Q&A with Phat Man Dee About Celebrating the Roaring 2020’s, Bisexual Identity, and the Power of Creators

Phat Man Dee Roaring 20s

One of our favorite people, Phat Man Dee, is hosting a fete to celebrate the roaring 20’s. It looks like a lot of fun so we asked her to answer a few questions and that led to this Q&A. Phat Man Dee’s Roaring 2020’s * Friday January 31, 2020 * The Oaks Theater Your Name: […]

City Theatre’s ‘Downstairs’ Relies on Strong Performances to Explore Family Violence Themes

City Theatre is staging Theresa Rebeck’s Downstairs this month. Originally written for actor siblings Tyne and Tim Daly, the plot focuses on adult siblings Irene and Teddy. Teddy has taken up residency in the basement of the house Irene shares with her husband. Teddy pokes at an old computer that Irene claims is broken, they […]

Review: Grist From the Mill Delivers a Good Storytelling Experience

On Friday we were at Carnegie Stage for the debut of Grist From the Mill, the first piece of a storytelling trilogy from local playwright and creator, Lissa Brennan. The trilogy boasted infusing Irish murder ballads with the steel industry. This piece was set in 1902 Pittsburgh. This performance was not what I expected, but […]

‘Grist From The Mill’ trilogy explores steel mill storytelling

This weekend, Off the wall Theater debuts the first piece from a new trilogy by Lissa Brennan. GRIST FROM THE MILL is a trilogy of works of storytelling inspired by fairy tales and folk music, specifically Irish murder ballads which spoke of ugly events with considered beauty. The steel mills of Southwestern Pennsylvania go beyond […]

How a Fishing Boat Sinking in North Carolina Resonates with Pittsburgh. Please read.

Papa's Girl sinks

There are four reasons you should donate to this crowdfund. I grew up in a steelworkers family and understood from early on that it was a dangerous, difficult job. We weren’t allowed to touch my father’s work clothes, not to keep them from being mussed but to keep us from being exposed to the chemicals. […]

E! the Dragnificent: ‘Celtic Woman’ performance with PSO stirs feelings of warmth and the meaning of Christmas

Celtic Woman The Best of Christmas Review Pittsburgh

Our youth (and drag) correspondent, E! the Dragnificent recently covered the Celtic Woman holiday concert at Heinz Hall. She and her father attended the performance. ~ Sue   The Celtic Women’s performance was an amazing night of Christmas tunes with a traditional Celtic sound! There were four women on stage in beautiful red sparkly gowns, […]

Guest Blog Post: Princess Jafar on Princess Jafar “We aren’t big enough yet to be quiet or humble”

Princess Jafar Pittsburgh

We aren’t big enough yet to be quiet or humble and we need to promote the communities projects not just ones we were a direct part of. One of my art residency colleagues (that reads fancy doesn’t it?) has two nights of a terrific live show coming up at the end of November. I dropped […]

Q&A: Mean Girls Musical’s Eric Huffman on Damian, Glen Coco, and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Mean Girls Eric Huffman

Ah, Mean Girls – the movie that has had a disproportionate impact on culture, including queer culture, since it debuted in 2004. And then there was the musical debuting in 2018 and it was also a big hit. That big hit comes to Pittsburgh starting this week for a run that’s already close to selling […]

Q&A with Drew Leigh Williams, Currently Starring in ‘Not Medea’ at Carnegie Stage

Drew Leigh Williams

“We often have feelings out of frustration and being overwhelmed and life in general that generate moments of wishing we could be free of our responsibilities, such as toward our kids or family. It doesn’t mean we want to be free of them. It means we are  human. These feelings are universal and stretch back […]

Guest Post: The Art of Drag Culture Through the Gaze of E! The Dragnificent

E!

I invited E! The Dragnificent to help me with some blogging related to drag culture and drag artists. She helped me craft the questions for our interview with Aquaria, a Pennsylvania native who is part of the Werq The World tour coming to Pittsburgh. And then E wrote this essay about why she loves Ru […]