By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music drama department chief Richard Hess is moonlighting at Dayton's Human Race these nights as the director of Terrence McNally's romantic comedy Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune. It opens Thursday and continues through Dec. 21. Call (937) 228-3630 or toll-free (888) 228-3630.

• Xavier Players and Cincinnati World Cinema are joining forces next weekend for a short series of screen and stage works on thrill killers Leopold and Loeb.

Events start Thursday with a production of Never the Sinner at Xavier's Gallagher Student Center Studio Theater (continuing through Dec. 7). Sinner is written by John Logan, screenwriter for films such as Gladiator, Star Trek: Nemesis and The Last Samurai. Elinore Dial directs. Information: 745-3939.

Cincinnati World Cinema will screen Compulsion at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Swoon at 4 p.m. next Sunday in Kelly Auditorium in Alter Hall on Xavier's campus. There will be post-screening discussions following both films. Call Tim Swallow at (859) 781-8151 or visit www.cincyworldcinema.com.

• Ten Thousand Villages hosts a shopping day to benefit League of Cincinnati Theatres on Dec. 8. Villages is a not-for-profit retail shop (2011 Madison Road, O'Bryonville) that specializes in handcrafted work by international artisans.

Identify yourself as a League supporter and 20 percent of your purchases will be contributed to the League.

• Audition for Rent - on the Internet. Trying out for a Broadway show from the comfort of your own home kind of kills the romance of discovering an unknown in the chorus, but if you're thinking about being a musical star and have some spare time over the holidays, go for it.

Make a VHS tape or mini DV tape following audition guidelines on wannabeinrent.com. (Tapes have to be postmarked by Jan. 2.)

Casting director Bernard Telsey will select 15 finalists, those audition videos will be posted on the Web site on Jan. 16 and visitors will vote there through Jan. 30 when the three top vote-getters will be announced and flown to New York to audition.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com