CCM Dance SERIES Presents

STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE

March 2-5, 2023, Cohen Family Studio Theater

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  • Director | Shauna Steele
  • Choreographers | Rose Engel*, Sydney D’Orso*, Mandi Weitz*, Hazel Alexander*, Erin Decker*, Morgan Montour* and Gracie Zamiska*
  • Production Stage Manager | Rachel Ledington*
  • Lighting Designer | Dionte Mercado*
  • Associate Lighting Designers | Claire Michels*
  • Sound Designer | Bryan Pivaral*
  • Dance Arts Administration Graduate Assistant | Aaron Libby
  • Dance Costume Design Graduate Assistant | Clara Cavins
  • Dance Faculty | Thomas Bell, Deirdre Carberry, Brian Cashwell, Isabele Elefson, Jeri Gatch, Jonnie Lynn Jacobs-Percer, Julius Jenkins, Shane Ohmer, Molly Perez, Jiang Qi, Shauna Steele, Tricia Sundbeck, Michael Tevlin, Rae Vrbancic
  • Physical Therapists | UC & NovaCare: Alan H et. Al

*CCM student

Content advisory: This production contains haze/strobe lighting effects and adult content, including audio depicting hate speech, gun violence and trauma.

The Student Choreographers' Showcase will last approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, with no intermission

Acknowledgments

Amber Boyd, Heidi Dunning, Heather Graden, Alan Husarchik, Jonnie Lynn Jacobs Percer, Diana Queen of Diana’s Dancewear, Rose Smith, Jennifer Thiemet, Cathy Petraits, Dale Pickett, Jefferson James, Greater Cincinnati Dance Alliance (GCDA), Novacare.

Dance Selections

Beat As One

  • Choreographer | Gracie Zamiska
  • Music | ‘Optimist’ Zoë Keating
  • Costumes | CCM Dance 
  • Dancers | Hazel Alexander, Willie Harris Jr., Emerson Lecrone, Grace Mitchell, Morgan Montour, Iliana Rich, Miranda Sharer, Ying Ying Tong, Mandi Weitz 

It Would Feel Like This

  • Choreographer | Erin Decker
  • Music | Excerpts from WFAA newscast, "World Star Money Interlude" by Joji, "Pills" by Joji, "Like Real People Do" by Hozier
  • Costumes | CCM Dance + Dancers
  • Dancers | Hannah Altmiller, Elise Arcuri, Katie Griffith, Shaelyn Kuipers,  Kelsey Lewis (US), Cynthia Lutz, Miranda Sharer, Mira Sidhu, Laykin Stoess

Program Note 

Discovering who you are can be a dark and uncertain moment in an individual's life. However, accepting and growing into your identity feels like a storm has cleared and the sun is finally out again. There is a noticeable lack of queer women representation within the dance world. This piece is a nod to this lack and provides more representation on the subject.

Scintilla

  • Choreographer | Mandi Weitz
  • Costumes | CCM Dance
  • Dancers | Celeste Lau, Emerson Lecrone, Emilia Mieczykowski, Regina Murphy, Ying Ying Tong

Program Note

It's nothing but a whisper, a shimmer, a fragment of something just barely visible. Is a scintilla of virtuosity worth the risk of failure? Hold onto that spark. Ideas shape the world, and every idea must begin a scintilla.

Bold.

  • Choreographer | Rose Engel 
  • Music | ‘When I Grow Up’ Pussycat Dolls, ‘A Little Party Never Killed Nobody’ Fergie
  • Costumes | CCM Dance + Dancers
  • Dancers | Shaelyn Kuipers, Grace Mitchell, Grace Ortega, Mira Sidhu, Sofia Stitz, Maddie Talbot, Maddie Weber, Claire Zakrajsek, Caitlyn Wehner

Program Note

Flash Warning: there may be flashing lights during this piece.  

Who Will Tomorrow Bring?

  • Choreographer | Morgan Montour
  • Composer | Philip Glass & Lautten Company, The Lumineers, Max Richter, Daniel Hope, & Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin
  • Music | Morning Passages (from "The Hours"), Patience, & Spring 1 - 2012
  • Dancers | AJ Gross, Willie J. Harris, Celeste Lau, Eva Moore, Claire Zakrajsek, Gracie Zamiska
  • Understudies | Sophia Gray, Taylor Jacubenta

forgive me father for [ I ] have sinned

  • Choreographer | Hazel Beatrice Alexander 
  • Music | ‘Talk About Sufferin'’ Ricky Skaggs, ‘Haunted Nights’  Sagason
  • Costumes | CCM Dance
  • Dancers | Iliana Rich, Kelsey Lewis, Cynthia Lutz, Eva Moore, Grace Ortega, Isabella Ramsey, Sofia Stitz, Maddie Webber, Caitlyn Wehner
  • Understudy | Iliana Rich

Program Note

Inspired by religious trauma syndrome (RTS), this work explores the effects of RTS. RTS is a form of PTSD that is experienced by those who are leaving or have left a dogmatic/authoritarian religion. RTS affects one's self-worth, instilling a sense of shame and fear. It often contributes to depression, anxiety, personal relationships, and more.

