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

World Renowned Artists Showcased in PICT 2011 Season

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Melissa Hill Grande
Associate Artistic Director and Director of Marketing
mgrande@picttheatre.org
412-561-6000 x203



PICT 2011 Season Showcases Local, National and International Stars

Ireland, New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh come together on the PICT stages to present a Shakespearean classic, four hilarious comedies, and an incendiary peek into the world of lawyers

Pittsburgh, PA – March 28, 2011. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre has assembled a stellar team of world-renowned artists for the 2011 Dynamic Duos season! Audiences can look forward to enjoying the work of popular Pittsburgh actors Helena Ruoti, David Whalen, and Martin Giles, New Yorkers Sam Tsoutsouvas and Beth Hylton, Los Angeles actors Leo Marks, Nike Doukas, and James Sutorius, Ireland’s Alan Stanford and Conall Morrison, and England’s David Bryan Jackson and Sarah Manton.

PICT’s 2011 Actor in Residence will be Leo Marks, a company member in PICT’s extraordinary Pinter Celebration. 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. Marks will be featured as the supremely political Octavius in Antony & Cleopatra, the haughty and smarmy Gavin Ryng-Mayne in House & Garden, and the suave and unflappable Algernon Moncrief in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Pittsburgh’s leading lady of the theatre Helena Ruoti returns to PICT this season to star as the steely and outrageous Eqyptian queen in Shakespeare’s masterpiece Antony and Cleopatra, and as the long-suffering housewife Trish Platt in Alan Ayckbourn’s hilarious duo of plays House & Garden. Ruoti’s previous PICT credits include Rock ‘n’ Roll, What the Butler Saw, The Seagull, and King Lear.

Renowned Shakespearean actor Sam Tsoutsouvas returns to Pittsburgh to play the ill-fated Roman general Mark Antony in Antony & Cleopatra, reuniting with Ruoti following their acclaimed turns in PICT’s 2009 production of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Tsoutsouvas recently completed an extended run in the Red Bull Theatre’s hit production of The Witch of Edmonton. His Broadway credits include By Jeeves, Three Sisters and Our Country’s Good, and his previous PICT credits include the Pinter Celebration, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Heartbreak House, and Henry IV.

Lauded Southern California-based actor James Sutorius makes his PICT debut as cynical warrior Enobarbus. Sutorius’ Broadway credits include The Farnsworth Invention, Conversations with My Father, The Changing Room and The Cherry Orchard. His regional credits include Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory and Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Antony and Cleopatra is directed by Barrymore award winner James J. Christy (King Lear), and also features David Berry, Ken Bolden (Julius Caesar), Dan Derks, Jarrod DiGiorgi (Pinter Celebration, Salome, The Lieutenant of Inishmore), James FitzGerald (Pride & Prejudice), Parag Gohel, Daina Michelle Griffith (Beautiful Dreamers), Daniel Krell (Beautiful Dreamers), Shammen McCune, Michael Mueller, Jim Platania, Sean Sears, Mark Staley (King Lear), Bria Walker and Aaron White. The scenic design is by David P. Gordon (King Lear), lighting by Cindy Limauro (Beautiful Dreamers, Pride & Prejudice), costume design by Jen Sturm, sound design by David Huber, and properties by Ricardo Vila-Roger. The production plays May 4 – 21 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

Martin Giles stars as Teddy Platt, a wealthy philanderer making a move into politics, in Alan Ayckbourn’s two-play comic extravaganza House & Garden. Giles’ PICT credits include Pinter Celebration, What the Butler Saw, Synge Cycle, BeckettFest, Uncle Vanya and The Gigli Concert. Giles will also appear as Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest, and will co-star as Dr. John Watson in PICT’s holiday production of The Mask of Moriarity.

Beth Hylton and Nike Doukas return to PICT to play respectively Teddy’s mistress, Joanna, and a glamorous French film star he becomes enamored of, Lucille Cadeau. Hylton’s credits include Woolly Mammoth, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Delaware Theatre Company, Everyman Theatre, Olney Theater Center, Weston Playhouse, and PlayMakers Rep. Doukas was featured prominently in last season’s Pinter Celebration. She has an MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre and is a regular presence at theatres throughout Southern California including South Coast Rep and The Old Globe in San Diego. House & Garden reunites Hylton and Doukas with Anwen Darcy (Rock ‘n’ Roll) and Mary Rawson (Copenhagen). The four last appeared together in PICT’s 2008 production of Wilde’s An Ideal Husband.

