Rapture, Blister, Burn

ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI

The 2013-2014 Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Season D. Lynn Meyers, Producing Artistic Director

Premiere Sponsors:

Marilyn and Martin Wade

RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN

by Gina Gionfriddo

Directed by D. Lynn Meyers†

October 9-27, 2013

Set & Lighting Designer

Sound Designer

Costume Designer

Properties Master & Design Assistant

Production Coordinator & Master Electrician

Production Stage Manager

Technical Operations Director

Brian c. Mehring

Fitz Pattonǂ

Reba Senske

Shannon Rae Lutz

Matthew Hollstegge

Brandon T. Holmes*

Aaron Clements

RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN is presented by special arrangment with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

The photographing, video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

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.

*Cast/production 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.

‡ Production member belongs to United Scenic Artists, Local 829, a labor union representing designers and artists in the entertainment industry. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

SEASON SPONSORS:

Dr. & Mrs. Charles O. Carothers

Bill & Susan Friedlander

The Mitchell S. & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation

Ruth D. & John Sawyer

SEASON TICKET SPONSOR:

SEASON MEDIA PARTNERS:

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SUPPORTERS

William P. Anderson Foundation

The Charles H. Dater Foundation

The Andrew Jergens Foundation

P&G Fund

The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation

The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee

The Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation

Jack J. Smith, Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, N.A. and Karen B. Wachs, Co-Trustees

Target Toyota

The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

NEXT STAGE SUPPORTERS

Anonymous (2)

The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

City of Cincinnati

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

The Mitchell S. & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation

Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission

P&G Fund

Ruth D. & John Sawyer

SEASON ACCOMODATIONS SPONSOR

Garfield Suites Hotel

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS

Chet Cavaliere

Cincinnati CityBeat

Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, Interpreter Training Program

College Hill Coffee Co. & Casual Gormet

iSpyCincy.com

Lavomatic Café LPK

Suder’s Art Store

WGUC 90.9 FM

WNKU 89.7 FM

WVXU 91.7 FM

Yelp Cincinnati

® At LPK, art lives in everything we do. It inspires us to take chances, be innovative and shift the way we see, think and feel. We support the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and their passion for cultivating creativity in our community. Together, we celebrate the transformative power of the arts and their importance to our city’s heritage. What we create inspires, motivates and enriches our culture and our future. Visit us at lpk.com

CAST & CREW

CAST (in order of appearance)

Gwen Harper ................................................................................................ Jen Joplin*

Catherine Croll ............................................................................. Corinne Mohlenhoff*

Don Harper Charlie Clark*

Avery Willard ....................................................................................... Hannah Sawicki

Alice Croll.............................................................................................. Patricia Linhart*

RUNNING CREW

Assistant Director ...................................................................................... Ben Raanan

1st Assistant Stage Manager............................................................. Melissa Olberding

2nd Assistant Stage Manager .................................................................. Zak Schneider

Sound Board Operator Jeremy Parker

Light Board Operator .............................................................................. Becca Howell

Running Crew .......................................... Jared Hudson, Ben Raanan, Sola Thompson

Wardrobe ....................................................................... Jared Hudson, Jeremy Parker

UNDERSTUDIES

Gwen Harper .......................................................................................... Becca Howell

Catherine Croll .......................................................................................... Linnea Bond

Don Harper ............................................................................................. Jared Hudson

Avery Willard Sola Thompson

Alice Croll............................................................................................... Jeremy Parker

SETTING

A college town in New England; summer.

Rapture, Blister, Burn is performed with one intermission. Approximate total running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes.

PLAY/Back Series

Upcoming PLAY/Back Dates:

Rapture, Blister, Burn

Thursday, October 17th

Dr. Andrea Kornbluh

Head of History, Philosophy, & Political Science, University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash

Thurs, October 24th

Dr. Anne Runyan

Professor, Department of Women's Studies, University of Cincinnati

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I have long admired Gina Gionfriddo’s work; two of her other plays, After Ashley and Becky Shaw, were strongly considered to be part of past seasons here at ETC. When I read Rapture, Blister, Burn, I was captivated and delighted. In this one play she has managed to sum up both political and private outcomes of the women’s movement and has done so in a sexy, intriguing way.

