Circle - Pittsburgh Public Theater

ation
Winter 2010/2011
T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F P I T T S B U R G H P U B L I C T H E AT E R
C
Winter
at The
O’Reilly
A legendary
musical and a
surprising
new play start
the year at
The Public.
LERNER & LOEWE’S
amelot
JANUARY 20
through FEBRUARY 20
book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
music by Frederick Loewe
directed by Ted Pappas
Fall in love again with the courage of King
Arthur, the beauty of Guenevere, and the
chivalry of Sir Lancelot. Experience the magic
of a magnificent score by Lerner & Loewe and
the alchemy of a musical staged by Ted Pappas.
PRESENTED BY
MARCH 3
through APRIL 3
by Annie Baker
NEXT
at
The Public!
directed by Jesse Berger
Circle
A Vermont community center is the location
of a Creative Drama Class. As the teacher leads
her adult students through role-play exercises
and acting games, unexpected truths, both
hilarious and touching, are revealed. This
sparkling play landed a spot on The New York
Times “Best of 2009” list and went on the win the
2010 OBIE Award for Best New American Play.
Mirror
Transformation
IN THIS ISSUE
PRESENTED BY
4. 6.
2.
Arthur, a king
for all ages
Lerner & Loewe,
the royal pair that
brought magic to
Broadway
Annie Baker, a new
star dazzling the
American stage
Pittsburgh, PA
Permit #1989
PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER
at the O’Reilly Theater
621 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
PAID
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
2
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC’S CABARET AND MAN OF LAMANCHA
THE KINGDOM OF
Lerner & Loewe
by Ted Pappas
As the centerpiece of its Royal
Season, Pittsburgh Public Theater
is honored to produce a new
incarnation of that most regal of
American musicals, Lerner & Loewe’s
Camelot. The classic story of King
Arthur, Queen Guenevere, and
Sir Lancelot is familiar to everyone
from history lovers to movie buffs;
the legend has been told and re-told
in epic poems, operas, novels, and
feature films. But who were the
talented creators behind the 1960
Broadway musical version of this
epic tale? Who were Lerner & Loewe?
Lerner & Loewe. We run the words together
as if they were one person with one name, so
connected are they in our minds and in the
history of musical theater. But in fact Alan Jay
Lerner, the librettist and lyricist, and Frederick
Loewe, the composer, were two very distinct
artists with wildly disparate biographies and
backgrounds. It was our good fortune that they
joined forces to dream up some of America’s
most popular and enduring Broadway shows.
Loewe was born first, in 1901 or 1904,
depending on the source, in Berlin, Germany.
As the son of a renowned tenor and operetta
star, he was surrounded by music from an early
age and, indeed, was considered a musical
prodigy. By the age of 13 he had performed as
piano soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. In
1924 he moved to Manhattan with his parents,
as his father had been engaged by impresario
David Belasco for a new production. During
rehearsals the elder Loewe suddenly died, and
in order to make ends meet young Loewe took
any job that came along. According to Lerner in
his fascinating memoirs, The Street Where I Live,
“Fritz [Frederick] became at various times a
cowboy, a professional boxer, a pianist in a
German beer garden in New York City, and the
rehearsal pianist for the Broadway production
of Die Fledermaus, called Champagne Sec, starring Kitty Carlisle…” In 1937, Loewe wrote his
first Broadway score, a flop entitled Great Lady.
Frederick Loewe (left) and Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was born in New York City in
1918 to wealthy parents — his father founded
Lerner’s, the chain of women’s clothing stores.
After a series of private schools and expulsions
in America and England, he matriculated at
Harvard University, where he wrote music and
lyrics for the Hasty Pudding show. Returning to
New York, and partially blinded by an accident
in a boxing ring, he became a radio writer, and
created special material for comedian/musician
Victor Borge. He also wrote lyrics for the Lambs
Gambols, an annual show produced by the
Lambs Club, the theatrical social club of which
Loewe was a member. It was in that club in 1942
that they met, quite by accident. Lerner says
that the introduction happened as follows,
occasioned by Loewe getting lost on his way to
the men’s room and stopping by Lerner’s table
in the grill: “He came to my table and sat down.
