Atkins as The Chief at the O'Reilly

Contact Margie Romero, Communications Manager at Pittsburgh Public Theater
412.316.8200 ext. 707 or mromero@ppt.org
Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents
The Chief

The last chance at The O’Reilly to see Tom Atkins in the performance of a lifetime
as Pittsburgh Steelers founder Arthur J. Rooney, Sr.

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 9, 2013) New audiences this fall were introduced to stellar actor Tom Atkins when he starred as the Stage Manager in Our Town, which began Pittsburgh Public Theater’s MASTERPIECE SEASON. This Jan. 2 – 5 will be the final opportunities to see him at The O’Reilly in the performance of a lifetime as Pittsburgh Steelers founder Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. in The Chief.

Written by Rob Zellers & Gene Collier and directed by Ted Pappas, The Chief is the best-selling show inPittsburgh Public Theater history. The Chief returns to the O’Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater’s home in the heart of Downtown’s Cultural District, for six performances only. For tickets call 412.316.1600 or visit ppt.org. The Chief is generously supported by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Set in Mr. Rooney’s office at Three Rivers Stadium in 1976, this will be the play’s ninth production at The O’Reilly, where it premiered in 2003. “A triumph of the show is that it’s a Pittsburgh history lesson of growing up Irish on the North Side, insider politics, and sports fandom disguised as entertainment,” said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last year. “It’s mind-boggling to watch such a hugely talented man work the crowd as brilliantly as Atkins does here,” said Pittsburgh City Paper.

The design team for The Chief is Anne Mundell (Scenic & Costumes), Phil Monat (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Fred Noel is the Production Stage Manager and Adrienne Wells is the Assistant Stage Manager.

The Chief Performance Schedule
Thurs., Jan. 2 at 8 pm. Fri., Jan. 3 at 8 pm. Sat., Jan. 4 at 2 & 8 pm and Sun., Jan. 5 at 2 & 7 pm.
Ticket prices: $48 & $65. 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

New Staging of Our Town Invigorates Production

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

The Public’s MASTERPIECE SEASON Begins
Our Town
Tom Atkins as the Stage Manager leads a cast of 24 actors, all with Pittsburgh connections, in this colossal new staging by Ted Pappas.

Pittsburgh Public Theater’s MASTERPIECE SEASON begins with Our Town, the beloved American classic by Thornton Wilder, featuring an all-Pittsburgh cast. Directed by Ted Pappas, Our Town runs Sept. 26 – Oct. 27 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. Our Town is presented by PNC. The engagement of Tom Atkins in the role of the Stage Manager in Our Town has been generously supported by Richard W. Moriarty, M.D. The engagements of Patrick Cannon and Erin Lindsey Krom in the roles of George Gibbs and Emily Webb have been generously supported by Jim and Electra Agras.

Replacing traditional props and scenery with gesture and movement, early 20th century Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire bursts to life in Our Town. The audience’s guide to this community is the Stage Manager, played by Tom Atkins, who comments on the townspeople as they go about their daily lives. He moves us forward and backwards through time to observe their fates.

cast credits: First row l to r (seated) Charlotte Bush, Julia Coblin, Elliot Pullen and Edgar O’Connell. Middle row l to r: James FitzGerald, Linda Haston, Bridget Connors, John Shepard, Patrick Cannon, Tom Atkins, Erin Lindsey Krom, Marc Epstein, Cary Anne Spear, Terry Wickline, Ryan Showalter. Back row l to r: Tony Bingham, Karen Merritt, Andy Kirtland, Ken Bolden, Andrew Swackhamer, Daniel Krell, Larry John Meyers, Wali Jamal, Weston Blakesley.

The population of Grover’s Corners includes George Gibbs and Emily Webb (Patrick Cannon and Erin Lindsey Krom), the doctor and his wife (John Shepard and Bridget Connors), the newspaper editor and his wife (Marc Epstein and Cary Anne Spear), her nephew (Tony Bingham), a neighbor (Terry Wickline), the milkman (Wali Jamal), the choirmaster (Daniel Krell), the professor (Ken Bolden), the policeman (Weston Blakesley), and the undertaker (Larry John Meyers). The citizens of the town are James FitzGerald, Linda Haston, Andy Kirtland, Karen Merritt, and Andrew Swackhamer. The children will be played by local students Charlotte Bush, Julia Coblin, Edgar O’Connell, Elliot Pullen, and Ryan Showalter.

Our Town is celebrating its 75th birthday this year, having premiered in 1938. With its unconventional staging and breadth of focus, from the commonplace to the cosmic, Our Town still inspires wonder.

The design team for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production is Ted Pappas (Scenic), Gabriel Berry (Costumes), Kirk Bookman (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Casting is by McCorkle Casting. Ruth E. Kramer is the Production Stage Manager; Fredric H. Orner is the Assistant Stage Manager.

About the Playwright
Thornton Wilder (1897 – 1975) is best known as the author of seven novels and four major plays. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended Yale and Princeton Universities. He received three Pulitzer Prizes – for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and his plays Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1943) among numerous other awards. Other popular works by Wilder include the screenplay for the Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt and the play The Matchmaker, which was adapted into the musical Hello, Dolly!

Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents
Our Town
September 26 – October 27, 2013


Performance Schedule
Tues. at 7 pm; Wed. thru Sat. at 8 pm (except Wed., Oct. 9)
Sat. at 2 pm (except Sept. 28 & Oct. 5) also 2 pm on Thurs., Oct. 24
Sun. at 2 & 7 pm (except Sun., Oct. 27 when then final performance is at 2 pm)


Press Night is Thursday, Oct. 3. Opening Night is Friday, Oct. 4.
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

The Chief Returns for 10th Anniversary

Contact Margie Romero, Communications Manager at Pittsburgh Public Theater

412.316.8200 ext. 707 or mromero@ppt.org

Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents

The Chief

As a special feature of The Public’s MADE IN AMERICA season, this made in Pittsburgh hit play returns for a 10th anniversary celebration.

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 28, 2012) Returning for a 10th anniversary celebration is Rob Zellers & Gene Collier’s The Chief, starring Tom Atkins and directed by Ted Pappas. The Chief runs for 12 performances, Jan. 3 – 12, 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. The Chief is presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

In this heroic one-man show, Tom Atkins plays Pittsburgh Steelers founder Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. Set in Mr. Rooney’s office in Three Rivers Stadium in 1976, the audience will hear stories about how a fledgling football team became an NFL dynasty. According to director Ted Pappas: “It’s also about Pittsburgh and how this great industrial city and its people created a great man, and how this man turned around and produced a great team that is a reflection of the city.”

Since its world premiere at The Public in 2003, The Chief has become the best-selling show in the theater’s history. It has been produced seven times on The O’Reilly stage and is back for an eighth production as part of The Public’s MADE IN AMERICA season, which features plays by American writers and set in cities across the United States.

The Chief by Rob Zellers, who is the Education Director at Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Gene Collier, who is a columnist at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was published in 2008 by the University of Pittsburgh Press. It was also filmed and is available on DVD.

 

The design team for The Chief is Anne Mundell (Scenic & Costumes), Phil Monat (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound).  Fred Noel is the Production Stage Manager and Adrienne Wells is the Assistant Stage Manager.

 

Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents

The Chief

Performance Schedule

Thurs., Jan. 3 & 10 at 8 pm

Fri., Jan 4 & 11 at 8 pm

Sat., Jan. 5 & 12 at 2 & 8 pm

Sun., Jan. 6 at 2 & 7 pm

Tues., Jan. 8 at 7 pm

Wed., Jan. 9 at 8 pm

Ticket Prices: $48 & $65. 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