Make no mistake though, Rapture, Blister, Burn is also a love story. The story of “the one who got away” and what happens when we get them back, is one that most of us have not been able to play out in our own lives. I adore that Gionfriddo allows us to go down the road less traveled and blaze a path exploring a future that most of us would feel is off limits.

Now in casting this play, the question of “what does the age 40 look like?” kept coming up. I can honestly say that it was a point of great discussion and great concern. We had to find women who were roughly 20 years apart. Corinne, Jen and Charlie (who play Catherine, Gwen, and Don, respectively) are close to being the exact same age so we chose the other two actors on either side of this triangle. How great that 40 is the new 30 and 60 the new 50, but how confusing when casting a play!

As a working woman who was raised by a working woman, who had been raised by a working woman, the whole notion of exploring the “women’s movement” was never discussed in our home. We simply lived it. We were women who were on the move, there were careers and families, successes and struggles.

Gina Gionfriddo is following in the extraordinary footsteps of Wendy Wasserstein, whose plays broke ground a few decades ago in bringing the challenge of being a “successful woman” to the stage. With The Heidi Chronicles and Uncommon Women and Others, she took the issues from the theoretical to the tangible and we watched them play out. As we women continue to reinvent and explore our roles at home and in society, having such remarkable writers capture our stories is indeed wonderful.

This play is smart, funny, and touching. Fantasies and fears entwine, cautious people leap into the deep end of the living pool without a life jacket. Even though it is October, we are taking one step back and sharing a special summer with five fascinating people. Enjoy the vacation.

-D. Lynn Meyers

by Joseph McDonough & David Kisor

BACKSTORY: HORROR 101

Reprinted with Permission from Playwrights Horizons

In Rapture, Blister, Burn, as rockstar academic Catherine whisks her motley class through a survey of feminism in the 20 th century, she finds startling resonances in the history of horror flicks. "Horror movies can be read," she tells them, "as the collective nightmares of the generations that produced them." Taking a cue from Catherine, a quick look at the trajectory of the horror genre reveals an unexpected history of 20 th century culture, as the anxieties and stresses unique to each decade are personified by the monsters we imagine, from zombies to psychopaths to enemies of state.

The '40s: As a real monster terrorized Europe, Americans were falling for "monster-horror," most notably The Wolf Man. Hitler often referred to the SS as "my pack of wolves," and gave Nazi bases names such as "Wolf's Lair" or "Wolf's Gulch."

The '50s: Nuclear Annihilation. Aliens. Communists. We feared everything from post-nuclear monsters like Godzilla to an Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in which aliens invade Earth and replace humans with clones—a parable that was either anti-McCarthy or anti-communist, depending on where you stood.

The '60s: After a decade of Cold War with nary a Soviet invasion, paranoia gave way to optimism. While everyone was turning on, tuning in, and dropping out, horror turned its critique toward American society. Often considered the first-ever subversive horror movie, Night of the Living Dead follows a black hero who survives an undead invasion only to be shot dead by the redneck living.

The '70s: Vietnam. Watergate. Oil strikes. Hostages in Iran. Disco. The progressive optimism of the '60s gave way to a "silent majority" in the '70s that feared a disintegrating national moral character. A monster could lurk within any normal American family. Whether it's your Mom (Shivers), Dad (The Shining), husband (The Stepford Wives), son (The Omen), or daughter (The Exorcist), the killer is inside...the...house!

The '80s: The conservative worries of the '70s came to a head in the era of New Coke. Someone had to bring the hard drugs and sexual liberation to a gruesome end. Somebody like, say, Freddy Krueger? Enter The Slasher Film, in which promiscuous teens avoid unwanted pregnancies and the threat of AIDS entirely by losing their heads before they can lose their virginities.

The '90s: By this time, America was just, like, so totally over horror. Flush from the tech bubble, we laughed at our old fears. Horror films were dominated by post-modern commentary on the genre in films like Scream or Peter Jackson's Braindead.

