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The Birth of Paper
A transcontinental exchange of goods & goodwill.
Created as a theatrical bridge between Pittsburgh (“the Paris of Appalachia”) and Beirut (“the Paris of the Middle East”), The Birth of Paper began with a transcontinental letter exchange among strangers and ends with a series of live, virtual shows in which goods and goodwill are exchanged among potential friends. In the live, Zoom-based performances, Beirutis living with the fallout of the August 2020 Port of Beirut explosion and the ongoing political and economic freefall will receive gifts in real time designed by Pittsburgh makers from Handmade Arcade (Pittsburgh’s largest independent maker community) and independent artists. Audiences will learn about hidden ties between Pittsburgh and Beirut. And all will leave with a tangible way to connect to each other in the future. A celebration of paper, ink, and the postal service as an ancient, global technology of connection. In partnership with Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, Handmade Arcade, Scribe Fine Papers, and Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Art Journal. The show will be experienced live on a virtual platform, running Thursday, June 24 to Tuesday, June 29.
Audience Role
Audience will have the option before the show to elect to participate by coming "on stage" (on screen) for very brief interactions with the performer during the show. Very tame and completely optional.
Ages: All ages
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Events
6
Years on EI
About RealTime Interventions
RealTime creates theatrical experiences and public events that connect human beings through empathy. Our works are each wildly different and always aspirational, from using an entire town as a stage set (The Saints Tour) to retelling Ibsen's classic "A Doll's House" as toy theater (A Dollhouse in a dollhouse). Our projects are created in conversation with people from diverse backgrounds bound by the story we're telling together.