Year: 2011

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

‘End Days’ a quirky ETC production featuring young talent

End Days, a play by Deborah Zoe Laufer, is an amusing and philosophical comedy now showing at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. The divinely inspired comedy by Deborah Zoe Laufer enjoys its regional premiere at the Ensemble from March 16-April 2, 2011. It is directed by guest director Michael Evan Haney, Associate Artistic Director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

The show features two young local actors who both make a stunning debut at the Ensemble. Lily Hidalgo plays the lead, Rachel Stein, and is a freshman at St. Ursula Academy. Her character’s beau, nerdy Nelson, is played by Richard Lowenburg, a skilled magician and seasoned performer having worked with Playhouse in the Park, CCM Prep, SCPA, Xavier University, and Cincinnati Music Theater, attends the School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Other performers include Amy Warner and Barry Mulholland playing Rachel’s parents, and Michael G. Bath in an interesting double billed role as both Jesus and Stephen Hawking.

End Days tells the story of the dysfunctional Stein family, who left New York after 9/11. With a depressed father and a newly religious mother, youngster Rachel Stein has nowhere to turn but her teenage angst and her obnoxious, Elvis-impersonating neighbor, Nelson.

When Nelson persuades Rachel to read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, she becomes interested in physics. Eventually he ingratiates himself in the Stein family. With the help of a secret confidante, the family and friends join and realize that togetherness can make life worthwhile, even despite a coming apocalypse.

End Days was awarded the 2008 American Theatre Critics Association Steinberg Citation. It received its NYC premiere at Ensemble Studio Theatre through an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant. End Days is listed in the Burns Mantle Yearbook as one of the best regional plays of 2008, and is published in The Best Plays of 2008.

With great acting and fantastic lighting, the show had audience members laughing out loud. Get down to ETC and enjoy this regional premiere for a rollicking good time and look at life, love and faith.

End Days is on stage now through April 3 at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, located in historic Over-the-Rhine at 1127 Vine St. in the Gateway Quarter. Ticket Information
Single tickets are $34 to $42, depending on the day. Children’s tickets are $16 for all performances.

Rush Tickets: $15 rush tickets are available for all performances 15 minutes prior to curtain and are subject to availability. Senior/ student, Cincinnati Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave Fun Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people.

Patrons may purchase tickets in person at the ETC box office, by calling (513) 421-3555, or online.

image provided by ETC.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

University of Cincinnati Urban Design Exhibition at The McAlpin Condominiums

The University of Cincinnati’s top-ranked Interior Design program took center stage this Wednesday at the inauguration of a month-long Urban Design Exhibition at The McAlpin Condominiums downtown.

Students from UC’s nationally renowned College of Design, Art, Architecture & Planning (DAAP) opened a showcase of over 25 unique designs proposals for a 3,350 square-foot high-end condominium and 4,500 square-foot mezzanine retail venue. These two spaces, both currently awaiting development, sit within the historic McAlpin Building, which was originally constructed between 1859 and 1873 by architects James McLaughlin and James Keys Wilson, to house the John Shillito Company and the Robert Mitchell Furniture Company.

With a nod to the building’s rich architectural heritage and historical acclaim, the current Urban Design Exhibition gives a younger generation of local designers the chance to try their own hand at proposing a designing for the structure’s redevelopment. In Wednesday night’s opening ceremony six awards were given to Interior Design students whose work received acclaim from the property’s developers, local design educators, and the general public.

“The opportunity to work with so many young minds to explore so many creative designs has been terrific” Joseph Straka, head developer for 4J Redevelopment at McAlpin, remarked at the exhibit’s opening. “We thrive on innovative design.”

And with so many inventive development schemes, who could disagree? “How many interior design students across the country have the opportunity to design in a renovated 150-year-old building in the heart of the urban core?” asked Geoff Scholl, 4J’s project manager at the McAlpin. “When UC’s School of Architecture & Interior Design inquired about using our shell mezzanine retail space and one of the unfinished residential units we were happy to oblige, both for our benefit and students’.”

Rachel Harris, a second year Interior Design student whose work was featured in the Urban Design Exhibition, concurred, explaining how beneficial it was to be given the opportunity to take on the challenge of designing for a real interior space.

“By working with the developers of the McAlpin we were able to fully understand their plans for the space,” she said, gesturing to the whitewashed walls of the exhibit that will one day be transformed into tiled and painted finishes of an upscale urban condominium, “after experiencing the space in person I was actually able to picture myself inside while developing my design.”

