off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

If you’ve been yearning to relive your childhood days with a performance of the musical version of The Wizard of Oz, with the sweet mid-Western Dorothy and her caring bunch of supporters skipping down a lovely yellow brick road, then Dorothy in Oz may not be your cup of tea! However, if you’d like to saunter down a different road with Dorothy in a very different time, age and setting, then Dorothy in Oz by Rage of The Stage Players  will take you down that road, and beyond. Curious?  Here’s a look at the setting and characters. Setting :  Ozlin center – a facility for the mentally ill Dorothy : bi-polar and involuntarily committed by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry Glinda : unhinged therapist who informs Dorothy she can only be released if she seeks the hospital’s mysterious administrat, the Great OZ Skarekrow ; a heroin-addicted goth-rocker Rusty : pierced, ax-wielding biker with several anger issues Mr. Lyons : a sexually frustrated deviant searching for a presc...

Andrew Wind - Photo by Heather Mull Meet Jack. Jack is an almost famous singer with a special star quality. What is this special star quality? He can make you think he’s singing to you! His manager says that a singer with a star quality can make each woman feel that he wants her. Our small, intimate theater is the perfect stage to find out if he’ll choose you. A Feminine Ending, ending this Saturday, is a bittersweet comedy about a young woman (Amanda) trying to make it in the man’s world of composing, when she finds herself torn between marrying the almost famous Jack, pursuing her high school sweetheart Billy, or following her dreams in music. Unknown to Amanda, her mother faced similar decisions in her younger days, and does not want to see Amanda throw it all away. The Doors will close.  If you haven’t seen this spectacular set yet, designed by Tony Ferrieri, hurry in to see it for yourself. With 79 doors on stage, and door #80 by the coffee bar, this is the last we...

Wendy Arons, associate professor of dramatic literature at Carnegie Mellon University, calls A Feminine Ending “ A Solid Production ” in this week’s review   in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Keep reading to see why! Enjoy this visual of scenes from the play and all of the cast. All captions are quoted from Ms. Arons'  review . "The play centers on Amanda Blue (Erika Cuenca), an accomplished oboist and aspiring composer whose career begins to stall after she becomes engaged to Jack."  - Wendy Arons - Erika Cuenca - Photo by Heather Mull "Jack (Andrew Wind), a self-absorbed  pop vocalist  on the fast track to stardom (think Bieber:   Mr. Wind's costume and hair certainly invite the association)." - Wendy Arons - Andrew Wind -  Photo by Heather Mull "Amanda reunites with her high school sweetheart Billy  (portrayed with terrific charm and comic timing by Shaun  Cameron Hall), now a postal ca...

Erika Cuenca - Photo by Heather Mull In a review   by Pittsburgh City Paper, Ted Hoover takes a look at our local premiere of A Feminine Ending. He gets right down to the basics and ponders the need for the play. The play is based on the story of young Amanda Blue, an aspiring musician in the man’s world of composing. Amanda is torn between giving up her dreams to marry her almost famous fiancé, Jack.  Her mother, having had to face the same crossroads over twenty years prior, thinks Amanda is choosing the wrong road. As Mr. Hoover points out, it’s been 40 years since the feminist movement inundated society with movies, TV shows, and lots of print. So why is a play about a woman trying to have it all still compelling? Will this same storyline ring true a few decades from now? We would hope the answer is no, that women will be able to find their authentic selves without having to sacrifice a relationship or career. But in the meantime, you’ll find this play to not only be...

Ingrid Sonnichsen and Erika Cuenca Photo by Heather Mull Brian Edward of ‘Burgh Vivant’ sat down with Lonnie The Theater Lad y to discuss the sold out showing of A Feminine Ending at our Off The Wall Theater. Here’s Lonnie’s Top Three Reasons to see the show: Truly a thinking person’s comedy. Lonnie considers the play to be funny, and witty with very tight writing.   The wonderful energy between Amanda, played by Erika Cuenca, and her parents.  To see the set created by award winning Tony Ferrieri. Really genius! 79 doors make up the set. The doors are symbolic of the ins and outs of life, of life changes, mood changes, scene changes, and so on. “Electricity between them and the energy between them [Amanda and her parents] was just electrifying!  So real and so much emotion, but yet so funny.  Truly a thinking person’s comedy.” - Lonnie The Theater Lady There’s still time to catch the show, but only two weekends remain. Click here to learn more an...

Ingrid Sonnichsen and Weston Blakesley – photo by Heather Mull Off the Wall Theater was fortunate to have Tony Ferrieri create our current set. Besides being named Designer of the Year by the Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tony has 35 years’ experience with City Theatre. So what can you expect when you enter through the front door of our theater? More doors! How many doors do you think Tony worked into this intricate set? 10, 20, 30, 50?  Keep going. We’re over halfway to the final count, but not quite there yet!  Keep reading for the answer. If you’re wondering why the focus on doors, you’ll catch yourself chuckling when you hear the line “There used to be doors everywhere. I’ve forgotten what doors look like.” A Feminine Ending, by Sarah Treem, is the story of a female composer trying to make it in a man’s world. As she works to advance her career as a female composer, it seems as there are no open doors; that all possible doors to her dreams ...

Erika Cuenca and   Ingrid Sonnichsen Photo by Heather Mull Do you have unrealized dreams?  Is so, you’re not alone. Come see the hilarious comedy that spans the generations.   A Feminine Ending , by Sarah Treem, is about the crossroads of life’s decisions and following, or not following, your dreams.  Amanda (Erika Cuenca), a young composer in a man’s world, is giving up her dreams in order to be the fiancé of the almost famous Jack, a soon to be music star! Could it be that Amanda’s mother (Ingrid Sonnichsen), when presented with similar life altering decisions at the same tender age, also gave up her dreams?  Is Amanda about to embark on a similar journey, thus repeating her mother’s life?  Enjoy an evening at the theater to find out the inspirational turn of events in the lives of each of these women.   Click here to purchase tickets or learn more. Appealingly outlandish humor.” – The New York Times If you haven’t been to our local Pitts...

Erika Cuenca and Shaun Cameron Hall - Photo by Heather Mull The suitor versus the plague!  What happens when a young woman finds herself putting her dreams on hold to support those of her almost famous fiancé, and is then thrown into the mix of her parents’ struggles AND also happens upon her high school sweetheart? Well, besides setting the stage for some both cantankerous and amusing scenes, the scenario also calls for some deep, heart-wrenching decisions.  The parents want to see their lovely daughter live an extraordinary life, a life that she deserves, but are concerned that she is making the wrong decision. A Feminine Ending , playing through March 15, is the story of Amanda, a young woman with dreams of being a great composer.  When she happens across her high school sweet heart Billy, whom her parents adored and refer to as the suitor, she is already engaged to Jack.  Jack is an aspiring artist with his own manager and big record deal.  Amanda’s ...