CLO Announces Gene Kelly Award Nominees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Cerchiaro
412-281-3973 ext. 101
mcerchiaro@pittsburghCLO.org

Pittsburgh CLO Announces Nominees for
the 2014 Gene Kelly Awards

Pittsburgh, PA • May 7, 2014– Pittsburgh CLO and the University of Pittsburgh are proud to announce the nominees for the Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater. The awards show will take place on Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

Over the past three months, a panel of 30 judges have attended the performances by the following 29 Allegheny County high schools: Avonworth, Baldwin, Bishop Canevin, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Central Catholic, Chartiers Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Hampton Township, Keystone Oaks, McKeesport, North Hills, Northgate, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy, Pittsburgh Brashear, Pittsburgh CAPA, Pittsburgh Perry, Plum, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Shady Side Academy, Springdale, St. Joseph, West Allegheny, West Mifflin, Winchester Thurston and Woodland Hills.

The judging panel was comprised of performing arts educators, arts administrators, entertainment professionals and performers. On May 2 these judges met and reviewed highlights from each high school performance. The scoring was then tabulated by Deloitte LLP.

The Nominees for the 2014 Gene Kelly Awards are:

Best Scenic Design
 
Budget Level I

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart The Wiz

Pittsburgh Perry                 Seussical

St. Joseph                                 Shrek, the Musical

 
Budget Level II
Central Catholic                Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                Young Frankenstein
Riverview                          Fiddler on the Roof
 
Budget Level III
Pine-Richland                         Thoroughly Modern Millie
West Allegheny                         Catch Me If You Can
Woodland Hills                         Sweeney Todd

Best Costume Design
 
Budget Level I
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart The Wiz
Quaker Valley                          Pirates of Penzance
St. Joseph                            Shrek, the Musical
 
Budget Level II
Bishop Canevin                         The Drowsy Chaperone
Central Catholic                 Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                 Young Frankenstein
 
Budget Level III
Baldwin                                Shrek, the Musical
Pine-Richland                        Thoroughly Modern Millie
Woodland Hills                   Sweeney Todd

Best Lighting Design

 
Budget Level I
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart The Wiz
Pittsburgh CAPA                  Footloose
St. Joseph                                 Shrek, the Musical
 
Budget Level II
Central Catholic                   Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                   Young Frankenstein
Riverview                                   Fiddler on the Roof
 
Budget Level III
Avonworth                         Man of La Mancha
West Allegheny                         Catch Me If You Can
Woodland Hills                         Sweeney Todd

Best All-Student Orchestra

Baldwin                                 Shrek, the Musical
Hampton                                 Young Frankenstein
North Hills                          42nd Street
Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy The Wiz
Pittsburgh CAPA                Footloose
West Mifflin                         Bye Bye Birdie

Best Supporting Actor
 
Rush Hodgin Pine-Richland  Thoroughly Modern Millie “Trevor Graydon III”
Noah Baynes Lheureau Bishop Canevin The Drowsy Chaperone “Robert Martin”
Drew Praskovich Pittsburgh CAPA Footloose “Willard Hewitt”
Julius Ralph Penn Hills The Wiz “The Wizard”
Quintin Reynolds CW North Catholic Children of Eden “Cain/Japeth”
Michael Zak Central Catholic Spamalot “Patsy”

Best Supporting Actress
 
Leah Prestogeorge Woodland Hills Sweeney Todd “Joanna Barker”
Amanda Rulis Hampton Young Frankenstein “Inga”
Jillian Schmidt Pine-Richland Thoroughly Modern Millie “Muzzy Van Hossmere”
Mara Singleton Plum My Favorite Year “KC Downing”
Ashley Sitarik Our Lady of the Sacred Heart The Wiz “Addaperle”
Brook Taylor Woodland Hills Sweeney Todd “Beggar Woman/Lucy Barker”

Best Ensemble

Central Catholic                             Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                             Young Frankenstein
Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy      The Wiz
Quaker Valley                                      Pirates of Penzance
St. Joseph                                              Shrek, the Musical
West Allegheny                                       Catch Me If You Can

Best Crew/Technical Execution

Baldwin                                               Shrek, the Musical
Hampton                                               Young Frankenstein
Pine-Richland                                        Thoroughly Modern Millie
Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy         The Wiz
Riverview                                          Fiddler on the Roof
Woodland Hills                                         Sweeney Todd

Best Choreography

Central Catholic                             Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                            Young Frankenstein
Pine-Richland                                    Thoroughly Modern Millie
Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy     The Wiz
Pittsburgh CAPA                            Footloose
West Allegheny                                    Catch Me If You Can

Best Direction

Central Catholic                                  Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                                 Young Frankenstein
Pine-Richland                                         Thoroughly Modern Millie
Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy          The Wiz
Quaker Valley                                          Pirates of Penzance
St. Joseph                                                  Shrek, the Musical

Best Actor
 
Ryan Borgo West Allegheny Catch Me If You Can “Frank Abignale, Jr.”
Connor Cook Plum My Favorite Year “Benjy Stone”
Tom Curry West Allegheny Catch Me If You Can “Carl Hanratty”
Peter Heres Quaker Valley Pirates of Penzance “Pirate King”
Adam Rayan Penn Hills The Wiz “Tinman”
Nathanial Yost Central Catholic Monty Python’s Spamalot “King Arthur”

Best Actress
 
Abby Dionise Pine-Richland Thoroughly Modern Millie “Miss Dorothy Brown”
Alexandra Illescas Pittsburgh CAPA Footloose “Rusty”
Alexis Loiselle Pine-Richland Thoroughly Modern Millie “Millie Dillmount”
Mallory Milberger St. Joseph Shrek, the Musical “Princess Fiona”
Marnie Quick Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy The Wiz “Tinman”
Savannah Wiggins Penn Hills The Wiz “Dorothy”

Best Musical
 
Budget Level I

Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy               The Wiz
Quaker Valley                                                Pirates of Penzance
St. Joseph                                                  Shrek, the Musical
 
Budget Level II

Bishop Canevin                                                  The Drowsy Chaperone
Central Catholic                                          Monty Python’s Spamalot
Hampton                                                          Young Frankenstein
 
Budget Level III

Penn Hills                                                        The Wiz
Pine-Richland                                                Thoroughly Modern Millie
West Allegheny                                                 Catch Me If You Can

The nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress will be competing for the opportunity to represent Pittsburgh CLO’s Gene Kelly Awards in the sixth-annual National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City on Monday, June 30. For more information on the National High School Musical Theater Awards, please visit www.nhsmta.com.

