Showing posts with label PulitzerPrize. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PulitzerPrize. Show all posts

Monday, March 24, 2014

Cleveland Play House Presents Clybourne Park

CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE BRINGS TO THE STAGE
CLYBOURNE PARK
ONLY PLAY TO WIN THE PULITZER PRIZE, OLIVIER, AND TONY AWARD
MARCH 21 – APRIL 13
Press Opening: Wednesday, March 26


CLEVELAND, OH (Mar. 10, 2014) - Only one play in history has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Broadway’s Tony Award for Best Play, and London’s Olivier Award for Best New Play. Securing the “Triple Crown” of theatre has made Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park one of the most acclaimed American plays in recent memory, earning accolades from such diverse critics as Entertainment Weekly (“indisputably, uproariously funny”) to The New Yorker (“superb, elegantly written and hilarious”). Cleveland Play House is proud to present this wickedly funny and fiercely provocative play from March 21 – April 13 in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square.

Tackling the timely issues of race and real estate with biting humor, Clybourne Park covers subjects particularly relevant and important to Cleveland today. The play is Norris’ modern answer to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and takes place in the same fictional neighborhood the Younger family moves at the end of that classic play.

The first act of Clybourne Park is set in 1959 where a white couple has unknowingly sold their home to a black family, causing an uproar in their all-white neighborhood. Act Two fast forwards 50 years to 2009 when a young white couple buys the same house with plans to rebuild and gentrify their piece of the predominantly black, but changing, neighborhood. Although taking place 50 years apart, both acts devolve from conversations rooted in political correctness to emotion-fueled debates hilariously highlighting the way we talk – or don’t talk – about hot-button subjects.

“The award-winning Clybourne Park is a dangerous and thrilling play that will have audiences gasping and laughing in equal measure,” states CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley. “As thoughtful as it is challenging, we believe the play will inspire invigorating discussions about change, opportunity and the future of our local and global neighborhoods.  CPH will host post-show discussions after every performance, moderated by CPH artistic staff and a member of the cast.”

Clybourne Park contains strong language and mature themes.

Clybourne Park Cast
Kristen Adele (Francine/Lena), Bernard Bygott (Kenneth), Jessica Kitchens(Betsey/Lindsay), Christian Pedersen (Karl/Steve), Jim Poulos (Jim/Tom), Remi Sandri (Russ/Dan), Roya Shanks (Bev/Kathy), Daniel Morgan Shelley (Albert/Kevin)

Clybourne Park Creative Team
Bruce Norris (Playwright), Mark Cuddy (Director), G.W. Mercier (Scenic and Costume Designer), Ann G. Wrightson (Lighting Designer), Lindsay Jones (Sound Designer),John Godbout (Stage Manager) and Tom Humes (Assistant Stage Manager).

This production of Clybourne Park is a co-production with Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York.
Clybourne Park Special Events  

Tech Tuesday: Clybourne Park                                                                                    
March 17, 2014 @ 7:00pm - 8:30pm
This is a special presentation, taking place on a Monday. Hear from the director, then sit in on a technical rehearsal ("tech") to see how set, lights, sound, costumes and actors all come together as opening night nears! RSVP required.

Behind-the-Scenes: Creating a World                                                                                
March 15, 2014 @ 12:30pm – 2:00pm                                                                                          
To put 50 years of one home's history on stage, the creative team of Clybourne Park - and every CPH show - must perform theatrical alchemy: turn words on a page into a complete and seamless world on the stage. We'll take a deep dive into the research and resources required for a director and designers to make this magic happen.

 Season Extra: Beneatha’s Place
April 7, 2014 @ 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Noted writer-director Kwame Kwei-Armah’s play responds to his perception that Clybourne Park perpetuates “the connotation… that whites build and blacks destroy.” Join theClybourne cast for a special reading of this play and TalkBack.

TalkBack: Breath and Imagination
Audiences will want to talk about what they’ve seen in Clybourne Park and CPH will host a TalkBack in the theatre immediately following every performance.

 Ticket Information
 Clybourne Park will take place March 21 – April 13, 2014 in the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare.  Tickets range in price from $45-$72 each.  Students under the age of 25 with a valid ID will be offered a special $15 ticket price.  Tickets are also just $25 for anyone under age 35, sponsored by Scene Magazine.  To order single tickets please call 216-241-6000 or visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com.  Groups of 10+ save up to 40% off single ticket prices; call 216-400-7027.

 Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America’s first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, Cleveland Play House has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. It has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 CPH productions. Cleveland Play House looks toward its centennial while performing in three state-of-the art venues at PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland.

 The Ohio Arts Council helped fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.  We also thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for supporting Cleveland Play House through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.


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

Friday, April 5, 2013

Clybourne Park at the O'Reilly


Contact Margie Romero
Communications Manager at Pittsburgh Public Theater
412.316.8200 ext. 707
mromero@ppt.org


Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents

Clybourne Park

Written by Bruce Norris, this sharply funny triple prize-winner is about race, real estate, and the difficulties of creating a community.

PITTSBURGH (March 27, 2013) Pittsburgh Public Theater’s MADE IN AMERICA season continues with Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, Britain’s Olivier Award, and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. It is directed by Pamela Berlin, who was at The Public last season to direct Red. Clybourne Park runs April 18 – May 19, 2013 at the O’Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater’s home in the heart of Downtown’s Cultural District. For tickets call 412.316.1600 or visit ppt.org.

Clybourne Park is set in a Chicago house at 406 Clybourne Street in two separate years: 1959 and 2009. It is the same house that was featured in Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 landmark drama about race and real estate, A Raisin in the Sun. In Act I of Norris’ play, a man named Karl Lindner (who first appeared in A Raisin in the Sun) tries to convince the white owners of 406 Clybourne Street not to sell their home to a black family. In Act II, it’s 50 years later and the neighborhood is now a black community. When a white family buys 406 Clybourne Street and intends to tear it down and rebuild a larger home on the property, a black couple from the local owner’s association challenges the architectural integrity of their plans.
Playwright Bruce Norris

Critics and audiences from Broadway to London’s West End have made Norris’ audacious play a hit. “Norris stews his characters, both black and white, in their own neurotic juices, making terrific comedy out of his clinical dissection of hypocrisy,” said The New Yorker. “Hilariously unrepentant observations about life,” said Newsday. “Unapologetically entertaining, deeply satisfying serious comedy,” said Vogue.

The same seven actors play different characters in each act. The cast includes: Brad Bellamy, Bjorn DuPaty, Megan Hill, Tim McGeever, Jared McGuire, Chandra Thomas, and Lynne Wintersteller.

The design team for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of Clybourne Park is Michael Schweikardt (Scenic), Suzanne Chesney (Costumes), John Lasiter (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Casting is by McCorkle Casting. Fred Noel is the Production Stage Manager; Christine Schott is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Clybourne Park is recommended for mature audiences.



Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents

Clybourne Park

April 18 – May 19, 2013

Performance Schedule

Tues. at 7 pm; Wed. thru Sat. at 8 pm (except Wed., May 1)

Sat. at 2 pm (except April 20 & 27) also 2 pm on Thurs., May 16

Sun. at 2 & 7 pm (except Sun., May 19 when then final performance is at 2 pm)

Press Night is Thurs., April 25. Opening Night is Fri., April 26

Ticket Prices: $29 to $60. Students and age 26 and younger $15.75 with valid ID.

For tickets call 412.316.1600 or visit ppt.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


Thursday, December 13, 2012

Remmereit, Shaham Return to Heinz Hall with Walker Work


For Immediate Release
Dec. 5, 2012

GUEST CONDUCTOR ARILD REMMEREIT, GRAMMY-WINNING VIOLINIST GIL SHAHAM RETURN TO HEINZ HALL; PSO PERFORMS COMMISSIONED WORK BY PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING COMPOSER GEORGE WALKER

Violinist Gil Shaham
 PITTSBURGH – Multiple Grammy Award-winner Gil Shaham returns to Heinz Hall to perform Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto in a weekend of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts led by guest conductor Arild Remmereit.

The concerts will begin at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16. Tickets, ranging from $20 to $93, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900, or by visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

The program also features Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Dreams” Symphony, and Pulitzer Prize-winner George Walker’s “Strands,” co-commissioned by the PSO and three other orchestras. In 1996, Walker became the first black composer to receive the coveted Pulitzer Prize in music for his work, Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra. His works have been performed by virtually every major orchestra in the U.S. and many in England and other countries. He has won numerous awards, including two Guggenheim Fellowships and two Rockefeller Fellowships.

