Thursday, September 30, 2010

Brownsville Celebrates Opening of Historic Thompson House Restaurant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Jeffrey Wilhelm
Robert Kovach

724-785-4744

Historic Thompson House Restaurant, Shops Set Stage for October Openings

BROWNSVILLE, Pa. (Sept. 29) – Marking another milestone for an award-winning restoration project, entrepreneurs Jeffrey Wilhelm and Robert Kovach this weekend will reopen the Thompson House Restaurant and Tavern along with three retail shops in the historic 7,600-square-foot mansion in Brownsville Borough.

The grand opening of the Thompson House, located at 815 Water St., will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring live music and complimentary dessert bar with coffee and tea. The Thompson House's re-launch is the first of three business openings planned in October for Brownsville Borough's re-emerging business district.

The four-story landmark, originally named Wayside Manor, was built in 1906 by Thomas H. Thompson as a single-family residence. In the early 1990s, Mary Jean Cicconi, a retired professor from California University of Pennsylvania, undertook the building's restoration and conversion into a restaurant and shop space. The project was accorded the 1994 Outstanding Achievement Award for historical preservation by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Wilhelm and Kovach, Brownsville residents for 13 years, acquired the mansion in January to become part of the borough's business revitalization and fulfill their longtime dreams to own a dining establishment. The former owner – a Brownsville native – closed the commercial property two years ago due to her health.

The Thompson House reopening will create an immediate 16 part-time jobs in the borough and more in the future as the business grows. The co-owners have hired an architect to transition two second-floor bedrooms into overnight suites for a boutique bed and breakfast. Future plans include a Civil War Ball to be held in conjunction with National Pike Days, dinner-theater weekends, live music and ongoing partnerships with local events.

The Thompson House's 54-seat restaurant was introduced with a soft opening two weeks ago. Saturday's grand opening debuts the Thompson Tavern, a lower-level casual-dining venue with seating for 30, and a banquet room for up to 35 guests. Also opening is River Bend, a fine collectibles and antique shop; Ye Ole Shoppe, a country store with general merchandise, including specialty candies; and a folk art shop. Two more shops will soon light the balance of the 2,400 square feet of retail space.

Wilhelm manages the kitchen and Kovach, the Tavern. The cuisine features recipes from Wilhelm's family and chefs he's assisted. Dining options include appetizers, salads, specialty sandwiches, desserts and full-course selections. Thompson House Restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thompson Tavern, daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; and the retail shops, daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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EDITOR'S NOTE:

Saturday's grand opening will include a complimentary dessert bar with coffee and tea for media and customers.

Jeffrey Wilhelm and Robert Kovach are available for interviews before and during the grand opening of the landmark property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Additional feature: The co-owners' home has historic ties to the Thompson House, a fact they discovered after the 104-year-old mansion was bought.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Dignity and Respect Month Kicks Off

WHAT

Dignity & Respect Month Kickoff

WHO

Ruth Byrd-Smith – Director of Allegheny County Minority Women

Candi Castleberry-Singleton – UPMC Chief Inclusion Officer

Denise Jones – Venango County Chief Clerk and County Administrator

Dr. Patrick Swift – Author, Psychologist, NYU School of Medicine Faculty

Susan Williams – Executive Director, Venango Chamber

Dawnita Wilson – Program Director, Inclusion Initiative at UPMC

Dignity and Respect Champion Awardees
http://www.dignityandrespectcampaign.com/drchampions.php

Community Organizations

WHEN
Thursday, September 30
8:30 am – welcome
9:00 to 10:00 am – program

WHERE

UPMC Herberman Conference Center
5150 Centre Avenue in Shadyside

WHY

The Dignity and Respect Campaign believes that inclusion begins with the core belief that everyone deserves dignity and respect. Originally envisioned as an internal UPMC program, the Dignity and Respect Campaign expanded to a community-wide effort in October 2009. Since then, approximately 22,500 people have taken the pledge to treat others with dignity and respect.

http://www.dignityandrespectcampaign.com/takepledge.php

County Executive Dan Onorato’s proclamation naming October as Dignity and Respect Month in Allegheny County will be delivered at the kick-off event. Eight recipients of the Dignity & Respect Champion award will be honored. Plans for the first Dignity & Respect Fall Festival scheduled for Saturday, October 16 at Schenley Plaza will be announced.

For more information

Stephanie Rex – sar@judith-kelly.com
412.281.0995 – office; 724.841.2481 – cell
To Schedule an Advance Interview with Dawnita Wilson – contact Stephanie Rex

9.28.10

Stephanie A. Rex
Project Associate
Judith Kelly + Associates, LLC
Investment Building
239 Fourth Avenue - Suite 1811
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1716
412.281.0995 - phone
412.281.0996 - fax
http://www.judith-kelly.com/

Monday, September 27, 2010

UMOJA Celebrates Dignity and Respect Fall Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Stephanie Rex
412.281.0995
sar@judith-kelly.com


Inaugural Dignity & Respect Fall Festival Announced

Event to be held Saturday, Oct. 16 at Schenley Plaza

(PITTSBURGH, PA) Sept. 22, 2010 – UMOJA, which means “unity” in Swahili, is the name of a local African arts company that will celebrate that very concept with the Dignity and Respect Campaign’s inaugural Fall Festival, a bridge between all ages, cultures, and backgrounds expressed through food, music, and fun.

“This festival is an evolution of the Dignity and Respect Campaign and is a perfect way for the entire community to celebrate Dignity and Respect Month” said Dawnita Wilson, Program Director, Inclusion Initiatives at UPMC and the local Dignity and Respect Campaign Manager. “This is a great way for the community to get involved and engaged in driving the message that everyone deserves dignity and respect.”

The first ever Dignity and Respect Fall Festival will take place on Oct. 16, 2010 from 11 am to 4 pm at Schenley Plaza in Oakland. The festival will include giveaways, multicultural entertainment, health and educational information, community resource tables and vendor exhibits, and games for everyone. It is free and open to the public.

Community organizations and performers will be joining together to celebrate each other’s missions of equality and inclusion, in addition to adding different flavors of musicians and dancers representing cultures from around the world.

Activities include rock climbing provided by Venture Outdoors – an organization that works to promote Pittsburgh’s natural amenities, highlight the quality of life, foster a greater appreciation for the environment, inspire an active lifestyle and create a shared sense of community. Yoga classes every half hour and crafts for all ages also will be provided along with several other activities. Steel Dragon will perform at the festival, and originally started out as a lion dance team, but now includes kung fu, and Baiyuan Tongbei. Instructor Chris Young has more than 15 years of martial arts experience in several styles. UMOJA African Arts Company also will provide children’s crafts and face painting, and promotes the indigenous culture of Africa in the U.S.

Exhibitors include GLENDA – an organization that fosters appreciation for gays, lesbians, and all people by working together with diverse communities to make the region a better place; Strong Women Strong Girls, an organization that works to build upon the lessons learned from strong women throughout history to encourage girls and young women become strong women themselves; and the United Way.

Vendors include Ten Thousand Villages – a store that produces handmade gifts, jewelry, home décor, art and sculpture, textiles, serve ware and personal accessories that represent the diverse cultures of artisans in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. TTV works to improve the lives of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 different countries. Proceeds go to food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who are unemployed or underemployed. East End Food Co-op also joins the festival and creates, promotes and works to sustain a healthy, strong and vibrant local community that serves the need for physical well-being, mutual respect, social connectedness and economic vitality. They are Pittsburgh's only member-owned natural and organic food market.

Sponsored by the Center for Inclusion at UPMC and Allegheny County, the Fall Festival features live bands, crafters, dancers and more throughout the day – for the entire family.

The Dignity & Respect Campaign is an awareness campaign designed to join individuals, community leaders, community organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and corporations under the common notion that everyone deserves dignity and respect. For more information call 412.864.3582 or e-mail dandrcampaign@gmail.com.
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Pittsburgh Irish & Cultural Theatre Announce 2011 Season

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

Associate Artistic Director and Director of Marketing
412.561.6000 x203
mgrande@picttheatre.org

http://www.picttheatre.org/

Release on or after September 15, 2010

“Dynamic Duos” take the stage in PICT’s 2011 season
Timeless, iconic lovers, the world’s most famous detective and his sidekick, TWO plays at the SAME time with the SAME cast, and more pairs fill out the upcoming season!

Pittsburgh, PA – September 13, 2010. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre packs its fifteenth year of theatrical excellence with an exciting array of productions running from May through September, concluding with a special end-of-year production for the holidays. The anniversary season includes one of Shakespeare’s greatest romantic tragedies, a provocative new comic drama from David Mamet, and four fantastic comedies!

PICT launches the season with a lavish production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, followed by Alan Ayckbourn’s House & Garden. The season continues with Conall Morrison’s hilarious and innovative production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and David Mamet’s funny and incendiary new play Race (pending licensing). Hugh Leonard’s comic Mask of Moriarity, featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, wraps up the season at the year-end holidays. The Storytellers Series: Second Helpings features readings of plays by PICT 2011 playwrights Alan Ayckbourn, David Mamet, and Hugh Leonard.

