What happens among four teens in the 2019 play by Alexis Scheer, “My Dear Dead Drug Lord,” is the stuff of pubescent histrionics, paranormal activity, and parental nightmares. It would be hysterical if some of it wasn’t so feasible, teetering on the edge of funny shenanigans and deeply discomfiting actions. The barebones production, now playing in Braddock, is a twisty, trippy exploration into the lives of four young women who are determined to go dark, as a path into the light.
The cast of “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,” the “ferocious, darkly funny” coming-of-age play opening this weekend at barebones productions, answer questions about their first professional production, women working with women in theater, and more. The Alexis Scheer drama at the Braddock Black Box theater, June 12-June 28, 2026 is set in a treehouse, where a quartet of teens tries to summon the ghost of Pablo Escobar.
Chronic pain has invaded the bodies of every character in “Infinite Life,” a constant companion as they lounge in the sun, ruminating on their paths to a fasting clinic, sipping water, hungering for peace, conjuring distractions and supporting each other in their separate journeys. In a quietly compelling 110 minutes, the Annie Baker play now at barebones productions in Braddock, does not tick off any boxes of expectations; rather, it lives and breathes in a singular realm of slow-burn storytelling.
What happens when two sets of New York parents seek a civilized response to an act of playground violence: one of their 11-year-old sons whacking the other with a stick, knocking out two teeth?
In the case of barebones’ production of “God of Carnage,” it’s a blast, as outwardly responsible adults take wildly inappropriate dives into their darkest sides, played by Daina Michelle Griffth, Patrick Jordan, Gayle Pazerski and David Whalen.
The “Jaws”-inspired play “The Shark Is Broken” rides a wave of excitement into Braddock, buoyed by “Jaws” fever and three Patricks: Patrick Jordan, Patrick Cannon and Quinn Patrick Shannon.
By SHARON EBERSON This year marks 20 years since the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy abuse. It also marks 40 years since actor Jay Sefton went from carefree 13-year-old to abuse survivor, and sparked his autobiographical… Read More ›
Barebones productions will kick off 2025 with Jay Sefton’s one-man autobiographical show Unreconciled, written by Sefton and Mark Basquill and directed by Geraldine Hughes. The play, in which Sefton channels multiple characters, arrives in barebones’ Braddock Black Box Theater January… Read More ›
By SHARON EBERSON Everything old is new again isn’t just a saying this holiday season. It’s a promise of more of what has proven popular, and in one case in particular, a welcome back. Bricolage Production Company’s popular Midnight Radio… Read More ›
Bricolage Productions’ Midnight Radio is set to burst back on the theater scene with Die Hard N’At, billed as a “Pittsburgh-ified holiday romp” that parodies the action film and presented with the company’s trademark Foley sound effects. “Finally, we’re back,”… Read More ›
UPDATE: After this story was published, Susan Davey had to leave the production and was replaced by Phoebe Lloyd (Carnegie Mellon Class of 2023). By SHARON EBERSON “It’s a typical Pittsburgh story. Somebody knows somebody,” is how Patrick Jordan was… Read More ›
