CCM s Studio Series Continues Oct. 20-22: Welcome to 'Middletown'
In the next installment of
UC College-Conservatory of Musics 2016-17 Studio Series
, the Acting Department introduces audiences to the residents of a small town as they search for lifes meaning. Directed by CCM Acting Professor and Department Chair
, Will Enos
runs
Thursday, Oct. 20-Saturday, Oct. 22
in the
Cohen Family Studio Theater
.
Middletown
, which won the 2010 Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play, was praised by the
for its tart, funny, gorgeous little comments on the big things: the need for love and forgiveness, the search for meaning in life, the long lonely ache of disappointment.
Will Eno veers toward the avant-garde with his approach to stark realism in
Middletown
. His influences include playwrights Samuel Beckett and Don DeLillo, and the recently deceased Edward Albee was a mentor to him. The play was inspired by Thorton Wilder's
Our Town,
which was last seen on CCM's Mainstage in April 2011.
One of the central characters in
Our Town
is the local milkman, while
Middletown
gives the spotlight to the towns celebrity, an astronaut in orbit around Earth. Both plays concern the passing seasons of life and are unapologetically frank and sentimental, according to Hess.
Middletown
is about nothing except life and death and everything in between, Hess says. With a wry and unexpectedly profound touch, Will Eno has written one of the wisest plays I have ever worked on. Its simplicity is monumental.
The show will be presented in thrust theater configuration, with set design by CCM student
Theron Wineinger
. Audience members will be seated close to the action of the play in this intimate setting.
Middletown
might make the audience both laugh and cry, Hess says. It will hit home for everyone in a deeply personal way. Its wisdom is universal, and in our crazy world, human to human contact that is sane, rational and open might be a welcome tonic.
Admission is free for
Middletown
, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available through the CCM Box Office on
Monday, Oct. 17
. They often sell out quickly, so visit our
guide to Studio Series tickets
for tips and tricks to secure your seats.
Cast List
Sydney Ashe
as Mary Swanson
Lauren Carter
as Tour Guide/Aunt/Female Doctor
Kenzie Clark
as Tourist/Woman on Date/Attendant 2
Mafer Del Real
as Librarian
Nick Heffelfinger
as Tourist/Astronaut Greg/Freelancer/Male Doctor
Isaac Hickox Young
as Cop
Meg Olson
as Public Speaker/Cops Radio Voice/Ground Control/Hospital Intercom Voice/Science Radio Host/Music Radio Host
Maddie Page-Schmit
as Sweetheart
Andrew Ramsey
as Mechanic
Graham Rogers
as Landscaper/Man on Date/Hospital Attendant
Rupert Spraul
as John Dodge
Performance Times
- 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20
- 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
- 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati
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.
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
for information on parking rates.
For detailed maps and directions, please visit
. 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 Season Presenting Sponsor & Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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