The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has canceled their annual winter show, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) — their hilarious send-up of “BHCs” or Beloved Holiday Classics.
Cincy Shakes was slated to kick things off in mid-November with its zany four-actor holiday show, followed in 2021 by three works by Shakespeare plus a Jane Austen adaptation, according to an interview CityBeat theater critic Rick Pender had with artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips in July,
Now, their mainstage productions have been pushed to fall 2021. The announcement of the line-up for the 2021-22 season is forthcoming, but could "include some previously announced shows from the 2020-21 season, subject to timing and availability," reads a release.
Cincy Shakes subscribers and ticketholders will have their tickets rolled over to the next season, and will be contacted with details and alternate options.
But while the holiday show has been canceled and the rest pushed due to COVID, Cincy Shakes will continue to engage audiences in other ways.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, a version of The War of the Worlds: An Audio Drama — "written and directed by CSC’s own Jeremy Dubin and Brian Isaac Phillips, and featuring the vocal talents of CSC’s Touring Company and current staff Sara Clark, Cal Harris, Jeremy Dubin, and Brian Isaac Phillips" — will air on 91.7/WVXU.
Per a description, "In 1938 the legendary Mercury Theatre Company, led by Orson Welles, delivered the single most notorious broadcast in radio history — a riveting adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. The broadcast’s depiction of a Martian invasion was so realistic, it incited a nationwide panic. This Halloween, CSC brings Wells’ chilling sci-fi thriller back to life in a brand new auditory experience inspired by the Mercury Theatre’s original broadcast."
The company will also be producing some special comedic holiday content via on-demand video, with details coming soon.
Other projects include free Shakespeare in the Park productions on radio and video; educational programming; The Good, the Bard, and the Ugly podcast; and Shakes Makes, where you can order "handmade products designed and crafted by the behind-the-scenes theatrical creatives at CSC including scenic, costume, crafts, and digital artisans."
For more info, visit cincyshakes.com.
