By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Nick Rose is looking earnest. A founding member of Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival and a longtime favorite among company members and audiences, Mr. Rose returned to Cincinnati to take the title role in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol (opening Nov. 29) and now finds himself taking on a bigger role and title.

Mr. Rose will stay on at the festival after Marley to become its second artistic director, beginning Jan. 1. Founding artistic director Jasson Minadakis will leave at the end of December.

Among Mr. Rose's duties will be acting, directing, leading the festival into its 2002-03 10th anniversary season, re-animating the "brand" and bringing his passion for the festival to the community.

The brand, he clarifies, is the same as it was almost a decade ago when he, Mr. Minadakis and Marni Penning decided Cincinnati was the city that needed their dream.

"When we started this company, we were dedicated to doing classically based, relevant work by a resident acting ensemble," Mr. Rose says. "Work that's accessible, affordable, socially relevant. Essential. That goal has never changed."

His message to the community is "Come home" to the festival, and its clear in a revamped schedule that includes two big Shakespeare comedies.

Adding an exclamation point to Mr. Rose's invitation, favorite former company members including Giles Davies and Anne Schilling will return to the festival stage for guest appearances.

The new schedule: The Gimmick, Jan. 9-19; Beowulf, Jan. 23-Feb. 2; Comedy of Errors, Feb. 13-March 9; A Midsummer Night's Dream, March 2-April 13; Tartuffe, April 24-May 11; CFS Studio, TBA, May 22-June 15.

For Mr. Rose's first interview as incoming artistic director, board president Richard Westheimer is at his side and he is surrounded by key festival members including Rebecca Bowman, who will oversee administration, and Brian Isaac Phillips, newly named associate artistic director.

Comedy and Dream, they all agree, were chosen because they are family-friendly Shakespeare and because they play to the strengths of the festival, including acting interns (the Young Company) and festival alums.

Beowulf, adapted by Mr. Phillips and Matt Johnson and directed by Ms. Bowman, is an educational outreach show; The Gimmick will return after a brief, highly regarded off-night run.

It's a heavy schedule for a company attempting to regroup, but that decision, Mr. Rose says adamantly, is because he doesn't want to "break the contract with the community."

Patrons and subscribers holding tickets for the originally announced schedule will be able to use tickets as "passes" to any show on any night (according to availability) for the remainder of the season.

Mr. Rose and his associates have more than art to contend with as they work to reposition the festival.

The budget has been reduced by one-third, to $560,000. The Wednesday night performance will be dropped. Guest artist contracts will be limited to Cincinnati artists. Talented resident designer Will Turbyne also will depart.

These are all moves intended to stall the festival's financial woes, which have been chronic in 2002.

For the second time this year, the festival is more than $100,000 in debt. Mr. Westheimer succeeded in a quiet fund-raising campaign last spring, but financial troubles are again weighing heavily.

Mr. Rose says he's here to stay. He reminded me of an interview we did a few years ago.

"You asked me where I saw myself and I said I'd love to be here for 25 years and retire knowing that I made a contribution to this community. It's still the same answer."