The big show this weekend will be Lumenocity in Washington Park. If you were lucky enough to get a ticket, you'll be seeing some great images on Music Hall's facade with accompaniment by the Cincinnati Symphony. If you weren't so lucky, you can still enjoy the show via radio (WGUC), television, big screens (at Fountain Square and Riverbend, for free) or via live streaming at lumenocity2014.com.
If you want to check out a free show at another park, how about free performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream? Cincinnati Shakespeare kicks off its Shakespeare in the Park tour this weekend. They'll be at Seasongood Pavilion at Eden Park on Friday evening, at Harry Whiting Brown Lawn in Glendale on Saturday and the Community Park Pavilion at the Milford Historical Society in Milford on Sunday. Performances generally begin around 7 p.m. Show up earlier to get a good seat and enjoy six of Cincy Shakes actors playing a bunch of characters in a very funny comedy.
On the West Side, it's the final weekend for Footloose The Musical, presented as the 33rd annual summer show by Cincinnati Young People's Theatre at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. This is a program that gives teens from across Greater Cincinnati a chance to work onstage and backstage. During the past three decades more than 2,300 kids have participated. The show, based on a popular movie from 1984, is about a teenager and his mother who move from Chicago to a small farming town where dancing is frowned upon by the local preacher. But his rebellious daughter shakes things up and love wins out. It's a fine show for teens. Tickets ($12-$16): 513-241-6550.
If you're willing to make the drive to Dayton, you have the opportunity to check out workshops of new musical theater material at the Human Race Theatre Company. Molly Sweeney is about a young woman whose blindness becomes an obstacle for her new husband to overcome, even though she has a different perspective. (It's happening Friday night at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.) The second work is a songwriter showcase (Saturday at 8 p.m.) by a dozen creators who are working on new shows. It's being hosted by Dayton native Susan Blackwell, creator of the clever [title of show]. Advance tickets ($15): 888-228-3630 – or $20 at the door at the Loft Theatre (126 N. Main St., Dayton).
