Theatre in Pittsburgh
Encyclopedia
Theatre in Pittsburgh has existed professionally since the early 1800s and has continued to expand, having emerged as an important cultural force in the city over the past 30 years.
. Subsequently, amateur "thespian societies" emerged, including the Thespian Society that was organized by students of the Pittsburgh Academy in 1810, the forerunner of the University of Pittsburgh
, in order to stage popular comedies and musical entertainment. These students included Henry Marie Brackenridge, the son of university founder Hugh Henry Brackenridge
; Morgan Neville, the son of Presley Neville
; and future U.S. Congressman and Senator William Wilkins
. This club was frequently mentioned by travelers commenting on the early culture of Pittsburgh, however it was disbanded by university faculty in 1833 because, according to Agnes Starrett's 1937 history of the university, "instead of Shakespeare
, the members had begun to produce vulgar modern comedies".
Throughout the 1800s, Pittsburgh was home to various stock companies, beginning with the Theatre on Third Street, Pittsburgh's first free-standing playhouse, in 1813. These companies were composed of eight to ten local actors, a stage manager and prompter, a stage carpenter, a properties master, and occasionally an orchestra leader; the local actors would perform with touring "stars" such as William Macready, Edwin Forrest
, Junius and Edwin Booth
, Charles Kean
, Charlotte Cushman, James Hackett
, and Edwin Adams
. An important milestone in the creation of indigenous Pittsburgh theatre occurred when William Henderson took over the lease of the Old Drury in 1859 and produced plays by Pittsburgh playwrights in the theatre's season. Other theatres followed Henderson's lead, including the Pittsburgh Opera House, which held the first productions of nationally regarded playwright Bartley Campbell
.
In the early 1900s, Pittsburgh became a key location for productions handled by the Theatrical Syndicate
due to its strategic location, abundance of playhouses, excellent rail service, and established audiences. Sam Nixon and Fred Zimmerman's building of the Nixon and the Gayety (now Byham Theater
) attracted touring productions of successful Broadway plays as well as international ballet and opera companies. Harry Davis, another theatrical entrepreneuer in the early 1900s, founded the Family Avenue Theater and the Pittsburgh Opera House, which produced melodramas and standard plays as well as showed films. In the early 1910's, concern over the lack of serious or "legitimate" theatre in Pittsburgh led to an "art theater movement" that involved the establishment of the Pitt Theatre Company of Pittsburgh in 1913, the Drama League of Pittsburgh in 1912, and in 1914, the establishment of the nation's first bachelor of arts degree in theater
at Carnegie Tech
. In the 1920's, vaudeville
became very popular in Pittsburgh, and the Little Theatre Movement
was represented by many independent, noncommercial theater companies such as People's Playhouse of the North Side, the Suburban Theater of the South Hills, the Tarkington Theater, the Pitt Players, and the Duquesne University Red Masquers. During the Great Depression in the 1930's, noncommercial theater became more culturally important and political in nature, exemplified by the New Theater of Pittsburgh, organized in 1935. Black theater also became a more important cultural force at this time, most notably with the Olympian Players. The Negro Drama League was formed in 1932 to support the vibrant theatrical activity of African-Americans in Pittsburgh. Jewish theatrical activity also became more prominent in Pittsburgh at this time, notably with the Irene Kaufmann Settlement Players. German and Catholic theatre developed a presence as well. Civic theaters devoted to a sense of civic theatrical identity grew in popularity; the still-active Pittsburgh Playhouse
, established in 1934, is the most enduring theatre of this movement.
