Marylynne Pitz

Oct 24, 2024 | lebomag.com | Marylynne Pitz

It was 1974 when Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign from office, Stephen King’s novel Carrie horrified readers and teenagers danced to disco music in platform shoes. That same year, Outreach Teen & Family Services opened a small office that looked like a living room in Central Square on Washington Road. There, students could drop in to talk about their problems with a counselor or a volunteer. The new organization, then called Outreach South, was progressive and proactive.

Apr 23, 2024 | pittsburghquarterly.com | Stuart Sheppard |Vicky A. Clark |Ben Moyer |Marylynne Pitz

Although we can’t prove that Freud said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,” we certainly can admit the wisdom in this adage, especially as it concerns the theater, where interpretation has turned into an industry for directors, dramaturgs, audiences, and especially, critics.

Apr 3, 2024 | pittsburghquarterly.com | Stuart Sheppard |Vicky A. Clark |Ben Moyer |Marylynne Pitz

There are certain plays we admire for their timeless quality, that somehow not only survive, but thrive over decades, centuries, and even millennia. “Oedipus Rex” and “Hamlet,” for example, have proven themselves in this respect, while others like “Waiting for Godot,” and “American Buffalo” certainly have the potential to join them.

Feb 5, 2024 | pittsburghquarterly.com | Stuart Sheppard |Vicky A. Clark |Ben Moyer |Marylynne Pitz

The conceit of the “what if” story has always fascinated us: what if Ebenezer Scrooge hadn’t been visited by his ghosts in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” or if George Bailey hadn’t had the intervention of the angel Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or if Marty McFly hadn’t gone back in time to make sure his mother was kissed by his father at the school dance in “Back to the Future”?

Dec 20, 2023 | lebomag.com | Marylynne Pitz

Artificial intelligence programs are altering the creative process. Many people wonder and worry about how this rapidly changing technology, which generates images and text, will affect the careers of artists, architects, filmmakers, game designers and interior decorators. Programs like DALL-E 2, DreamUp, Midjourney and Stability Diffusion can help and hurt the creative class, but your view of this technology may depend on if you are already established or an aspiring newcomer.