Pittsburgh Week Part 1: Opening Night

“The Pittsburgh Week” seems to be a Theatreworks institution. Each year, the Pittsburgh International Children Theater presents a series of different touring children’s shows, including a few from Theatreworks. Last year, one of them was Click Clack Moo, so I had some foreknowledge of how this whole thing worked from my old SM Alaina. Basically, over the course of a week, the show tours to different high schools and performing arts centers in and out of Pittsburgh proper, performing mostly afternoon and evening shows for paying audiences. What? A week of evening shows? Days when I don’t have to be in a van until 4pm? This sounds a little too good to be true.

Our first show was at the beautiful (and historic!) Byham Theatre in Downtown Pittsburgh, a truly beautiful venue that really deserves a photo:

(photo credit: David V.)

After battling Steelers traffic, we arrived at the theater to be greeted by an IATSE crew, who had us in and up in no time. One of the guys even fixed a broken wheel on one of our flats! This was already a winner in my book. IATSE Local 3 requires an hour break before the standard “half hour” call, so we took our lunch break with them, expecting to head off to the surrounding areas for eats. Not so, again! Lunch appeared in the basement, provided by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, along with two board members who sheepishly asked us if we would mind signing some posters. In four previous Theatreworks tours, this has never happened to me. We all naturally said yes, and also gleefully agreed to two post-show receptions, both of which meant more autographs for the kids. We ate and autographed, changed, David called “places” and we headed onstage for our first of 10 shows in the Pittsburgh area. To a full house of nearly 1100 kids and families.

Performing for over 1000 is a singular experience. There is an extraordinary “group think” that goes on, particularly if the crowd is revved-up (which they were), which transports the performance to a near-transcendent level. The audience grasped every (and I do mean every) joke in the show, and applauded with such enthusiasm that we wound up holding between stories in order to accommodate their cheers. I have very little memory of the rest of the show, except for one point backstage when I looked over at Nic and we shared a smile like none I have ever known during a show. We may as well have been a first-class Broadway national tour with the response we received.

The fun continued after the show, with our meet-and-greets. So many little girls (and boys!) showed up dressed in their “fancy clothes” to meet Nancy, and more than a few brought copies of the books to get signed by the characters. I learned that Leonardo is a little scary up close to those under the age of 5, but letting them pet the green fur helps tremendously. (It also helped that Kristen, as Babymouse, gave me a big hug in front of the kids and told everyone that I’m really bad at being scary.) It was one of those evenings that goes down in memory, and gets you through the rough performances. And I’m so very glad we had it!

The rest of the week progressed similarly: load in, provided lunch/dinner (!!), a show or two, autographs afterwards, and load out. I won’t detail each one, but look for future posts about some very specific moments that remain in my memory. However, a huge thanks goes out to Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater, its artistic director Maranne P. Welch, executive director Pam Lieberman and the dozens of volunteers and staff members that helped us throughout our time in the area. Your hospitality made it a week to remember.

(P.S. We were also on the marquee!!)

Call tomorrow: 7:45am, Days Inn, Frostburg, MD. We’ve got a three-show day in a real theater on a college camps. And there is talk of a crew. And coffee.

Kid Quote of the Day: During the “meet and greet,” there was a little girl who was very taken with Babymouse. Kristen, charmed, asked her if she had ever been in a musical before. The little girl answered, “My first show was Charlie Brown and, well, I love the signing and dancing but... I didn't think it would be so much work! I love to sing and dance, but I don't like all that work!”

Adult Quote of the Day: Our van required diesel, and Matt was at the wheel. Upon arriving at a Sheetz, David passed the company card to Matt, with the expectation that Matt would fill it. Matt looked dumbfounded. “Um, I don’t know how to pump gas.” Matt is from New Jersey. Never let it be said that Theatreworks is not educational for ALL involved…