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THEATER – BETTER THAN A BOOK?

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Do you remember the last good book you read… that really good book? Think about what happened when you closed the cover for the final time. How did you feel? Were you a bit sad, your time with those characters just came to an end. No longer would you delve into the depths of their soul. If you like to read, you may have read books that have left you with any of the following thoughts or feelings: UPLIFTED Feeling like you can take on the world, happy for the characters, feeling good about what’s going on in a certain area or even within the world. AWARE In awe that such a terrific or horrific action could take place, whether from an individual, team, workplace, or even from within an entire culture or country. EDUCATED Able to at least in part, understand what others may be experiencing and having a level of empathy, even if you yourself have never experienced that situation, (we’re talking about great books here, not how-to books) TORN You may ask yourself “did that really...

PARITY OR PARODY? PART 1

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The Women’s Lib movement made great strides in the 1970’s, expanding women’s access to a broader array of career choices. Now, in the 21st century, we can point to multitudes of women who have achieved workplace parity with men, stepping in as company executives, managers and business owners. It is no longer unusual for men to report to women, a relatively rare phenomena pre-women’s lib. Though we are approaching parity in some areas, with the level of parity varying within industries, geographic areas, etc., great strides have been made towards achieving parity. Unfortunately, when it comes to equal pay for equal work, we see parody, not parity. Women’s salaries are a “poor imitation” of men’s, when working in comparable positions. This same “parody of gender parity” — or poor imitation of equality — is evident in education, history books and so much more. What about theater? A number of studies reveal that women remain underrepresented in theater, not just in the United States, b...

SISTERLY LOVE? YOU DECIDE!

t’s time to tackle a touch question! What is sisterly love? Some say it’s commitment, some say it’s an undying bond, some say it’s being best friends, and some say it’s about sacrifice and obligation. But can it also be, well… about emotions, fist fights, and all out shocking drama? That’s the case with the sisters in No Name Theater’s production of Brewed, which is premiering in Pittsburgh at off the WALL Theater in Carnegie. The sisters include Paulette – she’s just plain fed up Collette – let’s just say she’s clueless Babette – oh so volatile and crippled Juliette – she does her best to keep things civil, at least for a while Roxette – she’s full of surprises If you think your family has problems, you haven’t seen anything until you meet these sisters! Nothing is off limits as these sisters ‘keep the pot stirred.’  The question of sisterly love just might not be the only thing tackled in this play!! ‘NO NAME PLAYERS’ PRESENTS – A PITTSBURGH THEATER PREMIERE BREWED...

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

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Wondering what we do after our theater season officially ends? You might think that we sit back, relax, and enjoy some time off. Although that sounds delightful, it’s certainly not reality. Not when we’re committed to bringing some of the best that theater has to offer to Pittsburgh Theater and to the Carnegie community. Where better to find out first-hand the latest happenings in the world of theater? Why New York of course! That’s why we scour the streets, read the reviews, talk with the artists, and learn about the new and upcoming playwrights, directors and plays. We’re always searching for the next great production to bring to you! So you can be sure that we’re working our way through the Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway circuits. We’re excited about all the options to consider, and look forward to sharing some of our finds on our stage in the future. off the WALL Performing Arts Center | a Pittsburgh Theater 25 West Main, Carnegie, PA 15106 | 6 miles from downtown Pitts...

A TASTE OF BREWED

Last year ‘No Name Players’ brought you EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL This year they’re bringing to you BREWED Want a taste of BREWED? Below are clips from reviews of past productions of BREWED produced by various theaters around the country, as collected by the playwright himself on his blog site scott t. barsotti: playwright and author “When the first line of a play is “motherf@cker,” you know you’re probably in for a good time. BREWED is a lively production full of everything from ultra violence to the supernatural and even some dark family issues.” ~ New City, John Accrocco “My brother and I sometimes fight, but in the world of BREWED the sisters look like they are auditioning for Fight Club (by the time the play was over there were mangled feet, bloodied noses, and blackened eyes)…BREWED is recommended for its very dark satire and wickedly awesome fight scenes.” ~ Splash Magazine Chicago, Noel Schecter “[C]austic, darkly funny family drama…What does it mean when loyalty among...

LAUGH OUT LOUD! (LOL)

The Harvey WALLbangers are back and they’re back with their best material yet! Think they were funny before, they were just getting started.  So if you’re ready to laugh out loud, and I mean really laugh out loud, not just little lol’s, grab a few of your friends, a date or come alone.  Just be sure to get to off the WALL theater on June 11th, 12th, 13th or 14th. After that, the laugh’s on you! “Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.” ― Anthony Burgess DON’T BE A LONER! COME JOIN IN THE FUN. HERE’S WHAT AUDIENCE MEMBERS HAD TO SAY AFTER THE LAST HARVEY WALLBANGER SHOW. “I laughed so hard I cried!” “I almost wet myself.” “Did you hear me snorting? That was so funny!!” “Oh my gosh! I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard.” “Did you hear that group of women laughing? I was laughing at how hard they were laughing!” “I laughed so much my belly hurts! I bet I’ll be sore tomorrow.” “Ow! I think I pulled my bac...

THE WONDERFUL RUN OF FIREWALL DANCE THEATER’S ‘ADMISSION’

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It’s been a wonderful run! Admission, the most recent fireWALL production on our stage, not only was an amazingly powerful dance performance, it exemplified the very existence of off the WALL (Carnegie Stage) Performing Arts Center! A central theme of our mission is to nurture, challenge, inspire and empower women theater artists, and this production did just that! TO NURTURE, CHALLENGE, INSPIRE AND EMPOWER WOMEN THEATER ARTISTS Promote women in theater and the arts: Six vibrant young women were the stars of Admission. Four were local artists, and two joined us from New York City. Provide a fair wage to working artists: An often unknown, and in some cases overlooked fact, is that theater and dance artists too often work for very low wages or no wages at all. Off the WALL believes that artists are entitled to earn a living wage. Promote empowerment: Female empowerment was the theme of Admission. The act of coming to recognize the frustrations, to overcome inhibitions as one st...