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About the Playhouse

Amazing stories.
Masterful performances.

Nestled on a hill and commanding a superb view of downtown Cincinnati, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has been offering audiences the finest in professional theatre for more than 60 years. Nationally known for its excellence and commitment to new works and as an artistic home for America’s best actors, directors and designers, the Playhouse always keeps its primary role at center stage – to serve the Tristate by producing the finest in classic and contemporary works: musicals, dramas, comedies and recent hits. Simply put, the Playhouse strives to celebrate the live theatrical experience in superlative fashion, in a setting that is second to none.  

Explore Playhouse History

GROWING THE PLAYHOUSE

May 22, 2017, 10:34 AM
Within a very few years, as sold-out houses became the norm, it became apparent that the success of the Playhouse would cause it to outgrow the Shelterhouse.  First the original theatre was expanded. Then in 1966, plans were announced for the construction of a new, larger space.  On July 18, 1968, the Robert S. Marx Theatre, named after the well-known Cincinnati philanthropist, opened with Camino Real by Tennessee Williams.  Designed by Hugh Hardy of the New York architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, the Marx won awards for its innovative design and flexibility.  It also began a new era for the Playhouse, which was, for the first time, able to produce two works simultaneously in two complementary theatre spaces.

As audiences steadily grew, so did the Playhouse's leadership in the new regional theatre movement nationwide.  In 1965, the Playhouse was selected as the first regional theatre showcased on the television program, Esso Repertory Theatre, hosted by David Susskind.

As the Playhouse ended its first decade, it already was catching notice for its caliber of production and its belief that theatre can be innovative as well as entertaining.  In the late 1960s, the National Theatre of the Deaf, the Barbwire Theatre, and Judith Malina and Julian Beck's Living Theatre all came to the Playhouse.  In 1970, the Playhouse mounted a pioneering production of Shaw's Pygmalion, acclaimed for its use of non-traditional casting.  In 1973, Harold Scott joined the Playhouse as the first African American artistic director in the history of American regional theatre.

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Playhouse Productions

GROWING THE PLAYHOUSE

May 22, 2017, 10:34 AM
Within a very few years, as sold-out houses became the norm, it became apparent that the success of the Playhouse would cause it to outgrow the Shelterhouse.  First the original theatre was expanded. Then in 1966, plans were announced for the construction of a new, larger space.  On July 18, 1968, the Robert S. Marx Theatre, named after the well-known Cincinnati philanthropist, opened with Camino Real by Tennessee Williams.  Designed by Hugh Hardy of the New York architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, the Marx won awards for its innovative design and flexibility.  It also began a new era for the Playhouse, which was, for the first time, able to produce two works simultaneously in two complementary theatre spaces.

As audiences steadily grew, so did the Playhouse's leadership in the new regional theatre movement nationwide.  In 1965, the Playhouse was selected as the first regional theatre showcased on the television program, Esso Repertory Theatre, hosted by David Susskind.

As the Playhouse ended its first decade, it already was catching notice for its caliber of production and its belief that theatre can be innovative as well as entertaining.  In the late 1960s, the National Theatre of the Deaf, the Barbwire Theatre, and Judith Malina and Julian Beck's Living Theatre all came to the Playhouse.  In 1970, the Playhouse mounted a pioneering production of Shaw's Pygmalion, acclaimed for its use of non-traditional casting.  In 1973, Harold Scott joined the Playhouse as the first African American artistic director in the history of American regional theatre.

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Investing in New Stories

“When you have the resources to invest in new playwrights and new stories – and we do – then doing productions like this becomes your responsibility to the art form.” Read about our commissions and the Jerome Fey Endowment for New Plays.

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