The Constellationist, a live, biographical play-meets-variety show, illustrates the life of Pittsburgh-area resident Mary Carey of Braddock. The production premieres Wed., July 12 at Attack Theatre Studios in Lawrenceville.
Theater companies have wrestled with the question of what does and does not qualify as theater.
Does it need a stage? An audience? What’s the inherent nature of the artform?
For much of the 20th and early 21st century, adventurous companies nudged at those borders. Then, 2020 made the question much more relevant; the idea of gathering audiences in front of physical stages was a non-starter in the face of COVID-19.
For most, that change meant turning screens into stages, finding innovative and engaging ways to present theatrical works digitally.
At the first Post Theatrical theater festival, however, digital presentations aren’t enough. Companies participating in the innovative, global festival have looked past the screen all the way to the mailbox.
The theater piece “Sharon,” from innovative creators Real/Time Interventions, follows a day-care worker who has shepherded the growth of generations of children, helping to raise a village full of kids.
It’s a powerful and touching reminder of the many people who keep our children’s faces in their memories, even after our kids forget them.
nd it’s told in miniature with tiny toy figures.
“We realized early on during 2020 that childcare workers were essential workers, but maybe not at the forefront of people’s thoughts in the way nurses, doctors and other health care specialists might be,” says Rusty Thelin, who shares artistic director duties with Molly Rice. “We wanted to shine a spotlight on these very special front-line workers.”