Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 2023 - The Chinese Lady

THE CHINESE LADY

By LLOYD SUH

CREAT ED TO GROW

STRONGER ARTS FOR A STRONGER REGION

The growth of Cincinnati and its arts is inseparable. Creating a thriving region starts with each of us giving what we can to the arts. Help set the stage for the future of the region we all love.

Give today at artswave.org.

STRONGER ARTS FOR STRONGER REGION S

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As a step toward honoring the truth and achieving healing and reconciliation with those Indigenous peoples who were affected most by the Doctrine of Discovery* and broken treaties, we acknowledge the traditional Shawnee and Myaamia (Miami) lands on which we now stand, and on which the city of Cincinnati was built.

*The Doctrine of Discovery is a principle of international law dating back to the late 15th century that specifically sanctioned and promoted the conquest, colonization and exploitation of non-Christian territories and peoples. Hundreds of years of decisions and laws continuing right up to our own time can ultimately be traced back to the Doctrine of Discovery — laws that invalidate or ignore the rights, sovereignty and humanity of Indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world.

Jess McLeod

Se Hyun Oh

Hahnji Jang

Lee Fiskness

Fan Zhang

Stephanie Klapper, CSA

MARCH 25 – APRIL 30, 2023

ROSENTHAL SHELTERHOUSE THEATRE

Sami Ma*

Albert Park*

Brandon T. Holmes*

Shelby Scaffidi

Corey Cagle

UNDERSTUDIES

Elizabeth Chinn Molloy

Yuchi Chiu

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION STAFF

Caroline Eng

Taylor Helms, Ruth Wartman

Gabriel Horan, Mike Hannon, Carl Bruce Stelma

Amanda Winters

by Torie Wiggins

by Audrey Cefaly

HOW DO WE LOOK?

A snapshot of Afong Moy in Cincinnati.

BY TATIANA GODFREY

It was May 1836. Cincinnati audiences gathered downtown at the Bazaar. Located on 3rd Street and Broadway, where today you can find the I-71 tunnel, the Bazaar was a gaudy establishment. Domes and spires sat on the roof; the inside housed a main hall lined with columns, several saloons, a bar, an exhibition hall and a ballroom. For three days, crowds packed into a large saloon at 8 p.m. to see Afong Moy.

Moy is credited with being the first Chinese woman to visit the U.S. She was brought to the U.S. in 1834 by a pair of New York merchants, the Carnes Brothers, who hoped her presence would boost sales of their imported Chinese decorative goods. She was taken on tour both as an advertisement and as a spectacle in her own right. Traveling throughout the U.S. and to Cuba, she was met with a range of reactions: racialized mockery and derision, pity for being placed on display, objectification and genuine curiosity and engagement.

It was on this tour that Moy visited Cincinnati nearly 200 years ago. From May 10 to 13, she performed walking demonstrations, sang songs in her native Cantonese and conversed with spectators. Admission was $.50, with children at half price. At the end of the week, she left for Pittsburgh.

The advertisement shown here is the only evidence the Cincinnati Historical Society has about Moy’s visit to Cincinnati. Through artifacts like these, historians have constructed a basic outline of her travels in the U.S.: She met Presidents Martin van Buren and Andrew Jackson; she was made to undergo the shameful process of having her feet unbound and displayed in front of an audience; she lived for years in a series of poorhouses during increasing anti-Chinese sentiments of the 1840s; and she performed alongside American icon Tom Thumb at P. T. Barnum’s American Museum. There is, however, much about Moy’s tour and life that we don’t know.

The Cincinnati Republican and Commercial Register, May 10, 1836.

“Traveling throughout the U.S. and to Cuba, she was met with a range of reactions: racialized mockery and derision, pity for being placed on display, objectification and genuine curiosity and engagement.”

“Who is Afong Moy? What can she teach us about China? What can she teach us about ourselves? ”

Those unknowables have become the province of playwright Lloyd Suh, whose play The Chinese Lady places you in a similar position as those Cincinnati audiences crowded into the Bazaar back in 1836: Who is Afong Moy? What can she teach us about China? What can she teach us about ourselves? While 19th-century audiences engaged with a performance of Moy created and marketed by the merchants, contemporary audiences of The Chinese Lady engage with a version of her created by Suh, actor Sami Ma, director Jess McLeod and an expert design team.

