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UC Students Invited to Participate in CCM’s 48-hour Film Festival

CCM Acting presents the fifth annual 48-Hour Film Festival on Oct. 26-28, 2018. Open to all UC students; apply by Oct. 22 to participate.

The 48-Hour Film Festival at CCM challenges teams of UC students to create short films over a single weekend. Any UC student is invited to participate in the fifth annual festival, which will be held on Oct. 26-28, 2018.

Last year’s 48-Hour Film Festival had more than 100 UC student participants including Acting, Biology, Musical Theatre, Computer Science, Electronic Media, Journalism, International Affairs and English Literature majors.

Students must submit an application to CCM Acting professor and Department Chair Richard E. Hess by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22 to participate. All students who apply will be placed on a team.

“From experienced filmmakers to first-time novices, and serious film lovers to curious dabblers, there is room for everyone on a team,” Hess says. “Any UC student who applies is placed on a team, no experience necessary.”

The clock starts ticking at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26 when participants are randomly assigned to teams of eight to ten students each. The teams are each given a prop, a line of dialogue and a theme that they must use to create a short film that is five to seven minutes long.

The festival culminates at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28 in a free public screening of each team’s film at UC’s MainStreet Cinema in the Tangeman University Center.

“What are you waiting for?,” Hess asks. “Join the fun.” Application and screening event information is below.
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How to Participate
Send your application and any questions to CCM Acting Chair Richard E. Hess at hessre@uc.edu. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018

Your application must include your name, college and year of study, e-mail contact, mobile contact and area of interest for the festival.

Participants will be randomly divided into teams based on what their areas of interest to ensure that various skill sets are represented in each team. Areas of interest include:

  • Director of Photography
  • Director
  • First Assistant Director
  • Editor
  • Producer
  • Grip
  • Audio
  • Composer
  • Lead Writer
  • Actor
  • Production Design
  • Make-Up Design
  • Costume Design
  • Prop Design

Short-Film Screening Time
7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28

Location
MainStreet Cinema, Tangeman University Center
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Free, reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

CCM News Faculty Fanfare Student Salutes
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CCM Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence in Musical Theatre with Lavish Production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ and Gala Afterparty

CCM celebrates the 50th anniversary of its legendary BFA program in Musical Theatre with a special gala event on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Arts lovers are invited to show their saintly support and have a sinfully good time during an evening that includes a lavish production of the classic Broadway musical Guys and Dolls followed by CCM’s Saints and Sinners Bash after party. Ticket proceeds support scholarships, student travel funds and master class opportunities.

The Musical Theatre program at CCM is the oldest in the country and was the first of its kind. A four-year bachelor of fine arts (BFA) program, it was used by the National Association of Schools of Theatre in formulating the guidelines for the accreditation of Musical Theatre programs nationwide. CCM Musical Theatre is widely recognized for its “ triple-threat” approach to training and many of its graduates are following careers as performers and creative artists in every facet of the entertainment industry.

CCM is celebrating the golden anniversary of its Musical Theatre program with a cherished musical comedy from Broadway’s golden age. Guys and Dolls tells the story of Nathan Detroit, a gambler trying to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while eluding the authorities. Detroit turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, who ends up chasing straight-laced missionary Sister Sarah Brown as a result. Featuring iconic musical numbers like “Luck Be a Lady,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and more, this Tony Award-winning show takes audiences from the heart of Times Square to the cafés of Havana in a tale of saints and sinners and the lengths they will go for love.

Directed and choreographed by Professor Diane Lala, with musical direction by Professor Roger Grodsky, Guys and Dolls features the unbelievable on-stage talent of CCM’s musical theatre majors with live accompaniment by CCM’s world-class student orchestra. The performance takes place in CCM’s newly-renovated Corbett Auditorium.

After the performance of Guys and Dolls, attendees will be escorted to the Great Hall of UC’s Tangeman University Center for the Guys and Dolls-themed Saints and Sinners Bash. Guests can unwind in the Sinners Lounge, dance to music provided by the CCM Jazz Band and enjoy specialty drinks. Jeff Thomas Catering will provide themed food stations at the event, which also features a Graeter’s Ice Cream “Saints and Sinners” sundae bar.

The Saints and Sinners Bash will also celebrate the incredible history of CCM’s Musical Theatre program. CCM conferred the United States’ first BFA in Musical Theatre to Pamela Myers in 1969. Shortly after graduating, Myers received a Tony nomination in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her breakout role as Marta in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Company. Fifty years later, CCM Musical Theatre graduates continue to work on Broadway and throughout the nation in such productions as Anastasia, Hamilton, Waitress, The Book of Mormon, Pippin, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Kinky Boots, Big Fish, Newsies and The Lion King. During the 2017-18 season, CCM again took the #2 spot in Playbill Magazine’s list of “10 Most Represented Colleges on Broadway,” coming behind only New York University. Graduates also represent CCM in national and international touring productions, in dinner theatres and theme parks, on cruise ships, on television, in talent agencies, as producers and in many of the related entertainment fields.

Attendees are invited to get “all dolled up” in 1940s attire for a fun-filled night out benefiting CCM’s student “stars of tomorrow.” The entire evening is hosted by CCMpower, a dedicated volunteer group comprised of fans, advocates and alumni. The funds raised by this event enable CCMpower to “fuel the future of the arts” by awarding student scholarships and grants. CCMpower is presenting Guys and Dolls and the Saints and Sinners Bash in lieu of CCM’s popular Moveable Feast gala fundraiser. Moveable Feast will return to CCM in January 2020.

The Saints and Sinners Bash is chaired by Heather Vecellio, with Dianne Dunkelman serving as honorary chair. The fundraiser will be the first event held during the tenure of new CCMpower President Arlene Katz. The gala fundraiser also celebrates the arrival of new CCM Dean Stanley Romanstein, whose tenure officially began on July 1, 2018.

CCM’s Mainstage Series will also present performances of Guys and Dolls on Oct. 19, 21, 26 and 27. Learn more about these performances at ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/2018-19-Mainstage-Season.

