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WHEREAS, Bricolage is a Pittsburgh theatrical company taking its name from the French word for "making use of what is at hand", a concept which is present across the visual and performing arts; and
WHEREAS, a veritable MacGyver of the stage, Jeffery Carpenter pieced together a production company from the varied talents and resources of the Pittsburgh community; and
WHEREAS, Bricolage debuted on the Pittsburgh scene with a production of David Turkel's Wild Signs in 2002 in an abandoned church that would later become the Union Project community center; and
WHEREAS, successive productions were performed in spaces and geographies as diverse as Engine House #25, The Brew House, the Frick Art Museum, and Wood Street Gallery; and
WHEREAS, the intrepid theater company moved to the cultural district in 2006, taking an address along Liberty Avenue as a welcome addition to the heart of Pittsburgh's thriving visual and performing arts scene; and
WHEREAS, Bricolage has been responsible for some of the most innovative theater in Pittsburgh over the last decade, including the popular Bricolage Urban Scrawl series, where directors create works based upon their experiences on a Port Authority bus; and
WHEREAS, Tami Dixon joined Bricolage in 2005, and is responsible for the creation of the popular Midnight Radio series, which produces 1940s radio style productions with sound effects, musical guests, suspenseful dramas, and more; and
WHEREAS, the company will soon produce STRATA, an immersive urban adventure with a decidedly cryptic bent; and
WHEREAS, Bricolage continues to engage our City around important cultural and political issues such as sexual identity, race, and gender through innovative performances and audience interaction; and
WHEREAS, in breaking down the barriers between entertainers and the entertained, Bricolage gives the audience a stake in the dramatic process; and
WHEREAS, Bricolage contributes to the cultural well-being of Pittsburgh by encouraging and supporting creative risk-takers on the stage, behind the scenes, and in the seats; and
WHEREAS, the city of Pittsburgh eagerly looks forward to many more innovative and avant-garde productions from Bricolage designed to delight, provoke, and entertain.
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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh commends the Bricolage for the company's contributions to the cultural life of Pittsburgh and bricoleurs Jeffery Carpenter and Tami Dixon for their work to that end; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, July 10, 2012 to be Bricolage Day in the City of Pittsburgh.