Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (night view, 2004)

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is a regional theatre in the United States. It was founded in 1959 by college student Gerald Covell and was one of the first regional theatres in the United States. Located in

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

, the first play that premiered at the Playhouse on October 10, 1960, was Meyer Levin's ''Compulsion''. The Playhouse has gained a regional and national reputation for bringing prominent plays to Cincinnati and for hosting national premieres such as

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' ''The Notebook of Trigorin'' in 1996 and world premieres such as the Pulitzer Prize-nominated '' Coyote on a Fence'' in 1998 and ''Ace'' in 2006. The Playhouse facility comprises two theatres, the larger Robert S. Marx Theatre and the smaller Shelterhouse. The Playhouse is among the members of the League of Resident Theatres. In addition to a full ten-month season of plays, the Playhouse also offers acting classes and programs for children. In 1973-1975, the Playhouse was the first professional regional theatre to be led by Harold Scott. Scott was followed by Michael Murray, who was artistic director at the Playhouse until 1985. Murray, an early leader of the regional theatre movement, was co-founder of the

Charles Playhouse The Charles Playhouse is a theater at 74 Warrenton Street Boston in the Boston Theater District. The venue comprises an approximately 500-seat mainstage, which hosts the long-running Blue Man Group, and a 200-seat second stage that hosted ''Shear ...

in Boston. The Cincinnati Playhouse was under the leadership of Edward Stern (Producing Artistic Director) and Buzz Ward (Executive Director) between 1992 and 2012. Ward had come to the Playhouse from Yale University, where he taught in the Drama Department and worked as a leader of the Yale Repertory Theatre in the late 1980s. In 2012, Blake Robison became artistic director and Buzz Ward was promoted to managing director. In the summer of 2021, Ward retired.

Awards

In 2004, the Playhouse received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Regional Theatre. In 2007, the Playhouse received a second Tony Award for their revival of

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

, which won Best Revival of a Musical. The production was directed by John Doyle and also won Drama Desk, Outer Critic's Circle and Drama League Awards for Best Revival of a Musical.

Directors

* Blake Robison, Artistic Director (2012—present) * Buzz Ward, Managing Director (1992—2021)

Recent production history

2017–2018 Season

* Shakespeare in Love, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted by Lee Hall, directed by Blake Robison. September 2 – 30, 2017. * The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, adapted from the novel by Mark Haddon, by Simon Stephens, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. October 14 –November 11, 2017. *

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

, by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

, adapted by Howard Dallin, directed by Michael Evan. November 22 – December 30, 2017. *

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session ...

, by

Colin Escott Colin Escott (born August 31, 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes ...

and

Floyd Mutrux Floyd Mutrux (born June 21, 1941) is an American stage director, stage and film director, writer, producer, and screenwriter. Career He began his work in Hollywood as an uncredited writer for ''Two-Lane Blacktop'' (1971). His career continue ...

. January 20 – February 18, 2018. * Marie and Rosetta, by George Brant, directed by Neil Pepe. March 3 – 31, 2018. *

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

, adapted from the novel by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

, directed by Blake Robinson. April 21 – May 19, 2018. Source:

2018–2019 Season

* Misery, by William Goldman, based on the novel by Steven King, directed by Blake Robinson. September 1 – 29, 2018. * Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, by

Lauren Gunderson Lauren Gunderson (born February 5, 1982) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and short story author, born in Atlanta. She lives in San Francisco, where she teaches playwriting. Gunderson was recognized by ''American Theatre'' magazine as A ...

and Margot Melcon, directed by Eleanor Holdridge. October 13 – November 10, 2018. *

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical theatre, musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book (musical theatre), book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the larg ...

, music and lyrics by

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and ''In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animate ...

, script by

Quiara Alegría Hudes Quiara Alegría Hudes (born 1977) is an American playwright, producer, lyricist and essayist. She is best known for writing the libretto, book for the musical theatre, musical ''In the Heights,'' and screenplay for In the Heights (film), its film ...

, direct by May Adrales. January 19 – February 17, 2019. *

Two Trains Running ''Two Trains Running'' is a 1990 play by American playwright August Wilson, the sixth in his ten-part series ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. The play takes place in 1968 in the Hill District, an African-American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

, by

August Wilson August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...

, directed by Timothy Douglas. March 2 – 30, 2019. *

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...

, book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wi ...

’s comic strip ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

,'' directed by Bill Fennelly. ''April 20 – May 18, 2019.'' Source:

References

External links

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park official website
*
A 360 degree interactive virtual tour of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
{{authority control 1959 establishments in Ohio League of Resident Theatres Regional theatre in the United States Theatres in Cincinnati Theatre companies in Cincinnati Tony Award winners Tourist attractions in Cincinnati Mount Adams, Cincinnati