The history of a Sharpsburg daughter with a famous last name will be brought to life during the Prime Stage Theatre’s Cemetery Walk.
Fox Chapel native Regina Gibson will portray Catherine Heinz Mueller, sister of H.J. Heinz, who worked to promote healthcare and safety regulations for women working in the family’s ketchup and condiment factories.
“I am very excited,” said Gibson, who earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is now based in New York City.
“It is always a treat bringing Pittsburgh history to life as an actor.”
She attended the show with family last year and found the live historical reenactments fascinating, Gibson said.
The fourth annual Homewood Cemetery Walk is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 26.
In addition to Mueller, visitors also will meet David L. Clark, the “candy king of Pittsburgh”; Charles “Teenie” Harris, an award-winning photojournalist; Lillian Mae Kress, a Gilded Age matron; David Boyd Morris, a Civil War officer; Sara Scott Grayson, an early-1800s Pittsburgher; and Bessie Wadding Wyant of Florence Crittenton Women’s Home.
They will be portrayed by professional actors in period costumes in a series of one-hour tours.
“Catherine married Sebastian Mueller, an immigrant from Bavaria who became the senior vice president and director of Heinz ketchup,” Gibson said.
The philanthropist couple founded Eden Hall Farm in Richland, now operated by Chatham University.
Prime Stage, founded in 1996 with the mission of bringing literature to life, has produced more than 110 plays and won national recognition as a leader in educational theater.
“Many of our main stage plays have history as a central focus,” producing artistic director Wayne Brinda said. “The Cemetery Walk is a chance for us to present audiences with a personal look at historic Pittsburghers and the impact they had on shaping our community.”
Monologues are written by Prime Stage board member and historical playwright Lawrence McCullough, who has written five books of original monologues and authored plays and character pieces for Historic Philadelphia’s colonial tours.
McCullough said the idea was spearheaded by board member Sueanne Zoratto, who saw a history-based cemetery walk in the Midwest and suggested Prime Stage could mimic it as a fundraiser.
“The board thought this was an excellent idea because many Prime Stage Theatre plays over the last 30 years have dramatized history from a firsthand perspective of figures such as Anne Frank, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson and Albert Einstein,” McCullough said.
“Sueanne took the idea to the Homewood Cemetery staff, who have in the past organized their own docent-led gravesite tours.”
Homewood Cemetery was founded in 1878 from the estate of William Wilkins, a 19th century Pittsburgh judge who served as U.S. minister to Russia and secretary of war under President John Tyler. There are nearly 79,000 graves within 200 acres, dotted by monuments ranging from angels and obelisks to mausoleums and illustrated headstones.
Since the first walk in 2023, the events have sold out, something McCullough attributes to Pittsburghers’ deep interest in local history.
“Especially the interest in the individuals who helped shape the city’s cultural identity and character as perceived by the outside world,” McCullough said.
Tours focus on famous and lesser-knowns, all who have contributed to the landscape of the region.
Clark, for example, was an Irish-born manufacturer who died in 1939 at age 75 after creating more than 150 brands of candy, gum and crackers. Harris was a prize-winning Black photographer and Negro League baseball player.
McCullough said that as he researches the biographies, “I’m always struck by how much of the innovation Pittsburgh is known for started with ordinary people who had a good idea and never gave up.”
Historic Pittsburghers
Attendees of the Prime Stage Theatre Cemetery Walk are scheduled to encounter these Pittsburghers:
• Lillian Mae Kress, played by actor Suzanne Ward. Kress was the wife of industrialist Frederick Kress, inventor of the corrugated box.
• Charles “Teenie” Harris, played by actor DeVaughn Robinson. Harris was a prize-winning Black photographer and Negro League baseball player.
Featured Local Businesses
• David L. Clark, played by actor Ken Lutz. Clark was the inventor of the Clark and Zagnut candy bars.
• Col. David Boyd Morris, played by actor Mark Boles. Morris was a Civil War hero and civic leader.
• Bessie Wadding Wyant, played by actor Cindy West. Wyant was a resident of Florence Crittenton Women’s Home.
• Sara Scott Grayson, played by actor Anne Rematt. Grayson was an early 1800s Pittsburgh pioneer.
• Catherine Heinz Mueller, played by actor Regina Gibson. Mueller was the wife of Sebastian Mueller, a Heinz Co. executive and founder of Eden Hall Farm.
Coming up
What: Prime Stage Theatre’s fourth annual Cemetery Walk
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 26, featuring one-hour tours
Where: Homewood Cemetery, 1599 S. Dallas Ave.
Cost: $25 per person; available online at primestage.com/events