What the Butler Saw at Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre

Media Contact: Melissa Hill Grande

412.561.6000 x203

mgrande@picttheatre.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



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

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





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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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



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



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



What the Butler Saw FACT SHEET



What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton Joe Orton



Directed by Simon Bradbury

The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland

4301 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh 15213eyHey





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



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



Performance Dates and Times:



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

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

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



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

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

Sunday, June 21, 2 p.m.

*Preshow lecture series

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

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



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

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



Ticket Prices

Opening Night: $48 Adults, $45 Seniors

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

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

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

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

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





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



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





Melissa Hill Grande

Director of Marketing and Artistic Associate

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre

PO Box 23607

Pittsburgh, PA 15222



mgrande@picttheatre.org

412.561.6000 x203



Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre.

Great Stories. Well Told.

Lee Renninger Exhibit at 709 Penn Gallery

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082

“Threaded Line”

Exhibition by Lee Renninger
June 5 – July 18, 2009
Preview reception and trunk shows on Thursday, June 4th
709 Penn Gallery

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Education and Community Engagement Department is pleased to exhibit the work of artist Lee Renninger in the show “Threaded Line,” which uses couture to explore concepts of personal and political, as well as ethnic and group, identity. A preview will be held on Thursday, June 4, with a Cake, Couture & Chardonnay reception, from 4:30-8 p.m. at The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s gallery at 709 Penn Avenue. The reception will also include trunk shows by two nationally-known designers: Earth & Alchemy Jewelry by Richelle Wilson and Susan Farber Handbags.

Lee Renninger explores the use of clay as fabric. She writes, “Ceramic material is inherently dense and inflexible--qualities that have historically recommended it for utility. The transformation of this material into works that are soft and fluid, as well as visually weightless, is only one way of challenging the long-standing beliefs about clay as an artistic medium.”

“This exhibition is so powerfully beautiful. It’s amazing how Lee uses clay and other materials to create the gorgeous pieces that you will find in this show. I’m anxious for Pittsburgh to see Lee’s work,” says Janis Burley Wilson, vice president of Education and Community Engagement of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Renninger trained at the University of Florida and her work has been exhibited all over the world. Her work was featured in the Fiberart International: Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Fiberart in New York’s Museum of Art and Design, the Sidney Myer International Ceramic Competition in Victoria, Australia. She has been a visiting professor in Tokyo, Japan, and throughout the United States. Renninger has also received numerous awards and commissions, including the Directors’ Award for Innovative Use of Materials from the Fiberarts International: Biennial Exhibition, from the Andy Warhol Foundation, and a fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

Richelle Wilson is a Pittsburgh native, living and working in New York City. She specializes in hand-casted 18k gold and silver, as well as semi-precious and precious stone jewelry. The stones are sourced from around the world.

Susan Farber Handbags-Susan Farber creates handmade leather goods. She is based in Fox Chapel; her work is carried in boutiques all over the country, most notably Henri Bendel in New York City.

The preview reception will feature cupcakes by Jamie Okopu of Cook for You. Jamie is another Pittsburgh native who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and Paris to perfect her art of pastry design.

GALLERY DETAILS
709 Penn Gallery is located on 709 Penn Ave. / Cultural District, Pittsburgh
Cake, Couture & Chardonnay, June 4, 4:30-8 p.m.
In the gallery, 709 Penn Avenue
Preview Reception and trunk shows by two nationally-known designers: Earth & Alchemy Jewelry by Richelle Wilson and Susan Farber Handbags
Gallery Crawl: Friday, July 17, 5:30 – 9 p.m.
Closing date: July 18, 2009
Gallery Hours: Tuesday thru Thursday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.;
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

###

{0}
Mark as read

Mark as unread

Delete

Junk

Not junk

Print

View message source

This message is too wide to fit your screen. Show full message © 2009 Microsoft Privacy Legal Help Central Account Feedback

Hockey Loving Fans Special Penguin Baked Goods

Hockey-Loving Fans Get Assist from Bethel Bakery During Stanley Cup Run
Contact: Debbie Shiring

724-226-3962


Pittsburgh PA, June 1 — Bethel Bakery is turning out an all-star roster of Penguins-inspired goods, just in time for the team’s return to Pittsburgh for game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. Fans of the beloved South Hills retail institution are in frenzy over the items that feature the bakery’s signature batters, icing and flavors, creatively embellished with hockey-inspired, black and gold designs.

“We’re in overtime keeping up with the incredible demand for our Penguins-enhanced merchandise, but we’re having a blast combining our love of the team and making the finest baked goods found in the city,” says John Walsh, owner of the 53-year-old bakery.

The 2009 hockey line-up includes The Igloo and Puck Drop cakes, Pens Brownie Pie, kid-friendly penguin cupcakes and the bakery’s top-selling, signature shortbread cookies that have undergone a Penguins makeover. But perhaps the breakaway seller this season is sure to be the No-Cut Stanley Cup Cake, cleverly decorated and arranged from 24 individual cupcakes and inspired by the holy grail of NHL hockey, the Stanley Cup.

All items are available are available at Bethel Bakery and at the McMurray Dairy Bar in Peters Township. Call or visit these stores or place an order online at www.bethelbakery.com.



###

Editor’s Note: Bethel Bakery is located at 5200 Brightwood Road in Bethel Park. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bakery is closed on Sundays. Phone number: 412-835-6658. Web address: http;//www.bethelbakery.com.