PGHwrites: Andrew Swensen & Yan Pang’s “Shelter” (Musical Theatre Production)

Photo Courtesy: Andrew Swensen

This special PGHwrites program features a staged performance of Andrew Swensen and Yan Pang’s Shelter, building off the showcase held at City of Asylum last fall. Shelter tells the story of scars carried from childhood into adulthood, exploring how they distort our vision of ourselves and damage our relationships, but also ultimately create the challenges by which we claim our strength and achieve self-determination. 

Paige, our protagonist, takes a journey through a series of memories, traveling with her childhood self through her past. Her life telescopes into an unhealthy mix of self-serving selflessness and psychological isolation, a well-wrought “shelter” that she has constructed from the pain of life. She emerges on the other side when she confronts her own role in what she has become, releases her blame toward her mother, and opens herself to the prospect of a genuine, balanced connection to another. 

About the Artists:

Andrew Swensen (Book and Lyrics) began work on Shelter in 2020 and has had the remarkable good fortune to work with composer Yan Pang since 2023 in order to bring this musical to life. When not writing musicals, Swensen serves as a faculty member at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University, working in the MFA program Writing for the Stage and Screen and in the Department of Cinema, and he is the Executive Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. Past creative projects include being the co-author and lyricist of the musical The Golden Door; the co-writer, producer, and executive producer of the film Journey to Normal; and the executive producer of the film In Service. His professional background includes work with a variety of nonprofit organizations, spanning performing, visual, and narrative arts. Previously, he held faculty positions at Brandeis University, Hamilton College, Wellesley College, and Western Michigan University, and his teaching and research have spanned narrative and aesthetic theory, comparative cultural studies, literature, and film.

Yan Pang (Composer) began working with librettist Andrew Swensen in 2023 on Shelter and has found incredible reward in creating the musical voice and vision for this work. As this work comes to life, she is so grateful to have the opportunity to share the work with audiences. Pang’s career has spanned the roles of a composer, performer, educator, and scholar, with work exploring the range of possibilities in intercultural music creation. Her compositions blend Chinese folk traditions with Western operatic and music-theater forms to explore themes of resilience, solidarity, and immigration. Her works have been featured in international collections and competitions, including For Archie, Nowhere Home, and The Others (Contemporary Music Score Collection, UCLA). She is also the songwriter and music director of the album Glory Times (China Science & Cultural Audio-Video Publishing House). As a performer and composer, Pang has worked regularly in performance-based and collaborative contexts, including performing original compositions for MIXTAPE Dance in collaboration with choreographer Jason “J-Sun” Noer and music director Stefon “Bionik” Taylor. Pang holds a faculty position as Assistant Professor of Music at Point Park University, where she teaches a range of courses in support of programs in theater, musical theater, and dance. 

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but a cash wine bar will be available.