VivantAdmin, Author at 'Burgh Vivant

July 11, 2016August 12, 2019

The Buzz from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s (7/14 – 7/16)

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Forest Spirits

July 15 you can rock out to the Black Lips. They’ll be up to their usual tricks in a live stage show with guest sets from Chain & the Gang and the Nox Boys. They’ll be rocking at the Spirit, 242 51^st Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201. For more information, click here.

Cinema Paradiso!

Friday July 15 celebrate the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival. The event kicks off with an award ceremony, an acoustic set by Wyatt Gunst and Adam Quigley, a music video “Agustun-Gun Down” by Sean Quinlan and a short film, “Always a Bridesmaid” by Wendy Grube. And that’s just opening night! There’s lots of screenings over the entire weekend. For a full schedule click here. For tickets and more information, click here.

Drinking Games

Drink up Saturday night July 16 at “Hogwash,” a storytelling show where all the stories are rowdy, booze-filled, and debaucherously fun! Hambone’s presents a new monthy show where people share the craziest drinking stories in one of the hardest drinking cities in the world (Hint: Pittsburgh). Get blotto at Hambones, 4207 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201. The event is FREE! For more information about Hambones menu and location, click here.

Don’t call it a Come Back

The Delaney’s are about to have their lives disrupted by their boarder, Marie, a college art student with a strong, lustful appetite in “Come Back, Little Sheba!” running from July 14 to July 24 at the Genesius Theater, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information, click here.

Kidding Around

Gab Bonesso is entertaining kids day and night! By day, Bonesso is part of the Josh and Gab show, singing songs with an anti-bully message to grade schools and middle schools. By night, she’s a stand-up comedian. Now, she’s developed over an hour of family-friendly jokes geared to kids and their parents. Friday, July 15 she’s taking the show to The Oaks, 310 Allegheny River Blvd. Oakmont, PA 15139. For more information, click here.

– MB

July 6, 2016August 12, 2019

The Buzz from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s (7/7 – 7/10)

The 412 on Comedy

Thursday, July 7 come to Pittsburgh Improv Jam. Improvisers throughout Pittsburgh get up and perform together. This week, the hosts Well Known Strangers will be bringing in WTAE’s 4 the 412 roving reporters to the stage. It’s so much entertainment for $3. The show is at 10 pm at the Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Crawl to Daddy

Friday, July 8 is the Gallery Crawl. The Crawl promises art, music, architecture, film, networking and fun for free! You can start in any location downtown Pittsburgh and dip from one gallery to the next. There’s so much to see and do. Check out the map of events here.

Trust the Party

Things get hot after the Gallery Crawl with the coolest party in town, “Trust Cool” is the Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh party. There will be tasty treats from Trade, Apteka and the restaurants of the Smallman Galley, spirit tastings from Wigle Whiskey, and sounds from around the world with a Balkan-infused beats, Brazilian rhythms, electronic, funk and more. It’s at The August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, go here.

Give a damn

Lola wants you to come to “Damn Yankees.” And we all know “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets!” Come see Joe Boyd wiggle his way out of his contract with the devil in this devilishly fun musical. It’s at the Benedum Center, 7^th Street and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information and tickets, click here.

Lips, Inc.

This is your last weekend to catch two short pieces by prolific Irish writer Samuel Beckett. “Krapp’s Last Tape,” performed by Martin Giles and “Not I” performed by (the lips of ) Daina Griffith. In “Krapp’s Last Tape,” a man recounts the glories of his youth with the help of a tape recorder. In “Not I” a pair of lips tell a chilling story about abuse. You can see both short plays at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information or tickets, go here.

June 29, 2016August 12, 2019

The Buzz from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s (6/30 – 7/4)

Hit me with your best shot

Thursday, June 30, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo join the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra for an evening of rock hits with a symphonic twist. Benatar and Giraldo’s 35-year partnership has created some of the biggest rock songs of the 1980s and 1990s, including “Love is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” “Sex as a Weapon” and many more. It’s at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Hell is for Children

The Rage of the Stage players will be tackling Dracula in “Bloody Hell.” A young warrior-prince becomes a weapon to defend an onslaught from the Turkish hordes invading his land, but he becomes something much darker. It’s at the McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin Street, McKeesport, PA 15132. For more information, click here.

