ArtsBridge Pittsburgh

Week 9

This week, Artsbridge students and staff were excited to see Cirque du Soleil, and their production of Varekai, which toured into Pittsburgh and set up a large tent in the parking lot of Heinz Field. We were blown away not only by the physical strength and feats of these amazing performers, but the costumes, lighting, set, and special effects. All these elements combined to create a stunning visual piece which was extremely accessible to the students. Throughout the evening, we discussed the different ways in which the story was conveyed without the use of text. Back at WPSD, students continued to refine their scenes for their upcoming production. As the ensemble has become more comfortable with the devising process, students have begun to take on the role of both performer and director—viewing each scene and how it fits into the larger message of the play, and working with Artsbridge staff to offer constructive feedback to each other. Students made decisions this week about which scenes would be used in the final production and in what order. They also brainstormed and chose a title for the production (IT IS OKAY TO BE ME). We were also happy to welcome back Guinevere Lehman (lighting designer) and Nicholas Crano (sound designer) to the Artsbridge project.

A student works with Quest’s Monique Holt (right) to direct a scene.	Sound designer, Nick Crano, and lighting designer, Guin Lehman return to the project.

Week 10...