Nick Rose moved to Cincinnati in 1994 with a love for the stage, a strong work ethic and a dream. A founding member of the
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Rose currently plays the starring role in this season’s production of Macbeth, running now through Nov. 20.
Set in a version of modern day Scotland, Rose’s Macbeth transports Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy to the present moment. “In some ways, Macbeth is Shakespeare’s simplest and shortest tragedy,” says Rose. “Essentially it illustrates what happens in the mind when one becomes a murderer and a dictator.” The real-life husband and wife team of Nick Rose and Sara Clark (Lady Macbeth) brings both heightened passion and raw intensity to the stage. Audiences can expect PG-13-style bloodshed and violence as the actors present a “psychology horror movie” that is remarkably relevant in today’s global political climate.
Rose studied acting at James Madison University in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley where he toured with the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express. He was a founder of the university’s student-run second stage - a project launched with a $2,000 budget. He credits this experience as the impetus that led him and a group of young theatre artists to move to Cincinnati and start what was then called the Fahrenheit Theatre Company. Founded in 1993 with the mission of producing Shakespeare and the classics for modern audiences, FTC produced The Taming of the Shrew at Gabriel’s Corner in Over-the-Rhine in its first season.
The first season FTC had 17 subscribers. By season 3 they had more than 650 – and have been growing ever since.
“We faced some challenges in the beginning,” says Rose. “We were relentless in our dream, and committed to our mission. That brought us through those early days.” In 1997 the company changed its name to the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, and then to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in 1999. Rose credits the company’s strong commitment to production values, talent and skill for much of its success.
Rose has been with CSC for 15 of the last 18 seasons, leaving for a short time for a job outside the theatre. His love for the stage brought him back to CSC, where he now works full time as an actor. “I’m very thankful,” says Rose. “Cincinnati is a great city with many opportunities for local actors.” In addition to his work with CSC, Rose has also starred or played in a number of productions at the
Ensemble Theatre, the
Know Theatre, the
Edgecliff Theatre, and
Playhouse in the Park. Some of his favorite roles include Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), Gordon in Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), and Mr. Cupp in A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park).
Catch Nick Rose in Macbeth through Nov. 20, as well as in three more upcoming Cincinnati Shakespeare Company productions this season. He can also be seen in A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park coming this holiday season.
Do Good:
See: Macbeth or purchase a subscription. Tickets online at
www.cincyshakes.com.
Become: a benefactor.
Spread the word by telling your friends about Cincinnati Shakespeare Company or showing them videos like these.
Here and
here.
By Deidra Wiley Necco
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