off the WALL productions at Carnegie Stage A Pittsburgh Theater

What do we want to be when we grow up?  For us this has become an existential question in more ways than one.   Let''s have a look back at the past five years and then... March 2013    Looking For The Pony  Karen Baum - Cameron Knight A Pittsburgh Theater Regional Premiere Written by: Andrea Lepcio Directed by: Robyne Parrish Starring: Theo Allyn*, Karen Baum*, Daina Michelle Griffith*, Cameron Knight*. Original music by EMay Finalist Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award Finalist for the NEA Outstanding New American Play Award. There once were two children who could see the bright side of any situation. One day, they are put in a room filled with manure. Hours later they are discovered laughing, scooping up the manure, digging underneath. "What on earth are you doing?" the children are asked. With beaming smiles they answer, "All this poop, there has to be a pony in here somewhere." Eloisa is finally ready to leave a lifeless career in fin...

What do we want to be when we grow up?  For us this has become an existential question in more ways than one. off the WALL productions (OTW) was founded July 1, 2007 in Washington County and relocated to Allegheny County in July 2012. Since 2012, OTW has produced and staged 25 productions of either new plays or regional premieres.  We have employed and paid (as per Union contracts) 25 directors and 101 professional actors. In addition, each show employed set, sound/music, lighting and costume designers, plus stagehands and front-of house-personnel, adding another 125 part-time jobs with the employees being paid a living wage of a minimum of $15.00 per hour. This we cannot sustain without your support. Our focus on diversity in theater, especially by supporting female artists, has put us on a very special list; The International Center for Women Playwrights has honored us for five continuous years with the 50/50 Applause Award. More details here But, we are also on anoth...

off the WALL productions closes their 2017-18 season with the regional #theater premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi.  Previously staged by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Evan Linder’s #funny and moving salute to both down-home #decency and a troubled couple living in a see-through shack is a bittersweet story about love, class, race, family, and forgiveness. Brandon Meeks, -Erika Cuenca - Virginia Wall Gruenert All Photos by Heather Mull  - Jim and Laurel Parker are about to become new parents. They are broke. They are loud. They are "proud white trash." When Laurel gives birth to their long overdue child, she and Jim are faced with the biggest challenge of their lives.  Byhalia, Mississippi explores a couple in the midst of turmoil and a town with a racially-charged past that finds its way into the present.  Written by Evan Linder  Directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen  With: Erika Cuenca, Brandon Meeks,  Lamar K. Cheston, Hope Anth...

April 20-21, 26-28 @ 8:00 pm,  April 22 & 29 @ 3:00 pm May 3-5 @ 8:00 pm A Pittsburgh Premiere by Evan Linder Directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen With: Erika Cuenca*, Brandon Meeks*, Lamar K Cheston* Hope Anthony and Virginia Wall Gruenert* How, when, and why do you choose to forgive someone? Jim (Brandon Meeks) and Laurel Parker (Erika Cuenca) are about to become new parents.  They are broke.  They are loud.  They are “proud white trash.” When Laurel gives birth to their long overdue child, she and Jim are faced with the biggest challenge of their lives. Byhalia, Mississippi explores a couple in the midst of turmoil and a town with a racially-charged past that finds its way into the present. “ …an honest-to-goodness play. By that I mean a really good new American drama: something wise, truthful, funny and moving; a piece that other theaters should do; a script that hangs easily with shows by the leading writers of our day and a show that might brin...

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...

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

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....

A New Work July 7-9 & 14-16 & 8:00 pm Beauty. Sex. Power.  Three scenes. Dynamic. Provocative. Effulgent. Choreographed by  Elisa-Marie Alaio                 Original Music by  Reni Monteverde The struggle of feeling comfortable in your skin, wanting to explore your sexual desires and finally being who you are and owning every bit of it. With  Elisa-Marie Alaio, Alexis Bomer, Glenna Clark, Vicki Lynn Mcwilliams, Cammi Nevarez, Jenna Rae Smith. TICKETS - click here

A New Work July 7-9 & 14-16 & 8:00 pm Beauty. Sex. Power.  Three scenes. Dynamic. Provocative. Effulgent. Choreographed by  Elisa-Marie Alaio                 Original Music by  Reni Monteverde The struggle of feeling comfortable in your skin, wanting to explore your sexual desires and finally being who you are and owning every bit of it. With  Elisa-Marie Alaio, Alexis Bomer, Glenna Clark, Vicki Lynn Mcwilliams, Cammi Nevarez, Jenna Rae Smith.

