Theater & Arts category, Page 18
Yough students to perform ‘If Sherlock Holmes Were a Woman’
When Emilie Morton was younger, she can recall being obsessed with the cartoon character Dora the Explorer. “Just like her, I wanted to explore,” said Morton, 17, a junior at Yough Senior High School. That made it easy to channel a young person’s excitement and desire to emulate their heroes...
Stage Right stages ‘Joseph,’ a biblical tale of intrigue, at The Palace
The thing that makes “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” so interesting for audiences also makes it challenging for the cast. “The music is everything from country-western to calypso to a pop-rock sound, and other things that go toward the classical musical theater sound,” said Christopher McAllister, executive director of...
Westmoreland Performing Arts stages pre-Easter ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Anthony Marino Jr. is calmly approaching what is arguably one of the more fraught roles in theater. He’s playing Jesus in the Westmoreland Performing Arts pre-Easter production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” “It’s almost easy for me to step into it because of my history with the show,” said Marino, 21,...
Upcoming PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season showcases powerful women
The 2022-23 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series has a strong theme of female empowerment. “From ‘Six,’ which allows King Henry VIII’s wives to tell their stories, to the all-female creative team of ‘Hadestown,’ to iconic leading ladies like Elsa, Tina Turner and Tracy Turnblad, this season shines a light on...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre to perform ‘Swan Lake’ with new staging
It’s been nearly a century-and-a-half since Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the ballet “Swan Lake.” Today it’s one of the most popular ballets of all time. So, why mess with it? A production of “Swan Lake” by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is debuting next month and features new staging by artistic...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces changes to covid-19 restrictions
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Wednesday requirements for proof of covid-19 vaccination and face masks will be determined on a per event basis starting Monday. The artist or promoter of the event will decide whether guests need to show they’ve been vaccinated, present a negative covid test and/or wear a...
Pitt-Greensburg theater director ends tenure with ‘Trailer Park Musical’
Welcome to Armadillo Acres Trailer Park, where an unlikely romance develops between an exotic dancer running from an ex-boyfriend and a highway toll collector with an agoraphobic wife. Trouble is brewing in “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” which Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company will stage tonight through Sunday in Ferguson Theater...
Stoney Richards stars in ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’
If you’ve missed popular morning radio host Charles David “Stoney” Richards since he left his “Y’d Awake” morning show on WDSY-FM (Y-108), you’re in luck. You can catch Richards in the hilarious “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” opening at Pittsburgh’s Threadbare Cider House on Wednesday evening. It’s being...
Baldwin High School presents ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’
J. Pierrepont Finch is a man who knows what he wants. He climbs the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to a high-powered executive in the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” “I love Finch,” said Quintin Michalski, a senior who was cast as Finch for Baldwin...
Popular kid’s book character Junie B. Jones returns to Greensburg stage
Popular children’s book character Junie B. Jones returns to Greensburg in the Greensburg Civic Theatre’s Greasepaint Players production of “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook,” with three performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. As the play unfolds, someone at school has stolen Junie’s...
Pine-Richland grad Jake Pedersen joins national tour of ‘Wicked’
Jake Pedersen is following the yellow brick road to musical theater success. The 2017 Pine-Richland High School graduate recently joined the cast of the national Broadway touring company of “Wicked.” Pedersen, 23, is playing the part of Boq in the musical, which retells the story of “The Wizard of Oz”...
Quantum Theatre, Chatham Baroque celebrate 3 decades with ‘Idaspe’
Sharing the same anniversary year is reason to celebrate together. Pittsburgh’s Quantum Theatre and Chatham Baroque — both established in 1990 — are collaborating for “Idaspe” by Riccardo Broschi at the Byham Theater, Downtown from Oct. 7-15. The opera is directed by London composer and writer Claire van Kampen. “The...
