Conservatory Theatre Company Stages THE ALCHEMIST'S LAB, Now thru 12/15

Point Park University presents an original, irreverent comedy, The Alchemists' Lab, directed, written and devised by Gab Cody in collaboration with students of the Conservatory Theatre Company.

Under the master tutelage of seriously funny playwright, filmmaker and storyteller, Gab Cody, Point Park students have created a work never before seen anywhere. Ever. This amalgamation of wild characters, intricate storylines, improvisation and stand-up humor is loosely based on Ben Johnson's comedy, The Alchemist, first performed in 1610, and twisted into a more contemporary satire. The wildly creative mind of Cody, a Point Park alum, fuels a theatrical experience not to be missed.

The Alchemists' Lab opens today, Dec. 10 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. Performances will be held Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. with one final show on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from $18 to $20 and can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412.392.8000, or online at www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.

The Alchemists' Lab features an all-student design team. Scenic design by Deborah Thomas, costumes by Kelsey Bower, lighting by Mike Papinchak, and sound by Brittany Mellerson. Layden Jenson-Bunch is the stage manager.

Classically trained actor, improviser and standup comedienne Gab Cody uses her skills to create hilarious, yet thought provoking works, be they inspired by Commedia Del Arte, Nietzsche, 1930s screwball comedy or 1960s horror films. Her plays have been staged at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York City's Urban Stages, as well as Bricolage Theater Company's 24-Hour play festival B.U.S., and nonameplayers' SWAN Day festival. Her full-length play Prussia: 1866 received a staged reading at The Workshop Theatre in New York in January 2011. Her film works include shorts, documentaries and many PSAs, and have screened at Greetings From Pittsburgh: Neighborhood Narratives, the Cleveland International Film Festival, NYC Horror Film Fest, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, San Francisco's Disposable Film Fest, and 11/22 International Comedy Short Film Festival in Vienna, Austria. Her bilingual Franco-English play, Fat Beckett, received a full production in December 2011 at Quantum Theater in Pittsburgh and was named a Top 10 Production of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cody served as lead writer on Bricolage Production Company's immersive urban adventure, STRATA, which was named best play of 2012 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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