Burgh Vivant
bon vi·vant noun : a person who enjoys engaging in social occasions, having cultivated and refined tastes especially with respect to food, drink, arts and entertainment.
‘Burgh Vivant is an online magazine, established in August of 2013. It promotes and encourages the unique culture of the city of Pittsburgh. ‘Burgh Vivant provides widespread exposure to the city’s valued attractions, theater and cultural events by organizations, large and small.
The ‘Burgh Vivants
Mike Buzzelli, Contributor
Mike Buzzelli is a stand-up comedian and sit-down author. As a comedian,
he has performed all around the country, most notably, the Ice House, the Comedy Store and the Improv in Los Angeles. He has performed as a stand up in Pittsburgh for several local charity events such as Cabaret for a Cause, The GLSEN Awards, and Brewing Up A Cure.
As a writer, Mike has published in a variety of websites, magazines and newspapers. He is a theater and arts critic for ‘Burgh Vivant, Pittsburgh’s online cultural talk magazine. Buzzelli is also a Moth Grand Slam storyteller and actor. His book, “,” is a collection of essays culled from his weekly humor column in the Observer-Reporter. His book, “All I Want for Christmas” is a comedic holiday romance. His short story, “Study Buddy” is featured in the LGBTQ+ anthology, “Winter Break.” His books can be found at Amazon.com.
Lonnie Jantsch, Contributor
Lonnie “the Theatre Lady,” retired after 32 years of teaching in the Chartiers Valley School District to pursue varied interests coast-to-coast and around the world, though most notably the appreciation of Pittsburgh’s many theatrical venues. She has provided her down-to-earth and always entertaining assessments of the theatre in New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Sacramento, and other cities far and near – but as a subscriber to Pittsburgh’s most prominent theatre companies for over 25 years, the Steel City remains her favorite place for the performing arts. For ‘Burgh Vivant, she offers reviews and features of the city’s many live performances and events from a true Pittsburgher’s point of view.
Tiffany Knight Raymond, Ph. D.
Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD earned her doctorate at the University of Southern California where her specialty was 20th century American drama. She also earned an M.A. from the University of Southern California as well as an M.A. from the University of Tennessee. She graduated magna cum laude as an undergraduate from the University of Arkansas.
Tiffany moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 and loves exploring Pittsburgh’s rich theatre and arts scene. She often reviews plays with her son, Theron, a middle schooler at Jefferson Middle School in Mt. Lebanon.
Theron Knight, Contributor
Sometimes, Tiffany is accompanied on her reviews with her son, Theron, our youngest contributor. 
Claire DeMarco, Contributor
Claire retired from BNYMellon after 28 years where she worked in the Information Technology field, specializing in systems development auditing and IT risk assessments. Now she has more “play time” available to see even more plays in the Pittsburgh area and participate in other cultural events. Claire is an active board member of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival and is a member of the da Vinci Council of the National Italian American Foundation.
Gina McKlveen, Contributor
Gina is both an artist and an attorney. She was raised in Western Pennsylvania in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands and received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in English Literature and Studio Art from Saint Vincent College before moving to Washington, DC. In 2021, she graduated from the George Washington University Law School and earned the prestigious National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Law Student Award. As a law student, she curated an inaugural virtual art show at GW Law which featured eight of her personal artworks. Gina is a painter and a writer, who enjoys the storytelling of each individual, artistic expression. Pittsburgh’s art museums are among her all-time favorites because of the connection to her roots and to the people that make this community feel like home.
Joseph Szalinski, Contributor
Joseph Szalinski is a writer/performer from West View, PA. His work has appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies, as well as having earned him regional acclaim. In 2021, he published his debut poetry chapbook, Nondescript Other Such. Aside from writing, Joseph also works in film, makes music, and performs comedy and spoken-word. Exposed to the world of theatre at a young age, he eventually became involved in it while a student at Slippery Rock University, where he acted in, wrote, and directed plays. Since then he’s kept busy in that regard, continuing to write scripts and perform in a litany of shows.
Timothy Ruppert, Ph.D., Contributor
Timothy Ruppert, Ph. D. (he/him), is a dramatist, actor, reviewer, and
educator. His full-length plays include Serenade (2023), Neither Here Nor Elsewhere (2023), Vicious Lands: A Colonial Comedy (2020), and The Consorts: A Tudor Comedy (2016)– the latter of which was entered into consideration for the Pulitzer Prize. His plays have been produced and read by the Pittsburgh International and Classical Theatre (PICT), Duquesne University’s Red Masquers, The Summer Company, The Silver Theatre, Pittsburgh New Works Festival, Theater on the Lake (Maryland), The Future 10 Festival, and Danniella DiClaudio Productions. He is a graduate of The Second City writing program (Chicago/Toronto) and contributed four sketches, including the closing musical number, to the national online show The Massive Weight of Our Bearable Talents (2023). Since playing a tree in an audience-participation sequence of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2019 presentation of As You Like It, he has performed on stage as well, appearing in such plays Theatre of Blood and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Summer Company), The Skin of Our Teeth (Red Masquers), and It’s a Wonderful Life (Pittsburgh Savoyards). He teaches English at Slippery Rock University, specializing in British literature, Shakespeare, and creative writing. Over the past fifteen years, he has published essays on authors such as Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Louisa Stuart Costello, Anne Bannerman, Anatole France, Agatha Christie, and Peter Lovesey (in his forthcoming edited collection Mary Shelley in the Twenty-First Century, due out from Bloomsbury in late 2026). He has also authored more than fifteen book reviews for various periodicals, and, with Danette DiMarco, coedited Avian Aesthetics in Literature and Culture: Birds and Humans in the Popular Imagination (Lexington). At present, he is completing an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1878 novel, The Return of the Native. As a low-vision writer, Tim is especially interested in creating a place in the theatre for people of diverse abilities. He is married to actress and director Heather Ruppert. Please visit his playwriting webpage at https://timothyruppertplaywright.com/.
