With news about … Benedum Center evacuation; New Hazlett’s CSA finale; and Draft Day Fever.
🎭 ICYMI
- In the News: Arts Landing Ribbon-Cutting Showcases What’s in Store for Pittsburghers, Beyond the NFL Draft
- Review: Review: Where the Earth Meets the Sky: On Grappling and Dancing Otherwise
- Review: PSO Pops Sets Sail for the Islands in ‘Tropical Rock For 5 O’Clock Somewhere’
- Review: Review: Bodiography’s ‘Arcadia’ Examines Death and Rebirth
- In the News: New Impulse Festival Pairs CMU Center for New Work With Local Theater Companies and Artists
- In the News: Carnegie Mellon and Pittsburgh Symphony Launch Four-Year Partnership
- Across the Pond: In London, a Warm Pittsburgh Hug for the Artistry of Mason Alexander Park and the Hilarity of ‘Oh, Mary!’
BENEDUM FIRE ALARM DELAYS ‘SHUCKED’ START
Via onStage Pittsburgh Publisher George Hoover:
On Saturday, April 18, my wife and I were at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts to see Shucked. We arrived early — as usual — thanks to rain, tight parking (the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was also performing nearby), and a long-held professional belief: If you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late.
After a damp dash from the garage, we found the house open a bit ahead of schedule and settled in with our programs. About 10 minutes before curtain, there were still plenty of empty seats — nothing unusual for a rainy night — but even after most patrons had arrived and taken their seats, the show didn’t start.
Then my wife leaned over and asked if I heard a ringing sound. I hadn’t, but I wondered if it might somehow be part of the show.
Soon, without any visible cue, patrons in the front rows of the orchestra began rising and moving toward the exits in an orderly fashion, likely guided by ushers who were out of our view. We joined them and, as we reached the mid-orchestra, the announcement finally came over the house system: “Please evacuate the theater.”
Ushers were stationed at the rear of the auditorium and in the intermediate lobby, where the fire alarm was clearly audible. They directed patrons efficiently to the nearest exits. We were funneled out onto Penn Avenue, where a single fire truck was parked. With the rain having stopped, the audience spread out across the sidewalk, Katz Plaza, and even into the street.
The evacuation, at least in our section, was notably calm. No complaints, no confusion; just a quiet, orderly exit. (Experiences may have varied in other parts of the house.)
Around 8 p.m., patrons were invited back inside, re-entering through security at the main entrance. As three firefighters returned to their truck, they received a spontaneous round of applause from those nearby.
We were back in our seats shortly thereafter. The performance began around 8:15 p.m.
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust emailed ticket-holders with an explanation:
“The fire alarm before Saturday’s performance of Shucked was triggered by theatrical haze. The Benedum Center was evacuated as a precaution. While there was no fire and no danger at any time, we take your experience seriously and regret the disruption all the same.”
I appreciate that the evacuation and return were handled calmly and without incident that I could see. Here are several points to consider, with the hope that none every have to be put into action in the future.
- Why did the evacuation announcement come after patrons had already begun leaving their seats?
- If the trigger was theatrical haze, why was the alarm sounding in the lobby but not in the theater?
- And outside, with hundreds gathered, should there be a more direct way —such as bullhorns — to communicate with the crowd?
NFL DRAFT DETOUR: OVER THE RIVER TO E. OHIO STREET TO ‘SEXY GHOST’
(Image: Sharon Eberson)
Via Sharon Eberson:
The effects of NFL Draft Week were already on display on Monday of this week, when my usual route to the New Hazlett Theater — via the Fort Duquesne Bridge’s North Shore ramp — was thwarted by closures. Undaunted, I crossed four lanes to head to the East Ohio Street exit, which proved much easier than it is bound to be during Draft Days.
I was at the New Hazlett for the finale of the 2025-2026 Community Supported Artists (CSA) season: An Off the Page reading of Matt Henderson’s Gloria, Jean, and the Sexy Ghost Show, in which a near-future “nasty virus” causes a societal shutdown. Middle-aged Gloria and Jean, living on opposite ends of the country, bond, and then some, during watch parties of a CW TV show about sexy teen ghosts.
It’s the second reading (first was part of PICT’s Bards From The Burgh) I have seen of the work by Henderson, a deservedly busy Pittsburgh writer/performer and founder of the Spotlight: Monthly LGBTQ+ Theatre Jam Sessions. The New Hazlett’s CSA series, Bards From the Burgh, City Theatre’s Momentum Festival, CMU Center for New Work’s new Impulse Festival … all of these series bolster and support in-development works from mostly local artists, and help provide creators with valuable audience feedback.
DRAFT DAYS: ARCADE COMEDY AND MORE TO-DO’s
Speaking of Draft Week, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has a full slate of adjacent activities at https://downtownpittsburgh.com/the-draft-downtown/.
In the Pittsburgh Cultural District, Arcade Comedy comics are gearing up for Comedy Press Conference, in which they deliver their sets before “they step up to the podium and face the press.” Color oSP intrigued. The 7 p.m. set features Ronnie Fleming, Lydia Henninger, Alyssa Moon, Andreas O’Rourke, and Blake Scala, comedians who “are hilariously talented but have absolutely ZERO media training.” https://events.leapevents.com/event/ronnie-fleming-showcase-2604
Meanwhile, among theaters that may or may not require fighting traffic … Final performances of Quantum Theatre’s immersive 10 Out of 12 at Mellon Institute in Oakland are Friday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m. April 24; 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 25; and 2 p.m. April 26. The performance on Thursday, April 23, is sold out. https://www.quantumtheatre.com/10-12/
🎟️ Reminder: The discount ticket initiative Go See a Show! is ongoing, with 18 performing arts companies and Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama participating. Find tickets at https://www.goseeashowpgh.com/ and read all about via onStage Pittsburgh.
👉 Don’t forget—you can always explore the next two months of performances, organized by date or company, anytime at onStage Pittsburgh.
👉Did we miss your show? Send us your updates at info@onstagepittsburgh.com so we can share them in a future Call Board.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, CALL BOARD, Our Posts
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