GUYS AND DOLLS AND THE SAINTS AND SINNERS BASH
A Musical Fable of Broadway
Based on a Story and Characters of Damon Runyon
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Diane Lala, director and choreographer
Roger Grodsky, musical director

Date
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018

Schedule of Events:

  • Sponsor Reception at CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater: 6 p.m. (only available for sponsors)
  • Performance of Guys and Dolls at CCM’s Corbett Auditorium: 7 p.m.
  • Saints and Sinners Bash at the Great Hall in UC’s Tangeman University Center: 9:30-11:30 p.m.

Location
University of Cincinnati

Dress
All Dolled Up (1940s attire encouraged)

Purchasing Tickets
Sponsorship and Host tickets to Guys and Dolls and the Saints and Sinners Bash are available now and can be purchased over the telephone at 513-556-2100. Sponsorship levels begin at $600, visit ccm.uc.edu/support/events for more details.

Host Options:

  • Saint $250 – price includes one ticket to Guys and Dolls performance, one ticket to Saints and Sinners Bash, one ticket to CCM Musical Theatre’s “Not Famous Yet” Showcase on March 15, 2019, valet parking and program recognition
  • Sinner $175 – price includes one ticket to Guys and Dolls performance, one ticket to Saints and Sinners Bash, valet parking and program recognition
  • General Public Tickets: $125 – price includes one ticket to Guys and Dolls performance, one ticket to Saints and Sinners Bash and membership to CCMpower
  • CCM Alumni and Young Professional (40 and under) Tickets: $75 – price includes one ticket to Guys and Dolls performance, one ticket to Saints and Sinners Bash and membership to CCMpower

Tickets for general admission, young professional and CCM alumni become available on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018.Seating is limited. Event proceeds raised by CCMpower support student scholarships for CCM’s “stars of tomorrow” and also help fund student and ensemble travel, master class opportunities and collaborative projects.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

About CCMpower
The result of a merger of the Friends of CCM and the CCM Alumni Governing Board, CCMpower is a volunteer group of fans, advocates and alumni dedicated to empowering students and fueling the future of the arts through scholarship opportunities and more. This new organization is a combination of people who love and support the arts along with graduates of CCM investing back in their school. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu/ccmpower.

About CCM
Declared “one of the nation’s leading conservatories” by The New York Times, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time.

CCM offers nine degree types (BA, BM, BFA, MFA, MM, MA, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors. The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world’s stage.

CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio. All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

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CCM faculty member Rocco Dal Vera.
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In Memoriam: CCM Professor and Theatre Arts Division Head Rocco Dal Vera

It is with supreme sadness that we share news of the passing of Rocco Dal Vera, a cherished member of the CCM Family who most recently served as head of CCM’s Division of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration (TAPAA).

Rocco died peacefully on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, surrounded by close family and friends, after battling glioblastoma cancer. He was the loving husband to his wife of 27 years, Denise Mechelle Dal Vera, and devoted father to his daughter, Kendall Anne Dal Vera.  He is preceded in death by his father, Roger Dal Vera, and survived by his mother, Polly Dal Vera, and sister, Anne Dal Vera. Born July 10, 1956, he was 61 years old.

CCM TAPAA Division Head Rocco Dal Vera.

CCM faculty member Rocco Dal Vera.

Rocco was a world-renowned researcher, master teacher and pioneer of voice and speech training for theatrical and commercial film actors, voice-over specialists, public speakers and corporate leaders.

A faculty member in the Department of Acting (previously Drama) since 1998, Rocco became head of CCM’s TAPAA Division in June of 2015. In 2008, Rocco received UC’s George Barbour Award for Good Faculty-Student Relations. He was also on the faculties of UC’s College of Law, the Xavier Leadership Center (Williams College of Business) and Procter and Gamble’s clay street project.

Awarded the title of Distinguished Member by the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), the highest honor given by the Association, Rocco was the founding editor of the journal Voice and Speech Review for VASTA, and edited the first three books of that series. He lectured internationally on vocal violence and the effects of emotion on the voice and was a Level 5 Master Teacher of the Alba Method for Emotions, having studied and taught the subject for over 20 years.

Rocco was the author and editor of six books, several of which have been translated extensively and received international acclaim, influencing the curricular design in several disciplines. His book, Voice: Onstage and Off (co-authored with Robert Barton), was nominated as the Best New Theatre Publication by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and is in use by over 600 college and university theatre programs. His latest book, Acting in Musical Theatre: A Comprehensive Course, (co-authored with Joe Deer) is in its second edition. For three years Deer and Dal Vera had a monthly column, “Acting in Musical Theatre,” in Dramatics Magazine and were frequent contributors to the journal Teaching Theatre.

Before joining the faculty at UC, Rocco was head of the BFA Professional Actor and Musical Theatre Training Programs at Wright State University, taught at the National Theatre Conservatory, Willamette University, United States International University, served on the Advisory Board for the Relativity School, and was chair of the Voice and Speech Department at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. For 16 seasons, he was the resident vocal coach for the Tony Award-winning Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. He was a resident artist at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, and worked as a voice and speech coach at numerous theatres around the US including, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Human Race Theatre Company, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Long Beach Civic Light Opera and the Los Angeles Theatre Center.

Prior to entering academic life, Rocco had a rich professional career onstage and in Hollywood. His voice can be heard on numerous commercials and over 500 films and television shows including L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues, THIRTYsomething, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Gods Must Be Crazy. He was the co-host and assistant producer of the public television series, Healthward Bound: A Lifelong Journey, which won the prize for Best Series at the American Medical Association’s International Film Awards.

With his wife, Denise, and friend Annie Fitzpatrick, he founded the company IWA Strategies LLC, whose client list includes Cincinnati Bell, Procter and Gamble, clay street project and the Xavier Leadership Center. Their company’s mission is to teach “how to influence by inspiring and recognizing the genius in others and creating practical applications.” This mission demonstrates how Rocco married an active professional life with an inspirational philosophy that recognized others’ potential. Revered for a generosity of spirit and graceful eloquence, he will be remembered as not only the “smartest man in the room,” but also the kindest. His thoughtfulness, artistry and caring contributed to the achievement of countless artists, teachers and professionals worldwide. Rocco was considered a “teacher’s teacher,” an “actor’s coach,” and a tireless ally to the many students and colleagues he served alongside and led in a career that spanned four decades. Beyond his exceptional professional skill, Rocco will probably best be remembered for his generosity of spirit and profoundly supportive nature. No student, colleague or acquaintance was ever turned away from his office without receiving Rocco’s full attention and support.

