ATTACK THEATRE PRESENTS SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
A DANCE, ART, AND LIVE MUSIC EVENT: SEAMLESSLY BLENDING THE PLANNED AND SPONTANEOUS
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Hopi Myers-Arrigoni
Communications and Development Associate, Attack Theatre
412.281.3305
hopi@attacktheatre.com
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (May 3, 2022): From May 12 through May 15, 2022, Attack Theatre, now in its 27th year, invites audiences to experience a process of performance, improvisation, and co-creation at their new headquarters in Lawrenceville. Historically held in venues around Pittsburgh and around the world, Some Assembly Required will combine dance, live music, artwork and conversation in their own home studios.
Inspired by the works of local artists Seth Clark, Rona Chang, Sukeshi Sondhi, Pamela Cooper, and Ron Donoughe, this gives the audience the ability to influence and interact with the creative process, and simultaneously allows for a facilitated discussion. Pamela Cooper and Ron Donoughe are both celebrated artists in the region and worked with Attack Theatre on the creation of Art Transports Us during the pandemic. “By the end of the project, we felt such a deep connection with the artworks and the artists. It really showed that cycle of inspiration from their art to the creation of our dance to its transformation to the screen. I’m thrilled to work again with Pamela and Ron, but this time in-person!” says Co-Artistic Director Michele de la Reza.
Local cellist, Ricki Weidenhof, and percussionist Justin Kelly will join the ensemble for Some Assembly Required that features dancers Lydia Clinton, Miranda Nichols, Sarah Zielinski, Isabella Bergamin, and Ethan Gwynn.
The process begins with the presentation of a short performance accompanied by live music. After viewing this piece, the audience embarks on a guided discussion of chosen artworks. The performers transform these comments into music and movement, which they insert and overlay into the existing piece. This new layer of emotion, intent, and color adds passion to the existing dance, culminating with a performance that celebrates the artist and audience, the planned and spontaneous.
When asked how unique it is to be bringing this beloved performance series traditionally presented in art galleries and museums to their home, Co-Artistic Director Peter Kope says, “When you get a new place all you want to do is show it off! Our new studio is comfortable, safe, and so adaptable. We knew this was a great idea. We're bringing the artworks into our space to create our own movement gallery. All the visual artists have been so generous with us in sharing their work, and we're just overwhelmed.”
de la Reza adds, “We’re still discovering ways to share our new space. Some Assembly Required will be a great way to open our studio and creative process, and welcome everyone in to experience how versatile and adaptable art can be.”
Some Assembly Required seeks to blur the lines between artist mediums and explore this time of connection and reintegration with creativity, connection, and new perspectives.
Some Assembly Required Attack Theatre, Lawrenceville, 212 45th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Thursday, May 12, 2022 | 7 PM
Friday, May 13, 2022 | 7 PM
Saturday, May 14, 2022 | 2 PM* & 7 PM*
Sunday, May 15, 2022 | 2 PM
*Denotes multi-camera high-quality livestream.
All performances are EST.
Prices:
Pay What Moves You!
For tickets and more information, visit attacktheatre.com.
Vaccination note: Guests must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination at time of
entry in the theatre with a valid ticket. Staff and patrons are required to wear masks while
indoors regardless of their vaccination status. For more information about the COVID-19 policy
and exceptions, please visit attacktheatre.com/COVID.
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About Attack Theatre: Attack Theatre is a movement that exercises an artful expression of life through dance. Attack Theatre is now in its 27th season with founders and directors Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza. Based in Pittsburgh, PA the company has produced over 150 original dance works and has choreographed and performed for symphonies, theater companies, art museums, and the Broadway production of Squonk. Attack Theatre’s dance productions and events have toured throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. Attack Theatre’s mission is to creatively explore artistic expression through a commitment to remain curious in our exploration of new ideas; to artistically collaborate through deliberate, interdisciplinary partnerships, and to connect with local and global communities to provide accessible, creative learning opportunities.
About the Visual Artists:
Seth Clark earned his BFA in Graphic Design, focusing primarily on print design and alternative typography. During this time, he discovered collage. This method of hands-on, spatial development took a major role in his digital work as well as his physical works on wood and paper. Clark is a 2012 Flight School Fellow and was named Pittsburgh’s 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. He is the recipient of three Design Excellence Awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Pittsburgh.
Rona Chang created OTTO FINN to normalize outfit repeating with a snazzy jacket thrown on top. Originally from Taiwan, raised in NYC, she studied printmaking and photography at The Cooper Union School of Art. Her bicultural background and experience growing up in Taiwan and New York City developed her openness to the cultural exchange of ideas. Rona's extensive experience working in a museum environment and working with and visiting many art collections developed her style at OTTO FINN, which emphasizes textiles with stories and bold prints. The Japanese woodblock prints in the Asian Art department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art have served as a source of inspiration ever since she worked with them.
Sukeshi Sondhi is a multidisciplinary artist whose body of work includes painting, collage, installation, and performance art. Having traveled and lived in various countries from a young age, nostalgia, memory, and displacement play a significant role in her art practice. In her current paintings, Sukeshi is exploring the concept and process of gentrification and rejuvenation of urban landscape as evidenced by changes in architecture, demographics, and subculture. Sukeshi received her MFA from Goldsmith University, (U.K) in 2016, and was invited as a Research Scholar at the WSRC, Brandeis University (USA) in 2017-18. She has held three solo shows, including one at the Indian Heritage Centre, a museum in Singapore, and participated in numerous group shows and art fairs.
Pamela Cooper graduated from Seton Hill University with a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Arts/Minor in Fine Arts. As a practicing Fine Artist, she has won several awards. "Emergence" won the 2019 Mr. Fred Rogers Award of Distinction. Cooper is a lifelong Greensburg resident and a graduate of Hempfield Area High School. She has a degree in fashion illustration from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and a bachelor of arts degree in graphic design from Seton Hill University. She also has a minor in fine arts and K-12 teaching certification from Seton Hill and has taught art in a variety of settings.
Ron Donoughe A native of Loretto, Pennsylvania now living in Pittsburgh, Ron Donoughe is best known for his spirited realistic landscape paintings of Western Pennsylvania. He has a B.A. in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California. His work can be found in many corporate and private collections as well as the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and The University Museum at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.