A troupe of young Northern Kentucky actors raised $2,500 for the Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home (DCCH) through five sold-out performances of an iconic Edward Albee play.
Four members of the locally-based Mitchell Squared produced and performed “The Zoo Story,” a one-act play written in 1958 by noted playwright Edward Albee. The main character was orphaned at an early age and the play explores themes of isolation, loneliness, social disparity and dehumanization in a materialistic world.
“DCCH is blessed by the incredible donation made possible by Mitchell Squared,” said DCCH Development and Marketing Director Amy Pelicano. “They used their creativity in producing ‘The Zoo Story’ at Thomas More University to make this donation to support our mission. The fragile children in our care will find hope in a bright future because of their generosity and we are most grateful.”
Members of the Mitchell Squared theater troupe are Christian Straub, Quinn Spivey, Mitch Holland and Ben Mitchell
Mitchell Square was formed to present the play, which was recently performed before five sold-out audiences at Thomas More University.
“The four of us were really motivated to put on the best production that we could,” said Mitchell “Mitch” Holland of Lakeside Park, a founding member of Mitchell Squared. “Thomas More was gracious enough to allow us to use their theater, and we felt it provided an intimate setting holding 85 people in the audience to perform The Zoo Story.”
“From start to finish, the production tested our skills that we have acquired at our various universities,” said Holland, a senior at Webster University Conservatory in St. Louis pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in acting. “We were very pleased with the final product. And we raised a nice amount of money from our efforts to help the kids at DCCH.”
Mitchell performed the play along with Ben Mitchell of Fort Wright, a junior at University of Hartford pursuing a BFA degree in musical theater.
Quinn Spivey of Iowa, a senior who is also studying acting at Webster University Conservatory, directed the play and Christian Straub of Union, a senior at Western Kentucky University pursuing a BFA degree in film and directing, served as stage manager.
“We believe the production really showcased our talent and the skills that we’ve been homing in our respective conservatories,” Mitchell said. “Our hope is that our production company, Mitchell Squared, will continue to put these shows on to help local organizations in the community.”
In 2019, Holland and Mitchell performed the play “Scooter Thomas” before four sold-out audiences, raising $2,000 for the Lindner Center of Hope.
Located on Orphanage Road in Fort Mitchell and known as the DCCH Center for Children and Families, DCCH provides residential treatment, foster care, adoption, therapy, and counseling services for children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in Northern Kentucky.
