Theater & Arts category, Page 26
Westmoreland Night of the Stars musical showcase postponed
Westmoreland Night of the Stars, the annual showcase of area school musicals, has been postponed. The 24th annual performances were originally scheduled to take place May 6-7 in The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Organizers have yet to decide whether the showcase can be held at a later date or if...
Learn about Irish playwrights via PICT free webinar series
The lives of influential Irish playwrights will be explored in a five-week interactive online webinar series presented by PICT Classic Theatre. “The Irishing of English Theatre” will begin at 2 p.m. Fridays beginning April 3, and will be presented by Alan Stanford, artistic and executive director of the Pittsburgh-based theater...
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks needs cast for fall play
“Cymbeline” has been chosen as the 16th-season production for Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks. The play will run in various parks on Saturday and Sunday afternoons each weekend in September. Early evening shows also are planned for Sept. 11 and 18 at Schenley Plaza in Oakland. The tragedy is set...
Tony Awards postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus
The 74th Tony Awards have been postponed indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus. The Broadway-lauding ceremony was scheduled to air on CBS, broadcasting live on June 7 from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was announced Wednesday that the event will be postponed and rescheduled at a...
Ligonier Valley’s ‘Oz’ adds extra song, roles to familiar musical fantasyVideo
Editor’s note: Due to the coronovirus pandemic, high school musicals have been postponed. Ligonier Valley High School’s musical production of “The Wizard of Oz” will offer plenty of familiar reference points for those who have grown up cherishing the classic MGM film of L. Frank Baum’s fantasy. “We’re doing the...
Summer theaters making adjustments for coronavirus restrictions
“The show must go on” — the phrase is said to have originated with 19th-century circuses, where audiences were to be kept calm and entertained at any cost, even if a performer was injured or a wild animal escaped. The saying was adopted by theater groups, who likewise would improvise...
20/20 Performing Arts founders talk theater, inspirationVideo
Two Penn-Trafford High School alums have a “perfect vision” of how to share their love of theater with young performers. Madison Nick and Jonathan Heinbaugh, both of Penn Township, are co-founders of 20/20 Performing Arts, a new school that focuses on providing acting classes, workshops and summer camps to students...
Saint Vincent Summer Theatre cancels season
Saint Vincent College has canceled the 2020 season of Saint Vincent Summer Theatre, citing travel and other gathering restrictions associated with covid-19. Plans were for the season to open May 21 with “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” “This is certainly a difficult and unfortunate decision as Saint Vincent Summer Theatre has been...
‘Mamma Mia’ comes to Jeannette High School stageVideo
Editor’s note: Due to the coronovirus pandemic, high school musicals have been postponed. It looks fun — Jeannette seniors Jada Bass, Kiara Frederick and Jenna Painter sing and dance together on stage to ABBA’s hit “Dancing Queen.” But perfecting the steps and lines has taken months for the trio who...
Broadway shuts its doors over ongoing coronavirus concerns
NEW YORK — New York’s governor ordered all Broadway theaters to shut their doors in the face of ongoing coronavirus concerns, plunging into darkness one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and causing turmoil in the run-up to the Tony Awards. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday banned gatherings of...
‘Hunchback’ coming to Greensburg Salem Middle SchoolVideo
It’s not easy playing The Hunchback of Notre Dame, according to Greensburg Salem Middle School student Loyal Wesley Heverly. “One of the hard parts about Quasimodo is, I just have to bend down all the time, and it hurts my back,” joked Heverly, 13, who has the title role in...
Norwin goes ‘under the sea’ for spring musicalVideo
Editor’s note: The Norwin High School production of “The Little Mermaid” has not been canceled. During this unprecedented time, the production has been postponed until medical professionals and government officials deem it safe for public schools to reconvene. New performance dates will be released. All current ticket holders will then...
Catch a one-of-a-kind retelling of Shakespeare at the Geyer
Seeing Actors and Artists of Fayette County’s production of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged” is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No, really, it’s a one-time, never-see-it-like-this-again show. Director Andrew Johnson of Donora said that’s because the play written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield that parodies the plays of...
