Showing posts with label Benedum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benedum. Show all posts

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Find Your Grail with Monty Python's Spamalot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aja Jones
412-281-3973 ext. 224
ajones@pittsburghCLO.org
Images: Press Room
User: pressroom Pswd: pittstadium

“Find Your Grail” with Pittsburgh CLO’s
Monty Python’s Spamalot
The Quest for the Holy Grail Begins at the Benedum Center July 29-August 3


Pittsburgh, PA ∙ July 21, 2014 – Join the quest for the Holy Grail July 29-August 3 with Monty Python’s Spamalot. Based on the classic film comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” Spamalot is the award-winning Broadway musical that took the Tony Awards ® by storm in 2005.

Winner of the Tony Award ® for Best Musical, Monty Python's Spamalot is the outrageous musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail.” This hilarious retelling of the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail features flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers including “The Song That Goes Like This” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!”

ABOUT THE CAST
Robert Creighton (Mayor) appeared on Broadway in: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Durdles), Anything Goes (Purser/Moonface) Chicago (Amos), The Lion King (Timon), The Little Mermaid (Chef Louis),Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Laughing Room Only  TV: “Elementary,” “Law & Order,” “Life on Mars.” Co-author and star of CAGNEY the award winning new musical about film legend James Cagney. Debut album: AIN’T WE GOT FUN!

Michael Brian Dunn (Sir Bedevere) starred in Pittsburgh CLO’s productions of CATS and The Full Monty. Broadway: The Life, CATS, Guys and Dolls, Big River, Baby, Sweeney Todd. National/International Tours: Amadeus, HMS Pinafore, If This Hat Could Talk, Stratford Festival Canada:HMS Pinafore, (Ralph Rackstraw) Nina and the Twelve Months, Tokyo, (performed in Japanese) Off Broadway: Perfect Crime, Ensemble Studio Theater, Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, Love In Two Countries, Lenny and The Heartbreakers & Death Of Von Richthofen both at New York Shakespeare Festival, Gifts of the Magi, Kenedy's Children. Regional Theaters: All over the country. Television: “Law and Order CI, Trial by Jury, S.V.U.”  Film: “Julie & Julia” (Ivan Cousins) starring Meryl Streep.

Tyler Hanes (Sir Galahad) preformed on Broadway/NY in: A Chorus Line (Larry), A Bed & A Chair: A New York Love Affair, Hairspray (Link), Juno (Johnny Boyle), Sweet Charity (Charlie), The Frogs, The Boy From Oz, Urban Cowboy, Oklahoma! Other favorites: Mary Poppins (Bert), On The Town (Gabey),All Shook Up (Chad), Cabaret (Cliff), Les Miserables (Enjolras), CLO’s 42nd Street (Billy), Footloose(Ren), Fosse (first national tour).

Tom Hewitt (King Arthur) has been  seen on Broadway in Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Dracula; The Musical, Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), The Lion King.  National tours:  Urinetown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Peter Pan.  Off Broadway:  Treasure Island,Jeffery, Beau Jest (Outer Critics nomination).  Recent Regional Credits:  Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots(La Jolla Playhouse),  Kiss Me, Kate (Muny, Reprise! LA), Travesties (Long Wharf, CT Critics Award).  Film and TV:  Law and Order, All My Children, Julie Taymors’ Fools’ Fire.

Adam Pelty (Sir Lancelot) has performed on Broadway in: Cyrano – The Musical, Steel Pier, Joseph…,A Christmas Carol, Titanic, The Scarlet Pimpernel (original choreographer). Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (Jeff nom); Putting It Together (Jeff nom); Spamalot at Drury Lane, Fulton Theatre and Maine State (Robin and Lance). Current: Professor of Theatre at Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, Billy Elliot at Ogunquit Playhouse (choreographer).