Which brings us to a new millennium and the trend of "Torture Porn," a subject that (as you'll see) proves divisive in Catherine's increasingly volatile classroom. Showing us every grisly detail, torture films reflect (according to academics and critics) a palpable feeling of American vulnerability. In Hostel (2005), for example, American backpackers go for a jaunt in a former Soviet-bloc country, only to be captured and tortured by foreigners. Whether this can be read as a comment on American exceptionalism or a reaction to Abu Ghraib, it's a possible insight to the American mindset, as pointed out by Gionfroddo's play, and evidenced by our relationship to horror films over time.

- Jerry Lieblich, Literary Resident, Playwrights Horizons

THE CAST

JEN JOPLIN (Gwen Harper) is thrilled to be making her Ensemble debut. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, a graduate of Wright State University, a resident artist with the Human Race Theatre in Dayton, and Development Associate at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Originally from St. Louis, she has worked across the country as an actress, voiceover artist, producer, and teacher. Some of her favorite roles include Annette in God of Carnage, Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Catherine in Proof, Maria in Twelfth Night, Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, Bun in The Love Talker, and Harper in Angels in America. She would like to thank Lynn for this opportunity to play with such a fantastic cast and crew. Her heart and thanks belong to Jason, her husband, and Max, her son, for all they do to help Mommy take the stage.

CORINNE MOHLENHOFF (Catherine Croll) is thrilled to be returning to ETC. She was last seen in Collected Stories. Ms. Mohlenhoff is a native of New Jersey and has spent time training and working in theaters in Pennsylvania, California, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. She has had the pleasure of working for various local theatres, including Human Race Theatre Company and Ovation Theatre Company. She is onstage most often at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where she was seen most recently in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the world premiere of Joe Stollenwerk’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Above all, she loves her role as Mom to her son and daughter. Special thanks to her Mom and Dad for all of their help and support, and thanks especially to Brian—for his boundless love, understanding, encouragement, and inspiration.

1/2 Price and $15 Student Rush Tickets Available For All Shows 2 Hours Prior to Showtime (Tickets and seating subject to availability)

THE CAST CONT.

CHARLIE CLARK (Don Harper), is thrilled to be back at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, where he was last seen in the remount of Next to Normal as Doctor Madden. Now an Indianapolis-based actor, he played Dan this past winter in Phoenix Theatre’s production of Next to Normal and was just seen in this summer’s sold-out run of Church Girls at Commonwealth Dinner Theatre at NKU. His previous Cincinnati credits include: Enoch Snow (Acclaim Award) in Carousel, Fagin in Oliver!, and Freddie (Acclaim Award) in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Carnegie; Brandon in Next Fall, Joe/Jerry in Grey Gardens, Man #2 in Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over, Prince Ivan in The Frog Princess, and Tweedledum in Alice in Wonderland, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; Boyet in Loves Labour’s Lost and Lord Chamberlain in Henry VIII, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. His other local credits include The Full Monty, Sunday in the Park with George, and Take Me Out, See What I Wanna See, Hello Again, and The Charlie Clark Show. Mr. Clark's Chicago credits include Gabriel in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Apple Tree Theatre; Harvey in The Hawkshaws, The Baum House; and Frank (After Dark Award) in Merrily We Roll Along, Jack (After Dark Award) in Into the Woods, and Robert (Jeff Award) in Company, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago, among others. Mr. Clark would like to thank his wife, Greta, and sons Ben, Jack, and Owen for letting him play. You can see what he is doing next at facebook.com/charlie.clark.actor.

HANNAH SAWICKI (Avery Willard) is so excited and grateful to be making her debut at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. She is returning home to Cincinnati, having graduated cum laude from Butler University with a B.A. in Theatre and a minor in Digital Media Production. Most recently Ms. Sawicki's favorite roles have been Selena in the devised piece Lunar 2.0 with Butler University, Princess of Rhyme in The Phantom Tollbooth with NoExit Performance, and Violet in the independent horror movie Coda. She would like to thank all of her family and friends for all of their love, support, encouragement, and advice for without which she wouldn't have ended up here. Enjoy the show!

THE CAST CONT.