Riverfront Theater’s ‘Proof’ is about family (and a little math)
Four Pittsburgh actors play characters that are an integral part of the search for answers behind a mysterious mathematical proof in Riverfront Theater Company’s production of David Auburn’s drama, “Proof.” The play that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play is the story...
Monessen students prepare to stage ‘Shrek’Video
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tom Wolf has announced that all Pennsylvania schools will be closed for the next 10 business days, and as a result the musical has been postponed until further notice. When Milana Sacco thought about taking the stage in Monessen Middle/Senior High School’s...
Saint Vincent Summer Theater announces upcoming productions
Three audience-favorite musicals are on tap for the 52nd season of the Saint Vincent Summer Theatre. The schedule includes Roger Bean’s off-Broadway musical comedy, “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” May 21-31; Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s Tony Award-winning classic, “The Sound of Music,” June 25-July 5; and “Million Dollar Quartet,” featuring the music of...
Freeport Area High School brings tap-dancing musical ’42nd Street’ to the stageVideo
It’s a musical with a lot of kick. Freeport Area High School presents its 2020 spring musical “42nd Street” from March 12-15. And who better to direct the classic musical chronicling the story of a small town Pennsylvania girl with Big Apple dreams than Freeport alumnus, Broadway performer, New York...
Leechburg High School brings ‘Godspell’ to the stageVideo
Leechburg Area High School drama students will bring to life parables from the Gospel, with an updated twist, as they present “Godspell” on March 13-15. Think punk meets rock in this remastered 2012 version of “Godspell,” created by Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz. “Godspell” features a myriad of...
‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ opens March 12 at Burrell High SchoolVideo
It’s toga time as Burrell High School presents its spring musical, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.” Set in ancient Roman times, the show is comedic, fast paced, full of twists and turns as it follows the antics of Pseudolus, a slave attempting to win his...
Greater Latrobe’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ blends romance, comedy and classic pop hitsVideo
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Greater Latrobe School District has limited attendance at “Mamma Mia!” to two invited people per participant in the musical. Attendees will be asked to identify the cast member they are representing when they arrive at the senior high auditorium. There will be an...
‘The Band’s Visit’ delivers quiet, powerful message on Benedum Center stage
The musical “The Band’s Visit” isn’t the kind of stage spectacular — with big production numbers, massive colorful sets and glitz-and-glam costumes — that typically wins awards on Broadway. But surprisingly it did, capturing 10 Tony Awards in 2018, including Best Musical, and the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Musical...
Delight in the sights, sounds of ‘Rhythm of the Dance’ at PalaceVideo
The National Dance Company of Ireland’s “Rhythm of the Dance” show is back in the states for another round of shows, just in time to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day season with the troupe’s American fans. It’s not like the champion dancers, professional singers and musicians had a chance to...
Derry Area tackles challenging ‘Les Miserables’Video
As high school musicals go, “Les Miserables” is no “The Little Mermaid.” It’s a challenging production, acknowledged director/producer Kayla Tamer — possibly one of the most challenging musicals Derry Area High School has ever attempted. After last year’s “The Little Mermaid,” Tamer felt her students were up to the task....
Southmoreland students will shine in spring musical ‘Seussical’Video
Southmoreland High School Music Theatre with fill the high school auditorium in Alverton with singing and dancing from “Seussical the Musical,” a family-friendly show based on the words of Dr. Seuss. “They selected ‘Seussical the Musical’ because it is family friendly and has familiar characters, and it weaves a lot...
City Theatre in Pittsburgh announces 2020-21 season
Pittsburgh’s City Theatre, based on the South Side, prides itself on introducing cutting-edge new works. In keeping with that tradition, the company announced a 2020-21 season filled with bold new plays. The season opens Sept. 19 with “Frankenstein” by Emmy Award-winning performance collective Manuel Cinema, described as “a new take...