British-born actors Sarah Manton and David Bryan Jackson bring authentic stiff-upper-lip to Ayckbourn’s comedies in their PICT debuts. Manton, a graduate of the Guildford School of Acting, London, plays the feisty young maid Pearl. Her credits include the world premiere of Tom Stoppard’s Coast of Utopia (National Theatre), the role of Baby in the West End production of Dirty Dancing, and the National Theatre production of South Pacific. She was recently seen in the Pittsburgh Public Theatre production of Ayckbourn’s Time of My Life. Jackson plays Giles Mace, Teddy’s best friend and Joanna’s husband. His credits include multiple productions with The Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center.

House & Garden is co-directed by Andrew S. Paul and Melissa Hill Grande, and also features Jon Farris (Synge Cycle, Hobson’s Choice), Michael Fuller (Beautiful Dreamers, Pride & Prejudice), Tressa Glover, Allison Scarlet Jaye, and Sean Mellott. Scenic design is by Gianni Downs, lighting design by Cindy Limauro and Christopher Popowich, costumes by Jen Sturm, sound by Zach Moore, and properties by Ricardo Vila-Roger. House & Garden perform simultaneously in the Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres, June 23 – July 17.

Two of Ireland’s favorite sons – Conall Morrison and Alan Stanford - come to Pittsburgh in August for a vibrant, stylish production of Oscar Wilde’s outrageous comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, featuring a cast comprised entirely of gentlemen! Director Morrison joins PICT for the first time this summer, but his credits are legendary. Morrison is a former associate artist with Dublin’s famed Abbey Theatre. His current projects include the Abbey’s revival of Brian Friel’s Translations, and Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible, slated as the grand re-opening production in the new Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Other credits include his own adaptation of Tarry Flynn, and Martin Guerre for Cameron Mackintosh., along with 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, as well as 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 production has toured the world, and is featured as part of the “Beckett on Film” series. He received a Harvey’s Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance as Salieri in Amadeus, and was nominated for his performances as Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Higgins in Pygmalion, and Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

David Whalen returns to PICT this season to play the charming Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest, and a youthful, comic Sherlock Holmes in The Mask of Moriarity. Whalen’s PICT credits include Pinter Celebration, Doubt, An Ideal Husband, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. 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, and St. Louis Repertory Theatre.

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 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.

The brilliant French scenic designer Sabine Dargent makes her PICT debut with The Importance of Being Earnest. The lighting design is by Jim French (Pinter Celebration, Rock ‘n’ Roll), costume design by Pei-Chi Su (King Lear, The History Boys), sound design by Erik T. Lawson (Hobson’s Choice), and properties by Ricardo Vila-Roger. The Importance of Being Earnest plays August 4-27 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

Casting for Race and The Mask of Moriarty will be completed later in the spring.

Single ticket sales begin April 4th, and money-saving season subscriptions are available now! For tickets or subscriptions, phone ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353, or visit www.picttheatre.org.

The 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 Alliance. 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.

PICT Celebrates Nobel Prize-Winning Playwright Harold Pinter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________


Media Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

mgrande@picttheatre.org
412.561.6000  x203

Hearing Noise (and Laughter) in the Silence

PICT celebrates the artistry of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter with extraordinary six-play Festival

Pittsburgh, PA – June 28, 2010. Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre honors one of the most important playwrights of the late 20th century with Hearing Noise in the Silence: A Celebration of the Life and Theatre of Harold Pinter. A team of seventeen actors and directors bring the plays to life, beginning with the comedy The Hothouse on July 22nd, and continuing with five additional plays running in repertory until August 22nd. Adventurous patrons who wish to condense the experience have two opportunities to see all six of the plays in three days (August 12th through 14th, or August 20th through 22nd). The Pinter Celebration is generously sponsored by Richard E. Rauh and The National Endowment for the Arts. DUQ 90.3-FM is the Media Sponsor.

The Pinter Celebration continues the tradition that PICT began in 2006 with BeckettFest, a festival featuring all 19 of Samuel Beckett’s plays, and continued in 2008 with Synge Cycle, featuring the complete plays of the playwright who most influenced Beckett, John Millington Synge. Nobel Prizewinning playwright Harold Pinter is perhaps the most “Beckettian” of all playwrights, and the six plays produced in the Pinter Celebration illustrate the variety that exists within his overall library of works.

