Importance of Being Earnest at New Hazlett Theater

Prime Stage Theatre Brings a “Trivial Comedy” to the Stage

The Importance of being Earnest hits the Stage at 

The New Hazlett Theater

                                                                             
PITTSBURGH – Prime Stage Theatre enjoys continuing its 2013-2014 season with The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Directed by Rich Keitel, Earnest is “a trivial comedy for serious people” filled with actors who have successfully entertained audiences on many Pittsburgh stages. Two young men, played by Tom Driscoll and Andrew Swackhammer, in order to impress their two young ladies, played by Hayley Nielsen and Magan Dee Yanko, pretend that their names are “Ernest.” But who is Earnest? Will the secret that has been hidden for years finally be revealed? Will Lady Bracknell, played by Susan McGregor-Laine, keep order amidst this confusion?

The elaborate set designs and period costumes are sure to dazzle and the dialogue and antics of the characters will keep the audience laughing from start to finish.

The performance runs from Saturday, March 8 through Sunday, March 16 at The New Hazlett Theater, with a preview performance on Friday, March 7.

Join us on March 8 for opening night’s “Go Wild with Wilde” event.  Dress up in your best Oscar Wilde inspired outfit, wear a carnation in your lapel, or simply wear a fun hat.  Refreshments will be served.

Tickets are on sale now.

For more information on the season or to buy tickets, visit www.primestage.com.

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

Lady Windermere's Fan at PICT

More Modern Milieu for Lady Windermere’s Fan
**Alan Stanford adapts and directs Oscar Wilde’s comic gem **
***Featuring Leo Marks, Nike Doukas, Jodi Gage and John DeMita in 17-member cast ***

Pittsburgh, PA – UPDATE July 3, 2013. Renowned Oscar Wilde expert Alan Stanford, PICT’s interim Producing Artistic Director, will direct his adaptation of the great Irish playwright’s comedy, Lady Windermere’s Fan. Wilde’s play, first produced in 1892 in London, satirizes the morality of Victorian society. Stanford has moved the setting forward in time to 1947; in post-World-War II London, Wilde’s language and ridicule of high-society still resonate. Oscar Wilde was not so much a writer of polite English comedy, but rather a biting Irish satirist who lampooned the social absurdities and prejudices of the English upper classes, prejudices that lasted well into the Twentieth Century. This production, which runs July 11 through July 27, is PICT’s third show of the season, and features a cast of 17 actors.

Stanford continues to build his reputation as a skilled interpreter of the plays of Oscar Wilde. He has been the principal interpreter of Wilde at the renowned Gate Theatre of Dublin as both an actor and director. He has, at various times, directed and appeared in all of the major plays of Wilde, including the role of Lady Bracknell at Ireland’s Abbey Theatre and here at PICT.  Stanford just finished directing PICT’s second show of the season, The Kreutzer Sonata. His previous directing credits include works by Shakespeare, Molière, Noel Coward, Shaw, and Brecht. He directed PICT’s record-breaking production of the Sherlock Holmes’s mystery The Mask of Moriarty in 2011. Following Lady Windermere’s Fan, he will direct Don Juan Comes Back from the Warwhich PICT will present in August.

Nike Doukas returns to PICT to play Mrs. Erlynne, a mysterious woman whom Lady Windermere believes is seducing her husband. Doukas most recently appeared on the PICT stage in David Ives’ The School for Lies in December 2012. She played Anna inIvanov as well as directing and acting in the short plays of Funny Chekhov during PICT’s Chekhov Celebration last summer.

Also returning from the Chekhov Celebration is Leo Marks, who is playing Lord Windermere in his fourth season at PICT. His past PICT credits include Betrayal, The Hothouse, The Importance of Being Earnest, House and Garden and Three Sisters. His 2012 PICT performances in The Bear, Ivanov and The School for Lies were recognized with a Post-Gazette Performer of the Year award.

John DeMita returns to PICT to play Lord Darlington after his 2011 performance in Race.  Other theatre credits include the Andak Stage Company, The Hollywood Bowl, Geffen Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, Intiman Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Pacific Resident Theatre, where he is a founding member. DeMita is a graduate of Yale University and the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

Jodi Gage will begin her first season with PICT playing the suspicious Lady Windermere, who believes her husband is having an affair. Other Pittsburgh credits include The REP, Pittsburgh CLO and the Theatre Factory.  Gage is a Performing Artistic Affiliate, as well as Managing Director of Mozawa, an international company that creates original works of interdisciplinary art.

