Author Archives: jcarpen

By: Robert E Martin With Pit & Balcony’s regional premier of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Lett’s socio-comedy Superior Donuts over the weekend of March 19-21st audiences were treated to a much-needed reprieve from social isolation with a contemporary tale from the city of Chicago, where a long-standing locally owned family donut shop faces an uncertain future not only due to the appearance of a brand spanking new recently opened Starbucks across the street; but more importantly, because of the personal […]

By: Robert E Martin With Pit & Balcony Community Theatre’s production of playwright John Patrick Shanley’s newly created Pandemic inspired opus Rogues Gallery, audiences of the Great Lakes Bay Region are once again treated to a significant slice of contemporary American theatre that is as equally timely as it is poignant. Having written some major contemporary works in the theatrical world including Doubt, which went on to win. Pulitzer Prize in Drama, along with his screenplay for Moonstruck, when the […]

Reviewer: Benjamin Champagne Theatre in the Great Lakes Bay Region is back! After 11 months without a show, Rogues Gallery opened Thursday February 4th at Pit and Balcony Theatre in Saginaw, MI. The play was written by John Patrick Shanley, famous for winning a Pulitzer Prize for his amazing play Doubt. This was a novel selection by Pit and Director Jonah Conner. The rights were difficult to secure as the play was literally hot off the presses. Shanley penned this […]

Commentary by Janet I. Martineau Well, they don’t call them community theater actors for nothing. Collectively they totally know how to really sell a song, decorate a set, costume for the occasion, develop a script and relate to an audience. Doesn’t hurt to toss in a dog or two either. So it should come as no surprise that Pit and Balcony Community Theatre of Saginaw delivered a clever and fun, virtual, pre-recorded cabaret tonight, titled “Sounding Joy.” 19 songs, 10 […]

Reviewer: Janet Martineau Never thought I would ever type the following about a serious real-life issue…sexual assault. But, then, “The ‘Winkleigh Murders,” which opened Pit and Balcony’s 89th season virtually on Friday night, is not in any way a typical play. An Edwardian era estate heiress (played Amy Spadafore) had spent several hilarious moments begging the gardener’s bastard son (played by Spencer Beyerlein) to ravage her. And when he at long last made The Move, something suddenly happened that was […]