June 5th, 2022: “trueFRINGE” returns to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival!

At our 11th appearance at the Festival, we are following Festival rules… masks over mouth and nose while indoors for everyone except those on-stage. Read more at https://cincyfringe.com/covid-safety/.

April 21st, 2022: “truePROM” is next week!

All, while we are personally recommending masks for attendees of the in-person show next week, COVID protocols will NOT be enforced for “truePROM”. This means masks are NOT required and no one will be checking vaccination cards or looking for proof of a negative test at the door.

We are pleased to still be offering the opportunity to live stream the show for free if you would be more comfortable watching from home (see the event page for details). We still look forward to those of you who can join us and the rest of you in the future!

Season 11 is officially in the books, having produced our first, off-season installment of our new “trueVOICES” series, “trueVOICES: Behind the Rainbow Curtain”. After 7 virtual performances, this one had an in-person audience and a live-streaming component… not to mention an unprecedented 7 storytellers, sharing their LGBTQIA+ themed stories. If you missed it, you can still view it at https://fb.watch/85Nh1er5Wl/ (even if you don’t have a Facebook account). Pretty soon, it will also be viewable from our website, but we’re still playing a little catch-up with that. If you do watch it from the Facebook link, you might want to skip ahead to 31:24, where the first story begins (there were some technical difficulties and other obstacles we faced that evening, and then all the announcements we typically make at the top of the show that followed).

Anyway, what we’re really here to tell you is that we’re getting ready to launch Season 12… just a month from now (October 28th) and we’ll be returning to Memorial Hall to do it! Following the restrictions that Memorial Hall has in place (as of now), masks AND a recent (within 72 hours) negative COVID test or proof of vaccination against COVID-19 are required.

From the (current) homepage of the Memorial Hall website: “Starting September 20th, all patrons (age 12 and over), employees, contractors, vendors, and volunteers must wear a mask AND provide proof of full vaccination status OR a negative test result within the past 72 hours to attend performances at Memorial Hall.“ You can read more about their policy on their website. Staff from Memorial Hall will be posted at the door to perform these checks when you arrive.

Tickets will be on sale soon for our upcoming shows, but you can check out our full line-up for Season 12 by visiting our Share Your Story page and, while you’re there, consider submitting a story idea of your own for one (or more!) of the shows. We truly believe you have a story to tell and we’d love to help you tell it!

Friends, if you didn’t watch, trueSUFFRAGE, you may not be aware of our Season 11 announcement.

Season 11 is happening! We have decided to take the big question off the table and just plan to make every Season 11 show virtual. Like the end of Season 10, these will be live-streamed via Zoom (with a simulcast to Facebook Live) AND BE FREE! If you’re not on our mailing list, be sure to get on it so you receive updates when we open the registration links.

Meanwhile, update your calendars now to join us for Season 11:

• 10/29/2020: trueVISION (register to join the Zoom event at [10/30/2020 update: registration is now closed])

• 01/28/2021: trueBIRTH

• 04/29/2021: trueDOG

• 07/29/2021: trueNEIGHBOR

All shows begin at 7:30 PM EST. And did we mention they are FREE!?! :)

PLUS, if you have a true, personal story that you think might fit one of these themes, reach out to us at our Share Your Story page (and if you know someone who might have a story, encourage them to visit that page)!

And if you just can’t wait to hear more stories, catch up with your Season 10 viewing by watching (or re-watching) our virtual Season 10 shows (including our contribution to the 2020 Cincinnati Fringe Festival) at:

• trueFAKES https://youtu.be/NOMi1cZeWL0 

• trueFRINGE 2020 https://youtu.be/YDJoHQH_Jfg

• trueSUFFRAGE: https://youtu.be/9JuXzOu40Lc  

Folks, if we reach a point where everyone feels comfortable congregating indoors, we’ll seek to stand-up and off-season show. We miss seeing YOU. In the meantime, we hope you will watch us in Season 11.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay true!

—Your friends at True Theatre

07/08/2020: Update about “trueSUFFRAGE”

Email sent to our mailing list (sign up!) this morning:

SUBJECT: Our next show (i.e., the update you've been waiting for!)

Friends,

We sincerely hope all of you are safe and healthy and your friends and loved ones are, as well. Our Board Members and volunteers at True Theatre are healthy and getting by and looking forward to sharing some more stories with you!

Status of our next main-stage show:

While we seem to be on the precipice of some events being held "in-person" again (with social-distancing and other precautions in place), there has also been a lot of news about cases of COVID-19 spiking (particularly in Hamilton County). It is for your (and our and our storytellers) comfort and safety that we have opted  to hold our next show, "trueSUFFRAGE" (Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30PM), as scheduled, but entirely online. 