PICT welcomes back Martin Giles, Helena Ruoti, James FitzGerald and David Whalen.

Martin Giles is in his 12th season with PICT, with credits including The School for Lies, Ivanov, The Mask of Moriarty, House & Garden, The Importance of Being Earnest, The History Boys, What the Butler Saw and The Gigli Concert, which helped earned him a Post-Gazette Performer of the Year award. Most recently he wowed audiences with his one-man tour de force performance in PICT’s The Kreutzer Sonata. Giles will direct A Skull in Connemara for PICT in September, and in December, he’ll reprise his role as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes & The Crucifer of Blood.

Helena Ruoti is in her seventh season with PICT.  Previous PICT credits include Ivanov, School for Lies, Afterplay, House and Garden, Antony & Cleopatra, The Seagull, Hamlet, Heartbreak House, King Lear, Rock N Roll and What the Butler Saw.

James FitzGerald is in his 6th season with PICT. Other Pittsburgh credits include the Pittsburgh Public Theater, Quantum Theater and Bricolage. He was acknowledged by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for his work in the Best of Pittsburgh 2011 and 2012. With many credits in Chicago, FitzGerald is also the recipient of Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, a Jeff Citation and an After Dark Award.

David Whalen is in his 8th season with PICT. He has performed in more than twenty productions for PICT, including the Chekhov Celebration, Pinter Festival, Julius Caesar, Stuff Happens, Doubt, Salome, King Lear, Pride & Prejudice and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a role he reprised at The Repertory of St Louis, winning the Kevin Kline Award for Best Actor.  His Pittsburgh credits include Pittsburgh Public Theatre, City Theatre, Quantum, The REP and Barebones Productions. In 2012, he was named the MVP Performer by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as well as being recognized as Performer of the Year for 2007.  Whalen will be appearing in PICT’s productions of Don Juan Comes Back from the War in August, and he will reprise his role as Sherlock Homes in Sherlock Holmes & The Crucifer of Blood in December.

Returning after her PICT debut last year, Colette Freiwald performed in Three Sisters and Ivanov. A graduate of Point Park University, she performed in Room Service and The Hostage, and she recently performed with Prime Stage in Walk Two Moons.

Lisa Ann Goldsmith was last seen on the PICT stage in Jane Eyre, and other PICT credits include The Shaughraun and Pride & Prejudice. Pittsburgh credits include Unseam’d Shakespeare, Pittsburgh CLO, Quantum Theatre and The REP.

Dylan Marquis Meyers is returning to PICT after his performance in The Importance of Being Earnest in 2011. He is in his junior year in the drama department at the University of Pittsburgh.
Six actors will be making their PICT debuts: Lily Davis, Jordan Ross Weinhold, Heidi Friese, Casey Jordan, Hannah Morris, Luke Halferty.

Lily Davis is a recent graduate of Point Park University this May, where she performed in The School for Scandal and TheCrucible. Her performance as Jane in 800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick with Caravan Theatre Group earned her a mention in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2012.

Jordan Ross Weinhold is recently graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre at Point Park University, where he performed in The Producers and played opposite Lily Davis in The School for Scandal. Lily and Weinhold play opposite each other again in Lady Windermere’s Fan.

Heidi Friese is also a recent graduate of Point Park University, where her credits include Evita, Peter and the Wolf, A Chorus Line, M33 and The Producers.
A recent graduate of Wright State University, Casey Jordan’s university credits include The Merchant of Venice, Anything Goes,and The Phantom of the Opera.

Hannah Morris is in her junior year at Point Park University.
Also in his junior year at Point Park University, Luke Halferty appeared there in The School for Scandal, and he just completed his debut performance with the St. Vincent Theatre in Latrobe.

ABOUT THE PLAY:
Lady Windermere’s Fan
The play, the first of Wilde’s quartet of social satires, was first presented in 1893. It proved an instant success and established Wilde as a major playwright. Although greeted as a delightful comedy by the West End society of late Victorian London, it is in fact a thinly-veiled attack on the hypocrisy of what was called Good Society.