In the Heat of the Night

Friday, July 1 is the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival Open House and Fundraiser. It’s an evening of whiskey, interactive performances, live music and food trucks. It’s all to benefit the third annual Pittsburgh Comedy Festival. It’s at Wigle Whiskey Barrelhouse, 1055 Spring Garden Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For tickets and more information, click here.

Shadows of the Night

Friday, July 2, come out and see “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth” a free film screening. Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar’s documentary tells Walker’s dramatic life story with poetry and lyricism, and features new interviews with Walker, Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Gloria Steinem, Sapphire and the late Howard Zinn in one of his final interviews. It’s at City of Asylum’s Alphabet City Tent, 318 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, click here.

Shooting Star

Things are going to light up like the Fourth of July around here, especially on the Fourth of July. Catch fireworks at your favorite park, community or township event, or go to the big blow out in downtown Pittsburgh. EQT’s Flashes of Freedom at Point State Park, downtown Pittsburgh. For more information, click here.

And now a sixth thing….

Treat me right

Saturday, July 2, things are about to explode in “Gab Bonesso: Human Explosion.” Bonesso has been named “The Best Standup Comedian” by readers of Pittsburgh Magazine and City Paper. She was a Top Ten Finalist at the New York City Underground Comedy Festival and has numerous awards and accolades. The award-winning comedian will be joined by KDKA’s John McIntire and local author and comedian Mike Buzzelli (yeah, that guy). Gab explodes at the Parkway Theater, 644 Broadway Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136. For more information, click here.

June 20, 2016August 12, 2019

The Buzz from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s (6/23 – 6/26)

Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

I Laugh, You Laugh

Jessica Kirson comes to town on Friday, June 24. The comedian has been seen up and down the dial including Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” and more. She will be joined by local comedian Chrissy Costa. There’s also a wet T-shirt contest. It’s all at Cruze Bar, 1600 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Portraits of a man

What happens when 252 Pittsburgh artists each do a portrait of the same man? What if that man is John Riegert? You can see hundreds of pictures of John Riegert in the show that bears his name. There’s an opening reception on Friday, June 24. It’s all at Space, 812 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Jazz it up

This weekend the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust jazzes things up with2016 Pittsburgh Jazz Live International Jazz Festival (so important that they have jazz listed in the title of the event twice!). The Festival runs from June 24 to June 26. It includes artists like Lyndsey Smith and the Soul Distribution, The Tony DePaolis Contemporary Dynamic, Nu Grid featuring Jean-Paul Bourelly & Vernon Reid, Davina & the Vagabonds, The Chick Corea Trio featuring Brian Blade and Christian McBride and many, many more. It takes place throughout Pittsburgh. For more information, click here.

Big Scores

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the career of film composer Howard Shore. Shore scored music for “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Aviator,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and many more. Jon Burlingame will be on hand to interview the composer on the Heinz Hall stage. It’s all at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Shoe Business

You can see deadly sharp stilettos, architecturally inspired wedges and platforms and a number of artfully crafted footwear that defies categorization in “Killer Heels: The Art of the High Heeled Shoe.” This stylish shoe show is at the Frick Art & Historical Center, 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. For more information, click heels.

June 17, 2016August 12, 2019

Entertaining Mrs. Sloan – A review of “Squabbles”

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Jingle writer Jerry (Andy Coleman) and his lawyer wife Alice (Anne Rematt) have graciously taken in a houseguest who won’t leave. Alice’s father, Abe Dreyfus (Howard Elson), is finding it difficult to move on after the death of his wife in Marshall Karp’s “Squabbles.”

Abe spends his time calculating the length of the bathroom breaks taken by the handyman, Hector Lopez (Enrique Bazan), disparaging his Asian heart specialist and answering the phone with a local radio station’s slogan in an attempt to win the prize money.

