madison michalko

POTUS OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Meredith McDonough
By Selina Fillinger

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2024

Set Design by Chelsea Warren
Lighting Design by Jackie Fox

An uproariously funny, feminist satire lands in time for election season! A crude comment, a problematic paramour, and an unfortunate medical mess turn a PR nightmare into a global crisis – and it’s all dumped upon the seven women responsible for keeping the president presidential. This comedy is classified for mature eyes only!

www.citytheatrecompany.org

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

PRESS RELEASE

PGH POST GAZETTE #1

PGH POST GAZETTE #2

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is thrilled to debut Billy Porter Presents: A Summer Flower Fashion Show on May 6, 2023, an all-new show that will feature elaborate costumes inspired by the iconic looks and roles of Billy Porter and his hometown of Pittsburgh.

My Submitted Proposal - click to read

Note from the designer:

The most exciting part of this design was creating the easter eggs, notable details, and inspiration throughout for people to catch.
-The rainbow train is to represent Billy’s 2019 pride dress.
-The black velvet throughout the design is inspired by Billy’s 2019 Academy Awards tuxedo gown by Christian Siriano.
-The first printed music note fabric is the sheet music for the song “home” from the wiz.
-The second printed music fabric is sheet music from the song “Lola” in kinky boots.
-The corset front and back are in the shape of a keystone to represent our keystone state.
-The hat was inspired by Billy’s 2019 Grammys hat designed by Sarah Sokol, in addition to the lighting aspect that represents the Pennsylvania state insect, the firefly.
-The black and gold color palette represents iconic Pittsburgh colors.
-The custom-printed stylized map of Pittsburgh shows our infamous Three Rivers.
-The small fabric flowers sprinkled throughout the design are the Pennsylvania state flower: mountain laurel.
-The belt and all metal gold accents represent Billy’s 2019 met gala look.
-The neckpiece consists of the delicate outlines of five bridges you can find in our city. The necklace is made of steel to represent steel city but powder coated in gold.
-The two 3-D printed bracelets show our very recognizable skyline of downtown Pittsburgh.
-The special touch that represents me within this design is the 3D-printed butterfly fabric. I love butterflies and for me, they represent transformation and hope.

Special thanks to my collaborators & artisans: Barbara Hack, Matthew Michalko, Greg Messmer, Venise St. Pierre, John Brucker, Dara Affholter, John Hutchinson, Kristen Link & Brian Rutherford

Photos by: Matt Michalko

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Marc Masterson
By Karen Zacarias

Expecting Latine couple, Tania and Pablo, have just purchased their first home next to long-time D.C. residents (and Potomac Horticultural Society award seekers), Frank and Virginia. Cultures clash when Tania’s plan for a “native garden” disagrees with Frank’s perfectly pristine posies and a property line disagreement turns into an all-out border dispute. Karen Zacarias’s brilliant comedy exposes well-intentioned neighbors’ notions on race, class, morality, and privilege.

Assistant designer: Jaime Ericson
(Responsible for executing the gardeners, surveyor & inspector)
Lighting design by Paul Whitaker
Set design by Tony Ferrieri
Sound design by Daniel Ocanto

https://citytheatrecompany.org/play/native-gardens/

**Photos by Kristy Jan Hoover

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Monteze Freeland
By Lindsay Joelle

APRIL - MAY 2022

CO- WORLD PREMIERE with the Philadelphia Theatre Company

“Unexpectedly Heartfelt
An unconventional buddy comedy follows first time sanitation worker Marlowe and lifer Danny in the cab of a nineteen-ton garbage truck in New York City. Tasked with picking up what the world has discarded, they learn that some things are easier to toss than others.”

www.citytheatrecompany.org

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

City Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Festival 2021

**Photos are screenshots taken from the virtual run of this production

4 plays.
2 written by middle schoolers
2 by high schoolers.
8 actors. Over 200 costume pieces & accessories

I designed “Spring in the Underworld” & “Never Too Late To Change”

www.citytheatrecompany.org

F*ck 7th Grade

Music, Lyrics, and Concept by Jill Sobule

Book by Liza Birkenmeier

Directed by Lisa Peterson

In this world premiere production, award-winning singer-songwriter Jill Sobule – whose 1990’s hits include “Supermodel” and the original “I Kissed a Girl” – takes audiences through a Rock’n’Roll celebration of coming of age and coming out.

Lighting Design by Cat Wilson
Set Design by Rachel Hauck
Sound Design by Zachary Beattie-Brown

www.citytheatrecompany.org

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

Featuring a pre-show TED Talk with Santa

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Monteze Freeland
By David Sedaris
Starring Shua Potter

November-December 2019

“Adapted from a segment on This American Life, award-winning comedic author David Sedaris recounts his days as an unemployed writer working as one of Santa’s Elves at Macy’s Department Store in a sardonic and outrageously funny take on the best and worst of the holiday season. Join Shua Potter and the merry team at City Theatre for a Pittsburgh twist on this holiday classic”

Santa does not show up for his TED talk, so his wife, Mrs. Clause (aka Rachel) steps in to give the audience a fun pre-show event.