Later in his life, Rocco became a crusader against Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and his daughter Kendall’s lifelong battle with the debilitating disease. In lieu of flowers, a fund has been established in Kendall’s name; you can learn more by visiting www.posthope.org/rocco/journal/214305/how-to-give-back-to-rocco.

Rocco was a member of Actors’ Equity Association, American Association of University Professors, SAG-AFTRA, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance-International, Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists and the Voice Foundation.

A Memorial Service will be held in the Great Hall of UC’s Tangeman University Center at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30.  More information about the memorial can be found at www.posthope.org/rocco. Prospective attendees are encouraged to RSVP at https://events.blackbirdrsvp.com/rocco-s-celebration-of-life.

Please join us in sending your thoughts or prayers and condolences to the entire Dal Vera family. Rocco was an inspiring force to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.

CCM News
The Cohen Family Studio Theater at CCM.
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CCM Announces Sesquicentennial Studio Series of Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre and Opera

CCM presents nine eclectic and electrifying productions as part of its 150th Anniversary Studio Series of Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre and Opera. This annual series of performing and media arts events features CCM’s acclaimed “stars of tomorrow” in a collection of scaled-down stagings set in the Cohen Family Studio Theater and other intimate performance spaces.

Composer, lyricist, playwright and CCM alumnus Todd Almond.

Composer, lyricist, playwright and CCM alumnus Todd Almond.

The 2017-18 series opens in October with the musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim, which showcases the songs of legendary musical theatre composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. In November, CCM proudly presents The Earth is Flat, a touching coming-of-age story written by CCM alumnus Todd Almond (BM, 1999) and set in UC’s Calhoun Hall. November also sees the return of the 48-Hour Film Festival, which showcases 10 student-created short films produced over the course of a single weekend.

The series continues in early 2018 with productions of the operas Trouble in Tahiti, The Telephone, Tale for a Deaf Ear and Ariodante. CCM’s popular Dance Student Choreographers’ Showcase and TRANSMIGRATION Festival of Student-Created New Works both return in March. The 150th Anniversary Studio Series concludes in Spring 2018 with the unconventional and moving musical drama The Theory of Relativity (directed and choreographed by CCM alumna Katie Johannigman) and the debut of an original 60-minute play created by CCM Acting for the 71st Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Studio Series is just one part of the yearlong CCM Sesquicentennial Celebration, which includes world premieres, guest artist performances, a series of off-campus concerts and a one-of-a-kind alumni showcase event. For an initial overview of CCM’s 150th anniversary programming, please visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/sesquicentennial-celebration.

The complete 2017-18 Studio Series lineup is listed below. Titles and dates are subject to change.

Tickets and Parking Information
All Studio Series performances are free and open to the general public, but reservations are required and seating is limited. Reservations can be made the week of each show by visiting the CCM Box Office in UC’s Corbett Center for the Performing Arts or by calling 513-556-4183.

Unless otherwise noted, all Studio Series productions take place in CCM’s intimate and versatile “black box” performance space, the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates. For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM’s 150TH ANNIVERSARY STUDIO SERIES
Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre, Opera

8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Conceived and originally directed by James Lapine
Aubrey Berg, director
Stephen Goers, music director
Katie Johannigman, choreographer

A “revelatory revue full of wonderful moments,” Sondheim on Sondheim is an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter in his own words… and music. Ranging from the beloved to the obscure, the songs are interspersed with in-depth video interviews, delving into Sondheim’s personal life and artistic process. Far from the typical song cycle, Sondheim on Sondheim has massive theatrical potency, as well as inarguable staying power. A “funny, affectionate and revealing tribute to musical theater’s greatest living composer and lyricist” and a wonderful showcase for CCM’s Musical Theatre stars of tomorrow.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 2. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4
• Studio Acting Series •
THE EARTH IS FLAT
Written by Todd Almond
Richard E. Hess, director

The CCM Sesquicentennial celebrates the work of accomplished alumnus Todd Almond! A love letter to the University of Cincinnati written by Almond, The Earth is Flat explores the universal awkwardness of the American college experience. The search for identity by those least prepared with answers resonates with unexpected comedy in this new play commissioned by CCM Acting as part of the Cincinnati Playwrights Conference in 2016. A coming-of-age story set in Calhoun Hall, The Earth is Flat follows purple-haired Ethan as he takes his first tentative steps toward self-knowledge.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 30. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub
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7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19
• Studio Acting/Digital Media Collaborative/E-Media Series •
FOURTH ANNUAL 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL
Richard E. Hess and John Owens, producers

Join us for our annual celebration of original film work by students. After random team placement, student authors, actors, directors, editors, and composers have 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday night to 7 p.m. on Sunday night to create finished original short films. All UC students are invited to participate.

Location: MainStreet Cinema, Tangeman University Center
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are not required, but space may be limited.
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4
• CCM at 150 Celebrates Bernstein at 100/Opera d’arte Series •
TROUBLE IN TAHITI + THE TELEPHONE + TALE FOR A DEAF EAR
Music and libretto by Leonard Bernstein/Music and words by Gian Carlo Menotti/Music and lyrics by Mark Bucci
Brett Scott, conductor
Amy Johnson, director and co-producer
Kenneth Shaw, co-producer
Gabriela Sam, assistant director

The CCM Opera d’arte Series of undergraduate productions proudly presents a triple bill of one-act American operas! Featured works include Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, a one-act opera that candidly portrays the troubled marriage of a young suburban couple. Written between Bernstein’s biggest Broadway successes, Trouble in Tahiti draws upon popular song styles to deliver an uncompromising critique of Mid-century American marriage. The triple bill also includes Gian Carlo Menotti’s bit of froth, The Telephone, and Mark Bucci’s rarely produced, but haunting Tale for a Deaf Ear. Taken together, Opera d’arte’s triple bill offers three vastly contrasting views into the extremes of human relationships.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Jan. 29. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit
two tickets per order.
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb 17
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18
• Studio Opera Series •
ARIODANTE
Music by George Frideric Handel
Libretto based on a work by Antonio Salvi
Aik Khai Pung, conductor
Robin Guarino, director

Hailed as one of Handel’s finest operas, Ariodante presents a tale of royal intrigue and betrayal set in the remote Scottish Highlands. The daughter of the King of Scotland is happily engaged to Prince Ariodante, but the scheming Duke Polinesso plots to take the princess’ hand in marriage and seize the throne for himself. Intrigue ensues in this celebrated opera seria, but true love wins the day!

