FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 3, 2004
Contact: Christa Skiles
Public Relations Director
513-345-2242, ext. 232

JEFFREY HATCHER'S A PICASSO OPENS CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK'S SHELTERHOUSE SEASON SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 24

(CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will open its 2004-2005 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre season with a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of intrigue, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher’s A Picasso. The show begins previews on September 25 and continues through October 24.

The time is 1941, the height of the German occupation of Paris during World War II. Artist Pablo Picasso is called to an abandoned vault below the streets of the city to face an interrogation by a beautiful and strong-willed woman hired by the Gestapo. Miss Fischer has been assigned to authenticate three paintings, each of which is assumed to be “a Picasso.” The paintings have been confiscated from their owners, all men who have fled the country in haste, and Miss Fischer tells Picasso that the Germans intend to use them in an exhibition featuring a group of other artists.

When Picasso has supplied her with the identification she needs, Miss Fischer releases him and begins to pack up her belongings. But Picasso hesitates, questioning her about the exhibition and whether he should expect an invitation. When he is told that it is to be a private audience of occupation leaders, ministry, journalists and photographers, Picasso quickly comes to understand that it is not intended to be celebratory in nature. What results is a battle of wills in which the two participants find themselves caught between mounting tensions of desire and the lure of power.

According to Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Michael Evan Haney, who is directing A Picasso, “The play is a dance of sorts between two really different characters, one of whom has a gigantic ego and one of whom has gigantic power behind her. What Jeffrey Hatcher has done is to create the perfect foil for Picasso in Miss Fischer — a woman who is as strong and complicated in her motivations as he is — so that the battle between them is very balanced. The power shifts almost line to line. They have to pull out all of their respective stops to prevail.”

Other works by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher that have been produced at the Playhouse include Scotland Road (which received its world premiere here in 1993), The Turn of the Screw (1997) and Everything's Ducky (2000). His other plays include Three Viewings, Neddy, Tuesdays with Morrie and Compleat Female Stage Beauty, which will open this fall as a feature film starring Billy Crudup and Claire Danes and directed by Richard Eyre. Mr. Hatcher has won grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group and Lila-Wallace Fund. A Picasso won the 2003 Barrymore Award for Best New Play in Philadelphia, where it premiered.

The cast of A Picasso includes Allen Fitzpatrick as Picasso and Priscilla Shanks as Miss Fischer. Both are making their Playhouse debuts in the show. Mr. Fitzpatrick has appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables, Sweet Smell of Success, The Scarlet Pimpernel, 42nd Street, The Boys from Syracuse, Damn Yankees, Sunset Boulevard, Six Degrees of Separation, Guys and Dolls and Whistle Down the Wind. Ms. Shanks appeared on Broadway in Mastergate and Slight of Hand and off-Broadway in O Jerusalem, The Green Bird, Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man and The Increased Difficulty of Concentration.

In addition to Director Michael Haney, other members of the production team for A Picasso include Kevin Rigdon (set designer), Gordon DeVinney (costume designer) and James Sale (lighting designer). The stage manager is Andrea L. Shell.

Tickets to A Picasso are on sale now. Prices range from $40-$48, depending on day and seat location. All tickets are $33 for the preview performances at 9 p.m. Saturday, September 25, 7 p.m. Sunday, September 26, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 28 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 29. The official opening night performance is Thursday, September 30 at 8 p.m.

Any unreserved tickets are half-price every day when purchased at the Playhouse between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of the show (for performances Tuesday through Saturday) and from 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

For tickets to A Picasso or for more information, call the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 or toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800/582-3208. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility. For single tickets purchased by telephone through the Playhouse box office there is a $3 convenience fee per call. Tickets also can be purchased on the Playhouse web site at www.cincyplay.com.

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is entering its 45th season as one of the nation’s leading professional regional theatres. Earlier this summer, the Playhouse was honored with the 2004 Regional Theatre Tony Award^®. One of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry, it honors a nonprofit professional regional theatre company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally.

Artists fly to and from Cincinnati on Delta Connection Comair, the Playhouse’s official airline.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to the Fine Arts Fund.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

The Playhouse also receives funding from the City of Cincinnati.

Meet the Artists
These free programs allow audiences to interact with cast members and others associated with the production following the show.

2 p.m. Sunday, October 3
2 p.m. Sunday, October 10
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 13
8 p.m. Thursday, October 21

Dining Options

Karlo's Bistro at the Playhouse offers full-service dining prior to most evening performances. Dinners include salad, entrée and dessert. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance. The price is $21, which does not include gratuity. Karlo's Casual Fare offers busy theatre patrons an alternative light, quick bite prior to the show. Options include salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta and desserts. No reservations are required.

Sponsors

Production Sponsors:
Turner Construction Company and Marilyn J. and Jack D. Osborn

Production Design Sponsor:
Cincinnati Coin Laundry

Fine Arts Fund Partners:
Cincinnati Financial Corporation and Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.

The 2004-2005 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Series is presented by
Heidelberg Distributing Co.

The Shelterhouse Season Design Sponsor is
The Sheakley Group of Companies.

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