ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE MADE ON WMBS RADIO MONDAY AT 5:00 P.M.
____________________________________________________________________
UNIONTOWN, Pennsylvania. February 24, 2007. WMBS Radio's *The State Theatre Radio Hour will announce a
premiere play performance about Uniontown, in Uniontown, and for Uniontown. The show airs on WMBS at 5:00 p.m. this
Monday, February 26. The premiere play is, RED DOG DIRT.
The Radio Hour is hosted weekly by Marty Schiff, Executive Director of the State Theatre Center for the Arts. This week
he will interview Russ Barnes, RED DOG DIRT's playwright. Visit the WMBS website
The play is scheduled for premiere performance at the State Theatre in June 22--24, 2007.
Uniontown Online the web listing service for events in Fayette County will be keeping the public up-do-date
about developments, events, and promotions surrounding the State Theatre performance. Uniontown Online's main
webpage for the RED DOG DIRT announcements plus photos is reached at
http://www.uniontownonline.com/RedDogDirt.html
RED DOG DIRT is a show that tells many stories. Some who see it experience the play as stories about their own
childhood and their own coming of age. These stories -- sometimes innocently reverential, almost always funny
-- found in this new stage play, RED DOG DIRT, reminds audiences of the by-gone values once practiced in small-town
America.
The stage play is set in Uniontown, Pennsylvania during the 1950's. RED DOG DIRT features, within the compass of a few
neighborhood blocks, scenes of a homebuilt clubhouse; arguments over sandlot ballgames; first girlfriends;
garage-rooftop, rocket-ship heroics; sassafras tea parties; fearsome bullies, grade-school capers; sycamore-tree
pondering on parents, teachers, religion, dead relatives, what girls might be and how to win them as girlfriends.
And finally the play features the catastrophic demise of childhood and entry into the world of adulthood. The common
appeal of the RED DOG DIRT story holds the attention of audiences ages 6 through 90. Sign up for updated info by
email here
For information, contact Russ Barnes, 301-564-3741,
mailto:rbarnes7@earthlink.net
# # #
=============================================
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
Uniontown's State Theatre and UniontownOnline.com Team Up To Provide Early Information about
UNIONTOWN'S STATE THEATRE WILL PRODUCE "RED DOG DIRT"
UNIONTOWN, Pa., May 30, 2006
Take a journey back to life in Uniontown in the 50s where a group of boys moves out of childhood into adult life. Be a
part of the journey in March 2007, as the State Theatre presents Red Dog Dirt. Red Dog Dirt is a stage play by
Uniontown native Russ Barnes. Barnes, who now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, is a playwright, editor, and journalist.
"We like to produce original material," said Marty Schiff, executive director of the State Theatre Center for the Arts. "This
is the first time we will stage a play based on Uniontown material only. Red Dog Dirt is funny and profound. It will
especially interest our audience because the action is set right here in Uniontown."
Many of the fictional characters of the play are based on real people such as Tony DeCarlo and Rich Maier who still
reside in Fayette County.
Schiff says the play will be locally cast and directed. The cast will include two children. Red Dog Dirt played in the
Washington DC/Baltimore area last October to a capacity audience. It has been read to audiences fifteen times in
Washington and twice in Uniontown.
The title of the play comes from red dog, a product familiar to many people in western Pennsylvania. It is a kind of rock
derived from internally burned coal refuse, and used as pavement for driveways, roads, and alleys.
According to Barnes, the play takes place within about a four block radius from Frankhoover Street to Mullen Street just
off Dixon Boulevard in South Union Township. "The play is about the fun of growing up," said Barnes. "But it is also
about the difficulty of growing up. Many people from around the world who have seen the play say that life in Uniontown
is much like life in, say, China or Greece. Hometown life seems to be the same all over," Barnes added.
In the recent past, there has been interest expressed to produce a film adaptation of the play by New York University's
Tisch School. The group planned and scouted for a shoot of the film in Fayette County. Plans are on hold for now.
However, Schiff believes that the stage play could re-ignite the interest of making this play into a feature film.
PRESS CONTACTS: Marty Schiff, State Theatre Center for the Arts,
Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 724-439-1360,
"mailto:mschiff@statetheatre.info" "http://www.statetheatre.info/"
Russ Barnes, Bethesda Maryland, 301-564-3741,
"mailto:rbarnes7@earthlink.net"
rbarnes7@earthlink.net,"http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm"
--
=============================================
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
UNIONTOWN'S STATE THEATRE WILL PRODUCE "RED DOG DIRT"
UNIONTOWN, Pa., May 30, 2006
Take a journey back to life in Uniontown in the 50s where a group of boys moves out of childhood into adult life. Be a
part of the journey in March 2007, as the State Theatre presents Red Dog Dirt. Red Dog Dirt is a stage play by
Uniontown native Russ Barnes. Barnes, who now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, is a playwright, editor, and journalist.
