Know Theatre of Cincinnati

Such a unique, quirky theater in the heart of OTR. They also have some of the NICEST staff ever. I attended their NYE Speakeasy and was blown away at how fun the night was. I recently went back for the Thunderdome: Serials 4. There are 5 15-​minute episodes of new plays battling out to be the one play that gets produced at the end of the series. It was so fun! And the plays were very innovative! The theater has a bar in house, so you can grab drinks before the show and during intermission. The theater is small and for the Thunderdome seating was first come/​first serve, so remember to get there early if you want a front row seat!

Know Theatre is inexpensive and quirky. They put on very unique shows that are well done. Love the personal nature of the venue — from the actual theater upstairs to the small stage around the bar close to the entrance — you are very close to the performers. Reasonable selection of beverages at the bar, with a nice number of local beers represented. The OTR Improv is hit or miss but so is a majority of improvisational comedy. Definitely check this place out.

This is my favorite place to see a show in Cincinnati! Like, yeah, the performance is really good. The theater is small. The location is good. I feel like I’m in a big city when I go here.

One of the more lovely things about The Know is that their seems to be something going on here all the time. If you’ve got a hankering for performance you can check out Serials, OTR Improv, Fringe, the Improv Festival, or one of their Seasonal shows.
Despite all that goes on here, the Know somehow finds a way to fly under the radar. Often when I am hanging out at a bar or restaurant within a block of this place, I’ll speak of seeing shows here and be surprised to find out that people KNOW very little about it.
The Know has a spiffy bar area and is more often than not, reasonably priced.

I never knew about the Know Theatre and it was a nice little surprise. We decided to go for their New Year’s Eve celebration and we got dressed to the nines for the occasion. It was a 1920’s themed party, and they sure did it right! We walked in to a coat check area and were handed a ticket for the champagne toast at midnight and some funny money to gamble with. We could hear a band playing music appropriate for the era, complete with all the flappers, gangsters and fashonista’s the 20’s would have been proud to host.
The bar served Martinis, well drinks and sidecars along with locally brewed beers. A small buffet was set up near the band, and it smelled tasty although I didn’t try it. The area had some seating, and it was definitely a party. We went upstairs and it opened up to a dance club type scene with high top circle tables lining the outer wall. The music was thumping some 1920’s dance music complete with screens of videos showing both dancing from the time and silent movies. It was pretty unique and very fun.
The next room held the casino where you could play games like Blackjack and Roulette. If you didn’t want to gamble, but were feeling lucky, you could put your play money in the hopper to win some prizes.
At midnight, they showed the ball drop as the whole room shouted the countdown. We kissed our sweeties and had the champagne toast. It was sort of magical and very cool to get all snazzy together.
The only downside to the night was that they had two bars, but only the one downstairs served the martinis, well drinks and sidecars. I felt like a large majority of the night was spent waiting for drinks because the line was so long. Walking up and down those steps repeatedly in heels was not ideal. The drinks were small, so we could have just ordered two at a time I suppose, but ah well. Not that big of a deal. I would love to come back and see a show sometime based on how fun a special occasion night was.

Disclaimer: I volunteered for the Know WAAAAY back in the day when it was in the old church on the corner of Liberty and Sycamore. So I’ve always been partial to this scrappy little theater.
We recently attended a production of Moby Dick, which is one of my favorite books. The set was so creative — an assortment of ropes, metal plates, and canvas were hung to simulate the ship Pequod. The actors were excellent, and because it’s such a small theater, you have a good view anywhere you sit (it’s a very cozy set-​up — I’m guessing the attendance tops out at 75 max?)
Best part? They have a bar downstairs that serves drinks that you can take upstairs while you watch the play. Win!

Visited Know Theatre for the first time last night, and I absolutely loved it. It’s an intimate venue, so it’s impossible to get a bad seat. «Harry & the Thief» (playing until ⁰⁸⁄₃₀) was hilarious. From what I can tell, Know is the place to go for edgier, smaller productions in Cincinnati. Tickets are cheap, there’s a full bar, and they play music in the lounge after the shows. What more can you ask for?
Oh, and this entire season, they’re doing a «Welcome Experiment» where each Wednesday’s show is FREE. How awesome is that? So reserve tickets online for a Wednesday show, fall in love with Know Theatre, tell all your friends, then come back and pay a little money to see another show. Do it.

