"I write songs because I need to," said Yellow Springs singer/songwriter Dawn Cooksey. "I would write them even if I didn't play them for anyone."

It's therapy, she said, and she knows a little bit about that because she is a therapist and a licensed social worker. For a time, she worked for an agency in Hamilton, and through her contacts began performing for the Farmer's Market, which in turn led to her upcoming appearance at the Music Cafe on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Born in Dayton, Cooksey lived several years in Austin, Texas, where she performed in the folk/alternative rock band Dik Dam Dyk. It was in the Austin open mic nights that she overcame her fear of performing her own songs.

"I didn't think anyone would care about my problems," she said. "I'd be a wreck for days before a gig, but I told myself I'd go every week until I'm not scared anymore.

"It took a long time."

Her songs tend to be sad, mad and everywhere in between, she said. "There have been a few exceptions, but I generally don't write when I'm happy and enjoying my life — which is most of the time.

"There are a few exceptions that blow me away, but happy songs tend to be kind of dorky anyway," she said.

She has a band, 68 South.

 Dawn Cooksey on MySpace

Having played Bob Cratchit for two years prior to taking over the helm as the director for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Michael Evan Haney has been involved in what is now a Cincinnati tradition from the very beginning.

"It's really become a part of my life," he said. "I never thought I'd be involved in a play that would become a city-wide institution. When we started, we didn't even know there would be a second year, but even though it was not critically accepted, it was good in audience numbers."

Every year before rehearsals start, Haney goes back to the original novel and reads it — even though the adaptation uses nearly the same dialog word-for-word.

But he still looks forward to it every year with the goal of putting on a "crackerjack" performance.

"Other groups that do this often allow the quality to slide as the years go by," he said, "but that's just a sacrilege. Dickens is just a sacred as Shakespeare.

The key, he said, to keeping it real is to remember one thing.

"I wrote it at the top of my script: 'It's about Scrooge, stupid,'" Haney said. "The ones that are not successful are those that lose that focus."

For instance, some productions have made that into a lavish, show-stopping production number.

"But you have to remember Scrooge's involvement in the party," he said. "If he's not at the heart of it all, you're in trouble."

Local favorite Bruce Cromer will be humbugging as Ebenezer Scrooge for the fourth year.

"Bruce is a wonderful actor and his Scrooge is special because he never stops working on it," he said. "Each year, he finds something new and closer to the human soul of what Scrooge is.

"I call Scrooge 'the middle-age man's Hamlet' because he goes through just about every human emotion possible."

Also returning are Dale Hodges as the Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs. Peake, Keith Jochim as Mr. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present, Todd Lawson as Young and Mature Scrooge, Gregory Procaccino as Jacob Marley/Old Joe, Andy Prosky as Bob Cratchit, Regina Pugh as Mrs. Cratchit, Wayne Pyle as Mr. Cupp/Percy, Tony Roach as Fred, Ron Simons as Mr. Sosser/Topper and Amy Warner as Mrs. Fezziwig/Patience.

"Almost everybody, from Scrooge on down, is a little richer this year and I see some nuances that I haven't seen before," Haney said. "It's like Shakespeare in that the text is so dense with so many levels that you can find all sorts of different ways to use them."

A lot of the production, however, remains exactly the same.

"It's a major decision to change anything," he said, "and you have to have meetings. We changed Marley's entrance a few years ago, and so had to change all the sound and technical cues."

how to go
WHAT: Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
WHERE: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
WHEN: Through Dec. 30
COST: $31-$59
MORE INFO: www.cincyplay.com

Bruce Cromer as Ebenezer Scrooge/Sandy Underwood

The Great Gatsby meets the Bard of Avon as the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company updates the comedy "Twelfth Night" to the Roaring Twenties.

Directory Jeremy Dubin said he hit on the idea over the summer while reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of a man who re-invents himself so that he can work his way into the upper reaches of society.

"I was struck by the similarities between the characters," he said, "and of what comes out of trying to change your fundamental nature.

"And I felt that the scenes with the clowns Toby Belch and Feste have a vaudeville flavor that would work nicely in this kind of format."

