Tunnel Vision - A Pittsburgh Theater and World Premiere

October 2015

A World Premiere

By Andrea Lepcio

Directed by Melissa Maxwell

Featuring: Lisa Ann Goldsmith*, Elizabeth Ruelas*
 

off the WALL celebrates the return of playwright Andrea Lepcio (LOOKING FOR THE PONY), whose play TUNNEL VISION is a multi-layered celebration of the Feminine.

Lepcio examines many of the daily challenges women face as well as those issues that are, typically, solely female:  the struggle to balance motherhood with the desire to have a career, the stigma that comes with not choosing the traditional path assigned our gender, the hypercritical judgment we place on ourselves in comparison to our female peers, the difficulty we find in truly loving ourselves, and the fear that sometimes comes in loving each other.

TUNNEL VISION is ultimately a journey of acceptance and redemption, from which truth, purpose and love unexpectedly emerge.

 Reviews:
 

"The story manages to pack quite a wallow...anyone who’s ever felt adrift in a life no longer his or her own should be able to find something to love about this production." - City Paper

“Tunnel Vision” gathers itself together into a parable of seduction and self-discovery.” - Post Gazette

“There is a poetry to the language of the play…but there is hope, a gleaming beacon of hope. Two damaged creatures escape their wretched unfulfilled lives by finding salvation in the other; the light at the end of the tunnel" - 'Burgh Vivant

* Members of Actors Equity Association

Scared of Sarah - A Pittsburgh Theater Premiere

December 2015

Directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen

With: Erika Cuenca*, Sarah Silk*, Shaun Cameron Hall*

Lily and Sam are in crisis mode. The upwardly-mobile, young, urban couple are pregnant, in debt and are trying to navigate life’s challenges together, while also including Lily’s sister Sarah in their lives.
 

Sarah is a 30-year-old single woman living alone…She works as a ticket collector on the train, loves rock climbing and a good chicken marsala. Also, she is autistic.
 

Sarah, Lily and Sam expose some of the frequently experienced, but rarely discussed aspects of life on the Autism Spectrum. The need for structure and predictability, black and white thinking, difficulty reading and responding to social and emotional situations, sensitivity to touch and exhausting meltdowns are just a few aspects of Sarah and her family’s day-to-day life.
 

Lily must reckon with the fact that this new phase of her life is in fact scary and uncertain. She looks at all the relationships in her life: her parents, her husband, her sister, and most importantly, herself. Only time will tell if her child will inherit autism, if she will be stronger than her own mother, and if she will be the supportive sister Sarah needs.

Reviews:

"...the work of this outrageously good cast...Cuenca, Silk and Hall play with ruthless honesty, and it yields devastating results." - Pittsburgh City Paper

“With directorial support from Sonnichsen and a flawless amalgamation of cast chemistry, Hall and Cuenca’s theatrical outbursts, mental breakdowns and excruciatingly personal moments are so emotionally charged it can be painful to watch.”  - Pittsburgh in the Round
 

“This richly talented cast molds this smartly written script into an exploration of human behavior and emotion that is beautiful in its honesty.” - 'Burgh Vivant

The staging of the production has been made possible with the gracious support of: Heinz Endowments, Arts for Autism


* Members of Actors Equity Association

Mother Lode - A Pittsburgh Theater and World Premier

January 2016

A new One-Woman-Play by Virginia Wall Gruenert

Starring:  Linda Haston


While it’s true that mothers and daughters often have contentious relationships that will keep therapists in business for decades to come, there is no denying the deep bond that exists between them. Mother Lode deals with the end-of-life decisions that must be made by dutiful daughters, as well as the discord, conciliation, warfare, and ultimate acceptance (whether they like it or not) between strong, independent women bound by love and family.

 Reviews:
 

"a deeply emotional story of two women discovering each other and themselves along the way. Haston sings, dances and wails with intensity. It’s a powerful night of theater." - Mike ‘Buzz’ Buzzelli for ‘Burgh Vivant 

"Over the course of one hour and ten minutes Mother Lode blurs the line between life and art." - Megan Grabowski for Pittsburgh in the Round

“...Mother Lode mines the complexities and joys of the mother-daughter relationship, with many a laugh, a few tears, and certainly a sigh of remembrance." - Michelle Pilecki for City Paper 

KIMONO - A Pittsburgh Theater and World Premiere

March 2016

A New Work

Developed and choreographed by Mark C. Thompson

With: Moriah Ella Mason, Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Ryan Bergman

Kimono explores the theme of social justice through the experience of victims, the evil of predation, and the culpability of predators. With the help of a woman who appears on his doorsteps, a traumatized man, an artist, reconstituted his life through the transformational work of creating beautiful kimonos. The result is that together they discover the will and courage to do that remaining thing that should be done — to call out, expose, and symbolically drive back the predator.

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.

The Musical of Musicals: The Musical

May 2016

Book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart

Music by Eric Rockwell

Lyrics by Joanne Bogart

Directed by Robyne Parrish

Musical Director: Nancy Gordon Galluzzo

With: Elizabeth Boyke, Elizabeth Ann Flemming, Brittany Graham* Gavan Pamer*, Ryan Patrick Kearney* Robyne Parrish*, 

In this hilarious satire of musical theatre, one story becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the distinctive style of a different master of the form: Rodgers and Hammerstein (complete with dream ballet), Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kander & Ebb. The basic plot: June is an ingenue who can't pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue? This comic valentine to musical theatre was the longest running show in the York Theatre Company's 35-year history before moving to Off-Broadway.

Reviews:

“. . .uproariously funny. . .far and away exceeded all of my expectations. . .” – PA Theater Guide

“There are more jokes per mile in this show than could be inventoried. I, naturally, had a blast..." - City Paper

“The Musical of Musicals” has five acts full of satirical gold, and Off the Wall has found a sparkling cast to deliver it." - Post-Gazette

"...my hats off goes to Robyne Parrish. Not only did she put together this wonderful show, she owned every second of her time on stage. She was grand, she was bold, she was rough and ugly and gorgeous all at once." - PA Theater Guide

"The choreography was dizzying and well executed, the over-the-top enthusiasm..." - PGH Lesbian Correspondents

* Members of Actors Equity Association