Regal Rhythms Poetry Slam returns in College Hill with MoPoetry

David Lyman
| Especially for Cincinnati Enquirers

Her first name is “Moneeca”. But over time, Moneeca Phillips’ nickname – MoPoetry – seemed a more fitting description for the woman who always seemed to be writing something.

There were books. And essays. And, as you can probably guess from this nickname, poetry. Lots and lots of poems. Some should be published. But many others were meant to be read aloud or performed in poetry slams, those rousing, competitive gatherings of people doing so delicious things with words.

In August 2019, Phillips created Regal Rhythms, a vehicle for hosting monthly poetry slams like those seen in other, larger cities.

Like everything else, these monthly slams have been turned upside down by the pandemic. Phillips ran a few online slams. But nothing is like passionate, outspoken poets standing on stage in front of a live audience.

On July 17th, Phillips and their Regal Rhythms Poetry Slam are back. Hoodraised, a well-known spoken word poet from West Chicago, will headline the evening. The main attraction will be the poets themselves, who will compete for the grand prize of $ 400. Second place will receive $ 100. There is a $ 25 registration fee. And if you’re not quite ready for the main event just yet, Phillips also has a Friday night meeting called Hit the Mic Cincy. She calls it “a hub for all open microphones”. The slam on July 16 will be moderated by Dawn Wisdom Crooks.

“People have to come out for this,” said MoPoetry. “These are classic, creative experiences.”

Both shows take place at Oasis at the Annex, 5501 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Slam tickets are $ 20 and Hit the Mic Cincy tickets are $ 10.

“Make sure you save September 3rd on your calendar,” added the ever-busy Phillips. “We are planning a black book fair. You have to be there. “

The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia

Rick Pender writes for a competitor of The Enquirer. He is the longtime theater critic for CityBeat. But sometimes an achievement goes so far beyond the measure that we have to push the competition aside.

In this case, Pender’s achievement is the publication of “The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia”. In addition to being well versed in Greater Cincinnati’s theatrical history, Pender is one of the foremost scholars writing about the work of Sondheim, whom many consider America’s finest musical theater composer and lyricist. For many years, Pender was the senior editor and publisher of the Everything Sondheim website and managing editor of the quarterly magazine The Sondheim Review.

The 652 page book “The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia” was published on April 15th by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers from producers to singers who have created notable roles in his various works.

However, this depth is not cheap. A quick online search found prices as high as $ 162. But Pender says if you use a discount code on his author’s home page – rickpenderwrites.com – you can get a 30% discount when you buy from the publisher. That should bring the price below $ 100.

CMT’s new season

Little by little, Greater Cincinnati’s theaters reappear as they announce plans for their 2021-2022 seasons. Few of those seasons have been as adventurous as the one recently announced by the Cincinnati Music Theater, which calls itself the “downtown community theater.”

The group is presenting two separate series of shows at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, where it is one of the resident companies. The studio series productions take place in the Fifth Third Bank Theater, a black box room with 150 seats, while the main stage productions are performed in the Jarson Kaplan Theater with 437 seats.

Here is the season:

Studio series

• September 3rd to 11th; “Scream! The Mod Musical”, created by Phillip George and David Lowenstein; directed by Richard Zenk.
• 4th-12th February; “Between the Lines, Outside the Margins”, created by Jacqlyn Schott and Matthew Nassida; Directed by Jacqlyn Schott.
• 10-18 June; “Falsettos”, book by William Finn and James Lapine, music and lyrics by William Finn; Directed by Amanda Marasch-Brinkman.

Mainstage series:

• 12-20 November; “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”, book by Stephan Elliot and Allan Scott; Director: Skip Fenker.
• April 29 – May 7; “Ragtime”, book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, text by Lynn Ahrens; directed by Chad Brinkman.

For more information on both series, please visit CMT’s website, cincinnatimusictheatre.org.

Again on the street

In a way, the American Ballet Theater, which calls itself “America’s National Ballet Company,” has taken a “bus and truck” tour of American cities.

The company used to be on the road for maybe 6 months at a time. This tour is shorter – just three weeks and eight cities. They call it “ABT Across America”. It began on July 1 at Pioneers Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will wind its way through the eastern half of the country, stopping in St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Charleston, South Carolina, among others. But nothing here in Cincinnati or anywhere else in Ohio.

All performances are outdoors and most are free. ABT sent a group of 20 dancers to perform the 50 minute shows. It’s a diverse group, from a few apprentices to two solo dancers, Cory Stearns and Devon Teuscher. Also in the group is Michael de la Nuez from Cincinnat, a member of the Corps de Ballet and son of Meridith Benson and Mario de la Nuez, the owners of the De La Dance Center.

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/regal-rhythms-poetry-slam-returns-in-college-hill-with-mopoetry/