In this play, as in others from his pen, Wilde took the relatively unusual step of centering the plot around two female characters and proved himself every bit as adept at this as his contemporaries, Shaw and Ibsen.
The plot is simple enough. A young wife, married to an aristocrat of previously blameless character finds that he has been financially supporting a woman of dubious reputation. His refusal to explain drives her to take desperate steps. And yet, the safety of her own reputation in this world of privilege and prejudice and the avoidance of a scandal that could ruin her life hangs on the behavior of the very woman she suspects.
PICT Theatre (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.

FACT SHEET -  Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
Adapted by Alan Stanford

Pittsburgh Premiere
Directed by Alan Stanford
The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial
4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Cast: John DeMita, Nike Doukas, Jodi Gage, James FitzGerald, Martin Giles, Leo Marks, Helena Ruoti, Lily Davis, Colette Freiwald, Heidi Friese, Lisa Ann Goldsmith, Luke Halferty, Casey Jordan, Dylan Marquis Meyers, Hannah Morris, Jordan Ross Weinhold, David Whalen


Design Team: Michael Essad (scenic design); Joan Markert (costume design); Cat Wilson (lighting design); Steve Shapiro (sound design); Johnmichael Bohach (properties)

Performance Schedule:
Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
Tuesday, July 23 at 7pm
Saturday, July 27 at 2pm and 8pm

First Week:         Thursday and Friday, July 11 & 12, 8:00 pm – Previews
                                Saturday, July 13, 8:00 pm – Opening Night
                                Sunday, July 14, 2:00 pm – Talkback following performance
Second Week:    Wednesday* – Saturday, July 17-20, 8:00 pm
                                Sunday, July 21, 2:00 pm
Third Week:       Tuesday, July 23, 7:00 p.m. (Early Tuesday** performance)
                                Wednesday-Friday, June 24-26, 8:00 p.m.
                                Saturday, July 27, 2:00 pm - Matinee performance
Saturday, July 27, 8:00 pm – Final performance
*Pre-show lecture begins at 7:00 pm in The Charity Randall Theatre.
**Early Tuesday includes 6:00 pm happy hour – free food buffet + drink specials -- hosted at Joe Mama’s Restaurant, 3716 Forbes Ave. 15213)


PICT Special Events   (Free of Charge)

Talkback
Sunday, July 14, following the 2:00 p.m. performance includes director Alan Stanford and the cast of Lady Windermere’s Fan

Pre-Show Lecture
Wednesday, July 17, 7:00 p.m.


Subscription Packages:                            $222 - $258 (Standard prices; flex plans available)
Single Tickets:                                               $25-$48 ($20 under age 26 with valid ID)
                                                                                Prices do not include Handling Fees      

Pick, purchase and print your tickets online at www.picttheatre.org,
or call 412-561-6000

# # #

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

Pre Broadway Tour of Bernhardt on Broadway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Last Word LLC
2132 Pauline Blvd., Suite 208
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Telephone: 734.864.3244
Email:  CDunitz@BernhardtOnBroadway.com
Web site:  www.BernhardtOnBroadway.com
Contact:  Carol Dunitz or Madame Sarah

Pre Broadway Tour of ‘Bernhardt On Broadway: The Musical’ Continues
Learn What Lady Gaga & Marilyn Monroe Learned from Sarah Bernhardt

‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ is a no holds barred exposé about the daughter of a courtesan who overcame countless obstacles to become the most famous woman in the world. Now, almost a century after her appearances in southeast Michigan, audiences can once again experience the wonder of Madame Sarah in the one-woman musical, ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ The show opens with Bernhardt welcoming the audience to her drawing room, a warm and cozy setting for the audience to become rapt in intimate self-disclosures via story and song about the actress’ legendary life.  http://www.oscholars.com/Upstage/issue3/bernhardt.htm

Dunitz is currently in discussion with a major Broadway producer to take ‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ to New York. The show premiered at Maxims in Chicago in October 2010.

Before mass media and modern travel, Sarah Bernhardt ingeniously master marketed her meteoric rise to superstardom. She was the WORLD’S FIRST SUPERSTAR.  Before LadyGaGa and Marilyn Monroe posed nude for national magazines, and Janet Jackson introduced the world to the concept of a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, Sarah Bernhardt shamelessly posed nude for renowned 19th century photographer Felix Nadar while still in her teens.

Before Britney Spears and Madonna French-kissed at MTV’s 20th annual Video Music Awards, Bernhardt spread rumors that she studied her parts in a coffin and played croquet with human skulls. Before Elizabeth Taylor was led to the altar seven times and Zsa Zsa Gabor sampled marital bliss with nine men, Madame Sarah received over 1000 proposals of marriage.

