Playhouse Jr. Calls To Children of All Ages This Season
By: Gabrielle Sierra Apr. 14, 2011
Playhouse Jr., Point Park University's professional quality children's theatre company, celebrates its 62nd season with stunning new premieres for all ages. The season also includes two speaker events that no family should miss.
Playhouse Jr. brings hero Clifford Ball to the stage in the world premiere, Pittsburgh's Mr. Aviation! This exciting production is sponsored by the Senator John Heinz History Center, and was written and directed by Penn Hills author Yoli.
The play makes American aviation history come alive through the story of a local pilot. Clifford Ball was a 33-year-old McKeesport car dealer when a chance encounter at an airfield changed the direction of his life-it went up! Together with a friend, he built Pittsburgh's first airport. They offered air shows and plane rides. Ball also started the first private air mail and passenger service, giving adventure pilots steady jobs. Suddenly everyone could take a ride in the sky!
Pittsburgh's Mr. Aviation! will be performed in the Studio Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on weekends from May 14 - 29. Shows run Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Seating is limited to 65 seats per performance. The WISH 99.7 FM Street Treat Patrol will be on hand on Saturday, May 14 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
The story is about a young boy who lives with his grandfather deep in the forest. His grandfather warns him never to leave the safety of his yard. One day, Peter ventures outside the fence and meets the creatures of the forest. His new acquaintances include a duck, a little bird, a cat and a huge grey wolf. But one of them isn't very friendly!
Never before seen in Pittsburgh, this wonderful reimagining introduces young children to the magic of the theatre. Jeremy Czarniak directs and choreographs. Music by Hummie Mann, with lyrics by Mann and Allison Gregory, add to the charm of a tango, a waltz and a two-step shuffle.
Peter and the Wolf will be performed in the Rockwell Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on weekends from May 14 - 29. Saturday shows are at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sunday shows are at 2:00 p.m.
The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most well-known books in the world. But you've never seen it presented like this before. Performed for the first time in Pittsburgh, this new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman brings history to life in a whole new way. At times both poignant and funny, the play depicts the tragedy of the Holocaust through the story of a young girl forced to hide with her family in an attic for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Anne stayed sane by writing in a diary, recording her impressions as the world fell apart around her. Audiences will experience anew the bleak terror and resolute hopefulness of the girl who wrote, "I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains."
Two post-show discussions with Holocaust survivors will be held after the June 5 and June 12 performances. Moshe Baran, who was in his early twenties when he was sent to the ghetto, became a part of the resistance effort to thwart the Nazis. Francine Gelernter was a young girl when she was sent to a concentration camp for several years. Moshe will speak after the June 5 performance and Francine after the June 12 performance. No parent should miss this rare opportunity to let their child hear first-hand accounts from the survivors themselves.
This play adaptation for a new generation is based on the original script by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and directed by Shirley Tannenbaum.
The Diary of Anne Frank will be performed in the Rauh Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse from May 27 - June 12 on weekends. Shows run Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets for all shows are $7 and can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000 or online at www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.
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