09/11/09
PITTSBURGH NEW WORKS FESTIVAL PRESENTS WEEK 3
Father Ryan Arts Center easy to access despite G-20
PITTSBURGH -- Sept. 10, 2009 -- The Pittsburgh New Works Festival presents its third of four weeks of new one-act
plays September 24 through 27 as it "rocks" at Father Ryan Arts Center, located at 420 Chartiers Avenue (Route 51)
in McKees Rocks. This location is easily accessed without interference from the G-20 conference, via West Carson
Street to Route 51.
The author of one of the plays – Chris Bondi of Wexford -- appears as an actor in another of the plays.
Working Together, by Mr. Bondi, is produced by CCAC South and directed by Lora Oxenreiter. Writers attempt
to create a screenplay, but are they writing the story or is the story writing them? The cast includes Rachel Dillinger,
Jim Scriven, John Feightner, and Jocelyn Snyder.
The Blasphemy of Bees, by Christopher Dimond of Astoria, NY, produced by Thoreau NM and directed by
lance-eric skapura. Two 12-year-olds battle in the Pittsburgh Junior Academy of Science competition. Her project:
photosynthesis. His: the non-existence of God. The cast includes Chris Bondi and Sara Fisher as the kids and
T.C. Brown in multiple roles.
A Blind Lie, by John Mendenhall of Crafton, produced by The Red Masquers, Plans for a nice evening are
changed by the unexpected arrival of grandmother Rose. M.J. Flott directs Marcia Jones, Lauren Spartano,
Katie Kerr and Tiffani Nicole Arthurs.
Show times are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets — $25 for
the season, $10 for individual shows ($8 for students) — are available through ProArts at www.ProArtsTickets.org
or 412-394-3353.
Now in its 19th season, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival is dedicated to encouraging the development of new plays.
The 2009 Festival runs from Sept. 10 through Oct. 4 and concludes with presentation of the Donna Awards for
Festival achievement during its gala celebration on October 11. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival would like
to thank its 2009 media sponsor, WYEP. For more information, call 412-881-6888 or visit the New Works website
at www.pittsburghnewworks.org.
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09/13/09
Date/Venue Change for The Rage of the Stage Players' "Dorothy in Oz!"
Friends of The Rage of the Stage Players (and enemies too), to quote the great Mark Twain (or was it Elvis Presley?),
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!" Yes, 'tis true, not being a group who can take a hint from the
Will of Fate, we have once again spit in the eye of Lady Misfortune and forged ahead, continuing to create our own
special brand of off-color theatrical mischief!
Despite being displaced from our home at The Brew House on the South Side, which, a mere two days before we
were to open Dorothy in Oz, was struck by a freak cyclone rendering it unsafe for audiences until such time as it is
brought back up to code, we have relocated the show (thanks in no small part to our friends at The Greater Pittsburgh
Arts Council), as well as made a slight adjustment to the production schedule. Please read the full release below for all
the new information regarding the where and when. Thank you for sticking with our scrappy little company!
Poor Dorothy Gale. Poor, mentally disturbed Dorothy Gale. Now that she's been committed to the Oslin Center,
there's little left to do but watch as her mind unravels...and you're invited to do just that.
The Rage of the Stage Players are pleased to announce the world premier of their latest warped fairy tale, an
new adaptation of The Wizard of Oz entitled Dorothy in Oz, September 17th, 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th, and 26th, 2009.
Set in a mental hospital, Dorothy in Oz is the story of a young lady named Dottie (as she prefers to be called), who,
via an experimental new psychiatric drug, descends into the warped confines of Oz. All performances will take place
at the former site of Open Stage Theatre, 2835 Smallman Street, in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Curtain for all shows
is 8:00 PM and tickets are $13.00 (cash at the door). For more information or to place a reservation, please call
(412) 851-0922 or email rageofthestage@yahoo.com. Due to harsh language and sexual situations,
this show is NOT recommended for extremely young or sensitive viewers.