PATRICIA LINHART (Alice Croll) is very excited to be working again at ETC. She has had the pleasure of being involved with the professional play readings of three world premiere musicals: Orphan Train, Campaign and River of Freedom. She comes to ETC from a successful run of Becky's New Car at the Human Race Theatre of Dayton where she is a resident company member. Other favorites at the Human Race include A Little Night Music, Harold and Maude, Closer Than Ever, and The Sisters Rosensweig. At Dayton’s Victoria Theatre, she has been seen in Quilters, I Hate Hamlet, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Green Gables. Other venues include The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Cincinnati POPS with concerts at Music Hall as well as Carnegie Hall. Ms. Linhart's day job is Educator, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre Voice at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she received the Ernest N. Glover “Outstanding Teacher Award.” She is a proud member of Actors' Equity.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

D. LYNN MEYERS is in her sixteenth season as the Producing Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati where she has directed over fifty world and regional premieres, including Good People, Alice in Wonderland, Next to Normal, and The Whipping Man. She recently directed The Pavilion at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Pride and Prejudice for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She directed Off-Broadway at the York Theatre with Marsha Norman’s Traveler in the Dark and James McClure’s Max and Maxie. Her regional work includes Capital Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Florida Stage, and the Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles where she directed the Sweet 16 anniversary production of Steel Magnolias. Her several Canadian national tours included Mass Appeal with the late great Gale Gordon. As a producer for Dove Audio, she produced and directed dozens of audio books. She served as the Associate Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Playhouse for several seasons where she cast over one hundred productions as well as directed in both the Marx and Shelterhouse theatres. In addition to her directing work, she is a member of the Casting Society of America and has cast for Hallmark, PBS, CBS, BBC, HBO, MTM, Paramount and MGM. Her favorite feature credit is serving as Location Casting Director for the Academy Award-winning Shawshank Redemption. She was named one of four finalists for the Zelda Fichandler National Award in 2011, honoring directors whose work is making an impact on the art form and their community. She was honored as a YWCA Woman of Achievement and given the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Continued Excellence. She is a proud graduate of Thomas More College and serves on the college’s Board of Trustees.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

GINA GIONFRIDDO has received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Lucille Lortel Fellowship, and a Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship. Her work includes After Ashley, Safe, Trepidation Nation , U.S. Drag (published in "Women Playwrights: The Best Plays of 2002") and Guinevere. After Ashley and U.S. Drag are published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

BRANDON T. HOLMES (Production Stage Manager) is currently in his second season with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Previous productions include Alice in Wonderland, Freud’s Last Session, and Black Pearl Sings!. He holds a BFA from Wichita State University in Technical Theatre and Design. This past summer, he served as Production Stage Manager for LOOK Musical Theatre in Tulsa, OK. There, he stage managed productions of Hello, Dolly, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Side By Side By Sondheim. He has also worked with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Music Theatre of Wichita, Theatre in the Park, Kansas City Starlight, and Wichita Center for the Arts. Favorite productions include Thunder Knocking on the Door, Merrily We Roll Along (directed by John Doyle), Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Producers, Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard. Thank you to the cast and design staff for making this a fantastic experience. Love to MDRJMAT. Proud Actors' Equity Association member!

BRIAN c. MEHRING (Resident Set & Lighting Designer) has designed over seventy productions at ETC. His favorite productions include: Thom Pain (based on nothing), James and Annie, Copenhagen, Blue/Orange, and I Am My Own Wife. Mr. Mehring’s regional favorites for set design include: The Last 5 Years and The Laramie Project, 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; and for video design, Hiding Behind Comets (Playhouse in the Park). Mr. Mehring has also served as Charge Scenic Painter for the Cincinnati Opera.  Mr. Mehring spent a season assisting mentor Paul Shortt at Teatro de Lucca and three seasons assisting Broadway Designer Robert T. Williams at Artpark in New York.

SHANNON RAE LUTZ (Properties Master/Design Assistant) earned her Master’s degree in 1996 and became Prop Master at ETC and since then she has “mastered” dozens of productions. Ms. Lutz would like to thank the Cincinnati theatre community and patrons for their generous, supportive and tenacious spirit. Trained as a performer, she first appeared on ETC’s stage during the 1989 New Works Festival. In 1991, she was granted an ETC Internship. Now the Director of Intern Programming, she is honored to guide ETC’s essential ensemble: the Intern Company. ETC performance credits include: Fiction,  Alice in Wonderland (1998, 2003, 2008, 2012), Poor Super Man, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Chronicles of Plague, A School for Scandal, Cinderella, Zorro, The Frog Princess, and Sleeping Beauty (2009, 2000). She would like to thank her family for their persistent love and support, Ruth for lessons in art, life, and integrity, and Lynn for her dedication to our dreams.

