Good things ARE happening in Pittsburgh - among them, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company (PPTCO) producing excellent plays by our fellow Pittsburghers. PPTCO has regularly received high marks from Pittsburgh's critics, and from Pittsburgh greatest playwright, August Wilson himself; their production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was among his favorites ever produced of that play. I was lucky enough to meet him at the last show of the run, and he told me that himself. I started doing the programs back in that inaugural year, and I stick around because I'm always amazed at the talent of the playwrights and performers - some of the best theatre I've seen here in Pittsburgh. Every year, PPTCO produces one Wilson play, as well as the program August in February at the Benedum in cooperation with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. But PPTCO also exists to let us see new plays by up- and-coming playwrights. We are fortunate to have a number of great theatre companies here in Pittsburgh, but only one exclusively produces plays by Pittsburgh playwrights - and we have some very talented playwrights here indeed. Now showing is Artistic Director, Founder (and Wilson protege) Mark Clayton Southers' new comedy, Hoodwinked, about a Jewish couple who want to move back to their house in the Hill District in the present day. It is the first in a series of culture clash plays by Southers, and if opening night audiences are any indication, you're not going to want to miss any of them. And if any of you want to get a group together to go, send me an email and maybe we can coordinate a Meet the Playwright cocktail party afterward. Michelle michelle@belancreative.com Here's some stuff from PPTCO's own promotional emails: What people are saying about Hoodwinked: "Laughing at cultural differences is a staple of comedy, but usually it's one group laughing at another. Congratulations, then, to Mark Clayton Southers, who in his new comedy, "Hoodwinked," makes comedy about the contrast between two cultures without putting down one group more than the other." - - Chris Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Schenley Heights playwright Mark Clayton Southers is on to a good thing and off to a great start with "Hoodwinked" that debuted Friday at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. " - - Alice T. Carter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "On one level, and the level to which I think Southers aspires, Hoodwinked is a fish-out-of-water comedy about two cultures thrown together in an improbable, almost farcical, manner. In a more serious vein, it is also about two cultures struggling to break through the socialization keeping them apart, finding common ground in shared experiences. And the play also deals with each individual culture growing into its own “space,” locating and celebrating the essential integrity of its history and community." - - Ted Hoover, Pittsburgh City Paper The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company is located at 542 Penn Avenue, Mezzanine Level, Downtown. Accessible by stairs and elevator. For reservations contact ProArts at (412) 394-3353. $15.00 with reservation, Seniors and Students $12.50 Group rates are also available through ProArts. For other information call Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company (412) 288-0358.