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Know Theatre announces four new productions for 13th season

The innovative and eclectic Know Theatre has announced its “lucky 13” season with four new main stage shows, a new artistic director, and involvement in several educational and outreach oriented collaborations.

The Over-the-Rhine theatre company has a reputation for producing quality shows that stretch the boundaries of traditional theater, and this season is bound to be no different.  In addition to its main productions, the theatre is also involved in the seventh annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival, will host a New Year’s Eve speakeasy party, and is a collaborator for educational shows such as Calculus: The Musical! Three out of the four new main stage shows announced (one is still in the works) range the gamut from a passionate love affair to space and time travel.

Skin Tight, the first show of the 2010-2011 season, is a performance detailing the unique pain and passion that love and loss provides. The production is directed by Drew Fracher and will run from October 9-30.

“Skin Tight is a unique piece combining beautifully poetic text with intense physical action on stage,” described newly appointed Producing Artistic Director Eric Vosmeier. “I’m excited to see what Drew can do with this kind of show which I suspect will be unlike anything Know Theatre audiences have seen on our stage before.”

Vosmeier helped steer the theatre through a turbulent time last season, and is excited to see where the Know is headed in the future. Productions such as the theatre’s holiday show, A Wrinkle in Time which is a stage adaptation of Madline L’Engle’s classic book, help to stir that excitement. Jason Ballweber will return from his wildly popular Sideways Stories From Wayside School production last year to lead Meg and Charles Wallace through space in time to save their father. The show will be produced in collaboration with the Four Humors Theater in Minneapolis.

The final show of the season, The Dragon, will be produced alongside Madcap Puppet Theater, another local institution. Local playwright and actor Alison Vodnoy will be adapting the 1943 version of the play. With the exception of two characters the cast will be entirely puppets, created, designed and built at the Madcap Theatre. Experienced puppet theatre director Irina Niculescu will be directing.

A Wrinkle in Time runs November 27 through December 26, 2010, and The Dragon will run from April 2 through May 7, 2011. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Know Theatre box office at (513) 300-5669. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 the week of the show, and season subscriptions cost $48.

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Business News

Pet Wants to celebrate grand opening at Findlay Market with “Yappy Hour” festivities

Pet Wants will celebrate its official grand opening at historic Findlay Market today from 4pm to 7pm. Store owners Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton are encouraging pet owners to bring their pups to the store to take part in Findlay Market’s first “Yappy Hour.”

Hobbs and Broughton say that those attending will be treated to door prizes, live music, and 20 percent off purchases.  Other Findlay Market vendors like Market Wines, Daisy Mae’s Market, Silverglades, and Skirtz & Johnston will be providing light food and drinks.

The urban feed market is the first of its kind in Cincinnati’s center city. The store specializes in natural foods and treats, and also offers free delivery to its urban clientele. The owners also pride themselves on stocking food products that are made in Ohio, and pet toys that are made of organic and/or recycled materials.

Pet Wants’ grand opening Yappy Hour is free and open to the public. Free on- and off-street parking is available nearby including the Findlay Market merchant parking lots. The market provides free bicycle parking, and Metro bus service is also available (plan your trip).

Normal operating hours for Pet Wants (map) are Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Orders or questions can be submitted by calling (513) 721-8696, or emailing petwants@gmail.com.

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Arts & Entertainment Business Development News

American Sign Museum hopes to make Cincinnati national center for research and information

The American Sign Museum in Walnut Hills opened in 2005 and has since steadily gained in popularity while attracting visitors from across the country. When director and founder Tod Swormstedt first conceived the idea for the museum, he had no collection and was going through a self-proclaimed mid-life crisis. Years later, however, the museum’s success has allowed him to think much bigger and his ambitions have grown exponentially.

In January, 2012, Swormstedt is hoping to move his popular museum into a new 43,000 square-foot historic building in Camp Washington (map) called Machine Flats. So far $1.6 million has been put towards the new museum with an additional $800,000 needed before they can officially move into the entire building. To date, approximately 98 percent of those funds have been donated by the sign industry.

Swormstedt’s goal for the new space is to make Cincinnati the National Center for Sign Research & Information. He says that the museum will move beyond merely displaying the unique collection of historic signs and memorabilia, and move towards a more comprehensive approach to sign information and education.

“The history of signs is a micro-history of design trends and technology in the U.S., and I want to capitalize on that right here in Cincinnati,” says Swormstedt, who sees the new museum as fitting in perfectly with Agenda 360’s Regional Action Plan and the recent designation of Cincinnati as a Hub of Innovation & Opportunity in the area of Consumer Marketing.

