CINCINNATI: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) has announced its 2017-18 season, the first at the new Otto M. Budig Theater. The 244-seat venue was custom-built for CSC, inspired by venues worldwide, including Shakespeare’s Globe in London and the Festival Theatre at Canada’s Stratford Festival. The building is 28,000 square feet and is the product of a $17-million capital campaign.
“It is my immense pleasure to introduce the titles of our debut season at the Otto M. Budig Theater,” said producing artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips in a statement. “These universal classics of the stage and innovative literary adaptations complement our favorite playwright, William Shakespeare, and his timeless tales of love, betrayal, desire, despair, and exaltation. Because we will be bringing you closer to our performance and our actors than ever before, all of the passion and power of our stage is within your reach.”
The inaugural production at the Budig Theater will be Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sept. 8-30). Then, in time for Halloween, will be Steven Dietz’s adaption of Dracula, based on Bram Stoker’s novel (Oct. 13-Nov. 4).
The holiday season will include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Nov. 17-Dec. 9), by Laura Eason and adapted from Mark Twain’s novel, followed by CSC’s 12th annual production of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some) (Dec. 21-31) by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez.
The first production of 2018 will be Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Jan. 26-Feb. 17, 2018) by Todd Kriedler, based on the 1967 film. Following that will be Shakespeare’s Othello (March 2-24, 2018).
In the spring, Cat on the Hot Tin Roof (April 6-28) by Tennessee Williams will play, followed by Michael Frayn’s backstage comedy Noises Off (May 18-June 9, 2018).
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics.