The official synopsis:

After a shipwreck, Viola (Sara Clark) finds herself separated from her twin brother Sebastian and alone in the city of Illyria. Bereft at the loss of her brother and forced to make her own way in the world, she disguises herself as a man, "Cesario," and takes a job in the court of Duke Orsino (Rob Jansen). Orsino is hopelessly in love with the Lady Olivia (Kelly Mengelkoch), who has refused all of his previous advances. When Orsino sends "Cesario" to Olivia to plead his case one more time, Olivia falls instantly in love with "Cesario". Meanwhile, Viola has fallen in love with Orsino, but cannot express her desires without revealing her true identity. The classic love triangle becomes further complicated when Viola's twin brother, Sebastian (Kristopher Stoker), arrives in Illyria and is mistaken for "Cesario." As the romance unfolds, Olivia's drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Matt Johnson), conspires with Olivia's servants Maria (Sherman Fracher), Feste (Christopher Guthrie) and Fabian (Billy Chace) to play a practical joke on Olivia's stuffy butler, Malvolio (Jim Hopkins).

"'Twelfth Night' has so many story elements that resonate with the Roaring Twenties," Dubin said. "Women were becoming more independent, dressing in a more masculine fashion, and taking work outside the home, just as Viola is forced to do.

"Prohibition created a black market in bootleg alcohol that led to a lot of outrageous behavior, a perfect opportunity for Shakespeare's drunken rascal Sir Toby Belch to make mischief. And the birth of jazz created a free-wheeling atmosphere where the desire for true love was often at odds with the social mandate to be the life of the party."

While it's become common practice to put Shakespeare's stories in more contemporary environments, Dubin points out that it seems Shakespeare did the same thing in his day, with plays like "Julius Caesar" making topical references to things that Caesar would not have known about — a striking clock, for instance.

"He worked within a certain visual vocabulary, using his contemporary references to place a character's social status to make it relatable to his audience," he said. "We have our visual vocabulary, too, and these plays are not museum pieces, but relevant, living theater."

The danger, then, comes when the production distracts from the script, to become cute or irrelevant to the action.

"It's a trial and error process," Dubin said. "We're careful not to force things into the text that aren't there. You want to make sure that you don't make it something it's not."

how to go
WHAT: "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare
WHERE: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 719 Race St., Cincinnati
WHEN: Through Jan. 4
COST: $26 adults; $22 seniors; $20 students
MORE INFO: (513) 381-2273; www.cincyshakes.com

photo: Rob Jansen and Sara Clark

The title is not only long, but hilarious in its own right: “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant,” Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s off-the-hook holiday offering.

If only the production lived up to the promise.

The Pageant won an Obie Award for its off-Broadway premiere, with predictions of a cult phenomenon as a dead-pan musical rendering of the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who was fond of saying that his craft was a waste of time when a guy could get rich by starting his own religion. Then he started a religion and got rich (and I am confident that I will get a stern letter from a Scientologist for writing this — it’s happened before).

The premise, and the hoped-for charm, of the Pageant is that it uses the trappings of a church or school Christmas pageant, calling to mind ubiquitous “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” in telling this story, substituting Hubbard’s life and doctrine for that of Jesus.

But this show is not about making a pageant, but a parody of one, and as such falls victim to the imitative fallacy by being self-consciously, but not skillfully, exactly what it should only be pretending to be.

This is the second show of its kind in the Know season. But with “Reefer Madness,” with the premise of being a school production warning of the evils of marijuana, there was constant winking and nudging at the out-dated propaganda. When the character did something cheesy and over-the-top, we knew that it was a comedic choice (whether it was funny or not).

But the humor doesn’t work when the production doesn’t have something in it to let us know that they’re trying to sing off-key, rush their lines or hesitate on a cue. These things could happen with comedic intent and result, but there’s nothing here to clue us in that this isn’t just a poorly-cast and under-rehearsed show, but a parody of one. There’s no wow factor, no moment when we are awed by either the talent of the cast or the brilliance of the material. We may have had both, but the production seems so poorly-conceived and tossed-together that nothing stands out. Since we never see the man behind the curtain, never get a sense of his presence, we presume he’s not there. Consequently, the show doesn’t seem campy and silly, but pathetic.

how to go
WHAT: “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant” by Kyle Jarrow
WHERE: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson, Cincinnati
WHEN: Through Dec. 28
COST: $12
MORE INFO: (513) 300-5669; www.knowtheatre.com

Click "Continue reading..." to see last night's letters to Santa...

Click "Read more" to see the letters Santa got...

"The Humana Festival is a celebration of the diversity and strength of new American theatre," said Marc Masterson, the company's artistic director, in a press release announcing the line-up. "The artists in this year's festival represent a cross-section of our culture and include new voices as well as some of the most established and respected writers and directors working in the theatre today."

Six full-length plays provide the heart of the festival:

- "Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry," adapted for the stage by Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry. An exploration of the earth, its citizens and the impact of each on the other. This world premiere brings the work of nationally acclaimed poet, novelist and ecological visionary Wendell Berry to the stage in a celebration of words, music and a life well lived.