Shaham last performed at Heinz Hall in January 2010. Nicknamed “the Turkish March,” Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto begins with a sweet melody and ends with hints of military-Turkish music. Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Dreams” is one of the Russian composer’s earliest and masterful works.
                                             
The PSO would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for their 2012-2013 title sponsorship of BNY Mellon Grand Classics. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the PSO. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the PSO.
Arild Remmereit, Courtesy of RPO

Over a five-month period in 2005, conductor Arild Remmereit made five dramatic debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Munich Philharmonic, and Vienna Symphony, quickly establishing himself as a major talent on the international scene. The New York Times called his Pittsburgh debut “a breathtakingly dynamic reading of the Schumann [Symphony No. 4]… The only thing listeners seemed to want to talk about afterward was Mr. Remmereit.  ‘Sensational’ was the word heard most frequently.” Remmereit was immediately re-engaged in Pittsburgh, Vienna, Milan and Baltimore and has since conducted many other prominent orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony, where he appears frequently, England’s Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale in Florence, National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Dallas Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Seoul Philharmonic. The 2012-13 season includes return engagements with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and NACO, which he conducts in subscription and on tour, and debuts with the Naples Philharmonic and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

One of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham’s combination of flawless technique with inimitable warmth and a generosity of spirit has solidified his legacy as an American master. In the 2012-13 season, Shaham continues his long-term exploration of “Violin Concertos of the 1930s,” a project beginning in 2010 and comprising performances at some of the most well-established concert venues with the world’s greatest orchestras. “Violin Concertos of the 1930s,” including the Barber, Berg, Stravinsky and Britten Violin Concertos, as well as the Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2 and the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, will be performed with the Orchestras of Baltimore, Boston, New York, Chicago, Montreal, San Francisco and Kansas City and abroad with the Orchestre de Paris and the NHK Symphony.

George Walker
Born in June 1922 in Washington, D.C., of West Indian-American heritage, George Theophilus Walker’s first piano lessons began at age 5 under the supervision of his mother, Rosa King. Before graduating from Dunbar High School at age 14, Walker was presented in his first public recital at 14 at Howard University's Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. In 1937, he was admitted as a scholarship student to Oberlin College, where he studied piano with David Moyer and organ with Arthur Poister. Graduating at 18 from Oberlin College with the highest honors in his Conservatory class, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music to study piano with Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero, teacher of Samuel Barber. He graduated from the Curtis Institute with Artist Diplomas in piano and composition in 1945, becoming the first black graduate of this renowned music school. Walker has published more than 90 works for orchestra, chamber orchestra, piano, strings, voice, organ, clarinet, guitar, brass, woodwinds, and chorus. His awards include the Harvey Gaul Prize, MacDowell Colony, Yaddo and Bennington Composer Conference Fellowships, two Guggenheim Fellowships, two Rockefeller Fellowships, a Fromm Foundation commission, two Koussevitsky Awards, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, a Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Award, the Mason Gross Memorial Award, numerous grants from the Research Councils of Smith College, The University of Colorado, Rutgers University, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. Walker has received important commissions from many ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic (Cello Concerto), Cleveland Orchestra (Dialogus for Cello and Orchestra),  Boston Symphony (Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra), Eastman School of Music (An Eastman Overture) , Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Violin and Piano Sonata No. 2), David Ensemble (Five Fancies for Clarinet and Piano Four Hands), Affiliate Artists and Xerox (Guido's Hand), Pew Charitable Trust (Piano Sonata No. 4), The Boys Choir of Harlem (Cantata), The Cleveland Chamber Symphony (Orpheus), New Jersey Symphony (Pageant and Proclamation), Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust (Modus), New Jersey Chamber Music Society (Wind Set), Maryland International Piano Competition (Bauble), Columbus Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra (Tangents), New Jersey Youth Symphony (Icarus In Orbit), and Network for New Music (Abu).

Editors Please Note:
Friday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ARILD REMMEREIT, conductor
GIL SHAHAM, violin

George Walker                          Sinfonia No. 4, “Strands”
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart                        Concerto No. 5 in A major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 219
I.                    Allegro aperto
II.                  Adagio
III.                Rondo: Tempo di menuetto
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky              Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Opus 13, “Winter Dreams”
I.                    Allegro tranquillo
II.                  Adagio cantabile man non tanto
III.                Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso
IV.                Finale: Andante lugubre – Allegro moderato – Allegro maestoso

-30-
Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.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

Monday, March 26, 2012

PICT Announces Stellar 2012 Season




Single tickets on sale now for stellar PICT 2012 season

“Get Turned On” with local, national and internationally-acclaimed artists who bring the world to our stages in a titillating Pulitzer finalist by a leading American female playwright, a true story, an exploration of the comedic facets of a Russian master (and the great Irishman who was inspired by him), and a zany holiday farce!



