IN THE HEIGHTS at University of Pittsburgh Stages asks, “What does it mean to belong?”
Washington Heights is a tight-knit community where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. Find out what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what it means to be home in the heights.
Director Lisa Jackson-Schebetta is interested in moving away from the standard Broadway production staging, instead favoring a more abstract approach to the play’s themes. She says, “In the Heights characters identify primarily as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican or African-American. Its score consists of hip-hop, latin jazz, merengue and salsa. The characters, story, music and dance communicate the rich and complex interplay of African, Hispanic, American and Caribbean histories. The show engages with the questions: How does a person belong . . . in a city, in a nation, to a family, to a history?”
UP Stages is collaborating with a number of professional artists, including musicians of diverse heritage, Pittsburgh-based actor Ricardo Vila-Roger, and the STAYCEE PEARL dance project (SPdp). Additionally, Jackson-Schebetta is collaborating with multiple departments at Pitt to host a research and practice symposium on April 4th and 5th that will examine many of the key themes addressed in In the Heights. The symposium is free and open to members of the university and larger Pittsburgh community.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts offers BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. All faculty members are active in teaching, research, and artistic projects. For more information about the University of Pittsburgh Stages visit www.play.pitt.edu
IN THE HEIGHTS
Written by QUIARA ALEGRíA HUDES,
Music & Lyrics by LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA,
Directed by LISA JACKSON-SCHEBETTA
Charity Randall Theatre, 4200 Fifth Ave
March 27, 2014 – April 6, 2014
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8PM
Sunday Matinees at 2PM
TICKETS: Call 412-624-PLAY or visit www.play.pitt.edu