The new building will eventually be split into two main sections: a museum that will feature the history of signs, and a training facility that will focus on the usage and future development of signage. The museum section of the new space will feature three-dimensional artificial storefronts that will allow the historic signs to be displayed in their original form, both on the buildings and in storefront windows.

However, it is in the new training facility where Swormstedt sees the most potential for community growth. His hopes are to eventually work with the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business and College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning to create a space where students can learn about the value, design, structure and history of signs. Ultimately Swormstedt views the new museum as a way to blend some of Cincinnati’s most valuable assets – history, art, design and commerce.

The American Sign Museum is currently located at 2515 Essex Place in Walnut Hills and is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.  All other times must be scheduled by appointment at (513) 258-4020 or tod@signmuseum.org.

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Business Development News

145-year-old College Hill home to be auctioned August 11-17

The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) announced that a 145-year-old home in College Hill will be sold at an online auction between August 11-17.

According to CPA, the two-and-a-half story structure was completed in 1865, and boasts Greek Revival pilasters and Gothic Revival gables. The Hamilton County Auditor reports that the home has 2,800 completed square feet, and sits on nearly a half-acre of land in College Hill that is within walking distance of the neighborhood’s business district.

Currently owned by the U.S. Marshals Service, 1314 Groesbeck Road will have a nominal opening bid of $1,000. The auction will be held online only, and all bids must be made by 9:10am on Tuesday, August 17. Those interested in bidding are asked to visit the auction website being hosted by Williams & Williams Auction Services.

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Business Development News

Jean-Robert’s Table to open in downtown Cincinnati August 10th

The wait is finally over, as the much anticipated Jean-Robert’s Table will open in downtown Cincinnati for dinner on Tuesday, August 10 at 5:30pm.

Unanticipated construction delays, and personal reasons pushed back the original opening of Jean-Robert’s Table for the famed Cincinnati chef. The new restaurant is Jean-Robert de Cavel’s  first since parting ways with long-time restaurant partners Martin and Marilyn Wade which included endeavors like Pigall’s, JeanRo Bistro, Lavomatic, Chalk Food + Wine, and Greenup Cafe.

Since the break up, Jean-Robert de Cavel has moved on to become the chef in residence for the Midwest Culinary Institute, while also developing the concept for the new restaurant opening on Vine Street tomorrow.

“I have watched the dining public’s habits change during the last 24 months, and I have taken time to create a menu and an atmosphere that speak directly to what the dining public wants,” Jean-Robert said is a prepared release. “The people of Greater Cincinnati will see this is not Pigall’s and it is not JeanRo Bistro, but a hybrid of the two which will serve a broad range of items from specialty sandwiches to frog legs and escargot.”

Jean-Robert also says that diners will be able to enjoy a great wine list that offers reasonably priced wines, while also featuring some of the “Fantastic Years” for those looking to enjoy boutique wines.

Inside the refurbished restaurant space that once house Buddakhan and Longhorn Steakhouse, Jean-Robert’s Table will seat 115 people between the dining and bar areas. Beyond the interior modifications, the beloved French chef is excited about the restaurant’s location in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.

“I chose 713 Vine Street due to its centralized location one-and-a-half blocks from city center, that makes it easy access for both lunch and dinner. The location also has excellent parking adjacent to the restaurant which makes it easier for diners to park within steps of the front door,” Jean-Robert described.

So far the location and Jean-Robert combination seems to be paying off as the restaurant is already booked solid for its first night of dinner service, with an additional 120 people on a waiting list for Tuesday night’s opening.  Reservations are being accepted for the rest of the week’s “soft opening”.  As a result, a limited number of seats will be available, and lunch service will not begin for another two weeks.

Dinner service will be offered Monday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (bar open until 1am), and Friday through Saturday 5:30pm to 11pm (bar open until 2am). Once lunch service begins, it will be offered Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 2pm. Reservations can be made by calling (513) 621-4777 daily between the hours of 10am and 5pm.

“My staff and I are excited and looking forward to being back on the firing line! We cannot wait to see all of our friends who have supported us so kindly during the last 18 months. Jean-Robert’s Table is my attempt to support my adopted city, my adopted friends and give back in a way that I love to do, through cooking!”

The new restaurant is expected to employ around 30 full- and part-time employees.  Those interested can stay connected through the Facebook page for Jean-Robert’s Table or by following the restaurant on Twitter @jrtable.