Theater & Arts category, Page 20
1-actor play in Pittsburgh explores iconic movie monster in ‘Karloff’
Halloween may be over, but Prime Stage Theatre aims to entertain horror fans with “Karloff: The Man and the Monster,” a one-actor play exploring the life of renowned movie monster Boris Karloff. Opening Nov. 5 in the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side, the production explores the 60-year career...
Franklin Regional Thespian Club gives patrons two plays for the price of one with ‘Nooses Off’
After a school year in which the Franklin Regional Thespian Club put on a virtual play in the fall and a spring production with a cast of only seven, director Richard Sunny said he’s nearly forgotten what it was like to rehearse with a sizable group of actors. So naturally,...
Joel Murray brings family comedy legacy to ‘Whose Live?’ in Greensburg
How funny is “Whose Live Anyway?” Some of that depends on the audience in the city where the cast lands on any given night. “You do a little bit of research to find out what’s going on and get a feel for the place before you get there, but it’s...
PICT Classic Theatre returns live with Shakespeare tale of love, laughter
After an 18-month pandemic intermission, PICT Classic Theatre will return to live, in-person performances with William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” “As our opening production, we wanted to give our audience something to lift the spirits, and ‘As You Like It’ fits the bill perfectly,” said Alan Stanford, PICT artistic...
Tony Award-winning ‘Band’s Visit’ returns to Benedum Center
The band visited once before, and now it’s coming back again. “The Band’s Visit,” a Tony Award-winning musical, was in the midst of a PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh run when the pandemic shut down the entertainment industry in March 2020. “We had done three performances when we left on March...
Greensburg Civic Theatre’s ‘Over the Tavern’ digs deep into family, faith
During the idealized Eisenhower era of the 1950s, 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski starts to question his family’s values and the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church to which they belong. That’s the set-up for “Over the Tavern,” the Tom Dudzick play that opens Greensburg Civic Theatre’s 70th season. The production will...
Greater Latrobe drama club preps for in-person performances of ‘Radium Girls’
Student thespians at Greater Latrobe Senior High will take audiences back a century to explore a historic struggle over workplace safety that grabbed headlines in its time but is less well-known today. After last fall’s pandemic-triggered virtual play presentation, the school’s Drama Club is back with an in-person production of...
‘Hamilton’ tickets on sale soon for return Pittsburgh engagement
The multi-Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton” returns to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center for a 24-performance run beginning Feb. 22. Single tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at trustarts.org. A maximum of nine tickets can be purchased per account for the engagement, which runs through March 13. Tickets will range...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre season puts works by women at the forefront
After 20 months of digital performances, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers are poised to return to the stage for the company’s 2021-22 season. “Season Premiere,” a mixed repertory program accompanied by the PBT Orchestra, is set for Oct. 22-24 in the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh. The classical and contemporary program...
Audience big part of Chris Capehart’s act at Pittsburgh’s Liberty Magic
Master magician Christ Capehart is thinking about a Terrible Towel trick for his upcoming stint at Liberty Magic. His act employs a lot of audience participation, so it’s a no-brainer to include something Pittsburgh-centric, he said. The Delaware-based magician is first up as the theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District reopens...
‘Circles’ will combine Black visual, performing arts
A group of Black artists will layer dance, visual arts and a live original score next month at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “Circles” is the culmination of work by Staycee and Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl, co-artistic directors of the Staycee Pearl Dance Project, PearlArts and Soy Sos....
‘Dear Evan Hansen’ filmmakers refine a hit Broadway musical
NEW YORK — Millions of people will get a chance to get to know the shy, teenager Evan Hansen this month, but Ben Platt is waving farewell. The actor and singer is intimately intertwined with Evan, originating the role in 2015 and eventually leading the stage musical “Dear Evan Hansen”...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Sept. 17-19Video
Welcome, fall The annual Scottdale Fall Festival kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, promising three days of handmade crafts, local and ethnic foods, a parade, a full schedule of live entertainment, a children’s area and more fun. Parade lineup will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Southmoreland elementary and...
