‘Show must go on’ for Mon River Arts

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

People who pass by Mon River Arts on Plum Street in Elizabeth might notice the message in the front window:  “This is only intermission.”

Those who peer through the glass and past the window display featuring opened red velvet stage curtains and a stage ghost light might notice work is underway to transform part of Mon River Arts’ space into a performance rehearsal space.

Board President Diane McClintock said that’s because “the arts are still alive” at Mon River Arts and its performance showcase space — the Grand Theatre, which is located just around the corner.

Executive Director Lori Kolodziej and assistant Samantha Parks, with support from the board, recently announced that Mon River Arts’ fall musical theater classes will be held this year, although things may be different than they would have been if the world weren’t in the midst of a pandemic.

And new this year, the organization is also offering jazz and tap dance classes.

Kolodziej said the message on the front window and the display of a ghost light on an empty stage is meant to give performers, their families and Mon Valley residents hope pandemic restrictions won’t keep the organization and its actors, singers, dancers, musicians and stage and production crews from living up to the number one rule of show business: “the show must go on.”

Kolodziej, who has been director of Mon River Arts for around 11 years and has been running the Grand Theatre for more than 20 years, said working to keep MRA and the theater operating during the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy. She said her staff and board members have each put their best foot forward to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic restrictions and limitations.

It has caused her heartache over the past months as she’s read the news about other well-known local performing arts  venues that are closing their doors indefinitely, such as The Rex Theater in Pittsburgh’s South Side, Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont and some local dance studios.

She said Mon River Arts staff and its students and performers haven’t gone without heartache and difficulty during the pandemic.

After months of preparation and having already gone through five live performances that packed the house at the Grand, Kolodziej was forced in March to cancel the Sunday showing of “Mary Poppins” due to coronavirus mitigation measures.

“We were scheduled to have a full house for that show,” she said.

Three other shows that were slated for 2020 — “Matilda,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Frozen” — have been put on hold or canceled. Kolodziej hopes students from the 2020 fall classes will get the chance to perform “Matilda” in the spring.

Seeing local performing arts entities close and hearing from MRA students and performers of all ages who said the stage and the friends they’ve made at MRA are their life, Kolodziej felt it was her duty to find ways to keep MRA and the Grand alive.

And the board had her back, she said.

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Tuesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.