'Incredibly Innovative Innovators Of Pitts.' Runs Thru 5/15

The Incredibly Innovative Innovators of Pittsburgh, a Pittsburgh CLO Gallery of Heroes production, kicked off its spring tour January 12, 2009, at Peabody High School. Originally developed to coincide with the Pittsburgh 250 celebration, this educational and entertaining production was extended for an additional tour by popular demand. The show is traveling to local schools, teaching students about the men, women and innovations from Pittsburgh that have helped to change the world during the last 250 years. The spring tour will run through May 15 at schools in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Green, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania and in Weirton, West Virginia. The production is presented in partnership with the Senator John Heinz History Center.

The Incredibly Innovative Innovators of Pittsburgh takes place in the home of a teenage girl from Western Pennsylvania. After putting off her social studies homework, she suddenly sees her favorite rock band magically appear in her game room. To help her with her neglected assignment, the band takes her on a musical journey exploring the historical innovators from Western Pennsylvania over the past 250 years. Inspired by the Senator John Heinz History Center's exhibition Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, this fully staged musical explores this region's rich history through an innovative presentation, while the band members bring the innovators to life through their portrayals of Rachel Carson, George Westinghouse, Jonas Salk and more.

Jason Coll (writer/musical director/assistant director) has written six Gallery of Heroes musicals. His other original works for Pittsburgh CLO include Steel, Young Washington, The Amazingly True Adventures of Nellie Bly, Pioneers of Flight and ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! The Roberto Clemente Story. Mr. Coll served as the Associate Artistic Director of Pittsburgh CLO from 2004-2008. Currently he is an independent writer and producer.

Kiesha Lalama-White (director/choreographer) is the Education Director for Pittsburgh CLO. Ms. Lalama-White has choreographed and taught for Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Cirque Du Soleil, the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Wright State University, Kansas City Starlight Theater's production of Jesus Christ Superstar and Dance Educators of America. For the CLO, she has worked on the Richard Rodgers Awards, the Gene Kelly Awards and has choreographed several Gallery of Heroes productions. Ms. Lalama-White is also currently a faculty member with the Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts Dance Department and featured in the January Issue of "Dance Magazine" as one of 2009's Top 25 to watch.

Nick Mitchell (Eddie) is a Western Pennsylvania native who returned to the area after spending five years in New York City. He received his music theater training at Oklahoma City University. His favorite regional credits include Dan Kaffee in A Few Good Men, Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Kinickie in Grease. As associate producer of Empty Jug Productions, Mr. Mitchell has recently been pulling double-duty producing and performing in area schools as Captain Mercaptan in Columbia Gas' educational show I Love Gas.

Jim Scriven (Seth) returns for his fifth Gallery of Heroes production. He was Seth in the 2008 production of Innovators and played Leo in Steel and was the understudy in Young Washington and ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! The Roberto Clemente Story. Mr. Scriven is a 2005 graduate of Allegheny College, where he received his BA in Theater. He has performed at area theaters such as Open Stage Theater, Apple Hill Playhouse, New Kensington Civic Theater and the Gemini Theater.

Jason A. Shavers (Douglas) is appearing for a fourth time in a Gallery of Heroes production after playing Samuel in Steel and Luis and the understudy for the role of Roberto in ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! The Roberto Clemente Story. His other favorite productions include Grand Hotel (Jimmy #2), Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter), High School Musical (Chad) and Lost in the Stars (Matthew Kumalo). Mr. Shavers is also a substitute teacher at Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater and a graduate of Point Park University.

Christina McCann (Janet/Rachel Carson) is performing her sixth tour with Pittsburgh CLO's Gallery of Heroes program. She has also performed as Martha Cratchit in the last three productions of Pittsburgh CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol. Her other favorite local credits include the title role in Gypsy, Chicago (Velma), Brigadoon (Fiona) and The Secret Garden (Martha). She is a Penn State graduate and works as a cantor at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Kalen J. Hall (Razor) holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Point Park University. In addition to performing with the Point Park Conservatory Company at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Mr. Hall has also worked with Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh Musical Theater and Gemini Theatre Company. He was also a part of the I Love Gas children's tour for Empty Jug Productions and Colombia Gas Company. Innovators is his first production with Pittsburgh CLO.

Laura Lee Brautigam (Lisa) is performing in her first Gallery of Heroes tour. New to Pittsburgh, audiences might recognize her from CLO's 2008 production of A Musical Christmas Carol, Open Stage's Lydie Breeze or Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's Pride and Prejudice. She also participated in a reading with Bricolage. In 2006, she graduated with a BA in Theatre Performance from Huntington University, where some of her favorite shows were Alice in Wonderland, The House of Bernarda Alba, 1940's Radio Hour and Into the Woods.

Jamall Staten (male understudy) is making his Pittsburgh CLO Gallery of Heroes debut. He has appeared at Duquesne University as Tyrone Jackson in Fame and on the CCAC south campus stage in its production of Company. Most recently, he was in Once Upon a Mattress at McKeesport Little Theater as the Minstrel.

Victoria Brady (stage manager/female understudy) has performed in several Pittsburgh CLO mainstage shows including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Chess, as well as A Musical Christmas Carol. She has also worked with the Greensburg Civic Theater (Mae in The Wild Party) and the Theatre Factory (Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown). Ms. Brady has studied at the CLO Academy of Musical Theater and CCAC Boyce.

The Pittsburgh CLO Gallery of Heroes is an educational program utilizing Pittsburgh's finest professional actors. Through dramatic sketches and vignettes, this talented ensemble takes its 50-minute mini-musicals to area schools to educate and enlighten students about great historical figures such as Nellie Bly, George Washington, Roberto Clemente, the Wright Brothers and

Jesse Owens. Highlighting the lives and accomplishments of significant historical figures, the Gallery of Heroes program offers an entertaining alternative to traditional lectures and books.

Limited space is still available for booking in-school performances of The Incredibly Innovative Innovators of Pittsburgh for the spring semester. All schools booking a performance will receive a valuable Teacher's Guide to help integrate the show's important history lessons into their classroom activities, as well as a handout for each student. The program helps to fulfill the Pennsylvania State Educational Standard requirements.

For more than 20 years, Pittsburgh CLO has been a leader in local arts education with a variety of programs designed to bring musical theater into classrooms throughout the city and Tri-state area. Student and Teacher Guides were developed in conjunction with the Senator John Heinz History Center.

2009 TOURING SCHEDULE, STUDY GUIDES AND PHOTOS
A complete 2009 Touring Schedule and the 2009 Teacher Guide and Student Guide are available online via the links in the Incredibly Innovative Innovators of Pittsburgh press kit that can be accessed in the Press Room section of pittsburghCLO.org. Digital photos of the production are also available in the online Press Room. As a reminder, the username is pressroom and the password is pittstadium.

Major foundation support for the Gallery of Heroes is provided by The Henry Clay Frick Educational Fund of the Buhl Foundation, Highmark, The Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation and Massey Charitable Trust. Corporate support is provided by BNY Mellon, Dominion and Target.

Schools wishing to schedule The Incredibly Innovative Innovators of Pittsburgh should contact Patty Maloney at 412-325-6459. Visit pittsburghCLO.org for more information.

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