Brian Shepard (Prince Herbert) appeared in the original Broadway companies of Spamalot, Young Frankenstein and the most recent Broadway revivals of Follies, Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun andPeter Pan. He just played Bud Frump in H2$ at Walnut Street.

Elizabeth Stanley (The Lady of the Lake) starred in the role of Lucy in Pittsburgh CLO’s production ofJekyll and Hyde. Broadway original roles: Dyanne-Million Dollar Quartet; Allison-Cry-Baby, and April-Company (2007 Tony Award).  First National Tour: Kira-Xanadu. NY: Gussie- Merrily We Roll Along at New York City Center, Encores! Off-Broadway: The Nurse-Hello, Again (Drama League Nomination). TV:The Black Box, Made in Jersey, Fringe, The Chappelle Show, and PBS Great Performances.  Regional: Barrington Stage Company, Goodspeed, Sacramento Music Circus, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Rep. of St. Louis, O’Neill, La Jolla Playhouse, Pioneer Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse.

Jeremy Webb (Sir Robin) has been seen in Pittsburgh CLO productions of Camelot and The Full Monty. His Pittsburgh credits include: The Glorious Ones (premiere) at Pittsburgh Public. The Visit(Broadway, The Actors Fund); Lincoln Center Theater: The Glorious Ones (Original Cast Recording);The Baltimore Waltz; Tabletop (Drama Desk Award); Photograph 51, BFF, Reading Under The Influence. Also Williamstown, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Alley, O'Neill, McCarter, LA Theatre Works, New York Stage and Film; The Old Globe, Long Wharf Theatre; Hangar Theatre, and Sir Robin inSpamalot at TUTS, Theatre Under The Stars and Fulton. His film and television credits include: “Love Walked In,” “Law and Order,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.”

Spamalot is complete with a talented ensemble, including Sal Bucci, Jesse Carrey, Lucas Fedele,Tsilala Graham-Haynes, Stephanie Maloney, Connor McRory, Mara Newbery, Will Porter, Ethan Saviet, Liz Schmitz, Jenna Nicole Schoen and Katie Terza.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Marc Robin (Director/Choreographer) has staged over 300 shows throughout the country, including theatres such as Walnut Street, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Marriott, Skylight, Maine State, TUTS and The Fulton theatre where he has served as Artistic Director for the past 5 seasons.  He has received many awards and honors. (54 Jeff nominations, 16 Jeff Awards, 13 After Dark Awards, 4 Barrymore nominations, 6 Broadway World Nominations and one Broadway World award, 3 Arizoni Awards, A lifetime Achievement Award and others.).

Tom Helm (Music Director) returns for his 19th season with Pittsburgh CLO. His theater credits include the Broadway productions of Souvenir, Les MisĂ©rables, Me and My Girl, Cats and Brigadoon. He has also contributed his talents to television programs such as “Crazy For You” and the “Today Show.” Mr. Helm has conducted at Radio City Music Hall, Paper Mill Playhouse and many other regional and national theaters.

Andrew David Ostrowski (Lighting Designer) recently completed work on Pittsburgh CLO’s Ring of Fire at the CLO Cabaret, as well as Hope and Gravity at City Theatre. He has designed for every local company in Pittsburgh. National credits include: The Asolo, Virginia Stage Company, North Shore Music Theatre, Merrimack Reparatory Company, The Arden Theatre Company, Spoleto Festival USA, Dallas Summer Musicals, Theater of the Stars, Madison Opera, as well as others. International credits include productions in Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, France, and touring all of Western Europe.

HISTORY OF THE SHOW
Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy adapted from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” According to Eric Idle, one of Spamalot’s original creators, the title of the show comes from a line in the movie: "We eat ham, and jam and Spam a lot."

Previews of the show began in Chicago's Shubert Theatre February 14, 2005 and the show officially opened March 17, 2005. The original Broadway production in 2005, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical and received 14 Tony Award nominations. During its initial run of more than 1,500 performances, it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million.