In addition to the more than 20 Kelly Awards presented at the event, several cash and university scholarships will be awarded.  These scholarships are made possible through the generous donations of Paul Block, Virginia S. Nicklas, the CLO Ambassadors, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and participating colleges. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on May 24.  More information is available at pittsburghCLO.org.

The Gene Kelly Awards are co-presented by the University of Pittsburgh with additional support provided by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC Bank, Virginia S. Nicklas and the CLO Ambassadors. Deloitte Consulting, LLP is the official auditor for the Gene Kelly Awards.

Pittsburgh CLO is also pleased to announce that Gene Kelly’s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, will once again participate in the awards show.
What:              24th Annual Gene Kelly Awards
Where:             Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
When:              Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets:            On sale May 13.  Call 412-456-6666
# # #
Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Under the direction of Van Kaplan since 1997, this not-for-profit arts organization appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year and produces a subscription series, educational programs, national tours and develops and invests in new works, including 18 Broadway shows (24 Tony Awards®) featuring the current productions of Cinderella, Kinky Boots and Matilda. Its dedication to the musical theater art form extends to include such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award the National High School Musical Theater Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts

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

PICT Announces 2014 Theme: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Contact: Michelle Belan
Marketing Director
412.561.6000 x203
mbelan@picttheatre.org
www.picttheatre.org
SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

PICT Theatre Announces a ‘Wicked’ Season for 2014
Six plays fit the theme: “Something Wicked This Way Comes”
A mixture of classic favorites and pure Irish genius.

Pittsburgh, PA – September 23, 2013. PICT Theatre (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre) packs its eighteenth year of classic favorites and pure Irish genius, a return to its original mission under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Alan Stanford. The selection of plays all fit the theme, “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” a line taken from the fifth show of the season.

BLITHE SPIRIT – MAY 1-17, 2014 – THE CHARITY RANDALL THEATRE
PICT launches its season next May with Noel Coward’s immensely popular comedy Blithe Spirit.  This play made its Pittsburgh premiere at the Nixon Theatre in 1942 and was produced again in 1943, and then the Pittsburgh Playhouse produced it in 1945, but since then, there have been no professional productions of this comic gem in Pittsburgh. The story is simple: after a séance gone bad, Charles Condomine is disturbed to find that he now has two wives occupying his home— one of which is his late wife, Elvira. Blithe Spirit playfully mocks the traditions of love and marriage through the machinations of spiritual folly and the fight between a wife living, a wife dead and the haunted husband stuck between them. Even the grim reaper has no rest. A darkly amusing comedy, Blithe Spirit will be directed by PICT Producing Artistic Director Alan Stanford.

WAITING FOR GODOT – JUNE 4-21, 2014 – THE CHARITY RANDALL THEATRE
Though PICT produced BeckettFest in 2006, the company only offered a staged reading of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. In October of that same year, Alan Stanford starred as Pozzo in the Gate Theatre Dublin’s touring production at the Byham. PICT is finally producing this work as the second production of the 2014 season. Waiting for Godot, considered by many to be one of most influential plays ever written. Of this play, Alan Stanford notes, “ Two men waiting on a road for someone who never arrives. Two other men on a journey that seems to have no purpose or end.  In this simple tragic-comedy, Beckett has captured all life – the waiting and the journeying.” Aoife Spillane-Hinks, who directed PICT’s 2013 season opener Our Classwill return to PICT  to direct.

WOMAN AND SCARECROW – JULY 10-AUGUST 20, 2014, THE HENRY HEYMANN THEATRE
First performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London and subsequently presented at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Woman and Scarecrow is Marina Carr’s perfect play about the last moments of a woman’s life. With great beauty and with clear Irish wit and wonder, this play tells the story of a life that was lived and the joy and sadness that comes that comes at journey’s end. The woman of the title is surrounded by colorful characters including her husband, her Auntie, her strange companion- and not forgetting the ‘thing’ in the closet. A wickedly wonderful plot for the adventurous spirit. Directed by Alan Stanford and starring Nike Doukas and Karen Baum,

OBSERVE THE SONS OF ULSTER MARCHING TOWARDS THE SOMME – SEPTEMBER 4-20, 2014, THE CHARITY RANDALL THEATRE
Almost legendary in Irish Theatre, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme was written in the height of “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland. It was one of the few plays from the Irish Republic which addressed the traditions and sense of Uster-ness of the Northern Protestants. Set during the First World War, the play follows a group of new recruits to the British army from basic training to the night before the Battle of the Somme where over 50,000 British troops died on the first day. Most of the Ulster contingent were killed in the first onslaught. Award-winning Irish playwright Frank McGuinness gives us a play which brilliantly demonstrates duty, loyalty, friendship, and above all, the effect of war on men. PICT’s production marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.

MACBETH – OCTOBER 8-25, 2014 – THE CHARITY RANDALL THEATRE
One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Macbeth chronicles the lust for power and the enticements that fate can offer. Macbeth, of all Shakespeare’s heroes, is the one on whom temptation and vanity wreak their most terrible revenge. He is the victim of his own delusions and of his own blind ambition. This is a play with no sub-plot. No deviations. No overtly intellectual debate. It is a play of action, power and passion. And there are three wicked witches! Alan Stanford will direct.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS – DECEMBER 3-20, 2014 – THE CHARITY RANDALL THEATRE
One of the best-known novels of England’s most prolific and loved Victorian writers, Great Expectations chronicles the life and loves of Philip Pirrip, known simply as Pip. Apprenticed to a blacksmith, kind to an escaped convict, sent to the home of an eccentric old woman (still in the bridal wear from her wedding day), Pip falls hopelessly in love with her ward. He is sent to London with great expectations of an inheritance. But the truth behind his expectations is far from anything he believed and the conclusion of his adventures is far from anything he dreamed. This classic of literature by Charles Dickens, which contains some of the author’s most colorful characters, was adapted by Hugh Leonard for Alan Stanford for production at the Gate Theatre Dublin. Alan Stanford will direct.

PICT IS NOW A BLUE STAR THEATRE
PICT Theatre is pleased to announce its participation in the Blue Star Theatre program, a program of Blue Star Families and Theatre Communications Group, with support from the MetLife Foundation. Through this program, military servicemembers and their families can receive discounted tickets. More information about the program can be found at the PICT website.

The Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (PICT) 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 performs in The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres from April through December in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.