PRODUCTION TEAM CONT.

AARON CLEMENTS (Technical Operations Director) is now in his fourth year at ETC. He is a native of Charlotte, NC and received his B.F.A. in Theater with a design/technical emphasis at Greensboro College. Mr. Clements worked four seasons at Seaside Music Theater as a carpenter, master carpenter, metal shop foreman, and as the assistant technical director for a winter season. He received his M.F.A. in Technical Direction from UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. He has also worked as a carpenter for ETC’s productions of Grey Gardens and Alice in Wonderland.

FITZ PATTON (Sound Designer) has designed and scored more than 260 productions in 20 cities across the U.S, and was the designer for I'll Eat You Last, featuring Bette Midler at The Booth. In 2010, he was awarded both Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for his design for When the Rain Stops Falling at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, and was nominated again in 2011 for his work on The Other Place at MCC, which completed its Broadway run this winter at the Friedman. His symphony, The Holy Land, a 45-minute work for baritone, tenor, mezzo-soprano, and orchestra, was completed in January of this year, and he is the founder of Chance Magazine, a new theatre design magazine that debuted in May.

REBA SENSKE (Costume Designer) is CCM’s Associate Costume Designer. She’s designed costumes for ETC’s Becky’s New Car, My Name is Asher Lev, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, 33 Variations, Mauritius, Grey Gardens, The Seafarer, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Mary’s Wedding, Rabbit Hole, Souvenir, String of Pearls, I Am My Own Wife, Nite Club Confidential, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), among countless others. Her other credits include ETC’s world premiere holiday productions of Ugly Duck, Cinderella, The Frog Princess, Alice in Wonderland, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as Side Man, A Question of Mercy, Edward Albee’s Seascape, and Traveler in the Dark. Recent CCM credits include: Hot Summer Nights, Violet, We Tell the Story, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Other CCM credits include: Wonderful Town, The Boys from Syracuse, Oklahoma!, and Big River. She designed Noah’s Flood for the May Festival and is Cincinnati Opera’s costume coordinator. She designed Ainadamar, Cosi Fan Tutti and We Rise to Freedom for the Cincinnati Opera.

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 enables ETC to present world class new works and works new to the region by having the resources to achieve the highest level of artistic quality possible. The following list was updated September 21, 2013 and includes the names of donors whose gifts total $1,000 +  since July 1, 2012. For questions or corrections, please contact Ashley Johnson at (513) 421-3555, ext. 17.

WORLD CIRCLE ($10,000+):

Anonymous (2) ArtsWave

The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Lucille K. & Charles O. Carothers

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc.

William A. Friedlander Fund*

John & Gloria Goering Family Gift Fund

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

The Andrew Jergens Foundation

LPK

Macy's

Mitchell S. Meyers & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Ohio Arts Council

P&G Fund*

PNC Foundation

John & Ruth Sawyer Fund*

The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee

Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation

The Shubert Foundation, Inc.

The Estate of Andrew D. Smith

The Jack J. Smith, Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank and Karen Wachs, Co-Trustees

Marilyn & Martin Wade

NATIONAL CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999):

William P. Anderson Foundation CitiGroup

Mr. & Mrs. A.B. Closson, Jr. Crosset Family Fund*

Harry & Linda Fath*

Reuben Herzfeld Fund*

Kroger

Edward & Anita Marks

Messer Construction Co.

Richard Postler & Manuel Hernandez

The Dudley S. Taft Charitable Foundation

Thompson Hine LLP

Western & Southern Financial Fund

The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

REGIONAL CIRCLE ($2,500-$4,999):

Mary & William Bonansinga Charitable Family Fund*

Kenneth & Joan Campbell

Gallagher SKS

Dennis & Rita Geiger

Chip Gerhardt

Mr. & Mrs. Skip & Susan Hickenlooper

Stephen M. King & Lynne M. Miller

Marcene & Jim Kinney

* Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

MCF Advisors, LCC

David & Judith Morgan Fund*

Jack & Moe Rouse Fund*

Pete & Ginger Strange Family Fund*

UC Physicians Co.

