Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh… The blue collar San Francisco of the east. How we love you so.
I arrived in Pittsburgh on April 2, full of hope, saltines and gatorade – my manna after an evening trying unsuccessfully to repress my own vomit – and made my first stop of the trip at Point Park University. Missy, Pittsburgh native and Point Park alumni, met me there soon afterwards. The Point Park alumni association had invited us there to interview us about our show, and more specifically about how Missy’s education at Point Park University prepared her for success in Chicago. Our Interviewer was great and he spliced together this cool video that I think highlights the Point Park Theatre Department and Reset List very well. Please note, I wore a tie.
After our interview, Missy, myself and my tie toured the building where Missy received her awesome education. Hugs were given liberally, famous people in pictures were pointed out, stories of faceless strangers flew over heads (mine) like flocks of geese, and I got a better idea of who Missy was in her college years. We found ourselves at the end of the tour in the Point Park cafe where I enjoyed a quick lunch of Pirates Booty and more Gatorade to ensure that I did not puke during the next act in our adventures in Pittsburgh.
The real reason, or rather, the other reason we were at Point Park was because we were invited to teach an improv workshop to the theatre students currently studying there. On a Monday afternoon we had 19 students, 1 observer and 3 teachers at our workshop. The students had varying levels of improv experience but they were all fearless and jumped right into the exercizes we brought to the table. They yes/anded, heightened emotions and stole focus like pros. When we reached the musical improv portion of the workshop the students caught on quickly and really shined. The workshop concluded with the students singing a group number from Hunger Games Zombies (the musical) titled “Love at First Bite.” It (and they) rocked.
Thank you to the Point Park University Theatre Department for having us. We would love to come back at any time to teach/play again.
After checking into our hotel and chilling for a moment Missy and I headed back into the streets of Pittsburgh. Dinner was calling our names and we returned that call with screams of “Primanti Brothers!!!” For my first real meal in 24 hours it was fitting to try to make myself sick again. A Priamanti Brother’s sandwich comes with your choice of meat which is then topped with a heaping pile of cole slaw and fries, and served on a piece of wax paper. You are somehow expected to be able to fit this mountain of a sandwich into your mouth for the purposes of consumption, and we met those expectations with unhinged python jaws. While I did succeed in eating my entire sandwich I failed to elicit another evening of prayer to the porcelain gods. Sorry.
And with that Pittsburgh Vol. 1, Chapter 1 comes to a close.
Reset List 
