History

The Founding of Know Theatre

The Know Theatre of Cincinnati was formed in the summer of 1997. Ann Pennick, Julie Vehorn, Dwaun Watson and Jay Kalagayan developed a mission to make theatre more accessible to the community. They planned a bookstore tour featuring sketches and short plays by local writers. The Know Theatre Tribe was expanded to include other performers and the tour began in September of that year. 

In 1999, the Know Theatre Tribe took up its first residence in Gabriel’s Corner, a community performance space in an Over-the-Rhine church basement, Salem United Church of Christ, and produced a full season of plays. 

In 2004, Jason Bruffy became Artistic Director of Know Theatre Tribe. 

The David C. Herriman Center for Performing Arts

In the fall of 2005, David C. Herriman, a friend and patron of Know Theatre, offered to purchase the building at 1120 Jackson Street for the company. 

The purchase closed in March, 2006. After 43 days in which seven staffers worked around the clock to renovate the space and install equipment, the space opened with In the Blood by Suzan Lori Parks on April 27. 

A year later, Know Theatre expanded by merging with the four-year-old Cincinnati Fringe Festival. This merger created what was, at the time, the only regional theatre that also produced a Fringe Festival. 

In the fall of 2008, Know Theatre partnered with Matheatre to launch a national tour of Calculus: The Musical! Over the next 7 years, Calculus served over 50,000 students and teachers across the country. 

In 2009, both Jason Bruffy and founder Jay Kalagayan left Know Theatre. Managing Director Eric Vosmeier became Artistic Director. 

In 2010, Know Theatre launched the Jackson Street Market, a resource sharing program to foster our local community of individual artists and independent arts organizations. Graduates include OTRimprov and TrueTheatre, which are now independent artistic entities. 

In 2013, Know Theatre became an associate member of the National New Play Network, giving us access to a wide network of resources and raising the profile of both Know and the greater Cincinnati Theatre community. 

In 2014, the Artistic Leadership team of Andrew Hungerford and Tamara Winters took the helm of the organization. In that season, the Know renewed its commitment to economic accessibility by introducing The Welcome Experiment, a program which provides low cost advance tickets to Wednesday MainStage performances, and reserves half of capacity for those performances as walk-up tickets available free of charge. 

In addition to audience accessibility, the Know strives to pay all artists employed in MainStage productions a fair wage for their work. 

In 2014, Know launched Serials!, a Monday Night Episodic Theatre Party where local playwrights bring work to audiences before the ink is dry. 

Know Theatre is now among the region’s most dynamic small arts organizations, producing an award winning MainStage Season, the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, a Cabaret Stage season of works focused on local artists. In 2024 the Leadership structure shifted to include a Producing Artistic Director, Bridget Leak, and Managing Director, Ri Moodie.

The Community

With over 20 years as part of the neighborhood, Know Theatre seeks to be a full citizen of Over-the-Rhine.

Through partnerships with other not-for-profits such as ArtsWave and the Art Academy, Know Theatre aims to be a good neighbor and advocate for our community in Over-the-Rhine.

The community of Know Theatre is not limited to its neighborhood, however. We consider the artistic community of the Know to be made up of the staff, artists, volunteers, donors, board, and patrons – and all of our work is created with the intent to nurture this community.

Complete Production History

*indicates first full staging or world premiere
**indicates National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere

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2006 – 2007

See What I Wanna See by Michael John LaChiusa
*Christmas-Yet-To-Come adapted from A Christmas Carol by Jason Bruffy
Gompers by Adam Rapp
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo

2007 Cincinnati Fringe Festival – 4th Annual

2005 – 2006

Tick, Tick … Boom! by Jonathan Larsen
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Port Authority by Conor McPherson
In the Blood by Suzan Lori Parks
The Last Sunday in June by Jonathan Tolins

2004 – 2005

Good Thief by Conor McPherson
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode
Streamers by David Rabe
4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane
Iris by Frank J. Avella
Good Boys by Jane Martin
The Last One by Jennifer Spillane and David Tucholski
Matt and Ben by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers

2004

My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard
Neat by Charlayne Woodward
Lips by Constance Congdon
A Note on the Type by Kevin Barry
Another American by Marc Wolf
Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire

2003

Pretty Fire by Charlayne Woodward
Trust: An Evening of One Acts
Zoo Story by Edward Albee
Tongues by Sam Shepard & Joseph Chaikin
Train Story by Adam Rapp
Two Trains Running by August Wilson
this is our youth by Kenneth Lonergan
Corpus Christi by Terrence McNally
Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing
Affections of an Alley Cat by Wil Calhoun

2002

Shine: Women’s Perspectives
Mixed Blood: The New American Gothic featuring The Dutchman by Amiri Baraka
Bondage by David Henry Hwang & Eukiah by Lanford Wilson
Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
Tommy Nugent’s Burning Man
True West by Sam Shepard
Illegitimate Reading Series – Boys Room by Kevin Barry
The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) by Long, Martin & Tichenor
The Weighting Game by Jennifer Dalton and Sarah Mann-Drake
Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin
Torn: Gay In America
In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe by Eric Overmeyer

2001

One-Acts is all it Takes
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You by Christopher Durang, and HIM by Kevin Barry
Redwood Curtain by Lanford Wilson
Track & Field by Kevin Barry
Girls Guide to Chaos by Cynthia Heimel
Rise: Reflections of One Race – works by Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Langston Hughes, Rashida Ismaili, Jane Cortez, and Rosemari Mealy.
The History of Bowling by Mike Ervin

2000

Jay’s Shorts: A Mad & Beautiful Collection of One-Acts by Jay B. Kalagayan
In Rebel Country by Kevin Barry
Navigating the Mind Fields
Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas
Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka

1999

Kayumanggi: Filipino Stories For Children by Kalagayan, Kimpo & Urriquia
Blood Knot by Athol Fugard
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
The Art of Decay: The Works of Edgar Allan Poe
American Standard by Kevin Barry

1997-1998

The Children’s Tour
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Faces Defined: The Poetry Tour
The Fall Tour