Pas de Poisson

  • Choreographer | Sydney D’Orso
  • Music | ‘Prickly Pear’ Portico Quartet
  • Costumes | CCM Dance
  • Dancers | Sarah Bartlett, Sophia Gray, Katie Griffith, Emilia Mieczykowski, Regina Murphy, Isabella Ramsey, Isabella Thoroughman

Program Note

“Pas de poisson [pah duh pwah-SAWN]. Fish step.” -Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet by Gail Grant

Company Profiles

Beat As One

Choreographer

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Gracie Zamiska 
Junior Ballet student from Louisville, Kentucky

At CCM: Handel's Concerto by Thomas Bell, La Bayadere "Kingdom of Shades" staged by Deirdre Carberry, Mind's Eye by Anna Lee Rohovec, Must Be Morning by Amanda Kenner. Elsewhere: Midwest Repertory Ballet, featured dancer and ensemble member in The Wizard of Oz at Actor's Center for Training.

Dancers

Hazel Beatrice Alexander

Hazel Alexander 
Junior Ballet student from Killbuck, Ohio

At CCM: Demi Soloist in Waltz of the Flowers, Raymonda, Wilis and Villager in Giselle, Piquita, Falling Upwards, Le Bayadère, Death and the Maiden, Duende, Choreographer of Galileo Galilei. Choreographer in Student Choreography Showcase. Elsewhere: Choreographer of The Selkie at Dancing Under the Stars (Painesville, Ohio).

Emerson Lecrone

Emerson Lecrone
Junior Ballet student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Principal in Raymonda, Principal in “Waltz of the Flowers,” Friend in Giselle, soloist in Paquita, Falling Upwards. Elsewhere: Raymonda, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Grace Mitchell

Grace Mitchell 
Junior Ballet student from Darien, Connecticut

At CCM: Les Sylphides staged by Dierdre Carberry, La Bayadere's “Kingdom of Shades” staged by Dierdre Carberry, Rose Engel's Faux Pas.

Morgan Montour

Morgan Montour
Junior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Death and the Maiden choreographed by Qi Jiang, La Bayadere staged by Deirdre Carberry, Paquita soloist staged by Deirdre Carberry, Falling Upwards set to an award-winning composition by Aya Yoshida choreographed by Shauna Steele, dancer in Giselle, dancer in Student Choreographers' Showcase.

Iliana Rich

Iliana Rich
Sophomore Ballet student from Taylorsville, Kentucky

At CCM: Soloist in Raymonda, Mozart Mix, Corps de Ballet in Giselle, From The Beginning, Corps de Ballet in Paquita, Falling Upwards, Aurora Borealis.

Miranda Sharer

Miranda Sharer 
Sophomore Ballet student from Lancaster, Ohio

Elsewhere: Performed in The Nutcracker at BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio), Attended BalletMet Summer Intensive 2018, 2020, 2021.

Ying Ying Tong
Sophomore Ballet student from Hong Kong, China

At CCM: Lead in In the Beginning, Peasant Pas de Trois in Giselle, Falling Upwards, Corps de Ballet in Paquita. Elsewhere: Odile in Swan Lake, Esmeralda in Esmeralda Excerpt, Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker (Interlochen, Michigan).

UC-CCM logo

Mandi Weitz 
Junior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Corps de ballet in La Bayadere, Corps de ballet in Les Sylphides. Elsewhere: Various performances with the Dayton Ballet company including corps de ballet in Swan Lake.

It Would Feel Like This

Choreographer

Erin Decker

Erin Decker 
Sophomore Ballet student from Naples, Florida

At CCM: Aurora Borealis by Keenan Pennington, Home-made, home-made! (But aren’t we all?) by Sydney D’Orso. Elsewhere: Cinderella, Clara, soloist roles in The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty; George Balanchine's The Nutcracker with Miami City Ballet.

Dancers

Hannah Altmiller

Hannah Altmiller 
Freshman Ballet student from Springfield, Oregon

Elsewhere: Lady Winter and corps de statue in Adventures in Narnia at Dance Veritas (Eugene, Oregon), Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker at SLC Ballet (Salt Lake City, Utah), Dulcinea, Spanish woman, and Bridesmaid in Don Quixote.  

Elise Arcuri

Elise Arcuri 
Sophomore Ballet student from Santa Barbara, California

At CCM: Waltz of the Flowers, Raymonda, Giselle, Falling Upwards, Thoughts Unspoken Words Unsaid, The Ideal of Love.

Katherine Griffith

Katherine Griffith 
Sophomore Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: “Falling Upwards,” “Who We Are,” Willis Corps in Giselle, Demi-soloist in “Waltz of the Flowers,” Dancer in Galileo Galilei. Elsewhere: Clara and Marzipan Corps in The Nutcracker and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella with Dayton Ballet (Dayton, Ohio).