The Theatre in town to check out cutting edge theatre and host of the annual Fringe Festival in June. Plus versatile venue for variety of events, checking out the latest unsigned bands at the MidPoint Music Festival in September.
When you enter the venue stop and enjoy a pre-​show drink at the speakeasy lounge, they offer a variety of local craft beers and the latest cocktails. Then walk upstairs to where the show begins, the production team is very creative in arranging the seats for the shows throughout the season.
You can also rent the theatre for special event as I recently attended the Rise of the Rest pitch competition at the theatre.

The Theatre options in Cincinnati are almost endless. It often comes as quite a surprise to even the «born here» locals that there are so many wonderful production companies in the Cincinnati area. And with that being said, there is always something for everyone, no matter your theatre going taste. Some prefer high end expensive productions — like Wicked and Chicago that you would find at the Aronoff Center downtown throughout the year. Some prefer the upper end regionals that produce the classics: A Christmas Carol, Twelve Angry Men and Cabaret– like The Playhouse in the Park in Mt. Adams, or The Cincinnati Landmark Productions at the Covedale above Price Hill who put on shows like The Sunshine Boys or A Christmas Story. Perhaps it’s more local fare like the Fairfield Footlighters out in Fairfield. Great theatre all. But if you are looking for something a little bit different, a little more cutting edge and risqué, you know where to go, you go to the Know. Theatre of Cincinnati, that is.
This exquisite little theater is located on Jackson Street, in the revitalized section of Over the Rhine, just North of Central, and ¹⁄₃ of a mile up from the Aronoff. Easily identified by the beautiful murals that adorn both the North and South Sides of the building, you will find yourself almost drawn here. The are no pretentious art snobs there, just people who enjoy putting on unique and interesting theatre. Productions often include new, never before seen works, or work that no other local theatre would dare put on (except perhaps a few at the Falcon Theatre down South in Newport, KY).
There are unique, thoughtful, but somewhat normal productions, such as «Aliens with Extraordinary Skills» There are productions that make you squirm a little, depending on your political viewpoints — «Bloody Andrew Jackson» and «Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party», just to name a couple. Homosexuality, AIDS, and sexual openness are not uncommon themes. In celebration of a recent «Foretold Event», they put on «The Apocalypse Show», which not only included foretelling of our demise as a species, but got everyone in the audience (who were required to be 21 and over for this show) free beer from one of the audience members. Of course it doesn’t hurt that the audience member’s name is Greg Hardman, and that he owns the local Brewing Company, Christian Moerlein. And the prices for the shows are extremely reasonable. $ 15.00 or so gets you in to see one of the plays. And they have «The Underground Bar» — a full bar with limited selections — but which always includes a number of local beers. These shows are for the adults. Not that they don’t produce works that a younger audience wouldn’t appreciate, but the themes tend to lean towards the adult side of things.
They’ve had vaudeville — the amazingly entertaining Beggar’s Carnivale from St. Louis; foreign plays such as the Australian «When the Rain Stops Falling»; and come the Christmas Holidays, «The Naughty List» comes out as an annual Know Theatre Production.
Currently they have Serials! Going on. Six 90 minute plays, given out in 15 minute presentations, roughly every other Monday, over the course of 12 weeks. An interesting concept.
Probably most ambitious of all for the Know is the Annual «Cincinnati Fringe Festival». This consists of a variety of unique productions performed in a dozen or so local venues every year, starting around the end of May or so. Some locations are as traditional as the Art Academy of Cincinnati or the School for the Creative and Performing Arts Auditorium; some at the Know itself, and some simply in nearby commercial building space that is currently not being used. These 45 to 80 minute shows cover the spectrum: One man old-​time storytelling, dance and music pieces, performers wearing giant heads (a phenomenal group), introspective pieces, audience involved works, intense dramas, clownish skits, a few works from local high school aged actors and writers, and light and airy audience participation works. Over the course of 10 or 11 days, they put on 160 or so performances by 30 or so different groups. It is one of the most enjoyable theatre going experiences I have ever had the pleasure of attending. If you want a sense of community in a local theatre setting, this is for you. I guess it’s best summed up by the Fringe Festival slogan — «Kinda Weird. Like You». Yeah, I guess that hit the nail right on the head.