CINCINNATI CIRCLE ($1,000-$2,499):

Anonymous (3)

Anatole Alper

Americana Arts Foundation

Nicholas Apanius

Mrs. Charlene Breidster

Thomas R. Dietz

Kathy DeLaura & Ron Steinhoff

Dee & David Dillon Fund*

John & Jen DuBois

Grace A. Epstein

Mary & Bob Fitzpatrick

Linda & Gary Greenberg

Bob & Mary Hamilton

Suzanne & Dr. Bob Hasl

Bob & Judy Heaton

Daniel Hurley

William & Mary Jane James

Cecilia & Tom Kloecker

Kroger Community Rewards Program

Mr. & Mrs. Jim & Nancy Lutz

Judith B. Green & Thomas M. McDonough

Dr. Lisa Jo Melnyk

Sharon & Graham Mitchell

Diane & Dave Moccia

Dr. Patricia O'Connor

Joseph A. & Susan E. Pichler Fund*

Sue & Jerry Ransohoff Fund*

Hera Reines

James & Sue Riley

Marvin & Betsy Schwartz Fund*

Jane Bogart Sellers

Shelly Shor Gerson

Linda & Andy Smith

Mary Stagaman

Paul & Jill Staubitz

Paula Steiner

The Corky & Rick Steiner Family Foundation

Glenda Suttman

Target Stores

Judith B. Titchener

Ed Trach

U.S. Bank

Mr. & Mrs. Anthony. Woodward

The Dennis B. & Patricia L. Worthen Fund

Mike & Liz Zimmer

OUR SUPPORTERS

ETC gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary individuals, families, and organizations whose generous support makes it possible for us to present exceptional theatre and unique educational outreach programs for our community. The following list was updated September 21, 2013 and includes the names of donors whose gifts total $125 +  since July 1, 2012. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. For questions or corrections, please contact Ashley Johnson at (513) 421-3555, ext. 17.

ACTORS COLUMN ($500-$999):

Anonymous (2)

Joan & Oliver Baily

Malcolm A. & Glenda Bernstein

Michael Berry & Melanie Garner

David & Elaine Billmire

Bob & Elaine Blatt

Rosemary H. & Frank Bloom Special Fund*

Carter & Jo Ann Bobbitt, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Robert L. Bogenschutz

Clay & Emily Bond

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Matching Gift Program

Jacklyn & Gary Bryson

Denise & Martin Chambers

Meredythe G. & Clayton C. Daley, Jr. Family Fund*

Mark & Louis Dauner

Mary Pat England

Nora Zorich & Thomas Filardo Family Fund*

Kenneth J. Furrier

GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program

Michael Haney & Amy Warner

Marilyn P. & Joseph W. Hirschhorn Fund*

Florette Hoffheimer

Betty Huck

John Isador & Sandy Kaltman

Keith & Patti James

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Matching Gifts Program

Arleene Keller

Norah & joe Mock

Deborah & John Moffatt

Marilyn Z. Ott

Kit & Jack Overbeck

Nellie Leaman Taft Charitable Foundation

Carol Talbot & John Battistone

Mr. Laurence Weber

Irwin & Barbara Weinberg

Mark D. Manley & Annette Januzzi Wick

Jo Ann Wieghaus

Jeffrey & Nadia Wuest

STAGE MANAGERS COLUMN ($250-$499):

Anonymous (3)

Richard & Susan Baum

Leonard Berenfield

Neil E. Billman, In memory of Eunice Billman

Eileen & William Bishop

Daniel Brown & Mark Haggard

Brenda Carter

Cincinnati Veterans' Affairs Medical Center Research Service, In honor of Kathy DeLaura

* Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Larry & Janet Clements

Susannah Davids & Steve Myer

Judith de Luce

Kelly M. Dehan & Stephen H. Gallenstein

Kathy DeLaura & Ron Steinhoff

Darin Dugan

Ray & Kay Edwards

Robert & Elizabeth W. Ehrsam

Richard & Carol Fencl

Terrell & Susan Finney

David W. & Frances H. Goldman Fund*

Helen & John Habbert

Judith Harmony & Richard Jackson

Sue Harris & Meredith Green

Debra Hartsell & Michael James

Nada Latto, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Alfonso & Mary Lopez

Len & Sherie Marek

Dr. & Mrs. John E. McCall

Ryan Messer & James Musuraca

William & Sibyl Miller

Hatsuki Miyata

OUR SUPPORTERS, CONT.

