Provided by the Pittsburgh Public Theater
The cast of “My Fair Lady” features Point Park University alumni, Conservatory of Performing Arts’ voice teacher and a current student. The production will run from Jan. 22 to Feb. 22 at the O’Reilly Theater.
When “My Fair Lady” debuts at the Pittsburgh Public Theater Thursday, audience members can expect to see a cast featuring many actors with ties to the Point Park community.
The classic musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe is set to include a current Point Park student, a voice teacher in the Conservatory of Performing Arts and four graduates.
“[‘My Fair Lady’] is based off the play ‘Pygmalion,’” said Ashton Guthrie, a junior acting major with a minor in musical theatre and an ensemble cast member. “It’s about Henry Higgins who finds a flower girl and makes a bet with Colonel Pickering that he can turn her into a duchess or princess in six months time or less. They pluck Eliza [Doolittle] from the gutter and give her beautiful clothes and teach her how to speak beautifully.”
Joining Guthrie in the ensemble is faculty member Robert Frankenberry and alumni J. Alex Noble, Caroline Nicolian, Garrett Storm and Andrew Swackhamer.
“It’s fantastic because they’re really good,” Frankenberry said about working with past and current Point Park students. “Sometimes, it’s nice to see them work as professionals outside of the ivory tower.”
The ivory tower Frankenberry is referring to is Point Park, which is located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh and is often said to have revitalized the area.
And while the University is also well known for its dance program, it has also been recognized for the vast amount of talent that has come from its theatre department.
“[Point Park] has supplied a lot of talent,” Storm said. “The staff and the students both. You pretty much go anywhere and see them in shows at the City Theatre, [the Pittsburgh CLO], the [Pittsburgh Public Theatre and] a lot of smaller places too.”
Storm, Noble and Swackhamer said their training at Point Park helped them gain opportunities in their profession.
“I can’t say that Point Park has technically ever opened a door for me,” Noble said. “But, I will say that the training that I received there, and the connections that I made there with other performers and the teachers have led to opportunities. I can’t say that having Point Park on my resume ever got me a job or got me in the room when it wouldn’t [have] before. I can say that because I went to Point Park I know a lot more of the working professionals in town.”
Unlike the alumni that have already completed their training at the University, Guthrie’s training is still in progress, which makes his experience different from everyone else. He is also the youngest actor in the cast.
“It’s been really wonderful,” Guthrie said. “I came straight out of doing ‘A Musical Christmas Carol’ at CLO, which was really fast. We put it up in a week. So going to this show and just working on one of these classics and getting to actually rehearse it and [getting] to know the play and just know the characters…it’s been a really rewarding experience. Also, getting to work with professionals has been something that is in a way unteachable while you’re here [at Point Park]. I’m really lucky I get to actually be out there, doing what I am training to do.”
Guthrie is not the only one making his debut with the Pittsburgh Public Theater. “My Fair Lady” will also be Noble and Storm’s first show with the company.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Noble said about his experience so far. “This has been as much fun as I’ve had in a very long time. I love the show. I think its one of the most complete pieces of theater from the music to the script to just the context, the language of it, the subject matter [and] the plot. It’s just a complete musical. It’s wonderful.”
Guthrie, Frankenberry, Swackhamer and Storm expressed similar feelings as Noble about their experiences.
“I love working here so much,” Swackhamer said. “The personalities, the jokes that happen with everybody…it’s just a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone comes in prepared, very off-book and very familiar with what work they have ahead of themselves. I look forward to working here every time. This is my third show with them. “
Director Ted Pappas’ “My Fair Lady” will run from Jan. 22 until Feb. 22 at the O’Reilly Theater. Regular admission is dependent on desired seats or ticket choices. Tickets for full-time students and those 26 and younger are discounted at $15.75.
Provided by the Pittsburgh Public Theater
Ashton Guthrie, junior musical theater major, was cast by the Pittsburgh Public Theater as part of the ensemble in “My Fair Lady.” He is the youngest actor in the show.
