New Children's Matinee Series

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Bromeley Family Theater is welcoming young theater-goers with the launch of a new school matinee series.

The inaugural New Horizons School Matinee Series will feature performances of classic children’s novels for elementary school age children, “Charlotte’s Web” on Oct. 9 and “Nate the Great” on Jan. 22, 2008.


For older students, a school matinee performance of “The Cripple of Inishmaan” directed by Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, will be offered Nov. 19. A school matinee of the spring production by the Division of Communication and the Arts will take place April 1, 2009. That offering has yet to be announced.

“This series of innovative live performances is designed to educate, entertain and inspire young audiences,” said Randy L. Mayes, arts programming director, adding that he is thrilled with the response to New Horizons.

“I was surprised when one simple black-and-white flyer sent to the Intermediate Unit 9 and Warren County schools at the end of the school year quickly sold 1,913 seats. I’m optimistic that we will sell the remaining 447 seats and add more shows and performances next year. This is shaping up to be a very popular program.”

New Horizons will support the curriculum of schools by providing culturally diverse programs. Each elementary show includes a study guide for teachers.

The elementary age shows will be presented twice during the school day at a greatly reduced price for school groups.

The first program, “Charlotte’s Web,” presented by Theaterworks USA, is based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte.

Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up in the slaughterhouse.

Enter Charlotte, a fine writer and a true friend, who assures Wilbur she will save him.

Charlotte hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman – she will create a “miracle.” Spinning the words “Some Pig” in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution, which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but ensures his place on the farm forever.

This treasured tale, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship.

In the second program, Nate the Great is a pint-size young detective who has found lost balloons, books, slippers, chickens and even a lost goldfish. But when his neighbor Annie asks for help in locating her missing painting, it takes all of Nate’s derring-do to solve the toughest case of his career.

Although Nate believes that great detectives work alone, he finds that unraveling mysteries is easier (and a lot more fun) with a partner.

“Nate the Great” is also presented by Theaterworks USA and based on the book by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.

The new elementary shows have been joined with an existing program to offer live theater at a reduced price to high school students.

Each season, Pitt-Bradford offers student-produced plays in the intimate 110-seat Studio Theater on the Bromeley Family Theater stage.

This year’s first offering, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” by Martin McDonagh, is a dark comedy set on an island off the coast of Ireland in the 1930s. When an American film crew comes to town, a crippled boy decides to try out for a role.

High schools that want to attend should contact Sharie Radzavich at (814)362-7590 or smr2@pitt.edu. Group tours of the campus are also available to high schools.

For more information on the elementary age series, contact Patty Colosimo at (814)362-5155 or colosimo@pitt.edu.