"trueSUFFRAGE" celebrates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution -- which states that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex" -- by being entirely dedicated to stories of female empowerment. Be prepared to be moved and inspired!

As with our last show ("trueFAKES" - which you can still watch at https://youtu.be/NOMi1cZeWL0):

• the show will broadcast live via Zoom (webinar format) and Facebook Live

• the show will be FREE

• the first 100 to register for the Zoom event will be able to take part in a poll which will affect our next season (so you definitely want to be in the Zoom audience, if you can!)

• the show will be view-able after the fact, as well

In fact, because you are on our mailing list or are a current ticket-holder for "trueSUFFRAGE," you are the first to be able to register for the Zoom event! Register now by visiting: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D-aWRKy_RzqkvKRQwRiNCw

For those of you who already had a ticket/tickets to "trueSUFFRAGE":

Those of you who have already purchased tickets to "trueSUFFRAGE" (including subscription holders) will have the option to get a refund. We did not offer ticket-holders from our last show the option to donate the cost of their ticket to True Theatre, but some of you generously did that, anyway, so we have pre-arranged to make that possible this time, as well. NOTE: if you do nothing by close-of-business on Thursday, July 16 (one week before the show), a refund of your ticket(s) will be submitted. To expedite your refund or to donate the cost of your tickets, please contact the Memorial Hall box office during their normal business hours (Tuesday through Friday, 1 - 6PM at 513-977-8838). 

Another alternative, if you are interested in donating your ticket-cost back to True Theatre, is to respond to this email [i.e., write dave@truetheatre.org] and say so. We'll coordinate the rest with the box office.

And for those of you who won, earned, or were otherwise gifted a ticket to "trueSUFFRAGE," know that we will honor those tickets at a future show and will touch base with you about using those tickets as we near Season 11.

And what about Season 11?

As is our custom, we hope to announce details about our next season at our last show of this season, so there's another reason to join us as we live-stream "trueSUFFRAGE" on July 23rd!

Stay true!

Thank you for your continued support of Community-building through the sharing of true, personal stories and True Theatre. 

Even over the Internet, we believe that live-streaming of stories can break down walls and build bridges between people and that is why we cannot wait to bring you "trueSUFFRAGE" on July 23rd!  

Stay healthy, stay connected, and stay true.

The Board of True Theatre

Ford Clark, Marta Hewett, David Levy, Cathy McCosham, Patrick Romelli, Jackson Short, and Ramona Toussaint

05/15/2020: Update about the Cincinnati Fringe Festival

The 2020 Cincinnati Fringe Festival is going virtual and we are going with it!

For the 10th year in a row, True Theatre will produce a 1-night-only event as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, “trueFRINGE 2020,” featuring 4 artists from other areas of the Festival sharing true, personal stories about what it takes to be an artist (it’s not as easy as they make it look!).

Tickets are $10 and are on sale now.

Buy your ticket and get a link to join the Zoom-cast on Thursday, June 11, 7:00 PM EST!

…Meanwhile, “trueFAKES,” our first VIRTUAL storytelling event went great! Check it out on our Multimedia page!

05/05/2020: Update about our May 7 show!

Thursday, May 7, 7:30 PM EST, our next storytelling event, “trueFAKES” live-streams — for FREE!!! — from our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/truetheatre)! 5 great, true, personal stories around the theme “fakes”!

Join us to hear from one clever man with a clever plan and another man with a — well, not-so-clever plan. …a woman in need of attention and another who shunned it. …and one guy expert at “faking it until you make it”. It’s hoaxes, pranks, and prostheses as True Theatre continues it’s TENTH season with “trueFAKES”!

FREE!!!

Just go to our Facebook page at 7:30 PM EST on Thursday, May 7. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy 5 great stories. Remember, the theme of the stories is “fakes,” but the stories are TRUE!

Thursday, May 7, 7:30 PM EST, our next storytelling event, “trueFAKES” live-streams — for FREE!!! — from our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/truetheatre)! 5 great, true, personal stories around the theme “fakes”!

Join us to hear from one clever man with a clever plan and another man with a — well, not-so-clever plan. …a woman in need of attention and another who shunned it. …and one guy expert at “faking it until you make it”. It’s hoaxes, pranks, and prostheses as True Theatre continues it’s TENTH season with “trueFAKES”!

FREE!!!

Just go to our Facebook page at 7:30 PM EST on Thursday, May 7. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy 5 great stories. Remember, the theme of the stories is “fakes,” but the stories are TRUE!

