09/19/09
This in from Aviva Ravel...
It's my pleasure to invite you to a new play I have written that is being produced by Stage 62. It's called
SENIOR MOMENTS and it's about what happens when you're dating at 65 instead of 16! Rachel,
recently widowed, is encouraged by her best friend to find a new husband. What better place
than a gated community in Florida? Rachel proceeds on a parade of less than memorable
dates: the widower who wants a replacement for his perfect wife, the health fanatic, the
twenty-something rock star obsessed with older women, the 96-year old looking
for a wife for his 78-year-old son. Will she ever find a perfect match?
It's a Pittsburgh premier that celebrates romance on the senior circuit, punctuated with timeless tunes
like Someone to Watch Over Me, Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime, Makin' Whoopee ...
The cast stars Arlene Merryman, Sylvia Hanna and Howard Elson giving a tour de force
as all eight 'bad date' roles.
Performances are Friday & Saturday, October 16 - 17 at 8 pm and October 18 at 2 pm. All are
invited for a desserrt reception after each performance.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors (60 and up); we also offer a special
package for groups of six or more. You can read more about the show and find a
link to purchase tickets on line here: http://www.stage62.org/seniormoments.
Buying tickets on line will guarantee you the best seats, all brand new!; however
you can certainly also buy at the door.
Questions: feel free to call me at 412-831-9538. See you at the show!
All the best,
Aviva
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09/21/09
ONLY 3 MORE PERFORMANCES of The Rage of the Stage Players' Wildly Popular "Dorothy in Oz!"
That's right! After playing to large, enthusiastic houses (with Saturday, the 19th's
performance being completely sold out), The Rage of the Stage Players' original
dark/adult comedy, Dorothy in Oz, will be playing for only three more performances..
Thursday, September 24th, Friday, September 25th, and Saturday, September 26th!
Don't miss your chance to join in on the bawdy fun! Get your reservations in early for
the last play to be performed at the former site of Open Stage Theatre (2835 Smallman
Street in the Strip District)! Come for the laughs. Stay for the two (count them...TWO)
separate bathrooms (how extravagant)! Yep, we've come a long way since The Brew House!
There is probably no more beloved film than The Wizard of Oz. In fact, this year is the
seventieth anniversary of the movie’s release. Due to that fact, scores of stage
productions of the musical are popping up all over. Of all of those productions,
I am certain there will be quite none like the current offering from Rage of the Stage Players.
- F.J. Hartland, Outonline
So don't let these G-20 invaders hold you hostage and keep you hiding under your bed!
Pittsburgh is our city, DAMMIT, and the theater is safely outside of ground zero for this
latest political claptrap! Just make your way to any point on Penn Avenue and follow
it to 29th Street. We're at the corner of Smallman and 29th. Come and experience a little
twisted therapy in our psychiatric fairy tale.
Adrienne Fischer as Dottie does a superb job of portraying depression and mania.
- Audience Member Online Review
Carrie L. Shoberg brings much needed laughs as the ditzy therapist.
- F. J. Hartland, Outonline
Chucky Hendershot gives a very physical performance as “Skarekrow,”
seemingly walking on legs made of rubber.
- F. J. Hartland, Outonline
The show stealer though, is Joseph A. Roots as Harold Lyons. Without giving away
his illness, he is physically what you would expect for the role, and has perfect timing
with his expressions. I found myself watching him, even when he wasn’t the center of attention.
- Audience Member Online Review
Barb Sawatis is wonderfully wicked as Dr. Green; she doesn’t overplay her evilness,
and has brilliant comedic timing.
- Audience Member Online Review
Lindsay Nagel gives a (dare I say it?) high energy performance as a mental patient
given too much electroshock therapy.
- F. J. Hartland, Outonline
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 premiere of
their latest warped fairy tale, an new adaptation of The Wizard of Oz entitled Dorothy in Oz,
continuing September 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?
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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09/21/09
2 actors needed asap for Romeo & Juliet
This in from "Mr. Email"...Help!!!!
Director Andrew Huntley needs two actors (20's or so) asap for roles in the Theatre Sans Serif
production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. (one of the roles is Mercutio).
Males or females.
Rehearsals have started.
Performance dates are October 23rd and 24th at South Park Theatre.
Contact Andrew Huntley at (412) 523-9882 or emailing andrewhuntleyfx@gmail.com
Please pass the word. Thank you!
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09/21/09
PITTSBURGH NEW WORKS FESTIVAL PRESENTS WEEK 4
World premieres of three one-act plays wrap up 19th season
PITTSBURGH -- Sept. 21, 2009 -- The Pittsburgh New Works Festival presents its
final week of new one-act plays Oct. 1 through 4 as it "rocks" at Father Ryan Arts Center,
located at 420 Chartiers Avenue (Route 51) in McKees Rocks.
The final week’s offerings include a new play by the winner of three previous New Works
Donna Awards for Outstanding Contribution by a Playwright: Chris Gavaler of Lexington, Va.
Titled Vows, the play unfolds as a brother- and sister-in-law secretly meet in a
church to discuss their own and their spouses’ infidelities. Produced by The
Rage of the Stage Players and directed by Joseph Roots, the cast features
Mike Siegle, Zanna Fredland, Mark Fey and Lauren Judson.
Tics, by Kyle Zielinsky of Bethel Park, Pa., presents a young man explaining how he
acquired his affliction. James Michael Shoberg, Rebecca MacTaggart,
Erik Woods and Douglas Baker star under the direction of Joanna Lowe for Cup-a-Jo Productions.
The season concludes with Regrets, by Barbara Miller of Mount Pleasant, Pa.
A small-town newspaper editor deals with the news that he is not invited to attend his
daughter’s wedding. Produced by Greensburg Civic Theatre and directed by Margie Griffin
Hillebrecht, the cast features Katya Ramsay, Greg Caridi, Dan Shaffer, Mere Davis,
Mere Davis, Adella Hillebrecht, Jeff Bowman, Leah Klocko and Rozella Hoffman.
Show times are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 and 8 p.m.,
and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets — just $10 ($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 during its gala celebration on October 11.
The Pittsburgh New Works Festival would like to thank its 2009 media sponsors, WYEP and City Paper.
For more information, call 412-881-6888 or visit the New Works website at www.pittsburghnewworks.org.
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