‘You’re Lerner, aren’t you?’ he asked. I could
not deny it. ‘You write lyrics, don’t you?’ he
continued. ‘I try,’ I replied. ‘Well,’ he said
‘would you like to write with me?’ I immediately
said, ‘Yes.’ And we went to work.”
Thus, in the plainest way, was launched one
of the most glittering musical partnerships in
theatrical history, following in the footsteps of
George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, and
Rodgers & Hammerstein.
Their initial collaboration was an ill-fated
musical entitled Life of the Party. It closed out of
town. Their next show, What’s Up?, debuted on
Broadway in 1943 with George Balanchine
serving as director. It closed after eight weeks.
The Day Before Spring, their ensuing venture,
opened in 1945. It was a well-regarded show,
and deemed an artistic success, but failed to
ignite any interest at the box office and
shuttered after 21 weeks.
AND THEN THEY WROTE BRIGADOON .
The show opened in 1947 and became a
smash hit. Drenched in fantasy and romance, it
had book and lyrics by Lerner, who created a
thrilling counterpoint between the cynicism of
modern city life and the gentleness of the
pastoral world. Loewe’s music was nothing
short of ravishing. Agnes DeMille supplied the
spectacular choreography. The production’s
success established the duo as Broadway superstars. The opening choruses of “Once in the
Highlands” and “Brigadoon” set the miraculous
dream-like quality of the Scottish town that
comes to life for one day every hundred years.
“Waitin’ for My Dearie” expressed the longing a
young woman feels for true love in her life,
while “I’ll Go Home With Bonnie Jean” was an
exuberant celebration of a fellow’s joy on the
eve of his marriage. The songs simply poured
out of the writers: “The Heather on the Hill,”
“Come to Me, Bend to Me,” “There But for You
Go I,” and, of course, “Almost Like Being in
Love” which went on to become a pop standard.
Brigadoon ran for 581 performances and won the
FOR TICKETS CALL
Drama Critics’ Award for Best Musical. In 1954
it was filmed by MGM in a version starring
Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.
For their next undertaking, the team left the
Highlands of Scotland for the 1853 California
gold rush with the 1951 musical Paint Your
Wagon. Again, Lerner would provide an original
libretto. Some found the show somber, lacking
the gaiety of traditional musicals of the period;
but, as with Brigadoon, the product was a
beautiful integration of story, locale, character,
lyrics, and music, creating a world unlike any
ever seen in a Broadway musical. Despite its
relatively brief run of 289 performances, Paint
Your Wagon boasted a plethora of exciting
theater songs, many of which are still
considered Broadway standards, including “I
Talk to the Trees,” “They Call the Wind Maria,”
and “Wand’rin Star.” In 1969 a film version was
released starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin,
and Jean Seberg.
IN 1956, THEY OPENED MY FAIR LADY.
Considered by many theater aficionados and
drama critics to be Broadway’s most perfect
musical, the project came to Lerner & Loewe in
a roundabout way. The offer to transform George
Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion into a musical
comedy had been turned down by everyone
from Nöel Coward to Richard Rodgers & Oscar
Hammerstein. Today, the success of My Fair
Lady seems inevitable, but at the outset it was
a project beleaguered by hurdles: first and
foremost acquiring ironclad rights to Shaw’s
play; then determining how to convert a work
with little or no romance in it, and virtually no
subplot, into a Broadway musical; and finally,
how to cast it. The rights were owned by film
producer Gabriel Pascal (who brought the Leslie
Howard/Wendy Hiller film of Pygmalion to the
screen). Upon his death, both his wife and his
mistress leapt upon his estate, which remained
entangled in the courts for years. Lerner &
412.316.1600 OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
Loewe proceeded with writing the show despite
lacking the rights — they wanted it that badly.