Jerry, being an affable young man, doesn’t seem to mind living with his father-in-law, even though the man is difficult. He’s a sitcom racist (the kind who makes funny comments about stereotypes, but isn’t really evil).

The living arrangements are beginning to grate on Alice’s nerves. Of course, Alice knows something the two men in her life don’t. The household is about to expand (if only she knew how much!).

Alice is expecting a baby. However, when they get a frantic call from Jerry’s mom, Mildred (Lynne Franks), another curveball is thrown into their lives. Mildred moves in after an accident involving a boiling pot of chicken soup and a table full of coupons causes her house to go up in flames.

Here’s the hitch….Abe and Mildred despise each other with a passion. Now the younger couple spends their evenings on the sidelines of the escalating war between their seniors in residence.

“Squabbles” is a darling of the community theater set. It has one simple, standard living room set. It’s chock full of jokes. And it’s got two juicy roles for older actors.

It’s a bit of a sitcom. Playwright Marshall Karp has a few legitimate sitcom’s under his belt, including Sherman Hemsley’s “Amen,” in which the iconic “Jefferson’s” actor plays a preacher who squabbles (the word is actually in the IMDB description of the show) with a new reverend at his church.

Jokes are like buses in “Squabbles.” If you miss one, there’s another one along any minute. Not all of them land, but there are some genuinely funny lines in the play.

There are probably a few too many characters in the play. There’s really no need for Hector the handyman. He’s supposed to be comic relief, but once Mildred enters, he’s not really needed. It’s a stock character, but Bazan makes the most of the role. He is gentle, loving and pretty darn funny. There’s also a walk on role for a Nazi nurse. It’s another character that’s not really needed, but she’s marvelously rendered by Claire Fraley.

Director Wayne Brinda keeps everything moving along effectively.

The actors do a fine job here with the material. Elson is channeling Larry David playing the curmudgeon of Connecticut. Franks is delightful as the bickering Mildred. Rematt does a fine job (her character doesn’t get any good lines). Coleman has a repertoire of funny faces.

The cast really clicks. When Franks drops a line in the heat of an argument, Coleman picks it right up without missing a beat like synchronized swimmers at the Olympics.

The biggest quibble with “Squabbles” was with the audience. At the June 16 performance, there was a woman who coughed like a coal miner. A ringing phone from an oblivious audience member. And several theater patrons talked through the show like they were in their own living room.

“Squabbles” is a pleasant evening out. It’s not profound or groundbreaking, but you should have fun, if you get a nice, quiet audience.

– MB

(“Squabbles” runs through next weekend at the South Park Theatre, at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park, PA 15129. For more information, click here.)

June 15, 2016August 12, 2019

The Buzz from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s (6/16 – 6/19)

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Sketchy

Sketch comedy troupe the Harvey WALLbangers return to the Carnegie Stage this weekend with “Luck it, We’ll do it Five.” They’ll be performing live in front of an audience. The L and the F may be reversed in the poster. They’ll be taking on conspiracy theorists, jilted lovers, sex toys, celebrity nudes and more. Come out to the Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here.

Light it up

A superstitious leading lady, her outspoken mother, a temperamental director, an enthusiastic producer and his wife, a star-struck Shiner and a truck-driver-turned-playwright all converge for the opening of a new play in Moss Hart’s “Light Up the Sky.” It’s all happening at the Little Lake Theatre, 500 Lakeside Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317. For more information, click here.

Sousside Art n’nat

It’s the South Side Art Crawl this weekend with over two hundred and fifty visual artists, thirty bands with live painting, performances and more. It’s up and down East Carson Street, but start at the Rex Theater, 1602 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For tickets and more information, click here.

Brew and Chew too!

Pittsburgh’s beer fest with a bite returns to the Monroeville. It’s time for the Brew N’ Chew. They’ll be showcasing over one hundred craft, regional and imported beers with food tastings and pairings. This year’s events features an outdoor biergarten, a tailgate party, live music and much, much more. Bring your designated driver to the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146. For more information and tickets, click here.

