Pittsburgh CLO Announces YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY SHUT UP Cast

Pittsburgh CLO has announced the cast for the Pittsburgh Premiere of You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!, which will run January 31 through May 5 at the CLO Cabaret. Tickets can now be purchased at CLOCabaret.com, by calling 412-456-6666 or by visiting the Box Office at Theater Square.

Cast and Creative Team
Robin Abramson (Annabelle) was last seen in Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's production of The School for Lies by David Ives. Pittsburgh City Theatre credits include Jordan Harrison's Maple and Vine, Time Stands Still, Outlying Islands and her work in Mary's Wedding (Mary) and Blackbird earned her 2009 Pittsburgh Post Gazette's performer of the year. She also participated in Eugene Pack's comedy hit Celebrity Autobiography performed at City Theatre. Quantum Theatre: Electric Baby, Twelfth Night and When the Rain Stops Falling. Some of her favorites are Maura in Tammy Ryan's FBI Girl (Playhouse Rep) and Kathy in No Name Players' production of Orange Flower Water.

Michael Greer (Understudy/Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Pittsburgh CLO where he was last seen in Jesus Christ Superstar. Additional Pittsburgh CLO credits include Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Joseph..., Copacabana, The Full Monty & A Musical Christmas Carol. Favorite credits include Beauty & the Beast (Gaston), Footloose (Willard) with Pittsburgh Musical Theater and Jesus Christ Superstar with Kansas City Starlight. Mr. Greer is a graduate of Point Park University, where he earned his BFA in Musical Theater.

Gregory Johnstone (Jeff) returns to the CLO Cabaret after playing Eddie Lawrence in Shear Madness. Previous credits include Man in Golden Dragon with Quantum Theatre, Skinny Luke in Mojo with The REP at Point Park, Rosenthal in Grey Zone with barebones productions, and William in the premiere of 13th of Paris at City Theatre. He studied with Terry Schreiber in New York City and currently resides in the Northside of Pittsburgh.

Kristiann Menotiades (Understudy) returns for her ninth show at the CLO Cabaret. Favorites include: A Grand Night for Singing, Shear Madness, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, My Way: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra and Ruthless! The Musical. Other credits include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Alice Miller in My Favorite Year, Yonah in Children of Eden and Madge in the new work play Enlightenment at The City Theater. Ms. Menotiades is also an instructor at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy and the director of Fox Chapel High School's fall play.

Van Kaplan (Director/Pittsburgh CLO Executive Producer) returns to direct at the CLO Cabaret after directing the critically-acclaimed production of Ruthless! The Musical. He made his Pittsburgh CLO directing debut in 2002 with Guys and Dolls at the Benedum Center, and has since directed She Loves Me and West Side Story for Pittsburgh CLO at the Benedum Center. He is the producer and director each year for The Jimmy Awards at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre and serves as the program's president. His other directorial credits include Kopit and Yeston's Phantom at North Shore Musical Theater, On the Town, Shear Madness, Sweeney Todd with Candy Buckley, Nunsense starring Jo Anne Worley, Guys and Dolls starring Georgia Engel and South Pacific starring Cathy Rigby. Mr. Kaplan has worked with such celebrities as Betty Buckley, Tony Bennett, Bill Cosby, Natalie Cole, Carol Channing, Jerry Seinfeld, Johnny Mathis and Debbie Reynolds. As a producer, he has produced the Broadway productions of The Addams Family, Catch Me If You Can, Come Fly Away and the recent production of Evita, as well as over 100 regional Theater Productions and tours.

Mr. Kaplan is a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts, a former Theatre Panel chair for the Texas Commission on the Arts, and has served as adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon's Masters of Arts
Management Program. He has been a Tony Awards voter for 20 years, is on the Board of The Broadway League, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Independent Presenters Network (IPN) and is past
president of The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), of which Pittsburgh CLO is a founding member.

Tim Brady (Production Stage Manager) returns for his 8th season as PSM at the CLO Cabaret. As an actor, he has appeared in 11 productions of Pittsburgh CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol and various summer season productions. Other local theaters that Mr. Brady has performed with include The Pittsburgh Pops, Starlight Productions, The New Pittsburgh Jewish Theatre, Stage Right and The Theater Factory. Mr. Brady was also the managing director of the Conley Inn Dinner Theater in Irwin for 17 years.

Tony Ferrieri (Scenic Designer) returns to design for CLO Cabaret after designing A Grand Night for Singing and Girls Only - The Secret Comedy of Women. Awards include "2008 New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award," "Designer of the Year" by Pittsburgh City Paper, Post-Gazette and Tribune Review, "2005 Frankel Award," "2004 Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts," "2001 Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award for Theater" from Pittsburgh Magazine and WQED, three time nominee for "Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Creative Achievement Award for EstablishEd Pittsburgh Artist." Regional designs include: City Theatre, Quantum Theatre; Milieu Theatrics NY; Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre; Carrnivale Theatrics; Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre; The Emelin Theatre NY; Northlight Theatre in Chicago; barebones productions; Madison Repertory Theatre; TheatreWorks in Harford; 1812 Productions in Philadelphia ; Pittsburgh Playhouse Repertory Company; Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory Company; Tuesday Musical Club; Unseam'd Shakespeare Company; Theatre at Hartwood; Gargaro Productions; Physical Theatre Project; Spur of the Moment Theatre; Pittsburgh Opera, Chatham College, University of Pittsburgh, Development Dimensions International, and Saltworks Theatre.

Andy Ostrowski (Lighting Designer) recently designed A Grand Night for Singing and the Gene Kelly Awards for Pittsburgh CLO, Bolero for PSO, PNME's summer season, August Osage County for The Rep at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Rigoletto for Pittsburgh Opera and City Theatre's POP. National credits include: The Asolo, Virginia Stage Company, North Shore Music Theatre, Merrimack Repertory, Arden Theatre, Spoleto Festival USA, Dallas Summer Musicals, Theater of the Stars, Madison Opera and others. International: productions in Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, France, and touring all of Western Europe.

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