After completing five songs, they arranged to
have Mary Martin, one of Broadway’s reigning
stars, and her husband Richard Halliday, hear
the completed portions of the score, hoping to
lure Martin into taking on the role of Eliza
Doolittle. The reaction was not what the writers
hoped for. Two days after the “audition”
Halliday offered their assessment of the new
show: “Alan, you don’t know what a sad night
that was for Mary and me. Mary walked the floor
half the night saying over and over again, ‘How
could it have happened? How could it have
happened? Richard, those dear boys have lost
their talent.’” (Has there ever been a bigger
blunder and lack of foresight in the annals of
Broadway?)
Stunned, but undeterred, the authors
soldiered on. They used every means and
connection possible to acquire the stage rights,
engaged the brilliant Moss Hart to direct the
new show, and secured the services of 21-yearold Julie Andrews, who had recently made a
splash as the ingénue lead in The Boyfriend, to
play Eliza. They also made the sensational
decision to cast Rex Harrison, a non-singer, in
the leading role of Henry Higgins, shaping the
vocal demands of the character around his
unique sing/speak style. The rest is the stuff of
theatrical legend. My Fair Lady went on to
become the most successful musical in
Broadway history, up until that time, running
for over six years in its original Broadway
version. The work still astonishes with its wit,
beauty, charm, verbal dexterity, precise
character delineation, and its reverential
adherence to Shaw’s great play. It is, quite
simply, a masterpiece based on a masterpiece.
The 1964 film version starring Rex Harrison
and Audrey Hepburn retained the inimitable
spirit of the stage production as well as the
entire score, including “I Could Have Danced
3
All Night,” “On the Street Where You Live,”
and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” It
garnered the Academy Award for Best Picture.
While My Fair Lady was still in out-of-town
tryouts, Lerner was approached by MGM
producer Arthur Freed with a film project called
Gigi, based on Colette’s novella. Despite Loewe’s
disinterest in composing for the screen, the
team agreed to tackle the new musical, with
director Vincente Minnelli at the helm.
Minnelli had directed An American in Paris in
1951, a film which had won for Lerner an
Academy Award for his screenplay. Gigi,
following on the heels of My Fair Lady’s
unprecedented success, only added luster to the
team’s already dazzling reputation as artists and
hit-makers. Set in Paris during the Belle
Epoque, it starred a glamorous international
cast, including Maurice Chevalier, Leslie Caron,
Louis Jourdan, and Hermione Gingold. The film
also featured extraordinary costumes by the
great Cecil Beaton, who performed similar
duties for both the stage and film versions
of My Fair Lady. The delightful score included
“Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “The Night
They Invented Champagne,” “Say a Prayer for
Me Tonight” (originally written for Eliza’s
character in My Fair Lady, and cut), and
the Oscar-winning title song. Gigi went on
to win nine Academy Awards, including Best
Picture of 1958.
NEXT CAME CAMELOT.
The project was daunting for many reasons,
not the least of which was the task of adapting
T.H. White’s 600-page opus, The Once and
Future King, for the stage. The authors had set a
very high bar for themselves with their recent
Broadway and Hollywood successes, but never
ones to shy away from a challenge, they spent 21
months writing the new show before tryouts
began in Toronto in 1960. They wisely brought
together much of their Fair Lady team for the
continued on page 4
Clockwise from left:
Richard Burton and Julie
Andrews from the
original 1960 Broadway
production of Camelot.
Gene Kelly and Cyd
Charisse in the movie
version of Brigadoon.
Poster art from the
Academy Award winning
Best Picture of 1958, Gigi.
Julie Andrews as Eliza
Doolitte in the original
1956 Broadway production
of My Fair Lady.
4
T H E P E R F E C T M U S I C A L F O R T H E E N T I R E FA M I LY
Lerner & Loewe, continued from page 3
latest project, including the estimable Moss
Hart as director, Julie Andrews as Guenevere,
Robert Coote (Fair Lady’s Colonel Pickering)
as Pellinore, choreographer Hanya Holm,
conductor Franz Allers, and scenic designer
Oliver Smith. Their new leading man would be
34-year-old Richard Burton, a Welsh actor who
had already made a name for himself on stage
and screen, but whose most extravagant
biographical chapters still lay ahead. Roddy
McDowell campaigned for the juicy role of
Mordred and was duly cast. The search for the
perfect Lancelot was the most grueling casting
issue, culminating in the discovery of a new face
and voice, that of Robert Goulet.