Before Joan Crawford and Bette Davis endorsed Lucky Strikes, Sarah Bernhardt touted Ogden cigarettes as well as Vaseline, Pears soap, and Guerlain perfume and got paid handsomely to do it. She was an unrivaled success in the first full length silent film, ‘Queen Eliabeth,‘ before Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren offered their interpretations of England’s great queen. Before Richard Burton and Sir Lawrence Olivier performed ‘Hamlet,’ Sarah Bernhardt played the young prince at Stratford on Avon in French.

Mark Twain punctuated Sarah Bernhardt’s Avant Garde status when he identified five kinds of actresses: “bad, fair, good, great – and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.” Nicknamed ‘The Divine Sarah’ by Oscar Wilde, Bernhardt was the undisputed queen of theatre during her lifetime.  It is said she almost single-handedly revolutionized the place of women in the theater. Her bravery and bold abandon has become the archetype of successful women to this day.

Playwright, composer, lyricist and lead Carol Dunitz read over 100 books and articles on Sarah Bernhardt before writing ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ Dunitz received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in Speech Communication and Theater from Wayne State University.  She is the author of several books in addition to ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ She has been writing music since she was a child. Her love of musicals dates to her childhood when her mother, who often told her she was ‘a little Sarah Bernhardt,’ took her to see Gypsy.

See video clips at www.YouTube.com or visit www.BernhardtOnBroadway.com. A media kit can be downloaded at http://www.bernhardtonbroadway.com/contact.html.

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

Importance of Being Earnest Breaks New Ground for PICT

Media Contact:

Melissa Hill Grande

Associate Artistic Director and Director of Marketing

412.561.6000 x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PICT offers lavish, hilarious, all-male Importance of Being Earnest

Irish director Conall Morrison helms spectacular production he originally created for Dublin’s famed Abbey Theatre

Pittsburgh, PA – July 25, 2011. The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the greatest comedies of all time, opened on Valentine’s Day, 1895. For playwright Oscar Wilde, it was the moment of his greatest triumph and the beginning of his downfall.

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre pays tribute to the great playwright and his masterpiece with a vibrant and stylish production of his comic masterpiece, anchored by two of Ireland’s favorite sons – Conall Morrison and Alan Stanford – and featuring a cast comprised entirely of gentlemen. Director Morrison’s landmark production, which was a sell-out hit at the Abbey Theatre for two consecutive seasons, begins in The Brasserie Dauphine, Paris, 1900, three months before Wilde's death. In the brief prologue (written by Morrison), we find Wilde breakfasting on champagne and absinthe. Surrounded by the splendor of Art Nouveau and the beauty of the young waiters, he recalls the glory of Earnest, casting the play from the café’s elegant male clientele and assaying the plum role of Lady Bracknell himself.

Morrison joins PICT for the first time this summer, but his credits are legendary. He is a former associate artist with Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, where his adaptation of Patrick Kavanagh’s novel Tarry Flynn and production of Dion Boucicault’s The Colleen Bawn began before transferring for acclaimed runs at Britain’s Royal National theatre. This year, Conall has directed the Abbey’s revival of Brian Friel’s Translations and Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible, which was the grand opening production at the new Lyric Theatre in Belfast. He directed the American premier of Boublil and Schoenberg’s musical Martin Guerre for Cameron Mackintosh at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis along with many other productions for the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and the English National Opera.

Stanford is well-known to PICT audiences as the director of the stunning 2008 production of Salome and the Pinter Celebration’s much-lauded productions of Betrayal and Celebration. He makes his PICT acting debut as Oscar Wilde/Lady Bracknell in Earnest, though local audiences may remember Stanford for his portrayal of Pozzo in the Gate Theatre’s touring production of Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, which visited Pittsburgh in 2006. This critically-acclaimed performance has toured the world, and is featured as part of the “Beckett on Film” series. A prominent actor at Dublin’s Gate Theatre for more than three decades, Alan has received, among many other awards and accolades, a Harvey’s Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance as Salieri in Amadeus, and nominations for his performances as Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Higgins in Pygmalion, and Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. As director and actor, he is widely considered to be one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the plays of Oscar Wilde.