We can never truly know who the “real Afong Moy” was. But the similarities (and differences) between 19th-century and contemporary audiences reveal much about the public’s enduring fascination with the “Chinese Lady.” As Moy remarks in the play, “It is a beautiful thing to look at something long enough to really understand it. But it is so much more beautiful to be looked at long enough to be understood.”

“A Catalogue of Chinese Curiosities, exhibiting at No. 8 Park-Place,” 1834, New York Public Library

Mrs. Trollope’s Bazaar, 1828. From the Collection of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

THE CHINESE LADY

SAMI MA (SHE/HER) - AFONG MOY

Sami is a queer, first-generation daughter of Chinese immigrants enjoying the messy terrain between her traditional Chinese culture and her American upbringing. Off-Broadway credits include Once Upon A (Korean) Time (Ma-Yi Theatre Company, world premiere). Regional credits include Nativity Variations (Milwaukee Repertory Theater, world premiere); The Chinese Lady (Adirondack Theatre Festival); The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage); Vietgone (American Stage Theatre); Gloria (Hatch Arts Collective); F.O.B. (The Drama League); The Taming of the Shrew and South Pacific (Utah Shakespeare Festival); and 4,000 Miles (Gloucester Stage Company). Television and film credits include Tender Ears, Death Saved My Life, Where the Light Enters and All Hail Beth. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this show to life, her family, Maxwell and her team at LG Management. For her guardian angel, Jason K. Ma. You can follow her on social media @Imsamima.

ALBERT PARK (HE/HIM) - ATUNG

Albert is thrilled to make his debut at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Select regional credits include Man of God (Geffen Playhouse/Williamstown Theatre Festival); Bina’s Six Apples (Children’s Theatre Company/Alliance Theatre); The Supreme Leader (Dallas Theater Center); Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (South Coast Repertory); Cambodian Rock Band (City Theatre Company/Merrimack Repertory Theatre); The Winter’s Tale and All’s Well That Ends Well (The Old Globe); The Car Plays (Moving Arts/La Jolla Playhouse); Flower Drum Song and BFE (San Diego Asian American Repertory Theater/La Jolla Playhouse). Select theatre credits include Yoga Play and A Man, his Wife, and his Hat (MOXIE Theatre); Vietgone (East West Players); The Oldest Boy (San Diego Repertory Theatre); Extraordinary Chambers and Yellow Face (Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company); The Odd Couple (North Coast Repertory Theatre); and Golden Child (Chinese Pirate Productions). Select festival readings include Sifting Through Ashes In A Zen Garden…But That’s Japanese Not Korean, So Never Mind (Center Theatre Group); To Red Tendons (Ojai Playwrights Conference); Sumo (La Jolla Playhouse/Ma-Yi Theater Company); and Child of Colonialism (La Jolla Playhouse). Select film credits include Last Summer of Nathan Lee and Borrowed Light. Select voiceover credits include Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios); Big Mouth (Disney+); Seoul Vibe and Forecasting Love and Weather (Netflix). He especially thanks the Playhouse, the cast and crew. Albert is eternally grateful to Jenny, Felix, Henry and Coral. You can follow him on Instagram at @heyalbertpark.

ELIZABETH CHINN MOLLOY (SHE/HER) - UNDERSTUDY

Elizabeth is thrilled to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. She has worked with numerous theatres throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, most recently appearing in All-One! The Dr. Bronner’s Play with the Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Other recent performances include Jo March in Little Women and Viola in Twelfth Night (both with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company). Elizabeth has also performed with Concert: Nova, MadCap Puppets, New Edgecliff Theatre and Falcon Theatre. She is a Cincinnati native and a proud graduate of Smith College. As always, she would like to thank her friends and family for their continuous support and encouragement.

YUCHI CHIU (HE/HIM) - UNDERSTUDY

Yuchi is excited to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut! Theatre credits include Once (Writers Theatre), Botticelli in the Fire (First Floor Theater), The Chinese Lady (Timeline Theatre), and It’s a Wonderful Life (American Blues Theater). Screen credits include Chicago Med (NBC), BJ’s Mobile Gift Shop (Sundance Film Festival), work with Apple TV+, as well as commercials at the local, regional and national levels. Yuchi is originally from Los Angeles but is currently based in Chicago. He is proudly represented by DDO Chicago and extends his endless gratitude to his family and friends. You can follow him on Instagram at @yuchidchiu.