Vamping it up

In the 15th century, the desperate Church summons an ancient, bloodthirsty evil to transform a handsome young warrior-prince into a supernatural weapon whose purpose is to defend their homeland from the onslaught of the Turkish hordes in “Bloody Hell.” Is it the origin of Dracula? To be sure, you have to go to the McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin Street, McKeesport, PA 15232. For more information, click here.

– MB

June 11, 2016August 12, 2019

Chase the costumes she will wear – A review of “Venus in Fur”

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

David Ives play, “Venus in Fur” is a twisty and twisted work. Every movement, every word, peels back onion layers of the thoughts and desires of the characters in this near-classic pas de deux.

Entrée: Fictional playwright and director Thomas Novachek (Christian Conn) can’t find an actress to play Vanda for his theatrical adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus in Furs (plural in the book title only),” until Vanda (Whitney Maris Brown) storms into the room. She claims to be late for her audition. Novachek is tired and is expected to meet his fiancé for dinner, but Vanda begs for a chance to read the part. Thomas refuses to grant her the audition. She swears, cajoles and cries. Eventually, Thomas folds and they pick up their copies of the script.

In the play within the play, the Vanda (spelled with a W in the original work) von Dunayev enters the room of Severin von Kushemski at a retreat in the Swiss Alps. She returns a copy of “Faust” she found elsewhere on the property. Vanda coyly comments about a bookmark, Titian’s “Venus with a Mirror,” in which the goddess is draped in velvety, red fur. He quickly admits his fondness for the sensual and tactile pleasures of fur.

PPTvenus065 (1) — Severin (Christian Conn) down on your bended knee about to Kiss the boot of shiny, shiny leather on Vanda (Whitney Maris Brown).

Both the play and in the play-within-the play start the same way: A woman enters the room of a lone male. Also, Vanda comes in packing a large bag with various costumes to enact scenes from the play. It starts as a joke, but escalates into something much more.

Adagio un: Severin dark desires manifest quickly. He tells of his childhood when he was whipped by an aunt on a bear skin rug, and how he fetishized the traumatic experience. Side note: the word masochism comes from the sur name of the author. There is a power play between Severin and Vanda. The two wrestle for dominance, literally and figuratively. Suddenly the power play between the two characters bleeds out into the ‘real world’ of the play. Actor and author struggle for dominance.

Adagio deux: Slowly we discover that Vanda (both the actor and the character) is more than who she appears to be.

Variations: Vanda offers some suggestions. They improvise a scene where she plays the mythical Venus from the Titian bookmark. Things start to unhinge as each character learns more about the other.

Coda: The play reaches a satisfying, if not nebulous, conclusion. Director Jesse Berger delicately choreographs the two-hander with aplomb. Doubling down on a surprise ending that audience members will love or hate (stick me in the love column).

Conn and Brown are engaging, enthralling, each possessing the charm and charisma needed to play these bigger-than-life characters. Mild spoiler ahead: It’s just as fun watching Brown’s Vanda transform from schlep to diva, as Conn’s character goes from haughty and imperious to terrified.

Scenic Designer David M. Barber places them in a gritty New York rehearsal space with flourishes of urban beauty. Barber proves that grim and gritty has its own particular elegance.

Kudos to Lighting Designer Peter West and Sound Designer Zach Moore for conjuring up a frightful storm in the middle of the O’Reilly Theater.

Come out to “Venus in Fur” and see the shiny, shiny boots of leather and the downy sins of streetlight fancies.

“Venus in Fur” runs from June 2 to June 26 at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

– MB

June 6, 2016August 12, 2019

The “Buzz” from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To Do’s THIS WEEKEND (6/9 – 6/12)

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Awoke

Songs, self-discovery and sexual awakenings are in store for Melchior, Moritz and Wendla in “Spring Awakening.” It’s the Broadway musical that sprang (pun intended) forth from a 19^th Century German play. It’s at The Theatre Factory, 235 Cavitt Avenue, Trafford, PA 15085. For more information, click here.

