“Candide”

Quantum Theatre

Nov. 5–22

Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at… “Candide”

Quantum Theatre

Nov. 5–22

Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m.

Location: Former Don Allen Auto City on 5315 Baum Blvd.

Tickets: $28-$40, limited student tickets available at $16

Call 412-394-3353 for tickets or go to

Until recently, the Don Allen Auto City building on Baum Boulevard in Bloomfield sat lifeless and empty

The same spot where many Pittsburghers may have bought their first car is now the stage of a modern production of the classic show “Candide,” thanks to Quantum Theatre.

The original 1956 Leonard Bernstein operetta is based on a satire written by Voltaire, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.

The operetta revolves around a young man named Candide and his quest to rescue the beautiful, kidnapped Cunegonde.

Along the way, Candide encounters various philosophies that cause him to question the way he lives his life.

Set designer Tony Ferrieri helped create the show’s unique set in the Don Allen Auto City building.

“It was a big, empty space that we needed for this production,” Ferrieri said.

It wasn’t an accident that the defunct car dealership ended up as the stage, according to stage director Karla Boos.

“We were looking for a derelict, modern ruin,” Boos said.

The production is flooded with modern automobile-related puns and props.

Car seats are used for powerful characters’ thrones, Cunegonde’s jewelry box is a toolbox, and the orchestra members even dress in mechanics’ coveralls.

“Everything we use is either from a car or somehow related to a car,” Ferrieri said. To find what they needed to fill the vast empty garage, Ferrieri and his crew searched through mechanic shops and junkyards.

“We were only using one-tenth of the space of the building,” Ferrieri said. “It was more of a blank palette to work with than other shows.”

Boos is also the artistic director and founder of Quantum Theatre, which launched in 1990. “Candide” has proven to be one of her most ambitious projects yet.

“There was no heat, there was no water, only limited power, and we were playing in 13,000 square feet,” Boos said. “To light 13,000 square feet with limited power is an amazing challenge.”

The set design was one of many decisions that Boos made with Ferrieri and her music director, Andres Cladera.

“The most important thing to us is the music. The music is the point of departure,” Boos said.

The production uses an eight-person orchestra placed in the center of the stage. Around the orchestra move the actors and performers, and surrounding them, the audience.

Although the novel “Candide” celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Boos believes that its message has not been lost over time.

But that hasn’t stopped Quantum Theatre from creating a Twitter page for Dr. Pangloss, one of the main characters of “Candide,” to encourage interest from more technologically inclined members of the community.

Josh Storey, the associate administrator, worked with a local technology firm to create the Twitter account.

“We came up with the idea of a somewhat viral campaign that wouldn’t focus on marketing or selling them a ticket, but instead would encourage people to connect with the characters and the story,” Storey wrote in an e-mail.

Boos’ unique style and decisions should be enough to convince any theater-goer to attend the show.

“It’s got my stamp all over it,” Boos said.

Even if that stamp is modern automobile references and a huge, barren ruin of a stage, Boos thinks that her choices will truly make for a unique Quantum experience.

“I believe in bold choices in the theater,” Boos said. “I’m a risk taker.”