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Cynthia Dallas Bio

A proud native of Pittsburgh and fifth generation “East Ender, ”Cynthia lived and worked as an actor in Los Angeles for over a decade. A former collegiate and professional basketball player who found her passion for acting later in life, Cynthia is a 2019 graduate of the 2-year Full Time Programme at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.
Select theater credits include Gallery of Heroes: Pioneers of Flight (Pittsburgh CLO), The Young Playwrights Festival (City Theatre), The Crucible, and The Rosa Parks Story (Primestage). Cynthia has also worked in commercials for national campaigns including Nike, Bud Light, Northwestern Mutual, and Capital One. Some TV credits include guest star appearances on Shameless, 2 Broke Girls, Swagger, and i-Carly in addition to supporting roles alongside Mo’Nique in Lee Daniels’ horror film, The Deliverance, indie comedy, Tapawingo, starring Jon Heder, and upcoming Lifetime movie, Killer Dance Mom, starring Melissa Joan Hart. She is also a member of several improv groups at Arcade Comedy Theater, including Latchkey Kids, which was voted “Best Improv Team” by Pittsburgh City Paper three years running.
A long-time member of SAG-AFTRA, she is Repped by Docherty Talent Agency (Pittsburgh) and The Polygon Group (Los Angeles).

A Note from the Playwright

I originally planted the seeds for Almost 40 & Single when I performed a short stand-up bit in drama school for my classmates regarding my dating horror stories in 2019. As hilarious as they were, I realized there was more than just comedy to be mined on the subject. I thought, “Am I the only woman approaching 40 who is in this predicament?” I began interviewing other female friends “of a certain age” (aged 35-39) who had never been married or had children. What I found was I am not
alone. As we spoke, we discovered a sense of solidarity in our singledom— even if we were content with our dating status or still searching. I also found that regardless of socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, or racial background, each one of these fantastic, bright, and successful
women had something special to offer. And although this story is predominantly based on my own life, their stories inspired this play. I could not have written it without their input, willingness to be
vulnerable, and ability to laugh through the pain of dating in this day and age. To these women, I am eternally grateful! And even though my perspective is limited—this play looks at dating from a childless, single, heterosexual, cis-gender woman of color’s point of few—I hope anyone watching will take something away from the show. Because at the heart of the play is a character who simply wants to be loved and know that her authentic self is enough for this world... And I think we can ALL
relate to that sentiment! Almost 40 & Single first appeared in its earliest stages in the 2020 Scene & Heard Festival at Smock Alley Theater 1662 in Dublin, Ireland and then again in 2022 in a more robust version at The Hollywood Complex in Los Angeles.

Linda Haston - Director

Linda Haston (Director) is no stranger to the one-woman show.  She has performed her acclaimed show MOTHER LODE, written by Virginia Wall Gruenert, Artistic Director of off the WALL Productions, at Carnegie Stage, NYC’s Urban Stages in 2018, and in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2023.  She plans to also take it to other venues.  Linda currently is the Education Director & Teaching Artist for Prime Stage Theatre.  Having started her professional career in New York, in the past decade she has directed and/or performed on the stages of local Pittsburgh and regional theatre companies which include off the WALL, Quantum, City Theatre, Bricolage, New Horizon, The Public Theatre, PICT, Arcade Comedy Theatre and Prime Stage Theatre. Recently she performed in the acclaimed FAT HAM at both Pittsburgh’s City Theatre and TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  It has been an honor and great pleasure for her to direct Cynthia Dallas’ ALMOST 40 & SINGLE.

Sponsors

Dec. 13 & 14 at 8:00 pm "Pieces of Me" is an autobiographical play that exposes the devastating emotional cost of living secretly as a mixed-race family under the vicious racist apartheid regime and the legacy it bore.

Multimedia

Cynthia Dallas - Creator/Performer

 

Special Thanks:

Arcade Comedy Theater  -  Primestage Theater

Katie Tarara - Madelyn Estep - Grace Meade

Mia Schiakewitz - Scott Danzig - TJ Young

Audience Reviews

“Authentic and engaging! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.”

“I have had so many of these thoughts and feel so seen by these words.”
“It was so relatable!!! My one regret was that my boyfriend wasn’t here to see it!”

 

Critic Reviews
“A must see for anyone feeling unlucky in love.” -Maura Walsh, Dublin Art Beat 102.3