Machaela Erdeljac
Behind the Scenes: Constructing 2 New Nutcracker Heads
The Nutcracker is a holiday classic filled with dazzling scenes, characters, and music. Essential to sharing Marie’s journey to the Land of Enchantment, is Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s (PBT) Costume Director Kristin McLain. For her, typical Nutcracker preparations include checking items for repairs, fitting and altering pieces for the upcoming cast, and re-creating items that are beyond restoration, like Nutcracker jackets, Snowflake sleeves, Marie dresses, and headpieces. This year, however, such tasks were joined by the construction of two new Nutcracker heads.
Originally made out of thermoplastic, a malleable material often used in the medical field for splints, PBT’s former Nutcracker head was flexible and able to accommodate movement. Mesh was placed over this foundation to allow for the painting of facial characteristics. It also came in two different skin colors, McLain explains; depending on the artist, it could be attached or detached from the head’s base. After many performances, however, the thermoplastic began to crumble, tasking the mesh with holding its cracked surface together. In response, McLain created another temporary version, one which broke down even quicker. “So then I thought, we just have to make a new one.”
To get started, recognizing that the piece needed to be breathable, McLain first constructed the head shape: a foundation of foam covered by mesh. Underneath, she attached a construction helmet with a lock and understrap, allowing for both security and stability. In addition to referencing the original head, McLain utilized her knowledge of bridges to aid her process. “Bridges have to be built to be able to move, because if they are too rigid, then that force just breaks down,” she shares. Applying this concept, she made the new head quite flexible. There is one scene in The Nutcracker where the Nutcracker grows below a sheet; Drosselmeyer removes this silky cover quickly for a dramatic reveal of the character. The head’s ability to move with the sheet allows it to stay on the dancer’s head as well.
McLain notes that plastic is baked into the mesh string, so that even when the material cracks a little bit, entire sections will not fall off because of this string network. On top of the mesh, to depict vibrant facial features, she used a combination of fabric, acrylic, and airbrush paint. With the addition of rosy cheeks and colorful red lips, the head springs to life. Even its eyes are painted on, as dancers look through the head’s mouth, she reveals.
McLain says that it was important for her to create two Nutcracker heads with two different skin colors. As there are people of color in these roles, she explains, it only makes sense that the Nutcracker’s transition from human to toy maintains continuity. For example, “it shouldn’t be white toy turning into a non-white human.” But McLain also stresses the importance of representation, expressing that “if we’re going to cast someone in that role, that’s the first step. And then just to make sure that all of the costumes and accessories correspond to who’s wearing them, I think is important too.” In the future, she hopes to create a third Nutcracker head of another skin color.
Although constructed carefully to promote stability and security, the act of dancing with a large structure on top of one’s head remains unpredictable. Therefore, McLain had to finish the heads before a deadline, allowing enough time for the dancers to get accustomed to them in rehearsals. And she did. Embellished with makeup, gold accents on their collars, and flaunting extravagant hats, both Nutcracker heads are ready to be worn for upcoming rehearsals and performances.
The Nutcracker heads can be seen on stage at the Benedum Center until December 28th.
Announcing a Brand New Version of The Nutcracker
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is excited to announce that it will debut an all-new production of The Nutcracker in December 2027. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for both PBT and for Pittsburgh audiences to experience an updated adaptation of this cherished holiday tradition.
With concept by PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney and choreography by Trey McIntyre, PBT’s all-new The Nutcracker, set in early 20th-century Pittsburgh, will stay true to the beloved classic story and promises to be a unique and unforgettable experience. Susan Roemer will design costumes, sets will be designed by Beowulf Boritt and lighting by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.
PBT’s all-new The Nutcracker will feature new choreography, costumes, sets and Pittsburgh-inspired themes that celebrate the city’s rich and eclectic histories. While maintaining Tchaikovsky’s score and beloved characters, updates will also include an expanded storyline and a few new characters. The themes explored in this production are those of family, transformation, adventure, community and, of course, magic.
Productions of The Nutcracker typically have a 20-year lifespan due to the wear on costumes and sets. PBT’s revised The Nutcracker is an opportunity to move this classic ballet forward, blending cutting-edge design and technology with timeless storytelling. PBT will announce updates on characters, plotline, sets, and costumes over the next two years, so that audiences will feel included in this creative journey, building excitement for the new version and a sense of shared ownership in this Pittsburgh milestone.
About PBT’s Artistic Team for the 2027 Production of The Nutcracker
Concept Creator: Adam W. McKinney
Adam W. McKinney has been the artistic director at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre since 2023. He has a diverse and accomplished background in arts leadership across the globe, having served as an arts organization director, tenured professor, choreographer, dancer, educator and activist. McKinney was an Associate Professor of Dance in Ballet with tenure in the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University. There he taught courses in classical ballet, modern dance and choreography. He was the Co-Director/Co-Founder of DNAWORKS, an arts and service organization committed to healing through the arts and dialogue. Previously, he was the inaugural Dance Department Chair at New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe.
He has danced with some of the world’s preeminent dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Béjart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet Company. McKinney has led dance work with diverse populations worldwide. A leader who is committed to making ballet and dance accessible to all, he served as a U.S. Embassy Culture Connect Envoy to South Africa through the U.S. State Department. McKinney has created community social justice and awareness projects, including the interactive Fort Worth Lynching Tour: Honoring the Memory of Mr. Fred Rouse and “The Borders Project” at the Mexico/U.S. and Palestine/Israel borders. He was also honored with the NYU President’s Service Award for his dance work with populations who struggle with heroin addiction.
McKinney was named one of the most influential African Americans in Milwaukee by St. Vincent DePaul. He holds a BFA in Dance Performance with high honors with a focus on classical ballet from Butler University and an MA in Dance Studies with concentrations in Race and Trauma theories from the Gallatin School at New York University.
Choreographer: Trey McIntyre
Trey McIntyre trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Houston Ballet Academy. In 1989, Houston Ballet named him the company’s first choreographic apprentice, and in 1995, he was appointed choreographic associate. He has worked for more than 30 years as a freelance choreographer, producing more than 100 works to date for ballet companies around the world.
He has won numerous awards and honors, including the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters, two personal grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts and is a United States Artists Fellow. In 2019, he won the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for his work, Your Flesh Shall be a Great Poem, created for San Francisco Ballet’s “Unbound” festival. He was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2001. He has been praised by the New York Times for his “fertility of invention and a modernity of spirit.”
In 2005, he founded his dance company, Trey McIntyre Project, creating over 23 original works for the company as well as film projects, interactive site-specific works and photography collections. In September of 2024, he joined the Los Angeles-based company BODYTRAFFIC as Creative Partner. McIntyre is also known for his photography of the human body, having written several published essays, and completed the feature-length documentary, Gravity Hero, which premiered at the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center.
Costume Design: Susan Roemer
Susan Roemer is a costume designer and founder of S-Curve Apparel & Design, based in Sonoma County, California. A former professional dancer, she performed with several ballet companies before spending nine years with Smuin Ballet, where her interest in costume design began. She later studied design and construction at Apparel Arts in Oakland, California. Roemer has designed and constructed costumes for San Francisco Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, Ballet West, Ballet Memphis, AXIS Dance Company, Tulsa Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, BalletMet, Ballet Austin, Eugene Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and Red Panel Creative, among others. Roemer was awarded an Isadora Duncan Award for Visual Design of Amy Seiwert’s “Wandering” in 2017.
Set Design: Beowulf Boritt
Beowulf Boritt created 35 Broadway designs, including the Tony-winning sets for New York, New York and Act One, the Tony-nominated sets for The Scottsboro Boys, POTUS, Therese Raquin, and Flying Over Sunset. Also on Broadway, Come From Away, …Spelling Bee, Rock Of Ages. He created sets for 100 Off-Broadway shows and won an OBIE award for sustained excellence. He is the author of Transforming Space Over Time, about Broadway design. Beowulf is also the founder of the OBIE-winning The 1/52 Project, which provides grants to early-career designers from historically excluded groups.
Lighting Design: Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
Jeanette is an award-winning multi-disciplinary designer for theater, dance, opera, musicals, music performances, art installations, digital productions and large-scale immersive experiences. Her designs were described by the New York Times as “clever” and “inventive.” She created the lighting designs for Kimberly Akimbo and The Thanksgiving Play on Broadway, as well as for numerous other regional productions seen across US cities and internationally. As a designer, Jeanette aims to create a visual environment that is organically integrated into the landscape and language of the production. Jeanette has won OBIE’s Sustained Achievement in Design, Henry Hewes Lighting Design Award, numerous Drama Desk, Lortel and Audelco nominations and was a NEA/TCG Career Development Program recipient. Jeanette is an Arts Professor with NYU Tisch Drama Production & Design Studio.
