CLO’s Gallery of Heroes brings arts and education to the classroom
Catherine Gallagher
Jason Shavers
The cast and creative team of “The Next Galileo”
Jason Shavers performing in “The Next Galileo”
Nick Mitchell and Jason Shavers
Kassie Doherty, Jason Shavers, Darrel Whitney, NIck Mitchell and Missy Moreno
Jason Shavers
Nick Mitchell, Missy Moreno and Kassie Doherty
Missy Moreno, Darrel Whitney, Kassie Doherty, Jason Shavers and Nick Mitchell
Missy Moreno
With arts and music programs disappearing from school curriculum, the Pittsburgh CLO is doing its part by bringing arts education directly to schools in the region.
The Pittsburgh CLO’s Gallery of Heroes program brings theater into classrooms in the form of 50-minute mini-musicals, introducing 35,000 students to musical theater each year. Not only are students entertained with dramatic sketches and musical vignettes, they are also educated about great historical figures such as Nellie Bly, Roberto Clemente and the Wright Brothers, to name a few. This year, the tour includes a presentation of “The Next Galileo.” The five-month tour has visited close to 100 schools since January.
In “The Next Galileo,” 13-year-old Gabriella, full of questions but short on confidence, is the quietest kid in the school’s astronomy club. That all changes when she takes a journey back in time to meet the legendary astronomer, Galileo Galilei, and assist him as he races to finish his first telescope. Working with the “father of science” teaches Gabriella valuable lessons about the importance of curiosity and courage in the face of adversity.
“The Gallery of Heroes program combines history and the arts to bring children entertaining lessons,” said actor Jason Shavers of Brookline. “Sometimes, these children might not have the opportunity to get to the theater, so any chance to broaden a child’s horizon is a great thing.” Shavers plays a total of six roles in the show – from a seventh-grader to Galileo’s father to the inventor of the telescope, Hans Lippershey. “It’s a challenge with all the different voices I use and the costume changes, but it’s fun.”
Catherine Gallagher agrees. “This program is so important on so many levels. Not only are we introducing thousands of kids every school year to live theater, but every actor on tour remembers an assembly where performers like us came to their school, and that is usually when we thought, ‘Hey, I want to do that!'”
In addition to being the sole female understudy for “The Next Galileo,” Gallagher is also stage manager and costume mistress.
“On another level, we are telling a story in an entirely different manner than a text book, which many students find to be engaging in a different way,” Gallagher said. “For those who are not theatrically inclined, we tell a story about a young girl too shy to speak up in class, who loves math and science, and finds her confidence by helping others find their voice. These themes of confidence, speaking up for yourself, and pursuing what you love even if people think you are ‘weird’ are experienced by the students we perform for every day.”
It is Gallagher’s hope that at least one kid in each audience is inspired to believe in themselves. “That support is essential.”
Shavers grew up in Wilkinsburg, but for the past seven years has called Brookline home. A graduate of Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside, he received a bachelor’s degree in theater arts with a concentration in musical theater from Point Park University. In addition to numerous stage and film credits, he is a teacher at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater and an eight-year veteran of the Gallery of Heroes program. While he said there is something great about both mediums, his heart belongs to the stage. “Producing theater is so great because of the relationships you create while working,” said Shavers, adding that stage actors also forge a relationship with the audience. “They feed you, you entertain them. It’s quite special.”
Gallagher grew up in Mt. Lebanon, but acting has allowed her to live in New York City, New Hampshire and Ohio. She has resided in the Oakland/Squirrel Hill area for more than a decade.
At Mt. Lebanon High School, Gallagher focused on English, history, fine arts and film editing. An involved and active student, she belonged to a variety of academic and social clubs. “I loved growing up in Mt. Lebanon, because it was so focused on making education accessible for all of its students,” said the 2005 graduate. “I also loved being involved in the community, and took every opportunity to do so.” But Gallagher credits the Center for Theater Arts (then housed at Jefferson Elementary) and Little Lake Theatre’s Sunny and Rob Fitchett, also of Mt. Lebanon, with introducing her to acting.
“From the moment I could make a sound, I was singing,” said Gallagher. “I learned very early on that I had a very large voice for a very tiny person, and used it often.”
At age 5, Gallagher’s parents enrolled her in the Center for Theater Arts’ Saturdays at the Center. By age 6, Gallagher had been bitten by the theater bug. She made her stage debut in “Inherit the Wind” at Little Lake. “She was an amazing mentor,” Gallegher said of Sunny. “Still is. She taught me not only how to be a skilled performer on stage, but encouraged and inspired the young actors at the Lake to be great people and professionals offstage. She and her husband, Rob, were passionate and generous guides through the theater world, and to them I will always be grateful.” Gallagher performed every summer at Little Lake, took classes at the Center for Theater Arts, Mt. Lebanon High SChool, The Pittsburgh Public Theater and Allegheny College. She even acted in a couple of commercials.
While Gallagher had a love of acting early on, it took her a while to gain the confidence to pursue it as a career. She enrolled in Allegheny College as a double major in English and psychology, but it didn’t take long before she questioned her chosen path. “I quickly realized that I only felt fulfilled when I was performing at the local theater in Meadville.”
After transferring to Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts to study musical theater, Gallagher met the people who would change her life – fellow students who shared her passion for acting and quickly became best friends, and the man she would marry, Tom Kolos, whom she says encourages her daily to keep following her dreams.
“Training there was not always easy, but it was always worth it,” recalled Gallagher. “There were teachers there who truly changed my life; they held me to an incredibly high standard, challenged me, inspired me, and most importantly, believed in me. There are lessons they taught me that I still pull from for guidance when preparing for the next audition or the next rehearsal.”
Today, Gallagher is a full-time actor (on the Gallery of Heroes tour as well as on other projects), as well as the admission coordinator for the Pittsburgh CLO Academy, which encourages and trains young artists to realize their full potential as performers and as people. She said it had been her dream to work for the CLO since the age of 7.
For “The Next Galileo,” Gallagher wears many hats. As the female understudy, it is her job to cover all of the female roles and be ready to step in at a moment’s notice. She has filled in for Kassie Doherty, who plays Gabriella, a few times, and covered for Missy Moreno, who has the role of Mrs. Collins, while Moreno represented Pittsburgh in the Chicago Improv Festival. In her role as costume mistress, Gallagher is in charge of maintaining the “look” of all of the costumes used in the “The Next Galileo,” including cleaning, repairing and keeping track of the costumes during load-in and load-out. She also helps cast members with quick changes.
“The Next Galileo” doesn’t use a stage manager in the traditional sense. Instead, Gallagher shares technical duties with the male understudy, Andy Meholick. Gallagher also drives the van and assists the company manager when needed. She and Meholick take turns giving the curtain speech and running Q&A with students. “Everyone is an incredibly valuable company member, and our teamwork is what has made us a success,” said Gallagher.
Shavers said the reaction to the show has been “super positive” all around. “Students and teachers both love the show. It has great music and a great lesson.” Shavers said the Gallery of Heroes often focus on history relevant to the region. Next year’s show, he said, is all about innovations and inventions that came out of Pittsburgh.
“The Gallery of Heroes program has a rich, 30-year history, and being able to premiere a new work for them and wear so many hats on the production has been a remarkable experience,” said Gallagher. “It has been the best theater job I’ve ever had.”
To learn more about Pittsburgh CLO’s Gallery of Heroes, visit www.pittsburghclo.org/education. Teachers wishing to schedule a performance should call 412-281-2234 for more information.