Iron Horse Theatre Company's Mission:
The mission of the Iron Horse Theatre Company is to provide thought provoking and entertaining theater that will enrich the cultural life in what is now known as the "rust belt" area of southwestern Pennsylvania. We will provide the people of this community the opportunity to not only attend, but also to participate in quality presentations and theatrical works. The symbolic name, "Iron Horse" represents the hard-working and "iron-willed" people in this part of the world. It is in this spirit that we will create theatrical experiences that celebrate the grit, determination, and strength of the human character.
Your patronage and generous donations go directly to supporting this worthy mission.
Iron Horse Community Theatre opened in June 2018!
The Iron Horse Community Theatre, located at 348 Maplewood Avenue in Ambridge Pennsylvania, had a "Raise the Roof" happy hour on May 4th, and a ribbon-cutting opening night event on June 1st 2018!
Thanks to the generous donations that many made at the May 4th fundraising event, the intimate community theatre was able to open its doors on June 1, 2018 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by an opening night party, and the theatre's first play: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Special thanks to our Founding Stars who made both occasions possible (many were in attendance for one or both nights): The Schneider family (Gold Members), Susan and Greg Kaminski (Gold Members), Janet and Michael Duzicky (Gold Members), Sean Kolwalski and Tim Garland - Sean’s Signature Salon (Gold Members), Sarah Braun and Dan Weisberg (Gold Members), David M. Neuhart and Carol M. Yannuzzi (Gold Members), Amy and Charles Ellefson (Gold Members), Carita P. Triko (Silver Member), Robert Matzie (Silver Member), Dr. Leonard I. Ganz (Silver Member), Pamela and Hayden Anderson (Bronze Members), John and Sarah Steadman (Bronze Members), Trish and Marcos Digliodo (Bronze Members), Kim Villella ((Bronze Member), Carole J. Ford (Bronze Member), and Hugh D. and Nancy G. Sansom (Bronze Members).
We also want to thank those who contributed the many items we needed to make both events a success (entertainment, beer, wine, desserts, food, tables, napkins, supplies, etc.): All Occasions Party Rental, Ryta Mirisciotti (Naked Grape Wine Services and Importing, Inc.), Post Office Catering Group, Scott and Rosanna, Susan and Greg Kaminski, Kim Villella, Michele and Michael Santicola, Marianne Fadden, Pamala Anderson and the Moon Area teachers. And I don’t want to forget our volunteers who worked hard throughout the night even after the event was over: Kathleen Tessaro, Pam and Hayden Anderson, Caleb, Jen and Matt Custer, Deb Martz, Doug May, Amy Ellefson, Dave Neuhart, Liam Cain, and Maya Andlig.
Thank you all for everything you did to make both events successful and memorable.
Click on the links below to see food by Herban Touch Juice Lab, and music by Scott and Rosanna.
https://www.herbantouchjuicelab.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hth84ws0wgI
The Iron Horse Community Theatre not only provides a very intimate theatre experience (61 seats and one additional space for a wheelchair), but also provides a community room for art, photography, music, dance, voice, acting, and even yoga.
Click on the link below to see our video of the theatre.
Also, read what the Sewickley Herald reported on 9.9.16
If you would like to volunteer some of your time and talent, please contact us via e-mail or call (724) 263-0075. We would love to have you join us.
Please donate to this worthy cause so that we can continue to provide our community with these exciting programs.
After School Programs
Art, Music, Dance, Acting, Meditation and Movement, guitar
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Thanks to the Weisbrod Foundation, the Iron Horse Community Theatre is in full swing with its after-school arts progamming. Young students from Ambridge, Leetsdale, Sewickley, and Moon are fully engaged every Monday through Thursday in fun after-school activities such as art, music, dance, and mindful meditation and movement. Beginning in January 2018 (Session Two), we will be adding beginner guitar lessons as well. All classes are free of charge and any necessary supplies are provided. Session One is from October 1 to December 13. Session Two begins January 28 and goes until April 8. If you would like to know more about the programs, or if you have a young student interested in partcipating, please call (724) 263-0075 to register.
Classes fill quickly, so please call today!
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Summer Theatre Camp 2018
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I would like to thank the kids who participated in our first two-week camp at the Iron Horse Community Theatre! Together we explored the fundamental building blocks of the craft of acting. The young actors got to show off their skills with a performance for their family and friends at the end of the two-week session.
With the guidance of our amazing teachers and high school volunteers, the students spent their first week engaged in various improvisation games and formats. The young actors also had lessons in voice (singing) and choreographed dance.
During the second week of the camp, they focussed on rehearsing a couple of scenes from the play Beauty and the Beast. The students also had fun preparing their costumes and props for the show. They had a pizza party celebration on the final day followed by the showcase performance that demonstrated their growth and skills to their family and friends who came out to see the show.
Also a special shout out to Everyday Esthetics located at 1400 Church Street in Ambridge, and the Santicola family of Moon Township, for their generous scholarship donations!
Check out the pictures below of this very successful camp!
News and Reviews: On Golden Pond
In October 2018, the Iron Horse Theatre Company presented Ernest Thompson’s On Golden Pond, directed by Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre and starred John C.R. Silbert and Jeane Kmetz-Donovic as Norman and Ethel Thayer, an elderly couple who shared an eventful season at their New England summer cottage.
The setting took place at the Thayer’s summer cottage living room and kitchen. The intimate Iron Horse Community Theatre made the most out of every cubic foot that the stage had to offer. It was impeccably detailed, from the stone fireplace and hanging wooden oars to the mounted fish and jumbled stack of board games. Lighting and Sound Designer Mike Evans completed the atmosphere with a soft glow of the early afternoon sun and bird-calls coming up from the lake.
The play began right after the Thayers arrived at their home on Golden Pond, Maine, for the summer. Ethel was in joyful awe of her surroundings, reveling in her nostalgic memories and sparkling with excitement when she heard the calls from the loons, her favorite birds.
The Thayers were visited by Charlie Martin (Michael Goffus), the Thayer’s longstanding friend and mailman, and their daughter Chelsea (Nina Napoleone), who brought her fiancé Bill (Michael Church) and his young son Billy (Zach Aaron).
Norman proved himself to be a politically incorrect and intimidating figure throughout the play. He was able to "ruffle everyone's feathers", with one exception. Norman was unable to deter young Billy, a curious boy who seemed determined to crack Norman’s tough shell.
Long-suffered tensions between father and daughter were tested as Chelsea tried to relate to her distant father. She told him that she regreted being “mad at each other” for so many years, to which Norman replied, “Mad at each other? I thought we just didn’t like each other.”
The cast was superb. Jeane Kemetz- Donovic did a wonderful job in making the audience fall in love with her character Ethel. Both Michael Goffus and Zach Aaron created some lighthearted moments throughout the play. Nina Napoleone and Michael Church gave steady performances as well. John C.R. Silbert as Norman was as moving as he was funny, and he was very funny. He grabbed a hold of the audience’s attention from the very beginning of the play and commanded it throughout the show.
Hats off to a job well done!!
To see the article and video about the show in The Times please click the button below:
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