was one of the first to be established; staging primarily musicals, it held its first production in 1946 at the Pitt Stadium
. Over the years, the company has moved to various locations throughout the city and currently holds productions in the Benedum Center
. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre
emerged from various performance troupes at the school in the early 20th century to become the formal company of the school's theatre arts performance training program of the university in the 1960s. The Repertory Theatre became professionally oriented in 1981, and continues to stage several productions throughout the year in their primary facility, the historic Stephen Foster Memorial
. In addition, the Kuntu Repertory Theatre
, one of the region's premiere African-American performance groups, was founded by August Wilson
's colleague Vernell Lillie in 1975 at the university. St. Vincent Summer Theatre
, another major fixture of the Pittsburgh area, began in Latrobe
in 1969. The theatre has staged many different kinds of productions over the years, and now produces mostly light farces for a summer theatre audience. Mountain Playhouse
, one of the oldest professional theatres in the Pittsburgh area, made its debut in nearby Jennerstown
in 1939. Similar to St. Vincent, Mountain Playhouse also stages light summer stock fare, including comedies and musicals. Pittsburgh Playhouse
, currently home to Point Park University
's conservatory students and resident professional theatre company Playhouse Rep, opened its doors in 1934 as a community theater. Other important theatre companies of the mid-twentieth century include Black Horizon Theater
, an African-American theatre troupe that evolved out of a writers' workshop and peer support group called the Centre Avenue Poets' Theater Workshop; this theatre company held some of the first productions of August Wilson
's work. Pittsburgh Public Theater
was chartered in 1974 by Joan Apt, Margaret Rieck and Ben Shaktman and held its first production in 1975. Staging a wide variety of plays and musicals, from classical to contemporary, the theatre has become a major regional theatre and is currently housed in the O'Reilly Theater
. City Theatre
also staged its first production in 1975 as the City Players, a group of recent college graduates that gave free performances in schools, parks, and housing projects. The company has since evolved to become a major regional theatre that has staged premieres of new works by Christopher Durang
, Adam Rapp
, Jeffrey Hatcher
, Eric Simonson
, and Leslie Ayvazian
. In 1980, Attilio Favorini founded the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, a professional theatre company in residence at the University of Pittsburgh
which produced Shakespeare at the Stephen Foster Memorial
and was successful for many years.
In the 1990's and early 2000's, a new generation of theatre companies emerged and contributed to Pittsburgh's expanding and lively theatre scene. Quantum Theatre
was founded in 1990 by Karla Boos; it has staged productions of plays, musicals, and operas from world culture in nontraditional spaces around the Pittsburgh area. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival
was established in 1990 as well to provide a venue for new plays by playwrights from all over the country. Pittsburgh Musical Theater
opened in 1990 as another venue for musical theater in the city. The performance art troupe Squonk Opera
was formed in Pittsburgh in 1992 and has gone on to perform in venues across the globe in addition to performing in local venues. Unseam'd Shakespeare Company
was established in 1993 and has staged classical and classically inspired plays. Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre
was founded in 1996 and has also staged plays from European and classical playwrights. Prime Stage Theatre
was also founded in 1996 and is focused on the educational aspect of theatre. In 1999, Stage Right!
was formed in Greensburg
as another venue for professional musical theatre in the region as well as to train young people in the skills of musical theatre. Bricolage Production Company
, founded in 2001, is committed to utilizing the resources of Pittsburgh's rich cultural life for its theatrical productions; Barebones productions
, founded in 2003, is committed to developing edgy theatre productions for younger theatre audiences. Cup-A-Jo Productions
was founded in 2004 with a mission of combining productions of new and established works with other media such as film, dance, and poetry. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company
, devoted to producing local playwrights, No Name Players
, committed to building ensemble, Off the Wall Productions
in nearby Washington
, dedicated to enriching the cultural landscape of southwestern Pennsylvania, and Terra Nova Theatre Group
, also dedicated to enriching the community, have all emerged in the early 2000's as important contributors to Pittsburgh's theatre scene. Hiawatha Project
, 12 Peers Theater, Throughline Theatre Company, Three Rivers Theatre Company, and Organic Theater Pittsburgh
are new theatres poised to continue the expansion of Pittsburgh's thriving theatre community. Pittsburgh theatre draws from a rich and diverse community of actors, many of whom received training at well-respected theatre programs at local universities including Carnegie Mellon University
, University of Pittsburgh
, Point Park University
, and Seton Hill University
. The theatre community of Pittsburgh provides many opportunities to local performers, to such a degree that actors from elsewhere find the city a desirable place to make a living.
History
The heritage of theatre in Pittsburgh stretches back to at least 1765, when it was recorded that "balls, plays, concerts, and comedies" were being performed at the British military installation at Fort PittFort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
. Subsequently, amateur "thespian societies" emerged, including the Thespian Society that was organized by students of the Pittsburgh Academy in 1810, the forerunner of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, in order to stage popular comedies and musical entertainment. These students included Henry Marie Brackenridge, the son of university founder Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge was an American writer, lawyer, judge, and justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.A frontier citizen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, he founded both the Pittsburgh Academy, now the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Gazette, still operating today as the...
