New Hazlett Theater’s long-running CSA series, which champions fresh work from emerging and mid-career artists, introduces you to the star that is Treasure Treasure. Actor, comic, composer, filmmaker and multi instrumentalist, there’s not much that she doesn’t do. Hence it comes as no surprise that she’s written a wildly entertaining take on the classic acting classroom. Her work Agnus Teaches Acting (alongside co-creators Zanny Laird and Lucas Fedele) showcases an eccentric, over-the-top acting teacher whose big personality might just get in her students way. Featuring Treasure Treasure herself in the title role, it’s a tale about ego, ambition, and the thin line between self-confidence and overindulgence in the performing arts (and elsewhere).
Don’t miss the Pittsburgh premiere at the New Hazlett Theater on February 5 and 6 to enter the chaotic world of Agnus Stephenson. But, before you take your seat at the theater, get to know the woman and story behind the play with a Q&A between Treasure Treasure and TABLE Magazine.
Treasure Treasure Takes You Through the Heart of an Actor in Agnus Teaches Acting
TABLE Magazine: What did it take for this production to come together?
Treasure Treasure: Agnus Teaches Acting has been years in the making. I first started writing for her in 2017 with Zanny Laird and Lucas Fedele. We put on a few 55-minute solo cabaret acts on Christopher St. in New York over the course of a couple years. We started writing this particular script in 2021. This production of Agnus Teaches Acting marks the first time we’re working with a grant. We have the freedom to hire designers and collaborate with some of our favorite actors in Pittsburgh, thanks to the New Hazlett Theater’s CSA Program.
TM: How have your previous roles led you to where you are now with Agnus Teaching Acting?
TT: I was a child actor on Broadway. I spent twenty years of my life in and out of acting class. I’ve met countless Agnuses in every corner of my experience. Agnus also lives deeply within me. I, like her, have a fragile ego. I need affirmation, I need attention. Also, I crave being on stage. I know who I am up there. Even when I’m failing.
TM: Can you give me one word (or a phrase) to describe this production?
TT: Hypothetical: You’re on a flight & the pilot of your aircraft starts performing their favorite songs. They are fully committed. You’re in your seat like, “That’s great. I’m definitely entertained. But I have to get to Albuquerque.”
TM: What do you hope people leave the theater with?
TT: Agnus encourages us to take ourselves less seriously. To try everything – publicly – because failure is inevitable. Failure is our greatest teacher.
Don’t let the theatrical fun stop now! Check out our guide to February-March performances around Pittsburgh.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Photo Courtesy of New Hazlett Theater
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