“I just started asking people, ‘What about outside?’” she said. “We really pivoted,” said Fudor, who co-founded the nonprofit group, in 2013. Arcade was exploring doing so at its theater on Liberty Avenue when COVID-19 cases in the county began to rise sharply. In June, when Allegheny County entered the green phase of the pandemic shutdown, venues were permitted to operate at half-capacity, with distancing requirements. “This is really sort of a Hail Mary in the time of COVID, in terms of really trying to think outside of the box,” said Abby Fudor, Arcade’s managing artistic director.Īrcade also plans to move its comedy-performance classes outdoors to the space, with masking, social-distancing, and more flexible, drop-in-style attendance. About 40 distanced seats will face a small stage hosting local standup comics and improv performers. On Sundays and Mondays, Arcade at the Oasis will take over the Trust Oasis, a plaza-like space owned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Seventh Street, Downtown.
Prismatica pittsburgh series#
But Sunday, Arcade Comedy Theater becomes Pittsburgh’s first arts group to launch a live outdoor performance series during the pandemic. The only other option, outdoor live performances, has been so far limited to drive-in concerts at a handful of suburban venues. Even after state rules loosened to allow performance halls to operate at reduced capacity, most decided it was unsafe or simply impractical to do so. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.Īrcade Comedy Theater's Abby Fudor poses at the Trust Oasis.įor nearly five months, the coronavirus pandemic has confined Pittsburgh’s performing-arts groups almost exclusively to online programming. Located at the Trust Oasis public art space on Seventh Street, Prismatica is described by the Trust as an enormous “modern ice palace” made of giant prisms that come alive with light and color after the sun goes down.The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Of the workshops, which include making an illuminated lantern and flying bird puppets, Capezzuti says, “It’s always been about finding beauty and joy in the things we throw away, and bringing people together through the creative process and finding delight in that effort in a world where sometimes delight is hard to find.”įirst Night will also feature interactive art installations, Prismatica from the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership in Montreal, and the Dream Wall Project by artist Anna Schuliger. Aziz emphasizes that 90% of the programming will take place indoors.Ĭapezzuti will also teach a variety of puppet-making workshops, including one where participants make giant puppet heads that will sit atop pedicabs at First Night. “We like to think of it as an open house of the Cultural District … But I do feel like this year, we might have stretched our variety a little bit more.”įirst Night will span the 14-block radius of the Cultural District and include programming at various venues, including theaters, galleries, churches, and other event spaces. “First Night is always a variety of activities,” says Sarah Aziz, director of festival management and special projects for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and director of Highmark First Night. The annual New Year’s Eve celebration promises over 100 events and activities, including live music, magic acts, visual art, and other surprises spread throughout the Downtown Cultural District. Cheryl Capezzuti of Studio Capezzuti and her puppets A small crowd of politicians, media, artists, and giant puppets gathered on the fourth floor of the Trust Arts Education Center for the big reveal of this year’s Highmark First Night festivities.
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