City Theatre Announces Pay-What-You-Want Series

City Theatre Company is excited to introduce a series of Pay-What-You-Want performances throughout the 2015/16 Season. The first of these events will take place on Saturday, October 17th at the 9:00pm performance of Conor McPherson's The Night Alive. A limited number of Pay-What-You-Want tickets will be available two hours before the show and patrons can contact the box office in advance to check on availability. These performances will be followed by a late-night salon and happy hour in the theatre's Gordon Lounge.

"This season we are focusing on new ways to open our doors to audience members," says City's Managing Director James McNeel. "During each of our six main stage productions we will offer at least one Pay-What-You-Want performance followed by a late night salon. These opportunities ensure affordability for all patrons and provides a forum for folks of all walks-of-life to come together as a community and enjoy high-quality, professional theater."

The characters in Conor McPherson's The Night Alive might well take advantage of the program themselves. This darkly comedic Irish yarn follows Tommy who has made a mess of his life: he's living low in Dublin, just getting by on odd jobs, and doing his best to avoid his wife and kids. But when he rescues a mysterious woman, an escape out of the squalor becomes possible - if only they can shake their checkered pasts. This award-winning play ripples with humor and heart and wrestles with the complicated task of being human.

In addition to the Pay-What-You-Want night, the run of The Night Alive will also feature post-performance discussions with the cast and designers on Sunday October 18 and 25 following the 2pm matinees; accessible performances on Tuesday October 27, 7:00 p.m. (ASL Interpretation) and Sunday, November 1, 2:00 p.m. (Open Captioning & Audio Description); and a performance by acclaimed singer/songwriter Mark Dignam as part of City's Greenroom Young Professionals Night on Friday, October 23.

The Night Alive is directed by City's Artistic Director Tracy Brigden and features Rod Brogan, Ciaran Byrne, Brendan Griffin, Hayley Neilsen, and Noble Shropshire. The creative team includes Tony Ferrieri (scenic design), Robert C.T. Steele (costume design), Andrew David Ostrowski (lighting design), Elizabeth Atkinson (sound design), Catherine Moore (fight choreography), and Sheila McKenna (dialect coaching).

2015/16 PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Saturdays at 9:00pm on the following dates:

October 17, 2015 - The Night Alive by Conor McPherson
November 21 and December 5, 2015 - Sunset Baby by Dominique Morriseau

January 30, 2016 - Some Brighter Distance by Keith Reddin

March 19, 2016 - Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason

April 23 and May 7, 2016 - The Last Match by Anna Ziegler

May 21, 2016 - The Lion by Benjamin Scheuer

City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)

REGULAR TICKETS (GUARANTEED SEATS):

$36 to $61 (discounts available for students, seniors, groups, and military personnel)

BOX OFFICE:

412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org

City Theatre is now in its 41st season. Located on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning, and producing work by playwrights such as Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Madeleine George. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director James McNeel, and a 37-member Board of Directors, City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. CityTheatreCompany.org