OTR proceeds benefit to the Greater Pittsburg Community Food Bank
By Jessica Neu
I had the enormous privilege of speaking with Off the Record’s writer/director, Christine Laitta, and producer, Sharon Eberson, to discuss how this Pittsburgh tradition is making its in-person return to the stage while still benefiting the local Pittsburgh Food Bank.
Making her OTR directorial debut, Laitta has been involved in the production for “roughly 17 years.” She is excited to bring her unique style and new faces to this year’s show. She felt that if Off the Record continues to sustain itself as a Pittsburgh staple, she needed to bring in new people to pump it up and give it a fresh perspective. However, Eberson and Laitta promise audiences that the production will still contain its well-known fun feel and be a joyful experience. Laitta expressed her gratitude for the cast, specifically because their work is voluntary. When they come to rehearsal, they are eager and willing to play. Throughout rehearsals, she has hoped to set a tone and environment where actors are more likely to be brave in their choices and come prepared each day. Laitta explains that she has proverbially written each actor a “permission slip to be as big and as funny as you want.” This sentiment is so freeing in a show like OTR where “anything goes.”
Laitta described the rehearsal process by stating, “I’ll have my plan, and I’ll be watching the scene and then decide to try something different because there is no wrong answer. I just want the cast to have fun because the expectation of the audience is not that of a polished show. This is a space where mishaps become choices and getting a laugh is the biggest payoff of all.”
Skit topics range from Heinz Field being renamed Acrisure Stadium, Kenny Pickett, the sinkhole busses, inflation, the upcoming election, and beyond. Laitta is eager to see the actors’ efforts rewarded through the audience’s laughter. Laitta reminds her actors to “leap, and the net will appear” as she encourages them to take risks on stage.
This year, these actors include theater veteran Allan Snyder, local star Delana Flowers, and Post-Gazette columnist Samantha Bennett who has appeared in all 22 performances of “OTR,” and Pittsburgh native and actor Jason Shavers, among many others. The show will also feature several CAPA students, including Simon Nigam, Annabel Tew, and Jayden Greening. They bring a fresh perspective to the show.
The production of OTR proved a bit tricky this year as preparation began before it was known whether the show would be held in-person or virtually, as it had the past two years. As a result, the production crew decided that instead of writing a show that required actors to be in multiple scenes and to be at rehearsal every night, they would construct the show in a way that if they did have to go virtual, they could film individual scenes and do one-offs. The result is Once Upon a Time in Pittsburgh which features ‘scary stories’ from Pittsburgh news headlines with Pittsburgh favorite Rick Sebak as the narrator who guides the stories in a chapter format.
A longstanding tradition with OTR is the “prebutalist,” a politician chosen in advance to be satirized during the show. This year, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey joins the ranks of this prestigious category of folks, including Luke Ravenstahl, Bill Peduto, Christopher Heinz, Jim Roddey, and John Fetterman.
This year also marks the most TV/News personalities ever to be featured in OTR, including Ken Rice, Heather Abraham, John Delano, and Doug Oster, among many more. Pittsburgh legends Kevin McMahon and Lynn Hayes-Freeland will also be honored in a pre-show VIP ceremony.
Both Eberson and Laitta agree that the show’s satirical nature garners laughs unlike any other time on stage for an actor. However, the show is more than a comedy that can become quite raunchy since it is “off the record.”
Laitta calls the show a “win-win” because the actors get to showcase their talents and entertain the audience, but the proceeds also serve to feed thousands of people. And this all takes place on a single night.
Off the Record has had some wonderfully poignant moments over the years, including former Mayor Sophie Masloff’s last public appearance. Laitta notes that the show “reminds you that Pittsburgh is all in.Pittsburgh Musical Theater graciously donates rehearsal space, and the production staff also comes together to make props and costumes. Only the musicians and stagehands are paid for this production.
OTR combines the efforts of three different unions – the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, SAG-AFTRA Ohio-Pittsburgh, and United Steelworkers with all proceeds benefiting the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Each dollar raised equals five meals for people in need. “It gets emotional,” Laitta concludes, “because it’s the one night out of the year where it’s people at their best and Pittsburgh at its best – poking fun at each other, giving it their best, and doing it for a greater good.”
For tickets to Off the Record at the Byham Theater on October 20th visit: https://trustarts.org/production/83733/off-the-record-xxii
Categories: Show Previews
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