Welcome to the Stage & Steel Productions!
Stage and Steel Productions is a community based theatrical society located in the greater Pittsburgh area and the West Virginia panhandle. Our group was born from the love of theatre and stage combat. Combined, Stage & Steel strives to create unique productions based in a variety of genres, including Medieval, Renaissance, and even modern theatre. There are a variety of ways in which you may participate in Stage & Steel.
In business since 2010, we are a community based theatrical society located in the greater Pittsburgh area and the West Virginia panhandle. Our group was born from the love of theatre and stage combat. Combined, Stage & Steel strives to create unique productions based in a variety of genres, including Medieval, Renaissance, and even modern theatre. There are a variety of ways in which you may participate in Stage & Steel.
Stage & Steel produces three shows a year. Each production marries a blend of drama and comedy with stage combat, interactive digital sets, and audience participation. A dinner theater performance gets you a meal and a show that compares to nothing else around. Standard seating performances are just as fun.
We welcome you to experience our shows. Our audiences have a cheering good time. No two performances are ever exactly alike. Take a look at our What to Expect area for further information.
Are you an actor or do you want to be an actor? We welcome you to audition for our plays whether you are a novice or trained, just be prepared to have a great time. Take a look at our Actor area for further information.
But Stage and Steel Productions produces much than just stage plays. A full production house, Stage and Steel designs and produces UX events from holiday festivals, gaming events, concerts, and don't forget the Macabre Arcade. Plus we teach classes in the areas of theater, art, leadership, and programming. Check out our great events all year round.
Questions! --> Contact us
Say Cheese!
This gallery holds some special moments that Stage and Steel has enjoyed over the years. Thankful for these awesome memories and excited to create new ones.
Show me more! --> Past Shows
A Show is an Experience
We don't expect people to sit quietly in the audience and clap at the appropriate
times, we encourage the audience to become a part of show.
There will be sword fighting and hand to hand combat. It will happen mere feet in front of you. Actors may break the fourth wall and interact with you or the audience as a whole. Please play nice and respond back.
Stick around after the show to meet the actors or get a behind the scenes tour. We are a community theater and we love to share.
Dinner Theater
Dinner Theater performances serve a full dinner throughout the show. Soup, salad, and bread is served before the show starts. First intermission brings the main entrée to the tables, and second intermission brings out dessert. The characters within the play serve the food so the King himself may be the one to bring you your plate and fill your cup. Have fun interacting with the characters outside the confines of the stage.
COVID Changes: Due to covid concerns, we will be introducing these strange devices oddly called forks and spoons. But fear not, when the plague is finally behind us we will return to our usual tradition of ten eating utensils starting with your left pinky and going all the way to your right pinky.
Wassail! Drink Hail!!
Volunteering
For those adventurous enough to volunteer (and if you are not feel free to volunteer someone else) you may be given a line or two to speak during the show, asked to stand in as our Man-at-Arms to help ready our fighters before they battle or you may be chosen to help guide the story and change the outcome based on your collective choices.
Have no fear! Get up there and join in. You have nothing to lose. We will be right there to help you. Be a star! No worries, your name won't be in the program so no one will remember you. Who knows, maybe you will like it and want to audition.
Cheer and Boo!!
You may, and should, cheer your favorite champions as they fight. Yell out encouragement or jeers. Please, go ahead and boo the villian, they feed off your disdain. Sections of the audience may be assigned to cheer for certain Knights, if you don't cheer boldly your Knight might get a bit snippy. Please respond to the characters and not the actors. Just keep in mind we are a family friendly show, keep it PG please.
Next Show, please --> Show
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A Show is a Life Experience
Stage & Steel is a Community Theater Troupe that provides equal opportunities no matter the level of theater or combat experience. Actors are encouraged and challenged to grow with each show based on personal skill level while in a warm and family-like environment. The only expectations we have is a willingness to learn, patience to practice, a respect for safety, and the enthusiasm to take a stab at it!
Actor's Handbook
Who should join
Stage and Steel is a diverse group of people who welcome anyone to come together to develop new skills and face new challenges. Throughout the process, actors learn a bit about stage combat, performing while breaking the theatrical fourth wall, improvisational acting in reacting to a reactive audience, and working with technology in live theater.
While Stage & Steel is always focused on producing a fun and entertaining show for its audiences, it also strives to make each show a great learning experience for its cast. Actors have often referred to the Stage and Steel Troop as a family and we pride ourselves on that. We want the cast to feel like they are in a safe environment where they can feel comfortable to stretch their talents and develop their skills.
Not all parts within a show require combat. These roles are called non-combat roles. This makes room for actors that do not want to fight to still join the cast.
Maybe you are not an actor but still want to get involved somehow. Not a problem. Just contact us and tell us what your interests are. We love to share all that we know and will gladly find a way in which you can volunteer.
The commitment...
Stage and Steel rehearsals are set and rigid. A show rehearses for about eight weeks with three rehearsals a week (Tuesday 6pm-9pm, Thursday 6pm-9pm, and Sunday 3pm - 9pm), plus every night during Tech Week. A show runs for two weeks with a total of six performances on Friday nights, Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. Actors are also expected to help with set build and set tear. Knowing that our actors have busy lives it is never our intention to have rehearsals every night and all day on weekends. Actors know the full rehearsal schedule before they even audition. If a set of actors wish to have more time to work on something we will try our best to accommodate them.
It is our belief that rehearsals are not a time for memorizing lines but rather a time to work with the rest of the cast to refine the performance. Actors are expected to memorize their lines and choreography on their own time.
It is important to Stage and Steel that every show be a learning experience. Some time during rehearsals will be devoted to acting exercises and character development. Improvisational acting games are also played to get actors more comfortable with the amount of audience participation in Stage and Steel shows.
Some rehearsals are devoted just to stage combat as it is a skill that must be learned and practiced.
Actors are expect to provide their own under garments, pants (black or brown with no visible pockets), a black or white tee shirt for under their costume, and black or brown shoes that are combat safe. Actors will also provide their own makeup if they want makeup and with the directors approval.
Stage Combat
Stage and Steel shows utilize single handed and hand and a half broad swords, shields, daggers, staffs, and/or hand to hand combat. Actors learn on plastic training swords and switch to inspected steel stage combat swords (these swords are steel but have a blunted edge) when ready. Combat rehearsals are held to teach the proper and safe use of the weapons. There are rules that all actors are expected to follow to ensure the safety of everyone.
Rehearsals will focus on instruction, skill development drills, game driven general practice, and specific choreography rehearsal. Stage combat is a cooperative story driven performance. Actors must work together to produce an awe inspiring fight. Non verbal communication, attention to ones environment, and body presence are all important and must be developed.
Actors will be given choreography designed based on their skill level. No actor will be asked to do something that they themselves are not confident that they can do. Stage combat takes time to master. Actors are encouraged to come back and audition for other shows as each show will improve one's skills and allow the actor to try more weapon types and more interesting moves. The amount of fighting that a character must perform is taken into account during casting as it is not our intention to put an actor into a spot where they will have no chance to succeed.
Sign me up! --> Auditions
Just drop us a line...
If you have questions about a show, about auditioning, you want to volunteer, you want to drop store bought cookies off for the actors, or you want us to embarrass your 16 year old child by singing happy birthday to them... just drop us a line.
Phone
+4123378812
stageandsteel@gmail.com
Location
743 Main Street Follansbee,WV