; Morgan Neville, the son of Presley Neville
Presley Neville
Presley Neville was an American military officer, and state official who served in the American Revolutionary War.Presley Neville was born at the family home in Winchester, Virginia, to General John Neville and Winifred Oldham Neville. He served as the Marquis de Lafayette's aide-de-camp for two...
; and future U.S. Congressman and Senator William Wilkins
William Wilkins (U.S. politician)
William Wilkins was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his career, he served in both houses of the Pennsylvania State Legislature, and in all three branches of the United States federal government, including service as a United States federal judge, as...
. This club was frequently mentioned by travelers commenting on the early culture of Pittsburgh, however it was disbanded by university faculty in 1833 because, according to Agnes Starrett's 1937 history of the university, "instead of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, the members had begun to produce vulgar modern comedies".
Throughout the 1800s, Pittsburgh was home to various stock companies, beginning with the Theatre on Third Street, Pittsburgh's first free-standing playhouse, in 1813. These companies were composed of eight to ten local actors, a stage manager and prompter, a stage carpenter, a properties master, and occasionally an orchestra leader; the local actors would perform with touring "stars" such as William Macready, Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
, Junius and Edwin Booth
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869 he founded Booth's Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was quite modern for its time...
, Charles Kean
Charles Kean
Charles John Kean , was born at Waterford, Ireland, the son of the actor Edmund Kean.After preparatory education at Worplesdon and at Greenford, near Harrow, he was sent to Eton College, where he remained three years...
, Charlotte Cushman, James Hackett
James Keteltas Hackett
James Keteltas Hackett was an American actor and manager.-Life:He was the son of James Henry Hackett, a comedian and celebrated Falstaff. His elderly father died age 71 when Hackett was just two years old thus never living to see Hackett grow to an adult...
, and Edwin Adams
Edwin Adams
Edwin Adams was an American stage actor, considered to have been one of America's best light comedians....
. An important milestone in the creation of indigenous Pittsburgh theatre occurred when William Henderson took over the lease of the Old Drury in 1859 and produced plays by Pittsburgh playwrights in the theatre's season. Other theatres followed Henderson's lead, including the Pittsburgh Opera House, which held the first productions of nationally regarded playwright Bartley Campbell
Bartley Campbell
Bartley Theodore Campbell was an American playwright of the latter 19th century.-Early years:Campbell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 12, 1843 to parents who had emigrated from Ireland. His writing career began at the age of fifteen in 1858, when he took a job as a reporter for the...
.
In the early 1900s, Pittsburgh became a key location for productions handled by the Theatrical Syndicate
Theatrical Syndicate
-Beginnings:One day, early in the year 1896, six men gathered for lunch at the Holland House in New York City. These men were Charles Frohman, Al Hayman, A.L. Erlanger, Marc Klaw, Samuel F. Nirdlinger, and Frederick Zimmerman...
due to its strategic location, abundance of playhouses, excellent rail service, and established audiences. Sam Nixon and Fred Zimmerman's building of the Nixon and the Gayety (now Byham Theater
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as The Byham Theater in 1990.Built in 1903 and opened...
) attracted touring productions of successful Broadway plays as well as international ballet and opera companies. Harry Davis, another theatrical entrepreneuer in the early 1900s, founded the Family Avenue Theater and the Pittsburgh Opera House, which produced melodramas and standard plays as well as showed films. In the early 1910's, concern over the lack of serious or "legitimate" theatre in Pittsburgh led to an "art theater movement" that involved the establishment of the Pitt Theatre Company of Pittsburgh in 1913, the Drama League of Pittsburgh in 1912, and in 1914, the establishment of the nation's first bachelor of arts degree in theater
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the oldest degree-granting drama program in the United States, founded in 1914 as a division of the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
at Carnegie Tech
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
. In the 1920's, vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
became very popular in Pittsburgh, and the Little Theatre Movement
Little Theatre Movement
As the new medium of cinema was beginning to replace theatre as a source of large-scale spectacle, the Little Theatre Movement developed in the United States around 1912...
was represented by many independent, noncommercial theater companies such as People's Playhouse of the North Side, the Suburban Theater of the South Hills, the Tarkington Theater, the Pitt Players, and the Duquesne University Red Masquers. During the Great Depression in the 1930's, noncommercial theater became more culturally important and political in nature, exemplified by the New Theater of Pittsburgh, organized in 1935. Black theater also became a more important cultural force at this time, most notably with the Olympian Players. The Negro Drama League was formed in 1932 to support the vibrant theatrical activity of African-Americans in Pittsburgh. Jewish theatrical activity also became more prominent in Pittsburgh at this time, notably with the Irene Kaufmann Settlement Players. German and Catholic theatre developed a presence as well. Civic theaters devoted to a sense of civic theatrical identity grew in popularity; the still-active Pittsburgh Playhouse
Pittsburgh Playhouse
Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student companies—Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory...
