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Prime Stage Theatre’s June 21 Cemetery Walk adds theatrical touch to Pittsburgh history

 

Actresses in the PST Cemetery Walk

 If you’ve ever wanted to spend a few minutes with a 1905 supermodel and chat about her leading role in America’s first Crime of the Century, stop by Allegheny Cemetery on the afternoon of June 21 and meet Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, the fabled “Girl on the Red Velvet Swing”.
 
While Thaw died in 1967 after a lengthy career as an actress and cabaret performer, she’ll be one of seven historic Pittsburghers portrayed in their prime by professional actors in period costumes during Prime Stage Theatre’s Annual Cemetery Walk. 
 
The rain-or-shine event offers 12 one-hour walking tours from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Allegheny Cemetery, 4715 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA in Garfield. Tickets are $20 per person, available online and presale only at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/cemetery-walk-allegheny-cemetery-edition-4279103.
 
“Many of our mainstage plays have history as a central focus,” says Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda. “The Cemetery Walk is a chance for us to present audiences with a personal look at historic Pittsburghers and the impact they had on shaping our community.”
 
Besides the celebrated Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, notable figures on the tour include steamboat captain Thomas Shields Clarke, industrialist Henry Oliver, 19th-century philanthropists Delia Raymond Carr, Kate Upshur Moorhead and Lucy O'Hara Morrison Schoyer and a scintillating appearance by Shadyside native Calbraith Perry Rodgers, who in 1911 was the first aviator to fly across the continental United States.
 
Actors performing the historic characters are Sandy Boggs (Kate Upshur Moorhead), Mark Boles (Henry Oliver), Sarah Campbell (Lucy O'Hara Morrison Schoyer), Marc LaSpada (Thomas Shields Clarke), Johnny Patalano (Calbraith Perry Rodgers), Suzanne Ward (Delia Raymond Carr) and Beth Wilson (Evelyn Nesbit Thaw).
 
Allegheny Cemetery was established in 1844 from the farm and homestead of Col. Stephen Bayard, an esteemed Revolutionary War officer and onetime commander of Fort Pitt. Recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery’s 124,000 graves lie within 300 acres of well-maintained landscape dotted by a profusion of monuments ranging from angels and obelisks to mausoleums and illustrated headstones. 
 
“People who have been on past tours are always impressed by the authenticity of the characters as interpreted by the actors,” says Cemetery Walk coordinator Sueanne Zoratto. “Few things are as surprisingly fun as walking through history with the very people who made it.”
 
Founded in 1996 with the mission of “bringing literature to life”, Prime Stage Theatre has produced over 100 plays and won national recognition as a leader in educational theatre.
 
* For more information on Prime Stage Theatre’s 2025-26 season, contact Connie Brinda, Prime Stage Theatre General Manager at (724) 773-0700 or cbrinda@primestage.com.
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Prime Stage Theatre 2025-26 Season
 
Nov. 7-16, 2025 – Mr. Poe Presents An Evening of Horror, Mystery, and Imagination
By Lawrence C. Connolly; directed by Art DeConciliis
Popular sci-fi and horror fiction writer Lawrence C. Connolly recreates the dark genius of Edgar Allan Poe performing a selection of favorite tales before a live audience in the 1840s.
 
Jan. 23-Feb. 1, 2026 ­– Freedom House:  Giving Life a Second Chance
By L.E. McCullough; directed by Scott Calhoon
Historical playwright L.E. McCullough dramatizes the 1967 creation of Freedom House Ambulance Service, America’s first mobile emergency medical unit staffed by professionally-trained paramedics from Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
 
May 1-10, 2026 – Speak
By Tammy Ryan; directed by Dana Hardy Bingham
Resident New Dramatists playwright Tammy Ryan brings to the stage Laurie Halse Anderson’s acclaimed young adult novel Speak, the contemporary story of a teenage girl who uses art to find her voice and redefine her identity after the trauma of rape.
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ACCESSIBILITY:  Prime Stage Theatre has made a special commitment to promoting accessibility for special needs audiences. In 2022, Prime Stage Theatre audio describer Nathan Ruggles won a national Achievement Award in Audio Description from the American Council of the Blind.
 
Prime Stage Theatre offers student matinee performances, as well as an array of teacher workshops demonstrating how theatre enhances literacy and classroom learning.

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