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 12. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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8 p.m. Thursday, March 1
8 p.m. Friday, March 2
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3
• Studio Dance Series •
DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE
André Megerdichian, director

Come experience the next generation of emerging choreographers as CCM dance majors take the stage with exciting and diverse new works.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 26. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7
7 p.m. Thursday, March 8
7 p.m. Friday, March 9
• Studio Acting Series •
TRANSMIGRATION 2018
A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard E. Hess and Brant Russell, producers

TRANSMIGRATION, so named for “the movement from one place to another” or “the transition from one state of being to another,” is a festival of new works created by the students in CCM Acting. Six teams of actors craft and perform six original 30-minute shows. Performed simultaneously in different locations throughout CCM Village, this 10th Anniversary Edition of TRANSMIGRATION will allow the audience to sample four different new works of their choosing in one spectacular evening. “Thanks to the [Acting] program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music, theatre fans were offer a jolt of onstage vitality,” observed CityBeat’s Rick Pender.

Location: CCM Village
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 5. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub
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8 p.m. Thursday, March 29
8 p.m. Friday, March 30
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY
Music and lyrics by Neil Bartram
Book by Brian Hill
Katie Johannigman, director and choreographer
Stephen Goers, musical director

From Drama Desk Award nominees Neil Bartram and Brian Hill (The Story of My Life), The Theory of Relativity is a joyous and moving look at our surprisingly interconnected lives. Whether you’re allergic to cats, in love for the first or tenth time, a child of divorce, a germophobe or simply a unique individual, audience members and actors alike are sure to find themselves in this fresh new musical. Created using the real-life experiences and struggles of Millennials, The Theory of Relativity introduces a compelling array of characters experiencing the joys and heartbreaks, liaisons and losses, the inevitability and the wonder of human connection.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 26. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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8 p.m. Thursday, April 19
8 p.m. Friday, April 20
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 21
• Studio Acting Series •
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL PROJECT
Susan Felder and Richard E. Hess, directors

Every year thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages all over Edinburgh, Scotland for the largest arts festival in the world. For the first time, CCM Acting will present an original 60-minute piece in August of 2018 in the 71st Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Join us at CCM in April as we present our original creation for Cincinnati audiences.

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 16. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub
____________________

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
____________________

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

This is our story. This is your season. Join us for a celebration 150 years in the making…

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CCM Drama major Bartley Booz in the E-Media short film 'Solitude.'
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Third Annual CCM 48-Hour Film Festival Unites UC Students to Make Movies

It’s time once more for the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s 48-Hour Film Festival, which challenges teams of UC students to create a short film in only 48 hours.

The clock starts ticking at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 when students are split into eight teams to create their short films. The festival culminates at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 20 in a free public screening of each team’s film at UC’s MainStreet Cinema in the Tangeman University Center, which is adjacent to CCM.

Any UC student is invited to participate in the third annual festival. To join, students must submit an application to CCM Acting professor and Department Chair Richard Hess by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 14, 2016. All students who apply will be placed on a team. Visit the CCM website for application instructions.

Participants are randomly assigned to one of eight teams of about eight to ten students each. Each team is given a prop, a line of dialogue and a theme that must be present in the film, and then it’s off to the races. The resulting films will be approximately five minutes long.

While many of the participants are Electronic Media majors, all UC students are encouraged to participate. Last year, students from biomedical engineering to composition and marketing competed alongside CCM students. The festival needs more than just actors and directors; each team will ideally be outfitted with a sound engineer, a make-up artist, a film editor and a composer to write the score, as well as other personnel.

Some films and participants will win awards such as best film, best actor or actress, best editing and best cinematography. In 2015 Sunday, won four out of the five awards; the film is available to watch on YouTube (warning: mature language).

The general public is invited to the festival’s screening party at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 20. Films will be screened in UC’s MainStreet Cinema in the Tangeman University Center.

Performance Time
7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20

Location
MainStreet Cinema, Tangeman University Center
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Free, reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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Story by CCM graduate student Alexandra Doyle

CCM News E-Media Presents CCM Weekly
CCM's Cohen Family Studio Theater. Photography by Adam Zeek.
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CCM Announces 2016-17 Studio Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Dance and Acting Productions

All-time favorites and daring new works receive equal billing during CCM’s 2016-17 Studio Series. This year’s 13-part series of performing and media arts events features an eclectic mix of opera, musical theatre, dance and acting productions, all featuring CCM’s acclaimed “stars-of-tomorrow.”

CCM's Studio Series opens with Elizabeth Swados' RUNAWAYS, co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

CCM’s Studio Series opens with Elizabeth Swados’ RUNAWAYS, co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

Season highlights include Elizabeth Swados’ powerful and rarely-seen musical Runaways co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati and two world-premieres produced by the Opera Fusion: New Works Lab in partnership with Cincinnati Opera.

CCM’s Department of Musical Theatre also presents the world-premiere of a musical revue showcasing the work of legendary Broadway collaborators Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Devised and directed by Aubrey Berg, the Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre at CCM, They Were You: The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt features songs from throughout the celebrated duo’s oeuvre.

This year’s lineup also includes the return of two popular festivals, the 48-Hour Film Festival and the TRANSMIGRATION Festival of Student-Created Plays.

CCM’s Studio Series runs from Sept. 21, 2016, through April 22, 2017. Please see below for full production and ticketing details.

