Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Presents SNOW WHITE

From the creators of last year's smash hit Cinderella, comes the new world premiere musical Snow White that reminds us the true reflection of beauty and happiness can only be found within. The eighth collaboration between ETC perennial favorites David Kisor and Joseph McDonough, this enchanted and memorable musical will delight audiences of all ages this holiday season. With many family-friendly early evening performances, Snow White plays November 30-December 31, 2011. ETC Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers directs with choreography by Dee Anne Bryll and musical direction by Scot Woolley.

This inspired retelling of one of the most beloved fables of all-time is based upon the classic German fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, but forgoes several key elements of the traditional tale in exchange for a more modern tale full of comedy and adventure as well as steampunk-inspired costumes. In ETC's version, under the influence of the Mirror's magic, a vain and wicked Queen has placed a spell over the entire countryside to make it only half of what it once was. Instead of seven dwarves, there are seven "halflings," characters that are half-human, half-animal who have been placed under a spell, but who each exemplify important virtues such as compassion, courage, happiness and patience.

Each season, ETC produces a magical fairy tale musical written with families in mind. As a theatre that also seeks to nurture new audiences, ETC has specifically commissioned these shows that take classic fairy tales and give them a fresh, modern spin with contemporary cultural references to make the shows' message accessible for the next generation of arts patrons. In ETC's long tradition of "fractured fairy tales," this year's Snow White is no exception.

"When David and I first discussed the idea of creating Snow White, we decided to go back to the source material from the original Grimm fairy tale rather than take inspiration from the Disney version," explains ETC Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. "At the heart of this story is the theme of redemption. There is a reason why fairy tales are so enduring, because they teach us lessons of right and wrong, good and evil, and also because they offer us hope. But, those lessons aren't always realistic, that one character is purely good and another purely evil, and so we wanted to present a version that redemption is possible for anyone and that there's always the hope of a new day."
About the Cast

Sara Kenny (Snow White) makes her Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati debut. Ms. Kenny is currently an Acting Intern at ETC and understudied Diana in Next to Normal. Ms. Kenny is a Cincinnati native and recent BFA Acting graduate from Northern Kentucky University. Her NKU credits include Mrs. MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie, (Acclaim Award), Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Stephanie Crawford in To Kill A Mockingbird, Countess De Lage in The Women, and Rose Devornack in Working: The Musical. She has also played Kaye in The Taffetas, and Jenny in the regional premiere of Pseudonym with The Commonwealth Theatre Company. 

Michael Carr (Sebastian, the Prince) is a Cincinnati native and is a recent graduate of CCM Drama. Roles at CCM include: Andrey (Three Sisters), The Man (On the Verge: or the Geography of Yearning), and Barnett Lloyd (Crimes of the Heart), Elsewhere: Pap/The Duke (Big River!), and Pvt. Schelling (Bury the Dead) at the Carnegie Performing Arts Center.

Deb Girdler (Queen) has appeared numerous times on ETC's stage, often as the villain in the holiday shows. Her ETC credits include the evil fairy Wisteria in Sleeping Beauty, The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Betty in the smash hit The Great American Trailer Park Musical, as well as Old Bones in The Frog Princess. Ms. Girdler has appeared at the Olney Theatre as the Fairy Godmother in the now official version of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella as well as in La Cage Aux Folles at the Gateway Playhouse in New Jersey. A CCM graduate, she began her career on the Showboat Majestic and has worked off-Broadway, in regional theatre, and in summer stock for over 30 years.

Michael G. Bath and Buz Davis team up as the Queen's dimwitted henchmen, Doom and Gloom, respectively. Mr. Bath returns to ETC's stage, having most recently appeared in ETC's productions of Next Fall, Cinderella, Becky's New Car and My Name is Asher Lev. Other regional credits include Superior Donuts with The Clifton Players and Angels in America at Know Theatre. Mr. Bath has also performed with Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Children's Theatre, the Performance Gallery, Showboat Majestic, and Stage First Cincinnati. Mr. Davis has appeared in two previous holiday shows at ETC: as the Jester in Jack In The Beanstalk, and a one-night performance as the Czar in The Frog Princess. His other ETC credits include: A Package Deal, A Slice of Buffalo, a Peace of Paris, Buckminster Fuller: In and Out of Universe and most recently Mauritius. Mr Davis' other regional credits include Superior Donuts with The Clifton Players, All's Well That Ends Well with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The History Boys with New Stage Collective, among others.