All original Broadway musicals are rife with
obstacles and challenges, as was the case with
Camelot. The most serious problem was the
heart attack suffered by director Moss Hart
during the Toronto rehearsals. Lerner took over
as the production’s leader, and by all accounts
the show’s stars maintained their poise
throughout, with Andrews going so far as to
serve tea to the company each day, in traditional
British fashion. As the show began its move
towards New York City and Broadway’s Majestic
Theatre (how fitting!), Moss Hart was still
convalescing in Toronto. A new song was added
for Guenevere at the very first New York
preview, the lovely “Before I Gaze at You Again.”
The show officially opened on December 3,
1960. The advance sale was enormous and the
show was playing to appreciative audiences, but
the production was overlong and cumbersome.
Then something almost unheard of in show
business history occurred. Moss Hart returned
to the production three months into the official
run, and with his laser-like dramaturgical
instincts, inspired the authors to re-write the
finished product and improve upon their own
work. Out went “Fie on Goodness” and
Arthur
THROUGH
THE
AGES
by Margie Romero
C amelot
The songs
Act One
I Wonder What the King is
Doing Tonight
The Simple Joys of Maidenhood
Camelot
Follow Me
C’est Moi
The Lusty Month of May
How To Handle a Woman
The Jousts
Before I Gaze At You Again
Act two
Toujours
If Ever I Would Leave You
The Seven Deadly Virtues
What Do the Simple Folk Do?
I Loved You Once In Silence
Guenevere
“Take Me to the Fair” forever, though they
remain as vestigial reminders on the original
cast album which had been recorded months
before. Camelot ran for 873 performances on
Broadway and two years on the road. It was
filmed in 1967 with Richard Harris and Vanessa
Redgrave, and revived on stage in 1980 with
Richard Burton reprising his Tony
Award-winning performance as King Arthur.
Camelot would be the last completely original
musical written for the stage by Lerner &
Loewe. They collaborated on the 1973 film, The
Little Prince, and again on an ill-advised stage
version of their Gigi in 1973. Frederick Loewe
died in 1988, having retired officially many
years before. Lerner, who had previously
collaborated with Kurt Weill on the 1948 musical Love Life, continued working in the theater
after the dissolution of his partnership with
Loewe, creating with various collaborators a
succession of fascinating but ultimately
unsuccessful musicals, including On a Clear
Day, You Can See Forever and Carmelina both with
Burton Lane; Coco starring Katherine Hepburn
with music by Andre Previn; 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue with Leonard Bernstein; and Dance a
Little Closer with Charles Strouse. Alan Jay
Lerner died in 1986.
The Lerner & Loewe legacy lives on, however,
in revivals of their greatest shows, including
Camelot, one of America’s most beloved
musicals. Lerner’s yearning for a world of
enchantment and fantasy combined with
Loewe’s spectacular melodic gifts, gave the
world a series of musical shows harkening back
to times we had almost forgotten. The intelligence and beauty of their works, and, in the
case of Camelot, the deeply moving quality of
the story and the characters, are a gift to all of
us who believe in the magic and majesty
of the theater. P
THE REALM OF CAMELOT IS MAGICAL , a place of enchanted forests, unicorns with silver feet, and
a talking owl. The hero of the kingdom is Arthur, who as a boy was schooled by Merlyn the wizard.
Merlyn taught Arthur by allowing him to become fish, birds, and insects. Later, Arthur would learn
that even more powerful than shapeshifting is the strength of human emotions. Love can take you
soaring but betrayal can make you feel lower than an ant. Arthur became king and a great warrior,
but his burning desire was to create a code of chivalry where knights would use might only for right.