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CCM’S 2016-17 STUDIO SERIES

8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 (preview)
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23
3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24
3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
A co-production between CCM and Know Theatre of Cincinnati
RUNAWAYS
Music, lyrics and book by Elizabeth Swados
Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
Luke Flood, music director
Runaways is a collage of songs, monologues and dances that captures the energy, courage and honesty of a group of teenagers who are running away “from home… from a boyfriend… from a predator… from themselves.” Created in 1977 by groundbreaking theatre artist Elizabeth Swados, Runaways was born from interviews and workshops that she held with children and young adults who were escaping from their deteriorating family lives. It is a challenging piece of theatre that ultimately celebrates the power of the imagination and the resilience of the human spirit.
Location: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Ticket prices range from $15 – $25. Tickets available through the Know Theatre Box Office by calling 513-300-5669 or online at http://knowtheatre.com.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
• Opera Fusion: New Works Lab •
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
SOME LIGHT EMERGES
Composed by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed
Robin Guarino, director
Bradley Moore, conductor
Funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Presented in collaboration with Houston Grand Opera, Some Light Emerges takes its inspiration from the creation of Houston’s iconic Rothko Chapel by philanthropist and art collector Dominique de Menil.
Location: Cincinnati Club Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Monday, Sept. 12. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
THEY WERE YOU: The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Aubrey Berg, director
Stephen Goers, musical arrangements
CCM proudly presents the world premiere of a musical revue showcasing the work of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Devised and directed by Aubrey Berg with musical arrangements by Steve Goers, They Were You features songs from The Fantasticks, Celebration, 110 in the Shade, The Bone Room, Colette Collage and more. This revue celebrates Jones’ and Schmidt’s ability to reflect the human condition with humor, compassion and wry affection.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 3. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
• Studio Acting Series •
MIDDLETOWN
Written by Will Eno
Richard E. Hess, director
Middletown considers the strange beauty of life and its sometimes unbearable weight. Inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the inhabitants of Middletown have a remarkable talent for articulating the hiccups of fear and anxiety in their souls with moving delicacy. The folks are friendly, and the view of star-dappled skies and modest homes is familiar and comforting. Welcome to Middletown.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 17. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6
• Studio Opera Series •
BRIGHT-EYED JOY! A RICKY IAN GORDON CABARET
Composer Ricky Ian Gordon, one of America’s most respected composers of art song, opera and musical theatre, joins CCM’s Opera and Voice singers and pianists for an evening of his music. Come watch our “stars-of-tomorrow” work with a living legend!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 31. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14
• Opera Fusion: New Works Lab •
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater’s New Works Program
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
INTIMATE APPAREL
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Lynn Nottage
Robin Guarino, director
Paul Cremo, Dramaturg
Timothy Meyers, conductor
Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Adapted by Lynn Nottage from her prize-winning 2003 play of the same name, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a 35-year-old seamstress in 1905 New York City. Esther sews lingerie for a living, interacting with a wealthy Fifth Avenue wife, a Tenderloin prostitute and a Jewish fabric merchant on the Lower East Side, with whom she shares a closeness that cannot be pursued further because of his religion. Esther embarks on a letter-writing relationship with a Panama Canal laborer, leading to marriage and ultimately heartbreak, but she maintains her strength of character and determination to make a better life for herself.
Location: Cincinnati Club Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
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7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
• E-Media/Acting Film Series •
THIRD ANNUAL CCM 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL
Join us for our annual celebration of original film work by students. After random team placement, student authors, actors, directors, editors and composers have 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday night to 7 p.m. on Sunday night to create finished original short films. At the close of the 48-hour period, audiences can join us in UC’s MainStreet Cinema to enjoy eight original short films by eight amazing teams.
Location: MainStreet Cinema, UC’s Tangeman University Center
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5
• CCM Opera d’arte – Undergraduate Opera Series •
ALBERT HERRING
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Eric Crozier, freely adapted from a story of Guy de Maupassant
Jesse Leong, conductor
Kenneth Shaw, director
Britten’s brilliantly witty score comes to life again at CCM, presented with the effervescence and energy unique to the outstanding young artists of Opera d’arte! Set in the small town of Loxford, in East Sussex, Albert Herring explores the themes of losing innocence and coming of age in the face of old fashioned morality and social stratification.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Jan. 30. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

This production of Albert Herring is presented in honor of Rafael and Kimberly de Acha

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19
• Studio Opera Series •
TRANSFORMATIONS
Music by Conrad Susa
Libretto by Anne Sexton
Avishay Shalom, conductor
Emma Griffin, director
CCM’s Studio Series presents the Brothers Grimm fairy tales like you’ve never seen them before! This 1973 chamber opera, with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Anne Sexton, is darkly humorous with audaciously recounted tales, and filled with mid-20th-century references, both literary and musical. Based on Sexton’s acclaimed 1971 book of poems of the same name, Transformations promises to challenge audiences’ understanding of what “happily-ever-after” truly means. This production contains adult themes and is not recommend for young audiences.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 13. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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8 p.m. Thursday, March 2
8 p.m. Friday, March 3
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 4
• Studio Dance Series •
DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE
André Megerdichian, director
Come experience the next generation of emerging choreographers as CCM dance majors take the stage with exciting and diverse new works.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 27. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

The Dance Department gratefully acknowledges the support of the Corbett Endowment at CCM.
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7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8
7 p.m. Thursday, March 9
7 p.m. Friday, March 10
• Studio Acting Series •
TRANSMIGRATION 2017
A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard E. Hess and Brant Russell, producers
TRANSMIGRATION, so named for “the movement from one place to another” or “the transition from one state of being to another,” is a festival of new works created by the acting students in CCM Acting. Six teams of actors craft and perform five original 30-minute shows. Performed simultaneously in different locations throughout CCM Village, TRANSMIGRATION will allow the audience to sample four different new works of their choosing in one spectacular evening. “Thanks to the [Acting] program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music,” observed CityBeat’s Rick Pender, “theater fans were offered a jolt of onstage vitality.”
Location: Various locations throughout CCM Village
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 6. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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8 p.m. Thursday, March 30
8 p.m. Friday, March 31
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 1
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
CHILDREN OF EDEN
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by John Caird
Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
Steve Goers, musical director
From the composer of smash hits Wicked and Godspell comes a uniquely personal and intimate retelling of the biblical Genesis story. Through the narratives of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah and his family, this beloved 1991 musical explores the uniquely human trait to desire adventure but yearn for the comfort and safety of home, or, “Eden.”
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 27. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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8 p.m. Thursday, April 20
8 p.m. Friday, April 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 22
• Studio Acting Series •
VERY DUMB KIDS
By Gracie Gardner
Brant Russell, director
Sarah Nehal was murdered while working as a correspondent in New Delhi while her college friends were at home in the U.S. watching TV on the internet and peddling their esoteric skill sets. One year after her funeral, her friends meet for their annual Fourth of July reunion. Very Dumb Kids explores entitlement and how its effects are visited upon the disenfranchised as well as the privileged. But it’s also about empowerment, exploring how to live responsibly in an irresponsible universe. Join CCM Acting as we embark on our new play commissioning initiative: plays that speak to the unique experience that is being young in America; plays that are written for and about our students; plays that will go on to be produced by educational institutions and professional theater companies all over the country; plays that will involve a new generation of artists and audiences. And you’ll be able to say you were there when it all started.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 17. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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Reserving Tickets
All Studio Series performances held in CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater are free and open to the general public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made the Monday before each show by visiting the CCM Box Office in person or calling 513-556-4183. Limit two tickets per order.