STAGE MANAGERS CONT.

mj Dynamics

William & Sara Morgan, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Hon. Norbert & Linnea Nadel

Michael Nordlund & Lisa Lee

Morris & Patricia Passer Family Fund*

Alice & Burton Perlman

Barbara & Michael Porte

Barry L. Prince

Becky & Ted Richards

Tim & Mary Riordan

George & Caroll Roden

J. R. Rulon

Jude Samuel

John & Martha Spiess

Ed & Anne Stern

Elizabeth Stites & Kevin Randall

Dr. & Mrs. Joe & Nancy Stratman

Sarah S. Timmons, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Dixie & Bill Utter

Jennifer Verkamp

Buzz Ward

Steve F. Warkany Fund*

Gene Wilson

Zaring Family Foundation, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

CREW COLUMN ($125-$249):

Anonymous (3)

Larry & Debby Adams

Anne Aiken

Albert & Lillian Andrews

Gail Barker, M.D.

John Batchelor

Hal & Sandi Bernstein

Neil Bortz & Susan Myers

Warren & Gail Cato

Kevin & Linda Chaney

Sally Chatfield Dunn

Jean & Matt Chimsky

James Cissell

Susan Cohen & Robert Schmuelling

Dr. & Mrs. Alan Cordell

Rev. Dr. Robert W. Croskery & Beverly Croskery, Ph.D.

Douglas L. Custis & Katherine A. Keller

Charlene Davis

Emilie W. & David W. Dressler Family Fund*

Peggy Eberhard

Charles K. Eckert

Charles & Harriet Edwards

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick A. Fink

Deborah Friedman

Carol S. Friel

Janice & Sidney Goldstein

Mrs. Madeleine H. Gordon

Cyndi Grammel, In honor of Skylar Cherry

Sean Gray

Michael Gumbleton & Teddy Gumbleton

Ann E. Hicks

* Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Dale Hodges

Emily M. Hodges Fund

David & Karen Hoguet

Cindy & Bill Hopping

Erin Houlihan & John Bostick

James Jorden

Charles D. King

Tana Kirkbride & Amit Gupta

Carmen & Rich Kovarsky

Mr. & Mrs. Polk Laffoon, IV

Dorothy K. Larsson

Lowell Latto, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

M. Ann Leech

John Lin

Jacqueline M. Mack & Dr. Edward B. Silberstein

DeDe & Kevin McNeal

Jan & Marilyn Methlie

Dr. Ralph Meyer

Ronald & Nancy Mielech

Ariel Miller, In honor of John & Ruth Sawyer

Anu & Shekhar Mitra

Nora Moushey

Eunice H. Murphy

Paul & Mary Ann Odegard

Irene & Daniel Randolph Family

Barbara & Dave Reaman

Margaret M. Reid

Danielle & Kenneth Revelson

Joyce Rich

Barbara Robb, in honor of Sara Mackie

Dr. Raymond H. Rolwing

Marianne & Snowden Rowe, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Richard Russell

