Pittsburgh Public Theater Showcases Point Park Talent

Being a native of Greece, Ted Pappas has always embraced directing ancient Greek tragedies.

"I study the play so I can help the actors to understand the dialogue and dramatic confrontations and to figure out how to move them around the stage," Pappas said in an email interview.

That is why Pappas, a director with 40 years of experience, is looking forward to directing Pittsburgh Public Theater's production of Sophocles' "Electra," at the O'Reilly Theater. The theater, located at 621 Penn Ave., is launching its 37th season with the play.

The show runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 30 and is Pappas' third Greek production, following "Medea" and "Oedipus the King."

"Electra" is the tale of a Greek family's conflict. The family tree consists of: Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, his wife Clytemnestra played by Lisa Harrow and their three children, daughters Iphigenia and Electra played by Catherine Eaton, and son Orestes played by Michael Simpson. The famous Trojan War took place during the time period of the play.

Agamemnon hunts in the forest protected by the goddess Artemis ad he claimed he was a better hunter. She punished him by stopping the winds, and would only bring them back if Agamemnon sacrificed his eldest daughter.

Enraged, Clytemnestra "vowed vengeance" and had an affair with Aegisthus played by David Whalen. When Agamemnon finally returns from Troy, his wife and her lover murders him. Electra worries that they will harm Orestes, so she sends him off with a faithful servant, Pylades played David Bielewicz. The play picks up from there and shows the battle between mother and daughter.

Director Pappas has been with the Pittsburgh Public Theater for 19 years and has spent 12 years as producing artistic director. Coming from a Greek family, he is fascinated with Greek tragedies, which is why he chose to direct "Electra."

As he said, "Not only are these plays pillars of western literary and theatrical art, they are also fast-paced and thrilling stories with fabulous parts for actors."

Although "Electra" has been translated, adapted and produced various times, Pappas has put his own spin on this production.

"What I bring to the production is a thorough understanding of the text, which I have read in Greek, as well as the world in which the play takes place," Pappas said. "Because the O'Reilly Theater has seats that rise up on three sides of the stage, it's very much like the Greek theater where the original production of "Electra" took place almost 2500 years ago."

Cast member and Point Park University alumna and faculty member Amy Landis said, in a phone interview, of the conflict between Electra and Clytemnestra, "I hope the audience [sees] that the arguments on [Electra's side], are strong. Both [Clytemnestra and Electra] are right, but at the same time, both are wrong."

Landis, who has been teaching voice and speech classes at Point Park since 2005, plays one of the women in the Chorus, which she says is a "pivotal, emotional" role. These three women support Electra, especially since their fate is tied with hers.

"If Electra succeeds, she will save us all," Landis said.

The play opens with Orestes and Pylades secretly returning to the palace of Mycenae to avenge Agamemnon's death with Electra. Pylades is Orestes' "right-hand man" and is played by David Bielewicz, who graduated from Point Park in 2009. Bielewicz plays the only non-speaking role in the play and has to rely on his body to communicate his character.

Actor David Bielewicz portrays the silent character of Pylades.

"My character is very dependent on the reaction and understanding of the relationship between Orestes and Pylades," Bielewicz said. "My role is [also] to be a part of the suspense."

Bielewicz hopes his audiences will react to the suspense along with him, especially since there is a long period of time where everyone knows Orestes is alive except for Electra. He also hopes the audiences will see the value in the history of the play, and that human nature has not changed.

Bielewicz would like for his audiences to appreciate the work the actors have put into the production. "These actors are exceptional," Bielewicz said. "It is a blessing to work with them. They live and breathe this play."

Landis also has similar hopes and expectations for the audiences. She wants her audiences to particularly pay attention to the language – in verse, but with modern terms – of this adaptation.

"The language of this translation/adaptation is very beautiful, very clear, very potent," Landis said.

Pappas also has his own high expectations for his audiences.

"I expect they will be shocked and deeply moved by what happens to Electra and her family. I expect they will appreciate the uniqueness of this ancient Greek tragedy, yet be amazed by how contemporary the story and emotions are."

Student tickets, with valid ID, are just $15.75. To buy tickets, and for more information, call the Pittsburgh Public Theater at 412-316-1600 or visit ppt.org.

Communication Students Plan 'Farewell' to Talk Show Host

Regis Philbin broke his own record of most time on television with 16,548.5 hourson Thursday, Sept. 15. After 28 years on his morning talk show, "Live!," Philbin will be leaving the show, retiring on Nov. 18, and Bernard Charles Vincavage Jr. wants to give him a Point Park University send off.

The show is dedicating its 23rd season to Philbin, calling it the Regis Farewell Celebration Season, and producers are asking viewers to send in videos and photos incorporating the words "smile" and "Regis."

Vincavage, an interdisciplinary studies major, invites all Point Park students to join in on his production, which could air on national television.

"I would like to get more communication students working together, and I believe this is the catalyst of [the students] to work on the project successfully," Vincavage said.

Vincavage has organized a group of Point Park students to send in videos and photos for the show, hoping they will be aired.

To get word out, Vincavage sent out an email to all of the School of Communication students, asking for participants.

A brainstorming meeting was held on Sept. 14 on the fourth floor lounge to discuss ideas for submissions, but only three people showed up due to conflicts with class schedules.

However, Vincavage assured everyone that plenty of students emailed him, telling him they are interested.

One of the ideas discussed include students spelling out the words "smile" and "Regis" in the new Village Park, while a student takes either video or photo footage from an aerial view.

Another idea, more for individual students to do, was to take pictures holding signs saying "Smile, Regis," throughout the Point Park campus and Pittsburgh area.

Philbin displayed his love for Pittsburgh over the summer when the Pirates made a short-lived run at first place in the Major League Baseball's National League's central division, and Philbin made a point to cheer the Pirates on every game.

"I don't like to take on projects myself. I like to share the success with others," Vincavage said of his brainstorming meeting.

Although he would need permission from the producers to release how he got involved in the project, Vincavage was able to say that the show contacted him saying they were looking for "farewell Regis content."

Vincavage first got involved with the entertainment industry when he went to Los Angeles this past spring.

While there, he did a lot of networking and met the executive director of the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and the producer of MTV's "Jersey Shore," to name a few. He "ingrained [himself] in the industry."

While the show is looking for videos and photos on a national scale, Vincavage hopes to get Point Park involved to expand the reputation of the school.

Since the new Village Park has opened, he believes that will be the best way to do so.

The students involved are also excited about the project.

A huge "Regis and Kelly" fan, sophomore acting major Tess DeStefano said, "I hope to get as many people involved as possible."

Another expectation she has is coming up with a unique idea so the videos or photos will be aired on the show, all while having fun.

While brainstorming for the project has only begun, the deadline for submissions is Nov. 1.
Vincavage hopes to get the project done well before that to avoid rushing through it.

There will be another meeting on Sept. 23 to discuss more ideas and how to approach and organize them.

He is also planning on making a Facebook group for the project for easier communication. Vincavage has huge expectations for this project.

"The bigger, the better," he said. "The more people who show interest, I have an intuitive feeling it will be aired."

Altar TV Promotes Emerging Bands

Through 14 years of playing music all over the country, Alex Drizos became acutely aware that emerging bands – no matter how talented they were – needed to generate publicity, or a buzz, to succeed.

As his own performing career wound down, he returned to Pittsburgh and worked behind the scenes and in promotions for bands like Punchline and The Composure, but was often frustrated by the lack of vehicles to get word out on these acts.

That's when he teamed up with five others to create the fast-growing Altar TV – located at 1627 Penn Ave. in the Strip – a high definition video music channel that features interviews, behind-the-scenes and live concert footage of local and indie bands throughout the Pittsburgh area.

Drizos said the music industry is becoming more Internet- and social media-centric.

"It's a transitional period for the industry, so it's a more guerrilla style of promotion," he said.

Along with Drizos, Altar TV was created by Chad Calcagno, Jordan Tomb, Brad Fombelle, Brandon Snyder and Phil Atkins, who all met through mutual friends and worked on music videos for Punchline with an east Pittsburgh production company, Quanti Studios.

Founders of Altar TV, (from left to right) Phil Atkins, Alex Drizos, Brad Fombelle, Chad Calcagno (in front, glasses), Brandon Snyder and Jordan Tomb work together to create content for the Pittsburgh-based high definition musical channel.

When Drizos had the opportunity to tour with his band in Los Angeles he dropped out of the University of Pittsburgh.

"For the first five years, I wanted nothing to do with the business side of things," Drizos said.

Once on the road, he became more aware of that aspect of the industry.

Drizos was working at Altar Bar in Pittsburgh's Strip District on the interactive side of things like marketing and press, and booking bands, when he came up with the idea for Altar TV. Drizos, Calcagno, Tomb, Fombelle, Snyder, as well as some others, all held a meeting to discuss the project for an online music channel.

"Altar TV is Alex's baby," said Calcagno, a film student at the Art Institute. Michael Pitterich, the owner of Altar Bar and head of the "umbrella" entertainment company Blackburn, also loved the idea.

"Blackburn decided to, basically, buy us and the idea," Snyder said as he sat up excitedly.

At the beginning, the guys at Altar TV hoped to knock out 18 videos in six months, but they cut that time in half, and nothing has stopped them since.

Altar TV's website says it is "the portal for connection, engaging fans with exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights and coverage of the most exciting artists in music today at the intersection of lifestyle, culture and cutting-edge trends."

Although this is the ultimate goal of the production, Drizos said they are not quite there yet. However, they are looking to integrate local businesses. Still, as of now, their main focus is street artists and behind-the-scenes footage.

In the seven months since the creation of Altar TV, various indie and local bands and musicians have been featured, including: Silverstein, All Time Low, The Cab, Aesop Rock, Whitechapel, Millionaires, Moving Mountains, Punchline, Crash City and even American Idol season nine winner Lee DeWyze. They have shot all around the Pittsburgh area: Altar Bar, Stage AE (North Shore) and South Side to name a few locations.

During interviews, Altar TV strives to ask more in-depth and non-traditional questions to the bands, asking about "what it's like to be on tour, to set up their gear and the stage, what it's like to record an album," Drizos said.

Another issue the guys like to bring up is illegal music downloading. Most up-and-coming bands are having trouble making money because nobody is buying the record, but downloading it on the Internet illegally. Thus, Altar TV tries to "examine creative ways" to promote these bands.

Some of the most memorable interviews were with bands like Moving Mountains, The Cab and Lee DeWyze, who were all very personable and talented.

"We got to hang out on [Moving Mountain's] tour bus with them, and follow them on stage," Calcagno said, wriggling in his seat. "Every band on Warped Tour this year loved them."

Snyder recalls The Cab being "very hospitable," giving out six backstage passes to random fans at Stage AE during their Aug. 26 concert. The venue was very strict about where Altar TV could film so The Cab ended up doing an acoustic performance in the dressing room.

"They're a post-hard-core band, and around the same age as us," said Drizos. "So we connected and were able to [interact] on the same level."

When talking with Lee DeWyze about his experience before, during and after American Idol, Drizos worried he would not answer the questions they were asking. To their surprise, DeWyze had no problem answering their questions with nothing but honesty.

"It was almost as if he wanted us to ask those questions," Drizos recalls.

It takes a great deal of work to create the videos on Altar TV. Fombelle directs and conducts interviews. "I translate Alex [Drizos]'s ideas to video," Fombelle said.

Snyder works with Fombelle for the time, locations and the "business side of things," as well as produces the Altar TV content. Atkins also works with location, and the lighting and camera angles of the shoots.

Tomb is the chief editor; Alex Mohler takes care of scheduling and access issues; and Drizos, not big on titles, is described by Calcagno as the "executive producer," because "he made everything possible."

One unique approach that Altar TV takes toward interviews is, as DrizosBayside, Steve Soboslai of Punchline talked to them about touring and music pirating. This offers a musician-to-musician aspect and helps connect the fan to the artist.

"You get a whole different insight when a band is on tour," Drizos said.

Although Drizos came up with Altar TV while working at Altar Bar, the gentlemen want to make it clear that the venue is its own entity. Details aside, their ultimate goal is to promote and support live music.

They seem to be succeeding. They have received nothing but positive feedback from viewers, fans and especially bands. Drizos said, "It surprises people. We haven't done much marketing, and we're coming from this independently, but with a production value.

Calcagno also added, "We're still trying to figure out who we are … We don't have the largest audience, yet, but the bands are excited." Snyder chimed in with, "The best thing is the feedback from people. The positivity really pushes us to do more."

Fombelle excitedly agreed and said, "Even the bands put our videos up on their [web]pages, sometimes before we get to put it on ours."

The crew is excited to work with Punchline again and just returned from filming in L.A.

"Right now we're grounded with [them]. We shot music videos for them in the past, and we [went] to L.A. to shoot stuff for their documentary," Drizos said. "They have such an interesting story."

Recently, they found office space across the street from Altar Bar. "It'll be our office, but also an ‘artist lounge,'" Calcagno said. "The bands can just hang out with us and be real."

Drizos understands what life is like while touring with a band, so he wants to put a washer and dryer in the lounge for bands to use while in the area. They want to cater to their needs and make them as comfortable as possible.

While everyone is still working to get Altar TV where they want it, Drizos said, "We're taking an organic approach to letting Altar TV evolve into what it's going to be."

To watch the videos and for more information go to www.altartv.tumblr.com.