Pittsburgh is invited to sample a taste of things to come when Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company offers From Page to Stage at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture on February 27, 2010 at 8 p.m.
From Page to Stage serves to introduce (or re-introduce) this groundbreaking theatre company to the public as well as to preview its spring 2010 offerings through staged readings of scenes from VALU-MART, The Ancestor Series and Jitney. PPTCO will present full productions of these shows in March, April and May, respectively. The evening will be emceed by actor Bill Nunn (Do the Right Thing, Spider-Man films), a Pittsburgh native, and includes Lynne Hayes-Freeland, Anji Corley, Vanessa German and Sala Udin.
VALU-MART, by Sean O'Leary (our guest playwright for this season), examines the art of self-preservation. A display case key has gone missing at a mass merchandise department store. Five employees are suspected of taking the key and are detained in a break room for questioning. Humiliated and fearful that they will all be fired if the key and the person responsible are not found, the five employees struggle to find a way out. Their struggle exposes the hopes, fears, aspirations, and resentments that arise from five very different lives.
The Ancestor Series, written by Pittsburgh-born playwright P.J. Gibson, is a trilogy of three works: The Taking Circle, Blood on the Seats, and Weeding. In each play, women call upon their African ancestors to help them make difficult decisions.
Jitney by August Wilson really needs no introduction. Jitney was produced in New York for the first time in spring 2000, winning rave reviews and the accolade of the New York Drama Critics Circle as Best Play of the Year. In its seventh season, The Pittsburgh Playwrights proudly presents Jitney in keeping with its mission of producing each play of Wilson's ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ in the order in which they appeared on Broadway. Jitney features an all-star cast of some of Pittsburgh’s favorite actors, including Sala Udin reprising the role which he originated in the original 1982 Pittsburgh production.
From Page to Stage is presented by the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture on February 27, 2010 at 8 p.m. Admission for From Page to Stage is free, however, a ticket is required. Click here For reservations or call 412-377-7803. Online reservation tickets will be available for pick up at the will call window at the August Wilson Center prior to the performance.