off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

See the Best of the Best! Pittsburgh New Works Theater Festival Highlights Local Talent and Talent from Afar. Over the last several months, hundreds plays, all original works, were submitted by playwrights from near and far. Of those, a select 18 were chosen for production . Those 18 were whittled down even more to a selection of 12 original plays to be performed on stage. CARNEGIE STAGE , conveniently located six miles from downtown Pittsburgh, will provide the stage for the selected winners to showcase their original one-act productions. Three plays will performed on each of the selected dates during the month of September. Click here for an overview of the ticketing packages.  Click here to purchase tickets or to view dates, times and ticket prices. Keep scrolling for an overview of each program. Pittsburgh New Works Festival #PNWF *****Program A***** Prodigal Returns - by Garry Kluger - La Crescenta, CA – produced by CCAC South Empty Plots  by Chris G

The Pittsburgh New Works Festival kicks off their 25th year in just a few days. Hundreds of playwrights have submitted original works, hoping to be selected as one of the 12 featured plays to be performed on stage during the festival. It’s an exciting time for theater in Pittsburgh, and we hope you’ll attend one or all of the performances. We’re so excited, that we’ve shared the top three reasons for attending the festival. The #3 reason to attend the Pittsburgh New Works Festival The #3 reason to attend the Pittsburgh New Works Festival is to dare to do something you have not done before . There’s a reason psychologists, neurologists and wellness advocates encourage new activities. Participating in new and mentally stimulating activities preserve cognitive skills and boost brain power. And it’s good for your health. ( And if are a returning attendee, you’ll still boost your brain power too! ) The #2 reason to attend the Pittsburgh New Works Festival Live theater is more engag

"There’s a story inside all of us.” That’s the motto of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival and we couldn’t agree more. Our team here at off the WALL productions is committed to “enrich enliven, educate, amaze and entertain our audiences.” When selecting plays to produce, we look at many factors. One of the most important factors is that the play tells a story, a story that reflects the challenges and nuances of real life. A story that reflects the trials and tribulations that real people deal with. A story that needs to be heard. A story that can change perspectives. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival “is dedicated to fostering the development of original one-act plays.” Each September, 18 plays are selected from hundreds of submissions. Six of the plays are read on stage in special reading performances in August. The remaining twelve plays are performed on stage. This year, all Pittsburgh New Works Festival performances will be held on CARNEGIE STAGE. We believe it is impor

There’s a lot happening at off the WALL!  As of July of 2015, Hans and Virginia Wall Gruenert, co-founders of off the WALL Performing Arts Center, have donated the building at 25 W. Main St., Carnegie to the off the WALL Charitable Trust. The not-for-profit venue will be renamed Carnegie Stage, as their nod to a supportive community.  The anchor tenants will continue to be off the WALL Productions, whose main theater season is October to May, fireWALL dance theater with two new works annually and the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Season nine of “alternative theater for grownups” includes great plays, bold choices, and talented artists.  off the WALL Productions is excited to announce its 2015-16 season, featuring two World premieres and one Pittsburgh premiere in the Acting Company’s four-play program, including repertory theater. Not only will you see many established ensemble members on stage, but also several exciting artists new to off the WALL. Our 2015-2016  on-line Sea

It’s no secret off the WALL Productions is a huge advocate for women playwrights. It’s a busy world we live in, and sometimes we fail to question the obvious as we go about our day-to-day lives. We accept ‘things’ for what they are. ‘Things’ become so ingrained within a culture that few bother to think about them, let alone ponder or question the reasoning behind the current status or possible solutions for change. And we get that. If you’ve been to our theater, you know we like to select productions that tell a meaningful story, productions they may in their own small way allow you to see life through the eyes of another. Another perspective per say. So when it comes to hearing the voices of women, we 100% support parity in theater. Parity as applied to playwrights would mean that 50% of the time, the audience is hearing the voice of a female playwright, and 50% of the time that of a male playwright. As it is, just one in five plays currently produced around the country are written

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, The Show Must Go On! When it comes to live theater, this is a common mantra. Actors, directors and crew commonly work through challenges, life struggles, illness and injuries that would have most of us calling off work without hesitation. But on occasion, there is that life event or illness that dictates otherwise. As it so happens, this can be the case even in the midst of accomplishing a lifetime dream. It is therefore with great regret that we must announce the postponement of our opening show of the season, I won’t be in on Monday by Anne Stockton. Poster Monday 750Ms. Stockton is both the playwright and the star of I won’t be in on Monday. Due to illness in Ms. Stockton’s family, the show is being postponed until January. Tentative dates are January 28th to January 30th. This production is part of our In Repertory program, meaning that the show will run on multiple occasions. So if January does not fit your schedule, you’ll have another opp

So you want to go to the theater? What is the first place that comes to mind when you think of this question? We’d like to think that it’s off the WALL Productions at Carnegie Stage; but if you have yet to attend a play at our stage, formerly off the WALL Theater, we understand if our theater was not your first answer. If your first answer was the Pittsburgh Cultural District, while it can be a wonderful experience to attend an event downtown Pittsburgh, you might be surprised to know that Carnegie boasts a professional theater.  Here are a few other tidbits of interest: The vast majority of our actors are professional actors, members of Actors Equity. It’s what they do for a living and they are passionate about delivering a memorable experience. We were one of only sixty-seven theaters in the world to receive the ICWP 2014 50/50 Applause Award, which recognizes theaters that produce 50% or more of women playwrights in their season. It is common for performances on our stage to b