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...

Meet our Associate Artistic Director, Erika Cuenca  Erika graduated from Point Park University in 2002 and first started working at off the WALL as an actor in 2009 when she was cast as Lil’ Bit in Paula Vogel’s play How I Learned to Drive . She was with the OTW team when they moved their performance space from Washington, PA to the current space in Carnegie. In December of 2013, she became a part of the administrative team and continues to work both behind the scenes and on stage to select, cast, and perform in the challenging plays that epitomize off the WALL’s commitment to unique and artistically important works. Meet our Operations & Production Manager, Heidi Nagle   Sara McCown Heidi graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with dual B.A. degrees in Theatre Arts and Communications. She is the Resident Stage Manager for off the WALL Productions, a House Manager at the New Hazlett Theater, and is the Founding Co-Artistic Director of the sketch comedy tr...

What some may consider a risky move, others state is long overdue. Theater and artistic theatrical performances have long been considered a medium for engaging the community in social discourse, but even so, some may feel the upcoming production of KIMONO at CARNEGIE STAGE pushes the envelope. Mark C. Thompson - Kimono It’s important to ask ourselves why this is the case. In what some consider to be an ‘almost anything goes’ society, why is speaking out on behalf of victims potentially seen as pushing the envelope? Why? KIMONO, developed and choreographed by Mark C. Thompson of Pittsburgh, calls out predators for what they are. As noted on the playbill, “ Kimono deals with the subject of predation and victimization in a form that resembles a parable. It aspires to recount a horrible story in an eerily beautiful way, juxtaposing scenes of ugliness with very beautiful ones. ” We think Pittsburgh is ready for this type of social justice. It is our hope that through the bravenes...

Are you looking for something both new and exciting in Pittsburgh Theater? Then the upcoming production KIMONO at CARNEGIE STAGE is one that needs to be on your short list of things to do in Pittsburgh this March. Not only is this production something new to Pittsburgh, it truly is new.  It is a new work developed and choreographed by Mark C. Thompson. Produced by fireWALL dance theater, a division of off the WALL productions , producing a new work is something they not only love to do, it’s right in line with their mission – to bring new works and developments to fruition and to support new artists. In this case, it just so happens all of the artists involved are native to and/or living in Pittsburgh. Exciting. Intense. Stimulating. Moving. Stirring. Yes, KIMONO is all of these. This unique production is the result of a particularly gratifying collaboration between all involved. The three artists on stage are just that…artists. Through movement, they convey a story, a stor...

Have you ever noticed the variety of designs on kimonos? They’re often very bold and embellished and each kimono seems unique. It’s as if each kimono tells a story. In fact, that’s exactly what they do. A kimono can have many designs, and each design can be significant to the person’s life. Even the color is part of the story. Some kimonos are very complex, reflecting the person’s status, wealth and their tastes. The symbolism on kimonos is as varied as the wearers, and may even allude to virtues or specific emotions that individual associates with. Like a kimono that one wears, the upcoming fireWALL Dance production Kimono also tells a story. But not all kimonos are bright and bold. It depends on the story being told. Mark C. Thompson's new production new work, Kimono , is a dark and disturbing movement in parable form. It tells the story of a man who has been victimized. But it also tells the story of transformation. In Kimono , the traumatized man (an artist), begins to rec...

