Pittsburgh International Children's Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Media Contact:

Diana Roth
(412) 471-8717
roth@pgharts.org


Veronica Corpuz
(412) 471-6082
corpuz@pgharts.org

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Presents the 25th Anniversary of the

Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival

May 11-15, 2011

Featuring World and Pittsburgh Premieres from

Canada, Ireland, Mali, United Kingdom, and United States

PITTSBURGH, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the 25th anniversary of the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival, Wednesday, May 11, through Sunday, May 15, 2011. The special anniversary programming will showcase international and local theater premieres, including two brand new interactive installations in the green spaces surrounding Schenley Plaza and the University of Pittsburgh. Giant Eagle is the lead sponsor of the 2011 Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival.

“The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to carry on the legacy of presenting award-winning international, national, and local performing artists in an affordable and festive setting. As one of only four such festivals in the nation, the Children’s Festival provides young audiences the opportunity to experience enriching performances of a high caliber that will appeal to parents, teachers and caregivers, ” says J. Kevin McMahon, President and CEO, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

“For 25 years, the International Children’s Festival has provided Pittsburgh’s young people with opportunities to understand different cultures through fun and interactive performing arts activities. This wonderful collaboration amongst many partners, including The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and our Citiparks Department, is yet another reason why Pittsburgh is America’s ‘most livable city,’” remarks Mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl.

In addition to the City of Pittsburgh and Citiparks, the Children’s International Festival is made possible through collaborative partnerships with the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts & Sciences, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

“This anniversary year advances the goal of providing educational opportunities in the performing and visual arts for children and families so they can experience first-hand the impactful value of the arts,” notes Pamela K. Lieberman, Executive Director, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater & Festival, and Manager of Children’s Theater Programming, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

For the 25th anniversary, the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival will extend the quality performance of a traditional theater setting to the outdoor festival grounds with two featured interactive installations: luminaria, Amococo(UK) sponsored by Equitable Gas, and Silent Disco, acollaboration with University of Pittsburgh combining electronic and music technologies.

For information and tickets, visit the Box Office at Theater Square, pghkids.orgor call 412-456-6666. In addition to the featured ticketed performances, the Festival will include over 30 free hands-on academic, cultural, and international activities, as well as performances at the free outdoor K-12 Community Stage (Thurs.-Sun.), located in Schenley Plaza and outdoors storytelling at The Story Corner located adjacent to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Free outdoor activities and performances are weekdays: 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Featured, ticketed performances by artists from Canada, Ireland, Mali, the United Kingdom, and the United States include:

Amococo (Architects of Air, Nottingham, UK) Cathedral of Learning Lawn, All Ages, Performances every half hour, May 11, 12 & 13: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; May 14: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; May 15: 1:00 – 5:30 p.m. This giant inflatable structure will astonish you as you walk into an incredible Luminaria sculpture. Sponsored by Equitable Gas.

Silent Disco (collaboration with University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust) Schenley Plaza, All Ages, 45 minutes, Sessions every hour, May 14: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; May 15: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Enter a magical forest where special wireless technology headsets allow attendees to choose between the family-friendly tunes of two very different DJs.

Knuffle Bunny (The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, USA) Alumni Hall Theatre, Ages 2 – 8, 50 minutes, May 11, 12, & 13: 9:45 & 11:15 a.m.; May 14: 9:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.; May 15: 1:00 & 4:00 p.m. Just a quick trip to the Laundromat with Daddy, Trixie, and her beloved Knuffle Bunny, things go horribly, hilariously wrong during a family visit to the local Laundromat. This is a stage adaptation of Mo Willems’ beloved award-winning children’s book.

Baobab (Le Théâtre Motus and The Sô Company, Canada and Mali) Alumni Hall Theatre, Ages 5+, 50 minutes, May 11, 12 & 13: 12:45 p.m.; May 14: 4:00 p.m.; May 15: 5:30 p.m. Baobab is an incredible journey inspired by African folklore where ancient drums become lively animal puppets, masks transform into trickster spirits, and shadows dance across the sky.