Kate Wilford (Mirror) has been seen in ETC's productions of Becky's New Car and Dead Man's Cell Phone, and the world premieres of Don't Make Me Pull This Show Over and Keeping The Faith. Her other ETC credits include Women Of Lockerbie, Wayfarer's Rest, and Death Defying Acts. This past summer she appeared in Bedroom Farce at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where she was also Lubya in The Cherry Orchard, Lady Capulet in Romeo And Juliet, and Kate Kneller in All My Sons. Ms. Wilford also appeared as Linda Lohman in New Edgecliff's Death Of A Salesman, which earned her both a CEA and an Acclaim Award for best leading actress. She served as the Artistic Director for Cincinnati Children's Theater for several years, and has directed for the Women's Theater Initiative and Xavier University. She is currently the executive director of Afterschool Acting, a non-profit dedicated to bringing local professional actors into area schools to teach and mentor.
Will Selnick (Cal the Skunk) also returns to ETC's stage, having appeared last year as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty. He is a recent graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Musical Theatre and Opera. A Cincinnati native, he performed The Star Spangled Banner at one of the Bengals' home games two years ago. Jared D. Doren returns to ETC as Juggles the Bunny. His other ETC credits include Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and The Frog Princess, A Question of Mercy, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Durang, Durang. Other local credits include Of Mice and Men at The Children's Theatre, 1776 with Downtown Theatre Classics, and Company with Showboat Majestic. He is currently the Associate Artistic Administrator for the Cincinnati Opera.
Annie Fitzpatrick (Ness the Turkey) has most recently appeared at ETC in Ghost-Writer, Next Fall, Becky's New Car and Dead Man's Cell Phone. Recently, she performed in New Edgecliff's production of Night of the Iguana. Her other ETC credits include Sleeping Beauty, Mauritius, Alice in Wonderland, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls, Ugly Duck, Intimate Apparel, The Exonerated, Earhart, and Dinner with Friends. She has also worked at St. Louis Repertory Theatre, CATCO, Human Race Theatre Co., Porthouse Theatre, Florida Stage, and Cincinnati Children's Theatre. 

Sara Mackie (Portia the Porcupine) recently was seen on ETC's stage in Winter Wonderettes, 25 The Musical, Cinderella, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Sleeping Beauty, Mauritius, and Alice in Wonderland. Her other credits include Linoleum in the uproarious The Great American Trailer Park Musical as well as the role of Izzy in Rabbit Hole. A graduate of Wright State University, she has previously performed on this stage in Ugly Duck, Cinderella, Cripple of Inishmann, A Sense of Place, War Games, Sleeping Beauty, and Around the World in 80 Days.

Ken Early (Moe the Mole), Lisa DeRoberts (Coo the Pigeon), and Acting Intern Andrew Maloney (Nuts the Squirrel), round out the ensemble cast.
Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), AaRon Clements (Technical Operations Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Coordinator & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Chuck Hatcher (Sound Designer), Reba Senske (Costume Designer), Dee Anne Bryll (Choreographer), and Scot Woolley (Musical Director). The Stage Manager is Constance Dubinski.

Performance & Single Ticket Information

Show schedule varies by week because of the holidays. Evening performances are at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and are at 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. Matinee performances are at 2:00 p.m. on all Saturdays and Sundays, as well as select weekday performances throughout the run of the show. A complete calendar is available at www.cincyetc.com.

Ticket prices for weeknight performances are $36; weekend performances are $42. Children's tickets (ages 12 and up) are $16.

Senior/student, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people. A full list of available discounts is available on ETC's website.

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