For 25 years, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati has been telling a lot of amazing stories. They’ve given local theatergoers wonderful experiences that span the globe and give us windows into lives and situations we never imagined, but can certainly relate to. For most of its quarter-century, ETC has been focused on the presentation of new works — it calls itself “Your Premiere Theatre,” after all.
That’s a tough road to hoe, since it means marketing titles that few people know. But Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers’ unerring judgment of new plays has earned the trust of her subscribers, who renew in droves even before she announces the titles of her upcoming season.
All that said, it makes perfect sense that for its 25th anniversary season, Meyers has selected Donald Margulies’ recent Broadway hit, Collected Stories, to kick things off. Not only will this great script — the story of an established writer who tangles with an ambitious protégé — add another great tale to ETC’s “collected stories,” it will feature two of Cincinnati’s finest professional performers, recent CEA winner Amy Warner and past CEA winner Corinne Mohlenhoff (a longtime regular at Cincinnati Shakespeare making her ETC debut).
And here’s a tip: ETC’s modest marketing budget means seats for Collected Stories are available during the first week. You can be sure they’ll be tougher to acquire once this show is up and running. Go now and be ahead of the curve. Through Sept. 26.
Go here for Rick Pender's review and for showtime and ticket details.