Room on the Broom (Tall Stories, UK) Bellefield Hall Auditorium, Ages 4+, 55 minutes, May 11, 12 & 13: 9:45 a.m. & 12:45 p.m.; May 14: 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.; May 15: 2:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. Showcasing Tall Stories’ distinctive physical and visual performance style, this playful and lively musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s award-winning book features incredible puppets, original songs and a lot of laughs.

See Saw (Ciotóg, Ireland) Henry Heymann Theatre, Ages 18 months – 5 years, 40 minutes, May 12: 11:15 a.m. & 12:45 p.m.; May 13: 9:45 & 11:15 a.m.; May 14: 9:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.; May 15: 1:00 & 4:00 p.m. See Saw gently rocks the balance between looking and being looked at and breaks the boundaries of how to look and who is doing the looking.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater and Children’s Festival, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series Pittsburgh Dance Council, Trust Presents, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. www.pgharts.org

Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opens the door for children to experience professional performing arts programming for children which inspires, challenges, educates, and stimulates respect for and an understanding of all cultures in an entertaining and enlightening way. Pittsburgh International Children's Festival is one of only four international children's festivals in the nation. www.pghkids.org
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What the Butler Saw at Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre

Media Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

412.561.6000 x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



“Let’s put our clothes on and face the world”

PICT’s production of Orton’s comic masterpiece turns morality on its ear!





Pittsburgh, PA – May 29, 2009. PICT turns conventional morality upside down with its production of Joe Orton’s masterpiece What the Butler Saw, a fast-paced, hilarious farce set ablaze with seductions, cross-dressing, mistaken identity, infidelity and blackmail!



The trouble begins as a middle-aged doctor (Douglas Rees) convinces an attractive young woman (Amanda Jane Cooper) to undress during her job interview at a psychiatric hospital. His plans for a quick afternoon seduction are dashed by the unexpected arrival of his harpy of a wife (Helena Ruoti), followed in rapid succession by a randy bell-hop from the local hotel (Sam Trussell), an eccentric government official charged with oversight of mental institutions (Martin Giles), and a dim-witted policeman who gets in over his head (Jeffrey Carpenter)! Separating the mad from the sane becomes an impossible job, as Dr. Prentice runs into one complication after another while trying to keep his wife from finding out about his interrupted infidelity. Leading the pack of lunatics is director Simon Bradbury, with a design team comprised of Gianni Downs (set), Andrew David Ostrowski (lighting), Erin Collins Rittling (costumes), Elizabeth Atkinson (sound), and Jason Strom (properties).



What the Butler Saw skewers a number of sacred cows, including religion, the authority of the government and ruling class, military/political hero worship, and sexual prudery and repression. Because of adult themes and partial nudity, the show may not be appropriate for all audience members.



Pittsburgh native Douglas Rees comes home from New York to play Dr. Prentice. Rees’ most recent Pittsburgh appearance was in the City Theatre Company production of Marriage Minuet. His previous PICT shows include The School for Scandal and Travesties. Helena Ruoti comes to Butler straight off her bravura performance as Eleanor/Esme in PICT’s season opener, Rock ‘n’ Roll. She also appeared in PICT’s critically-acclaimed 2008 production of King Lear, as well as Heartbreak House, A Woman of No Importance and The Seagull.



PICT regular and Pittsburgh favorite Martin Giles plays Dr. Rance. Giles’ most recent PICT productions include Rock ‘n’ Roll, Synge Cycle (as an actor and a director), and St. Nicholas, and he returns to PICT in August for The History Boys. Other recent local appearances include Die Fledermaus with Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh and The Seafarer for City Theatre Company. His play Beautiful Dreamers, with the music of Stephen Foster, will receive its world premiere in a co-production between PICT and Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh in April of 2010.



Jeffrey Carpenter plays the police officer, Sergeant Match. Carpenter was in the PICT production of The White Devil, and he serves as the founder and artistic director of Bricolage. He has been seen in many recent local productions, including barebones’ Take Me Out, Quantum Theatre’s Mouth to Mouth, and City Theatre Company’s The Missionary Position.



Amanda Jane Cooper plays the innocent secretarial candidate Geraldine Barclay. She returns to PICT after performing in Synge Cycle last season, and will be a senior in the musical theatre program at Carnegie Mellon University. She was recently seen as Little Red Riding Hood in CMU’s Into the Woods, and Feste in CMU’s Twelfth Night.