LLOYD SUH - PLAYWRIGHT

Lloyd Suh is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and is the winner of the 2019 Herb Alpert Award for Theater and the 2020 winner of the Horton Foote Prize. His play The Chinese Lady premiered as a co-production by Barrington Stage Company and Ma-Yi Theater Company, and was hailed a New York Times Critics’ Pick during its NY run. The play now continues to have productions around the country. It returned to New York City in a co-production between the Public Theatre and Ma-Yi Theatre Company in 2022. This season, Lloyd’s play The Far Country premiered at the Atlantic Theatre and was also a New York Times Critics’ Pick, and his play The Heart Sellers will premiere at Milwaukee Rep. Lloyd’s play Charles Francis Chan Jr’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery was produced by NAATCO. His play The Wong Kids in The Secret of the Space Chupacabra GO! debuted at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis and Ma-Yi Theatre in New York. It received the AATE Distinguished Play Award and the Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show. His play Bina’s Six Apples premiered in a co-production between Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis and Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Lloyd was presented with the National Asian American Theatre Company’s Lilah Kan Red Socks Award in recognition of an artist’s commitment to community service. He served on the National Steering Committee in creating the first National Asian American Theatre Conference and the first National Asian American Theatre Festival.  He served as an official artist delegate to the 2007 World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya and the inaugural US Social Forum in Atlanta.

JESS McLEOD (SHE/HER) - DIRECTOR

Jess is a director and social justice advocate specializing in risky new work about America. She is Woolly Mammoth’s BOLD Resident Director; Lead Artistic Curator of Roundabout Theatre’s 2023 Refocus Project; and Co-Chair, with Michael Korie, of the Dramatists Guild Foundation Musical Theatre Fellows. Recent work includes Resident Director, Hamilton (Chicago); BFRJ Sings: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (Little Island); Prepared (EST); There’s Always The Hudson, O-Slice: 19 (Woolly Mammoth); Pride And Prejudice (Long Wharf); The Great Khan (San Diego REP); Hype Man (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Wolf Play, Hang Man (The Gift); Venus (Steppenwolf); Do You Feel Anger?, Fulfillment Center (A Red Orchid); Landladies (Northlight); How We Got On (Haven); Midsummer (CST); Marry Me A Little (Porchlight); and workshops of The Jordan & Avery Show (O’Neill); You Deserve To Be Here (Roundabout), Exotic Deadly, Or The MSG Play (Atlantic); Abortion Road Trip (WTF); Radical (IAMA) and The Deciders (Berkeley Rep Ground Floor). Jess also works frequently at the intersection of art and activism, and has created operas with community groups (Lyric), musicals with incarcerated teen Chicagoans (Storycatchers Theatre), musical walking tours (National Public Housing Museum), the #STOPASIANHATE video campaign for NY Rep, Grace Meng’s 3/26 Day of Action & Healing (co-creator), and curated Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s first-ever Arts In Action Festival. She is currently under commission at La Jolla Playhouse and an Artist-In-Residence at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). MFA, Northwestern. Visit www.jess-mcleod.com and @mcjessmc.

SE HYUN OH (HE/HIM) - SET DESIGNER

Se is a set designer from Seoul, South Korea. Selected credits include La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, 59E59 Theaters, Rattlestick Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival and People’s Light. Se resides in New York City. He holds an MFA from Northwestern University and is a member of USA 829. You can follow him on social media @se.hyun.oh.

HAHNJI JANG

(THEY/THEM/ )- COSTUME DESIGNER/CULTURAL CONSULTANT

Hahnji is an activist, costume designer and stylist. They focus on designing costumes that empower characters of the global majority. This includes costuming new plays with Theatre For One’s: Here We Are, a collection of virtual interactive plays by women of color; the tour of No-No Boy with Pan Asian Repertory Theater; The City’s Missing Them 2020 memorial play with The Working Theatre; and the translated English premiere of the Korean play Sister Mok-rahn ( ) at Princeton University. Hahnji also styles individuals with hand-upcycled garments, creating affordable styling outside the limiting gender and size binaries. They are on a continual journey to decolonize the closets of the individuals and institutions around them. Hahnji is also available for intersectional and sustainable costuming consultations. Hahnji has collaborated with Broadway Green Alliance and consulted for theatrical and educational institutions such as the National Theatre UK, Women’s Project Theater, The Dalton School and the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy. Their secondhand styling was recently featured by ReFashion Week NYC 2022. Hahnji is currently a staff artist with Soho Repertory Theatre through their Project Number One Artists program. Visit Hahnji.com.

