Her name is a mouthful, yet it's going above the title on the marquee (and Playbills) of Broadway's Nine. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music grad ('99) Sara Gettelfinger is getting her big break. Understudy to Jane Krakowski since Nine opened, Gettelfinger took over the name-above-the-title role of Carla last week when Krakowski finished her contract.

Now it looks as if she'll get to keep it. According to reports by New York dailies and dot.coms, the producers have decided on the time-honored tradition of going with a talented unknown (TV sitcom star Jenna Elfman didn't pan out).

Not that Gettelfinger is unknown in the business. She's a veteran of the Broadway companies of Seussical and The Boys from Syracuse and the national tour of Fosse.

CCM fans will remember long-legged Gettelfinger for her performances in the title role of Sweet Charity and as Roxanne in Cyrano.

Making the cast

• Marni Penning, who just completed a run in Taming of the Shrew at Cincinnati Shakespeare, will be among the featured performers in The Comedy of Errors at the prestigious Folger Theatre in Washington next spring. She'll play Adriana, the hard-pressed wife of a philandering husband.

• Catch some of the Cincinnati Shakespeare ensemble in Cincinnati Symphony's Young People's concert at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. Artistic director Nick Rose is Romeo (to Sunshine Cappelletti's Juliet), and associate artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips is Tybalt and everyone else in a program that weaves together Shakespeare's classic with excerpts from classical compositions and ballet. Sarah Ioannides conducts, Linda Reiff choreographs and Playhouse education director Bert Goldstein directs.

Indiana arts award

Congratulations to Historic Downtown Rising Sun and the city of Rising Sun. On Thursday in Indianapolis, the city will receive its 2003 Indiana Governor's Arts Award in the category of community arts support.

The award honors Rising Sun for embracing the arts as an economic and community development strategy that attracted artists, art galleries and arts-related manufacturing business and revitalized the city's downtown district.

Ensemble signs up

Ensemble Theatre will begin signed/interpreted performances for the deaf for main stage shows on every third Wednesday, beginning this week for Blue/Orange.

Reunion at Covedale

Elder High School theater alums are enjoying a small reunion at Covedale Center for the Performing Arts these nights.

Camelot opens Thursday with Greg Procaccino (class of '76) as director, Mark Trierweiler (class of '74) as set designer, Denny Reed (class of '79) as lighting designer (and Covedale's resident technical director) and Tim Perrino (class of '74), managing and artistic director of the Covedale (and Showboat Majestic) as well as proud recipient of the Elder Outstanding Alumni Award for Cultural Enrichment.

Perrino and Procaccino were in shows together at Elder, and at Edgecliff College's outdoor summer theater Perrino was Lancelot to Procaccino's Arthur.

Camelot continues through Nov. 9 at Covedale (4990 Glenway Ave.) For reservations and information, call the box office at 241-6550.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com