Dottie Gale (Adrienne Fischer) is a troubled young lady suffering from bi-polar disorder. When she is committed by her
Aunt Em (Renee Ruzzi-Kern) and Uncle Henry to the Oslin Center for psychiatric care, she falls prey to the cold and
ambitious Dr. Green (Barb Sawatis), who's desire to test a new drug, Cyclozil, plunges Dottie into a distorted fantasy
version of the hospital, known simply as Oz. There she meets Glinda (Carrie L. Shoberg), a scatterbrained therapist;
a heroine addicted, goth-rocker who calls himself Skarekrow (Chucky Hendershot); Rusty (Sean Michael Gallaher), a
heartless, pierced, rage-filled biker; Mr. Lyons (Joseph A. Roots), an impotent sex-fiend; Oz (Thomas Sterner), the
mysterious Chief Administrator of the hospital; Miss Gates (Brittany Spinelli), his receptionist; The Wicked Witch of
the West Wing (Barb Sawatis), a crazed doctor with a penchant for illegal experimentation; and Grunt (Harry J. Roth),
Twitch (Lindsay Nagel), and Swish (Stephen Chamberlain), three college students whom the Witch turned into
her personal lab monkeys. Can Dottie maintain her sanity long enough to find her way back?
Dorothy in Oz is the latest of Rage's dark/adult-oriented fairy tales...the last being their wildly successful and
critically acclaimed "Alice’s Adventures in 'Wonderland.'" It features an original script by local playwright and
Rage co-founder James Michael Shoberg, who also directs the production. Fans of L. Frank Baum's work will appreciate
the many subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to both the children's novel and the 1939 film, as well as other, naughtier gems.
So come join us for a little insanity. We promise that after a glimpse into Rage's skewed world,
you'll definitely be saying, "There's no place like home."
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09/16/09
PITTSBURGH NEW WORKS FESTIVAL HONORS CHRIS RAWSON
Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at Oct. 11 Gala
PITTSBURGH -- Sept. 14, 2009 -- The Pittsburgh New Works Festival proudly announces that its 2009 Lifetime Achievement
Award will be awarded to Christopher Rawson. The award will be conferred at the Festival’s Gala on Sunday, Oct. 11,
on the Gateway Clipper’s Princess, which will be docked at Station Square.
Christopher Rawson became a Post-Gazette theater critic in 1983, graduating quickly from George Anderson's back-up to
become chief critic and theater editor. For the next 25 years he reviewed up to 170 plays annually, mainly in Pittsburgh
but also New York, London and Canada, along with meeting a heavy schedule of weekly columns, previews, news
stories and obituaries.
Chris covered the theater beat fully, with great energy and affection. As a result, the competitor daily (originally
the Pittsburgh Press) expanded its coverage, too. Through the support his reviews gave to the works of numerous
small theatre companies, he helped foster a larger, livelier theater scene in which the experimental, the off-the-wall,
the innovative, and the decidedly traditional could all have a chance to find their audience. Characteristically, he also
welcomed the New Works Festival when it first appeared in 1991, giving it credibility from the start.
Chris loves the theater. He takes pride in Pittsburgh's active theater scene and in having covered the career
of Pittsburgh's greatest playwright, August Wilson, which pretty well matched his time as a theater critic. Now, Chris is
working with Larry Glasco on a book, August Wilson's Pittsburgh.
At the end of 2008, Chris took a buyout and became the Post-Gazette's senior theater critic, writing about once
a week in print, maintaining his online theater journal “On Stage,” and leading annual Post-Gazette theater tours
to Broadway, London and Canada.
A native New Englander, Chris inherited a love of theater from his parents, especially his father, Richard Hart, a
Broadway and Hollywood actor who died when he was young. Chris was educated at Harvard (B.A.) and the
University of Washington (Ph.D.) and came to Pittsburgh in 1968 to join the University of Pittsburgh English
Department, where he still teaches Shakespeare, criticism, August Wilson and Irish drama.
He did a lot of acting in high school, college and summer stock, and continued in a small way in Pittsburgh at the
Lab Theatre and Pitt. He considered that and the few years he studied directing at CMU an invaluable part of his
preparation to be a critic. He was also on-air drama critic at WQED-FM from 1980-93. Currently in his second
stint as chairman of the American Theatre Critics Association, he is also on the board of directors of the Theater Hall
of Fame, where he supervises the annual balloting, and the editorial board of the Best Plays Theater Yearbook, where
he writes an annual essay on one of the year's ten best plays.
Chris produces the annual "Off the Record," a musical spoof of Pittsburgh news and newsmakers that features
professional performers and raises thousands of dollars for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Chris' wife,
Mary, is an actor and acting teacher (Point Park, CMU, Pittsburgh Filmmakers) who was a long-time, award-winning
producer at WQED-TV. They have four grown children, none of whom are in the theater.