The celebration begins with The Hothouse, a sinister and scathingly funny dark comedy that unlocks the secrets of a state-run “rest home” where the staff is even more disturbed than the inmates. Set on Christmas day and dealing with the investigations into (and cover-ups of) a birth and a death at the institution, The Hothouse unearths with the worm-eaten corruption of bureaucracy, the secrecy of government, and the disjunction between language and understanding. The Hothouse is directed by Matthew Gray.

No Man’s Land is directed by Andrew S. Paul, and follows the opening of The Hothouse. Two eccentric men, unlikely friends, stumble home from the pub together to continue their merrymaking. Hirst (Sam Tsoutsouvas) is a wealthy recluse haunted by dreams and memories, and Spooner (Rick McMillan), a down-at-heels poet. They seem to share a common history, but then again they may be strangers performing an elaborate charade. The ambiguity and the comedy intensify with the arrival of Hirst’s man-servants Briggs and Foster, who may be lovers. All four inhabit a no-man’s¬land between reality and imagination.

Next to open in the festival is an evening featuring two of Pinter’s best-known shorter plays, The Dumb Waiter and Betrayal. Directed by Martin Giles, The Dumb Waiter features Ben (Michael Hanrahan) and Gus (Jarrod DiGiorgi), two hit-men holed up in a basement flat awaiting their next assignment. Awkwardness and tension develop as the two make seemingly mindless conversation, only to be fueled by the constant interruption of a strange dumbwaiter delivering food orders which Ben and Gus are ill-equipped to fill. The Dumb Waiter was the inspiration for Martin McDonagh’s hit film, In Bruges.

Written in 1978 and aptly named for the numerous disloyalties committed throughout the course of the play, Betrayal traces an adulterous affair backwards in time, starting two years after the affair has ended. This unconventional plot structure fuels the intensity, making Betrayal one of Pinter’s greatest dramatic works. Alan Stanford directs a cast featuring Nike Doukas, Leo Marks, and David Whalen.

The last evening to open features Pinter’s first play, The Room, paired with his final play, Celebration. The Room is directed by Sheila McKenna and centers on Bert (Martin Giles) and Rose (Bernadette Quigley), a couple who might not actually be legally married, and their stay in a room in a large house. Left alone in the room, Rose receives a series of callers who fill her afternoon with both comic and disturbing interludes.

Alan Stanford directs the comedy Celebration, which takes place in a West End restaurant where you never know what will be served up next. The play encompasses the dealings of a couple involved in extramarital affairs, thugs and their wives, and a few members of the restaurant staff who don’t always act like restaurant staff.

Pinter’s distinctive style spawned the adjective “Pinteresque,” which describes situations that are often comic, but with an undertone of impending violence or danger. An important element in the style known as Pinteresque is the pause. Pinter used “pause” frequently in his stage directions, allowing the actors to use silence to underlie that which is happening but is not being said.

The man who inspired the phrase “Pinteresque” and brought forth a new generation of playwrights (including Sam Shepard, David Mamet and Jez Butterworth) was born to Jewish parents in the tough East End of London in 1930. The influence of a childhood spent living under the shadow of World War II and the air raids on London, as well as the subsequent discoveries of the horrors of the Holocaust are reflected in his plays. He briefly studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but disliked it there and left to tour with an Irish theatrical troupe. He was politically minded from his youth, refusing to go when called up for National Service. His application as a conscientious objector was rejected by two tribunals, and he was forced to pay a fine to avoid spending time in jail.

Pinter’s success was not limited to the stage. In addition to a hugely successful career as a playwright and a solid career as a stage performer and stage director, Pinter wrote a number of highly lauded screenplay adaptations, including “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” “The Last Tycoon,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Sleuth” and (uncredited) “The Remains of the Day.” He also wrote film and television adaptations of many of his plays, including “One for the Road,” “Celebration,” “Old Times,” “The Dumb Waiter,” “Betrayal,” “No Man’s Land,” “The Lover,” “The Homecoming,” “The Birthday Party,” and “The Caretaker.” As an actor, his film and television career included roles in “The Tailor of Panama,” “Wit,” “Mansfield Park,” “Mojo,” and “Krapp’s Last Tape.”

