Playhouse in the Park

A Christmas Carol: A Radio Play is presented by Cincinnati Public Radio and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and sponsored by Macy’s. Bruce Cromer performed all the roles in this adaptation of the script used by Charles Dickens for public readings. Bruce Cromer also recorded his performance. The production features sound design by Matthew M. Nielson. 

Thank you for listening! Merry Christmas from Cincinnati Public Radio and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park! And as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, every one.”

Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is a decades-long tradition on the stage of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, but COVID-19 - being the Scrooge that it is - prevents another time-honored pleasure. Almost.

Two more arts organizations are going dark for the remainder of the year because of the pandemic. Playhouse in the Park and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company are canceling their holiday productions and postponing mainstage productions until fall of 2021.

Around Cincinnati’s longtime theatre contributor, Rick Pender, chose one of the region’s most talented and in-demand actors for his final segment. Bruce Cromer is perhaps best-known to local audiences as either Bob Cratchit or Ebenezer Scrooge in the Playhouse in the Park’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” but he has performed on most of the other stages in town, plus had a key role in the locally-filmed movie “Dark Waters”; and is an esteemed professor at Wright State University. Bruce Cromer has been a previous guest on Around Cincinnati, including in 2014, talking about “The Iliad” accompanied by director Michael Haney.

As Around Cincinnati winds down its 15-year run, we want to share one of our shining moments. In 2007, local theatre writer and longtime contributor Rick Pender arranged an interview with Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Rick has written extensively about the composer for years, including an upcoming, in-depth biography.

Theatre contributor Rick Pender finds out how Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is doing during this pandemic. In a conversation with Artistic Director Blake Robison, he learns about changes in the upcoming season and the progress on their building renovation.

Destiny of Desire, the next play on the stage at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, is described as an homage to Latin American soap operas, written by Karen Zacarías, whose play Native Gardens was a hit at the Playhouse recently. Theatre contributor Jim Stump is joined by the play's director, José Luis Valenzuela, who's the Artistic Director at Latino Theater Co. at The Los Angeles Theatre Center, and the assistant director, Jean Carlo Yunén A.

The life of iconic 50's rocker Buddy Holly is coming to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park starting January 18.

2 Pianos, 4 Hands tells the story of two characters lifelong pursuit to become elite concert pianists. Described as funny and relatable, Rick Pender learns more about the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park production from the director, Tom Frey.

The upcoming season at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will celebrate their 60th year and the 100th Anniversary of women's suffrage. Artistic Director Blake Robison previews the entire season, including their kick-off production of the calypso-flavored musical Once on This Island, during this conversation with Rick Pender.

The Cincinnati arts community lost a friend, leader and talent when Ed Stern passed away April 3. He served as artistic director at Playhouse in the Park for 20 years, garnering national acclaim including two Tony Awards and three shows moving to the Broadway stage.

Former Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park artistic director Ed Stern has died.  

The first musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame is coming to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park starting January 19. 

Several years in the making, Playhouse in the Park is ready for the stage debut of their original musical production based on Cincinnati's iconic record label, King Records. 

Around Cincinnati celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Cincinnati's legendary record label King Records during September. We're calling this weekend's show A King Records Potpourri, featuring these segments:

In honor of the 75th anniversary of King Records this month, the last special I'm producing has a potpourri of topics from a look at the Tokyo Happy Coats and Playhouse in the Park's production of "Cincinnati King" to Darren Blase's efforts to showcase his King Records collection at Shake It Records, plus the preservation work being done to save the King Records studio on Brewster Avenue.  

This King Records Potpourri special will air on Saturday night, September 22nd, at 11pm and again Sunday evening, September 23rd, at 7pm.

The 2018-19 season at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park features a new, locally-produced King Records production, plus shows from or inspired by Stephen King and Lin-Manuel Miranda will take the stage in Mt. Adams. 

The different sides of marriage, romance, and parenting are explored in Sooner/Later, now open at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park. 

Playhouse in the Park is presenting the world premiere of playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer's play Be Here Now. 

Actor Frank Ferrante has created an indelible, and career-defining, performance as the comedy icon Groucho Marx. 

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is preparing for the 2017-18 season, which will kick-off with a stage adaptation of the award-winning film, Shakespeare in Love, starting September 2. 

Dayton-native and bestselling author and humorist Erma Bombeck is the subject a one-woman play now on stage at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. 

All the Roads Home is the latest production in the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre.