Here is the list of regional premieres announced to date. An (*) denotes a world premiere.

        *Adventures of Pinocchio — The latest family holiday musical by David Kisor and Joe McDonough. The puppet-turned-boy's story plays out in immigrant New York at the turn of the century. Ensemble (Dec. 5-30)

        *Alexander the Great, Part III — Final installment of Nicholas Korn's trilogy about the ancient world conqueror who lived fast and died young. Stage First (May 21-June 9)

        Aida — The Elton John-Tim Rice version of the ancient Egyptian tragedy rocks. Broadway in Cincinnati (Feb. 5-17)

        Anton in Show Business — Showbiz satire about a bizarre regional theater production of The Three Sisters. Human Race (April 25-May 11)

        Arcadia — In the early 1800s, precocious Thomasina observes the farcically romantic doings of her elders. A pair of contemporary scholars invade, intent on unraveling the mysteries she has left behind. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (Jan. 17-Feb. 10)

        As Bees in Honey Drown — The subject is celebrity in a satire about how a frenzied media mass produces them to feed an obsessed public. College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (Nov. 1-3)

        *Barbara's Blue Kitchen — Playwright/actress Lori Fischer plays all the roles in this one-woman musical about the denizens of a diner in Watertown, Tenn. Playhouse (March 23-April 28)

        The Beard of Avon — Amy Freed's very smart satire suggests the Bard was a Beard, and creates a case for several other Elizabethan notables writing his canon. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (May 16-June 2)

        The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) — The wacky folks who brought you The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr... have their way with The Word. Know Theatre Tribe (Feb. 8-23)

        Blast! — A celebration of the drum and bugle corps tradition layered with theatrical flash. Broadway in Cincinnati (Nov. 13-25)

        *Burning Man — The life of magician Tommy Nugent by magician Tommy Nugent. Know Theatre Tribe (March 15-23)

        *Candy and Dorothy — '60s icons Candy Darling and Catholic workers activist Dorothy Day share a cooking show in the after-life. Theatre of the Mind (reading series) (Nov. 26)

        *Commissioned Play — Details TBA. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (June 13-30)

        Cowgirls — A gal has 24 hours to save her late father's once-famous country-western saloon from foreclosure. Only the Cowgirl Trio she books is really the classical Coghill Trio.... Ensemble (May 1-19)

        Dirty Blonde — Two misfits meet at the grave of their idol, Mae West. Their budding relationship plays out against the star's life, with song and dance numbers from her best-known films. Playhouse (May 11-June 16)

        *Dracula — A musical version of the vampire tale with a score by Richard Oberacker, Cincinnati native and CCM grad. College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (Feb. 21-March 3)

        *Fellowship of the Ring — Blake Bowden adapts J.R.R. Tolkien. Ovation (Sept. 20-29)

        Fuddy Meers — Claire wakes up every morning having freshly forgotten everything about her life. Most popular show on the regional theater circuit this year. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (Sept. 6-30)

        Fully Committed — a gleeful one-man comedy in which a restaurant reservationist goes into battle with the forces on the other end of the ceaselessly ringing phone. Ensemble (Sept. 5-30)

        A General from America — Playwright Richard Nelson re-examines the American Revolution and the reasons for Benedict Arnold's treason. Theatre of the Mind (staged reading) (Feb. 11)

        God's Man in Texas — An aging Baptist leader clings to his dynasty even as he auditions an ambitious young reverend to take over his television ministry. Playhouse (Sept. 22-Oct. 21)

        The History of Bowling — Thirtysomething quadriplegic Chuck works up the courage to go to college where he finds love in P.E. class. Know Theatre Tribe (Oct. 11-27)

        *Hood — A new musical by Corey Bowman and Jay Brunner updates the Robin Hood tale to the 'hood, complete with dangerous cop, mysterious vigilante and, of course, a love story. Rising Phoenix (March 21-31)

        I Stand Before You Naked — Ten monologues by Joyce Carol Oates that capture contemporary women in extreme circumstances. New Edgecliff (April 25-May 5)

        In the Blood — Suzan-Lori Parks reinvents Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as the tragedy of a welfare mother. Theatre of the Mind (staged reading) (May 20)

        Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol — A charming re-imagining of Mr. Dickens' holiday classic, told from the viewpoint of Marley's Ghost. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (Nov. 29-Dec. 31)

