Off Stage: Trusting Pittsburgh Arts for 25 Years

So the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is celebrating 25 years of performances, workshops and real estate deals that transformed the Liberty/Penn Avenue corridor from seedy to spectacular. With Carol Brown and now Kevin McMahon at the helm, this organization may be the...

Off Stage: Billy Elliot Comes Home

It turns out that I’ve known Billy Elliot since he was thirteen years old. Only this guy isn’t British — he’s hometown star Stephen Hanna, who plays Billy’s older self in the current Broadway hit. Back then he was a tiny blond phenom with...

Off Stage: Mia Michaels Unplugged

On television’s So You Think You Can Dance, Emmy award-winning choreographer and judge Mia Michaels seems undeterred by Nigel Lythgoe, unfazed by the screaming from Mary Murphy and nonplussed by the whole audience scene. Recently the Emmy-winning choreographer...