Welcome To the C District

with Carolyn Lamber and Siobhan Rigg
2004

Welcome to the C District was a mobile performance that developed out of a 9-month investigation of Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

A thriving theater district during the Vaudeville era, Liberty Avenue became a red light district during the 1980s. The street was targeted for "cultural redevelopment," starting in the mid-1990s. By the early 2000s, few red light establishments remained, several having been replaced by contemporary art spaces. Upscale loft development was underway and young professionals were being encouraged to re-populate the historic buildings of downtown. At that time, Liberty Avenue was also home to Pittsburgh’s largest concentration of queer establishments, including several bars and dance clubs.

Welcome to the C District examined the transformation of Liberty Avenue and questioned the planning of urban environments verses more emergent patterns of use. Characters were modeled after real-life and fictitious individuals associated with Pittsburgh and Liberty Avenue. Using a non-linear narrative, the performance represented various constituencies that frequent the street during different times of the day. As the characters voiced conflicting interests and desires, the invisible struggle to claim space and influence development in the city was embodied on the street.

Audience members were instructed to meet on a specified corner, at the intersection of 9th Street and Liberty Avenue. Three separate audience groups were approached by ‘guides’ and led simultaneously through the performance. Along the way, characters were positioned on sidewalks, alleyways, an indoor meeting hall and a parking garage.

Characters engaged the audience in direct interaction through a combination of scripted and improvised scenarios. Five “ambient” characters added to the spectacle of the performance, but did not interact with the audience directly. By remaining aloof, these characters blurred the line between the planned performance and the spontaneous life of the street.