School has already started, and the nights are chilly, but don’t be deceived by the pumpkin-flavored menus. It’s not fall yet. There’s plenty to do during these last breaths of summer: a live Bard broadcast, creepy movies, orchestral Zappa and a jazz world premiere for starters. See what you can fit in. It’s all good.
Wednesday, Aug. 26
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, “Much Ado About Nothing” | Multiple venues. 513-381-2273. DETAILS: The traveling troupe from Cincy Shakes is heading into the home stretch with its annual, free, pared-down Shakespeare production. This year it’s the Elizabethan rom-com “Much Ado About Nothing.” In addition to the usual performances, this week’s itinerary includes a cool collaboration with Cincinnati Public Radio (see below). Here’s the rundown:
- Wednesday: 7 p.m. Stubbs Park, 255 W. Spring Valley Pike, Centerville.
- Thursday: 7 p.m. Elstro Plaza, 47 N. Sixth St., Richmond, Indiana. This performance is part of the Richmond Shakespeare Festival.
- Friday: 7 p.m.,Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash.
- Saturday: 1 p.m. Cincinnati Main Public Library, 800 Vine St., downtown.
- Sunday: 1 p.m. The Carnegie Center, 3738 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum.
- Tuesday: 7 p.m. John Hale Memorial Bandstand, 116 Susanna Way, New Richmond.
- Shakespeare on the radio: Saturday, 7 p.m. 2117 Dana Ave., Evanston. DETAILS: Cincy Shakes teams up with WVXU-FM for a live broadcast of its mini-“Much Ado” at Cincinnati Public Radio’s spacious and capacious new home, which just happens to include a cozy performance space. It’s free, but audience space is limited, so RSVP now if you want to see the magic happen. Otherwise, settle into your favorite cushy chair and tune in to 91.7 MHz on the dial, on the interwebs at wvxu.org or through the CPR app.
Psychotronic Film Festival | 7:30 p.m. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton. 513-281-8750. DETAILS: We’ve touted the breadth of Cincinnati’s film community on plenty of occasions, but you may not have heard about the annual Psychotronic Film Festival, now in its fifth year. Through Friday, you can see eight of what the organizers at Outer Cinema Cincinnati as the “weirdest and wildest cult films to ever be projected on a Cincinnati screen.” They may be right. Ranging from 1974’s “The Devil Queen” (in Portuguese and set in Brazil) to 2025’s spy thriller “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” these are a fairly gruesome, bizarre and violent lot. If that’s your thing, the Esquire has you covered.
Thursday, Aug. 27
It’s Commonly Jazz | 6 p.m. Seasongood Pavilion, Eden Park. 513-357-2619. DETAILS: The last offering in this year’s It’s Commonly Jazz series is a special event featuring the world premiere of “Kiriji” by the multitalented Yemi Oyediran. (You probably read about him most recently as director of “King of Them All: The Story of King Records,” a critically praised PBS documentary.) “Kiriji,” inspired by Oyediran’s hometown in Nigeria, is billed as a celebration of life, ancestors and community that incorporates jazz, Nigerian jùjú, hip-hop, along with 1970s and contemporary Afrobeat. An impressive collection of nine local musicians will bring “Kiriji” to life, including the composer on drums and Joshua Kerobo, newly appointed CCM ethnomusicology professor, as the griot – the storyteller.
Friday, Aug. 28
Oktoberfest | 6-11 p.m. Germania Society, 3529 W. Kemper Road, Colerain Township. 513-742-0060. DETAILS: I know the original Oktoberfest in Munich isn’t actually in October either, but August seems to be pushing it for holding a fall festival, doesn’t it? Who wants to wear lederhosen when it’s pushing 90 degrees? Germania’s Oktoberfest is the region’s oldest, though, and claims to be the most echt-Deutsch, i.e., authentic, of the region’s fests. Expect a weekend of traditional German music, German food, German beer and plenty of German-clad volk in those aforementioned lederhosen or dirndl dresses. The best scene is away from the crowd in the woodsy biergarten. Continues 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Art Academy of Cincinnati, “Portals of Remembrance” | 5-8 p.m. Pearlman and McClure galleries, Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-562-6262. DETAILS: The Art Academy’s exhibition season opens with this show of mixed media work by Cincinnati-based artist Trudy Gaba. Gaba layers and reassembles materials from Black ancestral archives – photographs, census records, newspaper articles, mug shots, letters and images from her own family – into works in which time, history, place and people exist simultaneously. Through Sept. 20.
