planned yet Spontaneous

*Please review our COVID-19 Safety Protocols if attending in-person.


tickets

Pay What Moves You!

Dates & Times

Thursday, May 12 | 7 PM

Friday, May 13 | 7 PM

Saturday, May 14 | 2 PM & 7 PM

Sunday, May 15 | 2 PM

RUNTIME

Approximately 1 hour with no intermission

LOCATION

Attack Theatre Studios
212 45th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

CAST AND CREDITS

Attack Theatre brings home a classic. This unique performance experience blurs the lines between visual art, music, and dance; and between audience and performer. In a dynamic merging of the planned and spontaneous, this process engages the audience with creation, improvisation, and dialogue inspired by works of visual art.

Delicious moments of intimacy with these generous artists.
— Le Dauphine Vaucluse-Matin (Avignon, France)

about the program

Fusing choreography and composition with visual art, Some Assembly Required was originally commissioned for the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh) in 1995 for the Made in America exhibit. Inspired by the work of Philip Yenawine, former Director of Education at the Museum of Modern Art, this process gives the audience the ability to influence and interact with the creative process, and simultaneously allows for a facilitated discussion.

Working with spaces and venues as partners to present this unique performance experience, Attack Theatre’s Some Assembly Required offers audiences a new way to view visual art, a new lens to experience dance and live music and a new outlook on the culture of engaging arts experiences. Using traditional and nontraditional works of art (paintings, photographs, sculptures, architecture, and horticulture), Attack Theatre engages the audience in a process that culminates with a world premiere every night.

The process begins with the presentation of a short performance accompanied by live music. After viewing this piece, the audience embarks on a guided discussion of chosen artworks. The performers transform these comments into music and movement, which they insert and overlay into the existing piece. This new layer of emotion, intent and color adds passion to the existing dance, culminating with a performance that celebrates the artist and audience, the planned and spontaneous.

It’s not often that a company can be so generous with, even eager to please its audiences, but still be daring enough to lead them on a journey that breaks new artistic boundaries.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ACCOMMODATIONS 

Attack Theatre is committed to offering inclusive, engaging experiences for people of all abilities. ADA seating is available and may be reserved upon request, and American Sign Language interpreters are available for performances with at least one week notice. To request ASL or further accommodations to enhance your experience, please contact kait@attacktheatre.com or call (412) 281-3305.

Historical Timeline

1995

Carnegie Museum of Art

1997

The Frick Art & Historical Center

2001 

Avignon Festival in Galerie Ducastel (France)

2002

Avignon Festival in Le Petit Louvre (France)
Museé Oceanigraphique (Monaco)

2004

The Ross Museum of Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH)

2005

The Blaffer Gallery (Houston, TX)

2006

The Erie Art Museum (Erie, PA)

2008 

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz (NY)

2010 

The Frick Art & Historical Center
Fairmont State University

2010 – Assemble This

SPACE gallery
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
August Wilson Center
The Frick Art & Historical Center
The Mattress Factory
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Contemporary Craft
The Andy Warhol Museum

2011

American Alliance of Museums Conference (Houston, TX)

2012 

The Phillips Collection (Washington, DC)

2012 — Some Assembly Required: Public

Frick Fine Arts Building, Victor Brenner Fountain
East Liberty, Lend Me Your Eats Mural
North Shore, Pittsburgh Variations
Wilkinsburg, 10,000 mural
Northside, Cubed Tension

2012

American Alliance of Museums Conference in (Minneapolis, MN)

2014 

FestivALL (Charleston, WV)

2015

Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts (Parker, PA) 

2016 

The Frick Art & Historical Center with the Western PA School for the Deaf

2016 

Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University

2017 

The Frick Art & Historical Center with the Western PA School for the Deaf
Contemporary Craft
UnSmoke Systems Artspace
Westmoreland Museum of American Art
Martha Gault Art Gallery, Slippery Rock University for Kaleidoscope Festival

2018 

The Andy Warhol Museum with the Western PA School for the Deaf
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 106th Annual Exhibition
Braddock Carnegie Library
National Performance Network Conference
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (Greensburg, PA) 

2019 

The Andy Warhol Museum
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (Greensburg, PA)