Arthur’s legends have been told since medieval times. The first to write them was Geoffrey of
Monmouth in 1136. Only slightly later, Chretien De Troyes’ five Arthurian romances expressed the
ideals of chivalry and anticipated the modern novel. Around the same time, the enduring tale
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight was penned by an anonymous author.
Sir Thomas Malory, himself a knight, expanded the stories into Le Morte d’Arthur. The book was
published in 1485 by William Caxton, father of the British printing press. In 1856, Lord Tennyson
reinterpreted the tales in his narrative poems, Idylls of the King, using them as allegories for social
conflicts in Britain. Around the same time, composer Richard Wagner based his operas Tristan und
Isolde and Parsifal on Arthurian legends.
As the century turned and the era of motion pictures dawned, Arthur’s adventures leaped from the
page to the screen. Several early films were based on Camelot and its characters, including
Launcelot and Elaine in 1909 and The Quest of the Holy Grail in 1915.
Disney’s animated feature, The Sword in the Stone
In 1939, after rereading his Malory, T.H. White wrote The Sword in the Stone. The book was wellreceived and he continued to produce other volumes of Arthurian tales. In 1958 these were
retooled into the massive tome, The Once and Future King. Alan Jay Lerner used parts of it as
source material for the 1960 musical Camelot and the 1963 animated Disney film, The Sword in
the Stone, was based on other parts. Since then, Hollywood’s interest in the stories hasn’t let up.
Movies have included Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975, Excalibur in 1981, First Knight in
1995, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in 2010. Up next is the 10-part historical drama, Camelot,
scheduled to air on the Starz cable channel later this year. The once and future king, indeed. P
FOR TICKETS CALL
412.316.1600 OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
The cast of Camelot
Dieter Bierbrauer
Sir Dinadan
Greggory Brandt
Sir Sagramore
Joshua Brelsford
Tom
Kimberly Burns
Guenevere
Dustin Butoryak
Tom
Mark Campbell
Sir Lionel
Alex Coleman
Merlyn
Don DiGiulio
Mordred
Zanna Fredland
A Lady
Amanda Frennier
A Lady
Keith Hines
Lancelot
Daisy Hobbs
Nimue
Joe Jackson
A Knight
Christina McCann
A Lady
Joe Paparella
A Knight
Noble Shropshire
Pellinore
Hayden Tee
Arthur
Matthew C. Thompson Theodore Watts
A Knight
Squire Dap
Sarah Ziegler
A Lady
CAMELOT PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
The
Family Fun Pack
TICKET
PRICES
Sunday through
Thursday
evenings and
all matinees:
$40.75, $54.75, $60.75
Friday and
Saturday
evenings:
$45.75, $58.75, $65.75
Students and age
26 and younger
$15.75 (see back cover
for more about
discounts)
Enjoy the magic of
CAMELOT with your family
INCLUDES: 2 adult tickets
& 2 student tickets
PLUS — a guide to the
show, just for families,
and vouchers for four
complimentary soft drinks.
ONLY
$100 PER
PACK
Fun Packs may be customized to fit your
needs. The number of tickets in each package
can vary (a minimum of one student ticket per
package is required). Camelot is recommended
for ages 10 and up.
CALL
412.316.1600 FOR DETAILS.
Valid ID is required for all student tickets. Offer not valid in combination with any other discount or on previously purchased tickets.
Seating subject to availability. Not valid for Saturday evening
performances or for scale 1 seating.
P – Preview
TGIF – Post-show music
a – Brunch Series
O – Opening
SF – Sunday Forum
FOR TICKETS CALL
412.316.1600 OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
TGIF —Friday, January 21
Vocalist Jimmy Sapienza is a local treasure. Whether performing
a Steelers song, the Pittsburgh Polka, or signature tunes such as
“Just a Gigolo/ I Ain’t Got Nobody,” he always gets the joint jumping. On Friday, January 21, Jimmy and his band will swing into The
Public’s main lobby for a post-show performance. Complimentary
coffee from Starbucks and a cash bar will also be available.