PICT’s 2011 Actor in Residence Leo Marks will play the suave Algernon Moncrief. A company member in PICT’s extraordinary Pinter Celebration, Marks was also featured in PICT’s recent productions of Antony & Cleopatra and House & Garden. The OBIE award-winning actor has appeared at some of the most respected theatres in the country, including The Shakespeare Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Actors Theater of Louisville, the Old Globe, and Intiman. He is also a founding member of New York’s acclaimed Elevator Repair Service.

David Whalen returns to PICT this season to play the charming Jack Worthing. His PICT credits include Pinter Celebration, Doubt, President George W. Bush in Stuff Happens, Julius Caesar, An Ideal Husband, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. For his work in four PICT productions, David was named Performer of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2007. The Lieutenant of Inishmore was remounted at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in 2008, winning David that city’s Kevin Kline award for Best Actor. He has performed with some of the country’s most respected companies, including South Coast Repertory, the Shakespeare Theatre of D.C., Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, as well as Pittsburgh’s excellent City, Public, and Quantum Theatres.

CMU alumnus Will Reynolds and young New York-based character actor Matthew Cleaver were chosen for the plum roles of Gwendolen and Cecily following an extensive national search. Reynolds was in the PICT 2004 production of Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance and recently played Frank Churchill in the pre-Broadway production of Paul Gordon’s musical version of Jane Austen’s Emma at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. His other credits include productions with West Virginia Public Theatre, Goodspeed, and the national tour of Mamma Mia. Cleaver is a recent graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance. His one-man show Gay Blues has been performed off-Broadway at Barrow Street Theatre.

The production also features James FitzGerald as Miss Prism, David Crawford as Canon Chasuble, Martin Giles as Merriman, and Dan Derks, Luka Glinsky, Dylan Marquis Meyers and Jordan Matthew Walsh as rent boys and gardeners.

PICT’s production retains the original scenic and costume designs from the acclaimed Abbey theatre production. The Art Nouveau Parisian café set is designed by the brilliant French scenic designer Sabine Dargent, who makes her PICT debut with The Importance of Being Earnest. The costumes are by acclaimed Irish designer Joan O’Clery, with additional costumes by Pittsburgh designer Joan Markert. The lighting design is by Jim French (Pinter Celebration, Rock ‘n’ Roll), sound design by Erik T. Lawson (Hobson’s Choice), and properties by Cory F. Goddard. The Importance of Being Earnest plays August 4-27 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

The Importance of Being Earnest Fact Sheet

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Adapted and directed by Conall Morrison

The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland

4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Cast: Matthew Cleaver, David Crawford, Dan Derks, James FitzGerald, Martin Giles, Luka Glinsky, Leo Marks, Dylan Marquis Meyers, Will Reynolds, Alan Stanford, Jordan Walsh and David Whalen.

Design Team: Sabine Dargent (scenic design); Gianni Downs (associate scenic design); Jim French (lighting design); Joan O’Clery (original costume design); Joan Markert (additional costume design); Erik T. Lawson (sound design), Cory F. Goddard (properties)

Performance Dates and Times:

First Week:

Thursday -- Friday, August 4 - 5; 8 p.m. previews

Saturday, August 6; 8 p.m. opening night, followed by reception

Sunday, August 7; 2 p.m. matinee, followed by talk-back

Second Week:

Tuesday, August 9; 7 p.m. Professional Tuesday performance

Wednesday – Saturday, August 10 - 13; 8 p.m. performances*

Sunday, August 14; 2 p.m. matinee

*pre-performance discussion at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday

Third Week:

Wednesday – Saturday, August 17 - 20; 8 p.m. performances

Sunday, August 21; 2 p.m. performance

Fourth Week:

Tuesday, August 23: 7 p.m. performance

Wednesday – Friday, August 24 – 26: 8 p.m. performance

Saturday, August 27; 2 p.m. AND 8 p.m. performances

Ticket Prices:

Fri. and Sat. nights: $50; Seniors $48

Tues., Wed., Thurs. nights, and Sat. & Sun. matinees $46, Seniors $44

Preview Thurs. and Fri.: $40 for all seats

$20 tickets available for youth under 25, with valid ID

Call ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 or visit www.picttheatre.org

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. Great Stories. Well Told

PICT Receives Grant for Production of The Importance of Being Earnest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




Media Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

mgrande@picttheatre.org
412.561.6000 x203

PICT Receives NEA Grant

$10,000 Access to Artistic Excellence grant supports upcoming production of The Importance of Being Earnest

Pittsburgh, PA- May 23, 2011. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre has received a $10,000 Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, for their production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

The Importance of Being Earnest is being presented by PICT in a version adapted by Irish playwright and director Conall Morrison. The production features a new prologue and interludes which turn Oscar Wilde into a character in the play. The Importance of Being Earnest will be performed from August 4th through August 27th 2011 at the Charity Randall Theatre, located in the Stephen Foster Memorial on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus.

