Jason Hall's The Tulip Brothers Reading Announced

Media Contacts:


Melissa Hill Grande – 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

________________________________________________________________

New Classics announces new date for first reading

The Tulip Brothers by Jason Hall on Sunday, December 12th


Pittsburgh, PA -- November 22, 2010. The New Classics series begins its second season on Sunday, December 12th at 7:30 p.m. with Jason Hall’s play The Tulip Brothers, directed by Melissa Hill Grande. New Classics is a cooperative program presented by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts and Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. The series is intended to highlight new works and showcase up-and-coming early-career playwrights.

The reading is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a talk-back with the cast and audience. The moderators will be series coordinators Grande and David Peterson, a graduate student in the Ph.D. program of the Department of Theatre Arts.  Please note that the New Classics reading of "The Tulip Brothers" will be in the Henry Heymann Theatre, located in the Stephen Foster Memorial in Oakland.


The reading will feature actors from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts, including Aric Hudson, Brendan Schatzki, Andrew Sours, Joanna Getting, Erin Collopy and John Michnya.

The Tulip Brothers is about a family in conflict in 17th century Holland. The tulip bulb market is on the rise, and Nils DeGroot believes this is his opportunity to make his fortune and gain independence from the stench of the bleaching mill. He needs help, but brother Pieter knows that life offers up no assurances beyond the sin of mankind. With one brother betting on the future and another cynical of the past, Nils wagers more than he can afford while Pieter must pay a price he did not expect.

Jason Hall is a third-year M.F.A. student in Ohio University's playwriting program and the recipient of the 2010 Scott McPherson Playwriting Award. He has recently received the Anthony Trisolini Fellowship to write a play about active mountain-top removal coal mining occurring near a West Virginia elementary school. A Student Enhancement Award (SEA) will fund a second public reading of The Tulip Brothers at Chicago's Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater this spring. Jason's short plays have been performed at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Chicago's n.u.f.a.n Ensemble, and presented at the Mid-America Theater Conference. In 2009 a feature film Jason wrote and directed, The Ballad of Faith Divine, won the Best Feature award at Ohio's Colony Film Festival. He is preparing Kate and Comet, a darkly comic play about women fighting to hold their own in the workplace of 1950s live television, for production in this spring's Seabury Quinn, Jr., Playwrights Festival.

Melissa Hill Grande is the associate artistic director and director of marketing for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. A three-time graduate of Ohio University, she holds a BFA in Production Design and Technology with an emphasis on Costume Design, an MA in Theater History and Criticism, and an MFA in Directing. Local directing credits include productions for PICT, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Phase 3 Productions, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, No Name Players’ SWAN Day, and Pittsburgh Pride Theatre Festival.

Persons who are unable to attend the reading in person will be able to view it online via LIPLO™ (Live and in Person, Live and Online), a new internet technology pioneered by PICT Operations Director Stephanie Riso and Alex Geis. Geis of 21 Productions and videographer Randy Griffith of RLG Creations will live-broadcast the readings, and viewers will be able to respond via live chat as they watch the performances on the LIPLO™ website, www.liplo.com.

For more information about “New Classics,” contact Melissa Grande at 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org.
# # #

The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts (founded in 1982) offers the BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. All faculty members are active in both teaching and artistic / research activities. The department shares a philosophy of theatre education, the chief feature of which is the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be integrated for a successful program of theatre education. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre is the department’s flagship theatre company with performance spaces in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial and the Cathedral of Learning. www.play.pitt.edu.

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre was founded in 1996 to diversify the region’s theatrical offerings by providing Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania audiences with high-quality, text-driven, affordable productions of classical theatre and the works of classical and contemporary Irish playwrights and to significantly improve employment opportunities for local talent in all facets of theatrical presentation and production. PICT is a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, and a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. PICT is the Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and PICT productions at the Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres are presented in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.

Free Reading of The Tulip Brothers

Media Contacts:


Melissa Hill Grande – 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

________________________________________________________________

New Classics presents free reading of The Tulip Brothers by Jason Hall on Sunday, November 14th

Pittsburgh, PA -- November 8, 2010. The New Classics series begins its second season on Sunday, November 14th at 7 p.m. with Jason Hall’s play The Tulip Brothers, directed by Melissa Hill Grande. New Classics is a cooperative program presented by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts and Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. The series is intended to highlight new works and showcase up-and-coming early-career playwrights.

The reading is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a talk-back with the cast and audience. The moderators will be series coordinators Grande and David Peterson, a graduate student in the Ph.D. program of the Department of Theatre Arts.

The reading will feature actors from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts, including Aric Hudson, Brendan Schatzki, Andrew Sours, Kristi Good, Erin Collopy and John Michnya.