"We like to produce original material," said Marty Schiff, executive director of the State Theatre Center for the Arts. "This
is the first time we will stage a play based on Uniontown material only. Red Dog Dirt is funny and profound. It will
especially interest our audience because the action is set right here in Uniontown."
Many of the fictional characters of the play are based on real people such as Tony DeCarlo and Rich Maier who still
reside in Fayette County.
Schiff says the play will be locally cast and directed. The cast will include two children. Red Dog Dirt played in the
Washington DC/Baltimore area last October to a capacity audience. It has been read to audiences fifteen times in
Washington and twice in Uniontown.
The title of the play comes from red dog, a product familiar to many people in western Pennsylvania. It is a kind of rock
derived from internally burned coal refuse, and used as pavement for driveways, roads, and alleys.
According to Barnes, the play takes place within about a four block radius from Frankhoover Street to Mullen Street just
off Dixon Boulevard in South Union Township. "The play is about the fun of growing up," said Barnes. "But it is also
about the difficulty of growing up. Many people from around the world who have seen the play say that life in Uniontown
is much like life in, say, China or Greece. Hometown life seems to be the same all over," Barnes added.
In the recent past, there has been interest expressed to produce a film adaptation of the play by New York University's
Tisch School. The group planned and scouted for a shoot of the film in Fayette County. Plans are on hold for now.
However, Schiff believes that the stage play could re-ignite the interest of making this play into a feature film.
PRESS CONTACTS: Marty Schiff, State Theatre Center for the Arts,
Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 724-439-1360,
"mailto:mschiff@statetheatre.info" "http://www.statetheatre.info/"
Russ Barnes, Bethesda Maryland, 301-564-3741,
"mailto:rbarnes7@earthlink.net"
rbarnes7@earthlink.net,"http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm"
--
=============================================
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
April 4, 2005
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_______________________________
FILM ABOUT UNIONTOWN WILL BE CAST IN UNIONTOWN STATE THEATRE ANNOUNCES PREMIERE OF "RED
DOG DIRT."
. . . OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE FILM.
_________________________________________________________________
UNIONTOWN, Pennsylvania. April 4, 2005. A film about Uniontown will premiere in the city at the historic and newly
renovated State Theatre says Marty Schiff, State Theatre Executive Director.
The film, RED DOG DIRT, about a 1950s Uniontown neighborhood, is being produced by New York-based Iron Egg Films
in association with the New York University graduate film school, Tisch School of the Arts.
"I am excited that we will be screening the world premiere of RED DOG DIRT here at the theater," says Marty Schiff,
Director of the theater. The State Theatre is located on East Main Street in revitalized downtown Uniontown, about 45
miles south of Pittsburgh, Pa.
"This film is about the resilient spirit and diversity of the people in Fayette County. It is an honor to showcase this film and
it is a dynamic way to express the relationship of the State Theatre and our community," Schiff continues. The Uniontown
premiere of RED DOG DIRT is scheduled for this fall 2005. The exact date will be announced later.
Red Dog is a by-product of Western Pennsylvania coke ovens.
The film's producer, Iron Egg Films, has announced that it has made a fiscal alliance with Film/Video Arts, a New York City
non-profit association that supports filmmaking. "That means that contributions from community organizations and
individuals to help the production of the film are tax-deductible," says Sharon Barnes, director of RED DOG DIRT.
Iron Egg Films has raised $20,000 from NYU and other contributions. It needs another $30,000 to finance the film. For
more information about contributions to the film, contact Film/Video Arts at http://www.fva.com
The cinematographer for the film, Angela Cheng, has just been nominated as one of the finalists to receive the
prestigious Wasserman Award for outstanding filmmaking. Sharon Barnes, director of the film, has just sold one of her
films to WNET, the New York City PBS television station.
Representatives from Iron Egg Films scouted Fayette County the week of March 21. "We documented some locations
rarely seen outside the region," says Cheng. "This regional imagery is of great interest to the film community. We saw
coke ovens, coal mine tipples, amazing crooked brick walls with many textures. We saw mountain vistas, bridges with
bumpy steel grates, and a terrific baseball field in Leckrone."
"We want to cast actors who are from Uniontown," says Barnes. Auditions will be made in late April or early May.
