off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

'Ghosts' an anomaly for Off the Wall productions

We’ve all grown up listening to one ghost story or another, before going to bed, around a campfire, or on a late night television show. The message is always the same: there is SOMETHING UNSEEN OUT THERE, and you should be afraid! Of course, some ghost stories are better told than others, so we might shrink back in pure terror at one telling or laugh out loud at the notion of an impotent ghost with that of another. Sarah Silk, Weston Blakesley, Ken Bolden, Virginia Wall Gruenert, Shaun Cameron Hall Photo: Heather Mull While off the WALL’s presentation of Ghosts will not stir pure terror, neither will it invoke laughter. After all, deceit is no laughing matter. Director Simm Landres does a stellar job of collaborating with Virginia Wall Gruenert on her adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 19th century story, one that remains unchanged nearly 150 years later. If nothing else, Ghosts provokes our thinking and brings to the forefront the fallout of secrets that mask adultery, perversion an...

For Simm Landres, it was a no-brainer when off the WALL’s Artistic Director, Virginia (Ginny) Wall Gruenert, asked him to leave his Virginia home long enough to direct her upcoming adaptation of Ghosts. In fact, his initial response to Ginny’s request was “Let me think… YES!” Simm and Ginny’s professional paths first crossed more than 40 years ago, when both were gaining a foothold in New York’s world of theater. When Ghosts opens next week, its audiences will enjoy a never-before-seen adaptation of the 19th century classic. As with many of off the WALL’s productions, Ghosts is a provocative piece. A provocative piece with a purpose, explains Simm. Simm Landres  - Photo by Heather Mull “The small mindedness of society at that time, especially in Norway and other Scandinavian countries, was a thorn in the side of the educated public. Isben despised that hypocritical nature so much that he eventually left Norway.” At the time of its writing, Ghosts shined a light on the hidd...

fireWALL Dance Theater is delighted to offer a new show that’s actually two-solo shows intertwined. Carlotta Storelli (a Swiss native trained in Switzerland, Italy, France, and Spain) and Elisa-Marie Alaio (a New York City native and graduate of Point Park University) perform sets of interweaving dance solos culminating in a continent-bridging, heart-expanding joint performance. Storelli’s solo dance explores the theme of people being estranged from one another, and Alaio’s performance compliments and plays upon this theme of alienation with innovative and provocative insight. Keeping with the idea of bridging continents, Storelli and Alaio titled the show Perspectives (as) in order to connect our English word, perspectives, with the Spanish, perspectivas. Don’t miss this unique dance show! Nowhere else in Pittsburgh Theater will you see two dancers, from two worlds, join together on one stage… to share their perspectives. Purchase your tickets today. FIREWALL DANCE THEATER PR...

Ever notice how weather affects mood? Spring cleaning accompanies the freshness of spring air and the newness of life. Celebration (after the pain of shopping has passed) suits the happy lights and festive holiday gatherings. A melancholy day, on the other hand, calls for a heavy afghan, a warm drink, a comfy couch and a mood-matching, tear-jerker movie. Ghosts - Ken Bolden, Shaun Cameron Hall, Virginia Wall Gruenert Photo: Heather Mull No matter the weather, Ghosts delivers the perfect “rainy day” mood. For some, a rainy day theme might not sound like a pleasant night of entertainment. There are, however, those necessary and challenging themes that must be brought to light, regardless of the weather. Ghosts, an original and insightful adaptation by Virginia Wall Gruenert, delivers a true-to-life visualization of a rainy, cutting day, an atmosphere created by the pounding rain and cold winds of deceit that too often swirl around us. Allow your dignity to be challenged, your se...

Ghosts has a lengthy and lively history, and each adaptation along the way has added character and color. Written in 1882 and first performed a year later in Chicago, the English title, Ghosts, is a takeoff of the Norwegian word, “Gengangere” or “The Ones Who Return.” Over the centuries, Ghosts has been reworked on stages that include New York City, London and Berlin. As recent as 1982, Ghosts ran on Broadway, with film star Kevin Spacey taking a lead role. Even more recently, Ghosts received recognition as one of the great “revival” plays. Applauded today by the creative world, Ghosts evoked a much more negative reaction from the aristocracy, church leadership and the upper crust of 19th century society. The critics saw no intrinsic value in Ibsen’s characterization of their morality. In fact, Russia went so far as to prohibit the play, and nearly every publication of the day published dagger-like reviews, including the following: “As foul and filthy a concoction as has eve...

To appreciate the culture-changing message of Ghosts, it’s important to identify its real-world context. Ghosts was written in 1881, a time when women were finally beginning to gain some support in the battle for equality. For most of history, women were defined by their role in the family, and men were the managers of business and every other facet of society. Women activists began to clamor for change. By that time, a handful of men stepped up to support the women’s movement, and Henrik Ibsen was one of those men. His play, Ghosts, challenged the accepted sentiment that women were obliged to play the hand dealt them in a man’s world, pretending to have no intellectual or emotional awareness of the inequalities that enveloped them. Ibsen challenged these long-held teachings through the voice of Ghosts. Because Ibsen openly addressed cultural taboos, his creative work was viewed as one of the most scandalous messages of its time. Director Simm Landres brings Ghosts to the stage wit...

Mark your calendars because we have not one, but two unique dance performances you won’t want to miss!  Our fireWALL dance theater is absolutely on fire!!  Innovative. Passionate. Young. Dynamic. This dance troupe inhabits every move, bringing emotions to movement that you have to see to believe. Carlotta Storelli In Perspectives (as), America meets Europe as our very own Elisa-Marie Alaio and guest dancer Carlotta Storelli, of Madrid, Spain, alternately perform solos, culminating in a joint performance. Each dancer delivers a different perspective (contemporary versus contemporary with a European touch).  Learn more / purchase tickets. May brings about the world premiere of Admission, an original work by Elisa-Marie Alaio and the fireWALL dance troupe. Admission, in style with what you have come to expect from off the WALL, promises to be both unique and moving.

The history of Ghosts is as rich as the story line is intriguing. Penned in 1881 by Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, the Denmark-published screenplay first reached the stage in the much more progressive city of Chicago. Regardless of its mid-western audience, this world premiere was performed in the Norwegian language. True to off the WALL’s adventuresome spirit, Director Simm Landres has chosen to present an original performance that creatively weaves together the brilliance of three previous, uncredited adaptations. Ghosts slider ticket insertOne factor that differentiates playwright Henrik Ibsen from his contemporaries was his stance as a proud leader of the evolving women’s rights movement in 19th Century Europe. Ibsen scripted Ghosts to confront the hypocritical morality of the day. He challenged the status quo that women were obligated to accept the infidelities of their husbands, along with other unspoken improprieties. To Ibsen, these destructive secrets were rampan...

THE SECRET KEEPERS The innocent secrets of a child are the product of a healthy imagination. Secret hideouts, imaginary friends, superhero powers…what adult wouldn’t love the opportunity to have such a pleasant escape from the burdens of life. Sadly, the secrets pollinated in the adult world are not so innocent. They hide ugly lies and mask painful truths. For a brief moment, the Secret Keeper finds pleasure in harvesting something like the sweetness of honey. When the mask of deceit falls, as it always does, sweetness turns to bitterness. Those same secrets turn to sting the Secret Keeper and those who surround him, often without mercy. Ghosts slider ticket insertOnce again, off the WALL Theater brings to the stage a must see, original adaptation that challenges our thinking. Ghosts, first produced in 1881, was one of the 19th century’s most scandalous productions. It spotlighted what, at that time, were society’s moral taboos. Playwright Henrik Ibsen compares the obligat...