There comes a time...

This month I announced that Asylum was leaving the Legacy Theatre. We have been the resident company there for the past three years. We have done some great shows and had some fabulous audiences. This was a very difficult decision. I love theatre and I have a company of very talented people who love theatre as well. I have said it before and I will say it again, they are the best damn acting company in the city...PERIOD! They deserve a theatre to work at. For the past 14 years we have been a resident company, first at the Kean Theatre and then at the Legacy. 14 years and over 100 theatrical productions! "CHICAGO" was broght back to Pittsburgh by this company as was, "THE GRADUATE.". Landmark productions like, "12 ANGRY MEN," "PROOF," "LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR," "THE FANTASTICKS," "THE 39 STEPS" and "A FEW GOOD MEN" were all produced and presented by these dedicated professionals. It has not always been easy!

Our trademark saying is, "We do things different here." It's true. We do theatre very different. I am not saying that other theaters do bad work. I am not saying other theaters are not dedicated or commited to their work. What I'm saying is, for this company, the play is not only "the thing" it is "the only thing." Everything we do is for the play. We really don't care about the audiences, the bottom line, how the show will be perceived or if it will be accepted. We care about the show! The story, the characters, the truth that must be present on the stage. No bullshit...just good theatre. Yes, we have done a ton of commerically sound theatre and yes we have made our theaters a butt load of money! Our off nights are usually the type of crowd most theaters would kill for. Tens of thousands of people have seen our shows and whats more they really enjoyed them! They were good and at times GREAT THEATRE!

Asylum, as an artistic company, must evolve. It evolves or it dies, those are the only choices I had. I decided to evolve. We are moving into more film work, some television. I, and our people, enjoy this work. It is a completely different animal that we must now try to tame. We are interested in EVERYTHING! I am looking at various venues and spaces where we can present the type of theatre WE want to present. Provocative, interesting, thought-provoking and different comedies and dramas that WE are interested in. Hey, you got a space and if you are looking for something completely different, CALL ME. We will continue to develop and evolve as an artistic community. We have to...it's what we do.

You have my word that we will continue to present what we always have, great theatre. That is a promise this company makes everytime they step onto a stage. It is who and what they are. I will keep you all informed of our progress and whereabouts. To our audiences at the Kean and Legacy Theatre, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, you have been fabulous and it has been an honor of ours to perform for you. You have given every member of this company memories that will last a lifetime and we promise you we are not even close to being done yet.

Till we meet again