Shaelyn Kuipers

Shaelyn Kuipers
Freshman Ballet student from Midland, North Carolina

At CCM: Who We Are, “Waltz of the Flowers.” Elsewhere: Maria, Snow Queen, Coffee Corps, Trepak Corps, Flowers Corps in The Nutcracker.

Kelsey Lewis

Kelsey Lewis
Freshman Ballet student from Glenwood, Illinois

At CCM: Mozart Mix. Elsewhere: “Tailsman Variation,” “Coppelia Suite,” Corps in “Mazurka” and Corps in “Dance of the Hours” with Boston Ballet Professional Division at Walnut Hill School for the Arts (Natick, Massachusetts).

Cynthia Lutz

Cynthia Lutz 
Sophomore Ballet student from Wheaton, Illinois

At CCM: Falling Upwards, Ethereal Relations, The Unforgotten, corp de ballet in Giselle, “Waltz of the Flowers.”

Miranda Sharer

Miranda Sharer 
Sophomore Ballet student from Lancaster, Ohio

Elsewhere: Performed in The Nutcracker at BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio), Attended BalletMet Summer Intensive 2018, 2020, 2021.

Mira Sidhu

Mira Sidhu
Senior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Wilis Corps and Royal Hunting Party in Giselle, Ethereal Relations, soloist in Homemade, Homemade, But Aren’t We All?, soloist in Talisman, Corps in Cornerstone, Corps in Death and the Maiden, Corps in Amanita Virosa, demi soloist in Passengers.

 

Laykin Stoess

Laykin Stoess 
Sophomore Ballet student from Louisville, Kentucky

At CCM: Home-made, Home-made! (But Aren’t We All?), Giselle, Soloist in Who We Are.

Scintilla

Choreographer

UC-CCM logo

Mandi Weitz 
Junior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Corps de ballet in La Bayadere, Corps de ballet in Les Sylphides. Elsewhere: Various performances with the Dayton Ballet company including corps de ballet in Swan Lake.

Emerson Lecrone

Emerson Lecrone
Junior Ballet student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Principal in Raymonda, Principal in “Waltz of the Flowers,” Friend in Giselle, soloist in Paquita, Falling Upwards. Elsewhere: Raymonda, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Emilia Mieczykowski
Sophomore Ballet student from Cincinnati, Ohio

Elsewhere: Serenade and Walpurgisnacht set by repetiteurs of the Balanchine Trust, original student works at Cincinnati Ballet Academy; The Nutcracker, Bolero, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur's Camelot with Cincinnati Ballet Company.

Regina Murphy

Regina Murphy
Sophomore Ballet student from South Bend, Indiana

At CCM: Little Dancer in 30 Years of Stephen: The Music of Stephen Flaherty. Elsewhere: Cinderella in Cinderella, Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Snow Queen and Lead Arabian in The Nutcracker at Southold Dance Theater (South Bend, Indiana).

Ying Ying Tong
Sophomore Ballet student from Hong Kong, China

At CCM: Lead in In the Beginning, Peasant Pas de Trois in Giselle, Falling Upwards, Corps de Ballet in Paquita. Elsewhere: Odile in Swan Lake, Esmeralda in Esmeralda Excerpt, Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker (Interlochen, Michigan).

Bold.

Choreographer

UC CCM logo

Rose Engel
Senior Ballet student from New Canaan, Connecticut

Shaelyn Kuipers

Shaelyn Kuipers
Freshman Ballet student from Midland, North Carolina

At CCM: Who We Are, “Waltz of the Flowers.” Elsewhere: Maria, Snow Queen, Coffee Corps, Trepak Corps, Flowers Corps in The Nutcracker.

Grace Mitchell

Grace Mitchell 
Junior Ballet student from Darien, Connecticut

At CCM: Les Sylphides staged by Dierdre Carberry, La Bayadere's “Kingdom of Shades” staged by Dierdre Carberry, Rose Engel's Faux Pas.

Grace Ortega

Grace Ortega
Freshman Ballet student from Columbus, Ohio

At CCM: Demi-Soloist in “Waltz of the Flowers” and Corps de Ballet in Raymonda, Elsewhere: Second Movement in Coppelia with Western Symphony and Friends at BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio).

Mira Sidhu

Mira Sidhu
Senior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Wilis Corps and Royal Hunting Party in Giselle, Ethereal Relations, soloist in Homemade, Homemade, But Aren’t We All?, soloist in Talisman, Corps in Cornerstone, Corps in Death and the Maiden, Corps in Amanita Virosa, demi soloist in Passengers.

 

Sofia Stitz

Sophia Stitz
Junior Ballet student from Dumont, New Jersey

At CCM: “Handel’s Concerto,” Soloist in "Kingdom of Shades" from La Bayadere, Enigma Station, Soloist in Paquita,From the Beginning, Peasant Pas” from Giselle, Student Choreographer’s Showcase (2020, 2021).