This is a review on their Speakeasy Party on New Years Eve. Wow… I had a great time. They sure know how to put together an event. I wish I could give it five stars but the music was kinda bad. But other than that I have no complaints. Tickets for the event was $ 15 online or $ 25 at the door. People who waited too long were in for a surprise because it sold out a week ahead. Your ticket got you in the door, snacks and a champagne toast. The first floor had a full bar and a casino which was quite awesome. Everyone pretended to be Gatsby or a gangster when throwing the dice. The go stairs is where the dancing took place which was fun but could have been great if the music was better. My first time to Know Theater left quite an impression — I’ll definitely be back!

Know Theater is a smaller, intimate venue for some great shows. There is a small lounge where you can enjoy a drink before the show, but be careful, there is one couch that you will really sink into– it could be hard to climb out!
The theater itself is on the smaller side, so no matter where you sit, you will likely feel close to the stage.
The performances here are generally well thought out. The shows may not always be «mainstream», but they generally point out provocative and pertinent questions about contemporary life. The shows are also reasonably priced!
Enjoy a show here!

So the first time I came here was for the NYE’s Speakeasy Party and it was fantastic. Food, drinks, some casino action with fake money and an opportunity to win prizes with the raffle portion. My friends and now husband, then fiancé dressed up and had such a wonderful time. The price was also so incredibly reasonable that if I was not out of the country for NYE this year to quote the Terminator «I’ll be back» (well to be grammatically correct, I would be back).
To tie the NYE party review with my recent attendance at the Know, my then fiancé raffle number was called and he got his pick of prizes. Being the smart man that he is (evidenced by marrying me) he chose the Flex pass which was a $ 90 value for six shows or in our case 6 tickets for three shows. So for one of our shows we went to see the play Petunia and Chicken. It was such a wonderful show. Two actors with only a hat and shawl providing scenery, other characters and imagery retold a love story. It was a fast and great way to spend 60 minutes. Seeing this play makes me so excited to come back in a couple of weeks to watch Bull and then in december to travel to Arnold’s and see the Naughty List.
The Know will definitely be a place we come to for excellent entertainment and fun.

If you like small theaters; You’ll love the Know
The Know theater is spectacular. The décor is very modern, yet in touch with the arts. The performance area is intimate, and makes you feel like you are just as much part of the show as the cast. My wife and I saw Petunia and Chicken there last night and loved it.
Tickets are priced reasonably. I think $ 12 – 15 in advance and $ 20 the day of performance. It makes for a good date night. There is small bar in the waiting area, with reasonably priced drinks and a few local beers. It is well put together and the experience is very enjoyable.
We are going back to see Bull later this month. I’m looking forward to it.

People of Cincinnati: YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE KNOW THEATRE!
The Know is provocative, ahead of it’s time, and sometimes even raunchy so it’s makes perfect sense that it is in Cincinnati. Hahah Just kidding. But I’m so glad it is! The main reason I am in love with this place is because it brings all of that craziness to a sometimes very conservative city.
The show I saw was COCK. It featured three and sometimes four characters. The main storyline was that a gay man falls in love with a woman and the rethinks his entire being. The point? Society is so obsessed with what and how you are loving rather than who. This play has a solid base that any one could relate to. It was also sometimes so tense that it was funny. Very nicely written and comedicaly timed.
As for the theatre itself, the front is stunning you know its the KNOW when you see it! There are two areas: the bar area/​lounge on the bottom level and then you go upstairs to the theatre/​staging area. It’s a little dingy but it think that adds to its character.
Overall this theatre opened my eyes to another level of Cincinnati’s greatness I didn’t even know was there. Don’t you just love that? Cheer’s to The Know. Keep doin’ what you’re doing and I can’t wait for the Fringe Festival now!!!

