Former NET artistic director Procaccino returns to direct
Rebecca Whatley and David Roth in PROOF (photo by Mikki Schaffner)
New Edgecliff Theatre wraps up its 15th anniversary season with David Auburn’s 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Proof. An examination of family, genius and madness, the play rose almost instantly to the status of contemporary classic. The script primarily focuses on Catherine, a troubled young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father Robert, a famous mathematician. Following his death, she is confronted all at once with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal, her father’s former student, who hopes to find something of value in the work Robert left behind. All this, added to the discovery of a mysterious notebook, compels Catherine to consider exactly which of her father’s traits she’s inherited.
Former NET Artistic director Greg Procaccino returns to direct David Roth, Liz Smith, Brandon Wentz, and Rebecca Whatley in this acting-centric play, presented in the appropriately intimate environs of the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater. Procaccino served as Artistic Director for NET from 2006-10, directing such shows as Fool for Love, Fat Pig, [title of show] and Cyrano Rehearsed. He says he’s excited to not only be working once again with New Edgecliff, but also to have a crack at this powerful play. As he puts it, “Being back with New Edge makes me smile. I love the people. They did such great work during my time there – made me look real good.” About Proof he says, “It’s a beautiful, haunting play about being haunted by your past – your family – the weaknesses in your family that could lead to a painful discovery. The challenge of the play is to just let these people bump up against each other and let their world play out freely in front of the audience.”
Artistic Director Jim Stump feels that Proof not only perfectly epitomizes NET’s mission, but also the theme of the company’s 15th season, “NeXt” by, as he says, “exploring the themes of the legacies passed on from generation to generation. Some are tangible such as homes and property. Some are the result of heredity. And sometimes, it’s difficult to know whether they are a blessing or a curse.”
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Proof by David Auburn
Directed by Greg Procaccino
Featuring David Roth, Liz Smith, Brandon Wentz, and Rebecca Whatley
April 17th-20th, Wed-Sat 7:30pm / April 23rd-27th, Tues-Sat 7:30pm
Fifth Third Bank Theater at The Aronoff Center for the Arts (entrance on Main Street at the corner of Seventh Street)
Tickets: $25.25 adults, $20.25 seniors, and $17.25 students
For more information or to purchase your tickets, visit CincinnatiArts.org
or call (513) 621-ARTS (2787)
Slow Descent features former NET Artistic Director Elizabeth A. Harris as Molly, a NASA scientist, whose story is told in reverse chronology, beginning with the Columbia disaster in 2003 and ending with the Challenger disaster 18 years earlier, in 1986. Rounding out the ensemble are Sue Breving, Brian Berendts and Michael Hall.
New Edgecliff Theatre has once again re-invented its annual antidote to the holidays, this year pairing David Sedaris’ one-man one-act, The Santaland Diaries with the regional premiere of Ginna Hoben’s one-woman one-act, The 12 Dates of Christmas.
New Edgecliff Theatre will return to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati, May 29th-June 9th with a staging of Quake: a closet love story by playwright Tyler Olsen.
New Edgecliff Theatre announces an exciting addition to NET’s performance line up with the regional premiere of Conor McPherson’s St. Nicholas. This chilling one-man show features NET Executive Director Michael Shooner and is directed by Brian Robertson. St. Nicholas will run in NET’s newly-created major production slot, Feb. 23-March 10. Leaving his wife and children in Dublin to pursue his obsession, things become complicated in London when he finds himself in the employ of a coven of vampires! Already a metaphorical vampire himself, his confrontation with very real ones forces him to face his own demons and earn some measure of redemption. The New York Times says, “The narrative swings through so many forms of storytelling – from self-serving lies born of drunkenness to a proper Brothers Grimm-like fable…McPherson’s ear for detail is devastating.” 
A burned-out theatre critic becomes infatuated with a young actress. Leaving his wife and children in Dublin to pursue his obsession, things become complicated in London when he finds himself in the employ of a coven of vampires! Written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, Shining City) and featuring New Edgecliff’s own Michael Shooner, this wicked and riveting one-man show is sure to captivate audiences. The New York Times says, “The narrative swings through so many forms of storytelling — from self-serving lies born of drunkenness to a proper Brothers Grimm-like fable…McPherson’s ear for detail is devastating.”
New Edgecliff Theatre returns to its roots by returning to the 5/3 Bank Theatre at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. This intimate black box theatre provides the perfect setting for NET’s productions, and gets our audiences close to the action in a comfortable setting. The Aronoff Center for the Arts is located at 650 Walnut Street in the heart of downtown Cincinnati’s business district, and is easily accessible from all the major expressways. 
