It’s a busy week for Cincinnati theaters, with no less than four openings immediately following Labor Day. On Wednesday evening, Sept. 9, the first official performance — and the world premiere — of Corner of the Sky: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz as at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. A full house at ETC was treated to
ETC premieres Stephen Schwartz revue Read More »
Throughout April 2026 I’m sharing the 2026-2027 seasons announced by each of Cincinnati’s professional theater companies. This week’s update is about offerings from Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC), which bills itself the region’s premiere theater. It will offer a season that includes the return of a popular comedy, a world premiere musical by a well-known composer,
Coming to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in 2026-2027 Read More »
Depending on your theatrical preferences, you have some entertaining choices at two of Cincinnati’s fine professional theaters, just a block apart in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. At Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati its FOURTEEN FUNERALS, which isn’t quite the downer that the title migh suggest. In fact, it’s a heartwarming comedy about a woman recruited to eulogize members
Zany Comedy at ETC or a Spooky Tale at Know Theatre? Read More »
Every once in a while Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents a singular performer who has a past with our city’s premiere theater. Back in 2014 Dale Dymkoski played Billy, the central role in ETC’s production of Tribes, a play by Nina Raine about a deaf young man navigating a family that failed to adapt to his
One-Man Comedy Show at ETC, Feb. 28 Read More »
News flash announced on Friday evening, Jan. 23, at the “Moveable Feast” at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music: In September, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will open its 2026-2027 season with a brand-new musical revue, Corner of the Sky: The Music of Stephen Schwartz. Seven high-energy CCM musical theater students performed a selection of numbers from Godspell and
World Premiere Musical Revue at ETC in September Read More »
Every one of Cincinnati’s professional theaters produced memorable shows in 2025. My fellow critic Julie Carpenter and I picked a half-dozen for CityBeat‘s “year-in-review” issue — Primary Trust and English at the Cincinnati Playhouse, A Room in the Castle (photo below by Mikki Schaffner) and Mrs. Dalloway at Cincy Shakes, King James at Know Theatre
Great Cincinnati Theater Productions in 2025 Read More »
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, Dec. 8 (11am-6pm), 9 (9am-3pm) and 11 (10am-2pm), Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati will host its 14th annual “Meals & Monologues” auditions. Actors from across the United States are invited to a general audition callto perform for ETC’s producing artistic direct, D. Lynn Meyers, a member of the Casting Society of America (CSA).
Actors Take Note: “Meals & Monologues” at ETC Read More »
A PREFACE: Due to some difficult business circumstances, CityBeat no longer has a budget to pay freelance contributors, including me. I might occasionally write for them — an outlet I’ve provided with theater coverage for 31 years — but I intend to use this blog* as my principal outlet for features and reviews about theater.
There’s nothing “normal” about Next to Normal at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Read More »