Madelin Talbot

Madelin Talbot 
Junior Ballet student from Zanesville, Ohio

At CCM: Corps de ballet in La Bayadere, Dancer in Handel’s Concerto. Elsewhere: Corps de ballet in Giselle, Corps de ballet in Walpurgisnacht (intended to perform, unable due to COVID-19), Corps de ballet in Etudes (intended to perform, unable due to COVID-19) at BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio).

Maddie Weber

Maddie Weber 
Freshman Ballet student from Naperville, Illinois

Elsewhere: Featured soloist in The Nutcracker, Fairy Godmother and Cinderella in Cinderella at VH Dance Center (Naperville, Illinois).

Claire Zakrajsek

Claire Alexandra Zakrajsek 
Senior Ballet student from Cleveland, Ohio

At CCM: Principal role in Raymonda, Willis Demi-Soloist and Giselle understudy in Giselle, Taglioni Soloist in Pas De Quatre, Mazurka Soloist in Les Slyphides, Rite of Spring, Passengers, Amanita, Soloist in Shades of Impressions, Soloist in The Unforgotten, Soloist in Must Be Morning, Soloist in HER.

Who Will Tomorrow Bring?

Choreographer

Morgan Montour

Morgan Montour
Junior Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: Death and the Maiden choreographed by Qi Jiang, La Bayadere staged by Deirdre Carberry, Paquita soloist staged by Deirdre Carberry, Falling Upwards set to an award-winning composition by Aya Yoshida choreographed by Shauna Steele, dancer in Giselle, dancer in Student Choreographers' Showcase.

Dancers

Eva Moore

Eva Moore 
Junior Ballet student from Richfield, Ohio

At CCM: Soloist in Raymonda, Peasant Pas in Giselle, Excerpt of Paquita, In The Beginning, Falling Upwards, Handel Concerto, Kingdom of Shades, In Transit, Faux Pas. Elsewhere: The Nutcracker with Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, Illinois).

Claire Zakrajsek

Claire Alexandra Zakrajsek 
Senior Ballet student from Cleveland, Ohio

At CCM: Principal role in Raymonda, Willis Demi-Soloist and Giselle understudy in Giselle, Taglioni Soloist in Pas De Quatre, Mazurka Soloist in Les Slyphides, Rite of Spring, Passengers, Amanita, Soloist in Shades of Impressions, Soloist in The Unforgotten, Soloist in Must Be Morning, Soloist in HER.

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Gracie Zamiska 
Junior Ballet student from Louisville, Kentucky

At CCM: Handel's Concerto by Thomas Bell, La Bayadere "Kingdom of Shades" staged by Deirdre Carberry, Mind's Eye by Anna Lee Rohovec, Must Be Morning by Amanda Kenner. Elsewhere: Midwest Repertory Ballet, featured dancer and ensemble member in The Wizard of Oz at Actor's Center for Training.

Understudies

Sophia Gray

Sophia Gray 
Sophomore Ballet student from Symmes Township, Ohio

At CCM: Home-made, home-made! (But aren’t we all?), Words Unspoken, Thoughts Unsaid, In The Beginning, Paquita, Giselle, Marie understudy in Little Dancer. Elsewhere: soloist in Paquita “Pas de Trois Variation 2” with the Cincinnati Ballet Academy.  

forgive me father for [ I ] have sinned

Choreographer

Hazel Beatrice Alexander

Hazel Alexander 
Junior Ballet student from Killbuck, Ohio

At CCM: Demi Soloist in Waltz of the Flowers, Raymonda, Wilis and Villager in Giselle, Piquita, Falling Upwards, Le Bayadère, Death and the Maiden, Duende, Choreographer of Galileo Galilei. Choreographer in Student Choreography Showcase. Elsewhere: Choreographer of The Selkie at Dancing Under the Stars (Painesville, Ohio).

Dancers

Kelsey Lewis

Kelsey Lewis
Freshman Ballet student from Glenwood, Illinois

At CCM: Mozart Mix. Elsewhere: “Tailsman Variation,” “Coppelia Suite,” Corps in “Mazurka” and Corps in “Dance of the Hours” with Boston Ballet Professional Division at Walnut Hill School for the Arts (Natick, Massachusetts).

Cynthia Lutz

Cynthia Lutz 
Sophomore Ballet student from Wheaton, Illinois

At CCM: Falling Upwards, Ethereal Relations, The Unforgotten, corp de ballet in Giselle, “Waltz of the Flowers.”

Eva Moore

Eva Moore 
Junior Ballet student from Richfield, Ohio

At CCM: Soloist in Raymonda, Peasant Pas in Giselle, Excerpt of Paquita, In The Beginning, Falling Upwards, Handel Concerto, Kingdom of Shades, In Transit, Faux Pas. Elsewhere: The Nutcracker with Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, Illinois).

Grace Ortega

Grace Ortega
Freshman Ballet student from Columbus, Ohio

At CCM: Demi-Soloist in “Waltz of the Flowers” and Corps de Ballet in Raymonda, Elsewhere: Second Movement in Coppelia with Western Symphony and Friends at BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio).