A London production of Spamalot opened at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End on September 30, 2006, with tickets on sale booking to November 2008. The show has continued to tour in more than 15 different countries around the world.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM
John Du Prez (Music) is a musician and composer best known as a past member of 1980's multi-hit New Wave Salsa group Modern Romance (1981-83). After his time with the band, Du Prez concentrated on composing music scores for films like the Rob Lowe vehicle, Oxford Blues (1984), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). He has since collaborated with ex- Modern Romance frontman David Jaymes a number of times, most notably on the feature film Fascination(2004), and their single 'Best Years of Our Lives' featured in Shrek (2001). John is friend to Eric Idle and has worked with him on numerous Monty Python projects including Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). He and Eric wrote and performed the song 'Really Nice Day' in the animated movie The Wild (2006).

Eric Idle (Book & Lyrics) was one of the core members of the comedy troupe who starred in the hit TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74) and one of "The Rutles," a satirical rock band based on The Beatles. The success of Monty Python's television show led to several feature films that Idle appeared in and co-scripted, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979). Apart from Monty Python, Idle created the mockumentary TV feature The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash(1978) and has appeared in several television and movie roles, including voice work in features such as 102 Dalmations (2000, with Glenn Close) and Ella Enchanted (2004, with Anne Hathaway). In 2005 Idle's stage adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, titled Spamalot (starring Tim Curry), earned him the Tony Awards® for Best Book of a Musical and for Best Original Score.

Performance Schedule for Spamalot
Tuesday July 29 8 p.m.
Wednesday July 30 8 p.m.
Thursday July 31 8 p.m.
Friday August 1 8 p.m.
Saturday August 2 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday August 3 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Groups of 10 or more enjoy exclusive discounts and specialty packages. Call ourGroup Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 for more information. Visit pittsburghCLO.org for further information.
Pittsburgh CLO gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our Season Sponsors: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTAE-TV.
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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Lottery for Wicked Tickets Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh
Show Publicist: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org    
Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Electronic Images available: http://TrustArts.org/press
Search: 2014 WICKED


WICKED ANNOUNCES LOTTERY FOR $25 SEATS
 WICKED 
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PERFORMANCES BEGIN WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
BENEDUM CENTER | DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH, PA – A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held for WICKED, which is returning to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center January 15 through February 9.  Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who wish to participate in the lottery must present themselves at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, in downtown Pittsburgh.  Participants will have their names placed in a lottery drum; thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only.  This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person.  Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.


ABOUT THE SHOW
WICKED, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, Disney’s Enchanted, Academy Award®  winner forPocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”), is based on the 1995 best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire.  The musical is directed by two-time Tony®  Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…).  WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

WICKED features set design by Tony®  Award winner Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony®  winner Susan Hilferty (Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony®  winner Kenneth Posner (Tony®  Award winner for The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King). Stephen Oremus is the show’s music supervisor.  Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.
WICKED celebrated its 10th Anniversary on October 30th.  There are currently nine productions of the musical worldwide: New York, London, Japan (Tokyo), Australia/New Zealand, South Korea (Seoul), Latin America (Mexico City),  a U.K. Tour, and two concurrent North American National Tours.


Broadway’s #1 show for an unprecedented nine consecutive years, WICKED has been declared “A Cultural Phenomenon” by Variety and “The Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly.

Winner of over 50 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz.  Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood.  The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular.  WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.


TICKET INFORMATION
WICKED begins performances on Wednesday, January 15.  The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  There will be a special matinee performance on Thursday, January 16 at 2:00 p.m.  Good seats are still available, but best availability is for Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday evening performances. Tickets begin at $39 and are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, by visiting www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-4800.  Groups of 20 or more may also purchase tickets in advance by calling 412-471-6930.

WICKED is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony.

*As a note to all calendar listing editors, the title of the show is WICKED
(not WICKED: A New Musical or WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz).

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA is part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com and is operated byJohn Gore (Owner & CEO).  BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring musicals and plays in North America, operating in 40 markets.  As a leading Broadway producer, BAA is dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre.

Current/upcoming productions include Beautiful, Betrayal, Bullets Over Broadway, Little Miss Sunshine,Million Dollar Quartet and Pippin. Past productions include Hairspray, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,Memphis, Promises, Promises, The Producers and War Horse. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

The PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
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Photo Credits:  Joan Marcus

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Monday, January 21, 2013

Moulin Rouge Opens Valentine's Day at the Benedum


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                 January 14, 2013

Contact: Meghan McNamara
Marketing Coordinator
412-454-9117
mmcnamara@pittsburghballet.org

Pittsburgh Premiere of Moulin Rouge® — The Ballet  Opens Valentine’s Day
PBT Presents a Story of Love, Ambition and Heartbreak Valentine’s Day Weekend

PITTSBURGH, PA –  Opening on Valentine’s Day, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre brings the mystique of Paris’ famed cabaret to the Benedum Center stage for the Pittsburgh premiere of Moulin Rouge® — The Ballet, Feb. 14-17, 2013.

The iconic cabaret, high-kicking cancan and extravagant excesses of  turn-of-the-century Paris set the scene for a story of love, ambition and heartbreak in Moulin Rouge®—The Ballet. Drawn to Paris by the city’s passion, struggling artist Matthew and launderette-turned-performer Nathalie find themselves swept into a passionate romance and the intoxicating nightlife of the Moulin Rouge.

Choreographer Jorden Morris, the creator behind PBT’s 2011 production of Peter Pan, laces contemporary and classical ballet with international influences from the vivacious French cancan to the fiery partnering of the Tango CafĂ©. The passion peaks with an intimate pas de deux set to  Debussy’s Claire de Lune on a bridge by the Eiffel Tower. The cabaret’s possessive proprietor Zidler, however, casts a shadow over their romance as he ensnares his newly-discovered performer and her lover in a dangerous love triangle.

A number of historic figures from the origins of the Moulin Rouge® also find roles in the ballet. French painter Henri Toulouse-Latrec, who immortalized the Moulin Rouge® with depictions of its performers, takes the role of Matthew’s mentor, and the cabaret’s co-founder Charles Zidler becomes Matthew’s adversary.

With a score spanning 27 different works by 14 different composers — including some well-known titles such as Clair de Lune, La Vie en Rose, or the Can-Can — Morris selected the majority of music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the rise of the Moulin Rouge®.

Moulin Rouge® — The Ballet features more than 70 vibrantly-colored costumes, created by Anne Armit, Head of Wardrobe at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Shannon Lovelace, a freelance designer, who drew inspiration from the fashions of the era and from Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings of the Moulin Rouge®. A luminous red windmill and Eiffel Tower  top the onstage scenery, designed by Andrew Beck.

Experienced by more than 100,000 people across North America, Moulin Rouge®—The Ballet had its world premiere in 2009 at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, where Morris trained and later danced professionally.

The Moulin Rouge® was co-founded  in 1889 — the same year the Eiffel Tower was constructed —by builder Joseph Oller and manager Charles Zidler in the Monmartre district of Paris. The cabaret’s iconic red windmill, and namesake, became a symbol of the city’s thriving nightlife. Today, among other performance requirements, all of the Moulin Rouge’s performers must possess a solid base in classical ballet training.

This  production of Moulin Rouge® — The Ballet is generously sponsored by UPMC and PPG Industries Foundation.

In the spirit of the Moulin Rouge of Paris, Moulin Rouge® is a registered trademark of Moulin Rouge S.A.

Tickets
Tickets range in price from $25.75 to $95.75, and are available online at www.pbt.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or visiting The Box Office at Theater Square.

Media Note: For interview or photo requests, please contact Meghan McNamara, marketing coordinator, at 412-454-9117 or mmcnamara@pittsburghballet.org.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh