Pitt Rep Theatre Presents CHURCHILL IN SHORT(S)? 2/17-27

The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre presents Churchill in Short(s)?, a compilation of three rarely performed one-act plays by acclaimed playwright Caryl Churchill: The After-Dinner Joke, This is a Chair, and Lovesick. PhD candidate Tommy Costello directs an ensemble cast at the Stephen Foster Memorial's Henry Heymann Theatre. This is a Chair presents a series of vignettes dramatizing the difficulties faced in daily communication. These in turn are juxtaposed with titles representing similar failures on a global scale. Lovesick, originally a radio play, presents a therapist and his patients and their struggles in the face of love. The After-Dinner Joke, originally produced for television, examines charity through the idealism of its main character Selby, and the politics surrounding her attempts.

Caryl Churchill (born September 3, 1938) is an English playwright known for her experiments with form and daring language. Her major works include Cloud Nine (1979), Top Girls (1982), The Skriker (1994), and A Number (2002).

Tommy Costello is a fifth-year teaching fellow in pursuit of a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies. His degrees include a B.A. in Theatre and Psychology from SUNY Geneseo and an M.Phil. in Irish Theatre and Film from Trinity College Dublin. He teaches Acting, Directing, Shakespeare, Theatre History, and Theatre Criticism courses, and his research interests are expansive, ranging from classroom pedagogy to modern Irish theatre. Tommy Regularly contributes to the discussions at ASTR and ATHE, and his work on the American character in Irish theatre can be found in a new book from McFarland Press, Portrayals of Americans on the World Stage. In production, his work as a director and scenographer has colored the stages of New York, Dublin, Prague and of course Pittsburgh. Always fervent about innovative new work, Tommy is the playwright-in-residence with the RedeyeTheatre Project.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Theatre Arts (founded in 1982) offers BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. All faculty members are active in teaching, research, and artistic projects. The department shares a philosophy of theatre education, the chief feature of which is the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be integrated for a successful program of theatre education. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre is the department's flagship theatre company with performance spaces in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial and the Cathedral of Learning. For more information about the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, please visit www.play.pitt.edu.