PITTSBURGH IRISH & CLASSICAL THEATRE 2014 SEASON FACT SHEET

All performances in the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Avenue, Oakland

Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward

Directed by Alan Stanford

The Charity Randall Theatre

May 1 – May 17, 2014

(10 a.m. Student Matinee on Tuesday, May 13)

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Directed by Aoife Spillane- Hinks

The Charity Randall Theatre

June 4 – June 21, 2014

(10 a.m. Student Matinee on Wednesday, June 4)

Woman and Scarecrow by Marina Carr

Directed by Alan Stanford

The Henry Heymann Theatre

July 10 – August 2, 2014

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme by Frank McGuinness

Director TBA

The Charity Randall Theatre

September 4 – September 20, 2014

(10 a.m. Student Matinee on Tuesday, September 16)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Directed by Alan Stanford

The Charity Randall Theatre

October 8 – 25, 2014

(10 a.m. student matinees on Tuesday, October 8 and Tuesday, October 21)

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Adapted for the stage by Hugh Leonard)

Directed by Alan Stanford

The Charity Randall Theatre

December 3-20, 2014

(10 a.m. student matinees on Tuesday, December 3 and Tuesday, December 16)

              

Subscriptions

(wide range of packages and flex plans available-

Early Bird pricing in effect until December 21, 2014) $296-$188*

Single Tickets  $55-$38*

Senior Tickets (60+)  $44*

(Limited “grab bag” seating at $25; not available at all shows) $25*

Military and Youth Tickets:

Military Adult  $24

Military Children (ages 18 and under)$5

Patrons ages 19-30  $20*

Children ages 18 and under  $10*  

* Prices do not include handling fees. Subscription handling fees waived for E-Subscribers.

Email tickethelp@picttheatre.org to become an E-Subscriber or for online purchasing options, or contact PICT at 412-561-6000 x.207. 

###

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

A Skull in Connemara Premieres

Contact: Michelle Belan
Sales & Marketing Director
412-561-6000 x. 203
mbelan@picttheatre.org
www.picttheatre.org
For Immediate Release

PICT Theatre Presents the Pittsburgh Premiere of A Skull in Connemara
*One of a trilogy of stories by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh*
**Directed by Martin Giles**

Pittsburgh, PA – September 5, 2013. PICT Theatre’s fifth production of the season is the Pittsburgh premiere of Martin McDonagh’s hilarious whodunit A Skull in Connemara, one of a the Leenane trilogy of plays written by the contemporary Irish playwright. McDonagh’s dark humor features the colloquial idioms of the west of Ireland, its rugged landscape, and its even more rugged people. McDonagh wrote one of PICT’s most popular shows, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His short film Six Shooterwon an Academy Award in 2006, and he was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for In Bruges, a feature-length film in which two hitmen hide in the Flemish city of Bruges after a problematic job.

A Skull in Connemara is directed by Martin Giles, and features James Keegan as Mick, Sharon Brady as Mary, Jason McCune as Thomas and Alec Silberblatt as Mairten.

Director Martin Giles is in his 12th season with PICT, with acting credits including The Kreutzer Sonata, Lady Windermere’s Fan, The School for Lies, Ivanov, Afterplay, The Mask of Moriarty, House & Garden, The Importance of Being Earnest,The History Boys, What the Butler Saw and The Gigli Concert, which helped earn him a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year award. He will also be returning to PICT in December to reprise his role as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes & The Crucifer of Blood. For PICT, Martin directed plays for Beckett Fest, The Synge Cycle, the Pinter Celebration, the Chekhov Celebration and he wrote and directed the world premiere of Beautiful Dreamers. Other directing credits include When the Rain Stops Falling, The End of the Affair and John Gabriel Borkman for Quantum Theatre, and 800 Words for Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh. Martin also founded and was Artistic Director of The New Group Theater, where he directed over 50 shows over 15 years. He regularly teaches acting at Carnegie Mellon University.

James Keegan returns to PICT to play Mick Dowd, a seasonal gravedigger in Connemara with a mysterious past. Keegan has been a member of the Resident Company at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse for 13 repertory seasons, where he has played more than 85 roles in over 60 productions, including the title roles in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and King Lear and Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great and The Jew of Malta. His work as Prospero in ASC's 2011 production of The Tempest was featured in the 2012 BBC documentary, Shakespeare Uncovered that recently aired on PBS. Keegan was last seen at PICT in the 2007 performances of Julius Caesar and Stuff Happens.

Also returning to PICT is Jason McCune, who is in his fourth season on the PICT stage. Previous PICT credits include Harvey Duff in The Shaughraun, James and Joey in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Shawn Keogh in The Playboy of the Western World, and multiple roles in The Synge Cycle. With performance credits all over the United States, Jason has also performed locally in productions at Quantum Theatre, Bricolage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, barebones theatre and The Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Sharon Brady, although making her PICT debut, is no stranger to theatre in Pittsburgh. She was last seen at the Pittsburgh Playhouse as Mattie Fae in August, Osage County and at Pittsburgh Public Theatre as Lady in Superior Donuts. She is also an adjunct associate professor at Point Park University, where she teaches Theatre Arts. Sharon is a 20-year veteran of New York’s Off Broadway scene, most notably as a founding member of the OBIE Award winning Cucaracha Theatre.

Alec Silberblatt makes his PICT debut. Alec is a Pittsburgh native with performance credits at Pittsburgh Public Theater, Hartford TheaterWorks, Cincinnati Outdoor Classics, Boulder Fringe Festival and MCC Theater's FreshPlay Festival. His play Living With Other People will be produced this spring in New York with the Middle Voice Theater Company, where he is a company member.

To celebrate the opening of this Irish comedy, PICT is pleased to welcome the Ceili Club dance ensemble, accompanied by live musicians playing traditional Irish instruments, who will perform in front of the Stephen Foster Memorial beginning at 7pm. The ensemble, led by artistic director Jim Guay, will perform individual figures from set dances from Connemara as well as from the area around Galway. Accompanying the dancers will be Evan Kenepp playing uilleann pipes, Rich Rayburg playing bodhran, and Vince Burns on fiddle.

ABOUT THE PLAY:
For one week each autumn, Mick Dowd is hired to disinter the bones in certain sections of his local cemetery to make way for the new arrivals. As the time approaches for him to dig up the bones of his own late wife, strange rumors regarding his involvement in her sudden death seven years ago begin to resurface. Strong language and situations.