Isabella Ramsey

Isabella Ramsey
Freshman Ballet student from Toledo, Ohio

Elsewhere: Snow Princess, Dewdrop and Spanish in The Nutcracker with Toledo Ballet (Toledo, Ohio).

Sofia Stitz

Sophia Stitz
Junior Ballet student from Dumont, New Jersey

At CCM: “Handel’s Concerto,” Soloist in "Kingdom of Shades" from La Bayadere, Enigma Station, Soloist in Paquita,From the Beginning, Peasant Pas” from Giselle, Student Choreographer’s Showcase (2020, 2021).

Caitlyn Wehner

Caitlyn Wehner
Freshman Ballet student from Beavercreek, Ohio

CCM: Mozart Mix. Elsewhere: Snow, Flower, and Chinese Tea Corps in The Nutcracker, Flower Fairy in Alice in Wonderland with Dayton Ballet (Dayton, Ohio).

Understudy

Iliana Rich

Iliana Rich
Sophomore Ballet student from Taylorsville, Kentucky

At CCM: Soloist in Raymonda, Mozart Mix, Corps de Ballet in Giselle, From The Beginning, Corps de Ballet in Paquita, Falling Upwards, Aurora Borealis.

Pas de Poisson

Choreographer

Sydney D’Orso

Sydney D’Orso 
Senior Ballet student from Ridgefield, Connecticut

At CCM: Waltz of the Flowers, Giselle, Twilight Tango, Raymonda, The Space Between, Les Sylphides, Rite of Spring, Compass, Passengers, Aminita Virosa, Choreographer for Home-made, Home-made! (But Aren't We All?) and Ramifications.

Dancers

Sarah Bartlett

Sarah Bartlett 
Junior Ballet student from Baltimore, Maryland

At CCM: Corp de ballet in Giselle, Paquita, La Bayadère, Handel Concerto. Elsewhere: corp de ballet in L’amore, corp de ballet in Vampiri with Étoile Ballet Theatre (Piacenza, Italy).

Sophia Gray

Sophia Gray 
Sophomore Ballet student from Symmes Township, Ohio

At CCM: Home-made, home-made! (But aren’t we all?), Words Unspoken, Thoughts Unsaid, In The Beginning, Paquita, Giselle, Marie understudy in Little Dancer. Elsewhere: soloist in Paquita “Pas de Trois Variation 2” with the Cincinnati Ballet Academy.  

Katherine Griffith

Katherine Griffith 
Sophomore Ballet student from Dayton, Ohio

At CCM: “Falling Upwards,” “Who We Are,” Willis Corps in Giselle, Demi-soloist in “Waltz of the Flowers,” Dancer in Galileo Galilei. Elsewhere: Clara and Marzipan Corps in The Nutcracker and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella with Dayton Ballet (Dayton, Ohio).

Emilia Mieczykowski
Sophomore Ballet student from Cincinnati, Ohio

Elsewhere: Serenade and Walpurgisnacht set by repetiteurs of the Balanchine Trust, original student works at Cincinnati Ballet Academy; The Nutcracker, Bolero, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur's Camelot with Cincinnati Ballet Company.

Regina Murphy

Regina Murphy
Sophomore Ballet student from South Bend, Indiana

At CCM: Little Dancer in 30 Years of Stephen: The Music of Stephen Flaherty. Elsewhere: Cinderella in Cinderella, Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Snow Queen and Lead Arabian in The Nutcracker at Southold Dance Theater (South Bend, Indiana).

Isabella Ramsey

Isabella Ramsey
Freshman Ballet student from Toledo, Ohio

Elsewhere: Snow Princess, Dewdrop and Spanish in The Nutcracker with Toledo Ballet (Toledo, Ohio).

Isabella Thoroughman

Isabella Thoroughman
Freshman Ballet student from Williamstown, Kentucky

At CCM: Corps de Ballet in Raymonda. Elsewhere: Esmeralda in Esmeralda (CCM Prep), Principal in La Bayadere(CCM Prep), Corps de Ballet in Swan Lake and Don Quixote (CCM Prep), Clara, Marzipan, and Flower Corps de Ballet in The Nutcracker, Corps de Ballet in La Bayadere, Corps de Ballets in Don Quixote with Cincinnati Ballet Academy, Magic Dress Party Girl and Clara Double in The Nutcracker with Cincinnati Ballet.