- "Absalom," by Zoe Kazan. At a Berkshires country house, the children of an aging literary giant gather for a party celebrating the release of their patriarch's tell-all autobiography. When an unexpected guest appears, this family—writers or editors all—must reckon with their stories and who owns them, and with the secrets, betrayals and deep bonds that define what they'll do for love.

- "Under Construction" by Charles L. Mee, created and performed by SITI Company. A collage of America today, inspired by Norman Rockwell and contemporary installation artist Jason Rhoades, Mee's play juxtaposes the fifties and the present, red states and blue, where we grew up and where we live now—a piece that is, like America, permanently under construction.

- "Slasher" by Allison Moore. When she's cast as the "last girl" in a low-budget slasher flick, Sheena thinks it's the big break she's been waiting for. But news of the movie unleashes her malingering mother's thwarted feminist rage, and Mom is prepared to do anything to stop filming...even if it kills her.

- "Ameriville' by UNIVERSES, a cross-cultural, multi-media theater collaborative. UNIVERSES puts the state of the Union under a microscope—race, poverty, politics, history and government—examining our country through the lens of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. "Ameriville" combines an innovative mix of poetry, music, movement and drama to get to the heart of this American tragedy.

– "The Hard Weather Boating Party" by Naomi Wallace. Three men, almost strangers, meet in a hotel room to plan an ugly crime against a powerful adversary. Inspired by research on Louisville's Rubbertown neighborhood, Wallace's play explores the struggle between industrial greed and growth, and the health of the community.

This year's festival also includes a comic anthology showcasing the Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company and three 10-minute plays, to be announced.

"Over the past 33 years, the Humana Festival of New American Plays has introduced more than 350 plays into the world," said managing director Jennifer Bielstein. "In this time of economic challenges, the arts provide a vital way for us to examine our changing world."

Humana Festival single ticket prices range from $24 to $55 and will be available Nov. 25.

For information or reservations call (502) 584-1205 or visit Actors Theatre's website at www.ActorsTheatre.org.

If you're looking for scintillating insights on the battle of the sexes (yes, it still rages), then "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" probably isn't the place to go.

The musical revue takes a tired-but-true look at the battle, keeping it very much in the man-Mars/woman-Venus vein.

Unless you don't know that women like to shop and go to tear-jerking movies, that men like sports and action/adventure flicks, and that couples get goofy when they have a baby, there's not much to learn here (Hope I didn't spoil it for you).

The upside is that the show is nicely produced (with the exception of some technical issues on opening night) and beautifully sung, the cast led by Bob Walton, who might be remembered by Cincinnati audiences as Pseudolus in the Playhouse's production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" a few years back.

While some of the comedy is over-done, better placed on sketch comedy show than the legitimate stage, there's also a poignant moment where a woman creates her first dating video that strikes a few emotional nerves.

____________________________________________________

HOW TO GO:
"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts
Through Dec. 31
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
$51-$61
(513) 421-3888; www.cincyplay.com

New York singer/songwriter Jaymay is part of the Hotel Cafe Tour 

The Hotel Café in Los Angeles has become an influential venue — “the place that breaks artists” — featuring the country’s up-and-coming singer/songwriters.

“The stellar songwriters that grew The Hotel Café scene into community and camaraderie are the focus,” said spokesperson Patrice Fehlen, and the Hotel Cafe Tour, stopping next week at Bogart’s, follows the same formula.

“There are no headliners, the band is shared and spontaneous collaborations between artists are encouraged,” she said. “With a revolving cast of songwriters jumping on and off the bus, each evening is unique, creating a feeling of 'these people in this place will never happen again.’”

Now in its fourth year, Over the Hotel Café Tour will feature an all female line-up for the first time. Nineteen female songwriters, both established musicians and hot rising stars such have embarked on this 34-city tour, featuring a different line-up on each stop.

“One bus, one band, and a bunch of girlfriends on the road,” Fehlen said.

Cincinnati’s stop features Rachael Yamagata, Meiko, Thao Nguyen, Jaymay and Alice Russell.

“It’s almost like a talent show,” Jaymay said. “The band gets all of our songs in advance, so we go out and do three songs, let someone else play for a while, go back and do two more.”

how to go

• WHAT: The Hotel Cafe Tour
• WHERE: Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Cincinnati
• WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3
• COST: $13.50
• MORE INFO: (513) 562-4949; www.bogarts.com

Go! review

Joseph Parks as Beane in the Playhouse in the Park's production of "Love Song." Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Last summer, we saw Joseph at the Second Stage Theatre in New York where he starred in "Eurydice," a play that the Know Theatre is prooducing next spring. Small world.....