A rarely-produced tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra is a story of love and loss that features two of the most famous star-crossed lovers the world has ever known. A Roman General and an Egyptian Queen, Mark Antony and Cleopatra are great leaders of their time who share a passion for each other – but at a price. Power, politics and betrayal overshadow their doomed and legendary affair. Joining critically-acclaimed Shakespearean actor Sam Tsoutsouvas as Mark Antony is the incomparable Helena Ruoti as Cleopatra.

Tsoutsouvas’ previous PICT credits include Henry IV, Parts I and II, Heartbreak House, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and No Man’s Land. His Broadway credits include By Jeeves, Dracula, and Our Country’s Good. He also played Salieri in the first national tour of Amadeus.

Ruoti is the 1985 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year. Her PICT credits include The Seagull, King Lear, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. She is currently starring in The Royal Family at Pittsburgh Public Theatre.

Antony and Cleopatra is generously underwritten in part through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through their Shakespeare in American Communities program. PICT is one of only four recipients of this grant in the state of Pennsylvania, and the only one in Pittsburgh.

Antony and Cleopatra plays May 4 through 21 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

Alan Ayckbourn’s comic triumph House & Garden pits actors, directors and crew against the clock! One of the most clever duos written for the stage, House & Garden are two separate comedies that play in the Charity Randall and the Henry Heymann theatres simultaneously…with the SAME CAST! Co-directed by Andrew S. Paul and Melissa Hill Grande, the plays can be seen singly, and in no particular order, and play June 23 through July 17. House will be performed in the Charity Randall, and Garden in the Henry Heymann theatre.

The plays are both set in the household of Teddy Platt, a wealthy philanderer awaiting a visit from a Tory power-broker who can establish Platt’s political career. Everything that can go wrong on this most important of days is destined to occur, as Platt’s wife refuses to acknowledge his existence, his affair with the wife of his best friend and neighbor is revealed, his daughter is seduced and discarded by the visiting politico, and his head is turned by a glamorous French actress who is the celebrity guest star for the community fete at the bottom of his garden. Further down the social scale, ongoing conflict is coming to a head between the gardener, the housekeeper and her promiscuous daughter, and the couple who’ve come to set up the fete is headed for marital disaster. Boozers and cuckolds, insanity and depravity all come together for one fantastic story told in two hilarious plays.

Irish director Conall Morrison makes his Pittsburgh debut with The Importance of Being Earnest, featuring a cast comprised entirely of gentlemen. Morrison’s production begins in The Brasserie Dauphine, Paris, 1900, three months before Wilde's death. In the brief prologue (written by Morrison), Wilde is busy drinking himself to death when the bar patrons come to life as the characters from his most famous play. Alan Stanford (director, Salome, Betrayal, Celebration) returns to PICT to play Oscar Wilde and Lady Bracknell, roles which he originated in Morrison’s Abbey Theatre production of the play. Stanford’s extensive acting resume includes Pozzo in the Gate Theatre production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which is recorded for the Beckett on Film series and toured through Pittsburgh in 2006; Salieri in Amadeus, for which he received a Harveys Theatre Award for Best Actor; as well as Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Higgins in Pygmalion, and Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses – all performances which were nominated for Harveys Theatre Awards. Wilde’s razor-sharp wit and a lively male cast make Earnest the crowd pleaser of the summer, playing August 4 through 27 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

Conall Morrison is an associate artist at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, where he premiered his adaptations of Patrick Kavanagh’s Tarry Flynn and Dion Boucicault’s The Colleen Bawn, both of which transferred to acclaimed runs at London’s Royal National Theatre. Renowned for his fiercely physical style, his many other Abbey productions include Hamlet, Brian Friel’s The Freedom of the City, and Tom Murphy’s A Whistle in the Dark. A native of Northern Ireland, his productions at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast include Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock, and Murphy’s Conversation on a Homecoming. He made his American debut at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis with the American premiere of the Boublil/Schonberg musical Martin Guerre. Morrison previously collaborated with Alan Stanford on the Abbey Theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest. This is his PICT debut.

PICT heats up the fall with David Mamet’s latest Broadway hit, Race.

The creator of Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables, Speed-the-Plow, and Boston Marriage (PICT 2006), Mamet returns with his most anticipated work in years. Race is set in the law offices of Jack Lawson, who is white, and his partner Henry Brown. We meet them as they’re deciding whether to represent Charles Strickland, a white man accused of raping a black woman. The answers aren’t black and white in this incendiary story about the perceptions and realities that color our world, and the subtle shades between being a victim and being victimized.

Race may be the central theme, but Mamet is also interested in how differences – in color, gender, ethnicity, and class – foster a lack of communication and breed resentment. Race is directed by PICT Artistic Director Andrew S. Paul, and plays September 8 through October 1 in the Henry Heymann Theatre.

The 2011 season ends on a high note with two characters more widely known than any figures from history – the dynamic duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! Holmes and his faithful sidekick come up against their most brilliant and dastardly malefactor in The Mask of Moriarity, a comedy thriller by beloved Irish playwright Hugh Leonard (Da, A Life). Leonard throws everything into the mix from mop-headed hunchbacks to Hitler’s secret parentage – even the identity of Jack the Ripper! This frothy holiday comedy features PICT company members and Pittsburgh favorites David Whalen as Holmes and Martin Giles as Watson.

Whalen’s previous PICT credits include Julius Caesar, Stuff Happens (2007 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year), and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (also at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis – 2008 Kevin Kline Award, Best Actor).

Giles’ previous PICT credits include The Gigli Concert (2002 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year), Uncle Vanya, St. Nicholas, and What the Butler Saw.

The Mask of Moriarity plays November 30 through December 18 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

This year’s Storytellers Series plays on the theme of Dynamic Duos by giving audiences the opportunity to experience a second play by three of the authors featured in the mainstage season. Second helpings of comedies by Alan Ayckbourn, David Mamet and Hugh Leonard will be served up throughout the year. Relatively Speaking, Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical look at relationships, will be read on May 16th. David Mamet’s Romance on July 11, and Hugh Leonard’s The Patrick Pearse Motel on September 19. All readings begin at 7 p.m.

For more information, phone 412.561.6000 or visit the PICT website at www.picttheatre.org.
# # #



Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre 2011 Season Fact Sheet
The Charity Randall & Henry Heymann Theatres, Stephen Foster Memorial,
4301 Forbes Avenue, Oakland

Main Stage Productions
Antony & Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
Directed by TBA
The Charity Randall Theatre
May 4-21, 2011
(10 a.m. Student Matinees on May 4th and 10th)

House & Garden
Two plays by Alan Ayckbourn
Co-directed by Andrew S. Paul and Melissa Hill Grande
The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres
June 23-July 17, 2011

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Conall Morrison
The Charity Randall Theatre
August 4-27, 2011

Race
Directed by Andrew S. Paul
Henry Heymann Theatre
September 8-October 1, 2011

The Mask of Moriarty by Hugh Leonard
Directed by TBA
The Charity Randall Theatre
November 30- December 18, 2011
(10 a.m. Student Matinees November 30th and December 6th)

Storytellers Series: Second Helpings
Relatively Speaking by Alan Ayckbourn- May 16
Romance by David Mamet – July 11
The Patrick Pearse Motel by Hugh Leonard – September 19
Tickets:
Subscriptions: $270 - $216
(wide range of packages and flex plans available)
Single Tickets: $50 - $40 ($20 under 25)

Storytellers Series with subscription: $30 for all 3 shows
Storytellers Series single tickets: $15

Subscriptions are available by calling Eric Nelson at 412.561.6000 x206

Call ProArts Tickets at 412-394-3353 or visit PICT online at www.picttheatre.org
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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Women and Girls Foundation Celebrate Women in Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elizabeth Waickman
Communications Coordinator
412.434.4883
Elizabeth@wgfpa.org


Fifteen Local “Women in Media” to be Honored at Women and Girls Foundation Gala November 6, 2010

Event will honor artists , editors, reporters, producers, filmmakers, bloggers, and professionals in the media world who are raising awareness and shaping the coverage of women and girls’ stories in our region.

PITTSBURGH—The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) will celebrate “Women in Media” this November with a Gala Award Ceremony honoring women in our region leading the way in print, radio, PR, TV, in film and on the internet, and those utilizing multiple media to promote and amplify the voices of women and girls. These honorees are making our region a better place for women and girls to thrive through their advocacy and influence on our region’s media outlets. WGF’s annual gala celebrating “Women in Media,” sponsored by UPMC, and Chaired by WQED Multimedia incoming CEO Deborah Acklin, will be held on November 6, 2010, at the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture in Downtown Pittsburgh, from 6 – 10 p.m. The ceremony will be emceed by Laverne Baker Hotep, Patrice King Brown, Eleanor Schano and Sally Wiggin, and will include a Keynote Address by filmmaker, Abigail Disney.

In 2005, WGF pledged to honor a select group of women every year who are engaged in dynamic work in exciting and challenging career fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania. These annual events honor women innovators and inspire young women to see the range of career options available to them in a myriad of fields. Through honoring these women, WGF tangibly demonstrates how women are having leadership impact in shaping the Southwest Pennsylvania region. Previous WGF events include “Women in Science,” “Women in the Material World,” “Women in Sports,” and in 2009, WGF celebrated its 5th Anniversary by honoring “Women Shaping the Law” at the August Wilson Center.