5
6
THE PITTSBURGH PREMIERE OF AN ACCLAIMED NEW WORK
Writing for the
Stage
in the
YouTube
Age
In Circle Mirror Transformation, Annie Baker
uses short scenes, spare dialogue, and
physical comedy to tell a story that exceeds
the sum of its parts.
by Margie Romero
A N N I E B A K E R , the 29-year-old writer
of Circle Mirror Transformation, grew up in
Amherst, Massachusetts. She has described
herself as raised by a single mother who worked
full-time, and said she pursued writing and
theater “for no other reason than it was the only
thing that made me happy.”
As a student, looking for a creative outlet in
her small town, she took classes at the local
library. Baker remembers that her classmates
included people from all walks of life — janitors,
retirees, housewives.
Eventually she left these amateur pursuits to
study with the elite professionals in the
Department of Dramatic Writing at New York
University’s Tisch School of the Arts. But she
never forgot her early experiences in the back of
the library. She decided she wanted to write a
portrait — not a satire — of these classes. “To
celebrate all the people who make art together,”
she said. The result is her award-winning play
Circle Mirror Transformation.
CIRCLE
The setting of Circle Mirror Transformation
is an adult Creative Drama class held in a
community center in the fictional town of
Shirley, Vermont. The instructor is Marty —
short for Martha — who also teaches pottery and
jewelry-making. Her students include Schultz,
a newly divorced carpenter; Theresa, who tried
making it as an actor in New York but has
recently returned to Shirley; Lauren, a sullen
teenager who thinks she might want to audition
for an upcoming school play; and James,
Marty’s mellow husband.
Baker has structured her play so we follow all
six weeks of the class. Within each “week” are
several short scenes, many of which show the
group engaging in the role-play exercises and
theater games that are used to teach actors
listening skills and focus.
As Marty balances on a yoga ball, we watch
the classmates sit in a circle and each speak one
word of an evolving sentence. They lie on the
floor and count, pose, pretend to be each other,
hula hoop, and do emotional scenes using
nonsense words.
These little moments in the play are like
watching a video on YouTube — brief, physical,
oddly quirky, and hilarious. Baker’s great
achievement, however, is the cumulative effect.
What sneaks up on us is how much we’ve
learned about these people, and how much we
care about them.
MIRROR
Plays — and playwrights — are often lauded for
their smart, poetic or wise dialogue. Baker’s
accomplishment in Circle Mirror Transformation
is how real her characters sound when they
speak, and maybe more impressively, how
loaded their silences can be.
In her Author’s Note in the script Baker says:
“Without its silences, this play is a satire, and
with its silences it is, hopefully, a strange little
naturalistic meditation on theater and life and
death and the passing of time.”
Her characters mirror the speech and
behaviors that surround us every day in
contemporary America. During break time in
the class, just about everyone reaches for their
cell phone. The gesture is not so much to
connect with someone on the phone as it is to
escape for a second from the people around
them. They search in their backpacks and
drink from their refillable water bottles not out
of need or thirst, but to tune-out and steal a
private moment.
When the classmates do talk to each other,
Baker has nailed the inarticulateness that
pervades society today. No one speaks in
complete sentences. Everyone peppers their
phrases with “like” and “um.” They repeat
themselves and interrupt each other. They sigh.
Feelings emerge in what is not said.
According to Ben Brantley in The New York
Times, “Ms. Baker has as natural an ear for how
people really talk — and shut up — as any
playwright in recent years. She conveys exactly
how inexactly people speak. In Ms. Baker’s
small, vast and meticulously detailed universe,
words are by their very nature inadequate. So
even when people are talking up a storm, you’re
conscious of the void that separates them, filled
with frustrated thoughts and hopes of connection.”
TRANSFORMATION
Undoubtedly, Annie Baker has connected
with both critics and audiences, and this play
has transformed her career. Michael Feingold,
chief theater critic of The Village Voice, described
her as a gifted playwright. The Times’ Brantley
called her a seriously gifted young playwright.