“This is the real world,” remarked Professor Edson Cabalfin, one of several University of Cincinnati Interior Design educators in attendance, “and this studio provided an exciting experience for students to be in the space they are actually designing for.”

Scholl couldn’t agree more, and added that from a developer’s perspective, “partnering with a local institution like DAAP gives young students experience while providing us with ideas and designs that are on the cutting edge.”

Mayor Mark Mallory was also present to give a keynote speech. He summed up the excitement of the event by saying that the innovative designs produced by the University of Cincinnati’s Interior Design students are part of his vision for “putting creative young minds to work… the students at the University of Cincinnati have been given a voice in this design challenge and have shown their desire to step up and make an impact.” He continued, adding that, “Cincinnati needs to reduce its brain drain and take advantage of the young local talent by allowing students and young graduates to do meaningful work in high-profile urban spaces such as The McAlpin Condominiums.”

Since re-opening several years ago as a premier downtown residence, the McAlpin has also served as host for past Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon receptions, several Opening Day celebrations, as well as scores of Downtown Residents Council and Business Chamber events.

Scholl continued his praise for the Interior Design program, boasting “not many cities have a top five design school like DAAP, let alone one that willingly extends itself to its community. When we heard that the university was looking to do not one, but two studios in the McAlpin, we seized the opportunity to help them increase their presence in Cincinnati while providing us the benefit of being the backdrop against which their talents were shined.”

“We’ve worked with nationally recognized professional designers in the past,” added Straka in his opening speech, to a gallery packed with over two-hundred eager visitors, “and honestly, some of the work represented by these students tonight is on par with, or better, than what we have seen anywhere else in the country.”

The Urban Design Exhibition at the McAlpin will run through April 3rd at the McAlpin Condominums, 15 W. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati. Contact mailto: g.scholl@themcalpin.com with questions or inquiries regarding the ongoing Urban Design Exhibition.

Urban Design Exhibition photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Jake Mecklenborg.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

2011 Tunes & Blooms concert schedule released

With spring just around the corner it is almost time again for the nationally-acclaimed Cincinnati Zoo to host their outdoor concert series Tunes & Blooms, sponsored by 89.7FM WNKU.

This series of concerts runs during the month of April on Thursday evenings at 6pm. The music plays just inside the zoo’s recently renovated historic Vine Street Village entrance. All those interested in attending are treated to free admission after 5pm.

While all acts are local to Cincinnati and play numerous shows around town, the opportunity to catch them for free and outside as the weather starts to turn is a unique experience. The full schedule can be found online.  Two of the bands are “can’t-miss” Cincinnati acts, which both performed at South by Southwest (SXSW) this week in Austin, Texas.

The first of these two bands, Walk the Moon, performs on April 14 with the No No Knots. Since their official album release of “I Want, I Want” late last year, these guys have won over crowd after crowd in Cincinnati and are starting to win them over outside of their hometown too. Aside from playing at SXSW this year, they also recently signed a management deal with Mick Management, which is a boutique firm that works with a small stable of artists, including John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne. Things are happening at a lightning pace for Walk the Moon, and the sky seems to be the limit, so take this time to catch them in an intimate outdoor setting, as they put on a phenomenal live show.

The following Thursday, April 21, another band that has been gaining national respect, albeit at a little bit of a slower pace, The Seedy Seeds will take the stage at the zoo. They too played SXSW and recently released their newest album “Verb Noun” at the Southgate House. The Seeds, as they are affectionately known to their ardent fans, play a unique style of music that has been referred to as “folktronica” and it should translate well when they take the stage with The Tillers in a little over a month.

Tunes & Blooms offers free admission, but parking costs $8 at the zoo’s official parking lot. Conert goers are welcomed to bring their own food to the concerts to further enjoy the spring weather in Uptown. Those choosing not to drive can utilize Metro’s Trip Planner or find free bicycle parking nearby.

Tunes & Blooms photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Thadd Fiala.

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Transit ridership increases in Cincinnati as gas prices rise

A struggling job market led to ridership declines for Cincinnati’s primary transit operator over the past two years, but new data shows ridership growth for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA).

SORTA operates Metro bus service and will be the operator of the Cincinnati Streetcar when it becomes operational in 2013. Beyond improving economics, Metro officials believe that soaring gas prices are a big reason for the ridership growth.

Metro saw ridership increases in both January and February which saw a five percent ridership increase over the previous year.

The positive news comes with continuing negative news from Columbus for Metro’s 17  million annual riders. While Metro posts ridership gains and experience an improving bottom line, they are also seeing state funds dry up at the request of Governor John Kasich (R).