“As the role of media in our lives is changing, so is the emerging role of women in media. From Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow on the national scene to Pittsburgh’s own Deborah Acklin and Virginia Montanez, women are making an impact as leaders and innovators in traditional and new media that is very exciting.” said Heather Arnet, Chief Executive Officer of the Women and Girls Foundation.

WGF’s “Women in Media” event will feature a keynote address by award winning filmmaker and grandniece of media tycoon Walt Disney, Abigail Disney. Disney’s first film, the feature-length documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, which won the Best Documentary Feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008, tells the inspirational story of the women of Liberia and their successful efforts to bring peace to their broken nation after decades of destructive civil war. Disney will give a keynote address at the awards ceremony on the power of media and women’s voices to bring peace to the world, and her film will be screened after the awards ceremony. Disney has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences on the changing face of philanthropy, women’s leadership and the importance of living a life of engaged and intelligent volunteerism.

“I am so proud to chair this event, honoring so many brilliant trailblazers, and helping to raise support for a critical resource in our community, that I care about deeply. We owe it to our girls to constantly inspire them with new options and new heroes,” said Event Chair and WGF Board member, Deborah Acklin.

At the November 6, 2010 Award Ceremony fourteen “Women in Media” will be honored, along with a special Award of Distinction, the first in WGF’s history, to be presented to blogger and writer Virginia Montanez for her innovative and brilliant use of social media to raise awareness of the need for local political reform, and her critical role in rallying public support to save the orphans of the BRESMA orphanage in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, earlier this year.

In addition to Virginia Montanez’s Award of Distinction, the Women in Media Honorees include:

Cynthia Closkey, President, Big Big Design, Co-Founder, PodCamp Pittsburgh, and Developer, iTwixie.com

Elaine Effort, Radio Newscaster, KQV Radio

Heather Starr Fiedler, Creator, PittsburghMom.com, New Media Professor, Point Park University

Vanessa German, Multi-media artist, writer, sculptor, performer and photographer

Mary Robb Jackson, News Reporter, KDKA-TV

Sally Kalson, Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lauren Lawley Head, Editor, Pittsburgh Business Times

Beverly Morrow-Jones, Executive Director of Marketing, VisitPittsburgh

Debbie Norrell, Lifestyles Columnist, New Pittsburgh Courier

Cindy Skrzycki, Journalism Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Heide Waldbaum, Technical Production Manager for the film AVATAR, Visiting Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute

Shaina Wallace, Hip Hop Artist, High School Student at Westinghouse High School

Carolyn Wean, Retired Media Executive

Rosemary Welsch, Radio DJ, WYEP

The “Women in Media” Host Committee includes:

Deborah L. Acklin, WQED Multimedia CEO and WGF Board Member, Women in Media Chair

Betsy Benson, Pittsburgh Magazine

Patrice King Brown, KDKA

Tracey DeAngelo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bridgette Driver, FedEx Ground

Laverne Baker Hotep, Center for Victims of Violent Crime

Dawn Keezer, Pittsburgh Film Office

Joyce Kossol, Entrepreneur and WGF Board Member

Mary C. Leonard, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maria Lupinacci, 2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com

Frances Sansig Monahan, Ms. Mon’s Salon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh City Paper

Lindsay Patross, IHeartPGH.com

Eleanor Schano, Pittsburgh Television Personality

Laura Staniland, Civics Lab and Logoco Media

Sally Wiggin, WTAE

For more information about WGF and the upcoming celebration of “Women in Media,” visit www.wgfpa.org or call 412-434-4883.

About Women and Girls Foundation

The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (WGF) is an independent community-based foundation serving eleven counties in Southwest Pennsylvania. Our mission is to achieve equity for women and girls in the region. The Women and Girls Foundation promotes social change in our region by addressing fundamental social inequalities and raising the awareness of these inequities to the media, to voters, to legislators, and corporate and non-profit decision makers. By serving as an independent and clear voice, the foundation strives to bring together women and men in our region to work together to find solutions to create sustained equity for all of its citizens. For more information, visit www.wgfpa.org or call 412.434.4883.

About UPMC

UPMC is an $8 billion integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania‘s largest employer, with almost 50,000 employees, UPMC is transforming the economy of the region into one based on medicine, research, and technology. By integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities, and a major health insurance services division, and in collaboration with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care and developed internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopaedics, and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializing its medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategic business relationships with some of the world‘s leading multinational corporations, and expanding into international markets, including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Japan. For more information visit www.UPMC.com. For more information about the UPMC Dignity and Respect campaign, visit http://www.upmc.com/aboutupmc/CommunityCitizenship/inclusion/Pages/inclusion-focus.aspx.
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Addison Behavioral Care Honors News Anchors

For Immediate Release:
Contact:  Bernadette Turner, M.S.
Executive Director
Addison Behavioral Care

412-731-2353

News Anchors are honored for their contributions Away from the news desk at annual fundraiser

Pittsburgh, PA, September 3, 2010:  Addison Behavioral Care is a non-profit organization that understands the importance of charitable giving.  Becasue of the commitment and dedication it tales to volunteer and contribute to organizations like Addison, we will recognize those who always recognize others, News Anchors.  On October 21, 2010, Addison will honor local newscasters for their charitable efforts at the Anchors Away Awards Ceremony.  The internal chair is Pittsburgh's own Corey O'Connor, Community Representative for US Congressman Mike Doyle and current board member of Addison Behavioral Care.

News anchors from local stations (WPXI, KDKA, WTAE and WQED) will be awarded for their involvement with charitable organizations.  Honorees include Tamyka Artist, Chris Moore, Brenda Waters, Sheldon Ingram, Tonia Caruso and more.  The Keynote speaker for the evening will be Michael Bernarding, Executive Director of ALS Western PA and Chairman, Power of 32.  Michael's dedication to raising awareness for charity will highlight the events of the evening which include live entertainment and dinner.

The recognition ceremony will take place at the Churchill Country Club Thursday, October 21, 2010, with a reception beginning at 6:30 pm and the Awards Ceremony at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are on sale now.  All proceeds benefit programs of Addison Behavioral Care, whose mission is to provide culturally sensitive services to infants, youth, adults and families, helping them focus on their quality of life.  Addison Behavioral Care specializes in substance abuse prevention, intervention and treatment.  For more information, email events@abcpgh.org or call 412-731-2353 x112.

http://www.abcpgh.org/

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Pittsburgh Festival of Lights Illuminates Splendors of Art & Culture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Veronica Corpuz, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

412.471.6082 / corpuz@pgharts.org

Joey Vallarian, Duquesne Light Company

412.232.6848/jvallarian@duqlight.com



PITTSBURGH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ILLUMINATES

“SPLENDORS” OF ART & CULTURE



October 1-17, 2010 – Various sites throughout Cultural District

PITTSBURGH, PA: The Pittsburgh Festival of Lights -- powered by Duquesne Light -- returns to the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District under the auspices of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, October 1-17, 2010, dusk to midnight. In its fourth year, the event is designed to bring people to the Cultural District to enjoy the lights and much more, including great restaurants, hotels, theaters, and galleries. Visit pgharts.org for a map of all the locations.

Kicking off on Friday, October 1, during the Trust’s Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, the Festival of Lights features a mixture of large outdoor lighting installations by UK-based artist Ross Ashton, a series of storefront projects by local artists and designers, and a variety of temporary lighting enhancements to the streetscape of Penn Avenue. Pittsburgh Festival of Lights is made possible through generous support from Duquesne Light.

Ross Ashton, noted creative director and projection artist, brings his energy to Pittsburgh this year, designing four major installations that take visitors on a lighting trail from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to the back of Heinz Hall, home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Ashton is inspired by the culture of Pittsburgh as evidenced in “Old Bones,” a tribute to the Carnegie Museums of Natural History’s dinosaur collection and a vast façade installation at the Convention Center showcasing imagery from “Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art,” an exhibit on display at the Heinz History Center, October 2, 2010 – January 9, 2011. The installations are:

“Splendors” - David L. Lawrence Convention Center, corner of 10th Street & Penn Avenue

“Hope”- Catholic Charities Building, Diocese of Pittsburgh, 9th St. between Liberty & Penn Avenues

“Old Bones” - Mahla Office Furniture, 713 Penn Avenue, viewed from 8th Street at Penn Ave.

“Cascade” - Heinz Hall, home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 7th Street, between Liberty & Penn Avenues

Traveling down Penn Avenue, visitors will also find smaller light installations by local artists in storefronts, including those by students in the CMU School of Drama. Participating artists include Michael Berger, Matt Bialek, R. Grant Bobitski, Bart Cortland, Shawn Farester, Alicia Fronczek, Russell Gilbert, Joshua Hogan, Matthew Indovina, Cindy Limauro, Teddy Sosna, Milim Sung and Christine Whispell.

Temporary lighting enhancements include the lighting of Agnes R. Katz Plaza, a project of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust; Fountain of Hope at David L. Lawrence Convention Center (entrance on 10th Street at Penn Avenue); and transforming the color of the street lamps along on Penn Avenue, between 10th and Seventh Streets.

About Ross Ashton – Projection Artist

Ross Ashton was born in Sheffield in 1961. Having trained in photography and theater he moved to London and began to work in video and slide projection. After spending four years in Paris working with a variety of visual media, he began specializing in High Power Projection in 1992.