The announcement was made by Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts. The Access to Artistic Excellence grant was created to assist with maintaining the arts, as well as to provide access to the arts for all individuals. 1,415 applicants were eligible to receive the grants, and 789 of those were recommended. The grants given in the Access to Artistic Expression category totals $24.9 million.
# # #

Salome Pre Show Discussion Location Changed

Media Contact:

Melissa Hill Grande

Director of Marketing

412.561.6000 x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PICT discussion series moves to Schenley Park for Salome


Pittsburgh, PA – June 12, 2008. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre will hold free pre-show discussions for Salome on Wednesday and Thursday, June 18th and 19th, at 7 p.m. under the Schenley Plaza Oval Tent, across from the Stephen Foster Memorial.


The discussions are part of a regular series, featuring “Artistically Speaking” (sponsored by UPMC) on Wednesdays and “Behind the Scenes” on Thursdays in the week following the opening of each main-stage production. The discussions are hosted by PICT artistic director Andrew S. Paul, and the special guest for the Salome discussions will be Roger Doyle, composer and pianist for Salome.


Doyle studied composition at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, the Institute of Sonology at the University of Utrecht and the Finnish Radio Experimental Music Studio. He has worked extensively in theatre, film and dance, in particular with the music-theatre company Operating Theatre, which he co-founded with actress Olwen Fouere. Awards include the Program Music Prize at the 1997 Bourges International Electro-Acoustic Music Competition, France, and the Marten Toonder Award (2000) in recognition of his innovative work as a composer. Doyle is a member of Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists.


Oscar Wilde’s masterful poetic drama Salome is directed by Alan Stanford, with original music composed and performed by Doyle. The production runs June 12th through 28th in the Charity Randall Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial on Forbes Avenue in Oakland. DUQ-FM is the media sponsor for Salome.


Corruption, sensuality and self-indulgent hedonism reign in Herod’s kingdom; at the other extreme is Jokanaan – a vain, self-absorbed prophet. Salome is trapped between the fanaticism of Jokanaan and the decadence of society. When her advances are rebuffed by Jokanaan, Salome reacts by succumbing to her step-father Herod’s request that she dance for him. Herod offers her the world on a plate as payment, but she has something else in mind.


For more information, contact Melissa Grande at 412-561-6000 x203. Tickets for Salome are available by contacting ProArtsTickets at 412.394-3353 or online at www.proartstickets.org.


Melissa Hill Grande

Marketing Director

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre

PO Box 23607

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

412-561-6000, x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

Visit our website: www.picttheatre.org!

Pre Show Discussions for Oscar Wilde's, "An Ideal Husband"

For Immediate Release


Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

Director of Marketing

P.O. Box 23607

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

mgrande@picttheatre.org

412-561-6000 x203

www.picttheatre.org


Director, noted Wilde scholar announced

as guests for upcoming discussion series


Pittsburgh, PA – May 7, 2008. The upcoming Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre pre-show discussion series will feature Philip E. Smith as the guest for “Artistically Speaking” on Wednesday, May 14th, and Andrew S. Paul for “Behind the Scenes” on Thursday, May 15th. Both talks are free of charge and begin at 7 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. performance of An Ideal Husband. All events take place in the Stephen Foster Memorial on Forbes Avenue in Oakland.


Philip E. Smith teaches in the English department at the University of Pittsburgh, where his seminar in Oscar Wilde and the 1890s is offered regularly for graduate students and senior English majors. He is the editor of Approaches to Teaching the Works of Oscar Wilde (MLA 2008) and the co-editor of Oscar Wilde's Oxford Notebooks (Oxford University Press 1989).

Andrew S. Paul is the artistic director for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, and the director of An Ideal Husband.

The Wednesday night lecture series is sponsored by UPMC.

Tickets for An Ideal Husband are available by calling ProArtsTickets at 412-394-3353. No tickets are required to attend either discussion.

