off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

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...

by Elizabeth Beck - Senior RMU Sarah Silk - Alec Silberblatt Photo: Heather Mull The first thing I thought when the lights came up at the end of the show was: That was an insane amount of words. This may not have been the most articulate thing to say, but ironically, Off the Wall’s latest opening, Lungs, is extremely eloquent. I think the most mind-blowing part of this play is the mastery with which the two actors deliver the dialogue. It’s what keeps Lungs moving along, and in a ninety-minute show with absolutely no stopping and no obvious transitions, this is crucial. The sheer amount of words spoken throughout the play is astounding; the entire time, I was astonished at the fact that Sarah Silk, who beautifully portrays the complicated and endearing woman, had memorized it all. Watching Lungs, I felt as if I were stuck watching an impossibly long, circular argument that seems to be going somewhere—but as audience members, we can never be too sure where that “somewhere” is....

Lungs   by Duncan Macmillan Performances:  Performances:  Dec. 2–3, 8–10, 15–17  @ 8:00 pm,  Matinee Dec. 4 & 11, 2016  @ 3:00 pm Dec. 2–3, 8–10, 15–17   p m A play by British playwright Duncan MacMillan. Directed by Spencer Whale With: Sarah Silk & Alec Silberblatt A bare stage, no scenery, no furniture, no props, no costume changes but infinite possibilities. LUNGS is a smart and funny drama that follows a couple through the surprising lifecycle of their relationship, as they grapple with questions of family and change, hope, betrayal, happenstance, and the terrible pain that you can only cause the people you love. "Duncan Macmillan's distinctive, off-kilter love story is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current. It gives voice to a generation for whom uncertainty is a way of life through two flawed, but deeply human, people who you don't always like but start to feel you might love." ...

By Liz Beck - Senior RMU When I sat down to watch An Accident , I was expecting a heart-wrenching, highly emotional portrait of a couple trying to work through a traumatic event that had left one of them comatose. While the play does involve two people trying to work past a car accident, and their individual faults in it, the show is markedly different from what I thought I was going to watch.             An Accident immerses us in the story of Libby, a sarcastic, complicated and optimistic woman confined to a bed after being run over by a car. We also meet Anton, the kind, passionate and very guilty man who hit her. Libby awakens after an undetermined time to find she has almost no ability to move her body, and it is unclear whether or not she will regain control. Anton has been visiting her, seemingly out of remorse, and although at first Libby is bitter and guarded, the two gradually warm up to each other.           ...

ICWP - International Centre for Women Playwrights - Sep  15, 2016 Dear 2016 50/50 Applause Award Recipients, We are thrilled that you are a recipient for our 5th anniversary of the ICWP 50/50 Applause Awards! Congratulations! Your theatre is part of a list of 107 theatres in 10 countries and 5 continents, breaking records on all fronts for this award. You are in company with theatres from Australia, Canada, England, Italy, Kenya, Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States, including its Puerto Rico territory. The full list and our press release may be viewed by clicking this link: http://www.womenplaywrights.org/award Elana Gartner Kris Bauske Deborah Magid Co-Chairs, ICWP 50/50 Applause Awards awards@womenplaywrights.org International Centre for Women Playwrights www.womenplaywrights.org

Guest Blogger: Liz Beck - Senior RMU This is why we can’t have nice things!             It’s a phrase I’ve used many times. Usually, I say it when I’ve embarrassed myself. Other times, I’ve said it in a fit of desperation, after I’ve just seen someone of my own generation doing or saying something incredibly stupid on the Internet. We can’t have nice things because this guy is an asshole. We can’t have nice things because, once again, the Millenials have taken man buns to an unprecedented extreme. We can’t have nice things because one guy thought it was okay to run for president and, well, here we are.             Like I said, I’m a big fan of this phrase. So when I heard that this was the title of the latest venture at Off the Wall Theatre singularly starring Heidi Nagle, I was both extremely curious and excited. Finally, someone was going to dive into the same phenomeno...

After staging the  in-repertory production of the World Premiere of Mother Lode by Artistic Director Virginia Wall Gruenert (Shaken & Stirred, Without Ruth) in January of 2016, off the WALL productions now is presenting the third and final run. The often contentious relationships between mothers and daughters will no doubt keep therapists in business for years to come, but there is no denying the deep bond that exists between them.  Mother Lode tells the story of Pittsburgh actor Linda Haston’s mother, Ruth, a force of nature who leaves Jim Crow Alabama as a teen to work and raise her family in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.  This one-woman show deals with the end-of-life decisions that must be made by dutiful daughters, as well as the discord, conciliation, warfare, and ultimate acceptance between strong, independent women bound by love and family. Written by Virginia Wall Gruenert Directed by Virginia Wall Gruenert and Spencer Whale Starring Linda ...