Ashton’s years of experience have produced an instinctive understanding of the relationship between artwork and structure, light and surface, object and subject. The size and scale of his work has led to both commissioned, stand-alone works and broader based large shows designed and created for national and international audiences. His commissioned piece ‘son et lumière’ has received worldwide attention.

“Many of the buildings that I work with are historically protected or world heritage sites,” commented Ashton. “It is not possible to physically manipulate these buildings in any way on a permanent basis. Re-manipulating the architecture within the projection allows the possibility of changing and re-imagining these buildings on a transitory basis.”

He added, “It is a great pleasure to be back in Pittsburgh. I am looking forward to working here again. I feel at home here, being from a transformed steel town myself.”

Project acknowledgements for the Pittsburgh Festival of Lights -- powered by Duquesne Light -- include: Alco Parking, Allegheny City Electric, August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Pittsburgh, City of Pittsburgh, Department of Public Works, Courtyard by Marriott, Downtown Pittsburgh, EQT, Heinz Hall - home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mahla Office Furniture, Mark’s Grille and Catering, moxie DaDA, Pittsburgh Parking Authority, RIDC, Rugby Realty, Senator John Heinz History Center, Sports & Exhibition Authority.

Downloadable art: http://pressroom.pgharts.org/?p=446
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Patrick Combs Perfoms in Man1, Bank 0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Randy Kirk
412-325-6766
kirk@pgharts.org

Patrick Combs to Perform Man 1, Bank 0 at The Cabaret at Theater Square

September 30th, 2010

PITTSBURGH – Patrick Combs tells the amazing-but-true story of how he deposited a $95,093.35 junk-mail check marked ‘non-negotiable’ – hoping to spread a little banking cheer to tellers - and how it erupted into a staggering and funny David vs Goliath-like adventure that still continues today if you count his internationally touring, award winning, off-Broadway one-man show entitled, Man 1, Bank 0.

What happens after the bank cashes the ridiculous check? To name only a few things: angry banking officers threatening “jail time” and “death”; the nation’s leading authority on banking coming out of retirement; astonishing legal twists; and worldwide media coverage (including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Good Morning America and calls from Letterman & Leno).

The show sold out in New York during its off-Broadway run at the Lambs Theatre in the heart of Times Square. It also sold out at HBO’s 2004 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival held in Aspen; sold out its six show run and garnered “Critic’s Choice” at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston; sold out its 10 show run in Winnipeg where it created 3 hour ticket lines, hundreds were turned away and it garnered the “Best of Fest” award; sold out the Comedy Central Stage in Los Angeles; won “Best of Fest” at the San Francisco Fringe where it also sold out and was awarded “Best Solo Comedy”; sold out in Auckland where it was an official selection of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival; sold out in Montreal and won the Just For Laughs prize for Best Comedy.

Patrick Combs is a former TV personality for Paramount's hit shows, Real TV and Hard Copy where he was the star of humorous hidden camera segments. He also has appeared on many national shows including Good Morning America and The Late Show. As a solo performer, he has toured continuously for fourteen years, entertaining audiences as large as two thousand people, and in theaters such as the Comedy Central Stage in Hollywood, the Herald Theatre at the Aoeta Centre in Auckland, the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Exit Theatre in San Francisco, and the American Theatre in Charleston.

There is one performance scheduled at 10:30 P.M. on Thursday, September 30th, with doors opening at 10:00 P.M. for optional dinner and drink service. Tickets are $16.00 and are available by calling the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Box Office at 412-456-6666, or online at pgharts.org.

Hi-Res pictures are available directly from the show’s website gallery at www.man1bank0.com.

For more information on this event, please contact Randy Kirk at 412-325-6766, or at kirk@pgharts.org.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

2010 ATHENA Awards Names Bernadette Smith

For Immediate Release


Contact:

Abby Sadowsky
Allegheny Conference on Community Development and Affiliates
(412) 281-4783, Ext. 2268
asadowsky@alleghenyconference.org

Bernadette Smith Named 2010 ATHENA Award Recipient

at Memorable 20th Anniversary ATHENA Luncheon



(Pittsburgh, PA – Monday, September 20, 2010) The 2010 Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Award recipient is Bernadette Eyler Smith, CFP, Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Fifth Third Bank. She was presented with this honor at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development’s 20th Anniversary ATHENA Award luncheon at the Westin Convention Center Hotel Pittsburgh.

Among five other inspirational finalists, Smith was chosen for best embodying the ATHENA Award criteria: demonstrating excellence and creativity in her profession, serving the community and assisting other women in reaching their full leadership potential. The award – named after the Greek goddess of strength and wisdom – is unique among other regional honors for women in business because of its focus on developing the next generation of women leaders through mentorship.

With more than 20 years of investment management experience, Smith directly manages more than $500 million in assets, implementing tailored investment strategies for private and institutional clients. She is also the founder and Managing Executive of the Fifth Third Women’s Financial Group.

Gov. Rendell appointed Smith in 2009 to the Inter-branch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness. Her board service includes the Women & Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania; the YWCA Restaurant Franchise, Inc.; and the FISA Foundation, which works to improve the lives of women, girls and people with disabilities. A breast cancer survivor, she also serves on the board of Gilda’s Club of Western Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Penn State University and Leadership Pittsburgh Class XXIV.

Upon receiving the award, Smith said, “the real goddesses are the leaders and staff of our community organizations who empower women and girls.” She discussed the persistence of the regional wage gap, with women making at least 20% less than their male counterparts, with an even wider gap for women of color. “There is a documented business case for gender diversity; companies with gender diversity produce 35% higher returns than those that don’t.” She closed by issuing a personal challenge to each attendee to get involved in supporting women and girls in our region.

“It’s extraordinary to arrive at our 20th Anniversary and to look ahead to the next decade and beyond. We salute the past recipients that enhance our program’s legacy and welcome Bernadette to that distinguished group. Her marked leadership in a male-dominated field, her depth of service to the community, and her efforts to embolden women and girls to be successful make her a shining example of ATHENA values in action.” said Barbara A. McNees, President of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference.

The other exceptional 2010 finalists, chosen among 39 nominees, were:

• Honorable Cathy Bissoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania

• Eva Tansky Blum, Senior Vice President & Director of Community Affairs, PNC Bank; Chair & President, The PNC Foundation

• Suzan M. Lami, Principal, Lami Grubb Architects, LP

• Laurie Z. MacDonald, Executive Director, Womansplace, Inc.

• Melissa Murphy, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Human Resources, StarKist Co.


The 20th Anniversary event paid special tribute to the program’s two-decade legacy – honoring past ATHENA Award recipients and looking into the future with a special announcement: In 2011, the Pittsburgh ATHENA Award program will also present the ATHENA Young Professional Award, recognizing women leaders age 35 and younger.

The Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Award Program Luncheon maintains its standing as one of the largest stand-alone events of its kind among some 500 presented annually across the globe in affiliation with ATHENA International.

Appropriately, Pittsburgh welcomed the trailblazing founder of Chicago-based ATHENA International and author of Becoming ATHENA: Eight Principles for Enlightened Leadership, Martha Mayhood Mertz, as keynote speaker for the 20th anniversary celebration.

“It was a great honor to give the keynote for this special landmark event and to share my personal perspective on the ‘eight principles of enlightened leadership,’ which are the foundation on which the ATHENA Award Program is built. ATHENA International considers the Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA program to be a best practice model for other such programs across the country and around the world. I’m so pleased to have experienced the 20th anniversary celebration, and that Pittsburgh will begin presenting the ATHENA Young Professional Award next year. Extraordinary women leaders of every generation deserve to be recognized,” said Mertz.

The Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Award Program is made possible by support from the Eden Hall Foundation, EQT Corporation, UPMC Health Plan, PNC, Pittsburgh Magazine, Pittsburgh Business Times, WTAE TV, FedEx Ground, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Don’s Appliances and Sisterson & Co. LLP.

*Recipient photo and other images available upon request.

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development and Affiliates – the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance – work in collaboration with public and private sector partners to stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life in southwestern Pennsylvania. Learn more atwww.alleghenyconference.org.
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Dress for Success South Central PA Opens Harrisburg Career Center

PRESS RELEASE


September 17, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Ruth Koup, Founder and CEO
Dress for Success South Central PA
717-232-1333

Open House & Ribbon Cutting

Launch of Health & Wellness and Career Center Programs

Harrisburg, PA - Dress for Success South Central PA is celebrating the opening of their Harrisburg Career Center. The Career Center offers basic computer training, mock interviews, resources for job search, internet access, job coaching and a new educational "Health & Wellness" series funded by Aetna, adding to the free programs and services already offered by this non-profit. Dress for Success South Central PA has helped over 3500 women gain access to tools necessary for successful entry into the workforce.

A ribbon cutting will be held, in conjunction with the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, on Tuesday, September 21st at 3pm. An open house will follow from 3pm-6pm at 29 South 10th Street Harrisburg, PA. The partnership with the PA Commission for Women Health & Wellness Kiosk project will be announced and will further expand health & wellness informational support offered to Dress for Success clients. The Health Kiosk is available at the Dress for Success Harrisburg Boutique waiting area with remote access linkage to each branch boutique. Clients can access up-to-date critical information about women's health issue. Leslie Stiles, Executive Director of the PA Commission for Women will be in attendance to speak about the Health Kiosk project.

