Over the past week, there's been a lot of theater news to report. The 14th and final Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Theater were held Aug. 29, where it was confirmed that the CEAs would join forces with the Acclaim Awards for the upcoming theater season. Earlier in the week, Ed Stern announced his departure from Playhouse in the Park following the 2011-12 season.  

Last year, following a particularly productive writing period, Ellery's married brain trust, Tasha and Justin Golden, hit the studio with renowned producer Malcolm Burn. But just months after finishing recording 'This Isn't Over Yet,' Tasha, who has dealt with mild depression for years, was overwhelmed by several personal and professional situations, leading to an almost crippling doubt about the future.  

Taken aback by that crazy-looking dude wielding a big knife in your neighbor's backyard last weekend? Don't be: It was probably just one of the 56 area teams that took part in 48 Hour Film Project, a celebration of creative smarts.  

At The Carnegie, director Greg Procaccino, producer Joshua Steele and music director Alan Patrick Kenny have devised a 'Secret Garden' that's good looking and difficult listening. Leading performances are fetching, especially Ty Yadzinski as a dour, bedeviled widower and Charity Farrell as the cheeky then cheerful orphan who discovers the locked garden and transforms it into a colorful, healing retreat.  

Colors are usually spot on, with little meandering between, say, blue and green, and shapes are polygons of considerable variety, in some cases relaxing into curves with a whiff of Art Deco. Meanwhile, in one of the four upstairs galleries, Kelly Jo Asburys paintings havent a hard edge in them.