Best Of2025

The Improvised Shakespeare Company (L-R): Brendan Dowling, Ross Bryant, Blaine Swen and Joey Bland
Photo: Photo provided by the Improvised Shakespeare Company
The Improvised Shakespeare Company (L-R): Brendan Dowling, Ross Bryant, Blaine Swen and Joey Bland

The theatrical and improv wizards who constitute the Improvised Shakespeare Company came to Cincinnati in October. Picking a whimsical title — Did He or Didn’t He? — from several shouted out by the audience, the team’s four actors put together a remarkable and hilarious 90-minute performance that included songs, choreography and other silliness in the style of the Bard. The first of two performances was inspiration enough to get some audience members to return to the Jarson-Kaplan the next day for another completely different performance. The success of this engagement bodes well for a return. cincyshakes.com.

Arts & Culture

Image: Arts & Culture
Here are the 2025 Best Of Cincinnati® Reader and Staff Pick winners for Arts & Culture.
  1. 21c Museum Hotel
  2. Art Academy of Cincinnati
  3. Clifton Cultural Arts Center
  1. Cincinnati Art Museum
  2. Contemporary Arts Center
  3. Taft Museum of Art
  1. “Cincinnati Toy Heritage”
  2. “Love Wins”
  3. “Fiona and Bibi at the Cincinnati Zoo”
  4. “Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon”
  5. Charley Harper's “Beguiled by the Wild”
  6. “Ezzard Charles: The Cincinnati Cobra”
  7. “Democracy!”
  8. “Homecoming (Blue Birds)”
  9. “Dream Big and Fly High”
  10. CROWN Trail Mural
  1. Panegyri
  2. CincItalia
  3. St. Cecilia Family Festival
  1. Reds Opening Day Rally on the Square
  2. Ice Rink on Fountain Square
  3. Art on Vine
  1. BLINK
  2. Cincinnati Art Museum
  3. Findlay Market
  4. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
  5. Jungle Jim's International Market
  6. Smale Riverfront Park
  7. Washington Park
  8. Tunes & Blooms at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
  9. Contemporary Arts Center
  10. FotoFocus
  1. A Pig-ment of Your Imagination at REC, Cincinnati Art Museum
  2. The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, Cincinnati Art Museum
  3. NUDE: Exploring the Uncovered Human Form, Manifest Gallery
  1. Dent Schoolhouse
  2. Kings Island Halloween Haunt
  3. The USS Nightmare
  1. Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo
  2. WinterFest at Kings Island
  3. Cincinnati Nature Center’s Light in the Forest
  1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (@cincinnatizoo)
  2. Midwestern Lesbian (@midwestern.lesbian)
  3. Longbottom Bird Ranch (@longbottombirdranch)
  1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
  2. The Children's Museum at the Cincinnati Museum Center
  3. Longbottom Bird Ranch
  4. Kings Island
  5. Newport Aquarium
  6. Cincinnati Art Museum
  7. Great Parks of Hamilton County
  8. Cincinnati Parks
  9. Smale Riverfront Park
  10. Behringer-Crawford Museum
  1. Bob Herzog
  2. Eileen Earnest
  3. Mark Borison
  1. Pam Kravetz
  2. Kiwi the Duck
  3. Anthony “Tank” Mansfield
  4. Joshua Stout
  5. Technique2012
  6. Gee Horton
  7. James Billiter
  8. Leah Noumoff
  9. Kevin Necessary
  10. Cedric Michael Cox
  1. Emily Henry
  2. Curtis Sittenfeld
  3. Michael Sawan (softmaxplus)
  1. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
  2. Cincinnati Pops
  3. MUSE Cincinnati's Women’s Choir
  1. Kelly Collette
  2. Sweett Biscut
  3. Mark Borison
  1. Cincinnati Ballet
  2. DANCEFIX
  3. Cin City Burlesque
  1. Four by Three (Chase Crawford)
  2. Cincy Stories
  3. Virtual Cocktail TIE
  4. Mark Borison TIE
  1. Improv Cincinnati
  2. Alphas Comedy
  3. Two Sketchy Dames