Everyone is welcome to attend: general public, our clients, our volunteers, media professionals, elected officials and their staff are encouraged to attend this open house event to learn more about Dress for Success. Light refreshments, chair massages & a door prize drawing will be held during the open house. For more information please call 717- 232-1333. Free off street parking is permitted at the Market Street Post Office parking lot (along the South 10th Street side).

Dress for Success Clients are invited to stay after the open house or arrive to attend the first Health & Wellness Program event, 6pm to 7:30pm (a healthy meal will be offered): Health Literacy: How to understand basic healthcare information and make informed decisions. The PA Commission for Women's Health Kiosk will be available for use. Clients will need to RSVP to 717-232-1333 to reserve your meal.

About Dress for Success
Dress for Success has more than 105 affiliates in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Poland and the West Indies. Each site is an independent, volunteer-driven non-profit organization committed to fulfilling the Dress for Success mission of promoting the economic independence of disadvantaged women through career development and employment retention.

To learn how you can support the efforts of Dress for Success South Central PA: visit their website at www.dressforsuccess.org/southcentralpa
# # #

World Premiere Performance by Jem Finer at Wood St Galleries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Veronica Corpuz, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (412) 471-6082.

Justin Hopper, Longplayer Pittsburgh project manager (412) 400-9250.



Jem Finer Opens Wood Street Galleries Exhibition with a World Premiere

London-based artist Finer presents a new performance based on his world-renowned 1,000-year-long composition “Longplayer.”

“Longplayer” shows as part of Audio Space, Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2010.

“Shortplayer” debuts with a performance at 9.30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 1, at Wood Street Galleries, after Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Gallery Crawl.

Pittsburgh, PA: Wood Street Galleries is proud to present the world premiere of “Shortplayer,” a new composition by renowned artist and composer Jem Finer. “Shortplayer” will be performed by Finer leading a group of Pittsburgh’s finest musicians at 9:30 p.m. Friday, October 1 at Wood Street Galleries, immediately following the Downtown Gallery Crawl. (“Shortplayer” concert admission is $10/$8 students.) The performance marks the Pittsburgh launch of Finer’s acclaimed artwork Longplayer, a 1,000-year-long composition that has played continuously since 1999, and which arrives in Pittsburgh as part of Wood Street Galleries’ sound-installation show, Audio Space (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2010).

The installation of Longplayer at Wood Street Galleries marks another first, as Pittsburgh joins a remarkable list of sites with Longplayer listening posts including the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, and the Bibliotecha in Alexandria, Egypt. The Wood Street Galleries installation will be the first listening post anywhere between San Francisco and London.

About Longplayer

Created with London-based arts organization Artangel to mark the turn of the millennium, Longplayer is Finer’s response to the difficulty of representing and understanding time on a grander scale. At its core, Longplayer is a mathematically self-generating score—not random, but a set of principles that allow the score to continually create itself in a way that is aesthetically beautiful and musically unique. For 10 years, Longplayer has played through a computer system replicating the sound of Tibetan singing bowls; in 2009, it was performed live for the first time, for 24 hours on real singing bowls. It is not a computer-generated piece: As the hour-long segment “Shortplayer” goes to prove, it can be performed on any instruments, at any stage.

But more importantly, Longplayer is a set of concepts and questions: How to compose in a way immune to changes in the cultural perception of music, changes in technology, and changes in geography and politics? With the listening post and the performance of “Shortplayer,” Finer poses these questions to Pittsburgh’s audiences for the first time.

Jem Finer and the Musicians

Artist and composer Jem Finer is considered a unique voice in exploring issues combining science, technology, and philosophy such as “deep time” through sound installation, autonomous technology, and astronomical sculpture. He has been artist-in-residence at Oxford University’s department of Astrophysics and in 2005 won the PRS Foundation New Music Award for “Score for a Hole in the Ground.” As co-founder and co-writer with famed Irish-punk band The Pogues, Finer has helped create some of the most popular and influential British pop music of the past 25 years.

The musicians gathered to perform “Shortplayer” are some of Pittsburgh’s best-known avant-garde players. Music director David Bernabo has organized the group of horn players including Ben Opie (reeds), Roger Dannenberg (trumpet), Lou Stellute (saxophone), Mark Fromm (reeds), Brandon Masterman (reeds), and Roger Day (tuba).

Contacts and Further Information

For more information on Longplayer and Jem Finer:

http://longplayer.org/

http://www.artangel.org.uk/projects/2000/longplayer

http://elrino.co.uk/

To set up an interview with Jem Finer or any of the musicians involved, contact Justin Hopper, Longplayer Pittsburgh project manager:

412-400-9250

juddy.hopper@gmail.com



GALLERY DETAILS:

Audio Space runs Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2010.

Wood Street Galleries is located at 601 Wood Street above the T-Station in the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Free and open to the public

For more information, call 412-471-5605 or visit woodstreetgalleries.org

Wood Street Galleries is a Project of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Support for Wood Street Galleries has been provided by the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Additional support provided by the Port Authority of Allegheny County and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
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Saturday, September 11, 2010

Brownsville Community Neighborhood Watch September Meeting

Brownsville Community Neighborhood Watch

WHO: Brownsville Community Neighborhood Watch, Brownsville area residents, Fayette County Crime Stoppers

WHAT: Public Meeting/Question & Answer Session

WHEN: Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 @ 7PM

WHERE: Brownsville North Side Fire Company

TOPIC: Representatives from the Fayette County Crime Stoppers will be speaking about their role in stopping crime. Neighborhood Watch President Norma Ryan will offer comments regarding crime watch
in our town. In addition, Mayor Lester Ward will speak about the accountability of the Brownsville Police Department and his personal role in stopping crime. This meeting will be an excellent opportunity for residents to ask questions and voice concerns about crime issues that we are facing. The Neighborhood Watch and Mayor Ward welcome everyone from Brownsville Borough and our surrounding communities to this special event. We want to hear from you! As always, Neighborhood Watch will serve refreshments following the meeting. We welcome all existing and prospective members.
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Friday, September 10, 2010

Fall Gallery Crawl Lights up the Cultural District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082

FALL GALLERY CRAWL LIGHTS UP THE CULTURAL DISTRICT

Featuring East Coast Premiere of “Longplayer” at Wood Street Galleries, Festival of Lights and Middle Eastern dance in Katz Plaza

Part of the 10-day celebration of RADical Days

Friday, October 1, 2010, 5:30-9 pm


PITTSBURGH, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and its Department of Education and Community Engagement light up the Cultural District with its free and festive Gallery Crawl and Festival of Lights on Friday, October 1, 2010, from 5:30 – 9 p.m. This exhilarating arts open house showcases an array of activities throughout the Cultural District with the trademark, eclectic mix of visual art, dance, music and more. The Gallery Crawl is part of the 10-day celebration of the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s RADical Days.

Spotlight events include the Eastern United States premiere of “Longplayer” as part of the Audio Space exhibit at Wood Street Galleries, the opening of the Festival of Lights at various locations throughout the District and an outdoor performance of Middle Eastern music, spoken word and bellydance jam in Katz Plaza.

All Gallery Crawl events are free and open to the public. For more information and a map of the Gallery Crawl events, visit pgharts.org or call (412) 456-6666. The Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District is sponsored by First Commonwealth with media support from City Paper and 91.3fm WYEP.

After the Crawl, visitors are welcome to attend the world premiere of “Shortplayer” featuring a live performance by co-founder of the Pogues Jem Finer, Mark Fromm, Ben Opie, Roger Dannenberg, Brandon Masterman and Roger Day. Admission at the door is $10, $8 for students.

GALLERY CRAWL in the CULTURAL DISTRICT

Wood Street Galleries
601 Wood Street
Audio Space
Sound Installations including Jem Finer and David Rokeby.



Shortplayer @ 9:30 pm
London-based artist Jem Finer leads a group of Pittsburgh’s finest musicians in the world premiere of “Shortplayer,” a new live-performance composition based on the principles of his world-renowned work Longplayer. Admission: $10, $8 for students



SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
Paper Politics

A major collection of contemporary politically and socially engaged printmaking, curated by Josh MacPhee and coordinated by Mary Tremonte. Music by DJ Mary Mack

Pick up your copy of the 2010 Pittsburgh Gallery Guide outside of SPACE

Trust Arts Education Center
805-807 Liberty Avenue
Lower Level (Peirce Studio): Quantum Crumple Amnesia. The Pillow Project presents an ongoing multimedia dance installation every half hour about forever re-exploring the same idea we don’t ever remember ever having.

2nd floor
Move to the Groove with Dance Alloy
6:30 pm Creative Movement for Beginners
7 pm Modern Movement for Adults
7:30 pm Hip Hop for Everyone

Harris Theater
809 Liberty Avenue

Short films and photography by local artists 5:30-8, Multi-projector film performance by Brian Dean Richmond, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Artist of the Year 2010 at 8:30.



Shaw Galleries
805 Liberty Avenue

It’s a Warholian World: Warhol Photos, Prints and Posters

An exhibit featuring vintage photographs of Andy Warhol, along with posthumous prints and vintage posters.



707 Penn Gallery
707 Penn Avenue

TXT

Eric Stern, Dan Waber, Holland Williams and Glenn Wonsettler present the multifaceted nature of text through a variety of mediums. Curated by Kate Little.