The History of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is one of the most well-known ballets of all time, and is based on German author E.T.A. Hoffman’s 1816 tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The first ballet adaptation premiered in 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. PBT has performed various versions of The Nutcracker annually since its inception in 1969. The current version, choreographed and conceived by former PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, has been staged at PBT for 23 years.
The Nutcracker 2025 Casting is Here!
Join PBT for Pittsburgh’s Favorite Holiday Tradition – The Nutcracker! Performances will take place Dec. 5-28, 2025 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh.
Follow Marie, her Nutcracker prince and hundreds of colorful characters for an unforgettable adventure through the sparkling snow and into the Land of Enchantment as you are swept into the most magical time of the year. The talented artists of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School perform all of the roles in this beloved production. We hope you can join us!
Friday, 12/5 @ 11 am – Student Matinee
Friday, 12/5 @ 7 pm Saturday, 12/6 @ 7 pm Saturday, 12/13 @ 2 pm Sunday, 12/21 @ 4:30 pm Saturday, 12/27 @ 7 pm
Saturday, 12/6 @ 2 pm Friday, 12/12 @ 7 pm Sunday, 12/14 @ 4:30 pm Sunday, 12/21 @ 12 pm Saturday, 12/27 @ 2 pm
Sunday, 12/7 @ 12 pm
Sunday, 12/7 @ 4:30 pm – Sensory-Friendly Performance
Saturday, 12/13 @ 7 pm
Sunday, 12/14 @ 12 pm
Friday, 12/19 @ 7 pm
Saturday, 12/20 @ 2 pm Friday, 12/26 @ 7 pm
Saturday, 12/20 @ 7 pm
Tuesday, 12/23 @ 7 pm
Sunday, 12/28 @ 12 pm
Photos: Aviana Adams
PBT Welcomes 20 Pittsburgh Celebrity Guest Stars to The Nutcracker
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is thrilled to be joined by 20 Pittsburgh celebrity guest stars during this year’s The Nutcracker. During 17 performances, the guest stars will have walk-on roles during the prologue and the “Party Scene” in Act I. They will appear in performances during the production, which runs December 5-28 at the Benedum Center.
Having celebrity guest stars in cameo appearances has become a tradition for PBT’s The Nutcracker production. This year, the local celebrities range from local government officials and television stars to news anchors, sports stars and social media influencers. The Pittsburgh celebrities participating in guest star roles in The Nutcracker this year include:
- Charlie Batch (Fri., Dec. 5 @ 7 pm), Pittsburgh Steelers and Founder of Best of the Batch Foundation
- Latasha Wilson-Batch (Fri., Dec. 5 @ 7 pm), Executive Director of Best of the Batch Foundation
- Megan Shinn (Sat., Dec. 6 @ 2 pm), KDKA-TV Anchor and Reporter
- Corey O’Connor (Sat., Dec. 6 @ 7 pm), Allegheny County Controller & Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect
- Bonny Diver (Sat., Dec. 6 @ 7 pm), iHeart Radio Host, & Founder of Hair Peace Charities
- Jeremy Reynolds (Sun., Dec. 7 @ 12 pm), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Critic and Journalist
- Chandi Chapman (Fri., Dec. 12 @ 7 pm), WTAE-TV Anchor and Reporter
- Victoria Vespico (Sat., Dec. 13 @ 2 pm), Miss Pennsylvania 2025
- Brooke Hyland (Sat., Dec. 13 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Amanda Neatrour (Sun., Dec. 14 @ 4:30 pm), Mrs. Pennsylvania 2024
- Arjun Manjunath (Fri., Dec. 19 @ 7 pm), Social Media Content Creator
- Daisy Jade (Sat., Dec. 20 @ 7 pm), KDKA-TV “Pittsburgh Today Live” Reporter
- Perry Ninness (Sat., Dec. 20 @ 7 pm), Administrative Officer at UBS
- Sara Innamaroto (Sun., Dec. 21 @ 12 pm), Allegheny County Executive
- Frzy (Sun., Dec. 21 @ 4:30 pm), Musician
- Chloe Lukasiak (Tues., Dec. 23 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Kendall Vertes (Fri., Dec. 26 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Mary Ours (Sat., Dec. 27 @ 2 pm), KDKA-TV Meteorologist
- Lindsay Ward (Sat., Dec. 27 @ 7 pm), Pittsburgh Reporter and Content Creator
- Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier (Sun., Dec. 28 @ 12 pm), Dance Moms
*Please note that guest star appearances may be subject to change
PBT’s current version of The Nutcracker, choreographed and created by former PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, is the perfect fit for local celebrity appearances due to its special Pittsburgh-centered vibe. The Nutcracker includes more than 13 Pittsburgh connections – from Kennywood, the Kaufmann’s Clock and Shadyside to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, Mount Washington, the Aviary and more. The distinctive Pittsburgh feel of this ballet makes it great fun to include Pittsburgh guest stars in walk-on roles – adding to the Pittsburgh flair!
Join PBT on this unforgettable adventure during the most magical time of the year.
Read more about The Nutcracker celebrity guests below:
Charlie Batch
Pittsburgh Steelers and Founder of Best of the Batch Foundation
Friday, December 5, 7:00 P.M.
Charlie Batch is an NFL quarterback, community advocate, author, media personality, entrepreneur, and professional speaker who takes his “Expect Your Best” message to audiences across the country. Charlie’s NFL career spanned 15 years, and in 2002, he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the backup quarterback and was instrumental in critical game wins that led the team to Super Bowl XL and XLIII. After his retirement, he has continued to be a respected strategist in the NFL, providing game commentary for national sports outlets, including CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, SiriusXM NFL Radio, and Yahoo! Sports.
In 1999, Charlie created the Best of the Batch Foundation, which gives Pittsburgh city kids a safe place to learn and grow. The Foundation offers numerous programs that teach kids life skills and help them succeed. He also serves on multiple non-profit boards to help improve the lives of others. A graduate of Steel Valley High School and a native of Homestead, PA, he has become widely known as a service leader who gives back to his hometown. Charlie resides in Pittsburgh with his wife, Latasha, and their five dogs.
Latasha Wilson-Batch
Executive Director of Best of the Batch Foundation
Friday, December 5, 7:00 P.M.
Latasha Wilson-Batch serves as the Executive Director of the Best of the Batch Foundation. Her leadership has helped spearhead the growth of the Batch Foundation, which reaches more than 3,300 boys and girls from financially challenged communities annually. She has also developed special programs for young girls and women with emphasis on education, sports, and fun. Latasha is a community advocate and motivational speaker. Honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Engagement and Inclusion, Ms. Wilson-Batch serves on several boards, in the Pittsburgh area and is currently Vice President in the Off The Field Players Wives Association, which raises funds for local and national charitable organizations with a focus on supporting children’s health and charities that strengthen families.
Latasha and her husband, Charlie Batch, have five four-legged kids: Roxie, Bunz, Snoop, Nate, and Aysia. They reside in the Pittsburgh area. Ms. Wilson-Batch recently completed her MS degree in Professional Counseling at Carlow University and is now pursuing her doctorate in psychology.
Megan Shinn
KDKA-TV Anchor and Reporter
Saturday, December 6, 2:00 P.M.
Megan Shinn is the morning weekend anchor and a weekday reporter at KDKA-TV. Before moving to Pittsburgh, Megan anchored the morning newscasts in Indianapolis, and launched a new evening show focused on in-depth, community-based stories. She covered everything from breaking news, to military homecomings, and the Indy 500. This has earned her an Emmy and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Her passion for news took off in Southern California where she earned a BFA in Television Broadcast Journalism from Chapman University. During college, she interned at top markets including KNBC and KCBS/ KCAL in Los Angeles; she also worked for ESPN3. One of her favorite college experiences was having circumnavigated the globe on “Semester At Sea.”
Megan is invested in the Pittsburgh community, and she loves cooking, hiking, and exploring her forever home with her husband, Mike.
Corey O’Connor
Allegheny County Controller & Pittsburgh Mayor Elect
Saturday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m.
A lifelong Pittsburgher, Corey O’Connor grew up in Squirrel Hill, attended East Hills Elementary, and earned his degree in early childhood education from Duquesne University. He began his career working on community development for Congressman Mike Doyle before entering public service himself.
Elected to Pittsburgh City Council in 2011, Corey represented District 5 for more than a decade, focusing on community revitalization, public health, and equity. His legislative achievements include authoring the City’s Paid Sick Days Act, advancing affordable housing, passing common-sense gun reforms, and securing record investments in early childhood education and neighborhood infrastructure.
In 2022, Corey was elected Allegheny County Controller, where he prioritized transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility. He led audits and investigations that exposed inefficiencies, uncovered unused public funds, and strengthened ethics and pension protections.
In 2025, Corey O’Connor was elected the 62nd Mayor of Pittsburgh. As Mayor-Elect, he is preparing to lead a city government focused on service, equity, and results — strengthening neighborhoods, improving delivery of city services, and building a more resilient and inclusive Pittsburgh for all residents.
He lives in Point Breeze with his wife, Katie, their two children, Molly and Emmett, and their dogs, Tippy and Nova.
Bonny Diver
iHeart Radio
Saturday, December 6, 7:00 P.M.
A cancer survivor for 22 years, Bonny Diver hosts the iHeart Radio podcast, Everybody Dies, which features inspiring stories from those encountering end of life. Additionally, she is a Morning Drive Traffic Reporter for 6 iHeart Radio Stations in Pittsburgh and has a streaming show on Music from the 412 called Bonny With A WhY.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Bonny moved to Pittsburgh in 1993. She was featured in Family Circle magazine as a “Survivor Making A Difference”, received the Komen Survivor of the Year Award (2010), and won two trophies from the March of Dimes Air-Awards.
Bonny is the Founder and Executive Director of Hair Peace Charities, providing financial assistance for women and girls to purchase wigs. Every afternoon, when done reporting traffic, she talks to cancer survivors. In her free time, Bonny loves walking her dog, Diego, and aims to attend at least one concert every week.
Jeremy Reynolds
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Journalist
Sunday, December 7, 12:00 P.M.
Jeremy Reynolds is the classical music critic and cultural reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
A trained clarinetist, Reynolds now covers the performing arts in Pittsburgh and beyond for a range of publications including Symphony Magazine, OPERA America Magazine, Opera Magazine, Early Music America and more.
Reynolds also trained as a radio announcer in Syracuse, New York, and Dallas, Texas, where he served as a weekend host for the classical station WRR and as the national host for the broadcasts of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
Although he never studied ballet, Reynolds did earn a college scholarship from the Texas Square Dancing Academy. In his spare time, Reynolds is a fitness and performing arts enthusiast.
Chandi Chapman
WTAE-TV Anchor and Reporter
Friday, December 12, 7:00 P.M.
Chandi Chapman anchors Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 weekend evening newscasts and reports during the week. She is a New Castle native and University of Pittsburgh graduate who joined the WTAE team in 2017. Chandi has won several awards for her work, including multiple regional Emmys and two Edward R. Murrow awards. She has also been honored with two National Association of Black Journalist Salute to Excellence Awards and numerous Associated Press and state broadcast association awards, including Best TV Personality.
Chandi held positions in the industry that include anchoring, producing, editing, shooting, web producing and assignment desk duties. Chandi started her career at WTAE and has worked in various positions at stations in Ohio, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia before returning to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys cooking, traveling, volunteering in the community, watching mystery and comedy movies and having new adventures. She is active in the Junior Miss Program to help young girls shape their futures and loves practicing martial arts whenever she gets a chance. She resides in the Pittsburgh area with her family.
Victoria Vespico
Miss Pennsylvania 2025
Saturday, December 13, 2:00 P.M.
Victoria Vespico, 26, a native of Shavertown, was crowned Miss Pennsylvania 2025 on June 21st at the Appell Center in York. A proud graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications, she is a sustainable development advocate and a three-time children’s book author. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Education at Wilkes University.
As Miss Pennsylvania, Victoria travels the state and Washington D.C. with her
community service initiative, “Sustainability Starts With You.” As the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainability Starts With You, she empowers people to embrace sustainability for future generations. Victoria encourages changing the world through #Simple Changes. Her mission is to inspire youth to lead with purpose and impact.
She is an author of three children’s books introducing young learners to sustainable
development concepts in an accessible way. The books are titled”Cows Are More
Than Milk”, “Bring a Bucket”, and “Sustainability Starts With You.”
She brings over 20 years of Girl Scouting experience to her mission of inspiring youth to be future leaders. She is currently part of the Communications team at America250PA, the Pennsylvania Commission for the celebration of the Semiquincentennial of the United States of America. Victoria was also named to Governor Shapiro’s Next Gen Advisory Committee. Victoria represented Pennsylvania in the Miss America Competition in September, where she brought her advocacy to a national stage.
Brooke Hyland
Dance Moms
Saturday, December 13, 7:00 P.M.
Brooke Hyland was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is best known for her appearance as part of the original cast of “Dance Moms” from Seasons 1–4, where she was a dancer. She later attended Ohio University, where she studied business and put those learnings into practice. Today, she continues to grow her online presence as a social media personality while pursuing opportunities in lifestyle, entertainment, and entrepreneurship. After moving back to Pittsburgh a few years ago, she has loved reconnecting with the city, contributing to its growth, and becoming more involved in the community. In Brooke’s free time, you’ll find her trying a new restaurant or experience, spending time with friends, family, and her dog Jack, planning her 2026 wedding, taking a workout class, or cooking something fun in the kitchen.
Amanda Neatrour
Mrs. Pennsylvania 2025
Sunday, December 14, 4:30 P.M.
On April 14, 2024, Amanda Neatrour was crowned Mrs. Pennsylvania American 2024, and proudly represented the Commonwealth at the Mrs. American competition. As a caregiver to a mom with Alzheimer’s, Amanda worked alongside the Alzheimer’s Association, being recognized as a Community Leader to support efforts to raise awareness of the needs of caregivers of those living with Alzheimer’s, and advocating for greater societal and government support. As Mrs. Pennsylvania, Amanda spoke with state lawmakers about the impact of Alzheimer’s and Dementia on caregivers, has been a moderator for important community discussions, and was a speaker and performed the US National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Amanda also partnered with Healthy Start Pittsburgh, supporting efforts to further education on the impact of healthy parents and caregivers on the health and wellbeing of our babies.
As a community leader, Amanda served as an inaugural member of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission and as its Chair, advocating for a more equitable city, with a particular focus on pay equity. This year Amanda completed a term as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women where she served as the Chair of the Aging sub-committee, and Spring 2025 Amanda was sworn in as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee for the Office of Alzheimer’s Dementia, and Related Disorders.
An opera singer and producer, in 2022 Amanda co-produced and starred in an all-woman, new production of Missy Mazzoli’s opera “Song from the Uproar” which was a project aimed at raising awareness of gender disparities in the performing arts. Amanda performed the starring role of Isabel just 7 weeks after giving birth to her second child and is the first Black woman to perform the lead role.
Amanda is an ACC certified coach, certified 200 hour Raja yoga instructor, and owner of Lewis Neatrour Group, a firm which supports leaders and organizations to align their actions and intent, with creating positive outcomes for a sustainable future. Amanda is a graduate of Howard University, and Robert Morris University. She is wife to Russell, mom to two beautiful boys, and dog mom to their rescue Maltese, Tiberius.
Arjun Manjunath
Social Media Content Creator
Friday, December 19, 7:00 P.M.
Arjun Manjunath is a 22-year-old social media content creator and event producer, and a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He got his start in social media creating content about his time as a Pitt cheerleader, studying abroad in Florence, Italy, and living in New York City while interning at TikTok headquarters.
He is the founder of the viral series Romanticize Pittsburgh, where he hosts creative community events and shares a fresh perspective on the city through his storytelling and videos. Originally not from Pittsburgh, Arjun has made it his mission to explore and highlight everything the city has to offer.
Before his work in social media, Arjun was a proud theatre kid and performed in several stage productions, including Legally Blonde: The Musical, Evita, Seussical, Annie, Newsies, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, among others. He credits GVPAA, Garnet Valley High School’s theatre program, for sparking his lifelong love for the arts.
Daisy Jade & Perry Ninness
KDKA-TV “Pittsburgh Today Live” Reporter
& Administrative Officer at UBS
Saturday, December 20, 7:00 P.M.
Pittsburgh native Daisy Jade is a Film/TV Actress, TV Host and Producer. She is the Host and Co-Producer of Fan N’ATion, an award-winning and Emmy-nominated show on KDKA-TV/CBS Pittsburgh, highlighting Pittsburgh sports fans from all over the world. Daisy also reports for the city’s lifestyle and entertainment show, Pittsburgh Today Live. Fan N’ation won a Keystone Media Award for Best Regularly Scheduled News or Sports Talk Program in 2022 and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and has appeared in numerous national and regional shows, commercials, and industrials since 1999. She is also involved with various film organizations in Pittsburgh, including Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Film Industry Association (PAFIA). Daisy graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts and a Film Studies Certificate.
Perry Ninness is a Pittsburgh-based financial professional and community leader, currently serving as an Administrative Officer at UBS Financial Services. He also lends his expertise to neighborhood development as past President of the Board of the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, helping guide projects that strengthen and uplift the community.
A graduate of Point Park University with a background in accounting, Perry is known for combining sharp financial insight with a genuine passion for civic engagement.
Sara Innamaroto
Allegheny County Executive
Sunday, December 21, 12:00 P.M.
Sara Innamorato was sworn in as the first woman to serve as the Allegheny County Executive on January 2, 2024. The Innamorato Administration’s guiding principle is to build a strong Allegheny County for All – one that serves all 1.3 million residents – built on a foundation of dignity and respect.
In June 2024, Innamorato announced ‘500 in 500,’ a signature initiative to move people from shelter into stable housing. On day 500 in October 2025, over 600 people had been housed, and more than 500 housing units had been identified.
Innamorato has also prioritized economic development initiatives by investing in business development, Mainstreet improvements, and leading the County’s comprehensive planning efforts.
Sara is a lifelong resident of Allegheny County, currently residing in Upper Lawrenceville. She is a graduate of North Hills High School and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business Administration.
Frzy
Musician
Sunday, December 21, 4:30 P.M.
Harvey “Frzy” Daniels is a 2018 Emmy Award winner for his collaboration with WQED on his hip-hop version of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and on November 1, 2023, simultaneously released his second and third albums titled Popularity and Success. Frzy is a member of the Recording Academy (which bestows the annual Grammy Awards) and is a Governor of the Board for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy. The City of Pittsburgh was inspired to officially declare January 11, 2018, as “Frzy Day.’
Since then, Frzy has become a 2020 Guinness World Record holder for longest freestyle rap at 31 hours, the Smiley Face Cookie at Eat ‘N Park, and has had a mural created in his likeness by famous muralist, Jeremy Raymer. Frzy also serves on the Board of Directors of The Lindsay Theater, all this while being the face of Steve Madden’s “Self Made” Campaign. He has helped to raise more than one million dollars for charities and in May 2023 helped to increase diversity and inclusion awareness via the successful “Books to Bars” campaign with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He collaborated on a historic one-night concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony at Heinz Hall on November 8, 2023, which is the world premiere of an orchestration of the nationally known rapper’s new album, Success.
He was honored in City Paper’s People of the Year issue as Musician of the Year 2023 for “taking his craft to new audiences and new heights.” In Fall 2024 Frzy headlined at the epic America250PA national Convening of the States and Partners in Philadelphia, PA and was honored to lecture and perform at TEDxPittsburgh. Recently Frzyheadlined the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s First Night 2025 New Years Performance for 22,000 people. Frzy’s ( Got Milk ) Frzy Day campaign entitled “Milking It” teamed up with legendary Dairy Company “Turner’s Dairy” and The Pittsburgh Public School System to raise $2,500 for the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to provide over 10,000 meals.
Chloe Lukasiak
Dance Moms
Tuesday, December 23, 7:00 P.M.
Chloe Lukasiak was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and was an original cast member of the reality dance show “Dance Moms,” appearing in seasons 1-4 and the “Dance Moms Reunion Series” in 2024. Chloe is an award-winning dancer, actor, author, and activist who has inspired generations with her grace and charisma.
She is a best-selling author of “Girl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the World” and has a strong social media following, with over 8.3 million followers on Instagram and 3.8 million on TikTok. Chloe has worked with top brands like Pantene, Cover Girl, and Victoria’s Secret Pink!, and continues to share her life with millions of followers online.
She has also served as a ‘Messenger of Peace’ for the United Nations. Chloe graduated from Pepperdine University last year and recently moved to New York City.
Kendall Vertes
Dance Moms
Friday, December 26, 7:00 P.M.
Kendall Vertes, one of the original Pittsburgh girls from the hit series DANCE MOMS is a talented dancer, singer, and creator. Kendall is known for her charismatic, relatable and down-to-earth personality on the show. As a competitive dancer she won the National Championship for JMU in 2024. She is launching her very own new show, “Not So Little” as an addition to Alex Cooper’s UNWELL Network.
Mary Ours
KDKA-TV Meteorologist
Saturday, December 27, 2:00 P.M.
Mary Ours is a KDKA-TV Meteorologist. Mary grew up about 45 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh in the small town of Beaver Falls, known as the hometown of Joe Namath. Mary went to high school there for three years before graduating from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in 2008 where she majored in musical theater.
She began her career in 2013 at WTOV9 in Steubenville, Ohio, where she was a reporter and weekend weather anchor then went to WJAC-TV as the weekday morning meteorologist in 2016.
Mary has always been interested in helping people ever since she was young, including starting her own event to help victims of 9/11 when she was 12 years old. In Mary’s spare time she loves to sing the national anthem at sporting events, binge watch TV shows, and most importantly spend time with her husband, children and her pomsky Jasper.
Lindsay Ward
Journalist
Saturday, December 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Lindsay Ward is an award-winning journalist, having worked as an anchor and reporter for almost 20 years. Her career has taken her to North Carolina, West Virginia, Central and Western Pennsylvania. Lindsay has been Emmy-nominated for her anchoring and
reporting multiple times and is the winner of two Keystone Media Awards for her “Feature Reporting.” She is also the recipient of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s “2023 Young Alumni Achievement Award,” for her successful career in journalism. Lindsay is from Indiana County and graduated from IUP. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband Tony and their two children, Sebastian and Aurora.
Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier
Dance Moms
Sunday, December 28 at 12:00 p.m.
Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier, best known as the “voice of reason” as an original cast member on the popular docuseries, Dance Moms. A doctoral graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, Dr. Hatcher-Frazier worked in education for more than 20 years, in various roles, including as a teacher, administrator and principal before joining the show. Dr. Hatcher-Frazier served as a positive role model both on and off the reality television show. Dr. Hatcher-Frazier enjoys new challenges and inspires others through public speaking and sharing her reflections as a podcast co-host. An avid traveler with an adventurous spirit, Dr. Hatcher-Frazier also enjoys giving back to her community and is honored to serve on the boards of City Theater and the Pittsburgh Film Office. Dr. Hatcher-Frazier is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated where she enjoys working with other women who are passionate about service, leadership and scholarship. Her most fulfilling roles in life are those of wife and mother to three fabulous children.
Tommie Lin Kesten | Pointe Magazine Cover Star
Principal artist Tommie Lin Kesten was revealed today as the cover star of the November/December issue of Pointe Magazine.
“We are incredibly proud of Tommie Lin and the exceptional work she consistently produces,” said PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney. “She has an incredible work ethic, superior dance skills and impeccable artistry. We are delighted to see her be acknowledged for her hard work and accomplishments.”
Tommie Lin Kesten’s Career at PBT
Kesten joined PBT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2018. She was promoted to soloist artist in 2020 and, in the spring of 2023, she was promoted to principal artist onstage by PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney after her performance of “Aurora” in The Sleeping Beauty.
“Being on the cover of Pointe Magazine feels like something out of a dream,” said Tommie Lin Kesten. “I’m beyond grateful — for the art form that has shaped my life, and for the chance to dance, grow and share my heart every single day. It’s moments like this that make me stop and truly take it all in.”
Tommie Lin Kesten in The Nutcracker
Tommie Lin will portray the following roles on these dates and times.
– “Marie”: Dec. 7 @ 12 pm; Dec. 13 @ 7pm; Dec. 19 @ 7 pm; Dec. 23 @ 7pm
– “Sugar Plum Fairy”: Dec. 6 @ 2pm; Dec. 12 @ 7pm; Dec. 14 @ 4:30pm; Dec. 21 @ 12pm; Dec. 27 @ 2pm
– “Snow Queen”: Dec. 5 @ 7pm; Dec. 6 @ 7pm; Dec. 13 @ 2pm; Dec. 21 @ 4:30pm; Dec. 27 @ 7pm
Note: Casting is subject to change
Tommie Lin Kesten Pittsburgh Signing Events:
Tommie Lin Kesten will participate in Pointe Magazine cover signings in the Pittsburgh area over the next few weeks. Attendees are welcome to take photos with Tommie Lin and bring pointe shoes for her to sign. PBT will provide Pointe Magazine covers for her to sign. Follow our social media for updated details.
About Pointe Magazine
Pointe Magazine is the top ballet publication in the United States. Since 2000, Pointe Magazine has been an insider’s guide to all things ballet, with training and career advice, health and wellness tips and behind-the-scenes access to top companies and stars. The digital magazine has more than 56,000 monthly views, 69,000 newsletter subscribers and more than 557,000 social media followers.
Costume Director Kristin McClain on The Stories Woven into Dracula Costumes
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) will perform Michael Pink’s Dracula this Halloween weekend. Based on Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic horror story, the production is filled with romance, terror, and peril — all emotions both enforced and reflected in its costumes. Surrounded by dramatic fabrics, PBT’s Costume Director Kristin McLain highlights the stories woven throughout them.
This year, for Michael Pink’s Dracula, PBT rented costumes from Milwaukee Ballet. Along with the actual pieces, McLain and her team received a lookbook with various instructions, photos, and details regarding the production’s costumes; hair and make-up also have a reference sheet in this book. From information on how the costumes are worn to specific details about washing them, McLain and her team use this book as a guide. Explaining that this year’s package didn’t include a few wigs, she shares that the lookbook’s photos will help them recreate the original pieces to the best of their abilities.
Dracula
In PBT’s atrium, McLain holds up Dracula’s coat, illuminated from the light above so that its velvet texture and ombre colors stand out. Melting from a vibrant red into a deep maroon, the coat allows Dracula to blend into his dark surroundings, McLain explains. It is heavy, which gives Dracula a weighted presence but also limits his movement. McLain points to another dresser, where a flowy replica hangs. In one specific scene, Dracula makes a grand entrance with a lot of wind. The lighter, more silky fabric catches it and forces the coat to flutter dramatically behind Dracula. Unlike Dracula’s original cape, this one moves with little hesitation.
The Villagers
Next, McLain turns to a patterned skirt that belongs to one of the Villagers. Very full and heavy, the costume is made of various natural fabrics, such as cotton and linen. Almost as if pieced together, the skirt features beading, small mirrors, and embroidery. It is incredibly detailed. McLain explains that the vibrant colors read very intensely on stage, a reflection of Jonathan Harker’s severe warnings about Dracula.
Dracula’s Brides
McLain’s passion shines through with every piece that she chooses to highlight. Picking up a white, torn dress, she contextualizes its tattered fabric by describing one of the Bride characters who wears it —a woman who turns into a wild vampire. She points out a collection of coins on the waistband, threading a connection between the shiny artifacts and potential background stories. The individual elements, she says, make her wonder about the women- who were they before they were vampires? She speculates that they may have once been villagers themselves, given their costumes’ similar embellishments.
The Undead
The Undead’s costumes are McLain’s favorites; she describes them as “super-fun”. Ripped to shreds, the costumes reveal the artist’s hand and process. They also, despite seeming to be the same black color, reveal various purples, blues, browns, and greens under the stage lights. According to McLain, an inherent black color does not exist- it is the darkest version of another color. Enhanced by the fabric’s texture, this becomes apparent when on stage.
Renfield
Renfield’s straitjacket toward the end of Dracula is based on a historical design. “It is probably the most intense costume I’ve ever dealt with,” said McLain. There’s really no way to replicate being in a straitjacket, so they start rehearsing with it early in the process.
Tea Room Scene
This scene includes historical dresses, suits and vests from the late 1800s. The dresses are fashionable street clothes, with big skirts. A lot of the costumes are bright airy dress in light colors that signify a relaxing vacation. There is a lot of detail in these costumes, including lace, which indicated wealth during that era.
“I always sewed growing up,” McLain recalls. In addition to resonating with the idea that clothes are an extension of oneself, she finds that
“In ballet, there’s no dialogue, so you have to rely on the choreography, the emotion of the dance and how the dancer interprets the choreography, but then also the costume can tell you a lot about who they are in the narrative of the ballet.”
McLain shares that she appreciates distressed costumes because she knows what goes into making them —a fun, expressive process. It feels more organic to her to break something down after making it.
She finds that there is a lot of personal choice and storytelling within that, as “Pants are never just pants, a shirt is never just a shirt, it’s telling you something about the character.”
Experience these costumes in action and under the dramatic stage lights during Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Dracula at the Benedum Center from October 31st – November 2nd.
Who is Dracula and What is it Like to Portray the Iconic Character?
The seductive Count Dracula makes his chilling return to the Benedum stage this Halloween weekend! Based on Bram Stoker’s classic horror story, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is performing Michael Pink’s Dracula from October 31 – November 2, 2025. With Halloween quickly approaching, we spoke to PBT Principal Artist Lucius Kirst, who will portray Dracula on Saturday, November 1st at 2:00 p.m. Sharing exclusive insights into the thrilling production, he gives us a peek into the preparations for the spellbinding ballet.
What’s it like portraying Dracula?
It’s always fun to be the title character in any ballet, and he’s such an iconic character. The costumes are awesome for him as well which always makes roles feel cooler. I remember when we did the photo shoot and I first put on the red jacket, I was already excited to play him before having seen any of the choreography. Dracula is my first major role that would be deemed a villain, and he’s the ultimate villain to portray. He gets to kill and die onstage, there’s blood, fights and vampires— it’s a dream role.
How would you describe the character of Dracula?
He has the ultimate power (he thinks, at least), which is an unlimited amount of time. Obviously, he has other powers like his supernatural strength, his ability to turn people into vampires etc., but the unlimited amount of time is the most informative to dancing the role. He never has to hurry anywhere, since he has all the time in the world; everything is calm and smooth, and the choreography reflects that brilliantly. There’s an eerie, quiet power in his stillness. He’s a complex character, because the curse of unlimited time is that he inevitably loses everything he loves. He seems unable to learn from his pains of the past, and repeats the process by falling in love again with Mina.
What is it like to do more of a dramatic ballet?
There’s a lot of drama in many of the classic ballets, but this adaptation of Dracula centers around the drama of the story. There’s not just dancing for the sake of dancing, everything furthers the storytelling. It’s a more complex story to tell than a lot of the classical ballets, so there’s a heavier focus on the acting. Many of the scenes with less dancing and more acting and pantomime are actually much harder to learn, remember and rehearse than the dancing for me.
What is your favorite scene?
It’s a scene towards the end of the ballet in Act Three, when Dracula brings his bride-to-be, Mina, onstage with all the Undead. It’s the penultimate scene. Dracula thinks he’s gotten everything he wanted, and he simply walks around the stage with Mina. It sounds simple, but the music is a beautiful piece of choral music, the costume is amazing and there’s an intense energy onstage. It’s when I feel that Dracula is at his most powerful. You also know that all your hardest dancing is done, so you get to just enjoy the moment and soak it all in without any nerves or looming pressures.
What personality characteristics of Dracula are the most fun to portray? The least fun?
Honestly, they’re all pretty fun. He’s a great character to play, and the choreography facilitates that. There are a lot of aspects to his character that aren’t common in other ballets. Obviously, you can always bring something new to any role, but it’s such well-thought-out and thorough choreography that, almost just by doing the steps as they’re taught, you’re portraying a fully formed character.
Do you consider Dracula to be romantic or seductive?
I suppose he must be a little bit romantic. Some part of him is still human enough to remember what love is, since he falls in his version of love with Mina. I think he looks at most people primarily as a food source, however every once in a while, he comes across someone special. Perhaps they remind him of his first love. He has a certain power of seduction, it’s hard to say how much of that is magic and how much isn’t. In the real world, he has no magic, but his story has enraptured people for more than a century.
PBT Artists’ Summer Vacations!
Each year during June and July, PBT Company artists have a well-deserved summer break before the new season begins. Some of the PBT artists shared the different ways they spent their breaks outside of the PBT studios during the summer of 2025!
Join us for our upcoming 2025-26 Season beginning in October. The schedule includes:
Dracula, October 31-November 2, 2025, Benedum Center
The Nutcracker, December 5-28, 2025, Benedum Center
America 250 with the PBT Orchestra, February 20-22, 2026, Benedum Center
Spring Mix, April 10-12, 2026, August Wilson African American Cultural Center
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the PBT Orchestra, May 15-17, 2026, Benedum Center
Christian García Campos
PBT Corps de Ballet
With JoAnna Schmidt (PBT Soloist)
“My favorite highlight of this summer was traveling and exploring Croatia with one of my best friends and coworkers, JoAnna Schmidt, what an incredible trip from the views, to the food, to the company!”
Jack Hawn
Corps de Ballet
With JoAnna Schmidt (PBT Soloist)
“I participated in the Pittsburgh Dance Workshop, which had its inaugural performance this summer. Joanna Schmidt (PBT Soloist) choreographed the work that she and I performed in the show.”
Photos by Gretchen Hurd
David O’Matz
PBT Soloist
“My favorite activity of this summer was traveling to the Bay Area and dancing at Julia Adam Dance with my colleagues. There, we performed a contemporary version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm choreographed by Julia and Oliver Halkowitch.”
Grace Rookstool
PBT Principal
With Ariana Chernyshev (PBT Corps de Ballet)
“Ariana and I traveled through France for the first time together! This trip was so special in so many ways, we’re already planning next summer’s adventure.”
JoAnna Schmidt
PBT Soloist
“The first week after the season ended, I was honored to have 9 PBT company dancers perform with me in my choreography for William Moore’s Cre8 Dance Competition! It was a fun and fulfilling experience!”
Kurtis Sprowls
PBT Corps de Ballet
“I participated in JoAnna Schmidt’s work for the Cre8dance show in Pittsburgh in June, then traveled to California to dance with Julia Adam Dance, along with my colleagues Hannah Carter, Lucius Kirst and David O’Matz.”
Diana Yohe
PBT Soloist
“My husband Joe and I spent the summer ‘nesting’ and preparing our home for the arrival of our little one. It truly has already taken a village of our family and friends and has made us realize how very blessed we are with the people who surround us!”
Ballet Under the Stars 2025 Casting Announced
The casting for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s annual Ballet Under the Stars performance at Hartwood Acres has been announced! PBT will be performing at Hartwood Acres on Sunday, August 24 at 7:30 p.m. as part of Allegheny County’s 2025 Summer Concert Series. The outdoor performance is free to attend and open to the community. Register for free before attending for a chance to win a 5-ballet subscription to the 2025-2026 season.
Attendees are invited to arrive early to enjoy picnics, food trucks and free kids’ stations, including grab-and-go crafts, face painting, balloon art and a dance class led by PBT team members.
From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., PBT will host a pre-show Picnic in the Park. Join fellow ballet enthusiasts and PBT’s artistic director, Adam W. McKinney under the tent for drinks, dinner and the opportunity to meet PBT artists. Tickets are $100 for adults and $25 for children. Register online or call Associate Director of Development Aziza El Feil at 412-454-9127 for more information.
As the sun sets, PBT will present a mixed repertory performance featuring classical and contemporary works.
Emeralds Pas de Deux
Choreography by George Balanchine | © The George Balanchine Trust
Artists: Grace Rookstool and Lucius Kirst
The Mighty Casey Excerpt
Choreography by Lisa de Ribere
Pitcher: Josiah Kauffman
Casey: Jack Hawn
Artists: Emry Amoky, Jonathan Breight, Ethan Clarisey, André Gallon, Matthew Griffin, Isak Sorenson, Kurtis Sprowls and Michael Stadherr
Stars and Stripes Pas de Deux
Choreography by George Balanchine | © The George Balanchine Trust
Artists: Tommie Lin Kesten and Colin McCaslin
Three Preludes Excerpt
Choreography by Ben Stevenson
Artists: Hannah Carter and Lucius Kirst
Angels in the Architecture Excerpt
Choreography by Mark Godden
Artists: Emry Amoky, Magnoly Batista, Ariana Chernyshev, André Gallon, Madeline Gradle, Jack Hawn, Abigail Huang, Josiah Kauffman, David O’Matz, Madison Russo, JoAnna Schmidt and Kurtis Sprowls
Emeralds Pas de Deux
Choreography by George Balanchine | © The George Balanchine Trust
Artists: Hannah Carter and Colin McCaslin
Emeralds Pas de Trois
Choreography by George Balanchine | © The George Balanchine Trust
Artists: Tommie Lin Kesten, Josiah Kauffman and JoAnna Schmidt
Dracula Vignette
Choreography by Matthew Griffin (PBT Artist)
Dracula: Isak Sorenson
Brides: Anya Chiu, Amelia McGravey, Grace Rookstool
Finale
Choreography by Madison Russo (PBT Artist)
Artists: Emry Amoky, Magnoly Batista, Jonathan Breight, Erin Casale, Ethan Clarisey, André Gallon, Christian García Campos, Madeline Gradle, Jack Hawn, Abigail Huang, Kurtis Sprowls, and Michael Stadherr
Photos: Aviana Adams, Michael Henninger & Justin Merriman
Celebrating Juneteenth
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is committed to increasing equity, access and opportunity in the art of ballet. We believe that bringing together people with diverse perspectives, histories and life experiences will make ballet richer, stronger and more innovative, resulting in vibrant experiences for all. As part of this commitment, PBT is supportive of Juneteenth events in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Juneteenth National Independence Day, is an annual holiday in the United States that is celebrated to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. It celebrates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved African American people were free due to the Emancipation Proclamation.
According to Juneteenth.com, “Local and national Juneteenth take place around June 19 with the goal to promote knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture. Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures.”
Companies, arts organizations and professionals across the country often commemorate the holiday with performances, events and exhibits highlighting Black history, art, performers and Black-owned businesses. Pittsburgh has vibrant Juneteenth celebrations throughout the end of June that we hope everyone will enjoy.
Pittsburgh Juneteenth Events From June 19 To 22, 2025
Western PA Juneteenth Festival, June 19-22
Free Outdoor Concert Series every evening,
4:00-10:00 pm | Mellon Park
Juneteenth YouthFest, June 19-22
Youth sports tournaments and hands-on activities for kids and teens.
9 am-4 pm | Mellon Park
Juneteenth Cinema in the Park, June 16-21
Free outdoor movies in Pittsburgh parks at dusk. Schedule:
- Monday, June 16, 2025, Banksville showing “Soul”
- Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Schenley Park at Flagstaff Hill showing “Fences”
- Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Schenley Plaza showing “Fences”
- Friday, June 20, 2025, Arsenal Park showing “Soul”
- Saturday, June 21, 2025, Grandview Park showing “Soul”
- Saturday, June 21, 2025, Riverview Park, at the base of the Observatory, showing “Fences”
Juneteenth Boat Party on the Gateway Clipper, June 19
10:30 pm-1:30 am
Tickets here
August Wilson African American Cultural Center
Performance by the Legacy Arts Project, blending rhythm, movement, and storytelling rooted in the African diaspora.
Intermission: Juneteenth, June 19 | 6:00 -10:00 pm
Juneteenth Celebrity Softball Game, June 20
Annual Juneteenth Negro League AmateurBaseball Exhibition with local activist and community leaders in honor of the Pittsburgh Negro League Teams – the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays.
4:30 pm | Mellon Park Field #3
Juneteenth Freedom Parade, June 21
11:00 am | Parade begins at 5th & Liberty Avenues Downtown
Pittsburgh Year-Round Exhibits Celebrating Black Pittsburghers and History
Year-round exhibits detailing Black Pittsburghers’ lives, histories and contributions to the city and its culture can be found at:
Heinz History Center
“From Slavery to Freedom” Exhibit
This exhibit details more than 250 years of Black history in America and Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation” Exhibit
- Learn about the Freedom House Ambulance Service, a trailblazing agency that trained Black men and women as paramedics to deliver desperately needed emergency medical care to the Hill District, Pittsburgh’s largest African American neighborhood.
- Step inside Pittsburgh’s premier jazz club, the Crawford Grill, and listen to music from some of history’s most prominent jazz musicians, such as George Benson, Billy Strayhorn, Stanley Turrentine, and Mary Lou Williams.
“Negro League Baseball” Exhibit
In the 1930s and 1940s, Pittsburgh was the center of Negro League baseball and home to two of the Negro League’s most dominant teams – the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. From 1937 to 1945 the Homestead Grays won an unprecedented nine consecutive league pennants and three Negro League World Series titles.
August Wilson African American Cultural Center
This center frequently hosts celebrations of African American cultural achievements through music, visual art, poetry, literary works, lectures, discussions, film, theater and exhibits. One of its standing exhibits is
August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape
An immersive exhibit is dedicated to the life and works of Pittsburgh Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright and poet August Wilson.
Freedom Corner
Located at the intersection of Centre Avenue and Crawford Street in the Hill District, this monument marks a critical point in Pittsburgh’s Civil Rights history. Protests were frequently held here and in 1963, more than 2,000 Pittsburghers departed from here for Washington, DC to watch Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. give his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Founding Artistic Director Nicolas Petrov
NICOLAS PETROV, PhD
PBT’s Founding Artistic Director | 1969 – 1977
As Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre concludes our 55th Emerald Anniversary celebration, we recognize and honor Nicolas Petrov, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s founding artistic director.
Nicolas was born in Yugoslavia in 1933, and studied ballet in Belgrade, joining Opera Ballet of Belgrade after graduation. At 19, he moved to Paris, where he danced professionally, and worked with many ballet luminaries of the day. He immersed himself in the arts, and honed other talents – he choreographed, directed and produced for ballet, film and television. He founded his own company, Ballet Petrov, and continued to perform with companies across the world.
In 1967, Nicolas and his wife, Mary, also an accomplished dancer, arrived in Pittsburgh to take the helm of the dance program at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Other local arts organizations also welcomed his talent: the Pittsburgh Opera appointed him choreographer for the company, and Point Park College (now University) invited him to create what is now their nationally renowned dance department. Nicolas is currently Professor Emeritus at Point Park.
During these early years, he began training a corps of dancers, laying the groundwork for a professional ballet company for the city. In 1968, Nicolas met Loti Falk, a Pittsburgh arts patron and philanthropist. She attended a summer performance by the Playhouse ballet company and, while not a ballet lover at the time, she certainly became one after having seen Nicolas’s company of artists. In the fall of 1969, Nicolas and Loti founded Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
During his time at PBT, Nicolas brought many of the great classical ballets and dozens of contemporary works to Pittsburgh audiences. He also brought acclaimed artists to dance with and mentor the company – Edward Villella, Violette Verdy, Natalia Makarova, Ruth Page, Leonide Massine, Freddie Franklin and more. And he choreographed and created numerous original ballets, including the nation’s first Romeo and Juliet set to the Prokofiev orchestral score.
In 1977, Nicolas stepped down from his role at PBT to focus on the dance department at Point Park. He later became director of the Dance Division of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts and continued to teach and inspire students for more than 40 years. We are incredibly proud that, 55 years later, we have the capacity to continue the legacy that he first imagined.
PBT’s 2025-2026 Season New Hires
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is thrilled to announce five new artists who will join PBT for the 2025-26 season! We had an opportunity to ask them more about themselves and introduce them to Pittsburgh.
Aoi Asano will join PBT as an Apprentice from PBT School’s Graduate Program.
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
What is one of your favorite things about Pittsburgh? Kennywood
What ballet are you most excited about during PBT’s 2025-26 season? Dracula
What is your favorite ballet? The Sleeping Beauty
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not dancing? I enjoy crocheting.
What’s your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasure is eating a ton of Korean food all night when I’m exhausted.
What is the first thing you did after you found out you were promoted to being a PBT Apprentice? I first called my parents and my roommate.
Henrique Barbosa joins Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2025 as a Corps de Ballet Artist.
Hometown: Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
What city are you moving from? Houston, TX (Houston Ballet)
What are you most excited about doing in Pittsburgh? Exploring everything new. Coming from a different country, I’ve learned over the years the importance of curiosity and the amazing things that go with it. I seek learning what’s different every day. New landscapes and new foods are usually my go-to, and I know the restaurants in the Strip District and the gorgeous view of the Steel City are going to be my new favorite things.
What ballet are you most excited about during PBT’s 2025-26 season? Company B
What is your favorite ballet? Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not dancing? I have many hobbies. Scuba diving is the most recent one, but I will say that, in general, I love to be out in nature.
What’s your guilty pleasure? I like to put my favorite singer on YouTube while I clean the house, so I can dance and sing along.
Ethan Clarisey joins Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as a Corps de Ballet Artist.
Hometown: Clarence Center, NY
What city are you moving from? Boston, MA (Boston Ballet II)
What are you most excited about doing in Pittsburgh? Trying new restaurants
What ballet are you most excited about during PBT’s 2025-26 season?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
What is your favorite ballet? Romeo and Juliet
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not dancing? Thrifting
What’s your guilty pleasure? Doughnuts
Michael Stadtherr joins Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice for the 2025-26 season.
Hometown: Novi, MI
What city are you moving from? Tulsa, OK (Tulsa Ballet II)
What are you most excited about doing in Pittsburgh? Getting to know the city and culture
What ballet are you most excited about during PBT’s 2025-26 season? A Midsummer Night’s Dream
What is your favorite ballet? The Lady of the Camellias
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not dancing? Doing college classes and generally learning new things
What’s your guilty pleasure? Watching movies late at night
Isak Sorenson joins as an Apprentice Artist from PBT School’s Graduate Program.
Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota
What is one of your favorite things about Pittsburgh? I love how walkable the city is and all of the amazing views.
What ballet are you most excited about during PBT’s 2025-26 season? Dracula
What is your favorite ballet? George Balanchine’s Serenade
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not dancing? Hanging out with my friends and reading
What’s your guilty pleasure? Trash reality TV
What is the first thing you did after you found out you were promoted to being a PBT Apprentice? I found out that I was promoted backstage before a show of The Nutcracker. So, the first thing I did was quickly call my parents and then got into costume!
Celebrating Corey Bourbonniere’s PBT Career
PBT Soloist Corey Bourbonniere completes their tenure with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at the end of the 2024-25 Season. We wish Corey all the best for their amazing journey ahead!
Corey danced with PBT for more than 13 years. After graduating from the PBT School Graduate Program in 2012, they joined the PBT company. Corey was promoted to the Corps de Ballet in 2013 and to a Soloist in 2019. They have won numerous awards, including Pointe Magazine’s “Standout Performance of 2019” for “Bernardo” in West Side Story Suite and Pointe Magazine’s “Standout Performance of 2022” for Donald Byrd’s From Other Suns.
Below, Corey remembers some of their career highlights and favorite roles throughout the years.
Ballet: In the Upper Room by Twyla Tharp
Role: Stomper
Year: 2013
“This was the first ballet I performed after undergoing knee surgery. At times, it felt like an uphill battle to get myself in shape to perform it, but this was probably the most transcendent ballet I’ve ever performed. It healed me physically and spiritually. To be one of the stompers gliding around the stage in sneakers was so fun! Shelley Washington (stager for In the Upper Room and former cast member) was a joy to work with.”
Ballet: In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe
Year: 2014
“I felt so lucky to dance in the opening night cast of this Forsythe masterpiece. I was so green (literally and figuratively) in my third season at PBT, but this ballet pushed me to new heights and stretched the limits of what I thought I was capable of.”
Ballet: The Man in Black by James Kudelka
Year: 2016
“25 minutes. 4 dancers. Cowboy boots. Johnny Cash. Not a whole lot more to add–other than dancing the solo to Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’ by Nine Inch Nails was a career highlight.”
Ballet: West Side Story Suite by Jerome Robbins
Role: Bernardo
Year: 2018
“It was so fun to marry my musical theater background with my ballet career. Julio Monge (the stager of this work) invited me to audition for the role in Francesca Zambello’s full-length West Side Story at the Glimmerglass Festival, when a scheduling conflict left them needing a last-minute replacement. I had the time of my life performing with some amazing opera and musical theater artists that summer!”
Ballet: Divertimento No.15 by George Balanchine
Year: 2018
“This was the first principal role I had in a Balanchine ballet, and I felt so honored to dance two pas de deux with former soloist artist Marisa Grywalski and former principal artist Amanda Cochrane. It’s one of my favorite ballets I’ve ever danced. It was a moment when I was so thankful to be able to give my community a moment of beauty and escape after the terror that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue earlier that same day.”
Ballet: Petal by Helen Pickett
Years: 2021 and 2024
“This was the very first ballet I performed back at the Benedum Center after the COVID-19 lockdowns. It is a ballet that pushes the dancer to the limits physically, musically and artistically, brilliantly choreographed by Helen Pickett. I remember sobbing as the curtain came down, as I was so thankful to be back on that stage after a year and a half. It felt like coming home.”
Ballet: Giselle by Terrence Orr after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot, with revisions by Marius Petipa
Role: Hilarion
Years: 2016 and 2019
“Giselle was the first ballet I was ever a part of as a young dancer, and it was my first performance as an apprentice at PBT. Hilarion was my first featured role in a classical ballet with PBT when I was in the corps de ballet, and it was also the first role I performed as a soloist. Suffice to say this ballet has a very special place in my heart. I love the complexity of Hilarion. He’s portrayed somewhat as a villain, but he loves Giselle, and ultimately wants what’s best for her.”
Ballet: Petite Mort by Jiří Kylián
Years: 2015 and 2018
“I grew up watching this ballet, never imagining I’d perform it. It was a huge bucket list piece. Kylián is incredibly musical and inventive in his partnering. Nothing on stage has ever been scarier than balancing a fencing sword on my fingertip over my head as the curtain went up, and being the person that everyone followed for timing as we lowered our blades in unison!”
Ballet: Dracula by Michael Pink
Role: Jonathan Harker
Year: 2023
“Michael Pink’s Dracula feels like you’re in a silent film. It was one of the most theatrical story ballets I’ve ever been a part of. It was so cool marrying my vampire film and TV nerd brain with my ballet career! The twisted seduction of Dracula’s brides and the Count himself was thrilling to portray!”
Ballet: The Nutcracker by Terrence S. Orr
Role: Drosselmeyer
Years: 2013-2024
“I have had many ups and downs with this role, as I was never one who loved dealing with props. It has become my favorite role to revisit every Nutcracker season. While there is so much magic and sleight of hand going on, the driving force in that ballet is the love story between Drosselmeyer’s nephew (the Nutcracker) and Marie. It’s been a real honor playing the sort of narrator in this ballet, filling the shoes of the late, long-time corps de ballet artist Stephen Hadala, former soloist artist Rob Moore and former principal artist Alejandro Diaz (to name a few)–all of whom I watched play the role before me. I often find myself tearing up when the Nutcracker takes his toy head off after the battle scene, and the curse that afflicted his face in the first act is healed. No matter how many times I’ve played that scene, there’s a rush of emotions that comes from years of being able to fully settle into this character. It feels truly magical.”
Photos Courtesy of Corey Bourbonniere & Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Celebrating Corps de Ballet Artist Amanda Morgan’s Retirement
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Corps de Ballet artist Amanda Morgan will retire from the company on May 18 after the final performance of The Wizard of Oz. Morgan danced with PBT for over nine years in numerous classical and contemporary ballet performances. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Below, she has reflected on some of her career highlights and favorite roles over the years.
Ballet: Sandpaper Ballet by Mark Morris
Location: On tour in Chicago at Millennium Park
Date: August 2015
“This was my first ever performance with PBT and my first taste of what life could be like as a professional. The summer before my year in the graduate program, Terry asked me and a few other dancers to come and understudy Sandpaper Ballet for the company’s tour to Chicago. Due to a couple of mild injuries, another student and I were given the opportunity to go on tour with the company and perform at Millennium Park. I had so much fun getting to know the other dancers and living out my dream on a professional stage. It gave me even more motivation to work as hard as I could in PBT School to prove that I was the right fit for the company, and by the end of the season, I’d done it! I was offered a contract with PBT in 2016, but that tour is when I knew that this was the place I needed to be.”
Ballet: West Side Story by Jerome Robbins
Role: Rosalia
Date: May 2018
“This show really pushed me out of my comfort zone, because I got the opportunity to sing onstage. I grew up participating in the church choir, but singing solo in a theater the size of the Benedum Center was not something I ever expected to do. Those of us who had singing roles got the chance to work with a vocal coach throughout the rehearsal process, which really helped boost my confidence. I also got to act alongside Julia Erickson, who danced the role of Anita. She was always such a powerhouse in character roles, and I felt like she helped me let go of my nerves and just go for it. In the end, I had an absolute blast.”
Ballet: Divertimento No. 15 by George Balanchine
Date: October 2018
“I was so excited for this ballet when it landed in PBT’s repertoire. Divertimento was one of my first chances at a soloist role with the company. I loved the variation I got to dance. It felt like the perfect balance of the qualities I had to offer at that time, with parts that played towards my strengths as well as parts that challenged my technique. Getting to dance both in the corps and as a soloist meant I got to enjoy every aspect of the music, but what I’ll remember the most is sharing the stage with some of my best friends.”
Ballet: The Great Gatsby by Jordan Morris
Role: Myrtle
Location: On tour in Minneapolis at Northrop Auditorium
Date: September 2019
“I had so much fun on this tour. About a week before we left for Minneapolis, an injury in the company caused a shift in casting, and I was given the opportunity to dance the role of Myrtle. Her character is bold and confident on the surface, but beneath that exterior, she is troubled and lonely. With limited time to dive into the role, I enjoyed the challenge of exploring the full spectrum of emotions Myrtle required. Everyone I danced with was so encouraging and helpful in rehearsals that week. And best of all, I got to perform dying on stage, which is something I’d always wanted to do!”
Ballet: The Nutcracker by Terrence Orr
Role: Marie
Date: December 2018-2025
“The role of Marie has always held a special place in my heart. I feel like her character is one that I can very closely relate to, and after nine years, one that I can embody seamlessly. I started learning the role my first year in the company, and performed it from my third season on. Every year gave me the opportunity to dig deeper and build on what I’d learned the previous season. I cherished working with Marianna Tcherkassky, and her guidance really changed the way I approached character roles. I had the chance to dance Marie alongside three different partners, all of whom were some of my close friends in the company. Each performance was more special than the last, and it’s a role I’m going to miss greatly.”
Ballet: Diamonds by George Balanchine
Date: October 2021
“This was our first mainstage performance after the COVID pandemic in 2020. We had been away from the Benedum for over a year, and the anticipation of dancing on our home stage was palpable. During the finale, the entire company moves around the stage as the music swells to a gentle pause and we all settle into a large formation. Then, altogether, we dance in unison to a Polonaise that evokes a sense of grandeur and pure elegance. Listening to the orchestra and looking out into the audience, I was completely overcome with emotions. For that one moment, everything was alright. I was dancing with my closest friends while live music filled the theatre. I was home again.”
Ballet: Duende by Nacho Duato
Date: October 2022
“This ballet was another long-awaited performance from COVID times. We were one week away from our shows when the world shut down in March of 2020, but luckily, Duende ended up in our repertoire again in October of 2022. The movement quality and musicality of this ballet is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I felt so beautiful dancing Duato’s intricate choreography. It blended so seamlessly with Debussy’s score that I could imagine myself dancing through a forest, getting lost in the freedom of the movement. Having waited so long to finally perform it on stage, I hold this piece so close to my heart, and it’s one I would dance again if given the chance.”
Ballet: The Exiled by Helen Pickett
Role: Proprietor
Date: October 2022
“Another ballet that pushed me far out of my comfort zone was The Exiled by Helen Pickett. Not only does the choreography border on the extremes of physical capabilities, but I had the privilege of performing one of the speaking roles in the piece. Helen, who demands only excellence from her dancers, forced me to dig deep and truly find my own voice. Having mostly portrayed sweet characters on stage, this was an opportunity to dive into a darker, more sinister persona. As someone who is small in stature and typically more reserved, it was liberating to feel so powerful and intimidating. It really made an impact on me as a performer, but even as a person, portraying something so opposite to myself served as a strong reminder of why we should treat each other with unconditional love and kindness.”
Ballet: Lacrimosa by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Dates: May 2021, June 2022, October 2023
Awards: Pointe Magazine Readers’ Choice Standout Performance 2023
“Not every dancer gets the opportunity to revisit a role multiple times in their career, but I was lucky enough to perform Lacrimosa three different years with the same partner, Jonathan Breight. I have a very strong personal connection to the story of this ballet, because it marries both my profession and my faith on stage. From start to finish, the movement paired with the operatic score allows the dancer to experience the gravity of the crucifixion and the hope of eternal life. A beautiful picture of mourning, the dancers never stop moving together. Having worked with Jonathan for multiple years on this piece, we had full trust in each other, which allowed us to take risks without fear. I was so grateful to experience this ballet with him because we both had the same connection to the story. We were praising God together on stage, worshipping with our whole selves through dance.”
Ballet: Allegro Brillante by George Balanchine
Location: On tour in Plano, TX
Date: September 2024
“I danced Allegro in college and was so excited to revisit it during my professional career. After missing out on the Benedum performances due to an injury, I finally got the chance to dance it on tour in Plano, TX, right down the road from my family! This ballet feels so exhilarating to dance. The music is lovely and energetic, the choreography has everything from luscious port de bras to daring petit allegro, and the physical demand of it pushes your body to the absolute limit. The performance was a collaboration with the Plano Symphony Orchestra, and we were right there onstage with all of the musicians. Being in such close proximity to the music was indescribable. It was so special getting to dance for my family that evening, and I’ll keep the memories from that tour with me always.”
Photos courtesy of Amanda Morgan and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Performing Toto: Company Artist Kurtis Sprowls turns Puppeteer for The Wizard of Oz
We are going to discuss what everyone really wants to know about The Wizard of Oz ballet…
How will the role of Toto be portrayed when the show graces the Benedum Center stage May 9-18?
In the 1939 iconic film version of The Wizard of Oz, Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named “Terry.” The pup was paid a higher rate than many of the human actors, and performed all her own stunts, actually spraining her paw at one point during filming! Terry’s name was eventually formally changed to “Toto” due to the movie’s popularity.
In Septime Webre’s ballet version of the beloved story and film, Toto is represented by an astonishingly life-like puppet with 19 individual body parts, puppeteered by a PBT artist. This remarkable puppet, along with 26 others that appear in the ballet, was designed by Nicholas Mahon. Toto accompanies Dorothy throughout the entire story, playing an essential role within the plot. There really isn’t anything this pup can’t do, including tail wagging, head tilting and jumping into the characters’ arms. Only time will tell if this adorable puppeteered dog will steal the show!
To answer all your Toto-related questions, we interviewed PBT Corps de Ballet artist Kurtis Sprowls, who puppeteers Toto in PBT’s May performances of The Wizard of Oz with the PBT Orchestra.
Have you had any other roles similar to Toto that so heavily involved working with a prop or puppet?
This role is unique to me because it is completely about the puppet. I haven’t experienced a role like Toto where I am an extension of the prop. It’s been really challenging and exciting to portray.
What is it like to manipulate Toto while still moving as a ballet dancer?
It’s difficult for sure! I’m using my brain in a different way, to where I am not only thinking about what my body is doing, but what Toto is doing and how we are both able to be one. I’m finding new ways to move and interact with Toto and the rest of the cast every day!
How many puppets do you work with in the ballet?
I work with two puppets in this production: a chicken and Toto.
Being used to using your body as your instrument, how long did it take you to get comfortable moving an instrument that goes past your own limbs?
I would say some movements are easier than others. I’m learning more and more every day. Who knows what Toto will be able to do by opening night!
Do you have a dog in mind whose movements you try to mimic as Toto?
Definitely! I try to portray Toto as a cross between Wishbone and Scrappy Doo. A little mischievous, but inquisitive and mission-oriented to get back to Kansas. We also can’t forget, lovable and playful!
Toto is such an integral part of the story. What do you think the audience will enjoy most about the character?
His tail wagging!
See Kurtis and Toto in action!
Come see Kurtis, Toto and the entire cast, along with the PBT Orchestra, in the Pittsburgh premiere of The Wizard of Oz, at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, May 9-18!