PICT Theatre (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre)  was founded in 1996 to diversify the region’s theatrical offerings by providing Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania audiences with high-quality, text-driven, affordable productions of classical theatre and the works of classical and contemporary Irish playwrights and to significantly improve employment opportunities for local talent in all facets of theatrical presentation and production.  PICT is a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, and a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. PICT is the Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and PICT productions at The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres are presented in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.

FACT SHEET -  A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Martin Giles

Directed by Martin Giles
The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial
4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Cast: James Keegan, Sharon Brady, Jason McCune and Alec Silberblatt

Design Team: Gianni Downs (scenic design); Rachel Parent (costume design); Chris Popowich (lighting design); Joe Pino (sound design); Johnmichael Bohach (properties)

Performance Schedule:
Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
Tuesday, September 24 at 7pm
Saturday, September 28 at 2pm and 8pm

First Week:         Thursday and Friday, September 12 & 13, 8:00 p.m. – Previews
                                Saturday, September 14, 8:00 p.m. – Opening Night
                                Sunday, September 15, 2:00 p.m. – Talkback following performance

Second Week:    Wednesday* – Saturday, September 18- 21, 8:00 p.m.
                                Sunday, September 22, 2:00 p.m.
Third Week:       Tuesday, September 24, 7:00 p.m. (Early Tuesday** performance)
                                Wednesday- Friday, September 25- 27, 8:00 p.m.
                                Saturday, September 28, 2:00 p.m. - Matinee performance
Saturday, September 28, 8:00 p.m. – Final performance
*Pre-show lecture begins at 7:00 pm in The Charity Randall Theatre.
**Early Tuesday includes 6:00 pm happy hour – free food buffet + drink specials -- hosted at Joe Mama’s Restaurant, 3716 Forbes Ave. 15213)


PICT Special Events   (Free of Charge)

Opening Night Festivities
Saturday, September 14.  Prior to the performance, the Ceili Club Dance Ensemble with live musical accompaniment will entertain patrons in front of the Stephen Foster Memorial.
Following the performance, PICT invites all opening night patrons to attend the reception with complimentary hors d’ouevre and an opportunity to greet the cast and artistic staff.

Talkback
Sunday, September 15, following the 2:00 p.m. performance includes PICT producing artistic director Alan Stanford, Martin Giles, director and the cast of A Skull in Connemara

Pre-Show Lecture
Wednesday, September 18, 7:00 p.m.
Martin Giles, Director, discusses the dark humor in A Skull in Connemara.


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

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

# # #


Michelle Belan
Sales & Marketing Director
PICT
Theatre You Can't Stop Talking About
412-561-6000 x. 203
mbelan@picttheatre.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

Calling PA Composers

For Immediate Release
Aug. 15, 2013

YOUNG COMPOSERS INVITED TO SUBMIT WORKS TO 10TH ANNUAL PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA READING SESSION

PITTSBURGH—Calling all Pennsylvanian composers! The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is looking for composers to submit new works for its annual Reading Session.

To be eligible, applicants must be residents of Pennsylvania at the time of submissions and applicants must be in the early stages of their careers. (As part of an ongoing partnership, submissions from the West Virginia University will continue to be accepted.) Previous participants may not reapply and submitted works must not have received a performance or a reading by a professional orchestra previously. Only one work per composer will be considered.

Submissions will be evaluated by 2013-2014 Year of Pittsburgh Composers adviser David Stock and read by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin on Saturday, March 15, 2014. Following the session, which is free and open to the public, composers will receive feedback from a panel including Stock, Slatkin and the Pittsburgh Symphony musicians.

Since the 2004-2005 season, the PSO has offered an annual reading of works by young composers from area universities as part of its Composer of the Year program. Last year, the program expanded to include composers statewide. Up to four works will be selected for the reading session, with at least one of the spots reserved for students from the universities that have traditionally participated in the program—Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and West Virginia University.

The submission deadline for the 10th Annual Reading Session is Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. This is not a postmark deadline; materials must be received by this date to be considered. Selected works will be announced Dec. 6. For complete eligibility details and submission guidelines, visit http://pso.culturaldistrict.org/event/6236/10th-annual-reading-session  or call 412-392-4828.

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Associate Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@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

Don Juan Comes Back from the War

Contact: Michelle Belan
Sales & Marketing Director
412-561-6000 x.203
mbelan@picttheatre.org
www.picttheatre.org
For Immediate Release

PICT Presents U.S. Premiere of Don Juan Comes Back from the War
**Alan Stanford directs Duncan Macmillan’s new version of the Odon von Horvath play**
***Featuring David Whalen and Nike Doukas ***

Pittsburgh, PA –July 31, 2013. British playwright Duncan Macmillan was asked numerous times to adapt Don Juan Comes Back from the War by Odon von Horvath, and after reading it in the original German as well as a few translations, he felt compelled to accept the challenge. “I thought it was a fascinating play, to take this extraordinary character – the archetypal lover Don Juan - and refract his character through the dark experience of going through the war, and coming back to a war-torn Berlin as an older man, looking for love and redemption.” Macmillan’s version of the play has only been produced once before, at the Finborough Theatre in London in 2012.  Macmillan traveled to Pittsburgh to attend rehearsals and work with director Alan Stanford and the cast for its U. S. premiere. This production will run August 8-31.

Alan Stanford, PICT’s producing artistic director, most recently directed his adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan for PICT in July 2013. “Don Juan Comes Back From the War is a most amazing journey – a pilgrim’s progress into Hell.”

The Cast:
David Whalen plays the iconic lothario Don Juan; in this play, he is a shell-shocked German soldier on a quest for redemption, seeking the love he left at the altar. He is, appropriately, the only male cast member. Whalen recently played Parker in PICT’s production of Lady Windermere’s Fan, and has more than 20 other performances to his credit on the PICT stage, including Ivanov, Three Sisters, Doubt, The Mask of Moriarty, Stuff Happens, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Salome and The Lieutenant of Inishmore a role he reprised at the Repertory of St. Louis, winning the Kevin Kline Award for Best Actor. In 2012, he was named the MVP (Most Valuable Performer) by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as well as being recognized as Performer of the Year for 2007.  He will soon begin filming a leading role in the independent film The Legion  as well as originating a role in Tammy Ryan’s Soldier’s Heart. In December, he will reprise his role as Sherlock Homes in PICT’s Sherlock Holmes & The Crucifer of Blood.

Each of the female cast members play multiple characters. Nike Doukas just finished an acclaimed turn as Mrs. Erlynne in PICT’sLady Windermere’s Fan. Nike played Celimene in PICT’s The School for Lies last December, as well as the role of Anna inIvanov and Olga in Three Sisters. Other PICT credits include The Bear, House and Garden, Betrayal and Celebration.