709 Penn Gallery
709 Penn Avenue

Nature in Glass

Gary Guydosh interprets nature through glass. Flowers and other nature-inspired pieces are sculpted larger than life to create a landscape of fragile beauty.



Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts
808 Liberty Avenue
Culinary Sculptures

Various sugar and tallow sculpture pieces created by PCI faculty. Hot food and beverages prepared by PCI students available for $1-$1.50



937 Liberty Avenue

Bricolage Space – 1st floor: Attack Theatre’s Game Night & the Seven-Minute Dance Series. Featuring games, dance, art, and drinks beginning at 7:30 pm. Voted one of the best places to meet singles and the best place to play four square with professional dancers.

2nd floor
HELSINKI/PITTSBURGH

New experimental work by a collective of 6 artists consists of various parallel pieces to be executed simultaneously in Helsinki and in Pittsburgh and displayed in an ever-evolving show. The project demonstrates methods for drawing connections between the two kindred cities; multi-media works are infused with elements of swift information gathering, selective observation, and debatable deduction.

Pittsburgh Gospel – 3rd floor
Drag Gospel @ 8 pm

See and hear live performers impersonating some of gospels greatest female artists such as Mahalia Jackson, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams and Tramaine Hawkins – Hosted by Nikki Danielle.

Toonseum
945 Liberty

In Pictopia: An Alan Moore and Don Simpson Masterpiece

Featuring the original art from the entire story, this is the first time this work has been seen in over 20 years! It is a must see for any fan of comics.

Bruno Building
945 Liberty

Instant Urbanism: Creating catalysts for the development of downtown

Students from CMU’s School of Drama’s Lighting Design course and the School of Architecture Urban Laboratory downtown studio explore ways to envision a vibrant visual identity for downtown Pittsburgh


Tonic
971 Liberty (2nd floor gallery space)It Is What It Is…

People, art, music, drinks, food



August Wilson Center for African American Culture
980 Liberty Avenue

In My Father’s House / Performing Arts Exchange

See three new exhibits and also feel free to sit in on the Performing Arts Exchange conference where hundreds of artists, presenters, agents and managers who are passionate about the future of performing arts both on and off the stage

Wrecking Crew Media
209 9th St Suite L100

Click Click / Blow Your Mind / 3 of this Centuries Shooting Stars

An exhibition of contemporary photography

Salon Christine
942 Penn Avenue
Crimson Crossover

Work by 5 local dynamic artists at their finest, including internationally award-winning photographer, Joanne Bartone

Future Tenant
819 Penn Avenue
Eat Me

Curated by Jill Larson, this exhibit contains art that is made from food, exploring themes of desire and need. Also featuring body painting by Rebecca Rose.

Northside Urban Pathways Gallery
914 Penn Avenue
Bridges: A Charter School Collaboration

Northside Urban Pathways and Manchester Academic Charter Schools narrate Pittsburgh’s artistic history and bridge communities through peace and art. Music by Sounds of Steel Steelpan Band, plus other special guests


CAPA Gallery
111 Ninth St.

Uncommon Ground

An exhibition of artwork by Pittsburgh CAPA visual art department students in grades 6-12. Featured work includes sculpture, painting, textiles, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, digital media and photography.

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
810 Penn Avenue, Suite 200

Art on the Walls: Work by Pittsburgh-based artists in GPAC’s first-ever exhibition. Come enjoy light refreshments, see the art, and meet the artist(s) up close and personal.

Backstage Bar
655 Penn Avenue

Live music by Brett Williams Jazz from 5:30-7:30

Katz Plaza
7th St. and Penn Avenue
First Commonwealth Hospitality Spot

Free hot chocolate, coffee and cookies courtesy of First Commonwealth

Moquette Volante

Theatrical Middle Eastern dance company featuring dance, music, and spoken word: Performances 5:45 and 7:15; Belly dance lesson / jam at 6:45; Fire-eating by Morgiana at 8pm


Arthur Murray Dance Studio
136 Sixth Street
Free Dance Lessons

7:30 – Cha Cha, 8:00 – Tango, 8:30 – Swing

Throughout the District
Pittsburgh Festival of Lights

Be inspired and awed during the fourth annual Pittsburgh Festival Lights as buildings throughout the Cultural District become outdoor canvasses for some of the world’s best lighting designers. October 1 – 17, dusk to midnight.

Want to Play Queezel?

Queezel is a mobile game that allows people to learn and explore the city around them while earning perks and discounts. Log onto Queezel.com on your mobile browser during the Crawl to and enter promo code CUDS100110 to play for free
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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Brownsville Honors 9/11 Heroes

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2010

Contact: Blake Fisher Phone: 724.785.9331


Watershed Development Coordinator Fax: 724.785.8626

E-mail: blakef@barcpa.org

Brownsville 9/11 Ceremony

On Saturday September 11, 2010 from 8:30-9:30AM in the Market Street parking lot, the Borough of Brownsville and Mayor Lester Ward are hosting a ceremony to honor the area’s police, fire and emergency personnel as well as those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Participating in the ceremony will be the American Legion Honor Guard, the Brownsville Area High School Marching Band and Reverend Keith Pozzuto of Christ Church.

Please join the Borough and the Mayor as they honor our local police, fire and emergency personnel in Brownsville on Saturday September 11, 2010.

For more information on the event contact Blake Fisher at 724.785.9331 or blakef@barcpa.org
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Women and Girls Foundation Celebrate "Women in Media"

Fifteen Local “Women in Media” to be Honored at Women and Girls Foundation Gala November 6, 2010


Event will honor artists, editors, reporters, producers, filmmakers, bloggers, and professionals in the media world who are raising awareness and shaping the coverage of women and girls’ stories in our region.

The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) will celebrate “Women in Media” this November with a Gala Award Ceremony honoring women in our region leading the way in print, radio, PR, TV, in film and on the internet, and those utilizing multiple media to promote and amplify the voices of women and girls. These honorees are making our region a better place for women and girls to thrive through their advocacy and influence on our region’s media outlets. WGF’s annual gala celebrating “Women in Media,” sponsored by UPMC, and Chaired by WQED Multimedia incoming CEO Deborah Acklin, will be held on November 6, 2010, at the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture in Downtown Pittsburgh, from 6 – 10 p.m. The ceremony will be emceed by Laverne Baker Hotep, Patrice King Brown, Eleanor Schano and Sally Wiggin, and will include a Keynote Address by filmmaker, Abigail Disney.

In 2005, WGF pledged to honor a select group of women every year who are engaged in dynamic work in exciting and challenging career fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania. These annual events honor women innovators and inspire young women to see the range of career options available to them in a myriad of fields. Through honoring these women, WGF tangibly demonstrates how women are having leadership impact in shaping the Southwest Pennsylvania region. Previous WGF events include “Women in Science,” “Women in the Material World,” “Women in Sports,” and in 2009, WGF celebrated its 5th Anniversary by honoring “Women Shaping the Law” at the August Wilson Center.

“As the role of media in our lives is changing, so is the emerging role of women in media. From Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow on the national scene to Pittsburgh’s own Deborah Acklin and Virginia Montanez, women are making an impact as leaders and innovators in traditional and new media that is very exciting.” said Heather Arnet, Chief Executive Officer of the Women and Girls Foundation.

WGF’s “Women in Media” event will feature a keynote address by award winning filmmaker and grandniece of media tycoon Walt Disney, Abigail Disney. Disney’s first film, the feature-length documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell,which won the Best Documentary Feature award at the Tribeca Film Festivalin 2008, tells the inspirational story of the women of Liberia and their successful efforts to bring peace to their broken nation after decades of destructive civil war. Disney will give a keynote address at the awards ceremony on the power of media and women’s voices to bring peace to the world, and her film will be screened after the awards ceremony. Disney has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences on the changing face of philanthropy, women’s leadership and the importance of living a life of engaged and intelligent volunteerism.

“I am so proud to chair this event, honoring so many brilliant trailblazers, and helping to raise support for a critical resource in our community, that I care about deeply. We owe it to our girls to constantly inspire them with new options and new heroes,” said Event Chair and WGF Board member, Deborah Acklin.

At the November 6, 2010 Award Ceremony fourteen “Women in Media” will be honored, along with a special Award of Distinction, the first in WGF’s history, to be presented to blogger and writer Virginia Montanez for her innovative and brilliant use of social media to raise awareness of the need for local political reform, and her critical role in rallying public support to save the orphans of the BRESMA orphanage in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, earlier this year.

