This December, local high school actors bring to life personal stories about human- environmental interactions in Cincinnati. “Where We Are Planted” showcases the personal stories of local residents- through lens of youth actors. Together they bring to life narratives about peoples’ experiences with their local environmental spaces, featuring storytellers from across the city.
December 4th, 2025 – 6:00pm
Probasco Auditorium- 2839 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220.
December 5th, 2025 – 6:00pm
Liberty Exhibition Hall- 4354 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223.
Tickets are free and the performance is open to all!
Is playing a real person, using their own words, qualitatively different than appearing in a fiction? Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre which is based on the spoken words of real people. Verbatim theatre-makers use real people’s words exclusively and take this testimony from recorded interviews.
The shows will also include a “talk-back” portion, where audience members are invited to engage with the actors and storytellers in conversation about Cincinnati’s environmental history and future.
The Project
This collaboration between the Clifton Community Players and the Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS), led by Carol Brammer (founder and director of Clifton Performance Theatre and Liberty Exhibition Hall) and Kate Nicole Hoffman (postdoc at PEWS), engages high schoolers in an innovative form of environmental education and engagement through theatre. Using a form of documentary theatre called the Verbatim technique, students at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) and Clifton Area Neighborhood School are guided through the process of bringing Cincinnati’s environmental history to life. In performing this history through the interpretation and embodiment of local environmental stories, these students will strengthen their artistic skills while using knowledge of Cincinnati’s past and present to reflect on their place in the city’s environmental future.
Eight storytellers from across Cincinnati have shared their stories of local human-environmental interactions: from the restoration of the Mill Creek, to the dangers of pollution, to providing cooking demonstrations using local foods. These storytellers will be highlighted and celebrated at these performances, as students are charged with bringing both them and their stories to life on stage.
This project is generously supported by ArtsWave.
