Photo By Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents Altar Boyz, a musical about a Christian boy band, in October.

The 2007-08 theater season moves into high gear right after Labor Day, so now is the time to map out what you'll see onstage this fall.

Theaters and other performing arts organizations are finding that audience members are less inclined to buy season subscriptions these days. That's a frustration for arts marketers, which means people are doing a lot more picking and choosing when it comes to the shows they want to see. If you're one of them, here is my must-see list for productions that will be excellent choices between now and the holidays.

Let's begin with three prize-winning shows getting regional premieres at venues in Over-the-Rhine, an area quickly becoming Cincinnati's own theater district.

RABBIT HOLE by David Lindsay-Abaire (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Sept. 12-30). After earning a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2006, this drama about a family reeling from the death of a child won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. A couple, played by two of Cincinnati's best professional actors, Annie Fitzpatrick and Drew Fracher, have a picture-perfect life until the unthinkable happens and they begin to drift apart from one another and the identities by which they have always defined themselves.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati, just a block east of ETC, launches its 10th season with another 2006 Tony-nominated play, Martin McDonough's THE PILLOWMAN (Oct. 18-Nov. 10). McDonough, best known for The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1998 Tony nominee) and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2006 Tony nominee), has created a gothic fable about a writer who is imprisoned because crimes based on his gruesome stories begin to occur. The police torture him and his mentally disabled brother, taking audiences on a path through dark humor and tragic sorrow.

Another block east, New Stage Collective will present the regional premiere of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (Oct. 25-Nov. 18), a 2004 musical by Tony Kushner (who wrote Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winner Angels in America) and award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. Drawn from the playwright's childhood in Louisiana, the play focuses on an African-American woman working for a Jewish family in 1963, a period of great social upheaval. The score blends Rhythm & Blues, Motown, Gospel and Klezmer melodies.

The Playhouse in the Park's two stages will offer unusual fare this fall. On the Shelterhouse stage, Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern will stage Shakespeare's OTHELLO (Sept. 27-Oct. 21). Stern has dreamed of presenting a play by the Bard in this intimate space, and this psychological tale of jealousy and manipulation will be powerful in a theater where every seat is near the action.

On the Playhouse's Marx Stage you can have a Broadway musical experience with ALTAR BOYZ (Oct. 18-Nov. 16). The amusing story of a Christian boy band will be directed by Stafford Arima, who created the original production, which became a Broadway hit. (Arima directed last season's very popular production of Ace at the Playhouse.)

If you're excited about Othello at the Playhouse, you'll also want to make note of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's production of CYMBELINE (Oct. 19-Nov. 11). It's one of Shakespeare's lesser-known works, and this is the first time CSC has staged the story of Imogen on her wild journey through dark forests. CSC has a tradition of chilling classics around Halloween.

At the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), one of the nation's top musical theater programs trains Broadway stars. This fall you have two superb -- and wildly different -- choices. In the Cohen Family Studio Theater, Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS (Oct. 18-20) brings together an array of infamous characters, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, who share their twisted notions of the American dream. Former Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Nicholas Muni directs it, so it's sure to be compelling. (While studio productions are free, you must call the CCM box office early the week of the show to reserve a ticket.)

Fall Arts Preview

In November, CCM presents its annual "big" musical at Corbett Auditorium: Leonard Bernstein's extravagant WONDERFUL TOWN (Nov. 15-18), the 1953 show about two sisters from Ohio trying to find their way to life and love in New York City.

Northern Kentucky University also puts together theater productions worth seeing. Frank Loesser's classic tale of Depression-era Broadway (through the filter of writer Damon Runyon), GUYS AND DOLLS (Sept. 27-Oct. 7), is a good example. If you prefer drama, look for Ken Jones' DARKSIDE, directed by ... Ken Jones. That's right: Jones, who chairs NKU's theater program, is also a playwright. His gripping script about several Apollo astronauts trapped on the moon was staged years ago at Ensemble Theatre. It's a gripping story, and it should be interesting with Jones directing it.

Keep your eye on CityBeat for more recommendations and reviews throughout the fall. ©