Ebony and Ivory

It’s not too late to catch “The Theatre Festival in Black and White.” You can see a diverse line up of one act plays such as “Crossing Sacred Lines,” “Stay,” “No Winners,” “Mental Case,” “Vows” and “Home Again, Home Again” for free! It’s at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue, 3^rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information and a full schedule of events, click here.

It belongs in a museum!

Sean Connery and Harrison Ford team up to fight Nazi’s in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s screening among the relics of history at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. For more information, click here.

Tenor Shoes

Picture it, September 1934, a world famous opera star comes to Cleveland. Unfortunately, he’s not fit to perform as Otello. Naturally, they get some poor sap to pretend to be the Otello and the next thing you know it’s high stakes hijinks in “Lend Me a Tenor.” It’s at the Red Barn Theatre, 1279 Route 288, Fombell, PA 16123. For more information, click here.

No Dollar Sign

June 11, Kesha comes to town. The up-and-coming singer is headlining Pittsburgh Pride in the Streets. It’s Pittsburgh’s biggest outdoor dance party with opening performance by rapper Angel Haze. Most of Liberty Avenue will be blocked off for the epic celebration. For more information, click here.

And now a sixth thing…

Pride Goeth

If you’re not into pop, celebrate Pride with comedy. It’s Pittsburgh Pride week and the Arcade Comedy Theater has a slate of shows to fit in with the weekend’s theme. “Whatever Happened to BabyGRAND” with Missy Moreno and Connor McCanlus, “The ArGAYde Comedy Show,” featuring Kendall Farrell (VT’s Funniest Comedian 2015), Stranded with Strangers and LGBTQ*Bert, The “Hootenanny,” and, of course, “The Golden Girls Live,” a staged reading of “Golden Girls” television scripts with four male actors, Jason Shavers, Billy Mason, Connor McCanlus and Brian Edward as Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia, respectively. It’s all at the Arcade Comedy Theater, 811 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

June 5, 2016June 5, 2016

MTAP presents free summer readings of new musicals

Pittsburgh, PA – MTAP—Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh has wrapped monthly meetings for the season, but its Hot Metal Musicals Incubator will be relaunched this summer with two free public readings, to be presented with extensive cooperation and support from the Pittsburgh CLO. The Incubator, aimed at helping creative teams move their work forward by thrusting it in front of an audience, will kick-off Monday, June 27, 2016 with Dear Boy, book and lyrics by Jeanne Drennan and music by David Berlin, followed by Me, Myself and Others by Eva Rainforth on Monday, August 29, 2016. Both will be presented at Pittsburgh CLO’s Charles Gray Auditorium at 7:00 pm.

Incubator show #1, Dear Boy, presents the true story of parental love gone haywire in the 18^thcentury. The Earl of Chesterfield seems to control every detail of his illegitimate son’s life but in fact knows nothing of the son’s secret life as a husband and father. The show has seen much development since its debut reading in 2010 under the guidance of producer Stephanie Riso while at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (PICT). The piece has continued to evolve, benefitting greatly through the MTAP collective, which was established in 2011. Bookwriter/lyricist Jeanne Drennan, also MTAP’s Managing Director, explains the likely impact of the Incubator reading at this stage of development: “Since that initial reading David and I have made huge changes to the work: to the music, to what parts of the story get pulled into the foreground, to the inherent theatricality and the comedy that goes along with it. But since 2010 we haven’t had the opportunity to see the entire show presented as seamlessly as possible. So that, and the immediate audience response to the show, will tell us what more we need to do before the show is ready for production.” This Incubator reading will be produced by MTAP member Vince Ventura, Artistic Director of 12 Peers Theater directed by Stephen Santa.

Incubator Show #2, Me, Myself and Others, presents a theatrical tapestry of original songs, poems and monologues, all written by mezzo soprano and composer Eva Rainforth and ranging from the deeply disturbing to the poetically poignant, with much of it leavened by inspired lunacy. The piece has previously been presented for friends and family, but the author sees an opportunity to test out new ideas and gain objective feedback through the Incubator reading. The reading will be produced by MTAP member Joe Domencic.