Production Staff

  • Technical Director | Stirling Shelton
  • Assistant Stage Managers | Ella Gover, Hannah Kate Hawver
  • Production Electrician | Ashton Karp
  • Assistant Production Electrician | Jeffrey Bell
  • Electrics Show Assistants/Lighting Graduate Assistants | Jessica Drayton, Kristen Peck
  • Assistant Technical Director | Gabby Ullman
  • Set Construction Crew | Matti Andrews, Jeffrey Bell, William Blank, El (Elora) Bowers, Anna Camerer, Nick Feldmann, Raeya Garcia, Ella Gover, Laura Hanks, Willow Heichel, Corvo (Mary) Hopkins, Lily Landoch, Kaitlin Mier, Maddi Myer, Kait Naylor, Molly Powell, Charlie Raschke, Evan Reinhart, Paloma Robles, Kassidy Schley, Moira Seger, Jordan Shaw, Emma Shreve, Morgan Terry, Bethany Untener, Reagan Warvel
  • Scene Shop Assistants | Mckenna Brennan, Iz Dillon, Lukas Hummeldorf, Nick Hunley, Benji Lookatch, Grace Mayo, Janay Sukkarieh, Gabby Ullman, Logan Vanderpool
  • Production Sound Engineer| Brian Haack
  • Assistant Production Sound Engineer | Bri Kelly

Production Staff Profiles

Production Stage Manager 

Rachel Ledington

Rachel Ledington 
Junior Stage Management student from Round Rock, Texas

At CCM: Magic Flute. Elsewhere: Little Mermaid at Zilker Hillside theatre, Kids Act Out productions at Liberty Exhibition Hall.

Lighting Designer

Dionte Mercado

Dionte Mercado 
Senior Lighting Design and Technology student from Alpharetta, Georgia

At CCM: Master Electrician for Xanadu and Pippin. Lighting Programmer for Spring Dance. Elsewhere: Electrics Apprentice for Santa Fe Opera 2021 Season.

Associate Lighting Designers

Claire Michels

Claire Michels
Junior Lighting Design and technology student from Oregon, Wisconsin

At CCM: Spotlight operator for Choreography Showcase, Assistant Master Electrician on Fall and Spring Dance shows, Assistant Lighting Designer for Emelia. Elsewhere: Associate Lighting Designer for Titanic and Sweeney Todd with Oregon Straw Hat Players, Lighting Designer for Nutcracker, Recitals (2018, 2019) with A Leap Above Dance (Oregon, Wisconsin).

Sound Designer 

Bryan Pivaral

Bryan Pivaral
First-year Master’s Sound Design and Technology student from Miami, Florida

At CCM: A2 for She Loves Me Elsewhere: Sound Designer for Daughter and When 5 Years Pass at California Institute of the Arts (Santa Clarita, California). Sound Designer for Pipeline, Italian Futurist Project, Red Velvet and Children's Hour at Florida International University (Miami, Florida).

Assistant Stage Manager

Hannah Kate Hawver

Hannah Kate Hawver
Sophomore Stage Management student from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

At CCM: Assistant Stage Manager for Cincinnati Dionysia and Choreographer's Showcase; Production Assistant for Xanadu, Orpheus in the Underworld and Galileo Galilei; Deck Electrician for Something Rotten and Dance Works 2023

Production Electrician

Ashton Karp

Ashton Karp
Sophomore Lighting Design and Technology student from Kingwood, Texas

At CCM: Our Town.

Electrics Show Assistants/Lighting Graduate Assistants

Jessica Drayton

Jessica Drayton
Second-year Lighting Design and Technology student from Power Springs, Georgia

At CCM: Lighting design for Cinderella, projections for Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: Lighting design for Sleepy Hollow with Dayton Ballet (Dayton, Ohio), Young Frankenstein with Circle Theatre (Fort Worth, Texas), Into the Breeches with Stagewest Theatre (Forth Worth), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Raisin in the Sun with WaterTower Theater (Plano, Texas) and Pleasure Trials with Amphibian Stage (Fort Worth), Projections for Fierce! With Cincinnati Opera and Eugene Onegin with Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Kristen Peck

Kristen Peck 
Second-year MFA Lighting Design and Technology student from Fontana, California  

Elsewhere: Bee-luther-hatchee, Heathers and Real Women Have Curves at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona); God of Carnage with The Wayward Artist and Titus Andronicus with Southern California Shakespeare Festival.

Assistant Technical Director

Gabby Ullman

Gabby Ullman 
Junior Technical Production student from Scottsdale, Arizona

At CCM: Master Carpenter for Galileo Galilei and Assistant Technical Director for She Loves Me. Elsewhere: she’s worked on installations for Disney World, and built for news studios and Super Bowls.

Set Construction Crew

Indy Caramelli

El Bowers
Freshman Stage Management student from Liberty Township, Ohio

At CCM: Production Assistant for Something Rotten. Elsewhere: Stage Manager for 101 Dalmatians at Rise Up Performing Arts (Hamilton, Ohio). 

Willow Heichel

Willow Heichel
Freshman Technical Production student from Granville, Ohio

At CCM: Scenic crew for Something Rotten Elsewhere: Deck Electrician for Crazy for You with the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina).

UC CCM logo

Morgan Terry
Freshman Technical Production student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Scenic Crew for Something Rotten. Elsewhere: Spot Op for Jersey Boys and Deck/Scenic Crew for White Christmas at Fulton Theatre (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

UC CCM logo

Bethany Untener
Freshman Stage Management student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Production Assistant for Cincinnati Dionysia: Lysistrata + The Trojan Women.