Greensburg Salem Middle School prepares to stage ‘Frozen Jr.’Video
Conveying emotion from a high school stage out into the audience is already a tricky task. When your head is trapped inside a snowman’s mouth, it can be even trickier. “The way the head is can make it tough,” said LeTrey Derry, 13, who will play living snowman Olaf in...
Barebones Black Box Theater in Braddock returns to stage with ‘Misery’
As area theaters go back to producing live stage shows, fans of tightly produced, intimate plays can celebrate the return of Barebones Black Box in Braddock. The brainchild of actor/director Patrick Jordan, barebones productions is bouncing back from a two-year hiatus in a big way with the opening of the...
Celebration of August Wilson’s birthday includes preserving childhood home
The first place where Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson was inspired is coming back to life. The house in the Hill District where Wilson grew up will have him remembered and honored inside the space, which is in the process of being restored. It will be a home to inspire...
Thomas Jefferson High School presents spring musical ‘Legally Blonde’
As a first-time director, Jim Benedek came into this year’s spring musical at Thomas Jefferson High School with a vision. He wanted to use as many of his own talents as possible, but he also wanted to tap into what he sees as a deep well of student talent. Of...
Westmoreland Performing Arts troupe shoulders weighty Sam Shepard drama
The Westmoreland Performing Arts professional company will make its debut with Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize finalist drama, “True West,” playing March 17-19 at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. “True West” examines the fraught relationship between screenwriter Austin and his older brother Lee, with the action unfolding in the kitchen...
Pamela Anderson set to make her Broadway debut in ‘Chicago’
One of the planet’s biggest celebrities will play a woman desperately craving fame when Pamela Anderson makes her Broadway debut next month in the musical “Chicago,” The Associated Press has learned. Anderson will play Roxie Hart from April 12-June 5 at the Ambassador Theatre, a remarkable union of one of...
Patti LuPone to miss ‘Company’ shows after catching covid
NEW YORK — Patti LuPone won’t be lunching for the foreseeable future. The Broadway icon announced Sunday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss more than a week of shows of “Company” on the Broadway stage. “Hi Dolls. I showed up for Saturday’s matinee, tested positive for...
Franklin Regional students prepare to stage ‘The Little Mermaid’ in March
Getting into character generally isn’t a huge challenge for Franklin Regional senior Haylee Phillips. Unless that character is Flotsam, an evil eel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Then it’s a little trickier. “I get to wear heelies, so I can skate around,” said Phillips, 17, referring to tennis shoes with...
‘Newsies’ is right show at right time for Shaler Area High School
“Newsies” is the right musical at the right time for Shaler Area High School, according to director Jennifer Birch. “One of the big draws of this musical, for me, is its message of perseverance, overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles, to never give up,” she said. “I’ve seen it in the way...
Greensburg Salem thespians resume in-person performances with ‘Les Miserables’
Greensburg Salem returns to the theater to perform its high school musical beginning Friday, with an abridged version of “Les Miserables.” The production also can be streamed from home. “Everyone is excited to have live theater coming back,” said Sue Glowa, who is directing the musical. Because of concerns related...
Stage Right presents Pittsburgh-area playwright’s new musical
Sometimes family is where you find it. That’s one takeaway from “Local Singles,” a Stage Right musical production coming this weekend to The Lamp Theatre in Irwin. With book, music and lyrics by Pine resident Nick Navari, “Local Singles” follows a group of young people looking for connections through a...
Penn Township native returns to Pittsburgh as ‘Hamilton’ company manager
“Awesome” is an adjective often used to describe “Hamilton,” the widely acclaimed song-and-rap Broadway musical about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The same word can be used to summarize the nature of the undertaking to get the touring version of “Hamilton” from city to city. One of the company managers...
‘Hamilton’ performer to conduct class with Valley High School drama club
A member of the touring company that will be performing the musical “Hamilton” at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh is scheduled to speak Wednesday to students at Valley High School in New Kensington. Nikisha Williams, a singer and actress, will conduct a class with students in the New Kensington-Arnold school’s...