When Circle Mirror Transformation debuted in
2009 at New York’s Playwrights Horizons, it was
extended so many times that it became one
of the longest-running plays in the theater’s
history. That year it was on the Top Ten lists of
The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time Out
New York, then went on to win Off-Broadway’s
highest honor, the 2010 OBIE Award for Best
New American Play.
This spring, Baker will teach a playwriting
course at the University of Rochester. When
she’s up there in front of the class, she’s bound
to remember her own experiences in that
Amherst library. What goes around comes
around. In the most fitting way, the circle will
be complete. P
FOR TICKETS CALL
The cast of Circle
Mirror Transformation
412.316.1600 OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
7
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
TICKET
PRICES
Sunday through
Thursday
evenings and all
matinees:
$30.75, $44.75, $50.75
Lauren Blumenfeld
Lauren
Friday and Saturday
evenings:
$35.75, $48.75, $55.75
Bridget Connors
Marty
Students and age
26 and younger
$15.75 (see back cover
for more about
discounts)
Daina Michelle Griffith
Theresa
Daniel Krell
Schultz
P – Preview
TGIF – Post-show music
a – Brunch Series
O – Opening
SF – Sunday Forum
FOR TICKETS CALL
412.316.1600 OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
TGIF —Friday, March 4
John Shepard
James
Saxophonist Jared Wilson has become a permanent fixture on
the Pittsburgh music scene. Whether playing jazz, blues or R&B, he
and his band never fail to dazzle. On Friday, March 4, Jared and his
group will display their versatility in a post-show set in The Public’s
main lobby. Complimentary coffee from Starbucks and a cash
bar will also be available.
Summer 2011 Youth Classes
Upcoming
Classes at
The O’Reilly
Spring 2011 Adult Classes
Acting Workshop — 2
A lively exploration of the acting process in which
students study character development, voice and
body work, and text analysis in a supportive,
professional environment. Prerequisite: enrollment
in Fall Intro Workshop or permission of instructor.
Monday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
March 14 – May 2, 2011
$275
Playwriting Workshop
In this Playwriting Workshop students will explore
structure, character development, premise,
writing captivating dialogue, making conflict
interesting, writing beyond simple plot points,
and the rewriting process on both short and
longer plays. Whether you are working on a
longer piece or starting something new, the writing
exercises are designed to take your work to the
next level. We will also go over the process of
submitting plays for production consideration
with a focus on writing the synopsis. We will also
discuss the role of the playwright during a
rehearsal/production period and the playwrights’
interaction with the director and actors.
Prerequisite: some previous writing experience.
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
March 16 – May 4, 2011
$275
Acting Workshop: Scene Study (Ages 13 – 17)
This popular two-week workshop focuses on the
actors’ character development, objectives, subtexts,
and scene work. As always, experienced and new
actors are welcome; dedication and enthusiasm are
the only prerequisites.
Monday through Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
June 13– 24, 2011
$300
Introduction to Playwriting and Screenwriting
(Ages 13 – 17)
This three-week introductory course is composed of
intensive writing exercises that illuminate the basic
tenets of playwriting and screenwriting. This course
culminates in a reading of the students’ work by a
company of professional actors.
Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Acting Workshop: Making It Real (Ages 10–12)
How does an actor make it real? How do you make
the audience believe in you? Students are guided
through an exploration of the basic skills of acting
that address these questions. In-class exercises in
improvisation, character development, and movement.
Monday through Friday, 10:00am – 1:00 pm
June 13 – 24, 2011
$250
Acting Workshop: Improvisation (Ages 13 –17)
Students will play theater games and explore a
challenging variety of improvisational exercises that
will help to unleash their natural creativity and
humor. They will learn the skills to perform a show,
which they will do, at the end of the week. Any level
of experience is welcomed.
Monday through Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
June 27 – July 1, 2011
$250
June 20 – July 8, 2011
$250
Acting Workshop: Shakespeare Intensive
(Ages 13 – 17)
Students approach Shakespeare from an actor’s
perspective, using the text and verse to aid in
character development. This class culminates in an
actual performance of one of William Shakespeare’s
works. Experienced and new actors are welcome;
dedication and enthusiasm are the only
prerequisites. Enrollment is limited to a company
of 20 actors.
