City Theatre to Present Tami Dixon's SIDE STORIES REVISITED
The production runs January 13 – February 18.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 27, 2023
City Theatre will present their first show of 2024 and the third in the season, South Side Stories Revisited, written and performed by Tami Dixon and directed by Matt M. Morrow.
In 2012, Tami Dixon sat on the sidewalks of the South Side and asked residents to tell her stories. The resulting play, South Side Stories premiered at City Theatre and became a fan favorite. It was described as “a big, fat evening of bliss.” by City Paper. Tami has now revisited those stories and collected some new ones. Over the past year, she set out again on the streets of the south side to ask residents how the neighborhood has changed. The resulting play South Side Stories Revisited will make its world premiere on City Theatre’s stage this January.
“It’s been 10 years since I wrote the original version of South Side Stories,” said playwright and performer Tami Dixon, “and when City approached me about revisiting the script, my initial reaction was, “If it ain’t broke...”But, in the last 10 years, the world got broken, and I didn’t think the original show would resonate in the same way. Everything has changed, including me, and everywhere I turn there seems to be more and more pain and confusion. Theatre has always been a place of refuge for me, providing healing and hope. I thought exploring this neighborhood again might bring me closer to clarity. Meeting new South Siders and rewriting this piece has been such a gift to me. I hope the audience feels the same.”
The creative team includes scenic design by Tony Ferrieri lighting design by Hu Xuewei,sound design and composition by Nathan Leigh, projection design by David Pohl, and dramaturgy by Clare Drobot. Patti Kelly will serve as the production stage manager.
For this production, City Theatre is excited to collaborate with several community organizations including CLP-South Side, South Side Chamber of Commerce, and South Side Community Council.
ABOUT SOUTH SIDE STORIES REVISITED
Written and performed by Tami Dixon
Directed by Matt M. Morrow
In 2012, Tami Dixon sat on the sidewalks of the South Side of Pittsburgh asking residents to tell her stories. The resulting one woman play delighted audiences and was described as “dazzling” and “a big, fat evening of bliss” (City Paper). Ten years later, Dixon returns to the streets of the South Side to revisit her vivid set of tales and explore how the community where City Theatre resides has changed.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
January 13 – February 18
- Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and/or 7:00 p.m.
- Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.
- Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. and/or 5:30 p.m.
- Sundays at 2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.
For a complete listing of show times, please visit CityTheatreCompany.org or call 412-431-2489 (CITY).
SPECIAL EVENTS AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES:
- Post Show Talk Back: Sunday, January 21 and February 4, 2024 at 2:00pm
- Greenroom: Art and an Afterparty: Friday, January 26, 2024
- Pay What You Want/Open Captioning Performance: Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 1:00pm
- ASL Interpreted/Open Captioning Performance: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 7:00pm
- Audio Description/Open Captioning Performance: Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 2:00pm
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION:
412.431.CITY (2489) or CityTheatreCompany.org Tickets start at $29
- Pick-Your-Price Previews: January 13 – 18, 2024
- Pay What You Want Performance: Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 1:00pm
WHERE:
City Theatre Main Stage
1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)
Port Authority bus routes: 48, 51, 54, 81, 83
PARKING:
Patron parking is available in the lot across from the City Theatre entrance (1317 Bingham Street) for $10, subject to availability.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
TAMI DIXON (Playwright/Performer) is thrilled to be back at City Theatre after appearing here in numerous shows including last season’s What the Constitution Means to Me and her one-woman show, South Side Stories. Ms. Dixon is a recipient of the TCG/Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship, The Frankel Award, the Carol R. Brown Emerging Artist Award from The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation, and was named Performer of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Her favorite roles include Miss Julie in Miss Julie, Clarissa and John for Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire with barebones productions, The Hothouse with PICT, and King Lear, The Task and El Paso Blue with Quantum Theatre. Ms. Dixon is the Co-Director of Bricolage Production Company, devising and appearing in projects like Project Amelia, The Forest of Everywhere, OJO, Midnight Radio, STRATA, Dutchman, and Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom. Ms. Dixon received her BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Matt M. Morrow (Director) [She, He, They] Matt is the Artistic Director of Center Repertory in the Bay Area. Prior to joining Center Rep, Matt was the Executive Artistic Director of Diversionary Theatre where she grew the operating budget by150%, and completed a $2.7 million renovation of its facility. Under Matt’s leadership, Diversionary was nominated for 35 San Diego Critics Circle Awards, and produced and directed numerous World Premieres and second productions of new work. Matt was honored with the inaugural Larry T. Baza Arts & Culture Award from San Diego Pride, and was the Creative Catalyst Fellow with The San Diego Foundation and La Jolla Playhouse. She has developed new work with The Sundance Theatre Institute, The Old Globe, The Banff Centre, Center Theatre Group, American Conservatory Theater, Lincoln Center, PlayPenn, and Page 73 Productions. She served as The John Wells Professor of Directing at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama (Graduate & Undergraduate Directing programs), and Professor of Directing at UCSD’s Graduate Directing program.
ABOUT CITY THEATRE:
Founded in 1975, City Theatre is entering its 49th season as Pittsburgh’s home for bold new plays. City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience. Its vision is to be the best mid-sized theater in America. Organizational core values are: Community; Collaboration; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility; and Creativity. With a full-time staff numbering 25 and an annual average operating budget of $3.4 million, City Theatre is the largest performing arts organization not located in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District and is a constituent and core member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and the National New Play Network (NNPN). In August 2021, City Theatre announced a re-structuring of the artistic director position, elevating current staff members Clare Drobot and Monteze Freeland to Co-Artistic Directors with Marc Masterson, who had held the title of singular artistic director since 2018. The trio join Managing Director James McNeel as co-leaders of the organization. It is governed by a board of 16 community volunteers (David Betts, board president).
City Theatre has received significant general operating support and/or recent Covid emergency funding from the Allegheny Foundation, Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), Benter Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Hillman Family Foundations, Richard King Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, the Shubert Foundation, U.S. Small Business Administration, and two anonymous funders.
Photo credit: Suellen Fitzsimmons
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