Photos: Know Theatre of Cincinnati Presents DICKLESS By Aisha Josiah

Know Theatre of Cincinnati prepares to bust through the winter blues with this electrifying dive into the seedy underbelly of a small Northern English town.

Dickless, the fourth production of our 25th Anniversary season, is a lightning-fast whirlwind through one single violent night in the underworld of Dunningham, England (pop. 3,230). Don't let the small-town vibe fool you ... it only looks idyllic on the surface.

Ride along with Saff and Oli as they dive down a rabbit hole in pursuit of revenge. Sure, they might both be craven, horny, slightly unwashed, and nearly feral, but they definitely know where you'll find all the best action in town. Playwright Aisha Josiah will have you on the edge of your seat as this story upends social mores, gendered expectations, and everything you think you know about small-town life.

Director, actor, writer, and UC professor Brant Russell joins us to direct Dickless. Brant's work as a director has been seen on our MainStage in Darkest Night at the Gnarly Stump (2016), The Man-Beast (2018), and In The Night Time (Before the Sun Rises) (2020); as an actor-musician, he appeared in Whisper House (2018), and audiences will see his playwriting work at the Know later this spring when his newest play Bankers closes out our MainStage season.

Dickless is presented at the Know following its world premiere at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For the first time, our production combines the text of that original production with Drowners, the companion play that Aisha Josiah wrote of the further adventures of Smith Henry and Titch, the antagonists of Dickless.

Dickless is for anyone who craves excitement, who loves the exhilaration of a wild night out, or who (even just secretly) loves the messiest of other people's personal dramas.

It's for anyone who's ever dreamed of being the protagonist in a criminal-underworld drama, a la the films of Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino.

It's for all the people who have struggled with decisions about which parts of themselves to show the world. It's for anyone who's been hurt by someone they trusted, and who fantasized, even fleetingly, about revenge. It's for people who know that even the most peaceful-seeming places buzz with activity under the surface, for those who know where to look.

Get ready for a wild night. Here's who you'll meet at the party:

We welcome Tess Talbot back to the Know MainStage to play the dual role of revenge-plot conspirator Saff and volatile blackmail victim Oli. Tess has previously appeared at the Know in Listen for the Light (2017), Ada and the Engine (2018), Mercury (2019), Girl in the Red Corner (2019), and Shock!: The Spine-Tingling Tale of Miss Spidra (2021).

Also returning to the Know MainStage is Jared Earland as Smith Henry, the handsome but frankly dim bloke who finds himself in over his head as his smear campaign against an ex spirals out of his control. Jared was last seen on the Know Mainstage in 2019 as a "Puff" in our smash-hit wizard spoof Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.

Rounding out the cast is Sydni Charity Solomon in her Know Theatre debut as Titch, the little sister who's out for revenge of her own. Sydni is a junior Acting student at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; we're so pleased to welcome her to the Know.

Join us on this electrifying quest through the seedy forgotten places where we'll seek justice ... but we're prepared to settle for revenge. Dickless runs January 27 - February 12, 2023, at the Know, and livestreams online on select dates.

Tickets are available on our website, knowtheatre.com, or by calling our box office at 513-300-5669.

Photo Credit: Dan R. Winters

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