Sam Trussell makes his PICT debut as Nicholas Beckett. A recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, he has been seen in Ring Around the Moon, Evita, and The Phantom Tollbooth. Later this summer, Sam will perform in The Broadway Rising Stars Concert in New York City.



Butler marks Simon Bradbury’s debut as a PICT director, but he has graced the PICT stages numerous times as an actor, most recently in Rock ‘n’ Roll. In previous seasons, Bradbury has appeared for PICT in King Lear, The Pillowman, The Shaughraun, and his own one-man play, Chaplin, among others. Bradbury’s previous directing experience includes The Burning Tree, The Pregnant Pause and the workshop version of Chaplin for the Shaw Festival Academy; Arms and the Man for the University of Toronto and Brock University; and Big Rock Candy Mountain for BackRoad productions, Vancouver.



The set is designed by PICT Resident Scenic Designer Gianni Downs. His previous PICT credits include:

Boston Marriage, Stuff Happens, Synge Cycle, and Salome, among others. Lighting is designed by Andrew David Ostrowski (PICT’s King Lear, Private Lives and Hedda Gabler, among others), costumes by Erin Collins Rittling (Rock ‘n’ Roll, Dublin Carol, and St. Nicholas), and sound by Elizabeth Atkinson (Rock ‘n’ Roll, Synge Cycle, BeckettFest, The Pillowman, Henry, Copenhagen, among others). What the Butler Saw plays June 11th through the 27th in the Charity Randall Theatre.



In conjunction with the production, PICT is sponsoring an online photo contest. Participants are asked to submit a photo of what they think the butler saw. Fun, random, and imaginative photos are encouraged; they need bear no direct relation to the play itself. Photos must be jpg format at 300 dpi or greater, and must be submitted to mgrande@picttheatre.org on or before June 14, 2009. Voting will take place on the website from June 17 through June 25. The winner will receive four tickets to any 2009 PICT production, and a signed poster of “What the Butler Saw” (or their photo signed by the cast). An enlarged version of the winning photograph will be displayed in the lobby the closing weekend of the production. Visit the PICT website at www.picttheatre.org for more information.



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.



What the Butler Saw FACT SHEET



What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton Joe Orton



Directed by Simon Bradbury

The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland

4301 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh 15213eyHey





Cast: Jeffrey Carpenter, Amanda Jane Cooper, Martin Giles, Douglas Rees, Helena Ruoti, and Sam Trussell



Design Team: Gianni Downs (scenic design), Andrew David Ostrowski (lighting design), Erin Collins Rittling (costume design), Elizabeth Atkinson (sound design), Natalie Baker Shirer (dialect coaching)



Performance Dates and Times:



First Week: Thursday – Friday, June 11, 12, Previews, 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 13, Opening Night 8 p.m. (followed by reception)

Sunday, June 14, 2 p.m. (followed by talk-back with the company)



Second Week: Tuesday, June 16, 7 p.m. (Professional Tuesdays performance)

Wednesday – Saturday, June 17 - 20, 8 p.m. *

Sunday, June 21, 2 p.m.

*Preshow lecture series

· Artistically Speaking – Wednesday, June 17, 7:00 p.m.

· Behind the Scenes – Thursday, June 18, 7:00 p.m.



Third Week: Wednesday – Friday, June 24 - 26, 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 27, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.



Ticket Prices

Opening Night: $48 Adults, $45 Seniors

Fri. & Sat. Nights: $46 Adults, $42 Seniors

Wed. & Thurs. Nights, and Sun. Mats: $42 Adults, $40 Seniors

Tues. Nights & Sat. Mats: $42 Adults, $40 Seniors

Preview Thurs. & Fri: $36 (all seats, no Senior discounts)

Youth under 25: $17 all performances, w/valid ID





For tickets, call ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 or visit http://www.picttheatre.org



Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre. Great Stories. Well Told.





Melissa Hill Grande

Director of Marketing and Artistic Associate

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre

PO Box 23607

Pittsburgh, PA 15222



mgrande@picttheatre.org

412.561.6000 x203



Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre.

Great Stories. Well Told.

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