Know Theatre of Cincinnati is proud to present encore performances of the The Success Show and Incredulity formerly seen at the 2009 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. "Both of these shows received strong positive audience feedback during the Festival. We also heard from many patrons that they were unable to fit the shows in their Fringing schedules, so we decided to bring them back for a kind of "2009 Fringe Revisited" weekend. I wasn't able to see either show during the Festival, so I'm excited to get another chance," says Eric Vosmeier, Know Theatre & The Cincinnati Fringe Festival's Managing Director.
The Success Show is a new play about a motivational and wealth-building seminar that's not very motivational and goes horribly awry. Enjoy massive PowerPoint failures, divisive team-building exercises, and perhaps the most provocative uses of the words "synergy", "leverage", and "successulation" ever to be put into a recession-era comedy.
The Success Show features local actors George Alexander and Randy Lee Bailey. This hour-long performance treats the audience as if they are attending a "Self-Help/Wealth-Building" seminar at a hotel conference hall. The seminar is facilitated by Denny Martin (Alexander), who shares his insights and proprietary methods for achieving greater success in business and personal relationships. With the help of his associate, Arnie Laughlin (Bailey), and their "4 For Success Levers" approach, they almost nearly do just that. The Success Show is A Finite Number Of Monkeys Production. Written by Michael Comstock. Stage Managed by Josh Neumeyer.
"Comstock and team understand the territory well, and the show is full of silly maxims and mantras that sound almost like the actual affirmations you'd expect from Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and the rest that make their millions telling you how to make your millions," says Nicholas Korn of CityBeat.
Brian Griffin of The Conveyor applauded "They captured the reality of the characters and then brought it over to satirical side without letting go of the actuality of these characters. The audience interaction is funny, fresh and unpredictable. The turns that the story takes come out of nowhere. Everything about this show works."
As a part of this special Fringe encore weekend, Know Theatre also presents Incredulity. The forty-minute performance is an improv show that will be done for the first and last time each night it is performed. Don't believe them; don't be so incredulous. They'll take suggestions from the audience, put them into their random device, and create the show on the spot. Wherever the wheel spins, the dart lands, or whatever other random act of nonsense occurs will determine what happens in the show. Failure is a distinct possibility. You won't believe what's happening right in front of your eyes. Of course you won't, that's the name of the show. This show has no past, a hazy future, and only exists in the present.
"What you look for in an improv troupe is trust and familiarity, and the Incredulities display both. The actors are comfortable enough with each other to enter scenes and go with the flow, regardless of where it is headed," says Rodger Pille of CityBeat.
The Incredulities have a diverse improv background. Some of the members have trained in Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Some have performed with Second City, The Smarty Pants Theater Company, and The Wilhelm Scream. Some are afraid of the dark.
The Success Show will be performed August 27, 28, & 29 at 8pm at Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Tickets are $12 a piece and can be purchased online, or by calling Know Theatre's box office at 513.300.KNOW(5669). Bring your Fringe Festival ticket stubs and passes to get $2 of your ticket.
Incredulity will be performed August 28th at 10pm (doors at 9:30 pm) in Know Theatre of Cincinnati's Underground as a part of VINE-L Friday, the Final Friday event on Vine Street in the Gateway Quarter. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door only. Bring your Fringe Festival ticket stubs and passes to get $2 of your ticket.
For more information please visit Know Theatre of Cincinnati's website www.knowtheatre.com or call Know Theatre's box office at (513) 300 - KNOW (5669).
Know Theatre's mission is to create explosive and evocative live entertainment.
Know Theatre's vision is a world awakened to its collective possibility.
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