Press Release--Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

For immediate release:

Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

Director of Marketing

(412) 561-6000 x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

http://www.picttheatre.org


An Ideal Husband launches PICT’s “Wilde Affairs”

Scandalous behavior and political intrigue give Oscar Wilde’s

social comedy a contemporary relevance

Pittsburgh, PA – April 25, 2008. A politician embroiled in a moral dilemma takes center stage in Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre’s upcoming production of An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde. The show runs May 8th through May 31st in the Henry Heymann Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial on Forbes Avenue in Oakland.

The notoriously straight-laced politician Robert Chiltern is on the verge of obtaining cabinet rank, when a mysterious woman from his past emerges and threatens to reveal his darkest secret. Unbeknownst to his adoring wife and admiring friends, Chiltern launched his career by less-than-honorable means. Mrs. Cheveley – the woman who holds his fate in her hands – is willing to keep his secret safe for a price. To save himself from discovery, he must tarnish his honor once again. His neer-do-well friend Lord Goring holds both the key to Chiltern’s salvation and to Chiltern’s sister Mabel’s heart.

An Ideal Husband is directed by Andrew S. Paul, with scenery by Gianni Downs, lighting by Erick Leininger, costumes by Joan Markert, and sound design by Zachary Brown. The production stars David Whalen, Nike Doukas, Paul Todaro, and Beth Hylton.

Playwright Oscar Wilde was born October 16, 1854 in Dublin to William and Jane Francesca Wilde. Wilde studied at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford, then moved to London where he began his literary career. In addition to poetry, his published works include the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), a series of stories for children, and a number of dramatic works, including Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), An Ideal Husband (1895), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), A Woman of No Importance (1893), and Salome (written in 1891 but banned by the censor; first produced in Paris in 1896). He married Constance Lloyd in 1884, and his sons Cyril and Vyvyan were born in 1885 and 1886, respectively. He gained celebrity status in his own time, first as a notorious wit and member of the aesthetic movement, and later for his conviction on a charge of gross indecency (homosexuality) for which he served time in prison. He died in Paris in 1900, three years after his release from Reading Prison.

Director Andrew S. Paul is the founder and artistic director of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. Last season for PICT he directed Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and David Hare’s Stuff Happens and Via Dolorosa. He recently traveled to Poland, where he directed and collaborated with Hare on the non-English language premiere of Stuff Happens at the Slaski Teatr in Katowice.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2007 Performer of the Year David Whalen plays Sir Robert Chiltern. Whalen played Edgar in the recent PICT production of King Lear, and was seen last season as George W. Bush in Stuff Happens, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Padraic Osbourne in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. A Pittsburgh native, Whalen is a graduate of Point Park University and the North Carolina School for the Arts. He played Joe Pitt in the American regional premiere of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America at Houston’s Alley Theatre and toured Europe with the production. He also appeared in the Arden/City Theatre co-production of Michael Hollinger’s Opus.

Nike Doukas makes her PICT debut as the seductive and deceitful Mrs. Cheveley. An MFA graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre program, Doukas has performed at many of America’s most respected regional theatres. Her credits include Major Barbara, Much Ado About Nothing, and Blythe Spirit at South Coast Repertory; The Wood Demon and Henceforward at the Mark Taper Forum; Sea of Tranquility and Much Ado About Nothing at the Old Globe; and The Importance of Being Earnest at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Her recent television and film credits include Shark, Women’s Murder Club, Numbers, Boston Legal, and Desperate Housewives (recurring.).

Paul Todaro, who recently played Edmund in PICT’s production of King Lear, plays Lord Goring, resident man-about-town and confidante to Sir Robert. Last season for PICT, he played Lövborg in Hedda Gabler, and Elyot in Private Lives, and he was Gabriel in PICT’s 2004 production of James Joyce’s The Dead. Todaro spent ten years in New York with Independent Theatre Company where his acting credits included the title roles in Hamlet, MacBeth, and his directing credits included the plays of Beckett, Brecht, and Ionesco.

Beth Hylton returns to PICT after playing Amanda in the 2007 production of Private Lives. Her most recent performances include Catharine in Suddenly Last Summer at the Hippodrome State Theatre, Sonia in Life x 3 at Gulfshore Playhouse, and Helen in And a Nightingale Sang at Everyman Theatre. She has an MFA in acting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s professional actor training program.