Lighting Design by Andrew David Ostrowski
Set Design by Tony Ferrieri
Sound Design by Peter Brucker

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

www.citytheatrecompany.org

Project Amelia

September 20 - November 3, 2019

Designed costumes for nine characters & five production assistants.

You can find the program for this project here: Project Amelia

Project Amelia: Take Control. A woman's face is split into several panels which feature different emotions - frustration, peace, satisfaction, and aggression. As the video progresses the panels change and glitch.

The world moves fast. Every day there’s a new crisis, a new gadget, a new diet, a new obligation. Slowing down doesn’t feel like an option, and the constant pressure of everyday life can be overwhelming. But, does it have to be? What if you could let go without letting anyone down? What if responsibilities weren’t yours alone?

Aura, the brand you’ve come to know and trust, has been working on the answers to these questions and invites you to experience the solution: an intelligent product made just for you. Replace all the disparate devices that clutter your life and streamline your physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, spiritual, and time-management needs. This is not a technology you wear or carry. This is the future of you. Project Amelia: Take Control.

About the Show

Project Amelia was a next-level immersive theater experience that invites you to the R&D lab of Aura, one of the world’s most innovative tech giants, to participate in the launch of a groundbreaking intelligence product like no other. Upon arrival, you were assessed and given the opportunity to interact with cutting edge technologies in order to make your mark on this historic event. Will the launch of Aura’s product change the course of history? Or will history be changed by your participation? The future awaits. Take control.

Project Amelia was written and conceived by Michael Skirpan, and created by Bricolage Production Company in Partnership with Probable Models.

The beautiful photos were taken by Handerson Gomes & Jeff Swensen:

• Facebook: HG Photography (@handersongomesphotography)

• Instagram: @handersongomes

• Website: handersongomes.com

• Instagram: @jeffswensen

• Website: jeffswensen.photoshelter.com

More information about this production can be found at:

• Facebook: Bricolage Production Company (@bricolagepgh)

• Instagram: @bricolagepgh

•Bricolage's website: www.bricolagepgh.org

City Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Festival 2019

6 plays.
3 written by middle schoolers
3 by high schoolers. 
10 actors. 46 characters. Over 250 costume pieces & accessories

Photos by Michael Cannon

www.citytheatrecompany.org

June - August 2019

Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Vince Ventura
Starring Bre Brown, Jahir Christian, John Feightner, Paul Fields, Sara Fisher, Elizabeth Glyptis, Maddie Kocur, Brittany Tague & Jane Tinker

This modern riff on the 15th-century morality play Everyman follows "Everybody" (chosen from amongst the cast by lottery at each performance) as he or she travels down a road toward life's greatest mystery. With 120 possible casting combinations assigned to the actors during the performance, no two performances of this 2018 Pulitzer Prize Finalist will be the same.

Lighting Design by Greg Messmer

https://12peers.org/

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Marc Masterson
By Matt Schatz
Starring Catherine LeFrere & Ben Rosenblatt

MARCH - MAY 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

“Siblings Mordy and Jane communicate like proper millennials: primarily through text message and loaded with sarcasm. Their lives flailing on opposite coasts, they hatch an outrageous plan to relieve their mother of the burden of Zad-Zad, their centenarian – and particularly prickly – grandfather. A world premiere dark comedy for the digital age, The Burdens explores pop culture, connection, and the value of actual face time. “

“Madison Hack’s costuming here is rich with well-observed detail, down to his awkwardly mashed “bedhead” of hair “ -Wendy Arons

Lighting Design by Andrew David Ostrowski
Set Design by Britton Mauk
Sound Design by David Remedios

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

www.citytheatrecompany.org

City Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Festival 2018

6 plays.
3 written by middle schoolers
3 by high schoolers. 
11 actors. 31 characters. Over 250 costume pieces & accessories

Photos by Michael Cannon

www.citytheatrecompany.org

June - August 2018

Written by Aaron Posner
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Vince Ventura
Starring Matt Henderson, Sara Fisher, Sarah Chelli, Chris Cattell, Maura Underwood, Stefan Lingenfelter & David Maslow

”An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. Original songs composed by James Sugg draw the famously subtextual inner thoughts of Chekhov’s characters explicitly to the surface. Stupid Fucking Bird will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness. “

Set Design by Hank Bullington
Lighting Design by Greg Messmer

https://12peers.org/

more photos coming soon**

May-June 2018

Written by Robert Schenkkan
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Ricardo Vila-Roger
Starring Lauren Bethea & Tom Kolos

“On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Rick finds himself caught up as the frontman of the new administration’s edicts and loses his humanity. In a play that recalls George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and the Nazi regime, Building the Wall is a terrifying and gripping exploration of what happens if we let fear win. “

https://12peers.org/

more photos coming soon**

DECEMBER 2017- JANUARY 2018

With City Theatre Company
Directed by Laura Savia
By James Lecesne
Starring Keith Randolph Smith

"Leonard Pelkey is a teenager intent on living life out loud while marooned in a sleepy Jersey shore town. When he suddenly vanishes, a hardboiled detective takes the case, unraveling the mystery with the help of a colorful band of locals. Written by Academy Award-winner James Lecesne, this hilarious and heartwarming one-man show celebrates the power of one person to uplift an entire community."

Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd
Set Design by Britton Mauk
Sound Design by Elizabeth Atkinson

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

www.citytheatrecompany.org

October - November 2017

Brought to you by Bricolage Production Company, this immersive theatrical adventure was created in collaboration with Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh as part of its Carnegie Nexus initiative. Designed to alter how modern audiences interact with cultural institutions, this heavily sensory-based and intimate piece will take place at Carnegie Museums’ historic Oakland facility. Embark on a personalized experience at the intersections of art and science, exploring public spaces in new ways and navigating behind-the-scenes areas normally off limits to traditional museum visitors.

The beautiful photos were taken by Handerson Gomes:
 • Facebook: HG Photography (@handersongomesphotography)
 • Instagram: @handersongomes
 • Website: handersongomes.com

More information about this production can be found at: 
• Facebook: Bricolage Production Company (@bricolagepgh)
 • Instagram: @bricolagepgh
 •Bricolage's website: www.bricolagepgh.org

August 2017

Written by Anne Washburn
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Vince Ventura
Starring Sara Fisher, Cassidy Adkins, Everett Lowe, Joe York, Maura Underwood, Gayle Pazerski, Brittany Tague & Matt Henderson

All masks & props fabricated by me.

"Shortly after an unspecified apocalyptic event, a group of survivors gather together and begin to attempt to recount the episode "Cape Feare" of the television show The Simpsons. The second act picks up with the same group seven years later, who have now formed a theatrical troupe that specializes in performing Simpsons episodes, with commercials and all. The final act is set an additional 75 years in the future. The same episode of The Simpsons, now a familiar myth, has been reworked into a musical pageant, with the story, characters, and morals repurposed to fit the artistic and dramatic needs of a culture still reeling from destruction of civilization and the near-extinction of humanity decades earlier.”

Set Design by Hank Bullington
Lighting Design by Michael Boone

https://12peers.org/

City Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Festival 2017

6 plays.
3 written by middle schoolers
3 by high schoolers. 
10 actors. 36 characters. Over 250 costume pieces & accessories

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

www.citytheatrecompany.org

City Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Festival 2016

6 plays
3 written by middle schoolers
3 by high schoolers. 
actors.  Over 200 costume pieces & accessories

**Photos by Kristi Jan Hoover

www.citytheatrecompany.org

Commissioned for the EQT Children's Theater Festival - May 12 - May 15 2016

Welcome to Here was a sensory-sensitive adventure that provided a space for friends and families to celebrate, explore and belong. This production was designed to welcome individuals with autism spectrum disorders and sensory sensitivities, but everyone was invited! An ensemble of artists from Bricolage Production Company, alongside members of the ASD community, created this highly anticipated world premiere.
 

July 2016

Written by Conor McPherson
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Vince Ventura
Starring Sara Fisher, Gale Pazerski, & Nick Mitchell

" Daphne du Maurier’s short story, also the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, is boldly adapted by Conor McPherson—a gripping, unsettling, and moving look at human relationships in the face of societal collapse. In an isolated house, strangers Nat and Diane take shelter from relentless masses of attacking birds. They find relative sanctuary but not comfort or peace; there’s no electricity, little food, and a nearby neighbor may still be alive and watching them. Another refugee, the young and attractive Julia, arrives with some news of the outside world, but her presence also brings discord. Their survival becomes even more doubtful when paranoia takes hold of the makeshift fortress—an internal threat to match that of the birds outside.”

Set Design by Hank Bullington
Lighting Design by Andrew David Ostrowski

https://12peers.org/

Written By Scott Barsotti
Produced by No Name Players
Directed by Steven Wilson
Starring Alex Manalo, Siovhan Christensen, Sol Crespo, Tressa Glover, Cindy Jackson, Moira Quigley & Kelly Trumbell

"The task is stirring a pot…all day, every day. The sisters don’t share it as they once did. With Nannette busy racing stock cars and Roxette off doing her own thing, the others are left to shoulder the burden. But Paulette is fed up; Collette is clueless; and Babette, crippled in more ways than one, is volatile. Juliette does her best to maintain order and civility…for now. But why must they do this? And where else can fights go when you already use your fists?

When Roxette brings her new girlfriend home and calls everyone together, old venom bubbles up and grievance flares, setting into motion an impossible moral struggle. A play about gatherings, sacrifice, and the dark art of obligation."

Written by Lisa D’Amour
Produced by 12 Peers Theater Company
Directed by Vince Ventura
Starring Sara Fisher, Brett Sullivan Santry, John Feightner, & Alyssa Herron

"Mary and Ben live in an unnamed suburb near a midsize American city, but the city is never specified. Ben has just lost his job as a bank loan officer and is starting a new job operating an Internet site to give help to people who are in debt. Mary and Ben are hosting their new neighbors, Sharon and Kenny, with a backyard barbecue. Sharon and Kenny live next door in a rented house which has no furniture. During the course of the play, the characters discuss suburban angst related to upward mobility, spousal relationships and economic anxiety."