) William P. Anderson Foundation Denise & Martin Chambers Ehrsam Family Fund*‡ Jonathan & Kristine Garrett Jane & Chip Gerhardt†‡ Graeter's Suzanne Hasl‡ Debbie Hill LPK† Mr. & Mrs. David E. Moccia‡ Caroline Richards Moe & Jack Rouse Elizabeth Sawyer Selnick Fund* The Sittenfeld Family†‡
REGIONAL CIRCLE ($2,500-$4,999) Anonymous Holli Alexander Gordon Allen & Linda Baas‡ Marcia A. Banker & Jeffrey S. Schloemer‡ Amy Barhorst Mary Fiorini Alana & Shelly Gerson‡ Lorrence T. & Barbara W. Kellar Fund*‡ Stephen King & Lynne Miller† David & Judith Morgan Fund* Marilyn & Jack Osborn†‡ Neal Patel & Dr. Avani Modi†‡ Jackie Reau, Game Day Communications‡ Steven & Carol Reubel Marvin & Betsy Schwartz Fund* Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Thompson Hine LLP
CINCINNATI CIRCLE ($1,000-$2,499) Anonymous (5) Americana Arts Foundation Nicholas Apanius† Kathleen Bellamy Malcolm A. & Glenda Bernstein‡ Michael Berry & Melanie Garner† The Blatt Family Fund
Please bring any errors or omissions to our attention by contacting Josh Neumeyer: jneumeyer@ensemblecincinnati.org or (513) 421-3555 x2104.
38 | the premiere society
Chris Lewis & Alicia Bond-Lewis Karen & Christopher Bowman David Brashear‡ Mrs. Charlene Breidster Dale P. Brown‡ Dawn & Doug Bruestle§ Ken & Joan Campbell Barbara Carr & Bren Blaine College Hill Coffee Co. & Casual Gourmet Meredythe G. & Clayton C. Daley, Jr. Family Fund* Mark Dauner§ Douglas & Sara Dicken Fencl Family Fund* Alessandro Ferraris & Maria J. Martinez, in memory of Gordon Greene Bob & Mary Fitzpatrick‡ GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program Rita & Dennis Geiger† Bob Gerding Gilman Family Fund* Judith B. Green & Thomas M. McDonough Linda Greenberg Fund* Helen & John Habbert‡ Bob & Judy Heaton Marilyn P. & Joseph W. Hirschhorn Fund* Emily M. Hodges, in memory of Andy Wolf‡ Florette Hoffheimer Linda Holthaus & Richard Zinicola§ Erin Houlihan & John Bostick‡
Johnson Investment Counsel Tom & Sue Kirkpatrick Edward & Ina Loftspring Philanthropic Fund David Logan & Dale Hodges Anita & Ed Marks† David Martin Allen R. Middleton & Gary A. Daniels‡§ Anu & Shekhar Mitra Norah & Joe Mock Netherland Rubber Co. Dr. Patricia O'Connor Marilyn Z. Ott Joseph A. & Susan E. Pichler Fund*‡ The Reed Family Foundation Charles Scott Riley III Foundation Blake Robison & Connan Morrissey George & Caroll Roden Paula Steiner Summertime Kids Fund* Glenda Suttman† Steve F. Warkany Fund* Jo Ann Wieghaus‡ Andi Levenson Young & Scott Young Mike & Liz Zimmer† * A Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation † Capital Campaign Donor ‡ Next Great Act Donor § Sustaining Donor
the premiere society | 39
ANNUAL FUND ETC gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary individuals, families, and organizations whose support makes our programming possible and an integral part of our community. The following lists donors whose gifts were received between July 5, 2018 and August 8, 2019.
ACTORS ($500-$999) Anonymous (5) Chuck Altenau Laura Atkinson‡ Mike & Juliette Bezold Walter Blair† Mary & William Bonansinga Charitable Family Fund* Bryson Family Charitable Fund Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Matching Gift Program Melanie Burden Brenda & Steve Carter Philip Clayton Brian & Elizabeth Coley David Crotty & Joan von Handorf Susannah Davids & Steve Myer‡ Kathy DeLaura & Ron Steinhoff‡ Kathryn J. DeLong Jan Denton Carol S. Friel Donn Goebel & Cathy McLeod§
John & Martha Spiess Dee Stegman Elizabeth Stites & Kevin Randall The Sweeny Family Charitable Fund, in honor of Jack & Kit Overbeck Marcia Togneri Nancye & Thomas Van Brunt‡ Jennifer Verkamp Maureen & Larry Vignola Buzz Ward†‡ Ronna & James Willis Charitable Fund Wuerdeman Family Fund* Nora Zorich & Thomas Filardo Family Fund*
STAGE MANAGERS ($250-$499) Anonymous (3) Christine Adams Amy Alig Gail Barker, M.D. Henrietta Barlag‡ David & Elaine Billmire William & Eileen Bishop Family Fund Dabby Blatt Neil Bortz Mark Bowen§
Debra Hartsell & Michael James Daniel Hurley Keith & Patti James Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Matching Gifts Program Robert Keith & Kathleen Thornton Keith Daniel Brown & Mark Haggard Arleene Keller‡ James Cissell Carmen & Rich Kovarsky Susan Cohen & Robert Schmuelling Kroger Community Rewards Program Andrew F. Cone Kuby Family Fund* Jacqueline Conner Ginny & Rick Kuertz Margaret & Joseph Conway LaMacchia Family Foundation Jennifer & M. Vito Damiano Jane MacKnight & Dennis Johnson Kelly M. Dehan Mark D. Manley & Annette J. Wick Charles & Lois Deitschel Sophia McAllister Paul & Bev Diamond§ Patricia McKay Amy Diamond & Eddie Wolf Jill & Bruce Mitchell Mary Donaldson John & Deborah Moffatt Emilie & David Dressler Fund* Patti Myers & Alan Flaherty Igor & Jane Dumbadze James J. Nordlund Dennis & Catherine Dunwoodie§ Randall Olson Charles & Harriet Edwards Presidential Plaza Associates, LTD Mr. Steven Franks Hera G. Reines Sandi Gans§ Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Revelson The Gumbleton Family Becky & Ted Richards Patricia Hemmer Stephen & Helen Rindsberg Jim & Robin Huizenga Jayna & Dan Schimberg Charles D. King Abby & David Schwartz Mike & Laconia Smith Please bring any errors or omissions to our attention by contacting Josh Chris Spiess Neumeyer: jneumeyer@ensemblecincinnati.org or (513) 421-3555 x2104.