Scene Shop Assistants

McKenna Brennan

McKenna Brennan 
Senior Technical Production student from Los Alamitos, California

At CCM: Automation Op on Clybourne Park, Wardrobe Crew on 42nd Street, Master Carpenter on Little Shop of Horrors, Automation Op on Light in the Piazza.

Izzy Dillon

Iz Dillon 
Sophomore Technical Direction student from Carmel, Indiana

At CCM: Head Carpenter for Frankenstein, Run Crew for Xanadu and Blue Stockings, Wigs and Makeup for Once, Spotlight Crew for She Loves Me.

Lukas Hummeldorf

Lukas Hummeldorf 
Junior Technical Design and Production student from Covington, Kentucky

At CCM: Assistant Technical Director for Something Rotten!, Master Carpenter for Marriage of Figaro. Elsewhere: Intern Technical Director for Indecent and Big Fish at the Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre (Covington, Kentucky), and the Shop Foreman for Radium Girls and Tuck Everlasting at Notre Dame Academy (Covington, Kentucky). Overhire with IATSE Local 5, and carpenter with CVG Made.

UC CCM logo

Nick Hunley 
Junior in Technical Production from Worthington, Ohio

Elsewhere: Run Crew for The Marriage of Figaro, The Lord of Cries and at The Santa Fe Opera (Santa Fe, New Mexico).

Benji Lookatch

Benji Lookatch
Sophomore Technical Production student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

At CCM: Head Carpenter for Something Rotten and Cinderella, Wardrobe Crew for Our Town, Scenic Crew for The Marriage of Figaro, L'Amant Anonyme and Galileo Galilei.

Grace Mayo

Grace Mayo 
Senior Technical Production student from Dublin, Ohio

At CCM: Technical Director for Cinderella, Assistant Technical Director for Galileo Galilei and Dance Works 2021-22, Head Carpenter for The Good Trouble Project. Elsewhere: Technical Director for The Addams Family and Smokey Joe's Café, Assistant Technical Director for Legally Blonde, Cinderella, The Comedy of Errors, and Brigadoon, Carpenter for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts (Warsaw, Indiana).

UC CCM logo

Janay Sukkarieh 
Senior Technical Production student from Irvine, California

At CCM: Master Carpenter for Opera Gala, Scenic Carpenter for CCM’s 2019-20 season. Elsewhere: 2021 Stage Crew at the Santa Fe Opera, Production Assistant at South Coast Repertory, Lighting Assistant for The Britney Runs a Marathon Movie Premiere.

Gabby Ullman

Gabby Ullman 
Junior Technical Production student from Scottsdale, Arizona

At CCM: Master Carpenter for Galileo Galilei and Assistant Technical Director for She Loves Me. Elsewhere: she’s worked on installations for Disney World, and built for news studios and Super Bowls.

Logan Vanderpool

Logan Vanderpool 
Senior Technical Production student from Fairfield, Ohio.

At CCM: Assistant Technical Director for Xanadu, Master Carpenter for Say What You Want to Say, Scenic Crew for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Rocky Horror show, Secret Garden. Elsewhere: Carpenter for Cinderella at Trollwood Performing Arts School.

Production Sound Engineer

UC CCM logo

Brian Haack
Third-year Sound Design and Technology student from Katy, Texas

At CCM: Load-in/out Crew for Brightstar, Prep and Sound Board Operator for A Midsummer Night's Dream, Boom Operator for E-Media short film project.

Assistant Production Sound Engineer

Bri Kelley

Bri Kelly 
Sophomore Lighting Design and Technology student from Gaithersburg, Maryland

Elsewhere: Assistant sound designer and A1 on Jekyll and Hyde an Immersive Musical Thriller, A1 on Always, Patsy Cline with Free Range Humans (Fredrick, Maryland), A2 on Cabaret with Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (Hilton Head, South Carolina),  Sound Designer and Audio engineer on Pippin with The Free Theatre (Gaithersburg, Maryland), A1 on Romeo and Juliet with The Endangered Species Theatre Project (Fredrick, Maryland).

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Upcoming must-see events + top news from UC's College-Conservatory of Music

Stay up to date on CCM news and events by subscribing to our Next OnStage email newsletter, which is published every other Wednesday. Visit ccm.uc.edu/subscribe to sign up for email updates.

You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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CCM News

1

Cincinnati Opera and CCM announce details of next Opera Fusion:...

March 24, 2023

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) are pleased to announce the next events in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works. The two new operas—Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote and The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith—will receive workshops this April and May, and the public is invited to attend a sneak peek.

2

CCM apparel now available for purchase online

March 23, 2023

Back by popular demand, official CCM-branded apparel is now available for purchase online! Show your school spirit this spring with official UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel. The CCM Tribunal is sponsoring the college's spring apparel campaign to help raise funds for student initiatives. CCM-branded t-shirts, hoodies and quarter-zip pullovers are available for purchase online now through April 23, 2023.