, established in 1934, is the most enduring theatre of this movement.
Theatres
Of the theatre companies in Pittsburgh currently in existence, Pittsburgh Civic Light OperaPittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
was one of the first to be established; staging primarily musicals, it held its first production in 1946 at the Pitt Stadium
Pitt Stadium
Pitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
. Over the years, the company has moved to various locations throughout the city and currently holds productions in the Benedum Center
Benedum Center
The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 719 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre
University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre
The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, or Pitt Rep, is the flagship theatre company for the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts. Pitt Rep features students on stage with professional actors and teaching artists staging public performances of classic masterpieces,...
emerged from various performance troupes at the school in the early 20th century to become the formal company of the school's theatre arts performance training program of the university in the 1960s. The Repertory Theatre became professionally oriented in 1981, and continues to stage several productions throughout the year in their primary facility, the historic Stephen Foster Memorial
Stephen Foster Memorial
The Stephen Collins Foster Memorial is a performing arts center, museum and archive at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
. In addition, the Kuntu Repertory Theatre
Kuntu Repertory Theatre
Kuntu Repertory Theatre is an African-American repertory theatre based at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.Dr. Vernell A. Lillie founded it in 1975 as a way of showcasing the playwright Rob Penny...
, one of the region's premiere African-American performance groups, was founded by August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's colleague Vernell Lillie in 1975 at the university. St. Vincent Summer Theatre
St. Vincent Summer Theatre
St. Vincent Summer Theatre is a professional theatre company that is associated with Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1969 by Father Tom Devereux, O.S.B., the company was originally composed entirely of St. Vincent students putting together a six-show season. The company...
, another major fixture of the Pittsburgh area, began in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
in 1969. The theatre has staged many different kinds of productions over the years, and now produces mostly light farces for a summer theatre audience. Mountain Playhouse
Mountain Playhouse
Mountain Playhouse is Pennsylvania's oldest professional summer stock theatre company and is located in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Housed in a restored 1805 gristmill, the theatre was founded by James Stoughton in 1939. It produces musicals, farces, and dramas each summer and also hosts...
, one of the oldest professional theatres in the Pittsburgh area, made its debut in nearby Jennerstown
Jennerstown, Pennsylvania
Jennerstown is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 714 at the 2000 census. The borough is the home of Jennerstown Speedway. The town was named for Edward Jenner.Jennerstown is located...
in 1939. Similar to St. Vincent, Mountain Playhouse also stages light summer stock fare, including comedies and musicals. Pittsburgh Playhouse
Pittsburgh Playhouse
Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student companies—Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory...
, currently home to Point Park University
Point Park University
Point Park University is a liberal arts university located in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered....
's conservatory students and resident professional theatre company Playhouse Rep, opened its doors in 1934 as a community theater. Other important theatre companies of the mid-twentieth century include Black Horizon Theater
Black Horizon Theater
Black Horizon Theater was a community-based, Black Nationalist theater company co-founded in 1968 by August Wilson and Rob Penny in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, an African-American theatre troupe that evolved out of a writers' workshop and peer support group called the Centre Avenue Poets' Theater Workshop; this theatre company held some of the first productions of August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's work. Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
was chartered in 1974 by Joan Apt, Margaret Rieck and Ben Shaktman and held its first production in 1975. Staging a wide variety of plays and musicals, from classical to contemporary, the theatre has become a major regional theatre and is currently housed in the O'Reilly Theater
O'Reilly Theater
The O'Reilly Theater is a 650-seat theater building, opened on December 11, 1999, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Located at 621 Penn Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District, the O'Reilly Theater is actually a three-part building: The theater , a large parking garage called Theater Square,...
. City Theatre
City Theatre (Pittsburgh)
City Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh's South Side. It specializes in productions of new plays and has commissioned new works by playwrights on the national theatre scene, including Christopher Durang, Adam Rapp, and Jeffrey Hatcher...
also staged its first production in 1975 as the City Players, a group of recent college graduates that gave free performances in schools, parks, and housing projects. The company has since evolved to become a major regional theatre that has staged premieres of new works by Christopher Durang
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s.- Life :...