The cast of An Ideal Husband also includes Anwen Darcy, James FitzGerald, E. Bruce Hill, Kathleen Huber, Dek Ingraham, Jay Keenan, Catherine Moore, and Mary Rawson

Scenic designer Gianni Downs designed the 2007 PICT productions Pride and Prejudice, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Private Lives, Nine Parts of Desire, and Stuff Happens, as well as the 2006 PICT production of Boston Marriage. Costumes are designed by Joan Markert (School for Scandal), lighting by Erick Leininger (Boston Marriage), and sound by Zachary Brown (Pride and Prejudice, Private Lives).

An Ideal Husband is the first in a series of three plays in the PICT season that showcase Wilde’s diverse artistry as a writer. Wilde’s beautiful children’s tales are brought to life through spoken word, song, and dance in the world premiere of Wilde Tales, a musical by Bruce Dow adapted from Wilde’s stories “The Happy Prince” and “The Selfish Giant,” and directed by Sheila McKenna. In “The Happy Prince,” the prince’s statue sits high on a pedestal from whence he sees the misery of the people he once ruled. Desperate and forlorn, he enlists the help of a friendly swallow to distribute his jewels and gold leaf among the poor…but to what end? “The Selfish Giant” tells the touching story of a giant who prohibits children from playing in his garden. It is always winter inside his walls… until his heart is softened by a very special boy.

The first half of Wilde Tales, “The Happy Prince,” is this year’s recipient of the Stanier Arts Award and will be presented as part of the International Children’s Festival from May 14 to May 18 at Bellefield Hall. PICT will then present Wilde Tales in its entirety from May 22 to May 31 at the Charity Randall Theatre.

Wilde’s talent as a writer in verse is showcased in Salome, running June 12th through the 28th in the Charity Randall Theatre and directed by Alan Stanford. Salome is not a woman who takes rejection lightly! When Jokanaan rebuffs her advances, she reacts by succumbing to her step-father Herod’s request that she dance for him. Herod offers her the world on a plate, but she has something else in mind. PICT presents Oscar Wilde’s retelling of the Biblical story of Salome and John the Baptist, reimagined by director Alan Stanford, and with an original score composed and performed live by Roger Doyle.

An Ideal Husband runs May 8th through May 31st in the intimate Henry Heymann Theatre, located in the Stephen Foster Memorial in Oakland. The Wednesday night preshow discussion on May 14th is sponsored by UPMC. A special student matinee is scheduled for Thursday, May 8 at 10 a.m. Tickets for public performances are $47 to $17 and are available by calling ProArts Tickets at 412-394-3353 or visiting www.picttheatre.org. To schedule students into the matinee performance, contact PICT education director Michele McClendon at 412-561-6000 x208, or email mmcclendon@picttheatre.org.

An Ideal Husband Fact Sheet

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Andrew S. Paul

Henry Heymann Theatre, Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland

Cast: Anwen Darcy, Nike Doukas, James FitzGerald, E. Bruce Hill, Kathleen Huber, Beth Hylton, Dek Ingraham, Jay Keenan, Catherine Moore, Mary Rawson, Paul Todaro and David Whalen

Design Team: Zachary Brown (Sound), Gianni Downs (Scenic), Erick Leininger (Lighting), Joan Markert (Costumes)

Performance Dates and Times:

First Week: Thursday – Friday, May 8 - 9, Previews, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 10, Opening Night, 8 p.m. (followed by reception)

Sunday, May 11, 2 p.m. (followed by Mother’s Day treats with the cast!)

Second Week: Tuesday, May 13, 7 p.m.

Wednesday – Saturday, May 14 - 17, 8 p.m.

*Artistically Speaking – Wednesday, May 14 (Sponsored by UPMC) at 7p.m.

*Behind the Scenes – Thursday, May 15 at 7p.m.

Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m.
Third Week: Wednesday – Friday, May 21 – 23, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 24, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 25, 2 p.m.

Fourth Week: Tuesday – Friday, May 27 – 30, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.

*Audio-Descriptive performance Saturday, May 31 at 2 p.m.


Ticket Prices: Wednesday and Thursday Nights, and Matinees: $41 Adults, $37 Seniors

Friday and Saturday Nights: $45 Adults, $40 Seniors

Opening Night: $47 Adults, $42 Seniors

Previews: $33 (all seats, no Senior discounts)

Youth, 25 and Under: $17 all performances



For Tickets, call ProArts at (412) 394-3353 or visit www.picttheatre.org