Theater

Pittsburgh's theater scene is vibrant and diverse. World premieres play here. Giant talents grace our stages. So come and take a seat in one of our glorious theaters. We'll have you laughing in the aisles at a critically acclaimed comedy or losing yourself in a first rate drama.

Downtown

The downtown Cultural District is home to five major theaters operated by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, including the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, the Byham Theater, the O'Reilly Theater, the Harris Theater and the Cabaret at Theater Square, all located in the 14 block Penn/Liberty section of Downtown.

The Pittsburgh Public Theater offers contemporary theater in the heart of the Cultural District. With a unique three-quarter thrust stage, the Public offers intimate, engaging, professional theater. Every season features a series of diverse theatrical productions that may encompass classics of the American theater, masterworks from the international repertoire, world premieres, contemporary plays and musicals of exceptional merit.

The August Wilson Center for African American Culture presents theater performances that celebrate the contributions of African Americans within the region. August Wilson was a prolific playwright and Pittsburgh native who eloquently chronicled African American life. His most celebrated achievement is a 10-play cycle often referred to as the Pittsburgh Cycle, in which each play is set in a different decade of the 20th century. All but one of the plays takes place in Pittsburgh's Hill District neighborhood, where Wilson was raised. The cycle depicts the love, lives, comedies, triumphs and tragedies of the African American experience.

South Side

Just outside Downtown Pittsburgh on the South Side, the City Theatre is the place to experience fresh new plays written and performed by world-class artists. City Theatre brings critically-acclaimed productions that consistently rank among the region's best.

Oakland

In Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, you can enjoy classical and contemporary theater in intimate spaces and university theaters. Pittsburgh's internationally acclaimed classic theater, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre produces engaging plays that offer audiences extraordinary performances in the great storytelling tradition. Performances are held in the Stephen Foster Memorial, the gothic-inspired arts complex, named for world renowned composer and Pittsburgh native, Stephen Foster. Kuntu Repertory Theatre, , is Pittsburgh's oldest and largest continuing African-American performing arts organization that explores and celebrates the African experience throughout the Diaspora.

The Pittsburgh Playhouse is the performing arts center of Point Park University and home to three theater companies—The REP, the professional theater company; and student companies, Conservatory Theatre Company and Playhouse Jr. One of the world's leading academic fine arts institutions, Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama performs at several theaters on the campus of CMU, including the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio and the Philip Chosky Theater. Pitt Repertory Theatre, the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Theatre Arts, hosts performances year-round at the Charity Randall Theatre in the newly restored state-of-the-art Stephen Foster Memorial.

East Liberty

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a performing arts venue located in the racially diverse urban neighborhood of East Liberty. As a moderately priced, informal, intimate performance venue, the Kelly Strayhorn is an ideal place for regional artists and arts organizations to take risks and try out new work. The theater hosts a variety of events throughout the year including films, plays and concerts.

Out-Of-The-Box

Looking for more edgy, hip theater? Look no further than Quantum Theatre. Quantum is unique in that its productions are staged environmentally in places that aren't theaters. Quantum's productions have become a reflection of Pittsburgh itself, expressing the varying qualities of the city in places as different from each other as the grandest museum and the least likely abandoned industrial site.

Catch a performance of Squonk Opera, a group of interdisciplinary performing artists. Their shows consist of music, visual art and acting elements in an attempt to make a form of opera accessible to all people. The group "likes to think of themselves as a wacky, provincial opera company," says Artistic Director Jack Dempsey, who named the group "Squonk" after a description of a jazz saxophonist's playing as a "squonk-fest."

Western PA Region

There are plenty of great venues around the region that offer a rich variety of theater experiences. Succop Theatre, at Butler County Community College, features a state of the art performance space and is a wonderful venue for music, theater and dance performances. Butler Little Theatre is a small, intimate theater that presents five shows during its regular season. It is one of the oldest continuously-running community theaters in Western Pennsylvania.

The New Castle Playhouse has made its home in the old State Theatre, the oldest existing theater building in Lawrence County. The Scottish Rite Cathedral, in New Castle, hosts a wide variety of entertainment, including the New Castle Consistory Men's Choir and the New Castle Regional Ballet. The auditorium also boasts a Mueller 4-Console Organ connected to a player piano, one of only two that still exists today.

The Mountain Playhouse in Somerset is Pennsylvania's oldest professional stock theater and one of only 12 professional summer stock theaters remaining in the United States. The theater, housed in a restored 1805 gristmill, produces a season of exciting shows every summer, ranging from the best of American musical theater to thought-provoking dramas and slapstick farce.