Caffè Vivace, Mike Clark Organ Trio | 7 & 9 p.m. 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. DETAILS: Jazz Vivace welcomes one of the great drummers of the past 50 years to town. Mike Clark is famed for his groundbreaking work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters (see above). He earned the title “father of linear drumming” for his innovative playing on Hancock’s album “Thrust,” although he’s said since that he’s not quite sure what that means. Clark has recorded or performed with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Chris Potter and Tony Bennett. Tenor sax player Rob Dixon joins Clark’s combo.
Cincinnati World Cinema, “Steal This Story, Please” | 7 p.m. Garfield Theatre, 719 Race St., downtown. 859-957-3456. DETAILS: We told you in July about this chronicle of the career of independent journalist Amy Goodman, and so many people went that Cincinnati World Cinema had to bring it back for a couple encore screenings. “Steal This Story, Please” is a gripping, tense (but also funny) look at Goodman’s work in the era of “alternative facts” (you know, what we used to call “lies”). Second screening at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday, Aug. 29
Krohn Conservatory, “A Living Museum of Botanical Splendor” | 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Eden Park. 513-421-4086. DETAILS: Well, let’s try this again, shall we? It’s complicated changing out major shows that involve hundreds of plants, and sometimes it takes a little longer than planned. That was the case with Krohn’s fall show. Originally slated to open last week, it’s now ready to go. “A Living Museum” celebrates the harmony among art, science and conservation, reminding us that flora is not just ornamental, but essential to the very fabric of life on Earth (and especially to people). Through Sept. 27.
Cincinnati Art Book Fair | Noon. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St., Covington. 859-491-2030. DETAILS: This is the seventh year for this artist-run fair that showcases books, catalogs, monographs, periodicals, prints and zines by mostly Midwest artists. More than 60 exhibitors are signed up to participate, so odds are there’s something for you whatever your taste. Runs till 6 p.m. Saturday, then noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
An art exhibition runs concurrently on the Carnegie’s second floor. For “My tongue is in my friend’s mouth,” curator Lindsey Cummins invited eight regional artists to choose one artist each to join – somone whose work, friendship or practice influenced them.
Summermusik | 7:30 p.m. Corbett Theater, School for Creative & Performing Arts, 108 W. Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine. 513-723-1182. DETAILS: Summermusik 2026 wraps up with a (seemingly) unlikely pairing. As the Mainstage program’s title says, though, both were “Musical Renegades” in their day. We’re talking about Wolfgang Mozart and Frank Zappa. Both, it’s suggested, “defied the limitations of their respective genres, and both had a healthy disdain for conventional propriety.” Before you inspect the strained connection too closely, though, know that Zappa was an innovative and talented creator who incorporated influences as diverse as early blues, doo-wop, and 20th-century classical pioneers Stravinsky, Varèse and Webern. Hear several of his short works contrasted with Mozart’s “Haffner” symphony. Actor Giles Davies portrays Zappa; Eckart Preu conducts.
Monday, Aug. 31
“Barrio Triste” | 7:30 p.m. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. DETAILS: The Colombian-American director-producer Stillz made his name in music videos, particularly his collaborations with Bad Bunny. He makes his feature film directorial debut in “Barrio Triste” (The Sad District), released earlier this summer. It’s the story of some of what could be called Colombia’s lost generation, teens growing up in 1980s Medellín, then home to the world’s most notorious drug cartel. The boys steal a news crew’s camera and turn its lens on themselves, documenting their dangerous lives. Features a sore by Arca.
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