Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts Images
PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES SPECTACLES TO DRIVE THE
2018 PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS
SEPTEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH’S CULTURAL DISTRICT
Newly-announced, visually-stunning Festival programming runs the gamut
PITTSBURGH, PA—Today, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces visually-stunning 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts programming; you won’t believe it until you see it. The 2018 Festival has already promised to be the biggest and most diverse installment of this project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust with a doubled length and triple the number of attractions. Now, public art installation Beyond has extended its run and the world premiere of a second visual wonder entitled Manifold has been added.
On Friday, September 21st, the 2018 Festival kicks off its gargantuan eight weeks with the U.S. premiere of Beyond, the immersive audiovisual installation by Barcelona-based research studio Playmodes. Showings of Beyond, which explores relationships between space, time, and perception, will continue through October 26th. While this experience is free, tickets are required and can be attained for 30-minute slots every Wednesday through Sunday between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Also on September 21st, the world premiere of Manifold begins its extremely limited run. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has commissioned a special collaboration between Barcelona-based visual and new media artist Filip Roca and Chinese composer and pianist Wang Lu. For four showings only, Manifold’s projection mapping will wrap the Benedum Center façade at 7th Street and Penn Avenue at 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on Friday, September 21st, and again at 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, September 22nd.
The visual phenomenon will be accompanied by a live orchestra composed of more than 30 local new-age musicians from Pittsburgh-based, neo-classical ensembles such as Alba Flamenca and Afro Yaqui Music Collective. Conducting Manifold is Daniel Nesta Curtis, Resident Conductor and Artistic Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Music Ensemble. He says, “I see this as an incredible opportunity to celebrate the wide variety of music-making happening in different corners of our city.”
Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts programming highlights to date can be found at the end of this release, and TrustArts.org/Firsts will be updated as more programming is announced. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling 412-456-6666, and at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222).
Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
This fall, Pittsburgh’s Cultural District welcomes U.S., North American, and World Premieres during the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, September 21 – November 11, 2018. Featuring 30 international companies and artists from 20 countries, including representation from Pittsburgh’s own arts community, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Festival of Firsts will electrify downtown with never-before-seen theater, dance, music, visual arts and immersive experiences. These are the ones you can’t describe in words.
The Festival captivated millions of visitors in 2004, 2008, and 2013, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a premier global destination for arts, entertainment, and culture. This time around, the Trust has doubled the Festival’s length and tripled its attractions, presenting more than 500 opportunities for everyone – locals and visitors alike – to experience groundbreaking international works in Pittsburgh. These are the ones that will change you. TrustArts.org/Firsts
Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts is supported by the FACE Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and The Opportunity Fund.
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.
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2018 PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS
New Programming Announced August 14, 2018
PUBLIC AND VISUAL ART – Free and open to the public
Beyond | Playmodes Studio | Spain | U.S. Premiere
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District (free admission ticket required)
Run extended! Free admission tickets now available September 21 – October 26
Manifold | Filip Roca & Wang Lu | Spain | World Premiere
7th Street and Penn Avenue (wrapping Benedum Center façade)
Four performances only – September 21 and 22
Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District | Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Friday, September 21 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Special international and premiere programming, including a Global Artist Market
MUSIC – Free and open to the Public
BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive: The Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra Featuring Sean Jones
U.S. | World Premiere
Greer Cabaret Theater
November 6
BEER AND WINE – Ticketed events, Subscription Only
Wednesday Wine Flights: International Blind Flight Night | Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Greer Cabaret Theater
October 3
Craft Beer School: Cheers! Prost! Nazdrovia! | Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Greer Cabaret Theater
October 16
2018 PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS
Programming Announced May 22, 2018
VISUAL ART – Free and Open to the Public
NONOTAK | Noemi Schipfer, Takami Nakamoto | France | World & U.S. Premiere
Wood Street Galleries
Machine Culture | International Representation | World Premiere
SPACE
50 Cities-50 Traces | International Art & Peace Project (2018-2020) | World Premiere
937 Liberty
Flying Girls | Peju Alatise | Nigeria | North American Premiere
August Wilson Center
Keny Marshall | United States-Pittsburgh | World Premiere
707 Penn Avenue
THEATER – Ticketed Programming
Karoo Moose – No Fathers | Baxter Theatre Center | South Africa | U.S. Premiere
Trust Arts Education Center
Blind Cinema | Britt Hatzius | United Kingdom, Belgium | Regional Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018 Multiple Choice Events)
Harris Theater
Chatterton | Quantum Theatre | United States-Pittsburgh | World Premiere
Trinity Cathedral
Gab Squad | from the Josh and Gab Show | United States-Pittsburgh | World Premiere
Trust Arts Education Center
Hans Christian, You Must Be An Angel | Teatre Gruppe 38 | Denmark | Regional Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 EQT Bridge Theater Series)
Trust Arts Education Center, Peirce Studio
In the Tunnel | Gesher Theater | Israel | North American Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents)
August Wilson Center
Joan Didion’s The White Album | a project by Lars Jan / Early Morning Opera, co-commissioned by Center Theatre Group and BAM | United States | World Premiere
August Wilson Center
Midnight Radio presents Larger Than Life: Frankenstein & Karate Man Patrick Kim Bricolage Production Company & Hanut31 Theater & Gallery | United States-Pittsburgh, Israel | World Premiere
937 Liberty Avenue
Mrs. Krishnan’s Party | Indian Ink Theatre Company | India, New Zealand | North American Premiere
Trust Arts Education Center, 4th Floor
PHYSICAL THEATER – Ticketed Programming
HOTEL | Cirque Éloize | Canada | World Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh)
Benedum Center
ESPÆCE | A piece by Aurélien Bory and Compagnie 111 | France | Regional Premiere
August Wilson Center
MUSIC – Ticketed Programming
Eva Noblezada | United Kingdom | Regional Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 Trust Cabaret Series)
Greer Cabaret Theater
Tago | Kook Soo Ho, Angella Kwon, Kim Euik Hyoen | South Korea | U.S. Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents)
Byham Theater
DANCE – Ticketed Programming
Cri des Nago | Ayikodans, founder Jeanguy Saintus | Haiti | U.S. Premiere
August Wilson Center
Cão sem Plumas | Deborah Colker Dance | Brazil | U.S. Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 Pittsburgh Dance Council)
Byham Theater
Moon Opera | Yabin | China | North American Premiere
(Co-presented: 2018-2019 Pittsburgh Dance Council)
Byham Theater
For the most current listings, visit TrustArts.org/Firsts
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