off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

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

Fact:Across the world, women remain underrepresented in theatre. A recap of a previous blog tells us that, as recent as 2014, women represent only 17% of all playwrights. As with most ingrained cultural practices, change doesn’t come easily. Achieving true gender parity will require a concerted effort across the entire theatre universe. Rita Anderson, an award-winning Texas playwright, in a recent article posted on tcgcircle.com recommends a push from the theatre world to achieve “50/50 by 2020.” Martha Richards, in an article for American Theater, shared a series of steps that she believes will help to eliminate the “parody of gender parity,” that poor imitation of equality. She outlines the following: Build alliances with other social justice groups. Work with women in other art forms. Teach and produce plays by women. Work with the unions to help prevent unfair labor practices. Educate political candidates about the need to increase arts funding. off the WALL Theater is ...

What does it mean to be a woman? Is it all about being sexy? Is it about being intelligent? Is it about fireWALL dance being sensual? Maybe it’s none of these, yet all of these. Admission, written and choreographed by Elisa-Marie Alaio, explores the art of being a woman. That’s right, the ‘art’ of being a woman. What does female empowerment mean? How is it achieved? At times, women may seem to be bent on comparing themselves with other women, and perhaps even at odds with one another. So how can women simultaneously lift each other up, even through the hardest of times? How can a woman be true to herself, yet be a part of a larger sisterhood? How can admitting individual weaknesses lead to a stronger bond with other women? How? This is part of the mysteriousness of women, the art of creating a bond through all the differences and challenges in life. It is also a force behind female empowerment. Admission is the creative, energetic exploration of this empowerment as presented by th...

Be sure to catch the world premiere of the newest production at our theater. Admission , it’s is all about the sisterhood! Every woman is unique, but every woman is part of something larger – the sisterhood. Through creative choreographing and movement, Elisa-Marie Alaio and the fireWALL dancers emote the power to behold when women come together and support each other; the power of literally lifting each other up. Then, and only then, can women truly meet their full potential.  These creative work of art is sure to resonate with you. “SISTERHOOD” Grace & Sara Cohen There is space within sisterhood for likeness and difference, for the subtle differences that challenge and delight… Christine Downing Fun Tidbit: Within this sisterhood is a real ‘sister act’ – Grace and Sara Cohen are visiting artists from New York. Be sure to visit their profiles along those of all our dancers below. We are thrilled to have Grace & Sara join us for the world premiere of this dan...

A World Premiere May 29 – 30 @ 8:00 pm, May 31 @ 3:00 pm, June 4 – 6 @ 8:00 pm The dynamic fireWALL dance theater returns with Admission, a celebration of female empowerment. In a world full of all-boys’ clubs, glass ceilings, and disproportionate salaries, six women embark on separate journeys to overcome their obstacles, and ultimately discover that there is strength to be had in the sisterhood. our fireWALL dancers: Elisa-Marie Alaio Glenna Clark Grace Cohen Sara Cohen Cammi Nevarez Jenna Rae Smith Choreography by Elisa-Marie Alaio Original music by Ryan McMasters

Admission (\əd-ˈmi-shən, ad-\) – the act of admitting or allowing something; a statement or action by which someone admits a weakness or fault; the right or permission to enter a place. This is the Merriam-Webster definition of admission. Elisa-Marie Alaio’s newest dance show Admission portrays these meanings, and so much more. fireWALL dance theater - Photo by Grace Cohen Admission is an energetic dance production that explores the various facets of womanhood. Interpreting aspects ranging from the mysteriousness to the emotional to the chaotic ‘order’ that at times permeates our lives, along with the need to both challenge and support one another, Elisa-Marie brings a depth of thoughtful representation to the myriads of women. Only when we admit our flaws and weaknesses to ourselves, are we truly able to accept the helping hand of others, to allow others to support us through our ups and downs. Through dance, Admission demonstrates the intense power of lifting each other up. A...

Admission, our current dance production conceived and choreographed by Elisa-Marie Alaio, promises to be another success for our talented fireWALL dance troupe. Based on the theme of women empowerment, Admission explores the battles that women face, the spirit of women lifting one another up, and both the similarities and the uniqueness of women. fireWALL dance theater- Photo by Grace Cohen But success doesn’t come easy. The dancers have been hard at work for months. So how does “My Journey of Four Counts of Eight” come into play? Having sat in various rehearsals, these few words sum up the dancers’ dedication to perfection. For every small segment, the dancers will work, rework, collaborate and rework that segment again until it perfectly represents their vision. My Journey of Four Counts of Eight During one particular rehearsal, the dancers worked 32 counts (four counts of eight) over and over to get it ‘just right’ – so “My Journey of Four Counts of Eight” represents One,...

fireWALL Dance Theater will once again be performing a world premiere under the direction of Elisa-Marie Alaio.  We took a few moments to learn about Elisa-Marie’s newest work, Admission.  This is Elisa-Marie’s second original show which she personally conceived and produced. Her first was the well received On The Rox, performed in May of 2014. She also produced the dance production Uproar, which loosely paralleled and ran simultaneously to our off the WALL Production OR,. Elisa-Marie Alaio - Photo:by Grace Cohen ELISA-MARIE ALAIO SHARES HER PERSPECTIVE ON “ADMISSION”   Admission is about 6 strong, fierce and intense women facing individual self battles. Together these women unite and become one powerful force ready to take over any challenge thrown their way. We are constantly being compared to one another but in reality, we are more alike than we realize. All the dancers are dressed in simplistic black business suits keeping our look very clean and sharp with...