LEE FISKNESS (HE/HIM) - LIGHTING DESIGNER

Lee is based out of Chicago where he has designed for Steppenwolf Theater, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, The Marriott Theatre, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Windy City Playhouse, Lookingglass Theatre Company and Northlight Theatre. His opera credits include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (Japan), Opera Colorado, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and The Florentine Opera Company. His regional theatre credits include Mark Taper Forum, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, People’s Light, Emerson Colonial Theatre, Actors Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Two River Theatre. Exhibitions credits include Lightscape (Chicago Botanical Gardens); The Jurassic World Exhibition (China); Crayola IDEAworks (Philadelphia, Pa.); Beyond King Tut (tour and National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C.); and Movement Stories (New York University in Abu Dhabi, EMU). Television lighting credits include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Rosie Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Fox Sports and The Chicago Bears Network. Lee received an MFA in Design from Northwestern University. He was the lighting director at the Santa Fe Opera and worked with the company for 18 seasons. Visit www.leefiskness.com.

FAN ZHANG (SHE/HER) - SOUND DESIGNER/COMPOSITIONS

Fan is pleased to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. Her recent off-Broadway design and original music credits include At the Wedding (Lincoln Center Theatre); The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Company); Snow in Midsummer (Classic Stage Company); A Kid Like Rishi (Origin Theatre Company); The Golden Age (59E59 Theaters); Paris (Atlantic Theatre Company); Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Second Stage Theater and Women’s Project Theater); Pumpgirl (Irish Repertory Theatre); Suicide Forest (Ma-Yi Theater Company and Alliance of Resident Theatres); Molly Sweeney (Theatre Row); Behind the Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre); The Trail of the Catonsville Nine (Transport Group); Three Girls Never Learnt the Way Home (Cherry Lane Theatre); and Tania In the Getaway Van (The Flea Theater). Fan’s regional credits include Sanctuary City (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Arena Stage); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Theater Company); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf Theater); The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage); White Noise and Pipeline (Studio Theatre, D.C.); The Revolutionists (City Theatre Company); Red Maple (Capital Repertory Theatre); and August Wilson’s Seven Guitars (Yale Repertory Theatre). She is currently the head of the MFA sound program at Purdue University. Her training includes an MFA from Yale School of Drama. Visit fanzhangsound.com.

STEPHANIE KLAPPER, CSA (SHE/HER)- CASTING DIRECTOR

Stephanie is overjoyed to continue her 11th season of collaboration with Blake Robison and the fantastic team that comprises Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Her first professional job in the business was as assistant to Michel Stuart (the original Gregory Gardner) on the groundbreaking shows he produced: Nine, The Musical, Cloud 9 and The Tap Dance Kid Recent shows she has cast for the Playhouse include Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help; Rooted; Steel Magnolias; School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play; Need Your Love; The West End; Destiny of Desire; Once on This Island and Alias Grace Her award-winning work is frequently seen on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, on concert stages, film, television and streaming media. She is dedicated to continuing to expand and champion diversity, equity and inclusion in the business. Connecting creative, caring people to each other to make extraordinary things happen is amongst Stephanie’s greatest joys. She is a member of the National Board of the Casting Society of America, Casting Society Cares and a mentor with Fordham High School for the Arts and NYU Tisch School of the Arts Women’s Mentorship.

BRANDON T. HOLMES (HE/HIM)- STAGE MANAGER

Brandon is thrilled to return to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for a fourth season. Playhouse credits include the world premiere of The West End, A Christmas Carol, Steel Magnolias and The Lion. For eight seasons, he was the Production Stage Manager for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati where he managed over 40 productions. Highlights with ETC include Fun Home, The Mountaintop, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Iliad, Grounded, Violet, Pipeline, The Humans, Skeleton Crew and Hands on a Hardbody. During the summer, he is the Production Stage Manager for The Lexington Theatre Company where he has stage managed productions of Chicago, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde, West Side Story and Newsies. Other regional credits include productions of Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone and Side by Side by Sondheim (LOOK Musical Theatre); Red, White & Broadway, Golden: MTWichita at 50 (Music Theatre Wichita); and workshops with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Cleveland Play House. Brandon is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Thank you to his family and his husband, A.J., for their continued love and support.