Pinter held many honorary degrees and was awarded many prizes and honors during his career, including a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1966, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. He turned down the offer of British Knighthood in 1996.

His first marriage to actress Vivien Merchant gave him his only child, Daniel. He married the author Antonia Fraser in 1980, and was with her until his death, from cancer, on Christmas Eve 2008, at the age of 78.

Five-time Dora Award-winning Canadian actor Rick McMillan (Henry, Stuff Happens, Julius Caesar) returns to the PICT stage for the first time since 2007 for No Man’s Land and Celebration. McMillan’s career encompasses a wide range of works, including the Stratford and Broadway productions of The Mikado. He originated the role of Sarumon for Lord of the Rings: The Musical, and was the villainous Scar in the long-running Toronto production of The Lion King. He also spent many seasons with Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, the Stratford Festival and the Shaw Festival. Recently, McMillan starred in the new Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Ben Elton musical The Boys in the Photograph. His previous PICT credits include Stuff Happens, Julius Caesar and Henry.

Irish director, actor and playwright Alan Stanford returns to PICT after his stunning 2007 production of Salome. Stanford is the artistic director of Second Age Theatre Company, and his extensive career includes directing Harold Pinter in a production of Pinter’s play The Collection at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He will direct Betrayal and Celebration.

Also returning to PICT this season is L.A.-based actor Nike Doukas. Doukas was previously seen as the delightfully fiendish Mrs. Cheveley in PICT’s 2008 production of An Ideal Husband. Doukas and her real-life husband Leo Marks reprise their roles from the acclaimed 2008 Andak Stage Company production of Betrayal. The couple also shares the stage in Celebration, and Marks will be seen in The Hothouse.

Bernadette Quigley makes her Pittsburgh debut in Pinter Festival, playing Prue in Celebration and Rose in The Room. Quigley has been seen on Broadway and in the national tour of Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. Other credits include productions at Abingdon Theatre, Actors Studio, and regionally at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (Bug, The Crucible), Virginia Stage (Beauty Queen of Leenane), as well as Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf Theatre, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.

Pinter Celebration also marks a return to the stage for PICT Artistic Director Andrew S. Paul. In his first acting role since 2003, Paul will portray the verbose, comical waiter in Celebration. Paul also directs No Man’s Land.

Completing the Pinter Celebration ensemble are Fredi Bernstein, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Tami Dixon, Martin Giles, Matthew Gray, Michael Hanrahan, Sheila McKenna, Larry John Meyers, Doug Pona, Sam Tsoutsouvas, and David Whalen.

The design team includes scenic designer Gianni Downs (incl. Synge Cycle, Othello, Salome, An Ideal Husband, Boston Marriage), lighting designer Jim French (Synge Cycle, Othello, The Lieutenant of Inishmore), sound composer Elizabeth Atkinson (BeckettFest, Synge Cycle, and costume designer Crystal Gomes.

A Pinter Celebration Finale, with the entire company reading from Pinter’s poetry and prose and a talk-back with the company will be held on Sunday, August 22nd at 7 p.m. in the Charity Randall Theatre.

A free panel discussion, (Mis)Perceiving Pinter, will be held on Saturday, August 14th at noon in the Henry Heymann Theatre. Panelists will be Ann C. Hall, President of the international Harold Pinter Society, and Alan Stanford, director of Celebration and Betrayal.

Tickets for The Hothouse and No Man’s Land are $50 - $20. Tickets for The Dumb Waiter/Betrayal and The Room/Celebration are $32 - $20. Tickets for the Pinter Celebration Finale are $25. More information is available at www.picttheatre.org, and tickets are available through ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 or online at www.proartstickets.org.

The 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.

Pinter Celebration Fact Sheet

Hearing Noise in the Silence: A Celebration of the Life and Theatre of Harold Pinter

July 22 – August 22, 2010 The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Acting and Directing Team: Fredi Bernstein, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Tami Dixon, Nike Doukas, Matthew Gray, Martin Giles, Michael Hanrahan, Leo Marks, Sheila McKenna, Rick McMillan, Larry John Meyers, Andrew S. Paul, Doug Pona, Bernadette Quigley, Alan Stanford, Sam Tsoutsouvas, and David Whalen