The Incubator allows a public audience to become involved in the early stages of a new musical’s long and often arduous journey toward full production. Creative teams benefit by working with a director and music director, along with the artistic and production team. The collaboration often helps to illuminate or clarify the storytelling or song intention as the team prepares the work for presentation. The most recent Incubator reading drew a full house in November 2015 to a presentation of Kitty, with book by John Keating and music and lyrics by Sandra Lowell.

MTAP welcomes new members, including performing talent, bookwriters, librettists, lyricists, composers, musicians, directors, managers and producers. Please visit MTAP.weebly.com or email MTAPgh@gmail.com for more information about how to get involved.

MTAP – Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization, and has garnered support from individual donors and grantmaking entities including The Heinz Endowments Small Arts Initiative Program. The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion. Contributions for the charitable purposes of MTAP must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Event Listing Details:

Who: MTAP – Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh

What: Hot Metal Musicals Incubator

Where: Charles Gray Auditorium, Pittsburgh CLO Academy, 130 CLO Academy Way 8^th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
When: Dear Boy, book/lyrics by Jeanne Drennan, music by David Berlin – Monday, June 27, 2016, 7pm

Me, Myself and Others by Eva Rainforth – Monday, August 29, 2016, 7pm

Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Reservations encouraged:

Event Page to RSVP is https://www.artful.ly/events/9298 for Dear Boy

Event Page to RSVP is https://www.artful.ly/events/9300 for Me, Myself and Others

Details: The Incubator allows a public audience to become involved in the early stages of a new musical’s long and often arduous journey toward full production. Featuring musical works in development by area artists. Visit mtap.weebly.com for more details on the specific presentations.

June 5, 2016August 12, 2019

New Script Woven from 150+ #AMPLIFY Participants

PITTSBURGH – Giving voice to LGBTQ neighbors in Western Pennsylvania, staged readings “Invisible in Plain Sight” will feature stories gathered throughout the 26-county Western Pennsylvania region, June 24 and 26 during LGBTQ Pride Month.

The stories told by seven readers illuminate the joys and challenges of the LGBTQ community–from love, marriage and parenthood to discrimination, abuse, and violence. Each excerpt is derived from the responses of #AMPLIFY participants.

Celebrating LGBTQ pride, the pair of readings, directed by Virginia Wall Gruenert, artistic director of off the WALL Productions, will run on Fri., June 24 at 8 pm with reception for audience following the performance and Sun., June 26 at 4 pm. Tickets are $10 online in advance or at the door. Call 724-873-3576 for tickets or details. All proceeds from the performances will benefit the AMPLIFY project.

WATCH/LISTEN: ‘Burgh Vivant’s 2013 interview with Virginia Wall Gruenert, Artistic Director of Off the WALL Productions.

Off the Wall Productions is located at Carnegie Stage, 25 West Main St., Carnegie, PA 15016. Directions and details at; http://www.carnegiestage.com/

In addition, the Friday event will be live streamed via Stream Pittsburgh at: http://www.streampittsburgh.com/video/amplify/

Fueled by more than 165 participants in an online survey of Western Pennsylvanian, #AMPLIFY has been documenting aspects of the lives of those who comprise the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.

Created by Sue Kerr, artist-in-residence at Most Wanted Fine Art in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, #AMPLIFY is the only initiative of its kind in the region. Responses are featured on Kerr’s Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog. She will continue to collect responses through the end of 2017.

Gruenert describes a three-part program:

A dramatic reading from Elise Forier Edie’s play The Pink Unicorn, performed by veteran Pittsburgh actor Ingrid Sonnichsen. The story involves a recent widow raising her 14-year-old daughter in a small, conservative Texas town, “ “Trish works at a nearby hospital and cherishes her church, her home, and everything else she can count on in a world she now finds herself alone in,” says Gruenert. “Suddenly she faces a crisis she never saw coming: her beloved teenage daughter announces she is genderqueer, and that she’s starting a chapter of the Gay and Straight Alliance at the local high school.”