40 | annual fund
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS! To join our family of contributors with a donation of any size, please contact Josh Neumeyer: (513) 421-3555 x2104
Steve & Laurie Kiracofe Warren Leight John & Pat Leikhim Limestone Fund*† J.B. Lutz Family§ Jackie Mack & Ted Silberstein Kenneth T. & Molly M. Mahler mj Dynamics Scott & Kim Moening Janyt Pockros Lester Ratcliff George & Joan Rebeck Al Roane§ Jerri Roberts & Jim Thomas Marianne R. Rowe Fund* J.R. Rulon§ Richard Russell Martha & Lee Schimberg Jane Bogart Sellers§ Bryan Shick Eli E. Shupe, Jr. & Toby Ruben§ Susan & David Smith Sara & Gunter Storjohann§ Marty Tomb Rosalie P. van Nuis† Priscilla S. Walford Ann & Victor Warner Pann & Terry Webb§ Lois Widlansky Jay & Kate Wilford Karen Wittenberg§ Kathryn Wright§
CREW ($125-$249) Anonymous (11) Jim & Janice Amatulli Patricia K. Beggs Judith & Louis Belli The Bloch Family Fund Anna Braam Clint Bramkamp & Sheila Mudd Baker Christine & Alan Brown Dee Anne Bryll & Ed Cohen Michele & Kevin Cain§ Anne E. Charles, in memory of Richard Charles & Rebecca Parker
Sally Chatfield Dunn Patricia & Robert Clary Jacqueline Conner Barbara Cummins Sondra Davis Peggy Eberhard Charles K. Eckert Jerome & Jean Eichert‡ Linda Erpelding Barbara Feldmann Janice Flanagan & Bob Amott Maureen Flanagan & Will Groneman Joanne Glaser‡ Eugenie Goggin Lois Gushin Mary Pat & Jeff Harris Ann Hicks Diane Iseman Janice Kagermeier Dr. James & Harriette Katz Steve Krieger Charles & Jennifer Margolis‡ Anne McAdams Julia B. Meister Nancy G. Messer F. Lee Meyer Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Meyer Drs. Jacqueline & Steven Miller Family Mark Mitchell Neda & Bruce Nutley Ms. Kathleen O'Connell & Dr. H. Kenneth Peterson Paul & Mary Ann Odegard Fred & Leila Oliver Terry & Jill Parsons‡ David M. Piatt Fund* J. Dale Proffitt Lyle & Jean Ritze Fred & Sondra Ross Alfred & Stephanie Sassler Julie & Steven Shifman Mark Silbersack & Ruth Schwallie Mrs. James Simon Mary Lee & Louie Sirkin Norma Skoog Jamie Smith Keven Speece† Jerome Stein Fred & Anne Straus Charitable Fund Dennis & Helen Sullivan J. Michael & Patricia Thierauf Yvonne & Art Thomas Tom Umfrid & Phil Tworek Joseph Wessling Dick & Debbie Westheimer
* A Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation † Capital Campaign Donor ‡ Next Great Act Donor § Sustaining Donor
annual fund | 41
PATRON INFORMATION ETC BOX OFFICE HOURS Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm, and 2 hours prior to curtain. Weekend hours vary. CAMERAS & RECORDING DEVICES Actors’ Equity Association strictly prohibits the use of cameras or recording devices (including camera phones) in the theatre. ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS ETC offers audio-described performances, ASL-interpreted performances, wheelchair accessible seating, large-print programs, assistive listening devices, and sensory sensitivity items such as noise-canceling headphones and fidgets. SENSORY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCES Select performances offered for those with developmental disabilities and their families to enjoy the production with lighting and sound adjustments and other accommodations. SALE POLICY Single-ticket purchases are final sale with no refund. If a patron is a no-show for their reserved performance, ETC is under no obligation to reschedule his or her tickets. LATECOMERS & ADMITTANCE Latecomers are seated at the House Manager’s discretion and may be denied admission depending upon the demands or structure of a particular production. Should you need to leave the theatre during a performance, readmittance is not guaranteed. ETC reserves the right to deny admission and/ or remove any disruptive patrons from the theatre at any time. TAX CREDITS If you cannot attend your performance and cannot reschedule for another date, tickets released prior to performances by calling the ETC box office are fully deductible as a charitable contribution.
42 | patron information
1127 Vine Street circa 1927 Image courtesy of Fifth Third Bank archives.
PARKING Patrons may park at the Gateway Garage (accessible via 12th Street) or at the surface lot, both are conveniently located at the corner of Vine and 12th Streets. Parking is also available at Washington Park Garage and Mercer Commons Garage. CHILDREN Children under the age of 4 will not be admitted to productions unless otherwise advertised. Parents with disruptive children will be asked to leave the theatre. GROUPS & DISCOUNTS Groups of 8 or more can save on single-ticket prices. Student rates, rush discounts, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, ArtsWave Pass, and educator and military member discounts available for select shows (please consult your appropriate membership(s) for details and exclusions).
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