Friday, April 29, 2011

Time Traveling Librarians Invade Pittsburgh in New Radio Play

A time traveling librarian and his wide-eyed intern are racing against the clock to stop an Italian Futurist and Elektro, the Westinghouse robot, from destroying the Pittsburgh library system. That’s the pulpy tale that will be unfolding in Northside’s newest theatre space, Steel City Improv Theater, on Friday, May 6 at 8:00pm. A trio of Pittsburgh and Cleveland-based actors will take the stage to perform the latest installment of the locally-produced original serial Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time.

Harking back to the old-time adventures of the The Shadow or Green Hornet, Dodge Intrepid is a Western PA-centric radio play complete with sound effects, cliffhangers, vintage commercials, and plenty of colorful voices. Written by James Catullo and Michael Rubino, the show has been regaling Beaver County audiences with the adventures of Dodge Intrepid, the show’s librarian hero, and Pluck Gumption, his sidekick, since 2005.

This is the first installment of Intrepid that Rubino and Catullo have written with a Pittsburgh backdrop, to be performed specifically in front of a Steel City audience. “The Men of Tomorrow” features all new, original material that runs the gamut of time, space, and radio play dramatic devices. In a four-part tale that spans hundreds of years and includes more than a few references to Pittsburgh history, including the infamous smoking robot Elektro, Intrepid will delight an audience of all ages in this one-night only performance. The show has adventure, excitement, comedy, and the creative team’s unique spin on a lost art form that has been increasingly ‘found’ when considering such sold-out performances of Bricoloage’s Midnight Radio—indicating a growing interest in radio plays.

Dodge Intrepid and the Pages of Time began as a coffee shop side project for Rubino and Catullo, both members of the Cellar Dwellers improv comedy troupe based in Rochester, PA. Following the first edition of Intrepid, third cast member, Pittsburgh actor and arts teacher Michael Hinzman, was added, and together, the three have performed over 50 episodes of the serial. The debut of Intrepid at the recently opened Steel City Improv Theater will introduce their witty brand of library heroics to a new audience, and begin a new chapter for both the time traveling librarian and the creative team behind his adventures.