Melinda Helfrich returns to PICT after appearing as Mrs. Daldry in In the Next Room or the vibrator play.

A native of Pittsburgh, Melinda has most recently appeared as Duck Macatarsney in The Monster in the Hall (City Theatre), and as Sanelma Kayramo in The Howling Miller (Quantum Theatre).  Additional credits include the title role in Yerma (Quantum Theatre) and as Elizabeth in Jeffery Hatcher's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (City Theatre.)

Karen Baum, a Point Park University graduate, has previously appeared in three PICT productions (King Lear, Boston Marriageand The Shaughran) as well as on stage with other Pittsburgh theatres including Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Playhouse REP, Bricolage, No Name Players, Unseam’d Shakespeare, and Off the Wall. She is a SAG-AFTRA member with film and TV credits including Promised Land, The Road, My Bloody Valentine 3D, KillPoint, and The War That Made America. She teaches for the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Civic Light Opera and Hope Academy.

Lissa Brennan is a Pittsburgh-based actor, director, teach and playwright  whose most recent PICT appearance  was the 2012 production of  In the Next Room or the vibrator play. Previous work with PICT includes the Beckett Festival and Salome, her first opportunity to work with Alan Stanford. She has also performed with barebones, the University of Pittsburgh, Quantum Theatre, Bricolage, and her own company, Dog & Pony Show.

Catherine Moore has performed with PICT since 2001 in Portia Coughlin, Tonight at 8:30, The Seagull, the PICT Ireland tour ofFaith Healer, BeckettFest, Julius Caesar, Salome, and Jane Eyre. She was last seen in Pittsburgh in the Quantum Theatre production of  Golden Dragon. As a fight choreographer, her work has been seen at PICT, City Theatre, and Pittsburgh Opera. She is an Associate Teaching Professor at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.

Gayle Pazerski makes her PICT debut in Don Juan. She earned her BFA in Theatre from the University of Kentucky and studied in the graduate acting program at Rutgers University under William Esper. Gayle’s previous acting credits include Chicks with Dicks (Bricolage), The Book of Liz (No Name Players), and The End of the Affair (Quantum). As a playwright, Gayle’s work has been featured with Bricolage’s Midnight Radio series, No Name Players' SWAN Day, Organic Theater Pittsburgh, and the Future Ten 10-minute play festival.

ABOUT THE PLAY:
Don Juan Comes Back from the War by Odon von Horvath in a new version by Duncan Macmillan.
The Great War has just ended. Infamous lothario Don Juan, a shell-shocked German soldier returns to a devastated Berlin, his prospects bleak. After a few days of debauchery to shed the horrors of war, Don Juan embarks on a quest to find the love he left at the altar years before. His reputation and the desires of the women he meets along the way – some who wish to love him, some who seek revenge – threaten to keep him from his goal. With dark humor, Don Juan makes his way to an uncertain fate.  Note: Appropriate for ages 18 and up. This play contains male and female full-frontal nudity and violence.

PICT Theatre (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre)  was founded in 1996 to diversify the region’s theatrical offerings by providing Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania audiences with high-quality, text-driven, affordable productions of classical theatre and the works of classical and contemporary Irish playwrights and to significantly improve employment opportunities for local talent in all facets of theatrical presentation and production.  PICT is a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, and a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. PICT is the Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and PICT productions at The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres are presented in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.



FACT SHEET -  Don Juan Comes Back from the War by Odon von Horvath in a new version by Duncan Macmillan

Directed by Alan Stanford
The Henry Heymann Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial
4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Cast: David Whalen, Nike Doukas, Melinda Helfrich, Karen Baum, Lissa Brennan, Catherine Moore, Gayle Pazerski.

Design Team: Narelle Sissons (scenic and costume design); Allen Hahn (lighting design); Joe Pino (sound design); Johnmichael Bohach (properties)

Performance Schedule:
Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
Tuesday, August 27 at 7pm
Saturday, August 31 at 2pm and 8pm

First Week:         Thursday and Friday, August 8 & 9, 8:00 pm – Previews
                                Saturday, August 10, 8:00 pm – Opening Night
                                Sunday, August 11, 2:00 pm – Talkback following performance
Second Week:    Wednesday* – Saturday, August 14-17, 8:00 pm
                                Sunday, August 18, 2:00 pm
Third Week:       Wednesday – Saturday, August 21-24, 8:00 pm
                                Sunday, August 25, 2:00 pm
Fourth Week:     Tuesday, August 27, 7:00 p.m. (Early Tuesday** performance)
                                Wednesday-Friday, August 28-30, 8:00 p.m.
                                Saturday, August 31, 2:00 pm - Matinee performance***
Saturday, August 31, 8:00 pm – Final performance
*Pre-show lecture begins at 7:00 pm in The Charity Randall Theatre.
**Early Tuesday includes 6:00 pm happy hour – free food buffet + drink specials -- hosted at Joe Mama’s Restaurant, 3716 Forbes Ave. 15213)
***American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation available at this performance


PICT Special Events

Talkback – Free to the public
Sunday, August 11, following the 2:00 p.m. performance includes director Alan Stanford and the cast of Don Juan Comes Back from the War (Approximate start 3:30 pm)

Pre-Show Lecture – Free to the public
Wednesday, August 14, 7:00-7:30 p.m.

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation available at one matinee performance
Saturday, August 31, 2pm -- (Must purchase ticket for performance)

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

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


Michelle Belan
Sales & Marketing Director
PICT
Theatre You Can't Stop Talking About
412-561-6000 x. 203
mbelan@picttheatre.org
www.picttheatre.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

27th Annual Pittsburgh International Children's Festival

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents:
 The 27th Annual Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival
May 15-19, 2013
Preview Opportunities:
Monday, May 13 & Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Festival Information: www.PGHKIDS.org | Box Office: 412-456-6666

Festival Overview
The Festival is presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and programming division, Pittsburgh International Children's Theater.  Pittsburgh currently hosts one of only four international theater festivals for children in the United States.  Over 100 performances and activities draw upwards of 20,000 visitors each year with the goal of promoting an understanding of and appreciation for different cultures. The Children’s Festival has presented over 500 performing arts companies from over 40 countries.

