Student Blog: Pittsburgh Playhouse's Dance Nation: Learning the Routine

The Pittsburgh Playhouse's production of Dance Nation began fully online, with auditions and a read through over Zoom. Yet, in only a month's time, the team of this show has blocked, rehearsed, and perfected Clare Barron's masterpiece of a show. Rehearsals first began with learning dance routines. But, now, practices have ended in full run throughs in the rehearsal space.

With the conclusion of initial rehearsals comes reflection and analysis of this digital, theatrical performance process.

To begin, director Kelly Trumbull and the cast have done an incredible job maintaining the integrity of Clare Barron's script. Encouraging performers to embrace the sexuality and femininity of the script, Trumbull has perfected the wildly bold moments of the show, which include but are certainly not limited to a "sexy dance", a period disaster, and chanting about pussies. Yes, the cast is embracing the authenticity of being a pre-teen in a tragically, dramatic pre-teen world.

Yet, this seemingly dramatic world is simply embodying the complexity and misunderstanding of being a young female in an unkind, sexist world. The cast expands Barron's writing by bringing their life's journey to their characters, sharing the intricacies of the world around us.

Starting this week, tech rehearsals and additional will occur in the performance space. The play will occur at the Highmark Theatre of Point Park University, where a performance will ultimately be filmed and shared from there. More information is yet to come for the Pittsburgh Playhouse's production of Dance Nation!

For more of this production's work, check out my dramaturg hub: https://sites.google.com/view/dramaturgydancenation/home?authuser=0
For more information about tickets for the Pittsburgh Playhouse's Dance Nation, use this link: https://playhouse.pointpark.edu/tickets/conservatoryTheatre/dancenation