George A. Romero’s “lost film” ‘Expostulations’ will premiere at Byham Theater next year!
“Celebrate the Life, Films, and Creative Legacy of the "Godfather of Horror" in the Theater Where Night of the Living Dead Premiered in 1968.”
Photo credit: Image Ten, Inc.
The George A. Romero Foundation and Christian Kriegeskotte are premiering George’s thought-to-be-lost short film ‘Expostulations,’ which will have its world premiere at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also premiered ‘Night of the Living Dead’ in 1968. “A Night at the Symphony” will debut a brand-new concert experience celebrating the life, career, and creative legacy of the “Godfather of Horror.”
Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and performed live by the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, the one-night-only world premiere will include a host of surprise guests and take place March 26, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at the Byham Theater, 101 6th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, in the Cultural District.
Photo credit: Image Ten, Inc.
"A Night at the Symphony" begins with music that inspired Romero, including his childhood experience seeing a film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann, before moving through newly orchestrated music from Romero's films. The crown jewel of the evening is a complete, exclusive screening of Romero's “lost” 1962 debut short film, “Expostulations,” with a new orchestral score commissioned by the George A. Romero Foundation and composed by Kriegeskotte. It will be performed live-to-picture by the orchestra.
“Expostulations” was believed to be lost during a basement flood decades prior, but was recently discovered and has preserved and restored by the George A. Romero Foundation. The footage shows what Romero thought about his hometown of Pittsburgh, using the city as his background for this short film with a cast that was mostly African-American actors in the early 1960s.
“At first I thought it would be fun simply to reimagine the music from some of Romero’s most notable films for live orchestra,” said Kriegeskotte, creator and music director of the program. “I started out as a studio orchestra musician in Hollywood, and having seen the ongoing popularity of movies like Star Wars and Harry Potter in symphonic spaces, I wanted to turn the spotlight toward less recognized heroes of indie cinema whose films helped shape my own creative imagination. I only discovered later that Romero’s inspiration to become a filmmaker came from the film adaptation of an opera, and a natural throughline began to emerge, revealing unrealized projects and lesser-known collaborations that felt perfectly at home in the concert hall. When the GARF asked me to write an original score to accompany Expostulations, I knew we had a remarkable program on our hands.”
The concert opens with Kriegeskotte's original overture, Beyond the Living Dead, a theme and variations inspired by the first 10 notes heard in Night of the Living Dead. Guests will also hear music from Romero’s most celebrated films like John Harrison’s iconic synth score from Day of the Dead (performed in part on Harrison’s original Prophet-5 synthesizer), Donald Rubinstein’s lush music from Martin and Knightriders, music from Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and others. All are expanded and reimagined for the full symphony orchestra.
"My dad was relentlessly curious, and his imagination was never confined to a single genre, medium, or moment in his career," says Tina Romero, Acting President of the George A. Romero Foundation. "A Night at the Symphony gives audiences access to parts of that creative journey that are rarely seen together. Dad loved music and had a huge collection of movie scores on vinyl. He absolutely would have loved this project. To premiere it in Pittsburgh, in the very theater where Night of the Living Dead was introduced to audiences nearly six decades ago, makes the evening especially meaningful."
All net revenue generated by the world premiere and future bookings of "A Night at the Symphony" will benefit the ongoing work of the George A. Romero Foundation, the event's executive producer. Foundation initiatives include scholarships and fellowships for the next generation of horror creatives, restoration and preservation of Romero's work, support for the growing horror archive at the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library, and efforts to establish an endowment to name the university's new Horror Studies Center the George A. Romero Horror Studies Center.
For fans looking to take the experience even further, two VIP add-on packages are available. The VIP Meet & Greet Package includes exclusive post-concert access with the George A. Romero Foundation creative team and VIP guests, plus a limited-edition A Night at the Symphony T-shirt, signed concert poster, signed copy of George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park graphic novel, and a surprise goodie bag of merchandise and collectibles. The VIP Merchandise Package includes the same exclusive merchandise without the meet-and-greet. A separate concert ticket is required for all VIP add-on packages.
The full program will run approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with an intermission.
A Night at the Symphony has been made possible through the generous support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The University of Pittsburgh Library System, The University of Pittsburgh David C. Frederick Honors College, Dentons Cohen and Grigsby, The Vault Studio, and Fright Rags.
For tickets and information, visit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust official ticket sources: TrustArts.org; call 412-456-6666, and in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Tickets are on sale now.
Courtesy of: George A. Romero Foundation (GARF)
