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...

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...

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...

Guest Blogger: Liz Beck, Senior RMU I adore musicals. Brittany Graham, Gavan Pamer - Photo: Heather Mull             I love Les Miserables. I have Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat committed to memory. I know every word of every song from The Lion King. Please, don’t ask me what my favorite soundtrack is—even though it’s probably Evita—because I won’t be able to choose. Musicals provide us with wish fulfillment that’s unmatched by stage plays. There’s just something so damn satisfying about watching people break out into song and dance choreographed routines, and as a rather cynical person, I truly enjoy the happy, shiny endings musicals offer.             Since I love musicals, it makes sense that I loved T he Musical of Musicals (The Musical), the latest venture at Off the Wall Productions . The show takes the basic plot of a gullible woman who owes rent to her crook of a landlord and retells it in the styl...

Robyne Parrish - Director of The Zero Hour Robyne Parrish, director of The Zero Hour, woke up this morning wondering if those reviews were real or if they were just a dream.  Robyne, we have news for you.  Those reviews were real! Here’s a quick recap of a few: “I give the cast and crew high marks for an emotionally moving and intellectually stimulating performance.” Rick D’Loss of The Carnegie Shul “The play was warm, compelling, provocative, very funny with some piercing sadness and exceedingly well done.” Maggie Forbes, Executive Director at Andrew Carnegie Free Library “I find it exhilarating to see theater whose artifice is transparent, as here… Quick costume changes take place on stage. The same person plays many roles. It’s a stunt, in a way, like watching the Cirque de Soleil of acting. But the level of acting here goes beyond virtuosity.”   Arlene Weiner of the Coal Hill Blog "Madeleine George's 2010 play, directed here by Robyne Parrish, mov...

Erika Cuenca and Daina Michelle Griffith – Photo by Heather Mull Earlier this week we posted the review by Rick D'Loss from The Congregation Ahavath Achim, Carnegie. Maggie Forbes, Executive Director at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, also attended the opening night, and this is what she had to say in response to Rick’s blog: “I was blown away by the caliber of what I was calling the “Lesbians and Nazi’s on the No.7 train” play.”  “The play was warm, compelling, provocative, very funny with some piercing sadness and exceedingly well done.” Click here to read the full article and comments.   What will you have to say about the play?  Let us know on Twitter  and Facebook . Last Chance!    Buy Your Tickets Now.  The Zero Hour’s final nights are this Thursday, Friday & Saturday (November 7-9).  Come see two of Pittsburgh’s finest female actors, Erika Cuenca and Daina Michelle Griffith, directed by the brilliant Rob...

“It’s not often that we get a Holocaust themed play in Carnegie. I am probably understating the obvious; we probably have never had a Holocaust themed play in Carnegie!”  Erika Cuenca and Daina Michelle Griffith – Photo by Heather Mull That’s what Rick D’Loss of the The Carnegie Shul had to say about The Zero Hour.  But that’s not all Rick had to say.  Rick delved into the intricacies of the play, the struggles of how to make the Holocaust relevant to 7th graders, especially given that the writer is both a Jew and homosexual, and the challenges of describing the enormity of it all. Rick does a wonderful job capturing the essence of the play: the intertwining of living a lie, the tension that comes with living a lie and the resulting complications when he states  “I especially liked the intertwining of the “living a lie” theme as Rebecca describes a “closet” Jew living with false papers in Berlin, while Rebecca herself is hiding her true life from her mother.”...

Erika Cuenca  and Daina Michelle Griffith - Photo by Heather Mull Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli and Lonnie the Theatre Lady ran into each other at the opening night performance of The Zero Hour.  They got together and ‘dished’ it out on ' BURGH VIVANT , Pittsburgh's Cultural Talk Magazine. They could not say enough about the theater, its mission, the actors, the set or the director. Here’s a what they had to say about each: The Theater: “Something special about that theater…not a bad seat in the house.”   Off The Wall Theater mission:   “Enlivening, educating & entertaining audiences in the Pittsburgh Region …dedicated to women: playwrights, directors, actors.” The actors:   “Beautiful women, their talent is just great!” The Play: “Thought-provoking!”  The play makes you talk afterwards about schoolbooks, the Holocaust, and what it must have been like during the time period. The Set:   “The set was great.”  Mike and Lonnie credite...

Robyne Parrish on her way to rehearsal What does any director hate more than an actor being late for rehearsal? Being late herself!!  It looks like Robyne Parrish, the Director of The Zero Hour, might be late for our final rehearsal. Can the production team and actors handle the final rehearsal themselves? Come find out. The Zero Hour starts playing this Friday, October 25th.   Tickets on sale now . About Robyne Parrish (Director):  This is Ms. Parrish's sixth directing assignment with Off The Wall, following The Mercy Seat, The House of Yes, Shaken & Stirred, Stop Kiss, and Looking for the Pony. She is currently Artistic Director of the Gilbert Theatre in NC where she directed The Fantasticks, Naked, and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.  Parrish mounted Quilters at Children’s Theatre Charlotte in 2012 and spent years in SC, NC and NYC directing at venues like NCSA, Act One Theatre, The Sande Shurin Theatre, Sonnet Repertory Theatre (...

Daina Michelle Griffith & Erika Cuenca - Photo by Heather Mull Lucid!  Comedic!  Unsettling!  Riveting! Provocative!   The Zero Hour , written by Madeleine George and directed by Robyne Parrish, will fascinate you to the end.  Rebecca, a writer, and her chronically unemployed girlfriend O, struggle to overcome the building tension in their lesbian relationship.  Rebecca wants to remain closeted while O is Out .  You won’t be able to help but to become emotionally involved with the characters as these two actors seamlessly transition from one role to another, right before your very eyes. A thoughtful play that is perfect for an intimate Pittsburgh theater experience.   Tickets on sale now . About Erika Cuenca (Rebecca): Erika is so very happy to be back at Off The Wall, working with such an awesome group of people.  Locally, she has also worked with The Pittsburgh Playhouse Repertory Co., City Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Pittsburgh...

Robyne Parrish, known for thinking WAY outside of the box, contemplates the day’s rehearsal.  What is she thinking? I can’t give that away, but given her creative & tenacious energy, you can be sure that the actors will find out at tomorrow’s rehearsal as Robyne pushes the actors to dig deeper than ever as they portray the almost-love story between two women in New York. Come see The Zero Hour at our intimate theater in Carnegie. Tickets available now for shows starting October 25, 2013.  Only 6 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. About Robyne Parrish (Director):  This is Ms. Parrish's sixth directing assignment with Off The Wall, following The Mercy Seat, The House of Yes, Shaken & Stirred, Stop Kiss, and Looking for the Pony. She is currently Artistic Director of the Gilbert Theatre in NC where she directed The Fantasticks, Naked, and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.  Parrish mounted Quilters at Children’s Theatre Charlotte in 2012 an...