Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A group of recent CMU graduates take the New York International Fringe Festival by storm
Pittsburgh City Paper: Outside a small theater in New York City's East Village, on Aug. 18, a lined formed down the block to see PigPen Theatre Co.'s The Mountain Song at the 15th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Some didn't even have a ticket, but stood in the rain, hoping for no-shows. Waiting for the doors to open, you could hear the eager chatter about the show and its stars, seven 2011 graduates of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama.
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9 comments:
Its is so wonderful to see the network and family created from CMU's School of Drama. As a freshman in the SOD, It is stories like these that remind me why I'm doing what I'm doing. They remind us all that those we meet today may be with us for the rest of our lives and that you never know where the future may lead!
Updates: Pigpen was awarded the 2011 Overall Excellence in a Production and have been invited back for the Encores series which remounts the best of the Fringe!
There's something about Pigpen that really resonates, whether it's the down-to-earth storytelling, the folk music, or the up-by-the-bootstraps staging solutions. As they continue to establish a toehold in NY theatre, I take a page from my business courses and actually think they have an interesting issue in scaling up from here. There's an inherent excitement in a Pigpen show from knowing that tonight's event is only being shared among 100 or so people in the studio spaces that I have seen them perform so far. How would the intimacy of their shows work in larger spaces? I'm very excited to follow their progress as their style and shows develop in such a different theatrical environment from CMU.
I recently went to the fringe festival, but unfortunately missed the Pig Pen performance. However, I congratulate Pig Pen on their Encores. I had heard that for many of the productions that are asked back for Encores, it is difficult to recoup their finances. Partially because the excitement of the Fringe is over, and because the productions are moved into larger venues that are more difficult to fill. I wish Pig Pen the best of luck, I hope that they find success with their encore performances, and continue to put on shows.
I think Brian makes an interesting comment. I'm not sure how well their style does scale up to fill larger spaces and reach wider audiences. I think perhaps a real indicator of the longterm viability of the project will be how well they can take their style to a larger size. That being said, should they bump up the venue, it seems like they've already been making a substantial following in the city, and of course I wish them the best of luck.
I was fortunate enough to get to see this show right before I left for Pittsburgh! I had never been able to see one of their productions at school. And I definitely agree with the point that the intimacy of the event is something to be cherished. I'm not sure that I would want the scale to be increased by much more. What I found the most interesting is that I was able to go with my mom and thirteen year old brother. Neither of them really enjoy going to any theater type show, and yet, I think because of how casual and cozy it was, and how it didn't really feel like an audience watching a show, rather, a group of friends sharing stories at night, both my mom and brother loved the show. I think there's something to be said in being able to so successfully appeal to people who normally would not be interested in going to a theatrical production.
Oh, the Pigpen boys. Their success in New York is wonderful! I think the reason they are becoming so popular is because of the versatility of their shows. The shows are appropriate for children, but interesting enough for adults. This kind of show is definitely hard to find in New York. It's either for the kids or for the adults. I agree with everyone else, that performing in a larger space could potentially hurt the feel of their shows. There is an excitement one gets when in the audience that each performer makes eye contact with you and truly makes you feel as if you are in this world that they created. But, the truth is, we all have to tweak our art sometimes in order to make money and survive.
It is really amazing to see the pig pen group doing well. their style and creative drive is what i find to fascinating with them. the shows they have created is a universe which captures an interesting memory of a somewhat under-appreciated style of performance especially in a world full of over-produced spectacles that lack the basic necessity of story. Working with them on Re-installing Mountain Song with Two other designers and TD's was one of the best experiences I have had in my time at CMU so far. they have a type of enthusiasm that a designer and collaborator feed off of . I wish them the best of luck , they have a bright future ahead.
In echoing what Brian said, I think that PigPen is doing so well because their product is unique. Their story-telling methods bring these fantastical stories so close to home for me, at least, and hopefully many others. I feel like a scared little kid in that theater when the wolf enters and I like that! Theatre should be able to bring you back to being a kid every once in a while. I do, like Brian, wonder how well their shows might work in a large space, but I certainly think it's worth a shot. Maybe they just need to scale up their puppets and effects. Who knows? Knowing PigPen, though, they will figure it out. As cheesy as this sounds, they are spreading joy and creativity and I hope that they can reach as many people as possible with their art. Congratulations, PigPen!
I had the same thought as Brian in regards to the size of Pigpen performances. Their shows are so intimate; I've heard them be described before as "campfire theater." The group if gathering a bigger and bigger following in New York, and while that is obviously a wonderful thing, it will be interesting to see how they overcome the challenge of playing to bigger audiences and in larger venues.
It's always so encouraging to read about successful alumni of the SOD--especially the success of such recent graduates.
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