5 Broadway veterans coming ‘Back to Broadway’ for Greensburg show
Broadway is coming back, not just to New York City, but also to Greensburg. To celebrate the reopening of the Great White Way after an 18-month pandemic hiatus, Westmoreland Cultural Trust will present “Back to Broadway: An Evening of Timeless Songs From Classic Broadway Shows,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in...
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks all-female ‘Hamlet’ takes to city parks
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks is planning its second all-female production, with upcoming performances of “The Tragedy of Hamlet.” “Hamlet” will open Saturday in Frick Park and run weekends through Sept. 26 in four outdoor venues around the Pittsburgh area. As with the troupe’s 2019 production of “Julius Caesar,” choosing...
Pittsburgh Symphony to perform on 50th anniversary of the opening of Heinz Hall
Heinz Hall opened on Sept. 10, 1971. So, it’s fitting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which makes its home at Heinz Hall, will perform on that date five decades later as part of “Lights On! A Three-Day Celebration of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District,” Sept. 9-11. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is collaborating with...
Steel City Shakespeare Center hosting free outdoor performances of ‘Pericles’
It wasn’t long after the Steel City Shakespeare Center found a new home at the West View Hub that the coronavirus dropped the curtain on the theatrical troupe’s plans for live performances. But now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the show must go on. The group’s first live, in-person...
Beanie Feldstein to lead revival of ‘Funny Girl’ on Broadway
NEW YORK — A Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” is aiming to open next year with Beanie Feldstein in the starring role originated by Barbra Streisand. Producers announced Wednesday that Feldstein, the “Booksmart” and “Lady Bird” actor, will star as Ziegfeld Follies comedian Fanny Brice in spring 2022 at a...
Apple Hill, Theatre Factory share Trafford stage for ‘Mamma Mia!’ joint production
No one is trying to upstage anyone else as Apple Hill Players and The Theatre Factory prepare for their first joint production. “It sounds very Brady Bunch-ish, but we all get along really well. There are no divas here,” said Tina Lepidi-Stewart, artistic director for both Apple Hill and “Mamma...
#PHiLLTERspace looks to save Penn Hills Cinemas by transforming it into a live entertainment hub
A local talent and Penn Hills resident hopes to save and transform the space at Penn Hills Cinemas into a live entertainment hub. The project dubbed “#PHiLLTERspace” will use the theater as a community live arts experience center while it is not showing movies by combining grassroots and independent live...
Free ‘Lights On!’ events to celebrate Pittsburgh’s Cultural District
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District will celebrate the return of live programming with a three-day “Lights On!” event from Sept. 9-11. The special celebration of the arts will be the official kick-off to RADical Days, an annual thank-you to the public with free admission, tours, performances and family activities offered by organizations...
Murrysville native returns from Broadway for Civic Light Opera’s 75th anniversary performance
Singing and performing have been part of Manu Narayan’s life since he was 5 years old, taking singing lessons from Greensburg instructor Nancy Burke. That led the Murrysville native to be part of local children’s performing groups, roles at Apple Hill Playhouse and Greensburg Civic Theater, and then auditions at...
Broadway to require vaccinations, masks for audience members
NEW YORK — Covid-19 vaccinations and masks will be required for all Broadway audience members when theaters reopen in the coming weeks, theater operators announced Friday. Audience members will have to wear face coverings and show proof they are fully vaccinated when they enter the theaters, the Broadway League said...
Pittsburgh’s City Theatre to produce winning works by 4 young playwrights
Winners have been chosen from more than 250 submissions for City Theatre Company’s 2021 Young Playwrights Contest. The regional playwrighting contest for students in grades 7-12 is now in its 22nd year. The winners will have their plays professionally produced by City Theatre and published in the Young Playwrights Anthology....
Quantum Theatre season opens with Greek tragedy at Schenley Park ice rink
Quantum Theatre will kick off its 30th anniversary season with the contemporary treatment of an ancient Greek classic. Outdoor performances of Jay Ball’s “An Odyssey,” based on Homer’s epic poem, “Odyssey,” are planned for Aug. 13-Sept. 5 at the Schenley Park Ice Skating Rink in Oakland. Directed by Jed Allen...
