We went back to the theatre for the first time since the pandemic began and it was to one of our favorite places to see a show, The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company! This intimate theatre makes you feel like you are up close and personal with the performers and their shows are always impressive. The Living Dead is a perfect way to kick off your Halloween season. It’s relevant, spooky, intense and a wee bit political all at once. The performers embraced their characters and brought them to life with zeal and the set is AMAZING. I love anything with zombies, but mix in some current events and it really spices things up.
The show is pretty short – less than an hour and a half – with no intermission. So if you go you can make a night of it and explore the Over the Rhine neighborhood for dinner or a walk in the park. We went during BLINK and it was an awesome date night adventure. Be sure to grab a beverage or some snacks for the show – I highly recommend Nana’s Pumpkin Old Fashioned. It tastes like Fall. Grab your tickets now, the show is only around for a few weeks.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Presents: The Living Dead
Perfect for Halloween, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company presents the World Premiere of local Playwright, Isaiah Reaves’ “The Living Dead” Oct. 14-29, 2022.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company ventures into “spooky season” with a world premiere of Isaiah Reaves’ The Living Dead, a new play inspired by the cult horror classic film The Night of the Living Dead by George A. Romero and John A. Russo playing Oct. 14-29, 2022. This production is directed by CSC’s Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips, and features Darnell Pierre Benjamin and a cast of CSC Ensemble favorites. This World Premiere Commission is made possible by The McElroy Family. The production’s design is generously sponsored by President H. James Williams and First Lady Carole Campbell Williams, Mount St. Joseph University, Theatre Arts Department.
When a zombie apocalypse ravages the world, a band of strangers seek refuge in an abandoned house, forcing the group to work together to see the light of day. However, individualism, egos, and power struggles expose the horrifying nature of survival. A new vision of contemporary horror inspired by the cult classic, Isaiah Reaves’ The Living Dead makes its world premiere in time for the Halloween season.
The world premiere of The Living Dead by Isaiah Reaves marks the first time in over 20 years that Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has commissioned, developed, and produced a play entirely within its walls. The play continues one of CSC’s goal to commission new plays to elevate fresh, diverse new voices and champion the next generation of classics. Producing Artistic Director, Brian Isaac Phillips notes, “this project represents an important landmark for CSC and our strategic goals. The Living Dead is the first commission in the last 20 years in our emerging New Works program to be fully produced in our mainstage season. We commissioned Isaiah to write this piece during the pandemic, have supported its development through virtual workshops, and now we are excited to be producing it on our mainstage.”
The playwright, Isaiah Reaves, is an emerging young playwright whose work explores a spectrum of Black and Queer experiences. A native of Cincinnati, he graduated cum laude from Northern Kentucky University in 2020. His plays have been commissioned and staged by The Classical Theatre of Harlem at Lincoln Center, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, and many others. He is currently in pursuit of an MFA at the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop.
The Living Dead runs from October 14 – 29, 2022. Performances of The Living Dead are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, with one Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM on October 23 and a Saturday matinee at 2:00 on October 29. CSC offers performances with accessibility resources, including an Audio Described performance on Friday, October 21, at 7:30 PM and a Sign Language Interpreted Performance on Saturday, October 29, at 2:00 PM.
The performance will be approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets are on sale now. Discounts are available for students, seniors, local residents, and community partners, as access to all is important to CSC. Each performance night has a limited number of $14 “Access” tickets in the Upper Gallery and Stage Gallery. These can be purchased in advance by going online or calling the Box Office. And starting 1 hour before each performance, any unreserved tickets may be available as a discounted Rush Ticket to anyone, not just students. These tickets are only $12 and could be located anywhere in the house, depending on that evening’s availability. These cannot be reserved more than 1 hour before a show and must be purchased in person in the Box Office. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees apply. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.
Audience members are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend performances at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. The wearing of masks will be encouraged but optional. Please contact the Box Office by email or phone at (513) 381-2273 for assistance.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Many parking spaces are available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information, visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.
Disclaimer: I was given a pair of tickets to see this production, but I promise you that the opinions are 100% my own. Photos and press release provided by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