The Tulip Brothers is about a family in conflict in 17th century Holland. The tulip bulb market is on the rise, and Nils DeGroot believes this is his opportunity to make his fortune and gain independence from the stench of the bleaching mill. He needs help, but brother Pieter knows that life offers up no assurances beyond the sin of mankind. With one brother betting on the future and another cynical of the past, Nils wagers more than he can afford while Pieter must pay a price he did not expect.

Jason Hall is a third-year M.F.A. student in Ohio University's playwriting program and the recipient of the 2010 Scott McPherson Playwriting Award. He has recently received the Anthony Trisolini Fellowship to write a play about active mountain-top removal coal mining occurring near a West Virginia elementary school. A Student Enhancement Award (SEA) will fund a second public reading of The Tulip Brothers at Chicago's Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater this spring. Jason's short plays have been performed at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Chicago's n.u.f.a.n Ensemble, and presented at the Mid-America Theater Conference. In 2009 a feature film Jason wrote and directed, The Ballad of Faith Divine, won the Best Feature award at Ohio's Colony Film Festival. He is preparing Kate and Comet, a darkly comic play about women fighting to hold their own in the workplace of 1950s live television, for production in this spring's Seabury Quinn, Jr., Playwrights Festival.

Melissa Hill Grande is the associate artistic director and director of marketing for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. A three-time graduate of Ohio University, she holds a BFA in Production Design and Technology with an emphasis on Costume Design, an MA in Theater History and Criticism, and an MFA in Directing. Local directing credits include productions for PICT, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Phase 3 Productions, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, No Name Players’ SWAN Day, and Pittsburgh Pride Theatre Festival.

Persons who are unable to attend the reading in person will be able to view it online via LIPLO™ (Live and in Person, Live and Online), a new internet technology pioneered by PICT Operations Director Stephanie Riso and Alex Geis. Geis of 21 Productions and videographer Randy Griffith of RLG Creations will live-broadcast the readings, and viewers will be able to respond via live chat as they watch the performances on the LIPLO™ website, www.liplo.com.

For more information about “New Classics,” contact Melissa Grande at 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org.
# # #

The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts (founded in 1982) offers the BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. All faculty members are active in both teaching and artistic / research activities. The department shares a philosophy of theatre education, the chief feature of which is the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be integrated for a successful program of theatre education. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre is the department’s flagship theatre company with performance spaces in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial and the Cathedral of Learning. www.play.pitt.edu.



Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre was founded in 1996 to diversify the region’s theatrical offerings by providing Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania audiences with high-quality, text-driven, affordable productions of classical theatre and the works of classical and contemporary Irish playwrights and to significantly improve employment opportunities for local talent in all facets of theatrical presentation and production. PICT is a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, and a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. PICT is the Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and PICT productions at the Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres are presented in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.

Farewell Engagement Phantom of the Opera, Pittsburgh

Media Contact:


Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082

Jamie Cuba, 412-325-1201





PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh announces on sale ticket information for Pittsburgh’s farewell engagement of the longest-running show in Broadway history!



The Phantom of the Opera



Andrew Lloyd Webber’s International Award-Winning Musical

Directed by Harold Prince



PITTSBURGH--PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh - presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Broadway Across America, proudly announces single ticket on sale information for the farewell engagement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, directed by Harold Prince, to the Benedum Center from August 25th through September 19th, 2010, as a 2010/2011 Season Special.



Single tickets range from $24 - $125 and will go on sale Monday, May 10th at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets), online at phantom.pgharts.org or by calling 412-456-4800. Group orders may be reserved now by calling 412-471-6930.



With some of the most lavish sets, costumes and special effects ever to have been created for the stage, Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA directed by Harold Prince traces the tragic love story of a beautiful opera singer and a young composer shamed by his physical appearance into a shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera House. Adapted from Gaston Leroux's classic novel of mystery and suspense, this award-winning musical has woven its magical spell over standing room audiences in more than 100 cities worldwide and is now longest running show in Broadway history. For his final overture in Pittsburgh, PHANTOM returns to the Benedum Center to take your breath away.

About Broadway Across America

Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. Broadway Across America most recently produced the Broadway productions of HAIR, WEST SIDE STORY and Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. Upcoming productions include MINSKY'S, PROMISES, PROMISES, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and the West End production of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's STORYTIME ADVENTURES featuring Dora the Explorer and DREAMGIRLS. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

Western Pennsylvania SBA Exporter of the Year Awarded in Southwest District

News Release


PITTSBURGH DISTRICT OFFICE



Release Date: May 10, 2010 Contact: Janet Heyl (412) 395-6560, ext. 103

Janet.Heyl@sba.gov

Release Number: 10-12/PGH



Local forestry company president logs in win as Western Pennsylvania SBA Exporter of the Year Award



BEDFORD, PA – When Thomas Mereen was in college, he swapped his chemical engineering classes for economics. “I hated engineering, I got good grades, but it just didn’t excite me,” he stated. “But I loved macroeconomics…I wanted to trade goods all around the world.”



