Theatre 42

The northeast Cincinnati suburbs have a brand new theatre and events venue. And an award-winning theatre group that wandered in the wilderness for more than 40 years now finally has a home.
Theatre 42, named for its convenient location at 2752 U.S. Route 42 (slightly North of Mason) is the new home of the highly-acclaimed Mason Community Players. This longtime award-winning organization has performed nearly every show in its 42-year history in a different theatre from the last. Now, for the first time, MCP will be producing its entire mainstage performing season, for the next five years and hopefully more, at one single venue. The brand new Theatre 42.

Mason Community Players was founded in 1973 and has been staging award-winning productions of plays and musicals, year-round, ever since. But it never had a home. Longtime MCP Board member Laureen Catlin, who has served ten years as President of the group, offered this observation: “MCP has maintained a strong ‘community’ culture, while striving to produce the best quality theatre possible. The lack of a place to call home has in fact brought the group even closer together, as we worked to address the challenges of wandering among more than two dozen venues. The chance to channel all those energies toward one location is exciting.”

But giving priority to “community” has never meant ignoring quality. This year alone, Cincinnati’s Association of Community Theatres bestowed an extremely impressive 21 coveted “Orchid” awards on Mason Community Players’ 2014 production of The King and I. That show won more Orchids than any production mounted by any other theatre group in metro Cincinnati (among more than 60 shows). Additionally, this highly-acclaimed theatre company is believed to have the largest active membership among the three dozen non-professional performing groups in the Cincinnati area. But throughout its 42-year history, MCP has never had location to call home. Until now.

”A dedicated venue for all performances, rehearsals, and support systems will allow the Mason Community Players to exceed our already high standards for theatre,” said MCP President Julie Poux. “We are delighted to finally be able to offer subscriptions for our seasons. We are also excited about beginning a new relationship with theater audiences in the area, who can now count on coming to Theatre 42 several times a year to see our great live plays, musicals, and other entertainment. ”
MCP’s first Theatre 42 production, Shrek, the Musical, just closed a run of seven sold-out performances July 17-25. Following the group’s longstanding tradition, the summer musical is designed for big-fun family entertainment, boasts a large and inclusive cast, and achieves the same standards for excellent live theatre that have distinguished The King and I and 40 years of previous MCP musicals.

Now that it has a home, MCP will be able to present more mainstage productions each season, more community programming, smaller productions, dramatic readings, and workshops. The group wants to share its good fortune directly through performances, but also as a resource to the community. Theatre 42 will provide a much-needed resource to the entire community of Mason and the surrounding area. A new, rentable, 5,000 sq foot, 150-200-person capacity space, ideal for performances, meetings, group functions, and other gatherings.

Theatre 42 will be available for rent, at very affordable rates, throughout the year, to community groups, businesses & individuals, for hosting performances, parties, special meetings, corporate events, and other functions. “This will be a very rent-friendly facility” said Darren Lee, chair of the MCP Production Committee “Having experienced the rental market from the other side, Mason Community Players is delighted to be able to offer Theatre 42 to other organizations who may have struggled to find an affordable venue. Our space will be an appealing and intelligent alternative to higher-priced existing rental-venue options, in a comfortable stand-alone event environment.”

With both friendly pricing and attitude, MCP is now entertaining inquiries about renting Theatre 42 in 2015-16. Some dates are already booked. “The Middle Child” Improv Troupe recently rented Theatre 42 for a one-night performance, in the very first week of the theatre’s operation. To discuss dates available for rental, interested parties should contact officers via the MCP Facebook page or leave a message at the MCP Hotline 513-398-7804.

Theatre 42, the new home of Mason Community Players, is conveniently located just north of Mason, at 2752 U.S. Route 42, one driveway north of the Southwest Golf Ranch.