Barbara Russell

This year's New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Pittsburgh comedienne laureate, Barbara Russell. To be presented at the New Works Gala in October, it will add her name to the following roster, from 1991 down to 2006: Will Disney, Bingo O'Malley, Marc Masterson, Ted Hoover, Shirley Custer, Don Brockett, Vernell A. Lillie, Don DiFonso, Margo Lovelace, Charles Gray, Pat Van Eman, Bill Thunhurst, Bill Mendlow, Jay Keenan, Richard E. Rauh and Ruth Willis.

Barbara says she wonders if this award means that she's all done. She says, "I have played all the great ladies of Pittsburgh -- Ginger Snap, Betty Chichapipchitz, Virginia Manorofski and Alice Poopacarcheck [all famous from Brockett & Barbara routines] -- and those great ladies of the stage, Dolly Levi, Fonsia Dorsey, Mrs. Hardcastle and Mrs. Malaprop. I guess that leaves only Lady Macbeth and Medea ... and then I will be done."

Barebones to Edinburgh

Patrick Jordan reports that barebones productions will take James McManus' "Cherry Smoke" to Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He knows it's now definitely a go, because he just drove the cast of four (Autumn Ayers, Tiffany Hickman, Jason Planitzer and himself) to Philadelphia for hurry-up passports.

There'll be a barebones style send-off on Wednesday at Attack Theatre Studios, 4805 Penn Ave., Garfield The door opens at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. final dress rehearsal. For $50, you get the show and a reception, and you help defray the large costs of the project. Call 412-363-5847 for reservations and info or visit barebonesproductions.com.

Jim McManus

Independently of the barebones announcement, I had just heard from Pittsburgh playwright McManus, whose "Cherry Smoke" won the playwriting award at the 23rd Princess Grace Awards in November. As you may recall, that included a year's membership in New Dramatists, so Jim and wife Laura have now moved to NYC. A reading of "Cherry Smoke" got him an agent and the play has just been published by Samuel French, a rarity for a play not yet produced in New York.

He writes: "If you and 250 million of your closest friends go to www.samuelfrench.com and buy it, I may be able to retire soon. So things are pretty good and hopefully some production news on 'Cherry Smoke' will be coming soon" -- the barebones' Edinburgh plans, for one.

Jim's postscript: "I've been trying to score Steelers-Bills tix for Sept. 16, so if you come across anyone [who has some], please give them my e-mail. I already have my flight and tailgate booked. You can take the boy out of Pgh ... "

Shaw and Stratford

We had a great time last week at the Shaw and Stratford Festivals -- 36 Post-Gazette readers, along with Bingo O'Malley and me -- seeing seven shows, of which I'll have reviews soon. One of the pleasures was a lengthy interview with Richard Monette, just ending 14 years as artistic director at Stratford and looking very worn out by the experience. I also caught up briefly with CMU's Mladen Kiselov, who is there directing David Edgar's "Pentecost," as he did at CMU in 2002.

Broadway Dance Studio

That's Karen Prunczik's new school, which is celebrating its grand opening with a reception, 2-6 p.m., July 28, featuring performances by instructors Prunczik, Lenora Nemetz and Etta Cox, plus some students. The studio is at 4460 Steubenville Pike, Robinson, a half-mile south of I-79; call 412-920-1841 or visit www.prunziksbroadway dancestudio.com.

Late Night Cabaret

The biggest CLO star of all will perform tomorrow at the only-occasional Late Night Cabaret -- not Michael York or Shirley Jones, but the CLO Ensemble. They're always a key part of the CLO season, high stepping, belting and shining with future promise. (I'll have an interview with three of them in Sunday's paper.) Here's a chance to see and hear the stars of the future up close in song and dance favorites as well as a parody or two. That's $5, 10:30 p.m., CLO Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave.

Todd Kreidler

There's good news from Broadway: Pittsburgh native and Duquesne grad Todd Kreidler, August Wilson's protege who long served him as script assistant and dramaturg, is writing a stage adaptation of William Rose's Oscar-winning screenplay for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) for producer Jeffrey Finn. It's scheduled to open on Broadway in Fall, 2008, directed by Kenny Leon, who directed Wilson's final two plays, "Gem of the Ocean" and "Radio Golf," and who's artistic director of Atlanta's True Colors Theatre Company, of which Kreid-ler is associate artistic director.

The bottom line

Paid admissions at city's pro theaters for the week ending July 15:

White Christmas/CLO (47%) ........ 10,487
42nd St./Mt.Playhouse (%) .... not avail.
Lt.Inishmore/PICT (96%) ............. 593
Patsy Cline/CLO (30%) ............... 444
Male Intellect/City (94%) ........... 414