Media Contact: Melissa Hill Grande
Associate Artistic Director and Director of Marketing
Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre
mgrande@picttheatre.org
412-561-6000 x203

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Pittsburgh, PA – March 20, 2012. PICT has assembled a team of world-class artists to bring the 2012 season to life, including Simon Bradbury, Alan Stanford, Matt DeCaro, Linda Kimbrough, Brad Heberlee, Megan McDermott, Melinda Helfrich, Nike Doukas, Leo Marks, and Jessica Frances Dukes. Top-notch local favorites gracing the PICT stage this season include Helena Ruoti, David Whalen, Larry John Meyers and Martin Giles.

Leading off the 2012 season is the Pittsburgh premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Pulitzer finalist, In the Next Room or the vibrator play, featuring Brad Heberlee as Dr. Givings, Megan McDermott as Catherine Givings, Jessica Frances Dukes as Elizabeth, and Melinda Helfrich as Sabrina Daldry.

Heberlee has performed with The Civilians, as well as with such companies as Pearl Theatre Company, Atlantic Theatre Company, SoHo Rep, Denver Center Theatre Company, Weston Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He holds an MFA from Yale School of Drama.

McDermott just finished an acclaimed co-production of Time Stands Still at Delaware Theatre Company and ACT2 Playhouse in Philadelphia. She has worked with such companies as The Wilma Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and McCarter Theatre Center. She is also a company member in PICT’s Chekhov Celebration.

Dukes reprises the role she played in the wildly successful Woolly Mammoth production. She comes to Pittsburgh straight from Geva in Rochester, where she is doing A Raisin in the Sun.

Helfrich played the title role in Ruhl’s Eurydice at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Her Pittsburgh credits include productions with Quantum Theatre and City Theatre. She is currently performing in City Theatre’s The Monster in the Hall. The production is directed by Alan Stanford and also features Lissa Brennan (Salome), Philip Winters (Synge Cycle, Pride & Prejudice), and Denver Milord in his PICT debut.

Scenic design is by Gianni Downs, lighting by Andrew David Ostrowski, Costumes by Pei-Chi Su, and sound design by Mark Whitehead. In the Next Room or the vibrator play performs April 19 through May 5 in the Charity Randall Theatre.

The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall, author of Billy Elliott, is the second play in the PICT 2012 season. Simon Bradbury stars as Oliver Kilbourn, with Alan Stanford as Harry Wilson and Linda Kimbrough as Helen Sutherland.

Originally from Northern England, Simon Bradbury is the 2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year, and spent 17 seasons at the Shaw Festival in Canada. His previous PICT productions include acting in Chaplin, The Shaughraun, BeckettFest, King Lear, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Hobson’s Choice, and directing What the Butler Saw. He recently toured the world as a headliner for Cirque du Soleil in Ovo.

One of Ireland’s best-loved sons and a recent transplant to Pittsburgh, Alan Stanford is the PICT 2012 artist in residence. Stanford makes his second on-stage appearance at PICT, following his inimitable Lady Bracknell in last year’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Stanford has a long association with Dublin’s famed Gate Theatre, where he has directed numerous productions including Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and God of Carnage. He has toured the world over the past decade as Pozzo in the Gate Theatre production of Waiting for Godot. Stanford is also a company member in PICT’s Chekhov Celebration, directing Brian Friel’s Afterplay and The Yalta Game, and starring as Count Shabelsky in Ivanov and Svetlovidov in Swan Song.

Chicago actor Linda Kimbrough returns to PICT, where she played in Pride and Prejudice and The History Boys. Kimbrough’s recent credits include the Northlight Theatre production of Hugh Leonard’s A Life opposite John Mahoney, and The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens and Indiana Repertory Theatres.

The play is directed by Andrew S. Paul and also features Daryll Heysham (Othello, The Mask of Moriarty), Larry John Meyers (Endgame, Pinter Celebration, Uncle Vanya), and Sean Sears (Antony & Cleopatra). Rachel McKeon and Bernie Balbot make their PICT debuts.

Scenic design is by Gianni Downs, costume design by Rachel S. Parent, lighting design by Jim French, and projection design by Jessi Sedon-Essad. The Pitmen Painters plays in the Henry Heymann Theatre May 31 through June 23.