Now in its 19th season, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival is dedicated to encouraging the development of new plays.
The 2009 Festival runs from Sept. 10 through Oct. 4 and concludes with presentation of the Donna Awards for Festival
achievement during the Gala on October 11. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival would like to thank its 2009 media
sponsor, WYEP. For more information or to make reservations for the Gala, call 412-881-6888 or visit the New Works
website at www.pittsburghnewworks.org
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09/16/09
Midnight Radio's Episode #4 - The Smackdown!
Midnight Radio Episode #4 - The SMACKDOWN
Friday October 2nd and Saturday October 3rd
9:30PM Happy Half Hour. Before the show enjoy the Midnight Radio Studio Audience Lounge with drink specials.
and booty shakin tunes.
10PM Showtime!!
Join us for the FINAL episode in our super awesome and successful series! Midnight Radio – a monthly episodic
“live” radio series, set after hours, complete with honey-voiced announcers, commercial breaks, vintage vinyl sound
effects and a myriad of “Foley” props.
Each Midnight Radio episode will feature the unique talents of Pittsburgh writers, musicians, actors, comics, and
“city celebrities." Think Prairie Home Companion on Red Bull.
As a special feature the audience by secret ballot will choose which serials will continue to the October finale “smackdown”
where the writers left standing will compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to air their serial on 91.3 WYEP.
Episode #4 The SMACKDOWN features the second episode of the winning radio serials:
Monongahela by Lissa Brennan
On a Wing and a Prayer by FJ Hartland
Tracks by Wali Jamal
Featuring the vocal stylings of:
Tony Bingham, Sharon Brady, Lisa Ann Goldsmith, Joshua Elijah Reese, Alexi Morressey and Angela M. Vesco.
Music Mastermind: Sam McUmber
Special Musical Guest: Barrett Black
Foley Artists: Jeffrey Carpenter, and Tami Dixon
Directed by Jeffrey Carpenter
Special segments like The Mad Lib Radio Minute, Super Secret Decoder Message Moment, Haiku Corner, and a Special P.S.A.
Tickets: $15
CALL 412-381-6999
VISIT http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/69374 or www.webbricolage.org
For more information contact Tami Dixon at tami@webbricolage.org
Bricolage is located in the heart of the cultural district at 937 Liberty Avenue 1st floor
Midnight Radio is sponsored in part by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, A Seed Award from The Sprout Fund,
WYEP 93.1FM, City Paper and Friends Of The Riverfront.
Want to be in the know? Missed last month's episode of Midnight Radio? Subscribe to our blog and our
Podcast and you'll never be left in the dark!
We here at Bricolage are moving into the the tech savvy age.
Now on Facebook and Twitter, we're taking it two steps further with Blogging and Podcasting, oh my!
Visit our website and you can hear the first episode of Midnight Radio Episode and soon to come all the previous episodes.
Get an insiders view into what the artistic directors of Bricolage think via their blogs.
We can't wait to get your responses, so please tell us what you think!
www.webbricolage.org
Tami's back from Copenhagen!
Our very own Tami Dixon just returned from a 2 week course in Copenhagen with the amazing master of
improv Keith Johnstone.
Visit her blog to get all the inside scoop on what she learned and if you like what you see sign up to take part in the
workshop she's creating for City Theatre.
Find out more at www.webbricolage.org/blog
You can also go there to read about Aunt Mag's adventures at her blog, Hey Hon Let's Blog!!
Check out this event - Women ROCK! at the August Wilson Center
Women ROCK! benefits Dress for Success (DFS) who since 2005 has helped nearly 3,000 Pittsburgh women to
obtain professional clothing, prepare for job interviews, and support to meaningful new careers -- ultimately
achieving economic independence for themselves and their families.
Friday October 2nd (stop by here and then come over for Midnight Radio!!) Reception at 6PM, Program at 7PM,
After Party at 9PM! Tickets $75, VIP $125, After Party $15
WPXI Channel 11 is the media sponsor and will send Peggy Finnegan and Vince Sims to emcee the event, which will
feature a showcase of rock, jazz, theatre, poetry, and dance performances along with visual artists.
For more information visit the following:
ProArts Listing for Women ROCK! October 2
http://www.proartstickets.org/events/view/396
Dress for Success Pittsburgh
http://www.dressforsuccesspgh.org/
August Wilson Center
http://www.augustwilsoncenter.org/
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