Hailey Flanagan; Photography by: Aaron M. Conway

MARGARET AND MICHAEL VALENTINE

SEASON SPONSORS

HARD ROCK CASINO CINCINNATI

Our lavish four-night dinner series returns to celebrate the bounty of Spring. Be sure to #savorthedate dining experience and enjoy a one-of-a-kind meal in a fun and festive atmosphere.

Limited tickets available.

CINCINNATIMAGAZINE.COM/SAVOR

PRESENTING SPONSORS

SPONSORS

AUGUST WILSON’S SEVEN GUITARS

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation presents

PHOTO BY TONY ARRASMITH/ARRASMITH AND ASSOCIATES

ORIGIN STORY

NATHAN ALAN DAVIS

JOANIE SCHULTZ

ROSENTHAL SHELTERHOUSE THEATRE

MAY 20 – JUNE 25, 2023

PHOTO BY TONY ARRASMITH/ARRASMITH AND ASSOCIATES

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

ADDRESS: 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Cincinnati, OH 45202

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 513-345-2242

WEBSITE: cincyplay.com

BOX OFFICE: 513-421-3888

OH, KY, IN TOLL-FREE: 800-582-3208

PATRONS WHO ARE DEAF, HARD-OF-HEARING, DEAF BLIND OR SPEECH DISABLED: dial 711 to connect to the Box Office via Ohio Relay Services

ACCESSIBILITY WITH DIGNITY PROGRAM

The Playhouse is pleased to offer a variety of services to patrons with special needs. Funding for this program is made possible by Bartlett Wealth Management.

Audio Described and Signed Performances

Live audio description for patrons who are sight-impaired and signed performances for those with hearing impairments are offered for designated performances in Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre. For the schedule, visit cincyplay.com. Audio description equipment courtesy of Cincinnati Bell Foundation. Telex FM equipment courtesy of Bethesda Hospitals. Signers and audio describers for the season are Dawn Caudill, Matt DeWitt, Gordon Graham, Montez Greer, David Lichtenfeld and Mike Snyder.

Hearing Enhancement

Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre and the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre both have a hearing loop system which works with existing T-Coil or Telecoil enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants. For more information, please see the house manager.

Large Print Program

Large print programs for those with visual impairments are available upon request at every performance.

CAMERAS AND RECORDING DEVICES

Actors’ Equity Association strictly prohibits the use of cameras or recording devices in the theatre during the performance.

CHILDREN

Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted to Playhouse productions unless otherwise advertised. Parents with disruptive children will be asked to leave the theatre.

CONCESSIONS

Al’s Bar serves drinks in two locations – one bar on the main level in the Schueler Lobby and one bar on the upper floor. Casual dining fare and snacks are available for purchase on the upper floor.

FACILITY ACCESSIBILITY

Patrons who are mobility-impaired may be dropped off outside the Playhouse’s main entrance. The walk from the top level of the parking garage to the entrance into the Schueler Lobby to the main level of the Rouse Theatre can be made without having to take any stairs. An elevator is available for access to the balcony level and the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre. Accessible seating for wheelchairs is subject to availability and should be requested at the time of ticket reservation.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

Need the perfect gift? The Playhouse offers gift certificates redeemable for single tickets or subscription packages. Call the Box Office or stop by at intermission for more information.

GROUP DISCOUNTS

Bring your group of eight or more to the Playhouse and receive great benefits and discounts, including special rates for students and seniors. Our popular corporate web discount program allows your employees to book tickets online at a discount whenever they want. Contact the Box Office for more details.

LATECOMERS AND READMITTANCE

Latecomers are seated at the discretion of the house manager, which may be as late as intermission. Latecomers may be denied admission depending on the demands or structure of a particular production. Please allow yourself adequate time to arrive, park and be seated. Should you need to leave the theatre during a performance, re-admittance and seating will be at the discretion of the house manager so as not to disturb the audience and actors.