The State Theatre and the Uniontown Art Club among others in the community are contributing services and equipment
to produce the film. The film is adapted from a scene in a stage play, THE CAPTAIN RUH CLUB,
by Russ Barnes, a native of Uniontown.
PRESS CONTACT: Russ Barnes, editorial contact, 301-564-3741,
Bethesda, Maryland. http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm.
EDITORS' ADVISORY: Interviews by phone are encouraged and may be arranged upon request. Photos available upon
request.
LINKS: State Theatre, (724) 439-1360, http://www.statetheatre.info. Iron Egg Films, Sharon Barnes, 321 8th Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11215, Film/Video Arts, 462 Broadway, Ste. 520, New York, NY 10013, Attn: Fiscal Sponsorship Program,
http://www.fva.com, 212-941-8787, Uniontown Art Club, 724-439-3880.
http://www.uniontownonline.com/RedDogDirtpressreleases.html
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/fayette/s_314605.html
=============================================
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_______________________________
FILM ABOUT UNIONTOWN WILL BE CAST IN UNIONTOWN STATE THEATRE ANNOUNCES PREMIERE OF "RED
DOG DIRT."
. . . OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE FILM.
_________________________________________________________________
UNIONTOWN, Pennsylvania. April 4, 2005. A film about Uniontown will premiere in the city at the historic and newly
renovated State Theatre says Marty Schiff, State Theatre Executive Director.
The film, RED DOG DIRT, about a 1950s Uniontown neighborhood, is being produced by New York-based Iron Egg Films
in association with the New York University graduate film school, Tisch School of the Arts.
"I am excited that we will be screening the world premiere of RED DOG DIRT here at the theater," says Marty Schiff,
Director of the theater. The State Theatre is located on East Main Street in revitalized downtown Uniontown, about 45
miles south of Pittsburgh, Pa.
"This film is about the resilient spirit and diversity of the people in Fayette County. It is an honor to showcase this film and
it is a dynamic way to express the relationship of the State Theatre and our community," Schiff continues. The Uniontown
premiere of RED DOG DIRT is scheduled for this fall 2005. The exact date will be announced later.
Red Dog is a by-product of Western Pennsylvania coke ovens.
The film's producer, Iron Egg Films, has announced that it has made a fiscal alliance with Film/Video Arts, a New York City
non-profit association that supports filmmaking. "That means that contributions from community organizations and
individuals to help the production of the film are tax-deductible," says Sharon Barnes, director of RED DOG DIRT.
Iron Egg Films has raised $20,000 from NYU and other contributions. It needs another $30,000 to finance the film. For
more information about contributions to the film, contact Film/Video Arts at http://www.fva.com
The cinematographer for the film, Angela Cheng, has just been nominated as one of the finalists to receive the
prestigious Wasserman Award for outstanding filmmaking. Sharon Barnes, director of the film, has just sold one of her
films to WNET, the New York City PBS television station.
Representatives from Iron Egg Films scouted Fayette County the week of March 21. "We documented some locations
rarely seen outside the region," says Cheng. "This regional imagery is of great interest to the film community. We saw
coke ovens, coal mine tipples, amazing crooked brick walls with many textures. We saw mountain vistas, bridges with
bumpy steel grates, and a terrific baseball field in Leckrone."
"We want to cast actors who are from Uniontown," says Barnes. Auditions will be made in late April or early May.
The State Theatre and the Uniontown Art Club among others in the community are contributing services and equipment
to produce the film. The film is adapted from a scene in a stage play, THE CAPTAIN RUH CLUB,
by Russ Barnes, a native of Uniontown.
PRESS CONTACT: Russ Barnes, editorial contact, 301-564-3741,
Bethesda, Maryland. http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm.
EDITORS' ADVISORY: Interviews by phone are encouraged and may be arranged upon request. Photos available upon
request.
LINKS: State Theatre, (724) 439-1360, http://www.statetheatre.info. Iron Egg Films, Sharon Barnes, 321 8th Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11215, Film/Video Arts, 462 Broadway, Ste. 520, New York, NY 10013, Attn: Fiscal Sponsorship Program,
http://www.fva.com, 212-941-8787, Uniontown Art Club, 724-439-3880.
http://www.uniontownonline.com/RedDogDirtpressreleases.html
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/fayette/s_314605.html
=============================================
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
February 18, 2005.
======================================================
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_______________________________
"RED DOG DIRT" FILM ATTRACTS FUNDING
UNIONTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA IS SITE FOR NYU COLLABORATION.