An outstanding repertory company has been assembled from across the country for “Tragedian in Spite of Himself: A Celebration of the Life and Theatre of Anton Chekhov”. The Chekhov celebration includes productions of Three Sisters and Ivanov, as well as two evenings of short plays: After Chekhov, featuring Brian Friel’s Chekhov-inspired Afterplay and The Yalta Game, and Funny Chekhov, featuring The Bear, The Proposal, Swan Song, Drama and On the Evils of Tobacco.

Nike Doukas and Leo Marks come to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles. Doukas will play Olga in Three Sisters, Anna Petrovna in Ivanov and Popova in The Bear, and will direct The Proposal. Her previous PICT credits include An Ideal Husband, Pinter Celebration, and last season’s critically-acclaimed House and Garden. 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. Marks is Baron Tuzenbach in Three Sisters and Dr. Lvov in Ivanov, and will direct Swan Song. Marks was a member of the Pinter Celebration company, and played in The Hot House, Betrayal and Celebration. Other PICT credits include Antony & Cleopatra, House & Garden, and The Importance of Being Earnest. The OBIE Award-winning actor was a founding member of New York’s acclaimed Elevator Repair Service, and 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.

New York-based actor Christian Conn makes his PICT debut as Andrei in Three Sisters and Lomov in The Proposal. Conn has worked with some of the most prominent regional theatres in America, including multiple productions with Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Shakespeare Theatre, Playmaker’s Rep and Syracuse Stage. His recent credits include Studio Theatre’s hit production of Venus in Furs, and Pittsburgh Public Theater’s As You Like It.

Four-time Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Matt DeCaro returns to PICT to play Borkin in Ivanov and Chubukov in The Proposal. Based in Chicago, DeCaro’s previous PICT credits include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and King Lear. Other stage credits include David Mamet’s Romance at the Goodman Theatre and Glengarry Glen Ross at Steppenwolf, which also played at the Dublin Theatre Festival.

The Chekhov company also includes Pittsburgh’s greatest leading actors, including former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Actor of the Year award winners David Whalen, Helena Ruoti, Larry John Meyers, and Martin Giles.

David Whalen returns to PICT this season to play Vershinin in Three Sisters. He also headlines Friel’s The Yalta Game. He recently played Sherlock Holmes in PICT’s record-breaking production of The Mask of Moriarty. Other PICT credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Pinter Celebration, Doubt, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

Pittsburgh favorite Helena Ruoti returns to PICT to play Zinaida Lebedev in Ivanov and Sonya in Afterplay. Ruoti’s other recent PICT credits include the queen in Antony & Cleopatra, House & Garden, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and What the Butler Saw.

Martin Giles plays Lebedev in Ivanov, Andrei in Afterplay, and directs The Bear. Giles’ acting credits with PICT include Dr. Watson in The Mask of Moriarty, as well as House & Garden, Pinter Celebration, Synge Cycle and BeckettFest. His directing credits include the world premiere of his original work Beautiful Dreamers, as well as The Dumbwaiter in Pinter Celebration and The Well of the Saints in Synge Cycle.

Larry John Meyers plays Chebutykin in Three Sisters and Nyukhin in The Evils of Tobacco, and will direct Drama. His other PICT credits include The Hot House in Pinter Celebration, Endgame in BeckettFest, Crime and Punishment, and Stuff Happens.

Thrilling young actresses Vera Varlamov (Irina in Three Sisters) and Katya Stepanov (Sasha in Ivanov) make their professional debuts. The Chekhov company also includes PICT newcomers Christian Conn, Adrian Enscoe, Colette Freiwald, Billy Hepfinger, Megan McDermott, and Jonathan Visser. Returning to PICT are Joe Domencic (Hobson’s Choice), James FitzGerald (The Mask of Moriarty, The Importance of Being Earnest), Robert Haley (Stuff Happens), Alan Stanford (The Importance of Being Earnest), and Terry Wickline (Too Clever by Half) . Harriet Power makes her PICT debut directing Three Sisters, and Andrew S. Paul directs Ivanov. Scenic design is by Gianni Downs, with lighting design by Allen Hahn, costume design for Three Sisters and Ivanov by Pei-Chi Su, costume design for Funny Chekhov and After Chekhov by Rachel S. Parent, and sound design by Elizabeth Atkinson. The Chekhov Celebration plays July 19 through August 26 in both the Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres.

The season concludes with The School for Lies, a hilarious modern verse adaptation of Moliere’s The Misanthrope by David Ives. Andrew S. Paul directs and Nike Doukas and Leo Marks star in this family-friendly comedy that plays November 29 through December 15th in the Charity Randall Theatre.