Fast-forward a few decades, and Mereen has been able to do just that. He combined his love of the outdoors with microeconomics as log buyer and president of Bedford Forest Products – a Pennsylvania log purchasing company.



Mereen will be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as the 2010 Western Pennsylvania Exporter of the Year.



Mereen and eight other local small business owners and advocates will be lauded at the Western Pennsylvania SBA May 28th Awards Luncheon which will be held at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel Pittsburgh. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the 47th annual celebration of National Small Business Week.



Twenty-three years ago, Mereen arrived in Bedford by way of Syracuse, N.Y., with a working knowledge of lumber and milling. He honed his hardwood expertise working at a handful of lumber and veneer mills. When he suddenly found himself unemployed five years ago, Mereen decided to contact a veneer company and offer to purchase wood on commission for their products. In fact, Mereen found there indeed was a market for his forest facts. He began his business by purchasing trees for both small and large wood-product manufacturers.



“I buy the standing trees here and send them to China, I’ve also sent logs to Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Spain, Germany and France,” he explained. “I spend time in the woods here physically looking for pieces of wood my customers want while maintaining total quality control.”



In addition to personally purchasing trees for his clients, Mereen set out to pioneer the milling process for his remote clients. To ensure quality, Mereen remains on-site at a local saw mill where the purchased trees are cut to the customer specifications. “I do this so we can focus on our clients’ needs and expectations,” he explained. “My total customer service allows them to remain competitive in this very challenging world-wide market.”



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Once cut, the fresh lumber is put back together and shipped worldwide. His customers then make wood products and, in turn, export those items around the world.



Mereen said he believes embracing today’s technology has enabled him to not only send and receive orders from around the world, but, also to become paperless. He’s reduced overhead costs associated with inventory equipment – a savings he passes along to his customers.



“Technology allows me to travel about 185 miles each day to personally purchase trees for each customer,” he said.



Mereen said he’s always looking for multiple streams of income. “For instance, I purchase hickory for a gentleman in Germany and have it cut for him; he then makes axe handles out of the hickory.” But one forest project took Mereen by surprise and this year he plans to dabble in the arena of high-end custom furniture.



“I never thought I would end up selling furniture, but I went to see how this furniture in Italy is made and it is beautiful – especially the quality and finishing,” Mereen said. “I plan to have a virtual store and market the furniture to designers and architects all over the world.”



Carl Knoblock, Western Pennsylvania SBA district director, said that Mereen’s log purchasing enterprise shows niche businesses can be cost-effective and allow for tremendous growth. “Mills have closed and he’s using his knowledge to purchase for specialty areas like veneer and axe handles,” Knoblock stated. “He’s also not afraid to branch out and look into other avenues, because there is a huge market for solid-wood furniture. You just need to buy it in bulk and take it globally.”



Meree, maintains he has a passion for small business.



“This award truly is an honor and I’m proud to be the recipient.”





Note: If you would like to speak with Tom Mereen or Carl Knoblock, Western Pennsylvania SBA district director, please contact Janet Heyl at 412-395-6560, ext. 103



The U.S. Small Business Administration – helping small businesses start, grow and succeed.



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Holiday Tours at Woodville Plantation, Neville Manor

December 1, 2009 FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Windhorst




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 412-221-0348



rwindhorst19@comcast.net



QUICK FACTS:

Event: Above the Stairs: A Behind the Scenes Look At Woodville



Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009



Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm



Place: Woodville Plantation, 1375 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017



Cost: $5.00 for Adults, $10.00 for Families







WOODVILLE PLANTATION HOSTS

ABOVE THE STAIRS: A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT WOODVILLE





BRIDGEVILLE, PA (December 1, 2009) – Step back in time at Woodville Plantation as this living history museum treats guests to a special tour of a rarely seen area of the plantation. On Sunday, December 13, 2009, the public is invited go above the stairs at the main house.







From 1 to 4 pm, visitors are invited to visit the second floor of Woodville Plantation. Tours will be given of the private rooms of the Neville and Cowan families. Of interest is an original 18th century painted checkerboard floor. Don’t miss this rare look into the private lives of Woodville’s residents.







Woodville Plantation, the home of John and Presley Neville, is Western Pennsylvania’s link to the late 18th century. Built in 1775, this living history museum interprets life during the period of 1780-1820, the Era of the New Republic. Guided tours of the house are available every Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.