In addition to Virginia Montanez’s Award of Distinction, the Women in Media Honorees include:

Cynthia Closkey,President, Big Big Design, Co-Founder, PodCamp Pittsburgh, and Developer, iTwixie.com

Elaine Effort, Radio Newscaster, KQV Radio

Vanessa German, Multi-media artist, writer, sculptor, performer and photographer

Sally Kalson, Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lauren Lawley Head, Editor, Pittsburgh Business Times

Beverly Morrow-Jones, Executive Director of Marketing, VisitPittsburgh

Debbie Norrell, Lifestyles Columnist, New Pittsburgh Courier

Mary Robb Jackson, News Anchor, KDKA-TV

Cindy Skryzcki, Journalism Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Heather Starr-Fiedler, Creator, PittsburghMom.com, New Media Professor, Point Park University

Heide Waldbaum, Technical Production Manager for the film AVATAR, Visiting Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute

Shaina Wallace, Hip Hop Artist, High School Student at Winchester Thurston

Carolyn Wean, Retired Media Executive

Rosemary Welsch, Radio DJ, WYEP

The “Women in Media” Host Committee includes:

Deborah L. Acklin, WQED Multimedia CEO and WGF Board Member, Women in Media Host Committee Chair

Betsy Benson, Pittsburgh Magazine

Patrice King Brown, KDKA

Tracey DeAngelo,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bridgette Driver,FedEx Ground

Laverne Baker Hotep, Center for Victims of Violent Crime

Dawn Keezer, Pittsburgh Film Office

Joyce Kossol, Entrepreneur and WGF Board Member

Mary C. Leonard, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lindsey Patross, IHeartPGH.com

Eleanor Schano, Pittsburgh Television Personality

Laura Staniland, Civics Lab and Logoco Media

Sally Wiggin, WTAE

For more information about WGF and the upcoming celebration of “Women in Media,” visit www.wgfpa.orgor call 412-434-4883.

About Women and Girls Foundation

The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (WGF) is an independent community-based foundation serving eleven counties in Southwest Pennsylvania. Our mission is to achieve equity for women and girls in the region. The Women and Girls Foundation promotes social change in our region by addressing fundamental social inequalities and raising the awareness of these inequities to the media, to voters, to legislators, and corporate and non-profit decision makers. By serving as an independent and clear voice, the foundation strives to bring together women and men in our region to work together to find solutions to create sustained equity for all of its citizens. For more information, visit www.wgfpa.org or call 412.434.4883.

About UPMC

UPMC is an $8 billion integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania‘s largest employer, with almost 50,000 employees, UPMC is transforming the economy of the region into one based on medicine, research, and technology. By integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities, and a major health insurance services division, and in collaboration with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care and developed internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopaedics, and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializing its medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategic business relationships with some of the world‘s leading multinational corporations, and expanding into international markets, including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Japan. For more information visit www.UPMC.com.For more information about the UPMC Dignity and Respect campaign, visit http://www.upmc.com/aboutupmc/CommunityCitizenship/inclusion/Pages/inclusion-focus.aspx.
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Celtic Thunder to Perform at The Benedum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Contact:
Veronica Corpuz, (412) 471-6082; corpuz@pgharts.org
Diana Roth, (412) 471-8717; roth@pgharts.org
Artwork: http://pressroom.pgharts.org/?p=362

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents



CELTIC THUNDER

Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

Benedum Center

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to present Celtic Thunder, a group of six Irish and Scottish male vocalists backed by a superb orchestra. Celtic Thunder will perform powerful ballads, popular hits and heartwarming songs of love and loss at the Benedum Center on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. This performance is part of the 2010-2011 Trust Presents series, sponsored by Cohen & Grigsby.

Celtic Thunder vocalists Irishmen Neil Byrne, Paul Byrom, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Damian McGinty, and Scotsman George Donaldson are known for their diverse musical styles and unique interpretations of classic songs such as "Standing on the Corner," "Still Haven't (Found What I'm Looking For)," "The Proclaimers," "My Life Without You" and "Hallejeuh" by Leonard Cohen.

The group's repertoire spans the Celtic spectrum of both Irish and Scottish, traditional and contemporary music. Prior to Byrne joining Celtic Thunder, The New York Times described the group as "a Fab Five peddling Celtic stylings;  steadfast George, sensitive Keith, bruising Paul, caddish Ryan and angelic Damian." In 2009, Celtic Thunder achieved BILLBOARD's Top World Music Artist and Top World Imprint.

Born into a musical family, Neil Byrne began learning the guitar and piano at age seven and by age 11, he was playing in his own band. Over the years, Neil's performing and recording career allowed him to perform throughout Ireland and with one of Ireland's most renowned jazz bass players, Frank Hess. While performing at a musical function in Ireland for Celtic Thunder producer Phil Coulter, Neil was subsequently invited to record backing vocals for the group's debut DVD, and subsequently play lead guitar player for the live show. Since then he has toured America and Canada extensively with Celtic Thunder and most recently has joined the group as 6th leading vocalist.

Dublin-born Paul Byrom began voice study at the early age of seven with opera performance and vocal instructor Dr. Veronica Dunne. By his teens, Paul was a professional singer and had recorded his first album. Paul has performed at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and has sung for Irish President Mary McAlleese and Emperor Akihito of Japan. Paul recently produced a solo Christmas album.

George Donaldson is a self-taught and accomplished musician. George plays guitar, flute, mandolin, bodhran, and banjo. George's love of Celtic music stems from his childhood in Glasgow, where his main influence was his late father Bernard, who had a love and appreciation of all kinds of live music played from the heart. He has recorded folk sessions for BBC Scotland and made appearances at Glasgow's own Celtic Connections and the Glasgow West End Festival.

Keith Harkin was born in County Derry, Ireland. From the age of four, Keith has been wowing audiences with his beautiful voice and musical virtuosity. Keith is an accomplished songwriter and guitarist and has played at the Tavistock Festival, UK as well as performed as the opening act for John Martyn, The Undertons and David Kitt.

Ryan Kelly comes from The Moy in County Tyrone, Ireland. In addition to his musical and acting career, Ryan holds a degree in Accounting from Queen's University, Belfast and a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting. Ryan has been singing since the age of seven in various choirs and enjoys singing Irish Traditional and Folk Music. Ryan has performed with Westlife, Girls Aloud and Simply Red during the Children in Need Live Charity Concert. Other career highlights include winnder of the SCOR competition (2007) and second place in the nationwide BBC television music competition (2003).

Damian McGinty is currently the youngest member of the group, at 16 years old. He began singing at a young age in County Derry, Ireland and won his first music competition at the age of six. He has been involved with charity fundraising for his school and has produced a charity CD that raised over $2,000. In 2006, Damian won a singing competition to record his own track which led him to an invitation to audition with Celtic Thunder producers and an invitation to join the group as a soloist.

Tickets ($32.25 - $72.25) for the Wednesday, September 29, 7:30 p.m. performance of Celtic Thunder at the Benedum Center may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh's 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Trust Presents series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Children's Festival, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E. Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O'Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, at 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.
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Sunday, September 5, 2010

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: There's a Party in My City!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Veronica Corpuz
412-471-6082 / corpuz@pgharts.org

YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Benedum Center
4 PM and 7 PM
90 Minute Show



PITTSBURGH, PA: Fresh off a triumphant sold-out tour debut, a headlining performance at The White House, a critically-acclaimed, chart-topping album, and an appearance at Coachella that garnered rave reviews from spectators and media alike, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of YO GABBA GABBA! are heading back on the road with YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! to play to enthusiastic fans in Pittsburgh. Today’s hottest live show for families will be at the Benedum Center on Thursday, September 30, 2010, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! is produced by S2BN Entertainment in association with Wildbrain Entertainment and The Magic Store and is part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents Series, co-promoted with Opus One Productions.

Tickets ($29.50-$47.50) are available at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at pgharts.org and by calling 412-456-6666. Groups of 10 or more may purchase discounted tickets by calling 412-471-6930. For complete tour, ticket information and VIP packages, visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com. Children under one year of age will be admitted free to sit on a parent’s lap.

The state-of-the-art production features music, singing, dancing and animation. The show is an interactive experience that offers audience members of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life. Joining the characters on stage will be hip-hop legend Biz Markie to teach kids how to beat box with “Biz’s Beat of the Day”. Special guests will join the party on stage for the Super Music Friends Show and Dancey Dance segments.

Released in October, 2009, YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME Volume 1 topped kids and overall music charts at iTunes (#1 kids album), Amazon (top 5 kids album) and Target sales, which reached more than 40,000 copies in only 6 months since its release. YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME was picked as one of 2009’s top holiday gifts for toddlers by both PARENTS magazine and the popular Mom web destination MomLogic.com. YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME Volume 2 will be released on iTunes and will hit shelves nationwide this September. Dates, venues and ticket prices are subject to change.

Press materials available at: FTP site: ftp://s2bnent.com

Username: yggpress Password: YGGPr3ss1

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Yo-Gabba-Gabba/42220833615?ref=ts

Twitter: http://twitter.com/yogabbagabba

About S2BN Entertainment

S2BN Entertainment is a diversified international family show and event entertainment company specializing in the acquisition, development and production of high caliber touring exhibitions, unique live music tours and events, theatrical performances, and consumer and multimedia product offerings. Our experienced management team executes activities across all types of global venues – from stadiums to theaters. S2BN Entertainment provides extraordinary experiences for our clients and our customers.

About Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon in August, 2007 and currently ranks as one of the most popular children series on television. Yo Gabba Gabba!, was voted as one of the best new shows on television by TIME magazine, won a BAFTA Award in 2008, was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Television” Award by the Television Critics Association, and is a two-time Emmy nominee. The series airs three times a day, seven days a week on Nick Jr. and in several major international territories, including Australia, Canada, Israel, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K.