For additional information on reserving tickets for CCM’s Studio Series, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/did-you-know/how-to-studio-series.

Some off-campus Studio Series productions require paid admission or reservations through a partner organization’s box office. Please refer to individual production listings for more information.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM News
Student filmmaker Christine Njeri working in Nairobi, Kenya.
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CCM’s Second Annual 48-Hour Film Festival Welcomes Guest Filmmakers and Actors from Kenya

UC students are invited to spend a whirlwind weekend writing, shooting and editing short films during the second annual 48-Hour Film Festival. Co-hosted by CCM’s Department of Drama and Division of Electronic Media, the movie-making marathon begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, and culminates with a public screening of the student-created films at UC’s MainStreet Cinema at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Based on the innovative “48 Hour Film Project” competition and festival, which launched in 2001, CCM’s 48-Hour Film Festival will challenge teams of students to bring their short films from conception to completion within a brisk 48-hour window.

Student filmmaker Eric Mwangi working in Nairobi, Kenya.

Student filmmaker Eric Mwangi working in Nairobi, Kenya.

This year’s student participants will be joined by six guest filmmakers and actors from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. These students will spend the entire week of the film festival in Cincinnati, attending classes at UC and experiencing the culture of the area.

Richard Hess, the A.B., Dolly, Ralph and Julia Cohen Chair of Dramatic Performance at CCM, orchestrated this cultural exchange.

In 2011, Hess brought eight current and former CCM Drama students to Kenya to take part in the Dadaab Theatre Project on World Refugee Day. He returned to Kenya in 2014 as a Fulbright Scholar and spent a semester teaching and conducting research at Kenyatta University’s Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology. You can learn more about his time in Kenya here.

For the second installment of CCM’s 48-Hour Film Festival, Hess wanted to expose students to these same kinds of life-changing creative experiences. “The integration of our cultures and artistic viewpoints will challenge prejudices and assumptions, enlarging the world-views and possibilities of each participant,” says Hess. “Adding a Kenyan artist to each creative team is a meaningful way to affect every student in the CCM Film Festival.”

GET EXPERIENCE NOW: PARTICIPATING IN THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL
Any UC student interested in participating in the CCM 48-Hour Film Festival is invited to apply online at ccm.uc.edu.theatre/drama/48HourFilmFestival. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015.

Every applicant will be assigned to a team. Team assignments will be announced at the festival’s kick-off event in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. Participant will need to be available for the entire 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 through 7 p.m. on Nov. 8.

Below, watch 165 West McMillan, one of last year’s festival films.

Teams will be assigned a common prop, a common line of dialogue and a common theme, all of which must be included in each film. Teams will then have 48 hours to brainstorm, create job assignments, research, story-board, write, cast, film, score and edit a roughly five to seven minute-long film.

“The best way to fight prejudice is through exposure,” says Hess. “Six different teams of artists, made of Kenyan and American students, will be tasked with creating original short films over a 48-hour period. Working under the exquisite pressure of time, they will be forced to ask large questions, to listen and to leap into the void of creativity where the impossible becomes possible.”

The general public is invited to the festival’s screening party at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8. Films will be screened in UC’s MainStreet Cinema in the Tangeman University Center.

Dates and Times

  • Festival: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, through 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
  • Public Screening: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8

Locations

  • Festival Kick-Off: Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
  • Public Screening: MainStreet Cinema, Tangeman University Center

Admissions to Screening
The 48-Hour Film Festival’s screening party is free and open to the general public. Reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

The Kenyatta University 2015 Exchange Program has been made possible by the A.B., Dolly, Ralph and Julia Cohen Family Foundation, and Neil R. Artman and Margaret L. Straub.

CCM News Faculty Fanfare
CCM's Cohen Family Studio Theater. Photography by Adam Zeek.
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CCM Announces 2015-16 Studio Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama & Dance

All-time favorites and daring new works receive equal billing during CCM’s 2015-16 Studio Series. This year’s 12-part series of performing and media arts events features an eclectic mix of opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions, all featuring CCM’s acclaimed “stars-of-tomorrow.”

Season highlights include an irreverent comedy co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, a world-premiere produced in partnership with Cincinnati Opera and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and two film collaborations with CCM’s Division of Electronic Media.

This year’s lineup also includes six free productions held in CCM’s intimate and versatile “black box” space, the Cohen Family Studio Theater, which provides audiences with an unparalleled “up-close-and-personal” performing arts experience.

CCM’s Studio Series runs from Oct. 8, 2015, through April 23, 2016. Please see below for full production and ticketing details.

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CCM 2015-16 STUDIO SERIES
Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance

BIG RIVER: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
Music and lyrics by Roger Miller
Book by William Hauptmann
Vince DeGeorge, director
Steve Goers, musical director
Patti James, choreographer

Meet Mark Twain’s Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer in an irrepressible adaptation of a timeless novel. With a foot-stompin’ country score by Roger Miller, Big River brings to life all the favorite characters from the original – Widow Douglas, the King and Duke, Pap Finn, Mary Jane Wilkes and, of course, the Royal Nonesuch. A dazzling, heartwarming slice of Americana and the crowning achievement of one of country music’s most celebrated careers, Big River is a Tony-Award winning musical for all ages.

Performance Dates: Oct. 8 – 10, 2015
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 5. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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THE HUNCHBACK OF SEVILLE
A co-production between Know Theatre of Cincinnati and CCM’s Division of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration
Written by Charise Castro Smith
Brant Russell, director

An absurdist play amped to the max, The Hunchback of Seville delves into the lives of the monarchy and citizens of 15th-century Spain: the infamous Queen Isabella, the spoiled Infanta Juana (the future Queen of Spain), and the Muslim Talib who is desperately attempting to avoid persecution at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition. All of this revolves around Maxima, a mathematical genius and adopted royal family member who is locked away in a tower and pines for Talib’s love. Smith’s play uses this dark, comedic plot both for laughs and as a serious means to examine sanitized history and human rights injustices both in Spain and the new world that Columbus “discovered.” This exciting collaboration brings CCM drama students to Know Theatre’s stage for a history lesson you won’t get in college!