Giant Eagle is the presenting sponsor of this year's Pittsburgh International Children's Festival with the generous help of Citiparks, the University of Pittsburgh, the Parks Conservancy and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.  This year, the Festival is pleased to welcome featured performers from Australia, Russia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and United States.  Each performance will be as educational as it is fun, and throughout the Festival, children are encouraged to participate in the process.  Additionally, the Festival will have free hands-on activities and performances at two free outdoor Community Stages.  The Festival will once again take place in the beautiful green spaces surrounding Schenley Plaza and the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

Below is a list of various media opportunities during the Festival.  Additional interview opportunities may be available upon request.

Monday, May 13 (Preview)
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly
In Studio Interview with Louis Lovette, Co-Founder of Theatre Lovette (Ireland)

*Louis Lovett leads the audience on an adventure that crosses snowy lands and wild seas. All the while, Peggy sings with the voice of an angel—a grossly unfortunate angel, who can’t sing at all. As Peggy desperately tries to save the day, we learn about love, loss, the reassurance of goats, and the courage to sing gloriously on-or off-key.

In Studio Interview with Pam Lieberman, Executive Director-Pittsburgh International Children's Theater / Manager of Children's Theater Programming-Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Tuesday, May 14 (Preview)
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly
In Studio Interview with Louis Lovette, Co-Founder of Theatre Lovette (Ireland)

Tuesday, May 14 (Preview)
Preview Reception
Time: 6:30-7:00 pm - Preview of Exxopolis by Architects of Air(Nottingham, UK)

Location: Mazeroski Field, Corner of Clemente Drive & Schenley Drive (Across from the Frick Fine Arts Building)

*Join us for this preview of Architects of Air outdoor luminaria installation: Exxopolis.  This installation was inspired from natural geometry and architecture and occupies half of a soccer field and rises to the height of a 3-story house!  This giant structure will astonish you with its colorful domes and beautiful stained glass effects.  Appropriate for all ages.

RSVP opening reception, Tuesday, May 14:
Diana Roth / roth@trustarts.org / 412-471-8717


Wednesday, May 15th
Opening Ceremonies
Time: 9:30am -  Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Location: Mazeroski Field, Corner of Clemente Drive & Schenley Drive (Across from the Frick Fine Arts Building)

*Photo/video/interview opportunity and media guests will be invited to walk through the installation.

Wednesday, May 15th
Dinosaur Petting Zoo
Time: After 2 pm
In Studio Interview with the artists from Erth Visual & Physical Inc.(Australia)

*Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo transports you to the Australian outback where a rugged ranger and trusty dino keeper introduce you to a menagerie of Mesozoic monsters from around the world. Operated by supremely skilled puppeteers, every dino responds instantly to the audience for an intimate, authentic encounter.

Thursday, May 16th
Dinosaur Petting Zoo
Time: Before 8:15am or Between 2-5pm
In Studio Interview with the artists from Erth Visual & Physical Inc. (Australia)

Thursday, May 16th
Aga-Boom
Time: TBD
On set photo and interview opportunity with artists from 1 to 1 Entertainment (Russia/USA)

Location: Charity Randall Theatre, 4301 Forbes Avenue, Oakland

*Jump head-first into unbridled silliness with the clown clean-up crew—three former starts of Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers and the Moscow Circus. Rooted in the unique style of theatrical clowning, Aga-Boom brings together the best traditions of circus arts, physical comedy and European avant-garde.

Thursday, May 16th
Dinosaur Petting Zoo
Time: Before 8:15am or Between 2-5pm
On set photo and interview opportunity with artists from Erth Visual & Physical Inc. (Australia)

Location:Bellefield Hall Auditorium, 315 South Bellefield Avenue, Oakland

*****

RSVP opening reception, Tuesday, May 14:
Diana Roth / roth@trustarts.org / 412-471-8717

Media contacts:
Shaunda Miles / miles@trustarts.org / 412-471-1578
Saul Markowitz / Markowitz Communications / saul@markowitzcommunications.com /
(cell): 412-977-8517 / (office): 412-577-5140
Diana Roth / roth@trustarts.org / 412-471-8717

Pittsburgh International Children's Festival press release and event photos are available at: http://www.TrustArts.org/press
Search: Children's Festival 2013

Complete Festival schedule is available at www.PGHKIDS.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

Our Class at the PICT

PICT Theatre Announces Full Company for Our Class
**Irish-American Aoife Spillane-Hinks will direct**
***Post-Gazette’s Breakout Performer of 2012 Vera Varlamov returns to PICT***

Pittsburgh, PA – March 12, 2013.  PICT Theatre (aka Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre) announces the full cast for Our Class, the powerful Nike award-winning play by Tadeusz Slobodzianek and translated by Ryan Craig. Irish-American Aoife Spillane-Hinks will direct. Our Class opens with a student matinee on April 10th, and runs through May 4th.

Aoife Spillane-Hinks is pleased to make her PICT directorial debut with Our Class. She is currently the co-artistic director of Then This Theatre Company in Dublin Ireland, as well as the  co-curator and co-producer of the TEXT|messages Shakespeare project. Her directorial credits include Broken Promise Land (Lanigan’s Theatre Upstairs); The Yellow Wallpaper (Project Arts Center/Dublin Fringe); Plaza Suite (Rough Magic/Gaiety Theatre); Hamlet (Second Age); and Boston Marriage (Gate Theatre/Dublin). Aoife Spillane-Hinks joins the production following PICT’s recent leadership change.

ABOUT THE PLAY:
Our Class is inspired by the atrocity of Jedwabne, a Polish village where, in 1941, as Russian and German forces pressed in, almost all of the local Jews were tortured and killed. This horrific crime was originally blamed on the Nazis, but historians and journalists more recently revealed that the perpetrators may have been their own neighbors. Slobodzianek used, among other sources, the book Neighbors by Dr. Jan Gross, which has been regarded as controversial for its interpretation and accounting of the facts.

In this play, we meet each of the characters as school children, innocent and unaware of their futures as villains and victims; each actor portrays the character from age 8 into adulthood. Our Class is the first Polish drama to receive Poland’s prestigious Nike Literary Prize.

ABOUT THE CAST:
Vera Varlamov returns to PICT for a second season. She earned the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s acclaim as a Breakout Performer of 2012 for playing Irina in Three Sisters as part of PICT’s Chekhov Celebration. Varlamov also appeared in The Proposal in PICT’s Funny Chekhov production. Most recently, she has made Miami her home, appearing as Julia in The Birds at Mosaic Theatre. She is a recent graduate of Rutgers MFA-Acting program.