The following update was sent to our mailing list (sign up!) on April 14, 2020:

Friends,

Due to the current forecast of the length of the stay-at-home order, Memorial Hall has had to cancel all shows scheduled at their venue through the month of May, including "trueFAKES" (scheduled for May 7). 

We do intend to be bringing you some stories that night, however! Keep reading for more on that, below.

Meanwhile, for those of you who already purchased tickets to "trueFAKES," you have the option to move your ticket to our July 23rd show ("trueSUFFRAGE") or accept a refund (prorated for subscribers, based on the subscription rate). Please choose whatever option is comfortable for you. If you do nothing by close-of-business on Thursday, April 23rd, a refund for your ticket(s) will be submitted. To move your ticket(s) or initiate your refund right away, please contact the Memorial Hall box office during their normal business hours (Tuesday through Friday, 1 - 6PM at 513-977-8838). [NOTE: For those of you who won, earned, or were otherwise gifted a ticket to "trueFAKES," know that your tickets are being automatically moved to the July 23rd show.]

Now for some good news: we recognize the need, more than ever, for connection during these trying times, so we are currently working on bringing you "trueFAKES" via live-streaming -- for FREE! We will be keeping to the same schedule (Thursday, May 7th, at 7:30 PM) . We will be writing you again, as the evening gets closer, to give you details about joining us via this new format. 

Your feedback as to whether this is something you'd like to see more of will be invaluable to us as we continue to prepare for downstream events that may be hosted online, even after the stay-at-home order is lifted, so we hope you will join us online on May 7th to experience how this works for yourself! 

Again, keep an eye out for our next message about this in the coming weeks. If a friend has forwarded this to you, consider signing up for our mailing list (by visiting our website) and/or following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay "in the loop."

Even over the Internet, we believe that live-streaming of stories can break down walls and build bridges between people and that is why we cannot wait to bring you "trueFAKES" on May 7th!

Stay healthy, stay connected, and stay true.

Dave & your friends at True Theatre

The following update was sent to our mailing list (sign up!) on March 25, 2020:

Friends,

We are all journeying through strange and uncharted times, yet some things haven’t changed, including the importance of Community. Our mission at True Theatre has always been to build Community through the sharing of personal stories, but you may explore a myriad of ways to grow and strengthen your personal Community right now. We encourage you to remember that distance does not equal disconnectedness. We are individuals but all in this together. Things like self-care, hope, and generosity will not be canceled. We encourage you to take this time to “Be True” to yourself and others by:

Reconnecting – We hope you can take this time to reconnect with family, friends, and neighbors. Call them on the phone and once you’ve inquired about their health and needs, if you feel it’s appropriate to do so, ask them a question that you’ve never asked them before and feel the bond that is strengthened as the stories spill forth!

Finding inspiration – The buds are returning to the trees! Give yourself a (well-earned) break from whatever you’re doing and sit or take a walk outside, maybe ride a bike, and enjoy the signs of spring. Try that new recipe, pick up that book, or binge that TV show that everyone has been talking about. Surf the Internet and marvel at the number of creative ways people are finding to stay connected. Now is a good time, too, to start journaling… maybe capture the stories from your life that you haven’t thought about in a long time. We all have a storyteller in us. Feed it and it will bloom.

Sharing - What do you have that others might need? What can you share right now? We believe that sharing stories builds Community, but it is not the only thing you can share and not the only thing people need right now. On the other hand, people won’t always tell you what they need, but if you listen to their stories, you might hear it, after all.

Meanwhile, we at True Theatre are investigating ways to do our part. The fate of our May 7th storytelling show, trueFAKES, is currently in limbo, but we are exploring ways to live-stream it if a live gathering is impossible or impractical. We’ll know more after April 6 (the current end-date of the Ohio order to “shelter in place”). Also, the fundraiser that Fluidity (a “Creative Choral Community for a Cause”) was holding for us at the end of April has been postponed until June 7. We’ll be sharing more details about these and other events on our website, through our mailing list, and on our social media streams, as they are available.

As a Board, we are also meeting (online) to discuss other ways for people to share their stories right now. If you have some ideas or have any questions or are technically “live-stream savvy” and would like to help, start the conversation by writing us at info@truetheatre.org.

Thank you for your continued support of Community-building through the sharing of true, personal stories and True Theatre. 

Stay healthy, stay connected, and stay true.

The Board of True Theatre

Ford Clark, David Levy, Cathy McCosham, Patrick Romelli, and Ramona Toussaint