Category: The Shaker

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^th century. 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.

PITTSBURGH – A father and son acting duo will be taking center stage in the world premiere of Tim Ruppert’s The Consorts (June 2-12) to kick off The Summer Company’s 23rd season. 

It’s a frigid evening in England, 1556, and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer faces a fiery execution come morning. But when fate offers him an escape, Cranmer must choose between life and death—as well as between the ghosts of Queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon, both of whom want Cranmer’s soul.  Directed by John E. Lane, Jr., The Consorts is a witty, time-shifting drama/comedy chronicling the last days of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (John Yost), attended by Nicholas Woodson (Nathaniel Yost) and visited by the ghosts of Anne Boleyn (Coleen Garrison) and Katherine of Aragon (Jill Jeffrey).  

John Yost, the well-regarded film, TV, and voice-over artist, is a Duquesne University graduate returning to the stage after an 18-year hiatus in order to perform with his son Nathaniel, a junior theater arts major at the university. Garrison is a sophomore at Duquesne, Jeffrey is a theater arts instructor there, and playwright Rupert is also an alumni. Director Lane runs the theater arts program at the university.

All shows take place at Duquesne University’s new Genesius Theater. Tickets are $15, $10 for senior citizens, and $5 for students. Group rates are also available. Tickets and information at www.thesummercompany.com

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

When droll British bachelor, Richard Hannay (Allan Synder) goes out for an entertaining evening of theater, he becomes embroiled in a web of espionage in “The 39 Steps,” a delightfully, funny play loosely (LOOSELY) based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie, which itself is based on John Buchan’s novel.

Hannay is bored with his life until he goes to the aforementioned show (a show within a play based on a movie based on a book…I can do this all day). A mnemonist aptly named Mr. Memory (one of Quinn Patrick Shannon’s crazy characters) stuns the audience with his eidetic memory tricks. A mysterious woman, Annabella Schmidt (Megan Pickrell), joins Hannay in the proscenium box. Annabella draws a gun and fires into the crowd. That’s when things get crazy. Actually, things start crazy and get crazier.

Annabella demands to go home with him, and he obliges eagerly. Once the blinds are drawn, she backs up a metaphorical truck and info dumps, revealing many plot points and tips that Hannay will need later, including a map to Alt Na Shellach, a resplendent home to Professor Jordan (one of Luke Halferty’s nutty characters).

When Annabella ends up dead in his apartment, the game is truly afoot. Hannay is on the run from the police (Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty), villains (also Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty), and various weirdos (once again, Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty). If not for a crofter’s coat and the fortuitously well-placed hymn book, Hannay would be pushing up daisies. It’s a twisted plot, but the plot doesn’t really matter.

Everyone in the show is double, triple and quadruple cast except for Snyder who sticks to playing the lead. He does a superb job as the dashing hero, and he has terrific chemistry with Pickrell, who is enchanting (especially as Pamela). It’s Pickrell’s first foray onto the Pittsburgh stage, and here’s hoping we see a lot more of her.

This show isn’t really about the protagonist and his love interest(s).  Playwright Patrick Barlow, who adapted the story, flipped the script, not just with crazy antics and comedic misdirection. Its biggest performances come from the wacky extras. Constantin Stanislavski once said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Director Guy Stroman cast big actors to fill a bunch of small parts. Halferty and Shannon play myriad roles, zany underwear salesman on a train, police officers, paperboys, townspeople, old people, young people, men and women.  There’s a balletic synchronicity between the two  men, and it is uproariously funny. It’s the precision of their movements that cause the largest fits of laughter. We get to see their hijinks ensue on the Scottish highlands, on a  bumpy locomotive and in makeshift cars (plains, trains and automobiles?).

There are a lot of moving pieces in this play, and they are all executed flawlessly. Kudos to the entire crew. Even lighting designer Andrew David Ostroswki and sound designer Bob Bollman get into the act with a visual and auditory gag involving the title of the show.

It’s all quite silly when you get down to it, but it charms with an exceptional cast. Take as many steps as you need, run down and get tickets.

“The 39 Steps” runs all through summer (August 14, 2016) at the Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

Thursday, June 9  |  8PM

At the New Hazlett Theater

Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

“I am what I remember…what I remember, is what I am.”

More than simply a dance performance, memory 4 follows performers through a landscape of seemingly insurmountable tasks, spiraling to ascension as they merge sound and image, body and spirit. Throughout the ritual, memory decays and is redefined in each passing moment.  We begin to see memory as a place one can enter to re-experience and reflect, to move forward or retreat.

Under the direction of Taylor Knight and Anna Thompson, slowdanger works within multidisciplinary collaborations between dancers, musicians, and visual artists. slowdanger is inspired by and explores relationship, the way two or more things/people are connected. Taylor and Anna use performance as ritual practice to delve into patterns of the circular rhythm of life.

The New Hazlett Theater is located at 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, click here.