, Adam Rapp
Adam Rapp
Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, musician and film director. His play Red Light Winter was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2006.-Early life:...
, Jeffrey Hatcher
Jeffrey Hatcher
Jeffrey Hatcher is a playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the stage play Compleat Female Stage Beauty, which he later adapted into a screenplay, shortened to just Stage Beauty...
, Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1993 for The Song of Jacob Zulu.- Personal life :...
, and Leslie Ayvazian
Leslie Ayvazian
Leslie Ayvazian is an award-winning playwright and character actress.Ms. Ayvazian is the recipient of the Roger L. Stevens and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her work Nine Armenians, which was produced at Manhattan Theatre Club...
. In 1980, Attilio Favorini founded the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, a professional theatre company in residence at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
which produced Shakespeare at the Stephen Foster Memorial
Stephen Foster Memorial
The Stephen Collins Foster Memorial is a performing arts center, museum and archive at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
and was successful for many years.
In the 1990's and early 2000's, a new generation of theatre companies emerged and contributed to Pittsburgh's expanding and lively theatre scene. Quantum Theatre
Quantum Theatre
Quantum Theatre is a professional theatre company that produces experimental productions in non-traditional performance spaces around the Pittsburgh area. Founded in 1990 by Karla Boos, the company aims to incorporate influences from world culture and the international theatre scene. The theatre...
was founded in 1990 by Karla Boos; it has staged productions of plays, musicals, and operas from world culture in nontraditional spaces around the Pittsburgh area. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival
Pittsburgh New Works Festival
Pittsburgh New Works Festival is an annual festival that produces original one-act plays utilizing the resources of Pittsburgh-area theatre companies. Established in 1990 by Donna Rae, the Festival features four weeks of productions of new plays as well as two weeks of staged readings...
was established in 1990 as well to provide a venue for new plays by playwrights from all over the country. Pittsburgh Musical Theater
Pittsburgh Musical Theater
Pittsburgh Musical Theater is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1990 with the purpose of providing high-quality productions of musicals featuring local professionals at affordable prices to residents, the company has since expanded with the educational...
opened in 1990 as another venue for musical theater in the city. The performance art troupe Squonk Opera
Squonk Opera
Squonk Opera is a group of interdisciplinary performing artists from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Led by artistic directors Jackie Dempsey and Steve O'Hearn, Squonk Opera formed in 1992 and has created ten distinct shows and performed in over 250 venues in the United States...
was formed in Pittsburgh in 1992 and has gone on to perform in venues across the globe in addition to performing in local venues. Unseam'd Shakespeare Company
Unseam'd Shakespeare Company
Unseam'd Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1993, the theatre's mission is to "rediscover and reinvent classic and classically inspired plays for modern audiences and present these plays in artistically ambitious and innovative...
was established in 1993 and has staged classical and classically inspired plays. Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre
Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre
Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre was founded founded in 1996 by Andrew S. Paul and Stephanie Riso in Pittsburgh. PICT has, in 12 short years emerged as a significant contributor to the cultural fabric of Pittsburgh with almost 2,000 loyal season subscribers, and annual attendance of over 23,000...
was founded in 1996 and has also staged plays from European and classical playwrights. Prime Stage Theatre
Prime Stage Theatre
Prime Stage Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania dedicated to creating educational theatrical productions for middle school and high school students...
was also founded in 1996 and is focused on the educational aspect of theatre. In 1999, Stage Right!
Stage Right!
reStage Right! is a professional theatre company as well as a performing arts school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Established in 1998 as an organization for young people to take classes in musical theatre by Chris Rizk, Stage Right! also became a professional theatre company in 1999,...
was formed in Greensburg
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
as another venue for professional musical theatre in the region as well as to train young people in the skills of musical theatre. Bricolage Production Company
Bricolage Production Company
Bricolage Production Company is a professional theatre company based in downtown Pittsburgh. Established in 2001 by Jeffrey Carpenter, it is located on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh's Cultural District in a space that was formerly a Turkish bathhouse...
, founded in 2001, is committed to utilizing the resources of Pittsburgh's rich cultural life for its theatrical productions; Barebones productions
Barebones productions
barebones productions is a professional theatre company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which produces contemporary plays. Its mission is to "facilitate the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining, thought-provoking plays and attracts new young theater...