Design and Production Team: Elizabeth Atkinson (Sound Design), Paul Bistrican (Technical Director), Gianni Downs (Scenic Design), Jim French (Lighting Design), Cory Goddard (Properties, Assistant Stage Manager), Crystal Gomes (Costume Design), Phill Madore (Production Manager/Production Stage Manager), and Joey Scarillo (Assistant Stage Manager)

The Hothouse

July 22 – August 22 Henry Heymann Theatre

Starring: Tami Dixon, Martin Giles, Michael Hanrahan, Leo Marks, Larry John Meyers, Doug Pona, and Sam Tsoutsouvas Director: Matthew Gray

The Hothouse Performance Dates and Times:

First Week: Thursday – Friday, July 22 – 23, Previews, 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 24, Opening Night, 8 p.m. (followed by reception)

Sunday, July 25, 2 p.m. (followed by talk-back with actors) Second Week: Tuesday, July 27, 7 p.m. (Professional Tuesday performance)

Wednesday – Thursday, July 28 – 29, 8 p.m.*

Sunday, August 1, 7 p.m.

* - preshow discussion Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m. Third Week: Saturday, August 7, 2 p.m. Fourth Week: Friday, August 13, 8 p.m. Fifth Week: Wednesday, August 18, 8 p.m.

Sunday, August 22, 2 p.m.

No Man’s Land

July 30 – August 21, 2010 The Charity Randall Theatre

Starring: Jarrod DiGiorgi, Rick McMillan, Sam Tsoutsouvas, David Whalen Director: Andrew S. Paul

No Man’s Land Performance Dates and Times:

First Week: Friday, July 30, Preview, 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 31, Opening, 8 p.m.

Sunday, August 1, 2 p.m. (followed by talk-back with actors) Second Week: Wednesday, August 4, 8 p.m.

Sunday, August 8, 7 p.m. Third Week: Thursday, August 12, 8 p.m. Fourth Week: Tuesday, August 17, 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 21, 8 p.m.

The Dumb Waiter & Betrayal August 5 – 21, 2010 Henry Heymann Theatre

The Dumb Waiter

Starring: Jarrod DiGiorgi and Michael Hanrahan Director: Martin Giles

Betrayal

Starring: Nike Doukas, Martin Giles, Leo Marks and David Whalen Director: Alan Stanford

First Week: Thursday – Saturday, August 5 – 7, 8 p.m. Sunday, August 8, 2 p.m.

Second Week: Wednesday, August 11, 8 p.m. Saturday, August 14, 2 p.m. Sunday, August 15, 7 p.m.

Third Week: Saturday, August 21, 2 p.m.

Celebration & The Room August 14 – 20, 2010 The Charity Randall Theatre

Celebration

Starring: Fredi Bernstein, Tami Dixon, Nike Doukas, Martin Giles, Michael Hanrahan, Leo Marks, Rick McMillan, Andrew

S. Paul, and Bernadette Quigley Director: Alan Stanford

The Room

Starring: Fredi Bernstein, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Martin Giles, Larry John Meyers, and Doug Pona Director: Sheila McKenna

First Week: Saturday, August 14, 8 p.m. Sunday, August 15, 2 p.m. Second Week: Thursday – Friday, August 19 – 20 , 8 p.m.

Pinter Celebration Finale

Sunday, August 22, 7 p.m. The Charity Randall Theatre

TICKET INFORMATION: Prices for The Hothouse and No Man’s Land: Saturday Nights - $50, Seniors $47 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Nights - $46, Seniors $43 Professional Tuesdays, Saturday and Sunday Matinees - $42, Seniors $40 Preview Thursday and Friday - $34 for all seats $20 tickets available for youth under 25, with valid ID

Prices for The Dumb Waiter & Betrayal, and for Celebration & The Room: All seats $32, all performances

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

Prices for Pinter Celebration Finale All seats $25

To purchase, call ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 or visit online at www.proartstickets.org.

Group rates are available for all PICT productions. Contact Eric Nelson at enelson@picttheatre.org or 412.561.6000 x206 for details.

(mis)Perceiving Pinter

Saturday, August 14 - noon A free panel discussion featuring Ann C. Hall, President of the international Harold Pinter Society, and Alan Stanford, internationally-known actor and director, and director of Celebration and Betrayal in PICT’s Pinter Celebration.

PINTER CELEBRATION SPONSORS:

Richard E. Rauh National Endowment for the Arts DUQ 90.3 FM (Media Sponsor)