Since being named producing artistic director at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Bridget Leak has been busy. She began her new role, which began on July 1, with a big clean-up project, literally emptying the theater’s hoard of old scenery, props and more into a dumpster that fans helped to fill. On July 19, 20 and 21, the scrappy organization behind the annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival held a garage sale where costumes, props and tools were sold off — first dibs going to educators and then to anyone else interested. Now that the decks (and hallways and storage areas) have been cleared, Leak has assembled Know’s 2024-2025 season, its 27th year of producing provocative, feisty shows. Here’s the lineup:
CAMP SIEGFRIED by Bess Wohl (Sept. 13-28). Leak will personally direct this tale set at a Long Island summer camp in 1938 where two teenagers fall in love while slowly being indoctrinated by the political right (AKA the American Nazi Party). The world is watching the allure of fascism as World War II is about to commence. The camp is exclusively for American kids of German descent. Know’s production will be the regional premiere of Wohl’s play which debuted at London’s Old Vic in 2021 and then in New York City in 2022. Wohl’s play Grand Horizons had a sold-out run at Ensemble Theatre in January 2023.
DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE by A.J. Baldwin and Alexx Rouse (Dec. 6-22). A world premiere by a pair of Cincinnati playwrights, this is a shot-for-shot remake of the Bruce Willis 1988 action classic, set inside a suburban home where an estranged couple try to provide a “normal” Christmas for their kids with a family movie night that goes wildly off the tracks. A holiday production staged by Tatiana Godfrey, a local director and dramaturg who works at the Cincinnati Playhouse, it’s rated PG-13.
A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD by Samuel D. Hunter (Feb. 7-22, 2025). Another new work that debuted in New York in 2022, this play — receiving its regional premiere here at Know — is described as both intimate and expansive as it explores themes of parenthood, financial insecurity and empathy. Set inside a small office cubicle in southern Idaho, it’s about two single dads — one a mortgage broker, the other a worker in a yogurt plant — who try to navigate the purchase of a plot of land important to the latter. Their negotiation becomes an honest discussion about the desire for security and the responsibilities of parenthood. Hunter was the playwright of The Whale, which became an Oscar-nominated film in 2022. The production will be staged by local theater veteran Piper N. Davis.
BLERDS by J. Corey Buckner (April 4-19, 2025). This world premiere was originally announced for the 2023-2024 season but postponed. Staged by another local theater veteran, Derek Snow, it follows three Black middle school nerds who go to a Star Wars convention in Washington, D.C., where they intend to meet Samuel L. Jackson, who played Jedi Master Mace Windu in the film series’ three-part prequel. It’s a coming-of-age story and an adventure quest seen through the lens of Star Wars.
Know will also produce the 22nd annual CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL (May 30-June 14, 2025) as well as the 2025 edition of Serials!, 15-minute episodes of five different plays, staged every two weeks for a total of five installments (Jan. 27, Feb. 10 & 24, March 10 & 24). These works evolve toward a developed ending from episode to episode, sometimes with audiences voting on potential plot twists and outcomes.
Learn more about Know Theatre and its upcoming season by visiting knowtheatre.com.
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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2024.