Patti & Mitchell Sacks

Catharine B. Saelinger

Jeanie Schmidt

Elizabeth Sherwood

Eli E. Shupe, Jr. & Toby Ruben

Jacqueline & Richard Snyder

Jean Springer

Howard & Nancy Starnbach

Elizabeth A. Stone

Fred & Anne Straus Charitable Fund

J. Michael & Patricia Thierauf

Lynda A. Thomas, in memory of Ruth D. Sawyer

Tom Umfrid & Phil Tworek

Rosalie P. van Nuis

Carter Waide

Priscilla S. Walford

Jane A. Walker

Pann & Terry Webb

Mike Wedig

Jackie Weist

Joseph Wessling

Stuart Wheaton & Lenore Horner

Barbara Wiedemann

Kate & Jay Wilford

Joseph D. Williams

Dr. & Mrs. James & Ronna Willis

EXECUTIVE BOARD

John Sawyer Stephen M. King

Chair President

Marcene Kinney

Mitchell Meyers

Vice President Treasurer

Jane Sellers

Secretary

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

D. Lynn Meyers

Producing Artistic Director

Richard J. Diehl

Managing Director

Jocelyn Meyer

Director of Marketing & Communications

Allison Fangman

Director of Education Outreach

Jared D. Doren

Director of Patron Services & Development Associate

Ashley Johnson

Producing Associate

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Chet Cavaliere

BOX OFFICE STAFF

John Diehl

Seth Longland

Jenna McBride

Sarah Nix

Becca Schall

HOUSE MANAGER

Amy Janowiecki

HEAD OF SECURITY

Officer Nick Ligon

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNS

Dori Branch, Producing

Melissa Foster, Marketing

OUR STAFF

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Nick Apanius

Mary Bonansinga

Otto M. Budig

Dr. Charles O. Carothers

Brenda A. Carter

Kathy DeLaura

Tom Dietz

Dennis Geiger

PRODUCTION STAFF

Brian c. Mehring

Chip Gerhardt

Skip Hickenlooper

Dan Hurley

Edward G. Marks

Richard L. Postler

Mary Stagaman

Mike Zimmer

Resident Set & Lighting Designer

Matthew Hollstegge

Production Coordinator & Master Electrician

Shannon Rae Lutz

Property Master, Design Assistant & Director of Intern Programming

Aaron Clements

Technical Operations Director

Jack Murphy

Technical Assistant

Jacob Himmelspach

Technical Apprentice

Brandon T. Holmes

Production Stage Manager

Starr Fish

Costume Assistant

STAGE MANAGEMENT INTERNS

Melissa Olberding

Zach Wells

DIRECTING INTERN

Ben Raanan

ACTING INTERN COMPANY

Linnea Bond, Becca Howell, Jared Hudson, Jeremy Parker, Hannah Sawicki, Zak Schneider, Sola Thompson

PATRON SERVICES

ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI

1127 Vine Street | Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 | www.ensemblecincinnati.org (513) 421-3555

ETC BOX OFFICE HOURS & ACCEPTED PAYMENT

Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 2 hours prior to curtain. Weekend hours vary. VISA, MC, Discover, and AmEx are accepted, as well as Downtown Gift Cards.

TICKET RESERVATIONS & SALE POLICY

Reservations can be made by calling the box office, in person, or online. Ticket reservations are not accepted via email. Single-ticket purchases are a final sale with no refund. Single tickets may, however, be exchanged for another performance during the run of a show for a fee, but may not be exchanged from one production to another. If a patron is a no-show for their reserved performance, ETC is under no obligation to reschedule his or her tickets.

TAX CREDITS

If for any reason 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. No-shows or tickets released after curtain time do not qualify as tax credits.

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, accessible via Elm or Race Street. Charges vary.

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.

LATECOMERS & ADMITTANCE

Latecomers will be 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.

RESTROOMS

Restrooms are located at the front of the lobby. Should you need to use the restroom during a performance, please exit the theatre the same way you came in. Readmittance will be at House Manager's discretion.

ACCESSIBILITY

Please notify the box office in advance if you require wheelchair-accessible seating or have special seating needs and our staff will be happy to accommodate you. Audio-enhancement and large-print playbills available. Generally, sign-interpreted performances are on the third Wednesday of every production.

CAMERAS, CELL PHONES & STAGE

Actors’ Equity Association strictly prohibits the use of cameras or recording devices (including camera phones) in the theatre. Kindly turn off any cell phones or pagers prior to the show starting. Text messaging during the show disturbs other audience members and actors and will not be tolerated. For safety reasons, audience members are strictly prohibited from standing, sitting or otherwise being or putting anything onstage at any time.

GROUPS & DISCOUNTS

Groups of 10 or more can save over single-ticket prices. Student rates, rush discounts, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, ArtsWave ArtsPass, Enjoy the Arts, and educator and military member discounts available (please consult your appropriate membership(s) for details and exclusions).