, founded in 2003, is committed to developing edgy theatre productions for younger theatre audiences. Cup-A-Jo Productions
Cup-A-Jo Productions
Cup-A-Jo Productions is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2004 by Joanna Lowe, the company's mission is to "further new & established works in an effort to focus on the artist by tackling a variety of subjects, exploring non-traditional venues & styles, & mixing...
was founded in 2004 with a mission of combining productions of new and established works with other media such as film, dance, and poetry. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2003 by artistic director Mark Clayton Southers, the company originally held productions at the Penn Theater in Garfield and moved to a new space on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's...
, devoted to producing local playwrights, No Name Players
No Name Players
No Name Players is a professional theatre company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2000 by Don DiGiulio at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, the theatre company began as a creative outlet for DiGiulio and his classmates to hone their craft outside of college-related...
, committed to building ensemble, Off the Wall Productions
Off the Wall Productions
Off the Wall Productions is a professional theatre company located in Washington, Pennsylvania. Established in 2007 under Artistic Director Virginia Wall Gruenert and Managing Director Hans Gruenert, the theatre's mission is to "enrich, enliven, educate and entertain our audiences, to be...
in nearby Washington
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, dedicated to enriching the cultural landscape of southwestern Pennsylvania, and Terra Nova Theatre Group
Terra Nova Theatre Group
Terra Nova Theatre Group is a theatre company located in the area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded by William Cameron. Originally located in Washington, PA, the company has also utilized the Grey Box Theatre in Pittsburgh. Terra Nova has produced full productions of both established and new...
, also dedicated to enriching the community, have all emerged in the early 2000's as important contributors to Pittsburgh's theatre scene. Hiawatha Project
Hiawatha Project
Hiawatha Project is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh. Established in 2010 by Anya Martin and Michelle Carello, the company's mission is to "create original performances exploring specific social questions through myth, free association, and movement." Hiawatha Project's...
, 12 Peers Theater, Throughline Theatre Company, Three Rivers Theatre Company, and Organic Theater Pittsburgh
Organic Theater Pittsburgh
Organic Theater Pittsburgh is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the first theatre company in Pittsburgh to focus on being "eco-friendly." Founded in 2011 by Jaime Slavinsky, the company's mission is to create an "organic theatre product" through "a unique rehearsal...
are new theatres poised to continue the expansion of Pittsburgh's thriving theatre community. Pittsburgh theatre draws from a rich and diverse community of actors, many of whom received training at well-respected theatre programs at local universities including Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, Point Park University
Point Park University
Point Park University is a liberal arts university located in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered....
, and Seton Hill University
Seton Hill University
Seton Hill University is a small Catholic liberal arts university of about 2100 students in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Formerly a women's college, it became a coeducational university in 2002....
. The theatre community of Pittsburgh provides many opportunities to local performers, to such a degree that actors from elsewhere find the city a desirable place to make a living.
Prominent Pittsburgh theatre professionals
These are theatre professionals who were born in Pittsburgh or have worked and lived there for an extended period of time.- Rob AshfordRob AshfordRob Ashford is an American choreographer and director. He is a seven-time Tony Award nominee , five-time Olivier Award nominee, Emmy Award winner, Drama Desk winner, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner.-Biography:...
--director/choreographer - Tom AtkinsTom Atkins (actor)Tom Atkins is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film genre, having worked with writers and directors such as John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George A. Romero...
--actor - Shirley BoothShirley BoothShirley Booth was an American actress.Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950...
--actress - Bartley CampbellBartley CampbellBartley Theodore Campbell was an American playwright of the latter 19th century.-Early years:Campbell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 12, 1843 to parents who had emigrated from Ireland. His writing career began at the age of fifteen in 1858, when he took a job as a reporter for the...
--playwright - Caitlin ClarkeCaitlin ClarkeCaitlin Clarke was an American theater and film actress best known for her role as Valerian in the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer and for her role as Charlotte Cardoza in the 1998–1999 Broadway musical Titanic....
--actress - Barbara Feldon--actress
- Jeff GoldblumJeff GoldblumJeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
--actor - Frank GorshinFrank GorshinFrank John Gorshin, Jr. was an American actor and comedian. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist, with many guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show...
--actor - Ann HardingAnn HardingAnn Harding was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress.-Early years:Born Dorothy Walton Gatley at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to George G. Gatley and Elizabeth "Bessie" Crabb. The daughter of a career army officer, she traveled often during her early life...
--actress - Billy HartungBilly HartungBilly Hartung, also known as Bill Hartung and William Hartung, is an American actor and dancer with credits ranging from Broadway to film....
--actor - Holly HunterHolly HunterHolly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
--actress - Cherry JonesCherry JonesCherry Jones is an American actress and recipient of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.-Career:...
--actress - Shirley JonesShirley JonesShirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...
--actress - Melina KanakaredesMelina KanakaredesMelina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is an American actress. She is widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series; playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr...
--actress - George S. KaufmanGeorge S. KaufmanGeorge Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
--playwright - Michael KeatonMichael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
--actor - Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
--actor - Christine LaittaChristine LaittaChristine Laitta is an American actress from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, she has played many roles and recently starred in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's production of Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Broadway SVU...
--actress - Heath LambertsHeath LambertsHeath Lamberts, CM was a Canadian actor.He was born James Langcaster in Toronto, Ontario, where, as a boy, he won singing contests at school, allowing him to perform with Toronto's Opera Festival Association...
--actor - Joe ManganielloJoe ManganielloJoseph Michael "Joe" Manganiello is a classically-trained American film and theatre actor. He holds a BFA in acting from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama...
--actor - Kathleen MarshallKathleen MarshallKathleen Marshall is an American choreographer, director, and creative consultant.-Life and career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marshall graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and Smith College. She worked in the Pittsburgh theatre scene when she was younger, performing with such...
--director/choreographer - Rob MarshallRob MarshallRob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...
--director/choreographer - Allison McAtee --actress
- Lenora NemetzLenora Nemetz-Career:Nemetz left her native Pittsburgh as a teenager to work on Broadway. She performed her way across the country for the last three decades, starting with her Broadway debut in Cabaret. A protege of Bob Fosse, Nemetz first came to the attention of New York critics when she replaced Chita...
--actress - David NewellDavid NewellDavid Newell is a television actor who is remembered for his career as Mr. McFeely, the delivery man on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. His character's most famous catchphrase was "Speedy Delivery!" This was Newell's major role, but not his only one as he appeared in small film and TV parts...
--actor - Stuart PankinStuart PankinStuart Pankin is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.-Career:...
--actor - Rob PennyRob PennyRobert Lee "Rob" Penny was an African American playwright, poet, social activist, and professor.-Early life:Penny was born in Opelika, Alabama on August 6, 1941. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District as a toddler, where he was raised...
--playwright - George PeppardGeorge PeppardGeorge Peppard, Jr. was an American film and television actor.Peppard secured a major role when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's , portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers , and played the title role of the millionaire sleuth Thomas Banacek in...
--actor - Billy Porter--actor
- Joshua Elijah ReeseJoshua Elijah Reese-Early life:Joshua Elijah Reese was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, he enjoyed performing with his elementary and middle school choirs. In high school, he had aspirations of pursuing a variety of sports especially basketball. The dream ended when he failed to make the...
--actor - Lillian RussellLillian RussellLillian Russell was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century, known for her beauty and style, as well as for her voice and stage presence.Russell was born in Iowa but raised in Chicago...
--actress - Alan StanfordAlan StanfordAlan Stanford is a well known Irish-based actor and director.-Personal life:Stanford has lived in Ireland since 1969. He trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London....
--actor - Sada ThompsonSada ThompsonSada Carolyn Thompson was an American stage, film, and television actress.-Life and career:Born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1927 to Hugh Woodruff Thompson and his wife Corlyss , and raised in New Jersey, Thompson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, after...
--actress - Regis ToomeyRegis ToomeyJohn Regis Toomey was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey and attended Peabody High School...
--actor - Sam TsoutsouvasSam TsoutsouvasSam Tsoutsouvas is a veteran actor and lyricist with experience in the stage, television and films.-Broadway plays:*Scapin , Lyrics*Three Sisters , as Solyony*The Beggar's Opera , as Lockit...
--actor - John WellsJohn Wells (TV producer)John Marcum Wells is an American theater and television producer, writer and director. He is best known for his role as executive producer and show runner of the television series ER, Third Watch, and The West Wing. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in...
--producer, writer, and director - August WilsonAugust WilsonAugust Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
--playwright