Just 7 miles and 15 minutes south of Pittsburgh, Woodville is conveniently located 1/4 mile north of Interstate I-79 Exit 55 (Kirwin Heights Exit) on Route 50, near the intersection of Thoms Run Road in Collier Township. For further directions or for more information, please visit Woodville’s website at http://www.woodvilleplantation.org or call 412-221-0348.











-END-

County Executive Holds 4th Annual Business Opportunity Forum

County Executive Hosts Fourth Business Opportunity Forum

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato hosted the 4th Annual Business Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, for business and community leaders to network and learn about business opportunities with the County.

Director Ruth Byrd-Smith commented, “We’re working to ensure greater diversity in contracting and this meeting gave more than 100 attendees direct access to our County directors and executive directors of our authorities. We look forward to another successful event next year.”





If you have any questions, please contact



Lorraine A. Blanar

Project Manager

Department of Minority, Women & Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

204 County Office Building

542 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh PA 15219

lblanar@alleghenycounty.us

412.350.4309

PITT and PICT Spring Collaboration

Media Contacts:


F.J. Hartland – 412.624.0933 or fjh6@pitt.edu

Melissa Hill Grande – 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



PITT and PICT announce theatrical initiative



Collaboration brings new plays to Pittsburgh



Pittsburgh, PA -- November 13, 2009. A new theatrical collaboration will soon be bringing new plays to light in Pittsburgh. “New Classics,” a co-venture of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (PICT), will present readings of new plays throughout 2009-2010.



The reading series will be free and open to the public, and will be followed by a talk-back moderated by F.J. Hartland, Director of Marketing and Communication for the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts, and Melissa Hill Grande, Marketing Director and Artistic Associate for PICT.



Persons who are unable to attend the reading in person will be able to view it online via LIPLO™ (Live and in Person, Live and Online), a new internet technology pioneered by PICT Operations Director Stephanie Riso and Alex Geis. Geis of 21 Productions and videographer Randy Griffith of RLG Creations will live-broadcast the readings, and viewers will be able to respond via live chat as they watch the performances on the LIPLO™ website, www.liplo.com.



According to Dr. Bruce McConachie, Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, “We are looking forward to this collaboration with PICT and the opportunities it will offer our students.”



Operations Director Stephanie Riso echoes the sentiment, states “PICT is pleased to be able to open up new ways to engage Pitt students with the greater theatre community through this new initiative,” and hopes it will strengthen Pittsburgh’s place on the map for building bridges and new pathways to experience live work.



Utilizing the talents of directors and actors from both organizations, “New Classics” launches on Nov. 22 with Carapace by David Robinson of Athens, Ohio. The play will be directed by Melissa Hill Grande and presented at 7 p.m. in the Henry Heymann Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial on the University of Pittsburgh campus.



Carapace explores the complicated relationship between Jeff, an alcoholic sportscaster, and his grown daughter Margo. Jeff attempts make amends with Margo on her twenty-third birthday by bringing her a very special gift.



Robinson is a current MFA Playwrighting candidate at Ohio University. A native Minnesotan, he received his BA in Literature/Theater from the New College of Florida. In addition to Carapace, Robinson has spent his first two years at Ohio University developing Terminal Condition, Gestalt and Family Matters, which was selected as a semifinalist for this year's WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory. Outside of the realm of dramatic writing, David has written theater and film criticism for The Bradenton Herald and the film journal CineACTION. He is also the recipient of Ohio University's 2009 Scott McPherson Playwriting Award.



“New Classics” continues on Sunday, January 24, 2010 with The Small of Her Back by Dana Lynn Formby, directed by Martin Giles.



In The Small of Her Back, Danielle Fitzman believes the glass ceiling has been shattered allowing her to climb her way up the corporate ladder of the NP Power Company. When an opportunity opens on the board, Danielle must battle tit for tat—learning tit works more than tat. She finds defining the difference between sexual harassment and harmless flirting akin to drawing a line in sand during a windstorm.



Formby is a Chicago resident and a member of Chicago Dramatists.



A third reading is planned for Sunday, March 28th at 7 p.m.



The series is free of charge and open to the public.



For more information about “New Classics,” contact F. J. Hartland at 412.624.0933 or fjh6@pitt.edu, or Melissa Grande at 412.561.6000 x203 or mgrande@picttheatre.org.


# # #



New Classics

Fact Sheet



All performances in the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Avenue in Oakland, on the University of Pittsburgh campus



Sunday, November 22nd – 7 p.m.



Carapace by David Robinson



Directed by Melissa Hill Grande



The Henry Heymann Theatre




Sunday, January 24th – 7 p.m.



The Small of Her Back by Dana Lynn Formby



Directed by Martin Giles



The Charity Randall Theatre





Sunday, March 28th – 7 p.m.


Programming TBA



The Charity Randall Theatre



Online viewing:



www.liplo.com







Free of charge and open to the public