Also returning to PICT from the 2012 Chekhov Celebration are Katya Stepanova and Jonathan Visser. Stepanova, a senior acting major at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama played Sasha in Ivanov. Born in Minsk, Belarus, her family immigrated as Jewish refugees to the United States in 1992, so she feels a particular connection to this play.

Jonathan Visser played three roles in last year’s Chekhov Celebration: Solyony in Three Sisters, Kosyk in Ivanov, and Dmitri in Yalta Game by Brian Friel, part of the After Chekhov program. Other Pittsburgh performances include work with Bricolage, City Theater, The Rep, and CLO. He is a proud graduate of the Masters program at the University of Tennessee, 2010.

PICT also welcomes the return of Bernard Balbot, who played Young Lad in 2012’s hit The Pitmen Painters. A native of Pittsburgh, Balbot’s credits include Rich and Famous (Jackalope Theatre Company); Far Away (Winterfall Chicago); We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…(Victory Gardens). Additional credits include work for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Writers' Theatre, American Theater Company, Asolo Repertory Theater, Farmers Alley Theater, Utah Shakespearean Festival and Hangar Theater.  His film credits include Warrior and Sleepers of the City. Balbot received his BFA at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama with additional training at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Aaron White was last seen on the PICT stage in 2011’s Antony & Cleopatra. In addition to performing, White teaches at Susquehanna University in Central Pennsylvania.  His performance credits include  Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, Adirondack Shakespeare Company, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Nebraska Theater Caravan. Aaron is originally from Dalmatia, Pennsylvania.  He holds a B.A from Susquehanna University, attended Ohio University and received his MFA from the PATP at the University of Houston.

Five actors will be making their PICT performance debuts: Justin Fortunato, Rafael Goldstein, Jimmy Mason, Caroline Shannon, Quinn Patrick Shannon.

Justin Fortunato has performed with Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh CLO, The REP, Prime Stage Theater and St. Vincent Theatre. He is a graduate of Point Park University, where he earned his BFA in Musical Theatre.  He is also the co-founder and artistic director of Carnivale Theatrics, which will be producing In The Heights this upcoming August at the New Hazlett Theater.

Rafael Goldstein’s performance in Hamlet for Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre earned him a nomination by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for Lead Performance. Additional theatre credits include A Noise Within Theatre; Mechanicals Theatre Group; Atlantic Theater Company and La MaMa Theater. His education includes Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and Atlantic Acting School.

Jimmy Mason is an actor and singer currently pursuing his BFA at Carnegie Mellon University. His performance credits include productions at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon. He is a finalist in the Campus Superstar Pittsburgh competition, scheduled for March 21, 2013.

Caroline Shannon recently graduated with a BFA from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and teaches stage combat with the Shakespeare Society. Her regional theatre credits include Hangar Theatre, Accademia dell ‘Arte, Cincinnati Outdoor Classics, and the NYC Strawberry Festival.
Quinn Patrick Shannon has performed with CLO Cabaret, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, The REP and Theatreworks USA.

The creative team for Our Class includes Set Designer Gianni Downs, Costume Designer Rachel Parent, Lighting Designer Jim French, Sound Designer Elizabeth Atkinson, Original Composition by Doug Levine & Susanne Ortner-Roberts, Dialect Coach Natalie Baker-Shirer, Choreographer Mark Conway Thompson, Stage Manager Cory Goddard, and Assistant Stage Manager Caitlin Roper.

PICT Theatre (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre)  was founded in 1996 to diversify the region’s theatrical offerings by providing Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania audiences with high-quality, text-driven, affordable productions of classical theatre and the works of classical and contemporary Irish playwrights and to significantly improve employment opportunities for local talent in all facets of theatrical presentation and production.  PICT is a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) affiliated with Actors’ Equity Association, and a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. PICT is the Professional Theatre in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and PICT productions at The Charity Randall and Henry Heymann Theatres are presented in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh – Department of Theatre Arts.

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

Moliere's Wit with Modern Sensibilities

Media Contact: Michelle Belan
Marketing Director Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre mbelan@picttheatre.org
412-561-6000 x203

PICT’S THE SCHOOL FOR LIES ADAPTS MOLIERE’S WIT FOR A HILARIOUS COMEDY WITH MODERN SENSIBILITIES.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pittsburgh, PA – November 13, 2012. David Ives’  The School for Lies honors the comedic and linguistic mastery of Moliere’s The Misanthrope in a hip, hilarious update that exploits the English language to the maximum. The School for Lies features an ensemble cast led by Leo Marks as Frank, Nike Doukas as Celimene, Joel Ripka as Philinte and Robin Abramson, making her PICT debut as Eliante. Also starring Martin Giles as Oronte, Helena Ruoti as Arsinoe, Ben Blazer as Acaste, James FitzGerald as Clitander, and Matt DeCaro as Dubois/Basque. This ribald comedy opens in preview November 29th and runs through December 15th.

With a nod to Moliere, The School for Lies portrays the life of Frank, a disillusioned curmudgeon who decides to tell the absolute truth at all times, no matter the consequences.  As Frank insults nearly everyone he meets — the pompous poet Oronte, the heartsick Philinte, the pandering Clitander — he stays true to his convictions.  His resolve begins to waver, however, once he meets beautiful artistocrat Celimene, who is more than a match for his rapier wit. Will Frank continue his commitment to absolute truthfulness, or will love soften his resolve?

Frank is played with rock-star bravado by PICT veteran Leo Marks, who, like many of The School for Lies cast members,  spent the summer in Pittsburgh for PICT’s Chekhov Celebration.  He played  Baron Tuzenbach (Three Sisters), and Dr. Lvov (Ivanov), and as Luka in the Funny Chekhov short, “The Bear” he played opposite his wife and current co-star Nike Doukas. Mr. Marks also directed the Funny Chekhov short “Swan Song.” Other PICT credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, House and Garden, and Antony and Cleopatra. Mr. Marks has performed to critical acclaim around the country at theaters including Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre, and South Coast Rep. He was a founder of New York’s Elevator Repair Service and is a member of LA companies Evidence Room and Antaeus. TV work includes “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Prison Break,” “K-Ville,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Law and Order,” “Six Feet Under,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Practice,” “Frasier,” and “Gilmore Girls.”

