off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

By Robyne Parrish - Director I was immediately attracted to The Carols, written by Jennifer Childs and composed by Monica Stephenson. A modern-day Christmas Carol of sorts with a spin, chock full of music that will delight. This musical truly has something for everyone. At the heart of the story we honor family bonds, love, loss, and perhaps most importantly, our military. The men and women who so courageously have given of their time and talents and often their lives throughout history are honored here. The story takes place in a New Jersey VFW in 1944. War is raging on foreign battlefields and the women are left behind. While the community waits for loved ones to return, the annual performance of A Christmas Carol must go on, despite the lack of  men to fill important roles. L-R Kate Toole, Mandie Russak, Moira Quigley Enter our trio of sisters - Moira Quigley as Lilly, Mandie Russack as Rose, and Kate Toole as Sylvia. Next meet their Scrooge-like landlady and friend Miss...

By Monica Stephenson - Composer Last night was the first music rehearsal for Carnegie Stage’s Pittsburgh Premiere of The Carols , a musical that I composed with lyrics and script by Jennifer Childs.  On my way to rehearsal I spotted the first of many holiday street lights sparkling along Carnegie’s Main Street. I had two thoughts.  First, I imagined the city hanging these lights the day after Halloween. Holiday decor seems to go out earlier and earlier every year!  Second, audiences will soon pass these lights on their way to Carnegie Stage to see The Carols . The notion of it filled me with hopefulness, immense pride and excitement to meet the talented, new cast.  Monica Stephenson and Jen Childs, interviewed by  WHYY's Peter Crimmins In March of 2016, Jennifer Childs, 1812 Productions’ Artistic Director, asked me if I might be interested in writing a few harmony numbers for a new play she was developing to be produced that December.  The play ...

Interesting news about theater in Europe  The new theatre season in Germany, especially in Berlin, has started with a lot of highlights. But the big news was that a group of about 100 German theatre activists called Staub zu Glitzer (Dust to Glitter) squatted in the Berlin Volksbühne between 22-26 September 2017. 'We take possession of the theatre and declare it the property of all people.'—Staub zu Glitzer    Read more...

Nov 10 & 11 @ 8:00 pm,   Nov 12 @ 7:00 pm  fireWALL  dance theater three encore performances Stroking Its Ego Back by popular demand - A new work, an exploration of female empowerment, driven by honest, unapologetic, and raw musical sounds. Elisa-Marie Alaio Join Elisa-Marie Alaio and her incredible dancers as they take you on a dark, sexy, alluring, influential journey through egos, self awareness, and power.

Oct. 12, 13 & 14 & 8:00 pm Matinee Oct. 15 3:00 pm Written by and Starring: Anne Stockton Directed by: Austin Pendleton We are welcoming the long-awaited return of writer/actor Anne Stockton and director Austin Pendleton (The Speed Queen), in collaboration once again, to present our season opener. Nikki is being interviewed by a detective in the high level financial firm where she works about the disappearance of two very valuable rings earlier that morning. A witty look at the ways in which we are swept away by the scenarios we imagine for our lives.

The International Centre for Women Playwrights celebrate theatres promoting women playwrights in 50% of their Season! NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, September 20, 2017 The 2017 International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP) 50/50 Applause Awards celebrates gender parity for women playwrights at 58 theatres throughout The United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Tasmania. These 58 recipients will receive the prestigious 2017 50/50 Applause Award, for producing 50% or more plays by women playwrights in their 2016/17 season. The major criteria for the awards in 2017 were that a theatre had to have three or more productions, both male and female playwrights in their season, and at least 50% of the full-length plays and performances must be the work of female playwrights. For the 2016-17 season, approximately 32% of the qualifying theatres are repeat recipients.. Awardees range from community and college theatres to internationally renowned public theatres...

  A dancer, choreographer and former stripper explores sex work in new dance piece  “It really changed who I am as a performer and my comfort with the stage.”   more...

Thu Jul 27th 8:00pm - 9:00pm sex werque is a one-woman show about working as a stripper in Pittsburgh. Choreographer Moriah Ella Mason explores how we perform eroticism and consume intimacy, both in the club and at home. Through theater and dance, she unpacks the world of sex work: the emotional and economic forces, the movement vocabulary, the masks, and the moments of authentic connection. Mason is joined by collaborating sound artist J.F. Winkles, video artist Liz Barentine,  and the voices and expertise of other sex workers.