The 2012 Media Sponsors are WYEP and Essential Public Radio. Single tickets are available now through PICT’s new online ticketing system at www.picttheatre.org, or by calling ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 for a $1.50 phone fee. A range of options are available for money-saving season subscriptions, and can be purchased by contacting Eric Nelson at 412.561.6000 x206, emailing enelson@picttheatre.org, or on the PICT website at www.picttheatre.org.

PICT receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

FACT SHEET - PICT 2012 Mainstage Productions

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
by Sarah Ruhl
Pittsburgh Premiere
Directed by Alan Stanford
The Charity Randall Theatre
April 19 – May 5


The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall
Pittsburgh Premiere
Directed by Andrew S. Paul
Henry Heymann Theatre
May 31 – June 23


Chekhov Celebration
Tragedian in Spite of Himself: A Celebration of the Life and Theatre of Anton Chekhov
Three Sisters
Trans. By Paul Schmidt
Directed by Harriet Power
Henry Heymann Theatre
July 19 – Aug 26


Ivanov
Directed by Andrew S. Paul
New English version by Tom Stoppard
U.S. Premiere
The Charity Randall Theatre
Aug 2 - 25

After Chekhov
The Yalta Game
Afterplay
by Brian Friel
Pittsburgh Premieres
Directed by Alan Stanford
Henry Heymann Theatre
Aug 10-26

Funny Chekhov
The Bear
The Proposal
Swan Song
Drama
On the Evils of Tobacco
The Charity Randall Theatre
Aug 17 - 25

The School for Lies by David Ives
Directed by Andrew S. Paul
The Charity Randall Theatre
Nov 29 – Dec 15

Tickets:

Subscriptions: $224 - $252 (10 packages and Flex Plans available)

Single Tickets: starting at $25 ($20 under 26 with valid ID)

Call ProArtsTickets at 412.394.3353 or visit PICT online at www.picttheatre.org

PICT - Great Stories. Well Told.

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

Monday, February 28, 2011

Award Winning Next to Normal Coming in April

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR

PULITZER PRIZE AND TONY AWARD-WINNING

NEXT TO NORMAL

PITTSBURGH, PA (Feb. 23, 2011) – PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh is thrilled to announce the smash hit Broadway musical and Tony and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Next to Normal is playing at the Benedum Center for a limited engagement April 5-10, 2011. Individual tickets ($21-$57) for Next to Normal are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at pgharts.org and by calling 412-456-6666. Groups of 10+ may purchase tickets by calling 412-471-6930.

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Next to Normal, reprises her acclaimed performance in the musical’s 36-week multi-city North American tour.

Next to Normal also features Asa Somers (Dan), Curt Hansen (Gabe), Emma Hunton (Natalie), Jeremy Kushnier (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine) and Preston Sadleir (Henry).

With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other.

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards, Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo, and direction by Michael Greif. The creative team also includes Mark Wendland (set design), Jeff Mahshie (costume design), Kevin Adams (lighting design), and Brian Ronan (sound design). Musical direction is by Bryan Perri, orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, and vocal arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo.

In 2009, Next to Normal was chosen as “one of the year’s ten best” by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record, and NY1 – more than any other musical from that season.

Next to Normal has had a surprising and highly unlikely route to Broadway. The musical originally opened at Off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008. The producer, David Stone, who had been guiding the musical since 2005, took the unexpected step of bringing the show to Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage where it was significantly reworked, and then back to New York and to Broadway, where it opened to rave reviews on April 15, 2009. This unusual trajectory from a New York Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to New York is unprecedented.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls Next to Normal “a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is something much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone raves, “Rock is alive and rolling like thunder in Next to Normal. It is the best musical of the season by a mile. Next time you think the Broadway musical is dead, head off to Next to Normal. It’ll pin you to your seat.” And Peter Marks of The Washington Post calls it “a moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical. It is stocked with beautiful songs that get to the heart of the story – and simply get to the heart. Next to Normal strikes a blow for the American musical’s future each night.”

Next to Normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

Individual tickets for Next to Normal range in price from $21 - $57 and are available at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Ticket Line at 412-456-6666, and online at www.pghatrts.org. Groups of 10 or more may receive a discount by calling 412-471-6930. Next to Normal is part of PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural, Pittsburgh Symphony and PNC Broadway Across America.

The April 5-10 performance schedule for Next to Normal is as follows: Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
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For more information about Next to Normal, please visit http://www.nexttonormal.com/ or www.pgharts.org