PARKING

The Park Board reminds you that Eden Park officially closes at 10 p.m. As a grace period to the Playhouse, the police will not ticket vehicles until one half hour following the end of a performance. The Playhouse assumes no responsibility for anyone receiving a ticket for illegal parking. Convenient parking is available in the Playhouse garage. Purchase parking in advance to secure a space. Parking can also be purchased from our parking attendant immediately before the performance if available.

Accessible parking for those with disabilities is located in the Playhouse parking garage. Parking for persons with disabilities is limited and must be reserved and paid for in advance. All vehicles using these spaces must display a valid disability placard.

PROHIBITION OF WEAPONS

The Ohio Revised Code (R.C. 2923.126) has established the privilege of carrying a concealed handgun to Ohio citizens who have obtained the proper license. The same law explicitly grants private employers in the state the right to prohibit their employees and visitors from possessing firearms on the employer’s premises. With this notification the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is informing you that it prohibits weapons of any kind on its premises, and reserves the right to search persons, parcels and vehicles on the same. This policy applies to all employees, patrons and visitors to the facility.

RESTROOMS

There are four types of restrooms: women’s, men’s, all-gender and family. One of each type is available on each level. Restrooms are all wheelchair-accessible.

SMOKING/VAPING

Smoking/vaping is prohibited in the entire theatre complex.

We design experiences that inspire people.

ANNUAL GIFTS

This list includes all gifts given to the Playhouse from December 15, 2021 to January 15, 2023, not including Endowment and Capital Campaign gifts.

AUDIENCE

PLAYWRIGHT

PRODUCER

DIRECTOR

COSTUME DESIGNER

LIGHTING DESIGNER

STAGE MANAGER

SET DESIGNER

$50,000+

$20,000-$49,999

$10,000-$19,999

$5,000-$9,999

$1,000-$4,999

EMERGENCY SUPPORT

The Playhouse would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the governments and institutions that provided critical support during the COVID-19 crisis:

U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

THE HAROLD & MIMI STEINBERG CHARITABLE TRUST

THE ROSENTHAL FAMILY FOUNDATION

ROBERT AND ADELE SCHIFF FAMILY FOUNDATION

ELEANORA C.U. ALMS TRUST

JOHN A SCHROTH FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST

AMERICANA ARTS FOUNDATION

CORD FOUNDATION

WILLIAM P. ANDERSON FOUNDATION

CHARLES SCOTT RILEY III FOUNDATION

DUNAGAN FOUNDATION

WOHLGEMUTH HERSCHEDE FOUNDATION

MAXWELL C. WEAVER FOUNDATION

Honoring the Playhouse’s most generous friends, the Artistic Director’s Circle is specially designed to deepen your connection by getting you “behind the scenes” with Blake Robison and other members of the Playhouse Artistic team.

WE’D LIKE TO THANK THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE FOR THEIR GENEROSITY!

Anonymous

Ricki and Gerald Ayer

Ron Bates and Randy Lasley

Mark and Lindsay Bibler

David and Elaine Billmire

Mrs. L.L. Browning, Jr.