3

CCM hosts guest lecture on music for brain health on March 31

Event: March 31, 2023 1:30 PM

Each semester, CCM welcomes distinguished experts for a series of musical discussions and lectures that are open to the general public and free to attend. This semester's Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series continues at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 31, with a presentation by Psyche Loui, PhD, an Associate Professor from Northeastern University College of Arts, Media and Design. The title of Loui's talk is "Generating New Predictions: New Directions in Music for Brain Health." The lecture will be presented in the Baur Room of CCM's Corbett Center for the Performing Arts.

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CCMpower

CCMpower is a volunteer group of fans, advocates and alumni dedicated to empowering students and fueling the future of the arts through scholarship opportunities and more.

The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.

Join or renew your CCMpower member today to help provide critical scholarship funds. Visit foundation.uc.edu/ccmpower to learn more.

 

Sponsors

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor
The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Sponsor
All-Steinway School Sponsor
Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc.
Community Partners
The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel
Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Sponsor
CCMpower: Friends and Alumni Fueling the Future of the Arts 
The Strader Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
CCM Digital Sponsors
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Greg Mathein 
Gary & Barb Cummins 
Jim & Linda Miller 
George & Carroll Roden
Musical Theatre Department Sponsors
Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Sponsor
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha
Opera D’Arte Sponsor
An Anonymous Donor
Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander
Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Elizabeth C.B. Sittenfeld
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer
Ariel Quartet Sponsors
Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Sponsors
Anonymous
  Classical Guitar Sponsor

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Orchestral Sponsor
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Starling Pre-Collegiate Sponsor
Starling Strings Sponsor
Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary
Organ Department Sponsors
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
Louis and Susan Meisel
Piano Department Sponsors
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
   Wind Studies Sponsor

Edward Donovan and Cheryl Carter
Jeff Thomas Catering
The Castleberry Family
KMK Law
Paula Boggs Muething & Brian Muething
Patti Myers & Alan Flaherty
Trish & Rick Bryan
Graeter’s Ice Cream 
CCMpower
eat well celebrations and feasts 
The Summit Hotel
Event Sponsors
Buddy Rogers Music
LINKS Sponsor
Sponsors listed as of August 30, 2022

General Information

Land Acknowledgment

The Cincinnati area and the land that the University of Cincinnati has been built on is the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes.

Box Office

Located in the CCM Atrium, the Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m.; and one hour prior to curtain for all ticketed performances. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted.

  • Location: CCM Atrium Lobby next to Corbett Auditorium
  • Telephone: 513-556-4183
  • Email: boxoff@uc.edu
  • Mail: CCM Box Office, P.O. Box 210003, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003
Buy Tickets

Parking

Convenient parking is available in the CCM Garage at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue. Additional parking is available in garages throughout the UC campus. Any questions concerning on-campus parking should be directed to UC Parking Services at 513-556-2283.

Parking Services

Tax Credit

If you find that you cannot attend your performance, your tickets may be donated for tax credit as a charitable contribution. Simply notify the Box Office prior to the performance to release your seats, and give your name and address. A tax donation receipt will be mailed to you.

CCM Box Office Support CCM

Lost and Found

If you have lost an item, contact lost and found at 513-556-9413.

House Policies

The House Manager has been instructed to minimize the disturbance to patrons already seated when accommodating latecomers. The director and producer of each production select times that are least likely to interrupt the performance, and latecomers will be seated only during these times. Latecomers who miss these opportunities will not be admitted until intermission. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.

Cameras, Phones and Recording Devices

The video or audio recording of performances is prohibited.

The use of cameras, with or without flashes, recording devices, cellular phones and other electronic devices inside the theater is prohibited. Please leave them with the House Manager.

Smoking and Refreshments

Smoking and refreshments are not permitted in the theater. Effective May 1, 2017, smoking and tobacco use (including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes) shall be prohibited by students, staff, faculty, visitors, vendors and contractors at all times in or on University of Cincinnati properties, including events on university property during non-school hours. This includes all shelters, indoor and outdoor theaters and athletic facilities, bridges, walkways, sidewalks, residence halls, parking lots, and street parking and garages owned by the university.

Learn more about UC's "Tobacco Free Campus"

Hearing Enhancement

Telex listening devices are available for checkout during performances in both Patricia Corbett Theater and Corbett Auditorium. Please inquire at the Box Office.

Wheelchair Seating

Wheelchair seating is available in both Corbett Auditorium and Patricia Corbett Theater. Seating is limited, so reservations should be made with the Box Office when ordering tickets. These seats are subject to availability.

Group Sales

The Box Office can accommodate groups for major productions and concerts. Preview and benefit performances are also available for some productions. For more information, call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.

Buy Tickets

CCM Faculty and Staff

CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.

Faculty/Staff Directory

Know Your Exit

Map depicting exits from Cohen Family Studio Theater

Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.

The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.