Summer Chamber Winds at off the WALL Annex (25 W. Main St., Carnegie) Woodwind and brass students of all ability levels will have the opportunity to keep their chops in shape over the summer while performing an exciting variety of chamber music, and can expand their musical boundaries by exploring conducting, arranging, and improvisation.  The class will culminate with a recording session open to friends and family, and all students will receive a souvenir CD of the performance.  Maximum class size: 15 students.  Reserve now! Mondays and Wednesdays, July 3 – Aug 9 (6 weeks) Middle School Session (5th-8th grade): 10:00-11:30am High School Session (9th-12th grade): 1:00-2:30pm $175.00 per student – Early Bird Rate through May 15 (Sign up NOW and SAVE!) $200.00 per student  –  beginning May 16th Sibling Discount – If registering more than one child, save $50 EACH! Emily Cook About the instructor: Emily Cook is a Pittsburgh-based clarinetist and educa...

Director Robyne Parrish talks process for 4.48 Psychosis When Virginia Wall Gruenert approached me with 4.48 Psychosis, I must be honest, I was petrified. I Robyne Parrish was literally scared of the responsibility of it – of the magnitude of the subject matter – the lack of scene delineation and character breakdown and most of all, the dark place it asked the actors to go. I kind of despised the play in a way because it didn’t tell me what to do. There was no clear path. How would we get to this dark place without losing our minds? Without exhausting ourselves daily, perhaps hourly, on a psychological and spiritual basis? I was afraid of what I didn’t know. It so happened that I had begun training at the Double Edge Theatre at around the same time as Psychosis came into my life. Double Edge is an experimental company which creates original theatre through the long-term imaginative work of its ensemble and based on the teachings of Grotowski and his students. DE is nestled in...

Acting Studio – off the WALL at Carnegie Stage     Ages 12-17 ACTING CAMP PHOTO (002)Summer Acting Camp from August 14-19, 2017 Enroll the child in your life TODAY! Camp meets Monday through Friday from 9:00AM-3:00PM. Students will enjoy a whirlwind week of Improvisation, Comedy, Acting and Movement Classes!  The camp week will culminate in TWO showcases for friends and family (Fri. Aug. 18th and Sat. Aug. 19th). Acting Instructor: Robyne Parrish, plus other guest artists to be announced! Summer Acting Camp cost for the week: $250.00 per student – Early Bird Rate through May. 31 (Sign up NOW and SAVE!) $300.00 per student  –  beginning June 1st Sibling Discount – If registering more than one child, save $50 EACH! To take advantage of the sibling discount when registering online, please use the drop down menu below. Two children in family: $100 off total Three children in family: $150 off total Registration begins March 15 and continues throu...

Photo courtesy of  PinzonART Moriah Ella Mason is an interdisciplinary artist, bodyworker, and educator. Mason has performed throughout Pittsburgh with the Pillow Project/the Ellipses Condition, Maree ReMalia | merrygogo, and Mark C. Thompson. Her original movement and performance works have been presented at a variety of venues in Pittsburgh, Tucson, and NYC. Mason is a professional massage therapist with a private practice specializing in treating chronic pain, injury recovery, and trauma. You can follow her work at www.moriahellamason.com

Apr 21-22, 27-29, May 4-6 @ 8:00 pm,  Apr 23 & 30 @ 3:00 pm By Sarah Kane Directed by Robyne Parrish Movement specialist : Moriah Ella Mason With: Siovhan Christensen* Erika Cuenca* Tammy Tsai* In one last act of love to the theater before her untimely death in 1999, playwright Sarah Kane wrote what many consider her greatest play, 4.48 Psychosis.  A subjective story of clinical depression, the audience is given insight into one particular case – a young woman  who stands in the place between life and death. Certain issues are clearly dealt with: whether or not to take medication, the effects and effectiveness of such medication, self-harm, suicide and possible causes of depression. Combined with themes of isolation, dependency, relationships, and love, the result is not just a painfully funny play about one person’s struggle with mental illness, but also one that scratches at the scabs of inadequacy, failure and despair that we all bear at times. I...

By Elisabeth Beck When I sat down to watch The Pink Unicorn , I truly had no idea what to expect. Admittedly, I was skeptical, because I knew that the show centered heavily on the realities of diverse gender identity in today’s world, and when it comes to anything controversial or political, I’m exhausted. It seems that all we hear about these days is that diversity must be implemented, that it must be accepted and embraced, and if we don’t agree with someone’s lifestyle, we’re terrible people. My feelings on most of these subjects boil down to this: if someone wants to live his or her life a certain way, they should be able to do that. I just don’t want to hear about it all the time. I feel that I should be able to say, “That’s not for me, but that’s great for you,” to whatever someone is proposing—and that should be an acceptable answer. But usually it’s not. Amy Landis - Photo: Heather Mull So I wasn’t sure what I was going to watch when I sat down at Carnegie Stage t...