Since taking office, Kasich has given away a $400 million federal investment in high speed rail that would have connected Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland. The governor has also cut transit funding by $70 million which led to the elimination of express bus service from Cincinnati’s northern and western suburbs to Uptown, and he appears poised to try to yank $52 million from the Cincinnati Streetcar project.

“We believe Metro’s ridership increase is a response to the high gas prices, and Metro serves the community by providing a money-saving alternative,” Terry Garcia Crews, Metro CEO, said in a prepared release.

But as gas prices continue to rise, and more people look for money-saving transportation alternatives, they may be greeted by fewer options. Those interested in riding Metro can purchase unlimited monthly passes for $70 or single trips for $1.75.

Categories
Development News

Potential Corryville demolition up for Livable Communities hearing

An entire city block of historic architecture is up for rezoning and demolition, and will be debated at a City Council Livable Communities hearing this afternoon at City Hall.

Student housing conglomerate Uptown Properties has proposed a new 72-unit student housing project in the Corryville neighborhood, located on the east side of University of Cincinnati’s campus. This comes on the heels of the 120-unit 65 West student apartment complex being constructed on the former Friar’s Club location at the corner of Ohio and McMillan Streets in Clifton Heights. At first glance, the proposal seems feasible, but in order for the project to be completed, the block of 7 historic properties on Euclid Avenue would be razed to the ground.

Many community members and preservationists feel that removing the structures would be a short sighted move for a city that is so rapidly losing its historic urban fabric due to demolishing buildings instead of restoring them. The Corryville neighborhood has lost over half its housing stock to expansions from the local hospitals and the University of Cincinnati.

Danny Klingler, director of preservationist organization OTR A.D.O.P.T., sees no benefit to destroying the properties. “It’s one thing to do blight removal with properties that are condemned or ordered to be vacant, or have problems with lead,” Klingler said. “We have over 250 buildings in OTR that are like that. With these [buildings on Euclid,] though, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them – you could go live in them right now, they are beautiful on the inside. You wipe them out and you lose something that makes Cincinnati unique. Not only that, but you replace it with cookie-cutter Uptown Rental properties that are less affordable.”

The current buildings are single family homes all built around the same time during the late 19th century in a Victorian style. According to residents, the block is one of the most beautiful and well preserved examples of Victorian architecture in the community. Uptown Properties has a history of converting historic buildings into student housing, yet its more recent projects have a bland, “value-engineered” look to them.

Neil Clingerman, a recent University of Cincinnati grad and former Cincinnati resident, has helped to virtually lead the charge in bringing attention to the potential demolitions.

“I used to live in Cincinnati, but after so many demolitions of historic structures, I felt it had no future,” explained Clingerman. “As a young guy looking to enter the professional world I wanted to be in a place that was alive and was willing to support the urban lifestyle I was looking for. As a result, I left Cincinnati after graduation, and moved to Chicago where I live in a neighborhood that approximates Corryville in era and style, and on top of this is full of activity and is a part of the city that is growing. Corryville can do the same, but it has to realize just how wonderful the buildings it has are, and how this can be used as a catalyst to promote population growth beyond transient students.”

Experts have estimated the new construction could cost potential renters up to twice as much for rent costs, which will drive out low income and student renters who are already struggling with tuition costs. The PLAN Cincinnati Housing Market Study document that current Council members should be familiar with outlines the situation for renters in the area: “The city’s renters experienced a loss of purchasing power during the past decade, as the median rent rose while their incomes declined. In addition, the city lost 7,847 assisted units (vouchers and public housing properties) between 2000 and 2010, making very affordable rentals even more difficult to find.” This information makes tearing down good buildings in order to build more expensive ones with less character hard to justify.

“Corryville has seen a large destruction of its historic building stock for decades. No longer can we accept these demolitions in this distinct neighborhood,” said Charles Marxen, Sustainability Advocate and student at the University of Cincinnati. “This block of Euclid Avenue is one of the most intact streets in the neighborhood, and its loss would provide little hope for buildings enduring the same struggle in the future. Uptown is a very unique area that cannot be recreated. Replacing it with what Uptown Rental Properties is proposing would be a devastating loss to the city’s rich history.”

The Livable Communities committee of City Council will be meeting today in the council chambers of City Hall at 801 Plum Street in room 300. The meeting is from 2pm-5pm, but the item is second on the agenda and will more than likely be addressed around 2.30 pm.

Community members are encouraging those interested to show their support by attending the meeting or writing an email in support of saving the properties to City Council members.

Euclid Avenue photograph provided by Danny Klingler.