CCM’s ‘The Crucible’ Earns Four Star Rating by the League of Cincinnati Theatres

CCM’s proudly presents Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible,’ running through Sunday, Oct. 6. Photography by Mark Lyons.

We are delighted to report that panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible with a four star rating!

Written in 1953  as a parable for McCarthyism by American playwright Arthur Miller, The Crucible tells a story of hysteria and witchcraft in colonial Salem.

Panelists praised The Crucible as “a skillful, intense, heartfelt, and nearly perfect production of The Crucible. I truly watched in wonder as the story unfolded.”

“The ensemble acting was terrific…this cast was admirable in its portrayal of a wide range of ages, young to middle-age to elderly.”

As one panelist noted: “I would recommend the production because it is a classic play that still resonates today.”

League of Cincinnati Theatre panelists evaluate productions on a five star scale and recommend shows at either a four star or five star level. Nominations for LCT awards will be determined and announced at the end of the season and winners awarded at the annual LCT gala in the spring. Learn more about The Crucible‘s four star rating here.

CCM’s 2013-14 Mainstage Series resumes at the end of this month with a joyous, graceful stage adaptation of the classic film musical Singin’ in the Rain! Learn more about that production and the rest of our current season here.

CCM Slideshows: The Crucible

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CCM’s highly anticipated 2013-14 Mainstage Series opens this week with a bold new production of the American classic The Crucible, running tonight through Sunday, Oct. 6, in Patricia Corbett Theater.

You can enjoy a preview of the Tony Award-winning play, courtesy of photographer Mark Lyons. Tickets and subscription packages are on sale now.

CCM’s 2013-14 Mainstage Series Opens Next Week With ‘The Crucible’

Joe Markesbery is “John Proctor” and Laura McCarthy is “Abigail Williams” in CCM’s ‘The Crucible.’ Photography by Mark Lyons.

CCM opens its 2013-14 Mainstage Series with an intensely physical retelling of the American classic The Crucible. This epic drama of morality and justice runs Oct. 3 through 6 in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater, with a preview performance at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

Under the direction of Richard Hess, Professor and Chair of CCM’s Department of Drama, this production of The Crucible “is a post-modern expression” of the world we live in, says Hess. “There’s no fanciness; it doesn’t need to be tampered with. The Crucible was powerful when it was presented in a time and place where it resonated beyond the Salem witch trials.”

Audience members will be surprised by the amount of physicality on stage. “This Crucible will not be stuffy people standing and talking and arguing. They’re going to be running, tearing at each other, moving. It’s pretty down and dirty,” explains Hess. The physicality of the characters embodies the conflicts and moral dilemmas that they face. “It’s not a pretty costume drama.” Even the recognizable setting of Salem may feel different. The scenic design by Dana Hall, second-year scenic design graduate student, will be stark and very clean with a three-story motorized wall that moves throughout the performance.

Joe Markesbery, senior, plays the role of John Proctor, while Abigail Williams is brought to life by sophomore Laura McCarthy. Anna Stapleton plays Elizabeth Proctor. “What I love so much about Richard’s direction of this show is that one really gets a sense of the hysteria, betrayal and selfish ambition that John Proctor fights so hard against,” says Markesbery of his portrayal of John Proctor. “Proctor is a man who, because of his affair with Abigail, truly isn’t sure if he is good or evil. Ultimately, every action he commits in the play is to defend the truth and bring evil to the light, but still he thinks himself a fraud. From peace and simplicity to betrayal and the destruction of a man and his good name: there’s the tragedy for me.”

View the official trailer for CCM’s Mainstage Series production of The Crucible here.

UC is Highlighted Among the Nation’s Best Colleges

For the seventh year in a row, the University of Cincinnati is praised as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features UC in the new 2014 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 378 Colleges.”

The Princeton Review’s surveys named CCM, along with UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) and College of Engineering (CEAS), as particular stand outs!

Only about 15 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges and only four colleges outside the U.S. are profiled in the book which is The Princeton Review’s flagship college guide. It includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranked lists of the top 20 schools in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review’s surveys of 126,000 students attending the colleges.

Renowned Pianist and Conductor Leon Fleisher to be Honored by the University of Cincinnati

Renowned pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher will receive an honorary doctorate at UC’s Commencement Ceremony on April 27.

Legendary pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music at the University of Cincinnati Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m., Saturday, April 27, in Fifth Third Arena.

Fleisher is widely recognized as one of the world’s truly great artists. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Chair of Piano served as Great Master Instructor for a residency at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music last October.

Fleisher recently discussed his CCM residency with Suzanne Bona on WVXU’s Around Cincinnati. You can listen to the full interview here.

CCM Alumnus’ Alternative Career Path Led To UC Employment On A Global Scale

CCM Alumnus Spencer Utt spent a good deal of his time as a UC student exploring the world. Now he’s across the world, sharing the university’s strengths with prospective college students in Vietnam.

Utt is UC’s new Vietnam Country Coordinator – a full-time position in Vietnam under International Admissions – to expand the university’s reputation in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Getting to Know UC Cincinnatus Presidential Scholarship Recipients Michael Dudley and Christa Iwu

Two CCM students are among the University of Cincinnati’s 13 incoming freshmen awarded full, $88,000 Cincinnatus Presidential scholarships. Since 1997, UC’s Cincinnatus Scholarship Program has provided different levels of awards for academic achievement, leadership and commitment to community service. As part of their scholarship commitment, each scholarship recipient will perform 30 hours of community service each year. The full, $88,000 awards cover tuition, fees, room and board and books.

Michael Dudley and Christa Iwu recently spoke with UC’s Dawn Fuller about why they chose UC’s College-Conservatory of music to pursue their studies.

UC Commencement Webcasting Information

Congratulations to the Class of 2012! The University of Cincinnati will celebrate All-University Commencement on June 8-9 in three ceremonies, with each ceremony including doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree candidates. UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will be included in the 9 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, June 9.

The ceremonies will be webcast by UC’s Presentation Technologies & Services Group. The webcasts will begin 30 minutes before each event.

For more information, please refer to the following sites:

• UC Vision Webcast Link
• UC Commencement News
• Commencement Information for Graduates and Guests
• CCM Graduation Convocation Ceremony Information

CCM Conductor Leads Decades of Graduating Bearcats Through Pomp and Circumstance

CCM Professor of Music Terence Milligan.

Terence Milligan has played a unique role in the lives of tens of thousands of University of Cincinnati graduates on their special day, dating back to processionals in Nippert Stadium. He has conducted the University Commencement Band at every Commencement ceremony since June, 1980.

This spring will be his 33rd year behind the baton at Commencement directing 48 ceremonies, counting the three in June. Through each ceremony, his service has been all voluntary.

CCM Visiting Professor of Scenic Design Shares Her Holiday Favorites

CCM's Tamara Honesty, photographed in the CCM Scene Shop. Photography by Ashley Kempher.

‘Tis the season for TV holiday programming – movies that can make us laugh and weep. There are the classics that take us back to our childhood as well as the comedies that put the “fun” in dysfunctional families.

Tamara Honesty, a visiting professor of scenic design at CCM, reveals some of her personal favorites that she’s looking forward to seeing during the month of December: