PBS Kids Writer's Contest Winners Named

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 16, 2012

CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghazimanolis@wqed.org

TRI-STATE STUDENTS HONORED IN
WQED PITTSBURGH PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST

-- Local First Place Winners will Enter National Contest to be Judged This Summer --

PITTSBURGH – WQED Pittsburgh is proud to announce local winners for the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest sponsored by EQT Corporation. All first place winners will be entered into the national PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, where they will compete against area winners from across the county. The contest, presented locally by WQED Pittsburgh, and sponsored locally by EQT Corporation with national funding support from Studentpublishing.com, encourages children in grades K-3 in WQED’s viewing area of western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia and Maryland and in communities across the country to celebrate the power of language and creativity by creating and submitting original stories and illustrations.

WQED was one of sixty-three (63) public television stations across the country that participated in this year’s contest.

This year WQED invited 95 finalists to its WQED Studios in Oakland for a celebration to recognize the creative and effort each child put forth. Nineteen 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention winners had the opportunity to see their stories turned into a puppet play.  Pittsburgh Puppetworks wrote and performed “Jewel’s Treasure”, a story encapsulating the common threads of student’s entries. The play will be performed several more times throughout the summer, including on June 2nd and 3rd at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and June 10th at the Summer Reading Extravaganza.

The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is produced annually by PBS KIDS and managed and created by WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto, and is a part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national initiative
that uses the power of public media to build the reading skills of children ages two to eight.  More information on PBS KIDS Raising Readers and the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest can be found at pbskids.org/read.

KINDERGARTEN
First Place: Abby the Talking Giraffe by Ella Black of North Huntingdon, PA Second Place: Geoff Giraffe’s Big Trip by Rylie Grimm of Lancaster, PA Third Place: Butterfly Friend by Caroline Troll of Somerset, PA

Honorable Mentions
Most Original: The Princesses Made the Rainbow by Aliah Kristine Boso of Easter Liverpool, OH
Best Illustration: Mr. Tree’s Story by Connor Smith of Pittsburgh, PA

FIRST GRADE
First Place: Two Mermaids and The Lost Baby Orca Whale by Abigail Gourdie of Gibsonia, PA
Second Place: Freddy Finds a Friend by Jacqueline Chalifoux of Wexford, PA
Third Place: Tara the Tiger and Blacky the Panther Find the Golden Triceratops Bone by Rebecca
Walter of Carnegie, PA

Honorable Mentions
Most Original:  If Kids Ran the World by Gabriella Dugan of Carnegie, PA
Best Non-Fiction: Getting Diabetes by Grace Kindel of Sligo, PA

SECOND GRADE
First Place: Dino Dudes: A Comic Book by Mackenna Roberts of Squirrel Hill, PA
Second Place: Paris by Malana Howard of Beechview, PA
Third Place:  Tid’s Butterfly Dream by Kathryn Bodnar of Brookline, PA

Honorable Mentions
Best Artwork: Monster Hall by Owen Kagle of Bridgeville, PA
Most Heartfelt: The Life of Addison by Emma Sinnamond of North Apollo, PA (Apollo-Ridge
Elementary)

THIRD GRADE
First Place: The Mystery of the Attic Intruder by Daniel Trimble of Brookline, PA
Second Place: Piggie and Birdie by Madi Morgan of McMurray, PA
Third Place: Hermie’s Adventure by Sean Sopko of Orwigsburg, PA

Honorable Mentions
Most 3-Dimensional: A Day to Remember: A True Story by Angeline Chalifoux of Wexford, PA
Best use of Recyclables: A Plan to Clean by Bella Cheberenchick of Cokesburg, PA

About EQT Corporation
EQT Corporation is an integrated energy company with emphasis on Appalachian area natural gas production, gathering, transmission, and distribution. With more than 120 years of experience, EQT
is a technology-driven leader in the integration of air and horizontal drilling. Through safe and
responsible operations, the Company is committed to meeting the country’s growing demand for clean-burning energy, while continuing to provide a rewarding workplace and enrich the
communities where its employees live and work. Company shares are traded on the New York
Stock Exchange as EQT.



About WQED Pittsburgh
WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities.  It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM
89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

About Penn State Public Broadcasting
Penn State Public Broadcasting serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. Its public media services produce, acquire and distribute programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting
West Virginia Public Broadcasting nurtures personal growth, promotes civic responsibility and inspires lifelong discovery through high-quality programming and services. West Virginia Public Radio, West Virginia PBS, wvpubcast.org and Ready To Learn® are all services of West Virginia
Public Broadcasting.

The Friends of West Virginia Public Broadcasting is a 501(c) 3 organization responsible for receiving donated funds from individuals for annual membership to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Friends serve as ambassadors in their communities on behalf of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

All of the licenses for West Virginia Public Broadcasting are held by the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, Kay Goodwin, Secretary.

About Saturday Light Brigade
SLB Radio Productions, Inc. (SLB) uses radio and audio to encourage, amplify, share and archive the ideas, stories, and feelings of children, youth and families. SLB believes in radio and audio because these technologies enable a sense of intimacy, engagement and self-directed
imagination that is often lacking in other media, while also promoting opportunities for privacy (given
that children need not be photographed), equal access (audio has fewer barriers for participation than other media), and sharpening of important life skills (i.e., speaking and listening, imagination, creative expression, and critical thinking, respect for others, confidence and cooperation, and technical curiosity).

About PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS GO! offers early elementary children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs.  For more information on specific
PBS KIDS GO! content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit  pbs.org/pressroom, join
our community online on Twitter and Facebook, or visit  pbskidsgo.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

NOVA Chemicals Invests in WQED Teacher and Education Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 15, 2011

CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghaziman@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

WQED Invests in Area Teachers and Education Innovation

NOVA Chemicals Provides Support to WQED’s iQ: smartmedia initiative

PITTSBURGH – WQED today announced three new opportunities for 21st century educators – a new broadcast television series called tch, extended online resources through PBS Learning Media, and an upcoming webinar series for educators as part of its iQ: smartmedia strategy.

iQ: smartmedia is a new concept of the way public media influences children’s intellectual development. NOVA Chemicals’ support extends the strategy to provide programming and resources for educators.

“Teachers change the lives of their students, forever. Investing in these educators and infusing the classroom with high quality media resources helps even the most experienced educator engage and develop 21st century learners,” said Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED.

"We are pleased to support WQED in these new initiatives through broadcast and online resources. Developing 21st century learners depends on educators having innovative resources to transform the learning experience and NOVA Chemicals is proud to support WQED in changing educational experiences in the region," said Wendy Lomicka, Community Relations at NOVA Chemicals.

Airing on the Teaching Channel series on WQED-TV and on the Internet is a video showcase of inspiring and effective teaching practices in America's schools. Twenty new episodes, ranging from math to differentiated instruction, reading comprehension and science will air weekly on WQED-TV on Saturday mornings at 6:00am.

Additionally, WQED has partnered with national television producers and PBS to bring teachers a new, free research tool of multimedia assets for classroom use. PBS Learning Media is an online service that showcases 14,000 video resources from math and engineering to art and theater. The resources are categorized by topic and match national standards in grades pre-K – 12 as well as many advanced high school and college like “courses” that include physics lessons from NASA.

Beginning in February 2012, WQED will launch the iQ:smartmedia academy. The iQ: smartmedia academy offers a series of webinars that help educators and care providers incorporate PBS resources into their daily routines. From gaming to geography, music to science, WQED has resources proven to help kids realize their potential. These free webinars are available to educators and care providers in all settings – formal, afterschool, home, cyber – and will be held in the afternoons via video conference. PAEYC (Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children) will be providing corresponding professional development credits to early childhood educators for these courses.

About iQ: smartmedia

iQ: smartmedia is a six-year comprehensive plan that incorporates research, outreach, creative partnerships, and online engagement. The strategy addresses the need for a strong public media company integrated with Pittsburgh’s technological, creative, and educational assets. iQ: smartmedia allows WQED to create and curate multimedia and corresponding educational opportunities toward a best-practices model for our region, nation, and the world in integration of media and education.

About (Tch) Channel Series

Teaching Channel (Tch) is a comprehensive showcase -- online and on television -- of inspired teaching in America's public schools. A nonprofit organization, Tch engages teachers across the country to reinvent and revolutionize professional learning through video content and online innovation. The Tch mission is simple: Working with teachers to improve instruction so that every student can succeed. On the web at TeachingChannel.org, and on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, @TeachingChannel.

About PBS Learning Media

In summer 2011 WQED launched PBS Learning Media, raising the number of K-16 resources it offers educators from 2,000 to 14,000 modules. At wqed.pbslearningmedia.org, teachers and students in Southwestern Pennsylvania have immediate access for their lesson and homework to research-based instructional resources – including videos, interactives, images, audio files, mobile apps, lesson plans, and worksheets.

Combining dynamic and engaging instructional content with professional development support, PBS LearningMedia empowers educators to create media-rich curriculum lessons that meet the needs of 21st century learners. Through PBS LearningMedia, teachers can:

• quickly and easily find relevant resources, localized to their needs, to differentiate instruction for a diverse range of learners;

• personalize the site by tagging resources and sharing ideas, recommendations and comments on how they’ve used media assets in their teaching with their professional learning networks via e-mail or social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter; and

• develop “class pages” - curated content lists - for student viewing, feedback and instruction on interactive white boards and school-based intranets and other networking tools.

The PBS LearningMedia platform also offers a flexible infrastructure designed for customization and seamless media integration into existing services provided by state and local school district systems.


About WQED Pittsburgh

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive; and The WQED Education Department.


About NOVA Chemicals

NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals, plastic resins and end-products that make everyday life safer, healthier and easier. Its employees work to ensure health, safety, security and environmental stewardship through our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care®. NOVA Chemicals is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Petroleum Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Visit NOVA Chemicals on the Internet at www.novachemicals.com.

WQED Launches iQ: smartparent

WQED Announces iQ: smartparent A New Way for Parents to Connect with 21st Century Kids




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 15, 2011

CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghaziman@wqed.org

WQED Announces iQ: smartparent

A New Way for Parents to Connect with 21st Century Kids

PITTSBURGH – WQED today announced the launch of iQ: smartparent as the newest project of its educational initiative iQ: smartmedia. iQ: smartparent was made possible by a $250,000 signature investment by an anonymous donor.

For a generation of children raised in the digital age and in a time when teachers are being uniquely equipped to help children express themselves through multimedia, what role do parents play? As part of The iQ Network initiative, WQED will launch a companion “university” at WQED for parents, called iQ: smartparent. Over two years, WQED will conduct research and develop eight free in-person workshops that offer parents the best techniques in the ways to empower and protect their kids in the face of today’s omnipresent media environment.

Featuring the region's and nation's best thinkers on children and media, all workshops will air on WQED-TV and be archived online. Handouts, activities, and supporting materials will be provided at each session and also made available online. More than just media literacy for parents, iQ: smartparent will equip parents with new ways to connect with their children – in 21st-century terms – and encourage lifelong learning and critical thinking.

WQED will focus its efforts both on research and outcomes, including conducting core research on the way parents perceive and use media with children. iQ: smartparent workshops will redefine media for a new generation and will engage families in the best ways to consume, create, and curate media. Currently, 44,000 moms watch WQED daily and PBS is the #1 trusted media source for parents.

“A unique niche exists for WQED to define how public media connects on-demand, user-generated social media, creativity, and education," said Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED.

“WQED is poised to fill this niche while leading the nation’s PBS affiliates in best practices for the use of transformative multimedia and to be a model for serving parents.”

iQ: smartmedia is a six-year comprehensive plan that incorporates research, outreach, creative partnerships, and online engagement. The strategy addresses the need for a strong public media company integrated with Pittsburgh’s technological, creative, and educational assets. iQ: smartmedia allows WQED to create and curate multimedia and corresponding educational opportunities toward a best-practices model for our region, nation, and the world in integration of media and education.

WQED Pittsburgh (www.wqed.org) has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive; and The WQED Education Department.

UPS Foundation Awards WQED School Supplies Grant

WQED PITTSBURGH RECEIVES $5,000 GRANT FROM THE UPS FOUNDATION FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE TO BENEFIT AT-RISK CHILDREN IN SIX COUNTIES


Donate school supplies December 6 - 9, 2011 from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. and meet characters from the Super Why! Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 30, 2011



CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghazimanolis@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

WQED PITTSBURGH RECEIVES $5,000 GRANT FROM THE UPS FOUNDATION

FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE TO BENEFIT

AT-RISK CHILDREN IN SIX COUNTIES

Donate school supplies December 6 – 9, 2011 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. and meet characters from the Super Why! Series at:

WQED Pittsburgh
4802 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213


PITTSBURGH--WQED Pittsburgh will be collecting school supplies for at-risk children at its Oakland headquarters.

With a $5,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, WQED is collecting school supplies to be distributed to 5,200 at-risk students in a six county region in support of The Education Partnership’s Holiday Campaign. Individuals wishing to donate school supplies may bring them to the parking lot at WQED’s 4802 Fifth Avenue location December 6 – 9 daily from 2:30-4:30 p.m. WQED is matching the donations with curriculum for all 14 schools involved. Kids will also have the opportunity to meet their favorite characters from Super Why! during collection hours.

“The UPS Foundation is committed to funding impactful programs that make a meaningful difference in our communities – so we are proud to support WQED’s efforts to collect school supplies and donate high-quality curriculum for our area’s at-risk children,” said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation.

The supplies that are needed include: markers, pens, erasers, binders, glue, notebooks, paper (construction, copy and filler) and backpacks. For a complete list visit: http://wqed.org/education/holidaydrive2011.php. Cash donations or items not on the list can not be accepted by WQED.

In addition to the school supplies collected from the community WQED will also distribute high-quality PBS educational materials to the students, teachers and school libraries receiving these materials. These materials include a 16 week curriculum on phonics from The Electric Company, a workforce and career education video set called Teens OnQ, literacy tracking games for parents and librarians, Dr. Seuss and Curious George books, and lots of science curriculum from Sid the Science Kid, Wild Kratts, SciGirls, Design Squad and Dinosaur Train. WQED is donating 1700 pounds of educational curriculum to area students and challenging the Pittsburgh community to match that amount.

“Nothing is more important to our kids than a great education. WQED provides free access to education for everyone. Partnering with key organizations such as The Education Partnership to reach even more students, especially those in public schools, is an exciting way to extend our iQ: smartmedia initiative. With support from The UPS Foundation, WQED can deeply support the young people in our region who are most at-risk for not learning to read, failing to engage in science or math, and dropping out of school,” said Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED.

“The Education Partnership does not receive government funding and relies on the generosity of foundations, corporations, and organizations like WQED and their members. Together, we can provide critically needed school and classroom supplies to local students, setting them up for educational success,” says Katherine Harrell, Director of Communications and Programming for The Education Partnership about the innovative new relationship with WQED.

More information about the partnership, the holiday drive, and the supplies can be found at: http://wqed.org/education/holidaydrive2011.php.

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA, The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach,The UPS Foundation has identified the following focus areas for giving: nonprofit effectiveness, economic & global literacy, encouraging diversity, community safety and environmental sustainability.

In 2010, The UPS Foundation distributed more than $44.6 million worldwide through grants that benefit organizations or programs such as the school supplies collection by WQED Pittsburgh and provide support for building stronger communities.

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

iQ: smartmedia is WQED’s six-year strategy for education, and it reflects WQED’s commitment to help children reach their potential. Around it revolve all of WQED's educational goals and objectives: to provide new tools and models, thought leadership, research, and training on the intersection of media and learning to prepare our children for a competitive world. WQED provides content in the areas of science and technology; literacy; global cultures and connections; expression; social and community responsibility; numeracy; and behavioral wellness. For more information about iQ: smartmedia, follow WQED’s Education Department online at wqed.org/edu or follow us on Facebook.com/wqed.edu and Twitter.com/wqed_edu.

Hilda Pang Fu Named Dignity and Respect Champion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact:

Melissa Marullo

412.969.2530

412.969.2530

mam@judith-kelly.com

Hilda Pang Fu Recognized as Dignity and Respect Champion for Broadening the Minds of the Community

President and Founder of Luminari Works to Ensure Diverse Creativity in the City

(PITTSBURGH, PA) August 1, 2011– In 2009, Hilda Pang Fu founded the nonprofit organization Luminari to bring a variety of people together and make the region a more prosperous, vibrant, and culturally enriched home to its citizens.

It is right to treat everyone with dignity and respect, but it is also the smart thing to do. The economy is global – we need draw from all of the talents, abilities, and perspectives we have in the region and country regardless of backgrounds, race, sexual orientation, and gender. We can’t afford to not take everyone seriously,” Hilda said.

Nominated by Candi Castleberry-Singleton, chief inclusion and diversity officer, UPMC, Hilda has been chosen as the July Dignity and Respect Champion for her work as the president and founder of Luminari, which was founded to foster activities to broaden minds, inspire innovations, and promote community engagement.

“Hilda Fu’s organization, Luminari, is about changing children’s lives. The innovative I Want to be an Ambassador! camp introduces Pittsburgh students to foreign languages, conflict resolution, and even real foreign service workers during a field trip to Washington, DC!” Candi said.

The seven-day I Want to be an Ambassador! camp is targeted towards rising 8th to 12th grade students with the purpose of bringing their attention to the art and skills of diplomacy and how to apply them immediately to their daily lives.

“With the I Want To Be An Ambassador! camp, Hilda has found an inspiring way to expose students to the art of diplomacy, and to challenge them to become better negotiators by letting them see for themselves that differences are barriers to progress only if we allow them to be,” Candi said.

The camp has proven to inspire, educate, and help the students explore and further their skills.

“One of the purposes of the camp is to inspire our young people to consider different perspectives as they attack an issue. I think this is something we need, but haven’t seen in a while. The participants were excited to be challenged in this way,” Hilda said.

Hilda feels that if everyone treated each other with dignity and respect, the community would be a much more pleasant place to live in.

“It will create more vibrancy to the region. If we lived in a community that only has one set way of doing things, it would be quite boring.”

According to Hilda, treating others with dignity and respect is so obvious that she doesn’t have to give it a thought.

“Dignity and respect are the basis of diplomacy, the foundation of building sustainable working relationships. I think treating others with dignity and respect will help us to not shut the door on different perspectives. Thus, we won’t be missing important ideas and information.”

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.

###

PICT Invites Local Schools to Antony and Cleopatra Project

Media Contact:

Gale McGloin
412.561.6000 x204
gmcgloin@picttheatre.org




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local schools invited to participate

in Antony and Cleopatra project

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre one of forty companies to

receive grants to bring Shakespeare to students nationwide

Pittsburgh, PA -- February 7, 2011. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT) is seeking a minimum of ten schools in the region to participate in a theatre education initiative accompanying its May production of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Teachers at participating schools will receive extensive educational materials related to the works of Shakespeare and specific to PICT’s production of Antony and Cleopatra. Prior to attending the student matinee performance, teaching artists will visit the schools to prepare students for the play. PICT’s Producing Artistic Director, Andrew S. Paul will also visit the schools in April.

PICT’s production of Antony and Cleopatra is helmed by Barrymore Award-winning director James J. Christy (PICT’s 2009 King Lear), and stars nationally-known Shakespearean actor Sam Tsoutsouvas as Antony and the incomparable Helena Ruoti as Cleopatra. Participating students will have the opportunity to work with artists and educators affiliated with the production before and after attending a performance.

PICT is one of 40 nonprofit, professional theater companies that received a grant of $25,000 to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation from June 1, 2010-May 31, 2011. Part of the NEA’s Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, Shakespeare for a New Generation introduces middle- and high-school students to the power of live theater and the masterpieces of William Shakespeare. Managed by Arts Midwest, the program has benefited more than 1.5 million students and their teachers with live performances and educational activities since the program began in 2003.

“We are proud to support bringing Shakespeare to America’s students,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I have seen firsthand how the productions supported through Shakespeare for a New Generation have connected youth with Shakespeare – sometimes for the first time – inspiring them and creating the next generation of audiences. At the same time, this funding increases work opportunities for our theater artists.”

For more information about how your school can participate in this exciting project, contact Gale McGloin at 412.561.6000 x204 or gmcgloin@picttheatre.org.
# # #


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.