2018 – 2019 EQT BRIDGE THEATER SERIES FOR PRE-TEENS AND OLDER FEATURES SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES THROUGH HIGH-TECH AND OFF-THE-WALL THEATER
Pittsburgh, PA–The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce the 2018-2019 EQT Bridge Theater Series, specifically curated for pre-teens, teens, and their families. In its fourth season, the 2018-2019 EQT Bridge Theater Series presents four pieces that will challenge perspectives, twist, and turn. The North American premiere of Androcles and the Lion from Denmark’s Carte Blanche and Teatre Gruppe 38 theater companies kicks off the season as a special part of the 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, telling a traditional story with a new voice, complete with hammocks instead of theater seats. Throughout the rest of the season, companies from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S. will ask audience members to leave their preconceived notions at the door and open their minds to stories told through parkour, projections, physical theater, and more.
“Our audiences have gone all-in with us over the last four years, embracing the challenging, diverse pieces presented through this Series,” says Pam Komar, Director of Theater, Music, and Youth Programming at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “Beginning with a premiere at the Festival of Firsts, we wanted to continue this spirit through the rest of the season with shows like LEO, which uniquely weaves technology into theater, and Moon Shot, which tells the story of the first moon landing from a new vantage point.”
Interviews with creative teams/talent and media tickets for reviewers are available upon request.
2018–2019 EQT BRIDGE THEATER SERIES PROGRAMMING
Androcles and the Lion–A suspenseful tale as old as time itself. Even if you know the story, this version is a new experience that is told as the audience reclines in hammocks under a radiant sky. Androcles is a slave who must escape after being accused of theft. He flees into the burning sun of the Libyan Desert. So many creatures and sounds live in the Desert, and in the middle of the pitch-dark night, sounds roar so loudly that Androcles’ heart freezes. Experience this tale of danger, deception and kindness in this unexpected and immersive story.
Fourth Floor at 807 Liberty Avenue
November 2–10, 2018
Moon Shot–Theatre Unspeakable from the United States presents the biggest story on the smallest stage. To recreate the story of America’s Apollo 11 lunar landing, seven actors squeeze onto a 21-square foot stage nearly as tight as NASA’s original Mercury capsules. Using only their bodies and their voices, this astounding play brings to life one of the most daring times in the history of human exploration—the Space Race. From the Cold War to Sputnik, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, this action-packed show brings the company’s tongue-in-cheek humor to a whole new atmosphere—one where the rules of gravity no longer apply.
Byham Theater
January 18–19, 2019
LEO–Y2D Productions, in association with Chamäleon Productions, from Canada and Germany asks "What would happen if the law of gravity were to suddenly change?" LEO is a mind-bending, funny, surreal, and surprisingly touching theater work that challenges the senses and tests perceptions of reality through the clever interplay of live performance and high-tech video projection. Universally appealing to adults and children, LEO leaves audience members wondering which way is up and which way is down. Winner of several awards, including the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award and the Scotsman Fringe First Award, LEO has dazzled audiences and critics in cities all around the world. “Gravity-defying spectacle.” –The New York Times
Byham Theater
March 29–30, 2019
Murikamification–Arch 8 from the Netherlands invites you to step into the daydream that unfolds before your eyes. Using the magical, surrealistic stories of Haruki Murakami as a source of inspiration, Kaiel creates an intensely physical and absurd performance trail. In each new city, the work is adapted to the local context. In each version of Murikamification, diverse and curious audiences are overwhelmed by surprising scenery in the streets of their own cities. Follow the action on this moving theater piece throughout Pittsburgh’s own Cultural District.
Part of the 2019 EQT Children’s Theater Festival
Cultural District
May 16–19, 2019
Tickets
Single tickets for the 2018-2019 EQT Bridge Theater Series go on sale Friday, August 31. Four-show season tickets are available for $40. Flex tickets packages of six are also available for $66. These six flex tickets can be redeemed for any performance available in the 2018-2019 Citizens Bank Children’s Theater Series, EQT Bridge Theater Series, and EQT Children’s Theater Festival. Accessible services are available. All EQT Bridge Theater Series shows are recommended for children and adults ages seven +.
For younger children (under the age of seven), the Citizens Bank Children’s Theater Series provides a perfect, affordable introduction to theater. Visit TrustArts.org/Kids for more information.
To purchase tickets, call (412) 456-6666, visit TrustArts.org/Bridge, or visit in person at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue. For subscription information, call (412) 456-1390. Groups of 10+ call (412) 471-6930.
EQT Bridge Theater Series
The EQT Bridge Theater Series, now in its fourth season, is for ages seven and up and expands upon the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s mission of bringing artistic opportunities to children of all ages through culturally diverse performances that will continue to engage young audiences through participation, encouragement of and respect for their creative ideas, and develop their interest in the arts. TrustArts.org/Bridge
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts-lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation, and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
TrustArts.org | Facebook: Cultural Trust | Instagram: CulturalTrust | Twitter: @CulturalTrust
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