This venue is awesome! Forward and provocative, and very entertaining.
I came here for the sneak preview of COCK. What a fantastic show! The actors did a fantastic job portraying their characters.
I love the way this theatre is set up. Bar downstairs and stage area upstairs. The upstairs is set up like stadium bleachers with the middle of the floor being the stage area for the actors to perform. It offered a very different perspective while watching the show. I enjoyed it a lot!
I highly recommend checking out a show here!

So let me start off by saying that I have never been to a show here. I have seen some of the members perform improve at a christmas dinner, but none-​the-​less.
We went to the Know Theatre’s Speakeasy NYE Bash. It was AMAZING! It is hands down the BEST New Year’s Eve activity I have ever been to.
They had food provided by several downtown local restaurants (Mayberry, Skirtz & Johnston, Washington Platform, Shanghai Mama’s) They were mixing up very well themed drinks and they were jamming to with a DJ pumping some awesome throwback tunes.
To top it all off, they had casino tables. They gave every person some funny money to play with and you then traded in your winnings for raffle tickets at the end of the night.
It was such a great time, I will definitely check it out every year!

I absolutely love this place! The shows are great and always fun to go see. I feel like this place is almost a hidden gem that not many people know about yet which is nice because it’s not overly crowded, but disappointing b/​c they deserve more credit.
One of the many shows I’ve seen was a burlesque theme circus show and was pretty phenomenal. Additionally, if you choose to volunteer and help out with set up 2 hours before the event, you get to watch the show for free!
Staff is super friendly, and you can easily tell they have a passion for what they do there. Also, there’s a bar for you to enjoy a beverage during to take with you to enjoy while you watch the show!

I had never been to the Know Theater but been near, around, in front of, etc. many times. A few friends and I decided on an evening out at the theater and we saw Collapse. I had no idea what it was about, hanging out with good friends was draw enough, and when it opened I though we were in for something relating to anal sex. I then learned it had nothing to do with that (hormone shot in the butt rather), and was relieved as the crowd was largely older, coupled, and that might have been weird. The show was four people, one set, and a great story.
The theater itself was intimate (though the significant other was feeling nervous about the chairs on the risers ‘moving’- ironic to the theme of our show). The lighting and set design were really successful in creating multiple scenes without movement. And in the end I was taken by the fact that despite movies costing tons of money and time, what is really desired in seeing a production is the story. This place told a good story this night, and I imagine they usually do.
As most theaters do, there was a pitch for fundraising that really starts to bug me after I’ve spent money on my ticket, but I understand the need to capitalize on an interested and captive audience. I’m not in a phase of my life to donate at a mere request, so I wish this was more ‘elective’ than part of the introduction. My only complaint.
We had dinner at Mayberry beforehand (and a 20% discount for our theater attendance) and didn’t have a drink since we’d had a few with dinner, but I liked the bar atmosphere on the first floor had we arrived earlier.
I’d go back to the Know Theater. It was a fun and relatively affordable, high quality production. I assume this is their angle, and it’s one I can get behind. Thanks Know, for a great start to an evening in OTR.

I have to give this a five star because they work so hard for it. Widely varied, small production, local theatre for a reasonable price. On top of that, they have so many great community activities including happy hours, great bands, and killer holiday events.
They have a large dj/​band/​dance area upstairs and a lounge area down. Both include bars. Parking is, well, what you would expect for the area: not terrible, but plan to do some walking.
The staff is so friendly, and they want to get the community involved. As a result they do have special events and discounts from time to time. It’s worth it to stop in for a couple events and see for yourself.

I might have been too hasty in my three-​star review before. In fact, I was, I take it back. This place deserves more stars, no question.
Everything I said before is true — it is hard to find and it is rather intimate (or cramped depending on how much you want to whine about it). Still, there’s a real beauty to the Know that I didn’t appreciate after only one show. It’s so cool and interesting and the shows are unlike anything else you’ve seen and the people are so nice. Plus, they rock the Cincy Fringe Festival ever year, and truth be told, Cincinnati could use more events like that.
Know, I did not give you enough credit, and I am sorry.