A movement theater piece conceived and performed by Moriah Ella Mason tells her story of persecution and discrimination as a young girl growing up Jewish and queer.

A dramatic reading in the words of #AMPLIFY respondents by seven LGBTQ volunteers. The piece shares the answers to questions posed in the #AMPLIFY questionnaire created by Kerr. “Every word is taken from the questionnaire – no revisions, no additions,” says Gruenert.

Readers are: Harry Java, Pixie Colbert, Staci Backauskas, Adrienne Fischer, LaMar Williams Alexander Smithson, and Laura Dunhoff.

The June events are made possible by funding from Theater Foundation. Funding for #AMPLIFY LGBTQ Voices was provided by the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation. Other sponsors include GLAAD, PFLAG National, PFLAG Pittsburgh, Big Burrito Restaurant Group, and Music Night on Jupiter.

The #AMPLIFY project aims to accurately represent a strong sample of the estimated 200,000 members of the LGBTQ community the 26-county Western Pennsylvania region. Now, the project will benefit from more visits with LGTBQ organizations and community members outside of Allegheny and its adjacent counties.

#AMPLIFY is equally about identifying resources for queer and trans people as hearing individual stories, says Kerr.

“We are learning how disparate the support is for those dealing with stereotypes and lack of community organizations and even safe spaces in the more rural and small town communities that comprise most of this region,” Kerr states. “This unique regional view provides an important representative snapshot of queer and trans life in America.”

Kerr believes that sharing #AMPLIFY stories can educate and connect with allies in the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ equality.

Nina Sauer, co-owner of Most Wanted Fine Art, concurs: “Storytelling and preservation has long been a form of community art and this project is an old art form made new again with technology.”

In May, AMPLIFY published the first issue of its zine with financial support from more than 20 sponsors. All 500 copies were distributed within a two-week period. The project plans to produce a second issue which will serve as the event program for the staged reading.

BACKGROUND ON #AMPLIFY

The goals of #AMPLIFY include:

Exploration of the realities of our LGBTQ neighbors in their own words so as to better understand how their identities impact their day to day lives.
Identifying barriers LGBTQ individuals face in daily life, including discrimination and bias.
Understand how LGBTQ citizens contribute to a thriving region.
Connecting with 26 counties in Western Pennsylvania to identify resources, services, and support that may not be widely known.

Aspects of relationships, employment, neighborhoods, education, healthcare, family, and parenting are just some of the areas discussed by #AMPLIFY respondents.

#AMPLIFY contributors have also shared experiences related to the lack of statewide non-discrimination protections in Pennsylvania. While the Supreme Court’s historic decision in June 2015 struck down state bans on marriage equality, the LGBTQ community members juggle unique concerns well beyond questions of the law.

Members of the LGBTQ community experience a broad spectrum of discrimination that can range from bullying to physical violence. A recurring theme represents a leading concern for the LGBTQ individuals: rejection by their own family members.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO #AMPLIFY: To contribute to #AMPLIFY, participants should be at least 18-years-old, have ties to at least one of the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania, and identify as part of the LGBTQ community. While contributors are asked to identify themselves to the #AMPLIFY editors, they may provide their name, be anonymous, or use just a first name and last initial for the public story. Photos are optional. The blog archives all the published content which is shared via social media and other channels.

ABOUT SUE KERR: Sue Kerr has been blogging from more than 10 years and founded Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents in 2005. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post. Her community activism leadership and editorial, blogging, and social media work has been recognized regionally. In 2016, AMPLIFY was named “Best GLBT Media Project” Kerr received a master’s in social work at University of Pittsburgh and is a Pittsburgh area native. Read more about her on LinkedIn.

ABOUT MOST WANTED FINE ART: Most Wanted Fine Art, a community service organization disguised as an art gallery, opened in 2007 and has exhibited over 40,000 works of art and represented around 150+ artists a year. They currently host 24 artists in residence.