Performance Dates: Oct. 9 – 24, 2015
Location: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Tickets available through the Know Theatre Box Office by calling 513-300-5669 or online at http://knowtheatre.com.

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub

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SHALIMAR THE CLOWN
A collaboration between CCM Opera, Cincinnati Opera and Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Co-artistic directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
Music by Jack Perla
Libretto by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by James Robinson

Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work. An opera based on the novel of the same name by Salman Rushdie, Shalimar the Clown revolves around a child named India who loses her father—a United States diplomat to India’s namesake country—to assassination at the hands of his former chauffeur Shalimar. The reasons that led the former clown to murder India’s father tell of the fragility of human life and love, detailing how complicated and non-simplistic our stories are, how large the consequences of our actions can loom, and how great joys can turn into unbearable sadness and senseless tragedy.

Performance Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
Location: TBA
Admission: For ticket details and location for the public reading of Shalimar the Clown, please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office at 513-241-2742.

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WILLIAM BOLCOM: CABARET SONGS
Lydia Brown, music director and piano
Robin Guarino and Marcus Shields, stage directors

William Bolcom’s career is storied: famed pianist, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Ragtime revivalist and acclaimed professor at the University of Michigan. Arnold Weinstein, a self-proclaimed “theatre poet,” won acclaim as a lyricist for famed musicals such as Metamorphoses. Brought together by Darius Milhaud, the duo had a prolific partnership from 1964 until Weinstein’s death in 2005. Their collaborations included famed operas such as McTeague, A Wedding and others. Among these works were four sets of cabaret songs written between the 1970s and 1990s. CCM Opera is proud to present the first complete performance of all 24 of these cabaret songs.

Performance Dates: Oct. 23 – 25, 2015
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 19. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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SECOND ANNUAL CCM 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL
Co-produced with CCM’s Division of Electronic Media
Richard E. Hess and John Owens, producers

You are invited to a celebration of original film work by CCM students. After random team placement, student authors, actors, directors, editors and composers have 48 hours to create finished original short films. The general public is invited to a screening of these works at the end of the 48-hour project time! Six teams, six short films, plus six guest artists from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya will surprise and delight.

Screening Time: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015
Location: MainStreet Cinema, UC’s Tangeman University Center
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are not required.

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IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO
Music by Giachino Rossini
Libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa
Frances Rabalais, director

A brilliant one-act operatic farce based upon the play Le fils par hasard, ou ruse et folie by Alissan de Chazet and E.T.M. Ourry, Il Signor Bruschino features the traditional hallmarks of opera buffa: mistaken identity, star-crossed lovers, betrothed confusion, and an ending that ties up all the loose ends. Relax your mind and enjoy a playful romp in a French castle!

Performance Dates: Feb. 19 – 21, 2016
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 15. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE
Andre Megerdichian, director

Come experience the next generation of emerging choreographers as CCM dance majors take the stage with exciting and diverse new works.

Performance Dates: March 3 – 5, 2016
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 29. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

The Dance Department gratefully acknowledges the support of the Corbett Endowment at CCM.
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TRANSMIGRATION 2016
A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard E. Hess, coordinator
Brant Russell, producer

TRANSMIGRATION, so named for “the movement from one place to another” or “the transition from one state of being to another,” is a festival of new works created by the acting students in CCM Drama. Six teams of actors craft and perform five original 30-minute shows. Performed simultaneously in different locations throughout CCM Village, TRANSMIGRATION will allow the audience to sample four different new works of their choosing in one spectacular evening. “Thanks to the drama program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music,” observed CityBeat’s Rick Pender, “theater fans were offered a jolt of onstage vitality.”

Performance Dates: March 10 – 12, 2016
Location: Various locations throughout CCM Village, including Corbett Center rooms 3705, 4735 and 4755
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 7. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub

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MARIA STUARDA
CCM’s Opera d’Arte Undergraduate Opera Series
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Giuseppe Bardari
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
Amy Johnson, Stage Director
Kenneth Shaw, Co-producer

One of the hallmarks of bel canto opera, Maria Stuarda is a story of intrigue, confrontation and tragedy loosely based upon the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.

Performance Dates: March 11 – 13, 2016
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 7. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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BINARY
Co-produced with CCM’s Division of Electronic Media
Screenplay by Owen Alderson
Richard E. Hess and John Owens, producers

Set in a Massachusetts private boarding school, Binary is a coming of age story following one student’s journey to embrace a new identity in the face of peer adversity. Winner of the first-ever CCM screen-writing contest, this original short film with screenplay by CCM Drama major Owen Alderson will be jointly produced by the CCM E-Media and Drama Departments.

Screening Time: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2016
Location: MainStreet Cinema, UC’s Tangeman University Center
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are not required.

The April 2 screening of Binary has been canceled. A rescheduled screening date will be announced soon.

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LYSISTRATA JONES
Lyrics and Music by Lewis Flinn
Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Emma Griffin, director
Danny White, musical director
Patti James, choreographer

The Athens University basketball team hasn’t won a game in 30 years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones dares the squad’s fed-up girlfriends to stop “giving it up” to their boyfriends until they win a game, their legendary losing streak could finally come to an end. Adapted from Lysistrata, Aristophanes’ classic Greek comedy, Lysistrata Jones takes student activism to a whole new level and celebrates the journey of discovering and embracing your true self.

Performance Dates: April 7 – 9, 2016
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 4. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

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VERY DUMB KIDS
(formerly THE GREAT MAJORITY)
Written by Gracie Gardner
Brant Russell, director

Join us for a staged reading of an in-progress play by rising New York star Gracie Gardner. Sarah Nehal was murdered while working as a correspondent in New Delhi while her college friends were at home in the U.S. streaming TV on the internet and peddling their esoteric skill sets. One year after her funeral, Sarah’s friends meet for their annual Fourth of July reunion. The play explores entitlement and how its effects are visited upon the disenfranchised as well as the privileged. It’s also about how we can live responsibly in an irresponsible universe. The Great Majority is the inaugural production of CCM Drama’s new play-commissioning initiative: plays that speak to the unique experience of being young in America; plays that are written for and about our students; plays that will go on to be produced by educational institutions and professional theatre companies all over the country; plays that will involve a new generation of artists and audiences… and you will be able to say you were there when it all started.

