12 Peers Theater to Welcome SQUEEZE MY CANS This May

12 Peers Theater announces an addition to their 2017 season, the touring production of Squeeze My Cans, written and performed by Cathy Schenkelberg, to be performed at the University of Pittsburgh Studio Theatre May 3-7, 2017.

Squeeze My Cans has hit theaters in Chicago and Los Angeles to critical and popular acclaim, selling-out houses and inspiring crowds who often stick around after, curious about the journey in and out of Scientology. Using only a chair, a stool, projections, lighting and nearly a million dollars, this show rockets the audience through this roller-coaster ride of the heart... but with aliens.

Cathy Schenkelberg's journey as a Nebraska Catholic girl from a family of ten, through the rabbit hole of this infamous and unbelieveable cult, represents an everywoman's story of a young adult searching for her place and purpose in life which is moving, hilarious, heart-breaking and redemptive.

Tickets ($20) are available online at www.12peers.org and by phone at 412-626-6784. Performances: May 3, 4, 5, 6 at 8 PM; May 7 at 2 PM at University of Pittsburgh Studio Theatre, Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Cathy Schenkelberg (Writer and Performer) is a Nebraska native and Chicago/LA-based actress, singer, and voiceover talent. Her performance career began as a 3 year-old GoGo dancer on the coffee table of a packed Schenkelberg house - 4 girls, 6 boys and 2 parents. After graduating with BA in Musical Theater and Acting, she was cast in the searing crime thriller Two Fathers' Justice starring Robert Conrad and George Hamilton. Working as a voice actress for various 1-900 numbers, Cathy transitioned to become a successful voiceover talent with major ad campaigns for Sears, Kohl's, SC Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Applebee's and "Femstat 3: The cream to fit your life."

Her stage work includes many Chicago theaters (Lifeline, Body Politic, Victory Gardens, Drury Lane, Candlelight), a touring company of Hair and in various clubs and cruise ships (she can simultaneously impersonate Dolly Parton, Madonna and Marilyn Monroe). As "Pepper the clown,"Cathy had the great honor of originating the first female clown on WGN's The Bozo Show. Most recently, Cathy can be seen on the stage at Sierra Repertory (Sonora, CA), American Stage Theater Company (St. Petersburg, FL), or performing new original work at Write Club, Spark Off Rose, Louder Than a Mom, and Rant & Rave where her one-woman show Squeeze My Cans was conceived. Cathy wants to thank the friends and family who tried to help when she couldn't hear. The love and support of her daughter continues to motivate and inspire her.

Shirley Anderson (Director) Classically trained in conservatory programs from the time she was 15, Shirley turned to post-modern movement and ensemble-based, devised work in Chicago. After graduating from Northwestern University, her solo adaptation and performance of Dorothy Parker's 'Big Blonde' opened upstairs at the Red Lion Pub on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, earning her multiple bookings, critical acclaim and a respected presence in the Chicago theater community. Big Blonde went on to runs in Edinburgh and Los Angeles from 1995 to 2004. Her theatrical work is 95% new original work (both solo and ensemble-based). In 1993, "Sculpture in Vitro: Growing Up Female in the Age of Liposuction," co-created with Molly McNett toured to theaters, high schools and universities. Chicago artistic collaborations involved Lookingglass Theater, Plasticene, Live Bait, Studio 108, and in Los Angeles, Siti Company, Burningwheel, fabula hysterica, Son of Semele, SacRed Fools, Theater Movement Bazaar, Zoo District and Theater of NOTE. This production is a labor of love with a mission to explore issues of identity and trauma caused by destructive cults.

Founded in 2011, and taking their name from the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, 12 Peers Theater is a 501(c)(3) organization operating in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. 12 Peers Theater's mission is to provide challenging and engaging theater through contemporary works exploring myth and cultural identity.

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