The cultural and entertainment industry is thriving in the Pittsburgh area, and that includes the arts such as theater, dance and cabaret. CARNEGIE STAGE hosts all of these forms of art on our small, intimate stage, as well as sketch comedy performances.  If you enjoy the up-close and personal experience of live theater and haven’t experienced CARNEGIE STAGE, we invite you to join us at one of our upcoming productions .   Our great fortune continues with the renaissance of Carnegie. Sometimes it seems as if new businesses are opening their doors monthly, if not even more frequently. A few of the newest businesses include The Flying Squirrel (ice cream and nostalgia items), Bakn, Ooh La La and Eccentricity Designs. Then there are the businesses that moved in just before Carnegie began gaining so much attention, including Modern Mercantile PGH, More Than Words, and 131 East.  And let’s not forget the businesses whom, no pun intended, weathered storms and floods and hav...

Mother Lode is off the WALL productions upcoming play. There are so many great reasons to see this play that we’ve select the top seven reasons that make this play stand out. This is a world premiere performance and opens on January 28, 2016 at Carnegie Stage, a Pittsburgh Theater. TOP 7 REASONS TO SEE MOTHER LODE Linda Haston - Photo: Heather Mull The Music: Soulful, old style jazz from the 1930’s – you can’t find that at every street corner in Pittsburgh, but you can find it at C arnegie Stage during the performances of Mother Lode. The Life Story of Two Pittsburgh Women: Mother Lode is based on the lives Pittsburgh actor Linda Haston and her mother Ruth and on growing up in the Hill District. It is also about the stages of their mother-daughter relationship, from contention and discord to acceptance. Style: A one woman show, Linda Haston plays the characters of herself and her mother. Enjoy a Great Story:  Ruth is such a great story teller that you’ll be cap...

            Prior to Sunday’s performance of The Harvey WALLbangers’ “We’re Inside You Now,” I had not seen any of their previous performances. After attending, I am grossly disappointed that it’s taken me this long to get on board.             This year’s performance by The Harvey WALLbangers left me wanting more. I’ve always been a sucker for sketch comedy; I watched SNL long before it became cool for kids my age to stay up to watch it. But I think even if I had not been a fan beforehand, I would have enjoyed the performance just as much. The Harvey WALLbangers             “We’re Inside You Now” was presented and paced perfectly. It starts off with the seven WALLbangers introducing themselves and what they like to do in their free time, while generalizations and stereotypes associated with their various activities flashed on the screen behind them. The opening of the show was perfect; it ma...

Perhaps calling our cast outrageously good would be a bit conceited, a little over the edge, perhaps even a little boastful, if we were to say it ourselves. But as fate would have it, we don’t have to, because that is exactly what Ted Hoover of the Pittsburgh City Paper had to say in his review ‘Scared of Sarah at Off the Wall.’ “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES….. THE TAKEAWAY IS THE WORK OF THISOUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD CAST.” Ted Hoover of the Pittsburgh City Paper So who makes up this cast and what is this play about? The play is about the life three individuals. A young married couple finds out they are pregnant. They had not planned for a baby at this time. With inundating student loans, Sam (played by Shaun Cameron Hall) is overwhelmed not only by the worry of managing post-graduate schooling and college loans, but also by the reality of day-to-day expenses of raising a child. Really, how many diapers would they need? Lily (played by Erika Cuenca) quickly works to calm Sam,...

Add caption PITTSBURGH THEATER – OPENING NIGHT: SCARED OF SARAH This holiday season, you’ll likely see all types of families while you’re out and about. Some families may seem filled with holiday cheer, while others may appear stressed. Some may look happy, while others may look sad. When you take the time to compare families, it’s easy to see that every family is unique. What’s not apparent, is that every family unit – and every individual for that matter, whether it’s obvious or not, is at some point struggling with their own issues and challenges. Shaun Cameron Hall and Erika Cuenca – photo by Heather Mull We all have our unique differences and we all have our fears. This is the case with Lily and Sam, an upwardly mobile young couple having the time of their life before having a family. So when Lily finds out she’s pregnant, crisis mode sets in. Sam wonders how they’ll support a baby. They’re not ready yet and they owe more than one hundred thousand dollars in loans. Li...