________________________________________________________________
BETHESDA, MARYLAND. February 18, 2005. Iron Egg Films, a New York independent film production company,
announced today that funding has begun for its film, "Red Dog Dirt."
An anonymous donor in Bethesda has pledged $1,000, the first in an effort to raise a total of $15,000. The Uniontown
(Fayette County) area is the focus for the on-location film shoot between April 20 and May 3, 2005. Release of the film
may come as early as Fall, 2005, provided proper funding is in place for local production.
The Bethesda donor is an individual interested in film and the arts. Iron Egg Films is contacting institutions responsible
for economic development in Pennsylvania for further funding commitments.
"Red Dog Dirt" is being filmed by award-winning cinematographers in association with the NYU Film School. The film will
feature several landmarks in Fayette County, Pennsylvania as well as local casting. The graduate NYU Film School is
one of the most prestigious in the country, counting among its alumni such directors as Martin Scorcese and Spike Lee.
"This vignette staged in Western Pennsylvania will be seen by other cinematographers world-wide in festivals," says
Sharon Barnes, a director for Iron Egg Films. "And that exposure ordinarily attracts to a region interest from other
cinematographers," she says.
Contact: Russ Barnes, 301-564-3741, rbarnes7@earthlink.net for interviews and further information.
5200 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-564-3741
Russ' Selected Published Writings at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rbarnes7/Bio.htm
Red Dog Dirt
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PERFORMANCE ABOUT UNIONTOWN PUT ON HOLD
____________________________________________________
BETHESDA, Maryland. May 15, 2007. Plans for the stage play RED DOG DIRT, set in Uniontown during the 1950's and
scheduled for performance at State Theatre this June, have been placed on hold. The decision not to go ahead with the
performance at this time, according to playwright Russ Barnes, a native of Uniontown, has been the inability to reach a
contract agreement.
"This may be about some legitimate difficulty of receiving funding over the Internet," says Barnes. "But we have not
confirmed that with State Theatre."
RED DOG DIRT is about a group of boys growing up in Uniontown in the 1950's post-World War II era. The play evokes
for audiences the bygone values once practiced in small-town America. Many who see it are reminded of stories about
their own childhood and coming of age. Many of the characters in the play are real-life people who reside in
Uniontown today.
While the play, RED DOG DIRT, has been performed and reviewed in the Washington/Baltimore area, the staging at
Uniontown's State Theatre was to be billed as a world premiere performance, with plans for a tour to other cities to bring
attention to life in Uniontown and Fayette County.
"There is much public support for the play's performance in Uniontown," says Barnes. "In addition to many received from
Fayette County itself, we have gotten emails and letters in response to our website from all over the country - Florida,
Wisconsin, New York City, Long Island, Oregon, California, Houston, Dallas. Many have said they have a connection with
Uniontown and were planning to come to see the play," Barnes continues. "We hope they will do that when all is ready."
"The State Theatre," Barnes notes, "is a beautiful piece of Americana renovated and preserved. Marty Schiff, Executive
Director of the theater, has done a brilliant job to make that happen. It is my dream," says Barnes, "to bring RED DOG
DIRT back to that theatre for the benefit of everyone who knows the special, the passionate, experience of growing up in
a place like Uniontown."
Marty Schiff," he says, "is a well-recognized film and stage producer/director and has recruited a spirited director for the
play, Rachel Dillinger."
Barnes, a 1961 graduate of South Union High School, has several other plays in development. One of these is about a
turning point in the life of George C. Marshall, also a native of Uniontown, named by Winston Churchill "the architect of
victory" in winning World War II for the Allies.
Barnes plans to formalize a company to take his plays, and others like them, around the country. "With a better
formalized agreement," Barnes says, "we may be able to get the play back on stage at State Theatre. The State Theatre
appears to be open to that possibility and we would welcome the opportunity to get it playing on this historic Uniontown
stage."
============
RED DOG DIRT
Website: http://uniontownonline.com/RedDogDirt.html
301-564-3741
PERFORMANCE ABOUT UNIONTOWN PUT ON HOLD
____________________________________________________
BETHESDA, Maryland. May 15, 2007. Plans for the stage play RED DOG DIRT, set in Uniontown during the 1950's and
scheduled for performance at State Theatre this June, have been placed on hold. The decision not to go ahead with the
performance at this time, according to playwright Russ Barnes, a native of Uniontown, has been the inability to reach a
contract agreement.
"This may be about some legitimate difficulty of receiving funding over the Internet," says Barnes. "But we have not
confirmed that with State Theatre."
RED DOG DIRT is about a group of boys growing up in Uniontown in the 1950's post-World War II era. The play evokes
for audiences the bygone values once practiced in small-town America. Many who see it are reminded of stories about
their own childhood and coming of age. Many of the characters in the play are real-life people who reside in
Uniontown today.
While the play, RED DOG DIRT, has been performed and reviewed in the Washington/Baltimore area, the staging at
Uniontown's State Theatre was to be billed as a world premiere performance, with plans for a tour to other cities to bring
attention to life in Uniontown and Fayette County.
"There is much public support for the play's performance in Uniontown," says Barnes. "In addition to many received from
Fayette County itself, we have gotten emails and letters in response to our website from all over the country - Florida,
Wisconsin, New York City, Long Island, Oregon, California, Houston, Dallas. Many have said they have a connection with
Uniontown and were planning to come to see the play," Barnes continues. "We hope they will do that when all is ready."
"The State Theatre," Barnes notes, "is a beautiful piece of Americana renovated and preserved. Marty Schiff, Executive
Director of the theater, has done a brilliant job to make that happen. It is my dream," says Barnes, "to bring RED DOG
DIRT back to that theatre for the benefit of everyone who knows the special, the passionate, experience of growing up in
a place like Uniontown."
Marty Schiff," he says, "is a well-recognized film and stage producer/director and has recruited a spirited director for the
play, Rachel Dillinger."
Barnes, a 1961 graduate of South Union High School, has several other plays in development. One of these is about a
turning point in the life of George C. Marshall, also a native of Uniontown, named by Winston Churchill "the architect of
victory" in winning World War II for the Allies.
Barnes plans to formalize a company to take his plays, and others like them, around the country. "With a better
formalized agreement," Barnes says, "we may be able to get the play back on stage at State Theatre. The State Theatre
appears to be open to that possibility and we would welcome the opportunity to get it playing on this historic Uniontown
stage."
============
RED DOG DIRT
Website: http://uniontownonline.com/RedDogDirt.html
301-564-3741
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=======================
**Play with Uniontown Setting to Perform Next Week in Southern Maryland**
. . . Then Will Tour Selected Locations in Mid-Atlantic States
_____________________________________________________________
LEXINGTON PARK, MARYLAND. April 7, 2008. A theater company here will perform a play with a setting in Uniontown and
Fayette County next week. The play, **Red Dog Dirt,** written by Uniontown native, Russ Barnes, goes on stage at
Three-Notch Theatre to be performed by the Newtowne Players. The dates of the Lexington Park performance are
Thursday, April 17; Friday, April 18; and Saturday, April 19; all beginning 8:00 p.m.
The play is about childhood and coming of age in Uniontown during the 1950s. The Lexington Park performance has two
adult actors and four child actors. The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau in Ligonier is assembling a travel package to
western Pennsylvania for silent auction at the **Red Dog Dirt** Maryland performances to promote tourism to the Fayette,
Somerset, Westmoreland counties region.
The namesake of the play, red dog, is a material formed by internal fires within large piles of coal, ordinarily around coke
ovens. Today red dog is used as a building material for roads and driveways. Several of the characters in the play are
based on actual people still living in Fayette County.
"Many of our theater-goers are interested in bidding on the travel package to the Uniontown area," says Wendy Heidrich,
Artistic Director of Newtowne Players, "because they are interested to see this place where all these interesting characters
in *Red Dog Dirt* grew up."
Newtowne Players in an agreement with Good Measure Productions of Rockville, Maryland are planning a road tour of the
**Red Dog Dirt** theatrical performance. The play is designed and packaged by *Newtowne-on-Tour* so that it may be
taken to, and performed in, selected towns across the mid-Atlantic states. The tour is designed as a trial to test the
suitability of various presenting venues for specially packaged theatrical performances and also to determine how
performances may help raise funds for presenting organizations in the chosen locations.
Red Dog Dirt has played eighteen times in the Washington/Baltimore region. Lexington Park is about one-hundred miles
south of Washington located around several tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay.
PHOTOS of theater and cast, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/bonmeasure/ThreeNotch?pli=1
CONTACT: To arrange interviews, contact Russ Barnes, russ@bonmeaure.org; 301-637-7841.
MORE INFORMATION: For synopsis/description of Red Dog Dirt, visit backgrounder press release at:
http://bonmeasure.org/newtowne.htm. For a 2005 review of Red Dog Dirt, visit
http://bayweekly.com/year05/issuexiii42/jobxiii42.html