New Horizon Theater Presents WEBEIME
By Layla Joseph
New Horizon Theater, Inc. (NHT) has been serving the Pittsburgh community since 1992. Due to a newfound partnership with Pittsburgh Public Theater, the NHT will bring the 2023-24 production season to a stage Downtown.
Joyce Meggerson-Moore has been with NHT since the very beginning, now the board-chair, she said the new partnership with Pittsburgh Public Theater will be a win-win for both playhouses, allowing them to further their missions and broaden their audiences.
“We want to give our audience a chance to experience New York City (theater) without having to travel,” she said.
Pittsburgh Public Theater, located at 621 Penn Ave. will be hosting NHT as they unveil the newest show and season opener WEBEIME. The production will run for five shows between Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week.
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Managing Director Shanda McDill said that this production will be the first time the public theater will be adding technical aspects and elements to Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall.
“I’m really excited to see a production come alive in that space, not just for the purpose of rehearsal but to welcome an audience,” she said.
The Off-Broadway show, written and directed by American playwright and Louisiana native Layon Gray, follows the story of a death-row inmate who reflects on eight different sectors of his life, assessing the choices that have led him to his fate.
General admission tickets are priced at $35 while students and seniors receive a discounted price of $30 per ticket; group rates are also available, reducing the ticket price to $20 per person. Tickets can be purchased online now or bought in-person at Dorsey’s Digital Imaging on Frankstown Avenue.
Showtimes for the production include evening stagings at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in addition to matinee shows at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
This thought-provoking production with sprinkles of comedy will follow the highs and lows of one man who will be played by eight different actors throughout the performance.
The show is recommended for audience members aged 16-years-old and older due to mature themes. WEBEIME is one of the many shows that will be brought to the Pittsburgh Public Theater this season thanks to NHT.
“For 30 years, New Horizon Theater has been nomadic. The fact that we can provide them with a home for a full season is a big deal through this partnership,” McDill said
“I think it's going to be a model,” she said. “Despite all the challenges the public theater is facing, our way out is not to shrink out but to be more generous with what we have.”
“We are open to all types of partnerships, hopefully this won’t be in a silo. We want to make relationships, meaningful partnerships and experiences with people who are mission aligned,” McDill continued.
Meggerson-Moore said that NHT has provided opportunities for more than 500 people in all phases of theater production over the past 30 years, in addition to outreach programs for underserved students, adults and senior discounts.
NHT’s mission is to allow the people of Pittsburgh to experience consistent entertainment that is high-quality and reflects African-American perspectives while providing an ongoing venue for ethnic writers and performers to further their professional development, according to Meggerson-Moore.
McDill, who has worked with theater companies in major cities across the country, said that Pittsburgh Public Theater provides a safe place to provide critical civic discourse.
“We may be sitting next to someone in the theater who doesn’t share the same political beliefs or ideologies but there is something magical about being in that space together to experience something,” she said. “Everyone has the opportunity to walk out with a different point of view.”
If you love the show and would like to further support NHT, merchandise can be bought online: grab some gear and show your support for the theater by representing them with shirts, mugs and more.
