Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati's 30th Anniversary Season to Feature GROUNDED, BUYER AND CELLAR & More
By: Tyler Peterson May. 04, 2015
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) has announced its 2015-2016 Season, which also marks the theatre's 30th Anniversary Season. The season features an exciting selection of four regional premieres including: a sharp-eyed contemporary drama focusing on one of most complicated and controversial American social institutions; an hysterical new comedy fresh off its chart-topping run Off-Broadway; and a spellbinding, ripped-from-the-headlines award-winning one-woman drama. Additionally, 2015-2016 will welcome back the return of one of ETC's beloved holiday musicals.
About the Plays
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati's thirtieth anniversary season opens with the regional premiere of Luna Gale (September 8-27, 2015) by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman. The Los Angeles Times called this powerful, haunting drama about the difficulty of knowing how to do good in the world "one of this year's most valuable additions to American drama." Caroline, a veteran social worker, thinks she has a typical case on her hands when she meets Peter and Karlie, two teenage drug addicts accused of neglecting their baby. But when she places their infant daughter in the care of Karlie's mother, Caroline sparks a family conflict that exposes a shadowy, secretive past-and forces her to make a risky decision with potentially disastrous consequences. Powerful and arresting, Luna Gale is a heartbreaking and unforgettable tale of love and betrayal.
The season continues with the regional premiere of Jonathan Tolins's acclaimed Off-Broadway hit Buyer and Cellar (October 13-November 1, 2015), which will star Cincinnati native Nick Cearley (Next to Normal, The Great American Trailer Park Musical). This outrageous one-man comedy swept the Best of 2013 Theatre lists including The New York Times, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, NPR, Newsday, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, and Entertainment Weekly, among many others. What's a renowned diva to do with decades of memories that light the corners of her mind? And where to put the acres of memorabilia bursting the seams of her lavish Malibu estate? If you're Barbra Streisand, you enshrine them in a mini-mall in your basement where you can pretend to go shopping! Out-of-work actor Alex More can't pass up the oddest of odd jobs-an offer to play shopkeeper for one tough customer who doesn't let anyone rain on her parade. Soon it begins to take a toll on his patience, his love life, and his view of people (who need people).
For the holidays, ETC features the return of Cinderella (December 2, 2015-January 3, 2016) with book by Joseph McDonough, lyrcis by David Kisor, and music by Fitz Patton. Throw out that glass slipper and break out your library card, because ETC's Cinderella is utterly spec-ta-cular! What do you get when you combine a nearsighted bookworm heroine, two fabulously self-absorbed stepsisters, one devilishly diva stepmother, along with a self-empowering Well-Wisher? A fresh, fun contemporary take on the classic fairy tale that demonstrates being smart is true beauty. When the king pressures his romantically challenged son to choose a bride from hundreds of "applicants," a cross-country tour of the kingdom to reunite a missing sneaker-yes sneaker!-with its rightful owner ensues. From the creators of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, this enchanted and memorable musical will delight audiences of all ages this holiday season.
For winter 2015, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will present the regional premiere of the award-winning, one-woman show Grounded (January 26-February 14, 2016) by George Brant. An unexpected pregnancy ends an ace fighter pilot's career in the sky. Reassigned to operate remote-controlled military drones in the Middle East from a windowless trailer outside Las Vegas, she hunts terrorists by day and returns to her family each night. As the pressure to track a high-profile target mounts, the boundaries begin to blur between the desert in which she lives and the one she patrols half a world away. The pilot's struggle to navigate her dual identities may be her toughest mission yet.
In the spring, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will stage a regional premiere to be announced. Production dates for this show are scheduled to be March 22-April 10, 2016.
Finally, to close out the 2015-2016 Season, in honor of the 30th Anniversary, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will bring back one of its previously staged productions, the acclaimed musical Violet, with music by Jeanine Tesori (Caroline Or Change, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek) and libretto by Brian Crawley, which won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical when it premiered off-Broadway in 1997. Originally presented by ETC in 1999, the production was well received, but few audiences had the opportunity to see it. Over the years, as ETC's audience has steadily increased, this restaging will allow many more patrons the chance to attend, as well as the theatre to celebrate a past production. Scheduled dates for this production are May 3-22, 2016.
With a score of show-stopping anthems ranging from American-roots to folk to gospel, Violet tells the story of a young woman's quest for beauty amidst the image-obsessed landscape of the 1960s. Facially disfigured in a childhood accident, Violet dreams of a miraculous transformation through the power of faith. Convinced that a televangelist in Oklahoma can heal her, she hops a Greyhound bus and starts the journey of a lifetime. Along the way, she forms unlikely friendships with her fellow riders, including a young, African-American Soldier whose love for her reaches far past her physical "imperfections."
About ETC's History
In 1986, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati drew back its curtains with the intended purpose of supporting local professional artists and a steadfast belief in the transformative power of the arts to create sustainable and attractive communities. After performing for two subscription seasons at Memorial Hall and following an extended search throughout the downtown area, the fledgling theatre moved to its present location at 1127 Vine Street in historic Over-the-Rhine with financial support from co-founders John and Ruth Sawyer and Ken and Mary "Murph" Taft Mahler. The theatre then secured a contract with Actors' Equity Association and opened its doors in 1988 as a fully professional theatre, presenting a wide range of productions, including classics and contemporary theatre. Then, in 1996 ETC sharpened its mission as a theatre solely dedicated to producing new works and introduced several educational outreach programs focusing on economically disadvantaged children. Today, Ensemble Theatre remains the Greater Cincinnati area's second largest professional theatre, with a subscription base of over 2,200 patrons and drawing nearly 30,000 attendees annually.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions to the 2015-2016 Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati season are available now in a variety of packages. Due to popularity, ETC will continue to offer a 5-show Tuesday evening Preview Subscription for just $125 (package excludes holiday production). Regular subscription prices are $180-$192 for seniors; adult subscriptions range from $192 to $210. The popular FlexPass is $202, which includes six flexible tickets to use for any show and in any combination.
Student Subscriptions
The 2015-2016 season will continue to offer a robust suite of affordable ticket and program options designed specifically for local area teens and students to experience professional theatre. This includes a $120 Student Subscription available for any performance and which provides a seat for each of the six productions during the season. Additionally, ETC will continue its $90 Teen Scene Subscription, a deeply discounted subscription option exclusively for students ages 13-19 (available select dates only).
Single Tickets
All single tickets for the 2015-2016 Season go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 3, 2015 at
10:00 am. Subscribers, however, may start making exchanges, purchasing additional tickets, or reserving their FlexPass dates during Subscriber Only Days, July 27-August 2, 2015.
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