Nike Doukas returns to PICT, where she last appeared in the this summer’s Chekhov Celebration, as Olga in Three Sisters, Anna in Ivanov, and as Popova in Funny Chekhov’s “The Bear.”  Previous PICT credits include House and Garden, the Pinter Festival ("Betrayal" and "Celebration");  Mrs. Cheveley  in An Ideal
Husband. She is a member of the Antaeus Company, and has an MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre. She is also a regular at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Southern California, most recently in the world premieres of The Prince of Atlantis and The Happy Ones. Ms. Doukas is the recipient of the 2011 Lunt-Fontanne fellowship and is widely known for her recurring role on "Desperate Housewives."

James FitzGerald (Clitander) rejoins his fellow cast members from Funny Chekhov’s “The Bear.” He played Nikita in “Swan Song” and Pyotr in Ivanov. Mr. FitzGerald has numerous credits with PICT as well as Pittsburgh Public Theater, Quantum Theater and Bricolage, and has performed 16 seasons with Chicago Shakespeare Theater as well as many other nationally-acclaimed theatres. James teaches acting at Point Park University.

Martin Giles (Oronte) is in his eleventh season with PICT, most recently as Lebedev in Ivanov and Andrei in Afterplay, both part of PICT’s Chekhov Celebration. His turn as Dr. Watson in last season’s The Mask of Moriarty helped make that show one of PICT’s highest grossing shows ever. Other PICT credits: House and Garden and The Importance of Being Earnest (2011); Beautiful Dreamers (playwright/director, 2010); What the Butler Saw and The History Boys (2009). Mr. Giles teaches acting at Point Park and Carnegie Mellon Universities.

Helena Ruoti (Arsinoe) finishes her sixth season with PICT. She played Zinaida Lebedev in Ivanov and Sonya in Afterplay, both a part of the Chekhov Celebration this past summer. Previous PICT credits include Trish in House and Garden, Cleopatra in Antony & Cleopatra, Isabel Desmond in The Seagull, Getrude in Hamlet, Hesione in Heartbreak House, Goneril in King Lear, Mrs. Prentiss in What the Butler Saw, and Eleanor/Esme in Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Matt DeCaro (Dubois/Basque) returns to PICT after Chekhov Celebration as well, where he played Borkin in Ivanov and Chubokov in the Funny Chekhov’s “The Proposal.” His previous PICT credits also include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and King Lear. He recently potrayed Gutman in Camino Real at Chicago’s Goodman Theater, and has performed with this company in The Play About the Baby, Romance, Heartbreak House, Boy Gets Girl and Spinning Into Butter, reprising his roles in the last two at Lincoln Center and The Manhattan Theater Club. Additional credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, Northlight Theater, and TV credits for “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “House,” “CSI: Las Vegas,” and perhaps most notably, as Officer Geary in “Prison Break.”

Joel Ripka (Philinte), who earned his BFA at Point Park University, returns to Pittsburgh and the PICT stage, where he performed in the world premiere of Beautiful Dreamers, as well as Jane Eyre, Crime & Punishment, Pride and Prejudice, The School for Scandal, and Henry. Other local credits include  The Clockmaker, Mezzulah, 1946 (The City Theater); Harry's Friendly Service, Amadeus (Pittsburgh Public Theater); Cymbaline, Le Grande Meaulnes, The Wild Duck (Quantum Theatre); Ah, Wilderness!, The Real Thing, FBI Girl, A View From The Bridge, Hamlet, One Flea Spare, King Lear (Pittsburgh Repertory Company). Mr. Ripka now resides in New York City.

Robin Abramson, also a Point Park alumna, makes her PICT debut as Eliante. Ms. Abramson was most recently seen at City Theatre in Maple & Vine. Her work in Blackbird and Mary’s Wedding (both at City Theatre) earned her the 2009 Performer of the Year award from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the youngest performer to receive such an honor. Other noteworthy credits include: The Electric Baby, When the Rain Stops Falling, and Twelfth Night (Quantum); Othello (Unseam’d Shakespeare Company); FBI Girl (Playhouse Rep) and Orange Flower Water (No Name Players).

Ben Blazer (Acaste) is returning for his 5th season with PICT, previously appearing in The Mask of Moriarty, Othello, Playboy of the Western World & Synge Cycle, and Henry IV, parts I&II. Mr. Blazer is a native of Pittsburgh and has worked with several local companies over the years as an actor, director, and scenic carpenter. Ben holds an MFA in Acting from the University of South Carolina and is currently teaching at Point Park University and CCAC South Campus Theatre’s actor training programs, at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

Scenic design is by Gianni Downs, costumes by Joan Markert, sound composition by Elizabeth Atkinson, and lighting design by Andrew Ostrowski.

The 2012 Media Sponsors are WYEP and Essential Public Radio. Single tickets and flex passes are available now through PICT’s new online ticketing system at www.picttheatre.org, or by calling PICT at 412.561.6000 ext. 207 (phone fee may apply). Patrons are welcome to email tickethelp@picttheatre.org with questions or concerns.

PICT receives arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, an agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as funding from the Allegheny County Regional Assets District.

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.

Pittsburgh Premiere

FACT SHEET -  The School for Lies by David Ives

Directed by Andrew S. Paul
The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial
4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Cast: Robin Abramson, Ben Blazer, Matt DeCaro, Nike Doukas, James FitzGerald, Martin Giles, Leo Marks, Joel
Ripka, Helena Ruoti.

Design Team: Gianni Downs (scenic design); Joan Markert (costume design); Andrew Ostrowski (lighting design); Elizabeth Atkinson (sound design); George DeShetler (properties)

Performances
First Week: Wednesday, November 28, 10:00 a.m. - Student Matinee
Thursday – Friday, November 29-30, Previews, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 1, Opening, 8:00 p.m. (followed by reception)
Sunday, December 2, 2:00 p.m. (followed by talk-back)

Second Week: Wednesday, December 5, 8:00 p.m. (Pre-show lecture at 7 p.m. Lecture is free.) Thursday, December 6, 8:00 p.m. (Pre-show lecture at 7 p.m. Lecture is free.) Friday, December 7, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, 8:00 p.m. Sunday, December 9, 2:00 p.m.

Third Week: Tuesday, December 11, 7:00 p.m. (Professional Tuesday performance) Wednesday, December 12, 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 13, 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 14, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

For student matinees, call 412-561-6000: Gale McGloin (x. 204) or Michelle Belan (x. 203)


2013 Season subscriptions now available – call 412-561-6000 ext. 207 or email tickethelp@picttheatre.org

Pick, purchase and print your tickets online at www.picttheatre.org, or call PICT at 412.561.6000 x. 207
PICT - Great Stories. Well Told.
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