August, 1988
PPTSWEEPS PITTSBURGH'S "SEASON'S BEST" AWARDS SUBSCRIPfION SALES SOAR TOWARD NEW RECORD Record breaking crowds and unprecedented critical acclaim greeted the Pittsburgh Public Theater's thirteenth and most successful season. And with the announcement of the Pittsburgh PostGazette's year's best awards and Pittsburgh Magazine's "Best and Worst" Awards this summer, the recognition continues. New York actor Jim Abele and Pittsburgh's own Helena Ruoti lead the list of honorees as Christopher Rawson named Abele "Performer of the Year" and singled out Ruoti's Edith Stein as the year's "most remarkable single performance." Jim Abele and Helena Ruoti were also on Bruce Steele's list of "Top Five Performances" in August's Pittsburgh Maga-. zme. Other performers who topped the PostGazette list were George Ferencz, who directed The Hairy Ape, and Lee Sankowich whose direction of two of the season's heavy hitters, Edith Stein and The Normal Heart, helped win him a category all his own. Jim Capenos, resident sound designer for the Public, made the list this year-as -did· Lighting Designers Blu and Kirk Bookman. "We're thrilled with the response to our work," said Bill Gardner. "We far exceeded our attendance goals for last season and we're very optimistic about the season to come." Favorable reviews greeted each of the six shows in season thirteen with raves for The Hairy Ape, Edith Stein and The Normal Heart. And it wasn't just the critics who liked the shows. Attendance for the season averaged over 98% with subscriptions filling 92% of suhscribahle capacity and single ticket sales exceeding the goals set for five out of the six shows. Subscription sales for this season are expected to top a reconl 15,500. "This coming season is the most appealing season we've ever put together," said Marketing Director Rosalind Ruch. "We asked our subscribers what they wanted. This season - they'll get it! "I'm Not Rappaport and Fences were the first choices in a spring subscriber preference poll. 'Rappaport' has already been announced for show two and Fences is a strong possibility for slot six. Hedda Gabler should be very popular among those who clamored for classics, and for the comedy fans it would be hard to find a more appropriate choice than Noel Coward's Fallen Angels. With The Immigrant, a sure bet in a city like Pittsburgh, and The Habitation of Dragons by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and playwright Horton Foote, this season is destined to be another winner for the Pittsburgh Public Theater.
D. Trevor O'Donnell
INSIDE Season Opener Season Line-up Holiday Comedy Classic Ibsen The Immigrant Coward Comedy Subscribe Now!
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PUBLIC THEATER UNVEILS SENSATIONAL NEW SEASON
Producing director Bill Gardner announces world premiere by major American author. Following its most successful season ever, the Pittsburgh Public Theater has announced its schedule for 1988-89. Producing Director William Gardner describes the new season as "the most exciting and varied lineup of my five-year tenure." It includes the world premiere of The Habitation of Dragons by Academy Award-winner Horton Foote; the Pittsburgh premiere of the Tony Awardwinning hit comedy I'm Not Rappaport; and Hedda Gabler starring Pittsburgh's most acclaimed actress, Helena Ruoti, in one of the greatest female roles in all dramatic literature.
Also on the bill are The Immigrant: A Hamilton County Album which, since its premiere at the Denver Theatre Center in 1985, has been winning the hearts of theatergoers across the country and Fallen Angels, a delightful comedy by the legendary Noel Coward. "We want to put together a balanced season," says Gardner. "The majority of our subscribers appreciate the fact that they see something different with every show, but we want to make sure that those who tend to like comedy are as pleased as tnose who lean toward drama.It's a tough job. I honestly believe, though, that this
season will be tremendously appealing." As for the sixth show Ganlner says, "We'll keep the slot open as long as possible in hopes of obtaining the rights to produce Fences, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Pittsburgh native August Wilson. No firm announcement, however, can be made until the rights are made available. Other titles on the list of possibilities for show six include Driving Miss Daisy, Steel Magnolias and Pirandello's The Rules of the Game. For details, see inside.
World-renowned. Horton Foote to write, direct, season opener The Habitation of Dragons to premiere at Public. See story, page 2. Shown: Screenwriter Horton Foote with Matthew Broderick during filming of 1918 in Texas, which is also the setting of Foote's play at the Public.
Broadway Tony winner will he holiday hit! I'm Not Rappaport: Best Play of 1986 by Herb Gardner, author of A Thousand Clowns. Seestory,page4. Shown: Best Actor 1986, Judd Hirsch, and co-star Cleavon Little in original Broadway production of I'm Not Rappaport.
Pittsburgh's own Helena Ruoti stars in Hedda Gabler
Edith Stein director l.£e Sankowich and star Helena Ruoti (shown) return in new adaptation of Ibsen classic . see story, pages.