Hamilton, Ohio – The Fitton Center for Creative Arts announced its 2023-2024 season performance and exhibition schedule today, the 30th Anniversary Season for the community arts organization.
“This is an important season for us,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, Fitton Center Executive Director. “It’s a year-long celebration of our 30th year bringing people together through the arts as you’ve come to expect at the Fitton. All are welcome here and we will always make things fun and exciting for our guests.
“With that in mind, we will continue our four main performance series – Fitton ShowStoppers, Jazz & Cabaret, Fitton Family Fridays and Celebrating Self – as well as bringing major visual art exhibitions into our galleries.”
Tickets for the entire season go on sale to Fitton Center Members Monday, Aug. 14, in advance of the Fitton Center’s 2023-2024 Season Launch Party – PAINT THE TOWN RED – scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, August 18.
The free, open-house-style event for the community features live music from The Other Band, a gallery opening celebration, interactive art demonstrations, food, drinks, performances and some surprises. As well as a chance to purchase annual memberships and tickets to any or all of the shows for the 2023-2024 season.
Shows for the 30th Anniversary season include:
Fitton ShowStoppers (mainstage productions in the Fitton Family Theater) * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 30 – Saved By the ‘90s – Celebrate 30 years at the Fitton Center with the greatest hits from the decade we were born, the 1990s. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 28 – Home Spun (with DJ Arie & Featuring Healing Broken Circles) – It’s a multi-media house party featuring music, dance, spoken-word artists and more. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 9 – A Motown & More Christmas – Just Vince and the Fellas return to the Fitton Center with even more of the most soulful sounds of the season. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January 20 – The Wayfarers – American roots music with a fun, contemporary twist. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 3 – An Evening With Marty Brennaman – The Hall of Famer hits Hamilton – home of his long-time broadcast partner Joe Nuxhall – for a special night of baseball magic. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 17 – Cincinnati Pops: Poptet – Musicians from the world-renowned orchestra break down the music and build it back up in remarkable new ways. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 – One of These Nights – The cool SoCal sounds of the Eagles, James Gang, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt and many other brought to life by The Newbees. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20 – Bollywood! – An Indian spectacle filled with color, sound and sensations celebrating the inspirations for the largest film industry in the world.
Jazz & Cabaret (In the Carruthers Signature Ballroom) * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 11 – Canary in Combat Boots – Celebrate Veterans Day with U.S. Army vet Alexis Cole and her electric mix of stories and WWII-era jazz standards. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16 – A Night of Monk and Mingus – Band leader Jim Leslie and his six-piece combo recreate tunes by legendary jazz masters Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. * 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11 – Drag Show 3: Through the Decades – All Hail the Queens! The girls return for a night of glitz and glamour galore, sashaying down the runway to the hits of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Fitton Family Fridays (Children’s programming in the theater with dinner in the ballroom) * 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 22 – The Smartest Girl in the World – Lexington Children’s Theatre * 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 20 – Pinocchio – Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati * 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 3 - Pirate School – Learn to be a swashbuckler with bumbling pirate professor Billy Bones * 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 1 – Gingerbread Jamboree – River City Puppets * 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 19 – Mr. Molecule’s Bing Bang Boom Science Show – A mind-blowing explosion of fun and science * 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 9 – Meet the Music – The Butler Philharmonic Orchestra * 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 – Keeping Mr. Lincoln – Lexington Children’s Theater * 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26 – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Celebrating Self (Lunchtime speaker series in the ballroom) * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 6 – The Art Show: Live! – PBS host Rodney Veal brings the arts in Southwest Ohio and cultural highlights across the country to life. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 4 – The American Dream – Dr. Bekah Yoxthimer is a Cincinnati Magazine top dentist and the reigning Dr. USA pageant queen, as well as an inspiring immigrant story. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 1 – All About the Weather – WLWT Channel 5 morning meteorologist Randi Rico shares the science of predicting the weather and the art of building a broadcast. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 6 – The Joy of Christmas – Miami University Music Professor Ben Smolder breaks down the traditions of – and history behind – beloved seasonal songs. Prepare to sing along. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 10 – Chasing Ghosts – Maria Schmidt turned her love of the supernatural into a business – Mysterious Adventure Tours – and takes ghost-hunting trips all over the world. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 7 – Party Time – Queen of the Kitchen Kirsten Spicer hands out a host of party tips. She’s served up everything from intimate cocktail parties to dinner for 500 and she’s ready to dish. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 6 - Around the Kitchen Table with 17 Strong – Director of Neighborhoods Brandon Saurber leads a literal round-table discussion on the state of the city with some of Hamilton’s best and brightest. * 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 3 – Cincinnati Roller Girls – These ladies pack a wallop on wheels and share their passion for the nearly 100-year-old sport of roller derby in our jamming series finale.
Exhibitions (Work by world-class artists and local creators in our spectacular gallery spaces; always free and open to the public) * 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 – Human Nature/Class Act – In Human Nature, solo artists Amanda Maciuba and Jennifer Purdum capture contradictory impulses to create and destroy. In Class Act, Fitton Center instructors and staff share examples of the creative gifts they share with the community. (Exhibition on view August. 4 to September 22, 2023) * 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 – Home Free/Being Good – Curated by MacArthur Fellow (and 1990 Hamilton High graduate) Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood & Aimee Wissman, co-founder of the Returning Artists Guild, Home Free celebrates work by artists directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Sidney, Ohio’s Maureen O’Keefe communicates beautiful flaws and explores goodness, value and worth through portraiture in Being Good. (Exhibition on view October 21, 2023 to January 5, 2024) * 5:30 p.m. Saturday, February 17 – Double Take – Benjamin Montague (Cincinnati), Mayuko Ono Gray (Houston) and Peter Scheidt (Little Rock) connect cultures, magnify worlds and disrupt everyday forms. (Exhibition on view February 3 to April 6, 2024) * 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11 – 30th Anniversary Fitton Member Show – This salon-style exhibition features floor-to-ceiling color spotlighting hundreds of contemporary and historic works by Fitton Center member artists and their families. (Exhibition on view May 11 to July 12, 2024)
“This season is ambitious,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “We have more diversity in our programming, more inclusivity. Hamilton is a growing, changing city and we want to better reflect that in the entertainment and artistic choices we offer. We embrace and celebrate the many different aspects of Hamilton - and its surrounding areas - that make this one amazing community.”
Keep an eye on the Fitton Center website (fittoncenter.org) and social media channels for more details on each individual event as the season gets closer.
“We’re excited to announce this season today and invite people to start marking their calendars,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “We look forward to sharing more about each of these incredible shows through the summer and then celebrating all of them when we Paint the Town Red Friday, August 18.”
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.
Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture