First Week-Long Run of Locally Made Thriller Basic Psych
January 10 @ 4:45 pm – January 16 @ 7:30 pm
Basic Psych, a Western Pennsylvania-filmed thriller starring Michael Cerveris and David Conrad, will play for at least a week at The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center.
Cerveris, a two-time Tony winner also known for his small-screen work in shows like Mindhunter and The Gilded Age, stars in Basic Psych as psychiatrist Stuart Prince. Conrad, a Pittsburgh native and Ghost Whisperer series regular, plays an enigmatic patient who Dr. Prince begins to suspect may pose a threat to others—including his family.
Basic Psych will open at The Lindsay on Jan. 10 and will run through at least Jan. 16. Tickets are currently on sale and available via The Lindsay’s website.
This long-awaited product of the Pittsburgh film industry was directed by Melissa Martin (The Bread, My Sweet) and penned by Jim Tucker, a local pediatrician and novelist making his screenwriting debut with Basic Psych.
“It’s a thrill for me to have my first screenplay finally come to the big screen at The Lindsay Theater!” says Tucker. “I am overwhelmed by how marvelous The Lindsay Theater is. I love that it’s a theater that has such terrific audio, outstanding acoustics and perfect picture quality.”
Production on Basic Psych was delayed due to COVID-induced shutdowns and was finally completed in summer 2021. Filming took place all over the region, from a house in Fox Chapel to La Roche University in McCandless to the former Vessel Studio in the South Side.
“I’m in love with this city,” says Martin. “Part of the reason I want to keep making movies is because I want to capture this city on film. We love it so much, and it’s just beautiful.”
The Basic Psych cast also features Siena Goines (Days of Our Lives) and regional acting talent such as Cotter Smith (Unsinkable), Patrick Jordan (American Rust) and Carl Clemons (A Man Called Otto). Martin also shouted out locally based Basic Psych cinematographer Jeff Garton (Unsinkable) and the post-production assistance provided by Western Pennsylvania-based companies Red Caiman Studios and PMI Digital.
Basic Psych premiered last year as part of the 2024 Three Rivers Film Festival. It screened two days later at The Lindsay and quickly sold out. Martin attended that Lindsay screening and thinks it’s “wonderful to have a theater here that participates with independent filmmakers.”
She can’t wait for a film that was made in her adopted hometown during a global pandemic to play for an entire week at one of her favorite theaters.
“It’s a thrill ride!” says Martin. “It’s really important, just like for us to go to the Steelers and Pirates, to see what homegrown talent can do in this city. We can make a thing that’s a lot of fun and has a really great story.”