Terri and John Byczkowski

Denise and Martin Chambers

James P. Conway, Jr. and Richard D. Robertson

The Crawford Family Foundation

Nancy and Mark Dawes

Elizabeth George

Linda and Gary Greenberg*

Jeb and Nirvani Head

Brian and Helen Heekin

Mrs. Andrea and Dr. Edward Herzig

Ms. Karlee L. Hilliard

Richard and Renita Homan

Susan Ingmire and Lynn Hailey

Diane and Carl Iseman

Bill and Mary Jane James

Linda Busken Jergens and Andrew MacAoidh Jergens

Patti and Tom Keckeis*

Bet and Dave Koeninger

Mr. and Mrs. Michael H. Kremzar

Terry Lemmerman

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Leonard

Jacqueline M. Mack and Dr. Edward B. Silberstein

Craig and Anne Maier

Deborah and John Majoras

Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Manteuffel

The Markley Family

Barbara and Kim McCracken

Kevin and Frances McMurray

Charles and Joann Mead

Leon and Barb Meyer

Becky Miars

James A. Miller

Ms. Danute M. Miskinis

Diane and Dave Moccia

Dean and Catherine Moulas

Patti Myers and Alan Flaherty

Jack and Marilyn Osborn*

Sara Phillips

Jenny and David Powell

John and Amy Rosenberg Family Fund

Margo and Sam Ross

Moe and Jack Rouse

Digi and Mike Schueler

Betsy and Jerry Shroat

Elizabeth C. B. and Paul G. Sittenfeld

John and Jennifer Stein

Jennifer and Woody Taft

Marty C. Tomb

Ellen and Ray van der Horst

Lawrence and Maureen Vignola

Randolph Wadsworth

Barbara and Irwin

Weinberg Fund*

Barbara M. Weyand

Mark and Susan Whitman

Mrs. Deborah White Richardson

Ronna and Dr. James B. Willis

For more information, please contact Bethany Doverspike at 513-977-2081 or email at bethany.doverspike@cincyplay.com.

Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison leading a 2022 Artistic Director’s Circle event.

RECOGNITION GIFTS

We are grateful to the following friends who have chosen to honor a loved one through a donation to the Playhouse. The following recognition gifts have been received from December 15, 2021, through January 15, 2023.

IN HONOR OF MOE AND JACK ROUSE

MEMORIAL GIFTS

IN HONOR OF BLAKE ROBISON

We are grateful to the following friends who have chosen to remember a loved one through a memorial gift to the Playhouse. The following memorial gifts have been received from December 15, 2021, through January 15, 2023.

IN MEMORY OF RENEE ALPER

IN MEMORY OF KAREN BELL

IN MEMORY OF VAL BLACK-SENA

IN MEMORY OF KIM BLACKLEY

IN MEMORY OF BRUCE E. COYLE

IN MEMORY OF MARIAN DOWNEY

IN MEMORY OF NADINE ELWERS

IN MEMORY OF PAUL FORSTE

IN MEMORY OF MILDRED SELENA MABREY

IN MEMORY OF CAROLYN RUSSO

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park acknowledges the following partner companies, foundations and their employees who generously participate in the annual ArtsWave Campaign at the $100,000+ level. Thank you!

altafiber

Cincinnati Business Courier

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

Cincinnati Reds

Duke Energy

The E.W. Scripps Company and Scripps Howard Foundation

The Enquirer | Cincinnati.com

Fifth Third Bank and the Fifth Third Foundation

GE

Great American Insurance Group

The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Trustee

The Kroger Co.

Messer Construction Co.

Ohio National Financial Services

P&G

PNC

Western & Southern Financial Group

U.S. Bank

Event Series Coming Soon

We welcome people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, gender identities, ages, abilities, backgrounds, countries of origin and other non-majority communities. This commitment will be reflected in our programming, audience, outreach and all connected with the Playhouse — management, staff, Board of Trustees, volunteers and vendors.

THE MORSE JOHNSON SOCIETY OF PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK

Thanks to your vision and commitment to the Playhouse, we can continue to produce extraordinary theatre for Playhouse audiences of tomorrow. We are grateful to you for including the Playhouse in your estate plans. This list recognizes members of the Morse Johnson Society as of January 12, 2023.

POSTHUMOUSLY REMEMBERED

LEADING LADIES

BRAVA! Thank you for celebrating ten years of Leading Ladies at the Playhouse! This list recognizes members of the Leading Ladies as of January 25, 2023. For information on accepting your role as a Leading Lady, please contact Kendra Struthers at 513-977-2024

PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS

GRAND DAMES

DIVAS

STARLETS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

$1,000 - $2,499

RED CARPET DONORS

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS

SUMMER THEATRE CAMP AND PERFORMANCE ACADEMY

Join us for a summer of magic! Have fun and learn theatre skills as we take our imaginations to great heights, create fantastical characters, enact our exploits and so much more.

Our full-day Summer Camps and Performance Academy return to the Playhouse’s iconic Eden Park location with the grand opening of our brand-new mainstage theatre complex! Camps also continue to be offered at Mason Community Center.

Before and After Care, Launch Pad Accessibility Program, and scholarships available.

To explore all 2023 summer camp programs and to register, visit cincyplay.com!

ADMINISTRATIVE AND PRODUCTION STAFF

DIRECTORS

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION

OPERATIONS

DEVELOPMENT

EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT

STAGE MANAGEMENT

BRUCE E. COYLE INTERN COMPANY

PRODUCTION

SCENERY

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