        King o' the Moon — The Pazinski family, stars of the Playhouse hit Over the Tavern, are back. It's 1969, precocious kid Rudy is AWOL from seminary school, elder brother Eddie is newly wed and preparing to ship out to Vietnam, sister Annie contemplates divorce, and their widowed mom is embarking on romance. Playhouse (April 21-May 24)

        Liebensraum — Playwright Israel Horowitz poses the intriguing question, What would happen if Germany's chancellor woke up one morning and decided to offer reparation for the Holocaust? IF Theatre Collective, (June 2002)

        Love Child — Luther Goins' drama (with comedy) about “babies having babies” won this year's Jeff Award in Chicago for best new work for its handling of of the pertinent topics of teen-age unwed moms and illiteracy. Ensemble Off-Center series (Oct. 5-15)

        Mamma Mia! — ABBA's greatest hits weave through the stories of a bride-to-be and her mom. Broadway in Cincinnati (May 14-June 2)

        *A Map of Doubt and Rescue — Susan Miller (My Left Breast) writes a sort of Our Town, which captures inter-mingled lives in a small town through the course of decades. Ensemble (March 26-April 14)

        *Men on the Take — This Year's Rosenthal New Play Prize winner at Playhouse is a seriously funny comedy by Carter Lewis about the day an unhappy ex-husband and his ex-wife's therapist embark on an adventure, and the women they meet along the way. Playhouse (Feb. 9-March 10)

        A Midsummer's Tale — If the name sounds familiar it's because Kenneth Branagh's loving tale of a troupe of actors putting on Shakespeare for the holidays played here as a movie a couple of years ago. It's set as the opening production in Xavier University's new theater, debuting in spring. Xavier Players (April 2002)

        Nocturne — Harrowing tour de force by contemporary playwright Adam Rapp finds a thirtysomething man revisiting a family tragedy, a blink of an eye that has changed his life. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival has the first post-New York production. (Feb. 24-March 27)

        Over the River and Through the Woods — Four Italian-American grandparents have lots of advice for a grandson making big decisions about his future. Human Race (Sept. 13-29)

        *The Perfect Game — A musical about the founding moments and development of basketball by Indiana's Jim Naismith, by Xavier University grad (class of '54) John Grissmer. Xavier Players (Nov. 15-18)

        *Praying for Rain — A high school kid and a gun are together in the wrong place at the wrong time. The drama bounces back between the befores, afters and the deed. Ensemble (Jan. 16-Feb. 3)

        Room — The Saratoga International Theatre Institute directed by Anne Bogart examines the life of Virginia Woolf. Miami University (April 12-13)

        The Santaland Diaries — For the Scrooge in all of us, NPR commentator David Sedaris reports on the life of a Macy's elf. New Edgecliff (Dec. 13-23)

        Slave Shack — A corporate exec is set up for a fall and cracks under the pressure, to the point that he takes a black female colleague prisoner. New Edgecliff (Feb. 21-March 3)

        Spinning into Butter — Rebecca Gilman is the playwright du jour, and this is southwest Ohio's first look at her work. Ms. Gilman specializes in tearing drama from the headlines. Spinning takes on racism and political correctness on a small, chi-chi New England college campus. Human Race (Oct. 25-Nov. 10)

        Stop Kiss — Diana Son's 1998 drama moves backward and forward in time, as it explores the situation surrounding a first kiss between two women and an anti-gay hate crime it provokes. CCM (May 16-18)

        Swing — The Big Band sound is applied to classics and contemporary — including music and dance genres from country-western to hip-hop. Broadway in Cincinnati (April 23-May 5)

        Three Hotels — A professional down-sizer and his corporate wife tell their stories in a series of hotel rooms around the globe. Theatre of the Mind (staged reading) (Oct. 22)

        *Thy Brother's Keeper — World premiere by Ken Jones. Brothers in youth and old age, trapped in their home by paranoia. Northern Kentucky University (Oct. 25-Nov. 4)

        Venus — The ""Venus Hottentot'' was an African woman taken to London in the early 19th century to be exhibited in a circus. It inspired both a court case and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. Miami University (Feb. 27-March 3)

        Wings — As a girl she was a wing-walker. Now its her mind that takes wing as Arthur Kopit's aging heroine recovers from a stroke. Theatre of the Mind (staged reading) (March 18)

        Women Who Steal — Companion piece to Rosenthal New Play Prize winner Men on the Take, a middle-aged wronged wife confronts The Other Woman and they set off on a road trip where the final destination is self-discovery. Ensemble (Feb. 20-March 10)

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