off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

Consider yourself personally invited to one of our finest, most emotionally riveting plays of the Amy Landis - F.J. Hartland season, The Whale! With only 10 performances, you’ll want to be sure to catch this production of Samuel D. Hunter’s successful Off-Broadway play before the season ends. Filled with compassion and entertainingly funny, this big-hearted play will capture your heart. Charlie, a recluse and lonely six-hundred pound man, struggles with more than his life-threatening weight. He longs to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. Having a lifetime of hurt, his daughter is not so quick to forgive and forget. Join us to see if Charlie’s enabling nurse will remain his only and closest friend, or if he is able to capture the heart of his daughter before it is too late. “ A deeply affecting and piercingly amusing play about guilt and connection… Hunter has given all of these funny-sad lost souls details that emerge bit by bit and twist and expand the story in ...

Is it time to take the first step forward to mend a broken relationship in your life? Most people, Abby Quatro- Dana Hardy - F.J. Hartland whether they like to admit or not, do not have a perfect relationship with every member of their family and/or circle of close friends. Sometimes the issues at hand are minor. But sometimes the hurt is deep and the relationships are on the verge of breaking or have already broken. And sometimes, time is of the essence. That is the case in our current production, The Whale. The Whale is the story of a 600-pound man who is estranged from his teenage daughter. Sensing his own immortality, and carrying the guilt of having left his wife and then 2-year old daughter fifteen years ago to live his genuine life as a gay man, he now finds himself craving a mended relationship with his daughter. But what if time doesn’t heal all things? Can a broken relationship be restored after years of estrangement? Come join us on this man’s journey as he takes t...

After 16 years, what would you do if the father you never really knew tried to reconnect with you, to Abby Quatro share the love with you that you never experienced? Would it be possible to have compassion and forgive the man who walked out on you and your mom? As a teenager, do you owe your father the right to come back into your life? This month, off the WALL is featuring The Whale, a journey of a 600-pound man looking back on his life and trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Having left his wife and two-year-old daughter to live his genuine life as a gay man, are the scars too deep to reconnect after 15 years? Or will time have soothed the wounds, setting the path for reconciliation and compassion? Like life, this play is bursting with questions. Questions about empathy, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Questions about life itself.  Filled with guilt wrenching emotion and appropriately placed humor, this play explores a man’s last chance for healing and the...

What would you do if you thought you only had a little time left to live, and suddenly realized that your life is full of regrets? You can’t go back and undo or change the choices you’ve made. Would you live out your remaining days differently? off the WALL presents The Whale, a story of a 600-pound man, Charlie. Charlie has lived a large part of his life with guilt, which has led him down the path of regret and despair. His only remaining friend, his nurse, is an enabler for his current situation. Facing years of lost time that cannot be reclaimed and the legacy of his only daughter hating him, Charlie is at a decision point. Will he live out his life alone, or will he muster the strength and courage to rebuild lost relationships? Come along and join us through Charlie’s journey of broken relationships, despair, hope and reconciliation. Hilariously funny at times, this play will have you thinking about your own life.  You might even live out your remaining days with a differen...

Pittsburgh Owl Scribe: Big Easy Vibe at Off the Wall : John Gresh's Gris-Gris band to Play at Off the Wall Theater     Mardi Gras may be long gone, but the New Orleans vibe is still aliv...

We are thrilled to announce that Linda Haston will be directing The Whale, our fourth and final production of the 2014-15 theater season. She brings a vibrant energy and years of experience to the stage. A true professional at heart, Linda is a member of the Actors Equity Association, a teaching artist, an actor and a director. Linda has been involved with off the WALL Theater for many years. Besides acting in The Club, Stop Kiss, Without Ruth, and most recently Well, she has also directed the following productions at our theater: Straightening Combs Season’s Greetings…! And Baby Makes Seven The Club Four Dogs and a Bone How I Learned to Drive Always having the community in mind, Linda was actively involved in helping to institute the Heinz Endowment Culturally Responsive Arts in Education (CRAE) Program for five public schools in the Pittsburgh area. This amazing program teaches leadership skills and appreciation of the arts to students while simultaneously promoting a positi...

What do you think of when you think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Beads, alcohol, parties, a good time, and last, but not least, music. If you’ve ever been to Mardi Gras, you’ve personally experienced the distinctive sounds of New Orleans. If not (or if it’s been a while), come to off the WALL this Friday where you can experience Pittsburgh’s own New Orleans jazz and blues style music. John Gresh’s Gris-Gris Band will be performing during our cabaret party. That’s right – party. Join in the fun and dance, sing and revel in the sounds of Mardi Gras! The John Gresh’s Gris-Gris Band members are regulars at NOLA on the Square, where they add to the already soulful vibe.  Kenny Blake, saxophone extraordinaire, will be joining the band on stage as a special guest. John Gresh’s Gris Gris: Bob Peckman on Drums, Vocals Mike Sweeney on Bass and Gang Vocals John Gresh on piano, Vocals with Special Guest Kenny Blake on saxophone Visit their Facebook page The Big Easy Hits Pittsburgh...

We hear this all too often.  It’s your last chance for success, last chance workout, last chance this, last chance that.  Rarely is something TRULY your last chance; but sometimes, when life weaves its patterns together in all the wrong ways, it really is your last chance. This is the story of The Whale. A six-hundred pound man, lonely, recluse and eating himself to death is up against his absolute last chance.  Everything hinges on his success.  His estranged relationship with his daughter, his future, and even his life. This play was selected not only because it was extremely well received Off-Broadway, but because it is simultaneously both hilariously funny & extremely sad. Grab your tissues, bring a friend and join us as we follow along the journey of one man as he works to reclaim his life. On a lighter note, this is the 4th and final off the WALL Production for the 2014-15 season.  So as far as our full-production plays go, The Whale is ...

Have we got the treat for you!!  It’s time to get your soul on. We’re bringing the Pittsburgh version of the Big Easy right here to our stage. Join us Friday, April 10th at 8 PM for a ONE NIGHT ONLY party featuring John Gresh’s Gris Gris, a New Orleans Style Jazz and Blues Band. This cabaret show, as always, promises to be a lot of fun. But never will the stage have felt so much like a  night club.  We invite you to come and enjoy yourselves. Dance. Sing. Have a great time! Pittsburgh TheaterAnd we have a special guest: Kenny Blake will join the band on saxophone. John Gresh’s Gris Gris: Bob Peckman on Drums, Vocals Mike Sweeney on Bass and Gang Vocals John Gresh on piano, Vocals with Special Guest Kenny Blake on saxophone Visit their Facebook page CABARET LIVE The Big Easy Hits Pittsburgh Live! April 10th 8 PM

Artistic Director Virginia Wall Gruenert hand selects each play for off the WALL Productions. When she came across the well-received reviews of Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale in the New York Times and read about the script from Playwright Horizons, an Off-Broadway Theater in New York, she had to investigate and learn about the play. She immediately fell in love with the script! A read through of the script resonated for many reasons. The juxtaposition of being simultaneously hilariously funny and extremely sad is captivating in and of itself. Add to that the actual storyline; and the play definitively fit our mold for being a thought-provoking story that will bring new meaning and dimension to the day-to-day perspective of our audience members. The Whale tells the story of Charlie, a 600-pound man facing his last chance. With failing health, the inability to care for himself and the loneliness of his only friend being his nurse, who further enables him with his self-destructive habit...