off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

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.

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 2015-201...

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 ...

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 up...

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. ...

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 ha...

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...

Summertime is typically the ‘off-season’ for theater. But by now you know we like to do things a little differently. That’s why we’re featuring a special off the WALL summer production!  Beginning August 13 and running through August 16th, “I won’t be in on Monday” will take to our stage for its first set of performances on our stage, or for that matter… anywhere! As part of our In Repertory program, “I won’t be in on Monday” will run again in February of 2016. Poster Monday 790There’s a lot of reasons that make this production of ‘I won’t be in on Monday’ extra special. We’ll start with a few: This first run in August will be a world premier showing. It was written by the returning playwright Anne Stockton, who wrote the successful play ‘The Speed Queen’ that ran on our stage in 2012. We booked this play sight unseen, meaning the play was still in process when we committed to it. Why? Because we know Anne Stockton will deliver and will WOW every member of the audience! W...