Monday through Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
July 11 – 29, 2011
$350
Funding for The Public’s Education and Outreach
Programs was provided by a generous grant from the
BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
All classes are held in the O’Reilly Theater,
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s home in the heart of
Downtown’s Cultural District. To enroll, visit
www.ppt.org or call the Education Department at
412.316.8200, ext. 715.
NewYEAR.
NewPLAYS!
h
Fres sty
& Tait!
H
The latest Broadway
hits from two of today’s
hottest playwrights.
G D
of
Knock-Out
Comedy!
CARNAGE
BY
BY
TRACY LETTS
YASMINA REZA
By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of August: Osage County
2009 Tony Award-winner for Best Play
APRIL 14
MAY 26
THROUGH
MAY 15
JUNE 26
DIRECTED BY TED PAPPAS
DIRECTED BY ROB RUGGIERO
FOR TICKETS, CALL
THROUGH
412.316.1600 OR VISIT PPT.ORG
Text INSIDER to WHALE (94253) to become a PUBLIC INSIDER and receive exclusive discounts, special offers & insider updates.
A Royal Couple
Bill and MaryAnn
King have been
ardent Public
Theater supporters
for more than
20 years.
Bill and MaryAnn King
joke that their whole
schedule revolves around The Public. They give
their time, energy and money as members of
the theater’s volunteer Ambassadors group.
They are bringing a group of 50 people to
Camelot in January through their neighborhood’s
annual “Theater Bus Trip.” The Kings hope that
once people experience The Public they will
become hooked like they were.
Bill King has been interested since the first
play he saw at The Public, I’m Getting My Act
Together, in 1980. He grew up in Erie, and
moved to Pittsburgh in 1970. MaryAnn is a
Pittsburgh native who grew up in the North
Side. They met in 1987, and one of their first
dates was The Public’s production of Eugene
O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape. Bill is a retired factory
representative for Ingersoll Rand and Cooper,
and MaryAnn has been practicing dentistry in
the Pittsburgh area for 33 years.
We thank the following
This year marks their 20th season as subscribers
of The Public. Bill and MaryAnn believe the
organization adds a “touch of class” to our city.
They enjoy that Producing Artistic Director,
Ted Pappas, puts so much of himself into every
aspect of the theater. They are impressed that
The Public is run “just like a business and is
run very well, always staying in the black.”
Ritchie Scaife
When asked why they support The Public,
Bill and MaryAnn say that when they realized
the cost of a ticket covers only a portion of
production costs, they wanted to do what they
could to help maintain the theater’s high
standards. They note that, “the more you put
into something, the more you get out of it.”
Groups of 10+ save 30% on tickets.
Contact Becky at 412.316.8200, ext. 704 or rrickard@ppt.org.
$15 single tickets (plus a $.75 per ticket District Fee) are available to
full-time students and age 26 and younger. On Friday and Saturday
nights this rate is available at the Box Office only — no phone orders.
Valid ID is required.
individual sponsors of CAMELOT
for their generous support:
Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation
for Hayden Tee as Arthur
for Kimberly Burns as Guenevere
Michael and Stephanie Bozic
for Keith Hines as Lancelot
Richard P. and Virginia C. Simmons
for F. Wade Russo as Musical Director
Christopher Ryan and Ronald Fernandez
for James Noone’s Scenic Design
Richard E. Rauh
for Alejo Vietti’s Costume Design
Jones Day
for Kirk Bookman’s Lighting Design
To follow Pittsburgh Public Theater
go to twitter.com/PublicTheater
To find us on Facebook go to
facebook.dj/pittsburghpublictheater
O’Reilly Theater, in the heart of the Cultural District
Call
412.316.1600 • Tickets & Info online at PPT.ORG
Visa • AmEx • Mastercard • Discover — all accepted
See preview videos at
youtube.com/PublicTheaterPgh