Performance Dates: April 21 – 23, 2016
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 18. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub

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Reserving Tickets
All Studio Series performances held in CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater are free and open to the general public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made the Monday before each show by visiting the CCM Box Office in person or calling 513-556-4183. Limit two tickets per order.

For additional information on reserving tickets for CCM’s Studio Series, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/did-you-know/how-to-studio-series.

Some off-campus Studio Series productions require paid admission or reservations through a partner organization’s box office. Please refer to individual production listings for more information.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

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University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
2015-16 Studio Series: Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance

FALL 2015

BIG RIVER: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9
  • 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

THE HUNCHBACK OF SEVILLE

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9
  • 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11
  • 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18
  • 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24

Location: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

OPERA FUSION: NEW WORKS – SHALIMAR THE CLOWN

Performance Date:

  • Saturday, Oct. 17

Location: To Be Announced

WILLIAM BOLCOM: CABARET SONGS

Performance Time:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

CCM’S 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL

Screening Time:

  • 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8

Location: MainStreet Cinema,
Tangeman University Center

 SPRING 2016

IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, February 19
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, February 20
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, February 21

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER SHOWCASE

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3
  • 8 p.m. Friday, March 4
  • 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

TRANSMIGRATION 2016

Performance Times:

  • 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10
  • 7 p.m. Friday, March 11
  • 2 & 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12

Location: Corbett Center room 3705, 4735 & 4755

MARIA STUARDA

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Friday, March 11
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

 BINARY

Screening Time:

  • 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2

Location: MainStreet Cinema,
Tangeman University Center

LYSISTRATA JONES

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, April 7
  • 8 p.m. Friday, April 8
  • 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

VERY DUMB KIDS
(formerly THE GREAT MAJORITY)

Performance Times:

  • 8 p.m. Thursday, April 21
  • 8 p.m. Friday, April 22
  • 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor & Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman and Margaret Straub

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

 

CCM News
CCM Drama major Bartley Booz in the E-Media short film 'Solitude.'
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CCM’s Department of Drama and Division of Electronic Media Present 48-Hour Film Festival This February

This semester, CCM’s Department of Drama and Division of Electronic Media are providing a unique opportunity for aspiring filmmakers, performers and storytellers in the form of a 48-Hour Film Festival, which will run from Feb. 20 – 22.

Based on the innovative 48 Hour Film Project festival and competition, which launched in 2001, CCM’s 48-Hour Film Festival will challenge teams comprised of students from throughout the university to bring their short films from conception to completion within a brisk 48-hour window.

Within a single weekend, student teams will create and then screen their own short films.

As described by the original 48 Hour Film Project, this promises to be, “a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and your team have a blast making a movie. All writing, shooting, editing and scoring must be completed in just 48 hours. On Friday night you are assigned a prop, a line of dialogue and a theme that must be included in your movie. 48 hours later, you must submit your film. Next? Your masterpiece will be shared with the participants of the festival.”

All University of Cincinnati students are invited to apply to be assigned to a team for the inaugural CCM 48-Film Festival. Applicants will need to be available for the entire 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, through 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22. Visit ccm.uc.edu/theatre/drama/48HourFilmFestival for application information. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2015.

Applicants will be randomly assigned to teams and these assignments will be announced at a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday, Feb. 20. Teams will then be assigned a common prop, a common line of dialogue and a common theme, all of which must be included in each film. Film genres will not be assigned.

Teams will then have 48 hours to brainstorm, research, write, story-board, cast, film, score and edit a roughly five minute-long film, which will be screened in the MainStreet Cinema of UC’s Tangeman University Center on the night of Sunday, Feb. 22.

Teams will create job assignments, find costumes, scout locations, find props, create underscoring, rehearse, film and edit a final piece.

Learn more by visiting ccm.uc.edu/theatre/drama/48HourFilmFestival.

The inaugural CCM 48-Hour Film Festival is made possible thanks to the generous support from the Friends of CCM.

CCM News
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CCM E-Media Hosts Free Public Screening of Student-Produced Short Film ‘Solitude’ on Dec. 9

'Solitude' poster design by Garrett Corcoran.

‘Solitude’ poster design by Garrett Corcoran.

CCM E-Media hosts a world-premiere of the student-produced short film Solitude at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the MainStreet Cinema of UC’s Tangeman University Center. Admission to this public screening is free and open to the general public.

Created by senior electronic media majors Matt Stalf, Cameron Coyan, Joey Meisberger and Alex Huddleson under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Electronic Media Lakshmi Tirumala, Solitude is the story of Jack Khavo, a medical researcher who finds himself trapped by his daily routine. Jack had always believed that he would be able to make a difference with his job, but as his research comes to a standstill he begins to wonder if he will ever be able to make a meaningful contribution to his field. One night Jack encounters a strange dream, which shows him how to move forward. Unfortunately, the very thing that could advance his research could also endanger his life.

According to Coyan, he and his classmates divided up production roles to best fit everyone’s strengths. “Matt has a great eye for scene composition so he took over the role of director of photography and editor,” he explains. “Alex and Joey have a lot of experience with audio, so they took on the role of pre-production recording and sound design. I took on the role of director and writer as I’m the most familiar with the story.”

The four-person production team also recruited students from other departments and colleges to bring their vision to life. Solitude features the onscreen talents of CCM Drama students Bartley Booz, Connor Lawrence and Alice Skok, along with Adjunct Assistant Professor of Drama Robert Pavlovich. CCM E-Media student Tyler Peters contributed an original score and DAAP student Douglass Rouster created the animated title sequence for the film.

“Being able to grab from several different programs – including Electronic Media and the Drama Department at CCM along with Graphic Design in DAAP – is really great because we are getting experience working through multiple creative fields to turn out a collaborative piece,” Stalf explains.

For Professor Tirumala, Solitude is a perfect showcase of the immersive training that CCM E-Media students receive. “This film gives a great insight into the standards that our program expects from the students,” he says. “Having seen the rough cut, I can say that everyone involved in this project has done an exceptional job.”

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