When you read the headlines in today’s newspapers, you hear quite often “A suspect has been charged in robbery, murder or kidnapping.” What is your first thought? Guilty, Guilty, Guilty! Sounds a bit prejudice or narrow minded without sorting thru all the facts and making an unbiased decision, doesn’t it? Think about the person charged. Can you imagine the mind games and pressure that individual would be subject to in order for an admission of guilt? One would need to stay focused and keep from admitting anything that could be used against them? What if you were guilty of the crime charged against you… would you use the same determination and conviction in order to persuade your peers to believe you enough to drop those charges?  What if you were innocent… would the story look much different to the observer? Poster Monday 750If you stop, think and consider the facts and possibilities, I guess it’s not as easy as just hearing the headlines and making a decision… is it? In our upcomi

Anne Stockton You could say that actor/playwright Anne Stockon has just the right background and experience to brainstorm our upcoming production, ‘I won’t be in on Monday.’ Why? Besides being an actor and playwright, Anne is also a practicing psychiatrist and an Actor Trainer. As an Actor Trainer, she helps the officers in the New York City Police Department’s Hostage Negotiation team train for their job. She does this by acting the part of mentally ill individuals in real life scenarios. Her skills as an actor, along with her background as a psychiatrist, is the perfect combination to provide these officers with the situational effects necessary to help them handle the situations they will encounter on the job. So you can imagine the foresight Anne brings to her new play ‘I won’t be in on Monday.’ Starring in the play, Anne uses her finesse and experience to act the part of Nikki, a love-struck young woman thrown into the throngs of a police investigation regarding the theft

Austin Pendleton -  2010-Thatcher-Keats Carnegie may be a small town, but we’re bringing in big talent!  In this prior blog post, we asked which actor Austin Pendleton, director of our upcoming production of Anne Stockton’s I wont be in on Monday, directed: Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, or Jane Fonda?  Well, the answer is… Elizabeth Taylor.  If that isn’t impressive enough, we’ve compiled a quick glance at some of the film work he’s been involved with as well as some of the actors. A SAMPLING OF MOVIES AND TV PERFORMANCES A Beautiful Mind     Finding Nemo     One Life to Live     My Cousin Vinny     Game Change    Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps     Law & Order: Criminal Intent    Christmas with the Kranks     Touched by an Angel     Wishcraft     Oz     The West Wing     Trial and Error     The Associate     Mr. & Mrs. Bridge     Miami Vice     Talk to Me     My Boyfriend’s Back     Searching for Bobby Fischer Home for the Holidays  A SAMPLING OF ACTORS WORKED WITH

You may read the above title and scratch your head.  What does a Christmas present have to do with the month of August?  Well, let me explain.  Did you ever notice the look on children’s faces when they open a Christmas gift? It’s priceless isn’t it? The smile on their faces, the sparkle in their eyes, the numerous hugs of thanks and an overall feeling of awe! Well, sometimes that’s how I feel when I walk into our theater.  As I enter, I sometimes look around, pondering our journey to bring this theater to life.  I see all the pictures of the actors and directors displayed on our wall and I am just amazed. I smile when I think of all the hard work and dedication they put in to prepare for the shows so that our audiences leave in awe. I get a glimmer in my eyes when a performance ends, and the audience not only applauds for the talented actors who just performed before them, but stands unanimously in appreciation – a standing ovation! I am thankful that we have been able to help bri

Have you ever felt the after effects of your past, even if they are but a memory to you? It may seem that merely being with people from your past surfaces the ‘old’ you. Not convinced, attend a high school reunion and you’ll likely be convinced otherwise. But what if you’re dealing with a current or ongoing issue? Can the actions of others result in a cause and effect? Can you control your own destiny when others ‘know’ of your troubled past? Anne Stockton’s world premiere of I won’t be in on Monday gives a hysterical, witty look at the dynamics of relationships around a troubled past. In this play, Nikki, played by the playwright herself, is thrilled about her upcoming adventure with her new love of her life. But just as she’s finalizing the plans, she is accused of stealing two very expensive rings, and things just seem to go from bad to worse as she tries to talk her way out of the accusations. You don’t want to miss the outcome of this comedic, provocative play directed by Aust

This is such an exciting time of year for our actors, stagehands and crew. In less than one week, we’ll be opening the curtain on our stage for the first production of the season. Always striving to entertain our audiences with amazing plays, we’ve put together a line-up of plays that will touch your heart, make you laugh, and maybe even shed a tear or two. We hope you’re as excited as us!  You can take a peek of the upcoming season highlights by simply clicking here to ‘flip’ through our online brochure. You’ll get a glimpse of all our upcoming shows, season subscription packages and discount options. There’s something for everyone! 2015-16 THEATER SEASON ONLINE MAGAZINE PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS Season opens August 13th with ‘I won’t be in on Monday‘ A world premiere by Anne Stockton. Directed by Austin Pendleton. CARNEGIE STAGE | a Pittsburgh Theater 25 West Main, Carnegie, PA 15106 | 6 miles from downtown Pitts

With over 75 film credits and numerous television appearances to his name, this actor/director/playwright/teacher was born in Warren, OH. He received his education at Yale University’s School of Drama, teaches at the HB Studio, and has directed at The New School, both in Greenwich Village. His performance as Motel in the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof resulted in his first critical acclaim. He most recently directed Peter Sarsgaard in the Off Broadway production of Hamlet. His work in between the two would fill volumes. He received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance and an OBIE Award in 2007 for his appearance in The Last Sweet Days of Isaac. In 2007, he also received a Drama Desk Special Award for Renaissance Man of the American Theatre. In 2011, he received an OBIE Award for Direction for Three Sisters. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for The Little Foxes. And the list goes on… This individual will be directing our upcoming special summer theater