Yo Gabba Gabba! infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons through music. The series stars DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colorful characters, including: Brobee, the little green one, Foofa, the pink flower bubble, Muno, the red Cyclops, Toodee, the blue cat-dragon and Plex, the yellow robot. Today’s most popular names in movies, television, music and sports flock to guest star in the groundbreaking show, including Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Melora Hardin, Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Jack McBrayer, MGMT, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Roots, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, The Shins, Amare Stoudemire, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World and Elijah Wood, among others. Yo Gabba Gabba! toys, apparel and other merchandise are sold in stores nationwide in the U.S. and have skyrocketed in popularity. Yo Gabba Gabba! is recommended as a trusted program for preschoolers by The Smart Television Alliance, a non-profit organization comprised of leading non-profit children’s media organizations including Common Sense Media, Parents’ Choice Foundation, Parents Television Council and Coalition for Quality children’s Media: KIDS FIRST!. Visit www.yogabbagabba.com.



About WILDBRAIN

Wildbrain Entertainment is an award-winning entertainment company and one of the world’s foremost producers of animation. The studio develops and produces television, motion pictures, short-form programming, commercial content and licensed merchandise. Wildbrain has produced an exceptional slate of programming, including the critically acclaimed television series Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nick Jr.) and live touring show, Yo Gabba Gabba!: There’s A Party in My City, which is produced by S2BN, Wildbrain Entertainment and The Magic Store; The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO) and the hit Disney series, Higglytown Heroes. Wildbrain and its creative team have won top industry awards. In film, the studio won an Annie for its computer graphics short film, Hubert’s Brain. Wildbrain has received Clios, Addys, BDA Awards and Annies for their commercial work, reinvigorating classic brands for leading companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Honda, Kraft and Nike and has gained national attention for their animation work on behalf of Esurance, Ubisoft and Virgin America. Some upcoming television and short-form projects include Bubble Guppies, an animated series for Nick Jr., The Hard Times of RJ Berger, a series for MTV and Team Smithereen, the short-form stunt puppet show from Dan Clark. Wildbrain’s sister company, Kidrobot, creates limited edition toys, clothing, artwork and books, with stores in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. Wildbrain is based in Los Angeles, CA.
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Stage and Steel Productions Presents "A Vampire in King Arthur's Court

For Immediate Release

September 1, 2010

Stage & Steel Productions


Community Theatre with an edge

CONTACT:  Michael Kiser, Director/Founding Member

412. 480. 4758 :: micheal@stageandsteel.com


STAGE AND STEEL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS “A VAMPIRE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT”



Harvest time in Camelot as each year passes the land dies, the leaves scurry away on the chill winds, and the wolves make life a living nightmare. Struggling with the rigors of daily survival, King Arthur must solve the riddle of the sudden mystery of bloodless corpses before it is too late. Surrounded by death, deceit, and betrayal will he expose the lone villain that laughs at him from the darkness, Lord Valkamar?

King Arthur and Lord Lancelot must expose the cunning vampire of old, before it is too late. Guinevere and the rest of the knights are all in danger as the villain’s plan to crush Camelot comes to fruition.

King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere, Helric the Great, and introducing Lord Valkamar all fight in a tug of war across a pit of despair.

Who will win out and who will fall to ruin in this epic battle of wills?

Stage & Steel Productions offers its second show of the season. The show written by founding member, Ruth Comley explores the legend behind King Arthur as well as the myth of vampires. Combining the two elements have created a new take on the Arthurian story. Directed by Micheal R. Kiser, the show includes several stage combat fights, including staff, long and short sword, and sword and shield. This production offers the same audience participation as their last production A Night of Knights. The cast includes: Brian Hagan as King Arthur. Nick LaMantia as Sir Lancelot. Ruth Comley as Lord Valkamar, Aubrey Plane as Lady Guinevere, Kendra Wikham as Sir Guain, Samuel Kiser as Sir Galahad, Ashlie Hollis as Percival, and Micheal R. Kiser as Helric the Great.

The production of A Vampire in King Arthur’s Court is being held at SS. Peter and Paul Hall, 220 Mansfield Blvd,  Carnegie, Pa 15106. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $12 adult and $10 for student and senior tickets. Tickets may also be purchased ahead of time by going to www.stageandsteel.com.

Stage & Steel Productions is a community based theatrical society located in the greater Pittsburgh area. Our group was born from the love of theatre and stage combat. Combined, Stage & Steel strives to create unique productions based in a variety of genres, including Medieval, Renaissance, and even modern theatre. Stage & Steel trains each individual actor in the art of stage combat. Our professional instructors teach many areas including hand to hand, sword work, and basic choreography. We do not discriminate from any novice, we target to both the beginner as well as the skilled who wish to further their craft.
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WORLD OF JEWTOPIA at The Byham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Contact: Veronica Corpuz, (412) 471-6082; corpuz@pgharts.org
Diana Roth, (412) 471-8717; roth@pgharts.org
Electronic artwork is available upon request.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents

WORLD OF JEWTOPIA

Saturday, September 25, at 8:30 p.m. &

Sunday, September 26, at 2:00 p.m.

Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street



Pittsburgh, PA- The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to present WORLD OF JEWTOPIA, an off-Broadway comedy that has left audiences laughing in stitches from coast to coast, on Saturday, September 25, at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 26, at 2:00 p.m., at the Byham Theater. The New York Times praises, “Unstoppable! One of the most successful productions of the last decade!” The Los Angeles Times calls it “Outrageously Funny!” and “A raucous, merciless skewering of contemporary Jewish foibles, neuroses and stereotypes!” This performance of World of Jewtopia is part of the 2010-2011 Trust Presents series, sponsored by Cohen & Grigsby.

Bryan Fogel, creator and star of New York’s longest running Off-Broadway comedy, JEWTOPIA, presents his comedic extravaganza WORLD OF JEWTOPIA. The 90-minute one act show includes highlights scenes from the smash stage production, stand-up comedy, excerpts from the bestselling book, JEWTOPIA: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People and a dazzling multimedia presentation. WORLD OF JEWTOPIA stars Bryan Fogel, the show’s creator, and Jeremy Rishe. “Entertaining! Wild! Raucous! Certain to hit home with all observers, whatever their religion! (Variety).”

WORLD OF JEWTOPIA is about a man named Chris O’Connell, a self-loathing gentile, who says he wants to marry a Jewish girl so he will never have to make another decision for the rest of his life. His childhood friend, Adam Lipschitz, offers to guide him through the process and hilarity ensues. Among the many topics covered will be: how to pick the perfect restaurant table (because no table is right if you’re a Jew), how to properly disinfect your hotel room to avoid catching the plague when on vacation, and excerpts from Moses’ recently undiscovered diaries (Dear Diary: Um it’s been like 5 years and I got to be honest, I AM LOST!). “Such a premise!...This show has edgy, late night attitude. Jewtopia is a show that appeals to all ages – what’s not to like? (New York Newsday).”

Tickets ($28.25 - $43.25) for the Saturday, September 25, 8:30 p.m. & Sunday, September 26, 2:00 p.m. performances of WORLD OF JEWTOPIA at the Byham Theater may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Trust Presents series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater and Children’s Festival, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E. Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O’Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, at 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.
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Canadian Celtic Rock Band Great Big Sea Coming to the Byham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Press Contact: Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082 / corpuz@pgharts.org
Diana Roth, 412-471-8717 / roth@pgharts.org
Electronic art is available upon request.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents Canadian Celtic rock band

Great Big Sea

September 23, 2010, at 8:00 p.m.

Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street

Pittsburgh, PA: Great Big Sea returns to Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater for one performance only on Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. This performance is part of the Trust Presents series sponsored by Cohen & Grigsby. Newfoundland band Great Big Seafuses the energy and spirit of its Celtic roots with straight on rock and roll. Renowned for its rousing, synergistic live shows, Great Big Sea has been playing together for 17 years. “Great Big Sea are a high spirited and richly expressive acoustic quartet who reinvent traditional Newfoundland music, lending it a powerful and resonant contemporary charge” (Time Out, UK).

Their current tour is in support of the band’s tenth release (July 2010) Safe Upon the Shore— a compilation of ideas and recording sessions that took place over six months on tour, in Newfoundland and New Orleans and co-written with various artists. “At this stage, we sometimes all kind of know each others ideas too well,” explains GBS multi-instrumentalist and singer Bob Hallett. “It’s too easy to do the obvious. Writing with a big group of people pushed everything into different directions.” The album debuted at #2 on the Canadian top 100 Billboard charts and #4 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart (#159 overall). This career highlight was the biggest GBS debut since Sea of No Cares debuted at #1 in 2002. Safe Upon the Shore describes the band’s inspirations, as well as concerns about balancing family and life. “Their music is unique, their instrumentation is flawless, and their voices are all tremendous” (Richmond Times-Dispatch).”

Great Big Sea is Alan Doyle (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bouzouki), Bob Hallett (vocals, button accordion, banjo, bouzouki, fiddle, harmonica, whistles), Sean McCann (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, bodran, shakers, tin whistle), Murray Foster (bass, vocals) and Kris MacFarlane (drums, guitar, percussion, piano accordion, vocals). Born and raised in the “far east of the western world,” the lads have traversed the globe, all the while wearing their hometown on their sleeves. “Our music is of Newfoundland,” explains McCann. “It would be impossible to do what we do if we were from anywhere else. Our songs come from the sea and the cliffs and the rocks and all the other natural beauties our country provides. Without her we simply couldn’t exist.”

Tickets ($32.75 and $37.75) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Trust Presents series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater and Children’s Festival, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E. Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O’Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities. www.pgharts.org

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